Comprehensive Assessment on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution Confirms Need for Urgent Global Action

23.10.2021

plastika-voda — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Naja Bertolt)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Cristian Palmer)

A drastic reduction in unnecessary, avoidable and problematic plastic is crucial to addressing the global pollution crisis, according to a comprehensive assessment released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). An accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, the removal of subsidies and a shift towards circular approaches will help reduce plastic waste at the needed scale.

From Pollution to Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution shows that there is a growing threat in all ecosystems from source to sea. It also shows that while we have the know-how, we need the political will and urgent action by the government to tackle the mounting crisis. The report will inform discussions at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in 2022, where countries will come together to decide a way forward for global cooperation.

Plastic pollution leakage into aquatic ecosystems has grown sharply in recent years and is projected to more than double by 2030, with dire consequences for human health, the global economy, biodiversity and the climate.

The assessment, released 10 days ahead of the COP26, emphasizes that plastics are a climate problem as well: Using a life cycle analysis, 2015 greenhouse gas emissions from plastics were 1.7 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e), and are projected to increase to approximately 6.5 GtCO2e by 2050, or 15 percent of the global carbon budget.

The authors pour cold water on the chances of recycling our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. They warn against damaging alternatives to single-use and other plastic products, such as bio-based or biodegradable plastics, which currently pose a chemical threat similar to conventional plastics.

The report looks at critical market failures, such as the low price of virgin fossil fuel feedstocks compared to recycled materials, disjointed efforts in informal and formal plastic waste management, and the lack of consensus on global solutions.

“This assessment provides the strongest scientific argument to date for the urgency to act, and for collective action to protect and restore our oceans from source to sea,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “A major concern is the fate of breakdown products, such as microplastics and chemical additives, many of which are known to be toxic, and hazardous to both human and wildlife health, and ecosystems. The speed at which ocean plastic pollution is capturing public attention is encouraging. It is vital that we use this momentum to focus on the opportunities for a clean, healthy and resilient ocean.”

The report highlights that plastic accounts for 85 percent of marine litter and warns that by 2040, volumes of plastic pollution flowing into marine areas will nearly triple, adding 23-37 million metric tons of plastic waste into the ocean per year. This means about 50kg of plastic per meter of coastline worldwide.

Consequently, all marine life – from plankton and shellfish to birds, turtles and mammals – faces the grave risk of toxification, behavioral disorder, starvation and suffocation. Corals, mangroves and seagrass beds are also smothered by plastic waste preventing them from receiving oxygen and light.

The human body is similarly vulnerable on multiple fronts to plastic pollution in water sources, which could cause hormonal changes, developmental disorders, reproductive abnormalities and cancer. Plastics are ingested through seafood, drinks and even common salt; they penetrate the skin and are inhaled when suspended in the air.

Marine litter and plastic pollution also significantly affect the global economy. The economic costs of marine plastic pollution with respect to its impacts on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, together with other costs such as those of clean-ups, were estimated to be at least USD 6-19 billion globally in 2018. It is projected that by 2040 there could be a USD 100 billion annual financial risk for businesses if governments require them to cover waste management costs at expected volumes and recyclability. High levels of plastic waste can also lead to a rise in illegal domestic and international waste disposal.

The assessment calls for the immediate reduction of plastics and encourages a transformation across the whole plastic value chain. Further investments need to be made in far more robust and effective monitoring systems to identify the sources, scale and fate of plastic and the development of a risk framework, which is currently missing on a global level. Ultimately, a shift to circular approaches is necessary, including sustainable consumption and production practices, accelerated development and adoption of alternatives by businesses and increased consumer awareness to enable more responsible choices.

Source: UNEP

The health impacts of the smoke from the fires in the Amazon

22.10.2021

forest_fire_šumski_požar — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Depending on the time of the year and where you go in the Amazon, you may see two very different types of “mist”. One is the morning mist, caused by moisture that evaporates from rivers and trees and fills the air with tiny droplets of water. The other one may look like a mist but it is actually smoke coming from forest fires – a dense layer that covers entire regions, sometimes for months. While the former only brings benefits, the latter is harmful to your health and can even be fatal.

From August 2020 to July 2021, the DETER system of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) detected alerts for clear-cut deforestation affecting 132,955 hectares in the state of Rondônia. In September of this year, the state capital, Porto Velho, was the municipality with the most hotspots in the entire Amazon.

Every year during the Amazon summer, which runs from July to October, municipalities like Porto Velho experience this direct impact of fires: smoke. Forest fires rarely occur naturally in the Amazon. They are commonly used as part of the deforestation process, either as the last step in clearing the forest or to degrade and weaken large tracts of forest – precisely at the time of the year with less rainfall.

Forest fires directly affect biodiversity and steer Brazil farther away from the international goals to contain the climate crisis. But the first to be affected by them are, without a doubt, the people who live in the region, as the air they breathe becomes toxic. The smoke from fires is filled with tiny particles (sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, soot, mineral particles and water) 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM 2.5), which can be carried by the wind and travel through the atmosphere for many kilometers.

These residues, known as particulate matter (PM), can accumulate in the terminal parts of our respiratory system, the alveoli, where the gas exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen occurs. From there, PM enters the bloodstream, causing immediate and long-term health complications.

The ones most affected by the pollution caused by fires in the Amazon are the elderly and children. “Children, because their immune system is still under development and because they have an anatomically smaller respiratory system,” explained pediatrician Daniel Pires de Carvalho, deputy general director of Cosme e Damião Children’s Hospital, in Porto Velho (RO).

The most common symptoms caused by interaction with particulate matter are burning in the throat and nostrils, pain when breathing, headaches, and persistent cough. But the effects can be even more devastating for patients with co-existing medical conditions, such as hypertension, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Source: Greenpeace

Secretariat Welcomes Start of Implementation of Day-Ahead Market in Montenegro

22.10.2021

struja koridor žice wires electric — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Fre Sonneveld)

The Secretariat welcomes the start of the implementation of a day-ahead market in Montenegro. BELEN, the power exchange company of Montenegro responsible for the establishment of a national day-ahead market, signed today a Service Agreement with European Power Exchange EPEX SPOT and Slovenian BSP for setting up a day-ahead power market in Montenegro.

