The Duke of Cambridge Has Just Launched the Earthshot Prize

13.10.2020

protest_klima — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

The Duke of Cambridge launched a multi-million-pound environmental prize on Thursday, teaming up with celebrities including footballer Dani Alves and Alibaba founder Jack Ma to launch a prize aimed at tackling the world’s climate problems.

With the high-profile project, The Duke, grandson of the Queen and second-in-line to the throne, opened up a new chapter in the royal family’s decades-long environmental campaigning.

The Earthshot Prize will award five one-million-pound prizes each year for the next 10 years under the categories of protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing our climate.

The Duke has recruited a dozen global celebrities to join the Earthshot Prize Council to decide the winners.

As well as Brazilian footballer Alves and Chinese entrepreneur Ma, they include British naturalist David Attenborough, Queen Rania of Jordan, Australian actor Cate Blanchett, Colombian singer Shakira and former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.

The Duke’s grandfather, Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip, and his father Prince Charles have both spoken for decades about the importance of conservation and the impact of climate change, years before such ideas became mainstream.

The Duke told BBC Radio it was now his responsibility to take on that baton because the world was at a tipping point and he owed it to his children and grandchildren to leave the world in a better condition.

While he said he had often wondered what his father was “banging on about” he realised now it had been a very hard sell “to predict and see some of the slow-moving catastrophes that we were headed towards”.

“This is a generational baton-handling, my grandfather started it, my father has picked it up and really accelerated that and I feel right now that it’s my responsibility, I really feel that we are at a tipping point,” he said.

Speaking alongside naturalist David Attenborough, The Duke said change was critical in the next decade to help protect and restore the environment.

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Fateme Alaie)

“By 2030 we really hope to have made huge strides in fixing some of the biggest problems the Earth faces,” The Duke, 38, said.

“I think that urgency with optimism really creates action. And so the Earthshot Prize is really about harnessing that optimism and that urgency to find solutions to some of the world’s greatest environmental problems.”

Nominations open on Nov. 1 ahead of the first awards ceremony in the autumn next year.

The World Economic Forum hosts a number of global environment collaborations, including 1T.org, Friends of Ocean Action, Global Plastic Action Partnership, Mission Possible, Tropical Forest Alliance among others.

“As a Global Alliance Partner of the Earthshot Prize, the Forum is excited to offer its network of global initiatives to help The Duke of Cambridge and the Earthshot Prize Council find the next generation of solutions to our global environmental challenges” said Dominic Waughray, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum.

Kensington Palace said the prize drew its inspiration from U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which it said had been synonymous with ambitious and ground-breaking goals since the 1969 moon landing.

Further members of the Earthshot Prize Council will be announced in the coming months.

Source: World Economic Forum

New Initiative Dedicated to Supporting Coal Regions in Transition in Western Balkans and Ukraine Launched

12.10.2020

coal_dumper_ugalj_kamion_mining_rudarstvo — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The Energy Community Secretariat is delighted to announce the launch of a new platform to support coal regions in transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine.

The Platform Initiative will support coal regions in transition through knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer learning visits, technical assistance, access to a global learning academy for coal regions and financial assistance for transition projects.

As one of the implementing institutions, the Secretariat will provide input and ensure consistency of the planned activities in the coal mining regions in Western Balkans and Ukraine with national plans related to coal use and reforms of the energy system.

The other implementing institutions are the World Bank, the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the College of Europe (Natolin College) and the Government of Poland.

Source: Energy Community

Islands Aim to Phase out Fossil Fuels and Build Climate Resilience

12.10.2020

more-obala-sea-nature — Foto-ilustracija: Pexels

From the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean to the farthest reaches of the Indian and Pacific oceans, island communities face common and increasingly daunting energy challenges.

On top of their vulnerability to climate change, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) tend to have limited primary energy resources, leaving them dependent on imported fossil fuels. This means severe price volatility and import dependencies, along with climate damage.

Small system size, however, makes island grids good candidates to demonstrate the shift in power generation from fossil fuels to local renewable sources.

In one instance, in Vanuatu, the power utility of Espiritu Santo undertook a grid assessment study that estimated 87 percentage of electricity demand could be met with renewables by 2030. New operational procedures and enabling measures could boost solar photovoltaic (PV) power in the system as well as adding more hydropower.

Moving from predominantly thermal, fossil-based power generation to a system rich in wind and solar energy is not without challenges for SIDS. The variable nature of those sources – the sun must shine and the wind must blow – requires careful integration with existing power systems. The transition must be approached in a structured manner, with studies undertaken at key stages.

In Viti Levu, an island in the Republic of Fiji, grid assessments showed that the share of PV could increase as much as 65 megawatts (MW) with infrastructure upgrades and grid code changes to reduce constraints in the power system. After a thorough evaluation by power engineering experts, effective grid codes can be adopted and adapted from other countries with similar demand and generation profiles.

In the Dominican Republic, assessments have showed ways to integrate variable renewables into the existing power system.

By 2030, some 63 percentage of real-time demand could be met by wind and solar energy. This means over a third more wind and nearly a quarter more solar than in recent years, while slashing the use of natural gas and oil-based fuels by more than a quarter. This could cut system operating costs as well as carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions.

After an island state sets its policies and targets for renewables, grid assessment studies can indicate feasible shares for the existing power system, as well as future investment needs. Such studies can also offer valuable recommendations on solar and wind integration.

While SIDS contribute only to a very small percentage of global emissions, they are taking decisive steps to scale up renewable energy and fulfil their own international climate pledges.

Source: IRENA

Tasmanian Devils Return to Australia’s mainland After 3,000 Years

11.10.2020

The world’s largest surviving marsupial carnivore, the Tasmanian Devil, has been returned to the wild on Australia’s mainland for the first time in 3,000 years.

Actor couple Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky joined conservation groups