According to the companies, their cooperation will include support in establishing processes and procedures required to operate the national day-ahead market in Montenegro, market coupling with neighbouring countries and day-ahead clearing and settlement processes.

This is a key step towards improving competition and liquidity of the electricity market in Montenegro. The Secretariat welcomes BELEN’s plan to initiate coupling with neighbouring markets from the very beginning of day-ahead market operation in nine months. This will contribute to regional electricity market integration and ensure a robust price signal. The parties reiterated the need to ensure compatibility of the national VAT regime with that applicable for other power exchanges, as a precondition for smooth market functioning and coupling. The Energy Community Secretariat will continue to support Montenegro in these endeavours.

The project was supported by the project “Technical Assistance to Connectivity in the Western Balkans – Component 2: Regional Energy Market”, which was funded by the European Union and implemented by the Energy Community Secretariat.

Source: Energy-community

CAN Europe: Reinforced Impetus to the EU Enlargement Process – a Crucial Element for the Climate and Energy Reforms in the Neighbourhood

21.10.2021

pollution-zagađenje — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Daniel Moqvist)

The European Union released yesterday its annual enlargement country reports on the progress of the Western Balkan states on the road towards joining EU members. Focusing on climate change, the joint message for all countries is that progress is limited and more needs to be done in terms of staying in line with Paris Agreement goals.

The reports call on the Western Balkans to set coal phase out dates, establish a carbon pricing framework, comply with the Energy Community Treaty, and work on cohesion of the legislative framework in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050. Failing to do so, the region faces dire economic consequences of late fossil fuel phase-out, as well as trade barriers such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The tasks at hand are challenging considering region wide rocketing air pollution, lack of implementation of climate, environment and energy plans, heavy investments into gas infrastructure while new coal is still on the horizon. This is precisely why the accession process requires strong EU leadership, including a clear timeline, in order to retain the momentum and motivation for reform, in particular on chapters 15 (energy) and 27 (environment and climate) of the EU legislative framework.

This means, inter alia setting a legal framework for climate action and adaptation and adopting long-term strategies with realistic action plans. Moreover, the region must introduce national platforms that will monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions.

“While the progress reports show that the EU is providing recommendations which should help countries fully comply with the EU acquis, the messages on enlargement should be clearer and turn into time-defined action. The process should not lose momentum otherwise it risks hampering the progress made so far, including on climate and environmental policies. This of course does not mean that the Western Balkans countries should delay cooperation and obligations to transpose and enforce EU law.” says Viktor Berishaj from CAN Europe.

Slowing down and mitigating destructive consequences of climate change is the most urgent issue of our time. Most EU states have announced coal phase-out by 2030, and are moving towards energy efficiency, renewables and sustainability. The WB region is already being substantially affected by the adverse impacts of climate change and needs to rapidly deploy all its efforts to minimise the current and the anticipated damage. Putting into place European Union policies will only be beneficial for this economically and socially deteriorating region, where energy poverty is escalating, and air pollution caused nearly 12000 related deaths both in the region and in the neighbouring EU states.

Source: CAN Europe

G7 Members Have a Unique Opportunity to Lead the World Towards Electricity Sectors With Net Zero Emissions

21.10.2021

vetroturbine_polje — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Martin Jeon)

G7 members are well placed to fully decarbonise their electricity supply by 2035, which would accelerate the technological advances and infrastructure rollouts needed to lead global energy markets towards net zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The report was requested by the United Kingdom, which holds the G7 Presidency this year.

The pathway laid out in the report – Achieving Net Zero Electricity Sectors in G7 Members – underscores how the G7 can serve as first movers, jump-starting innovation and lowering the cost of technologies for other countries while maintaining electricity security and placing people at the centre of energy transitions.

The new report builds on the IEA’s landmark Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 to identify key milestones, challenges and opportunities for G7 members. Following on from June’s G7 Summit, it is designed to inform discussions at the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, for which the UK also holds the Presidency.

At the G7 Summit, the leaders of Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – plus the European Union – committed to reach “an overwhelmingly decarbonised” power system in the 2030s and net zero emissions across their economies no later than 2050.

The G7 now accounts for nearly 40 percent of the global economy, 36 percent of global power generation capacity, 30 percent of global energy demand and 25 percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Its clean energy transition is already underway, with coal making way for cleaner options. The electricity sector now accounts for one-third of the G7’s energy-related emissions, down from a peak of nearly two-fifths in 2007. In 2020, natural gas and renewables were the primary sources of electricity in the G7, each providing about 30 percent of the total, with nuclear power and coal close to 20 percent each.

Reaching net zero emissions from electricity would require completing the phase-out of unabated coal while simultaneously expanding low emissions sources of electricity, including renewables, nuclear, hydrogen and ammonia. According to the IEA’s pathway to net zero by 2050, renewables need to provide 60 percent of the G7’s electricity supply by 2030, whereas under current policies they are on track to reach 48 percent.

The G7 has an opportunity to demonstrate that electricity systems with 100 percent renewables during specific periods of the year and in certain locations can be secure and affordable. At the same time, increased reliance on renewables does require the G7 to lead the way in finding solutions to maintain electricity security, including seasonal storage and more flexible and robust grids.

In the IEA’s pathway to net zero by 2050, innovation delivers 30 percent of G7 electricity sector emissions reductions to 2050, which will require international collaboration while also creating technology leadership opportunities for G7 countries. Mature technologies like hydropower and light-water nuclear reactors contribute only about 15 percent of the reductions in the IEA pathway. About 55 percent come from deploying technologies that either still have huge scope to grow further, such as onshore wind and solar PV, or in early adoption phase, such as heat pumps and battery storage. Technologies still in development, such as floating offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen, would deliver another 30 percent.

The new report underscores that people must be placed at the centre of all clean electricity transitions. Decarbonising electricity could create as many as 2.6 million jobs in the G7 over the next decade, but as many as 300,000 jobs could be lost at fossil fuel power plants, with profound local impacts that demand strong and sustained policy attention to minimise the negative impacts on individuals and communities. Household spending on energy should decline by 2050, as rising spending on electricity is more than offset by lower expenses for coal, natural gas and oil products. Governments must foster efficiency gains and structure energy tariffs for consumers and businesses so that all households can benefit from these cost savings.

You can read the whole article here.

Source: IEA

Serbia isn’t Rich in Waters

20.10.2021

Serbia is the poorest country in the Balkans in autochthonous surface water (runoff module q=5.7 l.s-1.km-2) and is among the most impoverished region in Europe. Neighboring countries have significantly higher runoff module than Serbia, so in Montenegro, it reaches 44, Albania 30, Bosna and Herzegovina 23.4, and North Macedonia 7.8.

In addition to this, we should expect the aggravation of the hydrologic regime in the next few decades because Serbia is situated in the part of southeast Europe, which is hugely affected by ongoing and projected climate change. As such, it is registered on the global level.

Furthermore, surface outflow on the territory of Serbia has prominent spatio-temporal variability, resulting in drinking water shortages in some areas. South, South East, and West parts of Serbia are more affluent in water than Central and East parts. At the same time, the least copious supply is registered at the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and confluences of the left tributaries of Kolubara and Velika Morava.

The amount of available water at some territory can be of autochthonous origin (formed from rainfalls and snowfalls in one region) or flows from another area (transient waters). For example, at the territory of the Republic of Serbia, a certain amount of surface outflow is formed. Still, much more significant amounts come from neighboring regions and later flow towards the Black, Aegean, and Adriatic Sea.

The share of transient and other waters is the biggest, which go through the Danube to the Black Sea. The quality of underground waters throughout Serbia is relatively uneven. That happens to be the result of the various mineralogical-petrographical contents of water layers, the genesis of subterranean water and aquifers, waters’ age, different intensity of water exchange, etc.

In focus:

The quality of underground waters ranges from extremely good, which means there is no need for treatment, to the poor, where the complex procedure of water conditioning must be applied before its usage in the public water supply. The status of subterranean waters is determined based on quantity and chemical status The excellent quality of an underground water body is accomplished when the average perennial abstraction of subterranean waters doesn’t exceed the available source of subsurface water and when there is no trend of the level lowering and no risk of pollution from surface waters.

The dominant pressures, considered to cause the poor chemical status of water bodies, include agricultural activities and disorderly sewage systems in populated areas. However, other pressures shouldn’t be disregarded, such as communal and industrial landfills that can cause severe pollution of subterranean waters locally. In general, Serbia isn’t rich in waters. Therefore, only a careful and sensible approach to this resource can satisfy present and future needs.

I want to say something about the ban on the construction of small hydropower plants in the zones of protection of the first, second, and third degree, as stipulated by the new Law on renewable energy resources. No one will be relieved until we see a decisive demonstration of the application of the adopted Law, especially towards those who even now act contrary to Law.

Therefore, the fight against the construction of small hydropower plants with derivation pipelines is going to last. The living world in watercourses has suffered significant damage. The leading causes are the reduction of ichthyofauna (by weight and number), as well as other species, intensification of erosional processes, removal of forest vegetation, disruption between surface and subterranean waters, even due to the endangerment of the system for water supply of some settlements (Vlasotince).

Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the turning point which would allow for the priority of the Law on nature protection over other laws. Also, we aren’t fully aware of the environmental protection imperative, so we hear platitudes being repeated for the sake of appeasement of the public.

An example might be the recently adopted Law on mining and geological research (RS Official Gazette, No 40/2021) that favors mining activities and unconditionally protects the rights and interests of investors while minimizing the importance of applying other laws which are crucial for efficient environmental protection.

Only a sharp penal policy can bring some polluters to senses and control them. Due to the small fines or noncompliance with Law, they keep on with their unacceptable activities. It is necessary to clearly demonstrate the political will for reinforcement of inspection services and prevention of any support that might be given to polluters and investors known for malpractice.

Finally, today citizens are much better informed, environmentally aware, and willing to fight for a healthier environment. They have realized that no one will make an effort unless they make a move and express their will for things to change. Therefore, every regime, the ruling one, and the future will have to act following the demands coming from the voters with a higher sensibility for environmental protection.

The author of the paragraph: Prof. Ratko Ristić, Ph.D. Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Belgrade

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine WATER RESOURCES.

Ahead of Global Climate Talks, Public Development Banks Join Forces to Boost Investments in Sustainable Food Systems

20.10.2021

cereals-žitarice-hrana — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Responding to an urgent call to increase financing for the world’s poorest farmers who are hardest hit by climate change, a group of Public Development Banks (PDBs) stepped up their commitment to accelerate green investments in agriculture during today’s Finance in Common Summit. The announcement comes less than two weeks before world leaders will gather for COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow.

Led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), a group of PDBs from across the globe announced the launch of a platform to speed up greener and more inclusive investments in agriculture and the processing, packaging and transport activities that occur from the farm gates to the plates.

“With investments accounting for almost two-thirds of formal financing for agriculture, PDBs can have a huge impact on the lives of rural populations, and ensure the uptake of greener agricultural practices that also help small-scale farmers’ adapt to climate change and earn better incomes,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD. “The platform is an important concrete step to achieve the desired change.”

The Platform for Green and Inclusive Food Systems was announced at the start of the two-day Summit which brings together representatives from governments, PDBs, international financial institutions, private companies, civil society leaders and farmers organizations. It will support PDBs to strengthen their capacities to redirect and scale up their investments to promote greener and more inclusive food systems, thereby better aligning with, and contributing to, the 2015 Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

PDBs are financial institutions controlled or supported by central or local governments that aim to promote economic development in a country or region. While they are very diverse in size and practices, many need support to improve governance and capacities, to better target green investments and track environmental and social impact, and to assess the relevant risks while remaining financially sustainable.

In addition, many PDBs need to develop innovative instruments to attract private investors to the agricultural sector and create financial services better tailored to the needs of rural producers and small-and-medium sized businesses.

To address these needs, the platform will deliver services such as technical assistance, expertise sharing, and tools to measure the social and environmental impact of investments and to better assess risks. It will also provide support to improve the use of existing resources of PDBs and de-risking solutions.

This builds on the work of a group of PDBs convened by IFAD in November 2020 which agreed to join forces to help transform food systems and the setup of the Coalition of Action for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Systems Finance. The importance of this work was recognised at the UN Food Systems Summit in September, which encouraged the formation of a coalition of partners to develop the platform, and by the G20 foreign affairs and development ministers in the Matera Declaration in June.

Note to editors: The second edition of the Finance in Common Summit takes place on 19-20 October 2021 in Rome and in digital format. It is hosted by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) in partnership with IFAD and with the support from all the members of the Finance in Common Coalition. It will gather the whole development bank community, comprising more than 500 PDBs and other key stakeholders (governments, central banks, private sector, civil society, farmers’ organizations, think tanks and academia) to reinforce their commitments in support of common actions for climate and sustainable development.

Source: IFAD

IUCN Closing Statement – Part One of the UN Biodiversity Conference

19.10.2021

priroda - nature - šuma - forest -green - zelenilo — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (La coccinelle)

The first part of the 15^th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) closed on Friday 15 October 2021. As we look to the UN Climate Change Conference beginning on 31 October, we must also reflect on the conclusions arrived at in Kunming.

IUCN congratulates the People’s Republic of China and Minister of Ecology and Environment, Mr Huang Runqiu, on taking the Presidency of the CBD at this critical time.

Part I of COP15 saw powerful declarations in support of bold and concrete actions to safeguard life on our planet. IUCN welcomes President Xi Jinping’s announcement of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support conservation in developing countries. The Union applauds the announcements by Japan, the EU, France and the UK, and salutes the coalition of financial institutions who have committed to protect and restore biodiversity through their investments.

IUCN endorses messages from the three Rio Conventions and the biodiversity-related conventions; all call for a global framework, truly fit for purpose, that ensures the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity while addressing the climate and land degradation crises.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, Heads of State, international organisations and civil society stakeholders spoke loud and clear: we have an opportunity not to be missed. Only by agreeing and achieving ambitious goals and targets within a truly global biodiversity framework can we create the urgent transformative change needed for a nature-positive world.

We need reliable and effective solutions now. Healthy ecosystems support 55 percent of global GDP, providing multiple benefits to us all, while supporting the protection of natural resources. IUCN emphasizes that as economies recover from the pandemic, investments in nature and nature-based solutions at scale cannot wait.

IUCN warmly welcomes the adoption of the Kunming Declaration. Last month, IUCN Members called for a transformational and effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the IUCN Congress in Marseille. Parties to the CBD now need to commit to an effective framework that puts nature on a path to recovery by 2030, and to realise the 2050 Vision of Living in Harmony with Nature. However, as one of the youth representatives reminded us, words that might turn into empty promises are not enough. We must step up and lead.

We have an unprecedented planetary challenge to tackle; but we can reverse this trend. With political will and collaborative partnerships, we must capitalize on the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and the CBD meetings in Geneva in January.

IUCN stands ready to meet the challenge.

Source: IUCN

Landmark UN Resolution Confirms Healthy Environment is a Human Right

18.10.2021

environmental_protection_zaštita_životne_sredine — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Nemonte Nenquimo, a member of the Waorani indigenous community in Ecuador says she is of “warrior blood.” Her weapon of choice has been an unusual one: the lawsuit.

In 2019, under Nenquimo’s leadership, the Waorani sued the Ecuadorian government for not consulting with them before offering their land for oil exploration.

“As indigenous people, we must unite in a single objective: that we demand that they respect us,” said Nenquimo, who is a UNEP Champion of the Earth. “The Amazon is our home and it is not for sale.”

Later that year, the court passed a historic ruling protecting 500,000 acres of Waraoni land from oil exploration. Like Nenquimo, thousands of activists across the world have had to place their lives in peril to protect their lands and nature. But now, these environmental defenders have a reason to celebrate. Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) recognised for the first time that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right.

When Resolution 48/13 was adopted, applause broke out in the normally quiet Council chamber and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, David Boyd, tweeted a picture of himself with a raised fist.

“A little bit of joyful emotion at the very staid Human Rights Council, as the UN for the first time recognizes the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment!” he wrote.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called the adoption of the resolution “a breakthrough moment for environmental justice”, saying it would help shield individuals and communities from risks to their health and livelihoods. She encouraged Member States to consider a similar resolution at the UN General Assembly, which has universal membership.

Ms. Andersen said UNEP expected the resolution to embolden governments, legislators, courts, and citizen groups in pursuing substantial elements of the Common Agenda for renewed solidarity, presented last month by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as the 2020 Call to Action on Human Rights.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: UNEP

Tea and Coffee: Celebrating Their Cultural, Social and Economic Importance

18.10.2021

cup-čaj-tea — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Global tea and coffee experts came together to explore and celebrate the cultural, social, and economic importance of the world’s two most popular beverages including their role in making agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

The Dialogue on Tea and Coffee, part of World Food Day celebrations hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), focused on the tea and coffee sectors and their importance as a vital source of income and employment for millions of people in developing countries. Smallholder farmers and farming households produce an estimated 60 percent and 80 percent, respectively, of the global tea and coffee outputs. Both sectors underpin the lives of millions of labourers, including women and their families, and are important contributors to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Our dialogue today constitutes a renewed commitment to celebrate peace, unity and exchange between civilizations and cultures,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in his opening speech. “It also serves to highlight the achievements of tea and coffee farmers across the globe, and to remind all of us of the challenges that lie ahead.”

Speakers included José Dauster Sette, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of Tea Board India and Vice-Chair and host of the next Session of the Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea, Jacklene Arinda, Executive Director of JADA Coffee, Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist, Vanessa L. Facenda, Editor of the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, and Andrea Illy, Chair of illycaffè and Co-Founder of Fondazione Ernesto Illy.

The event highlighted tea and coffee production as a key element of the transformation of agri-food systems and touched on the issues facing the sectors, including the climate crisis, sustainability, low levels of productivity, price volatility, and the price-cost squeeze faced by actors along the value chain. The conversation sparked possible solutions to overcome these challenges, avail of new market opportunities and meet the sustainability issues associated with the production of both drinks.

For the tea and coffee sectors to remain viable and provide families with a sustained source of income, Qu Dongyu urged that “concrete solutions” be promoted on both the production and consumption sides, as well as throughout the value chains. The discussion was an opportunity to revive our determination to enhance the sustainability of tea and coffee, “bringing them to the forefront of the policy action,” he said.

Considering the many benefits offered and challenges faced, tea and coffee production are an important element of the transformation of agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life. FAO’s new Strategic Framework, based on the four betters -better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind – aims to support the attainment of these objectives and the realisation of the 2030 Agenda.

Source: FAO

4 Myths About Industrial Agriculture

17.10.2021

soil-poljoprivreda — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jordan Opel)

Our lives revolve around food. It’s part of our cultures and our heritages, and our social interactions are often centered on it. Yet, it’s a privilege to be able to have meals every day. Even though the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, 811 million people still go hungry. Poverty and inequality are two of the main reasons why that still happens, but besides that, there is a powerful element in our food production system that doesn’t only impact what, how and if we eat, but also affects our health and the health of our planet: industrial agriculture.

Industrial agriculture is the large-scale production of animals like cows, pigs and chickens, and crops such as palm oil, soybeans and corn. Heavily dependent on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and often run by large, multinational corporations, the practice is harmful to the environment and is frequently linked to violence and human rights abuse.

Myth: Industrial agriculture feeds the planet

Industrial agriculture companies have planted in society the idea that producing low-quality food at large scale is the solution to feed the planet. But if that was the case, why are so many people still going to bed hungry? The reason is that, to the agriculture industry, food is not only food, it’s a commodity. A product with a price and profits attached to it, regardless of being eaten or not, and by who it’s being eaten.

Currently, industrial agriculture takes up 26 percent of all land on earth to produce food – livestock and livestock feed. A vast amount of land is actually used to grow food to feed pigs, chickens, and cows. In fact, it takes more land to feed animals than to feed people. Ninety percent of all the soy produced in the world is used to feed livestock. If that land was used to grow food for humans instead, and if governments invested in small, local producers, food would be cheaper and more accessible to everyone.

Myth: Our current food system is sustainable

When we think about the climate crisis, images of fossil fuel refineries, coal plants and air pollution come to our minds. But fossil fuels companies are not the only ones responsible for the current situation of our planet. Animal production accounts for 19 percent of greenhouse emissions globally, and according to the latest IPCC report, methane accounts for almost half of those emissions. And that’s not the only threat industrial agriculture poses to the global climate. Agricultural production accounts for 80 percent of all deforestation in the world.

Forests, grasslands, wetlands and other vital ecosystems are being wiped out to make way for cattle farms and massive fields to produce commodities like soy and palm oil. When forests are destroyed, they not only release a vast amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, they also lose their ability to intake it. To keep our planet’s average temperature below 1.5ºC and avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis, we need to stop destroying forests, protect the ones standing and restore what has been lost.

Myth: Companies and governments are really “going green”

Companies and governments have been making empty promises to stop deforestation and restore forests for years, but until now, almost nothing has been done. Corporations like Cargill, Nestlé and Mondelez, and all other members of the Consumer Goods Forum, promised to clean deforestation from their supply chains by 2020. Well, it’s 2021 and we’re still seeing vast amounts of forests being wiped out to be turned into food commodities. Some of those same corporations endorsed the New York Declaration on Forests along with world leaders, aiming to cut deforestation in half also by 2020. Last year, NYDF released its assessment and, instead, found forest loss increased rather than halved. Yet, we see more and more companies with greenwashing ads and proposing false solutions such as carbon offsets, zero-deforestation, and net-zero carbon emission targets that are unrealistic ways to tackle the climate crisis accelerating before our eyes.

Myth: Pesticides are not a risk to our health

Not too long ago, all food was organic. All food was locally sourced. But since food started to be produced at large scale and with the use of pesticides, local, organic and healthy food has been repackaged as a luxury, while industrialized food has become the default. But food should not come at the expense of our health. Several pesticides used in industrial agriculture are linked to diseases like cancer and premature mortality. Governments must regulate what corporations are using on their crops, and companies must stop putting profits over people’s lives and provide healthy, high-quality food accessible for everyone.

Source: Greenpeace

Green Hydrogen Fuels to Enable Up to 80 percent of Global Shipping Emission Cuts by 2050

16.10.2021

hydrogen-hidrogen — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

A rapid replacement of fossil fuels with renewable fuels based on green hydrogen and advanced biofuels could enable to cut up to 80 percent of CO2 emissions attributed to international maritime shipping by mid-century, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds. Renewable fuels should contribute at least 70 percent of the sector’s energy mix in 2050, IRENA’s A Pathway to Decarbonise the Shipping Sector by 2050 shows, outlining a roadmap for the global shipping sector in line with the global 1.5°C climate goal.

IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera said: “Between 80 percent and 90 percent of international trade is enabled through maritime means. Decarbonising global shipping is one of the most challenging sectors to address – and despite raised ambitions – current plans fall short of what is needed. This IRENA outlook clearly shows that cutting CO2 emissions in such a strategic, hard to abate sector is technically feasible through green hydrogen fuels.”

‘‘Taking early action is critical’, La Camera added. “May this report encourage policy makers, ship owners and operators, port authorities, renewable energy developers and utilities to work together towards common climate goals and show their ambition to world leaders at the UN climate conference COP26 in Glasgow.”

If the international shipping sector were a country, it would be the sixth- or seventh-largest CO2 emitter. IRENA’s decarbonisation 1.5°C pathway is based on four key measures such as indirect electrification by employing green hydrogen-based fuels, the inclusion of advanced biofuels, the improvement of vessels’ energy efficiency and the reduction of sectoral activity due systemic changes in global trade dynamics.

In the short term, advanced biofuels will play a key role in cutting emissions, providing up to 10 percent of the sector’s total energy mix in 2050. In the medium and long-term green hydrogen-based fuels will be pivotal, making up 60 percent of the energy mix in 2050. E-methanol and e-ammonia are the most promising green hydrogen-based fuels, with particularly e-ammonia set to be the backbone for the sector’s decarbonising by 2050. IRENA report flags that e-ammonia could represent as much as 43 percent of the sector’s energy needs in 2050, which would imply the use of about 183 million tonnes of renewable ammonia for international shipping alone, a comparable amount to today’s ammonia global production.

IRENA’s report also finds that the production costs of alternative fuels and their availability will ultimately dictate the actual employment of renewable fuels. Moving from nearly zero CO2 emissions to net zero requires a 100 percent renewable energy mix by 2050. While renewable energy costs have been falling at an accelerated rate, further cost declines are needed for renewable energy-derived fuels to become the prime choice of propulsion. Climate goals and decarbonisation ambition can be raised by adopting relevant and timely coordinated international policy measures. A realistic carbon levy will be critical, putting an adjustable carbon price on each fuel to prevent new fossil fuel investments and stranded assets.

Finally, the report calls on all stakeholders to develop broader business models and establish strategic partnerships involving energy-intensive industries, as well as power suppliers and the petrochemical sector. Stakeholders need to be fully mapped out and engaged, the various players need to work towards a common goal. Accordingly, governing bodies regulating the international shipping sector need to develop integral and participative planning exercises, establishing step-by-step actions for reaching zero emissions by 2050.

Source: IRENA

New Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience

15.10.2021

The World Meteorological Organization and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction are marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October with the announcement of the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience.

The establishment of the centre cements the long-standing collaboration between the two organizations.

Prof. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General, said: “This new Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience will act as an information hub about the escalating impacts of climate change and extreme weather and how we can manage and mitigate these risks.”

“Over the last 50 years there has been a five-fold increase in recorded weather, climate and water-related hazards. Economic losses have soared. The good news is that, thanks to improved early warnings and disaster management, the number of deaths decreased almost three-fold,” said Prof. Taalas.

“This year’s devastating floods in Europe and the deadly heatwave in North America has shown that developed and developing countries alike are exposed. But there is an ever-widening resilience gap between rich and poor nations that lack multi-hazard early warning systems, ” said Prof. Taalas.

“We hope that the Centre of Excellence will strengthen our efforts to transform scientific knowledge and tools into action supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, with concrete benefits for society,” he said.

Mami Mizutori, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, said: “This new Centre of Excellence will concentrate minds on what extreme weather and other hazards mean for daily life on planet Earth for the foreseeable future and spur efforts to adapt and cope with that reality.

“Both WMO and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction now share the same premises and will work more closely than ever before. Both UN agencies realize that climate change is no longer simply about the weather and its impact. We aim to do a much better job of explaining to governments and civil society how extreme weather interacts with other drivers of disaster risk to amplify disaster impacts in unprecedented ways.

“Disaster risk is systemic and deeply embedded in our development processes. It arises from weak governance, poverty, poor land use planning, environmental degradation, disease outbreaks and greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Centre of Excellence will also promote efforts to better understand the importance of improving the collection of loss and damage data especially in developing countries so policymakers can invest scarce resources in the right areas to mitigate and prevent future disaster events and to reduce existing levels of risk. This will help to guide international cooperation to developing countries desperately in need of financial support for climate change adaptation and improved disaster risk management.”

The Centre of Excellence will convene climate and disaster risk thought leaders and practitioners to advance joint-research, policies, and capacity-building, in a manner that will influence and strengthen existing national adaptation plans in line with the Paris Agreement, and national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Particular attention will be paid to the needs of Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and Land-Locked Developing countries, many of which do not have access to multi-hazard early warning systems and lack the means to implement a national strategy for disaster risk reduction.

Context for creation of the Centre of Excellence

Between 1970 and 2019, there were more than 11,000 disasters attributed to weather, climate and water-related hazards, which accounted for just over 2 million deaths and USD 3.64 trillion in losses, according to the new WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes. Low- and middle-income countries bore a disproportionate amount of these disasters losses.

Only half of the 193 WMO members have multi-hazard early warning systems;

In 2020, more than 30 million people were displaced by climate-related disasters;

Over two billion people struggled to feed themselves adequately in 2020 and 811 million people face chronic hunger;

Some 325 million extremely poor people will be living in the 49 most hazard-prone countries in 2030;

COVID-19 is undermining efforts to manage extreme weather events and to eradicate poverty and hunger;

Annual adaptation costs in developing countries are estimated at USD 70 billion, rising to USD 300 billion by 2030;

Developed countries have yet to deliver on promised USD 100 billion in climate finance annually to developing world;

Source: WMO

World Energy Outlook 2021 Shows a New Energy Economy is Emerging – But not yet Quickly Enough to Reach Net Zero by 2050

14.10.2021

solar-solarna-elektrana — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andreas Gucklhorn)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Alex Eckermann)

A new energy economy is emerging around the world as solar, wind, electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies flourish. But as the pivotal moment of COP26 approaches, the IEA’s new World Energy Outlook makes it clear that this clean energy progress is still far too slow to put global emissions into sustained decline towards net zero, highlighting the need for an unmistakeable signal of ambition and action from governments in Glasgow.

At a time when policy makers are contending with the impacts of both climate change and volatile energy markets, the World Energy Outlook 2021 (WEO-2021) is designed as a handbook for the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which offers a critical opportunity to accelerate climate action and the clean energy transition. The new analysis – which the IEA is making available for free online – delivers stark warnings about the direction in which today’s policy settings are taking the world. But it also provides clear-headed analysis of how to move in a well-managed way towards a pathway that would have a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C and avoiding the worst effects of climate change.

The WEO-2021, the IEA’s annual flagship publication, shows that even as deployments of solar and wind go from strength to strength, the world’s consumption of coal is growing strongly this year, pushing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions towards their second largest annual increase in history.

“The world’s hugely encouraging clean energy momentum is running up against the stubborn incumbency of fossil fuels in our energy systems,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director. “Governments need to resolve this at COP26 by giving a clear and unmistakeable signal that they are committed to rapidly scaling up the clean and resilient technologies of the future. The social and economic benefits of accelerating clean energy transitions are huge, and the costs of inaction are immense.”

The WEO-2021 spells out clearly what is at stake: what the pledges to reduce emissions made by governments so far mean for the energy sector and the climate. And it sets out what needs to be done to move beyond these announced pledges towards a trajectory that would reach net zero emissions globally by mid-century – the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario from the landmark IEA report published in May, which is consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.

As well as the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, the WEO-2021 explores two other scenarios to gain insights into how the global energy sector may develop over the next three decades – and what the implications would be. The Stated Policies Scenario represents a path based on the energy and climate measures governments have actually put in place to date, as well as specific policy initiatives that are under development. In this scenario, almost all of the net growth in energy demand through 2050 is met by low emissions sources, but that leaves annual emissions still around today’s levels. As a result, global average temperatures are still rising when they hit 2.6 °C above pre-industrial levels in 2100.

The Announced Pledges Scenario maps out a path in which the net zero emissions pledges announced by governments so far are implemented in time and in full. In this scenario, demand for fossil fuels peaks by 2025, and global CO2 emissions fall by 40 percent by 2050. All sectors see a decline, with the electricity sector delivering by far the largest. The global average temperature rise in 2100 is held to around 2.1 °C.

For the first time in a WEO, oil demand goes into eventual decline in all the scenarios examined, although the timing and speed of the drop vary widely. If all today’s announced climate pledges are met, the world would still be consuming 75 million oil barrels per day by 2050 – down from around 100 million today – but that plummets to 25 million in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. Natural gas demand increases in all scenarios over the next five years, but there are sharp divergences after this.

After decades of growth, the prospects for coal power go downhill in the Announced Pledges Scenario – a decline that could be accelerated further by China’s recent announcement of an end to its support for building coal plants abroad. That move may result in the cancellation of planned projects that would save some 20 billion tonnes in cumulative CO2 emissions through 2050 – an amount similar to the total emissions savings from the European Union reaching net zero by 2050.

The differences between the outcomes in the Announced Pledges Scenario and the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario are stark, highlighting the need for more ambitious commitments if the world is to reach net zero by mid-century.

“Today’s climate pledges would result in only 20 percent of the emissions reductions by 2030 that are necessary to put the world on a path towards net zero by 2050,” Dr Birol said. “Reaching that path requires investment in clean energy projects and infrastructure to more than triple over the next decade. Some 70 percent of that additional spending needs to happen in emerging and developing economies, where financing is scarce and capital remains up to seven times more expensive than in advanced economies.”

Insufficient investment is contributing to uncertainty over the future. Spending on oil and natural gas has been depressed by price collapses in 2014-15 and again in 2020. As a result, it is geared towards a world of stagnant or even falling demand. At the same time, spending on clean energy transitions is far below what would be required to meet future needs in a sustainable way.

“There is a looming risk of more turbulence for global energy markets,” Dr Birol said. “We are not investing enough to meet future energy needs, and the uncertainties are setting the stage for a volatile period ahead. The way to address this mismatch is clear – a major boost in clean energy investment, across all technologies and all markets. But this needs to happen quickly.”

The report stresses that the extra investment to reach net zero by 2050 is less burdensome than it might appear. More than 40 percent of the required emissions reductions would come from measures that pay for themselves, such as improving efficiency, limiting gas leakage, or installing wind or solar in places where they are now the most competitive electricity generation technologies.

These investments also create huge economic opportunities. Successfully pursuing net zero would create a market for wind turbines, solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, electrolysers and fuel cells of well over USD 1 trillion a year by 2050, comparable in size to the current oil market. Even in a much more electrified energy system, major opportunities remain for fuel suppliers to produce and deliver low-carbon gases. Just in the Announced Pledges Scenario, an additional 13 million workers would be employed in clean energy and related sectors by 2030, while that number doubles in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario.

Source: IEA

Between the Myth and Responsibility

13.10.2021

čokolada-Nestle — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Thibault Penin)

Is it all that it takes for one product to have labels such as eco, 100 percent natural, or 100 percent bio so that we are assured that buying it would do us and the planet good? How conscientious are we as consumers, and do we need to think thoroughly about what we buy? Although big corporations that control the market are turning to green economy apace, environmental activists make known that not everything is as it seems and that each one of us has rights, opportunities, and obligations to act upon the market and to control big players.

We are all familiar with Nestlé products. There is hardly a consumer who hasn’t tasted their coffee, chocolate, muesli, or ice cream, and to some consumers, the Nestlé products are their cup of tea. Nestlé has been building up its reputation for 150 years, ever since the Swiss entrepreneur, Heinrich Nestlé has made a successful baby milk formula for the first time in the middle of the 19 century. Soon after that, also the first milk chocolate. Today, Nestlé is the biggest food company globally, the multinational corporation that runs the business in 189 countries, owns 447 factories, and employs 339,000 people. At the same time, it is one of the biggest stock owners of L’Oreal, the largest cosmetics company in the world. No, we are not advertising this famous brand. Instead, this serves as a mere illustration of how much Nestlé products took over

the market and to what extent companies with mass production affect our lives and the planet’s health. Yet, has this enormous impact one company has, being followed by proportionally large social and environmental responsibility in the way they run business and production?

The people from the Nestlé company will tell you that environmental protection is crucial to them. As a signatory of the Charter of the United Nations, Nestlé has committed to introducing particular measures to fight climate change, aiming that by 2030 it cuts its emissions of greenhouse gases by half. In contrast, by 2020, it should reach zero impact on the environment.

“The largest potential of the Nestlé company for that lies in agriculture. We are focused on preserving and restoring the forests, agroforestry, regenerating agricultural practices, and soil protection. Just the last sector, we can make an impact on up to 70 percent of emissions“, says Ivanka Stojnić, the manager for sustainable development at the Nestlé company for the Southeast European market.

In focus:

A green business strategy, such as this one, is something that almost all big companies today take as indispensable. Environmental activists generally accept big companies with a grain of salt, while the ones more radical take them a priori as bad guys. Milja Vuković, the founder of Facebook group Zero&Low Waste Serbia, has critical approaches to big corporations. She tries to put them in perspective, being aware that the companies have an immense responsibility in this historical moment and that it is of great importance they start to change their approaches. As a committed environmental activist with strong beliefs in civil actions, she notes that it is up to us, namely citizens, and up to legislation to make demands, support, and monitor. According to her, the main problem is that, despite all green strategies, we are still stuck in consumerism which has brought us to the global collapse in the first place.

“Consumer capitalism concept, embodied in the big corporation, is based on the ideology of constant growth. That approach is utterly unsustainable. It isn’t a solution to transition to a green economy or regenerative agriculture if we still remain affixed to constant growth ideology. For, what is the thing that actually grows? Does social justice grow, or the investments in education and art? Do we have a healthier environment, or are the people healthier and happier? What is the thing that grows in our modern societies? The amount of waste grows, which at rapid speed destroys the planet. The profit grows since the full human potential is reduced to become consumer”, says Milja Vuković.

She gives one very illustrative example: At the moment, we globally produce 120 percent of food necessary to feed the entire world population. At the same time, we throw away an unprecedented quantity of food that amounts to 30-40 percent. In other words, we produce so that companies make their projected profits, not to feed the people.

Undoubtedly, a green strategy is essential to make production more environmentally friendly, preserve the environment, take care of waste, use more clean energy, and produce packaging safer for the environment. Many big corporations already adopted these targets, including Nestlé, which in 2018 used for its production of 34.5 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources.

“As for Serbia, at the beginning of 2019, we signed the agreement with EPS for purchase of 100 percent green energy generated in hydropower plants. This way, we have already reached the specific goal locally”, says Ivanka Stojnić, offering further details on their factory in Surčin, which has become in 2019 the first facility reaching the Zero Waste to Landfill goal. That means that not even a single gram of waste from the factory goes to a landfill. Still, it is recycled and used for other purposes, while the food residues are used for organic fertilizer production. “And that’s not the end. We keep on reducing the energy consumption in the factory and replacing our packaging by introducing recyclable materials. The question of plastic waste, which can’t be recycled but ends up in our environment, also is one of the critical challenges the world is facing. Therefore, Nestlé has committed to making 10 percent of packaging produced in factory recyclable by 2025 and reducing virgin plastic usage by a third in the same period. With all investments so far, we have made recyclable 87 percent of our total packaging and 66 percent of plastic packaging.

Taking that green path, we continue investing in new technologies and substantial changes of our products and business around the globe”, says Ivanka. Although this corporative policy is something Milja Vuković advocates for, she mentions that consumers and citizens must follow these processes and buy, if we are environmentally aware, exercise self-control.

“Being informed buyers, we can support the product with environmentally friendly packaging, namely the naked ones. That means they have no packaging, or they were made of recyclable materials or materials from renewable sources. We need to know and control the percentage of collection and recycling of that specific material in our country. Otherwise, it ends up on landfill again, despite the theoretical possibility for its recycling”, she says and adds that the same goes for green energy use and that we should demand the transparency of production process and sale of this kind of energy.

Prepared by: Jovana Canić

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine WATER RESOURCES.

Launch of the Western Balkans Coal Regions in Transition Public Perception Survey

13.10.2021

termolektrana — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hassan Afridhi)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ivo Lukacovic)

The World Bank’s Energy & Extractives Global Practice, together with the Energy Community Secretariat, launched on 11 October the Western Balkans Coal Regions in Transition Public Perception Survey, to be conducted across the coal regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The objective of the survey is to understand awareness, perspectives and expectations of citizens living in these coal regions related to the concept of Just Transition.

The survey was designed taking into account inputs from CSOs active in the region. The methodology will include both qualitative and quantitative data collection via a questionnaire administered in local languages. The questions mostly focus on determining participants’ knowledge, perceptions, understandings and expectations of the concept of the Just Transition. The questionnaire respondents will be selected on a randomized basis based on the sample frame.

A final report will present the survey’s key findings and identify the key issues facing coal regions, the key institutions involved in coal regions and the priorities and likely development strategies.

Results will play an integral role in informing stakeholder engagement and citizen engagement strategies with respect to a Just Transition in these coal regions, in the World Bank’s technical assistance and Energy Community’s work on the energy transition going forward.

The survey is being conducted under the umbrella of the initiative for Coal Regions in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine, managed by the European Commission and launched in December 2020 to help countries and regions to move away from coal towards a carbon-neutral economy, while ensuring that this transition is just.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Source: Energy community

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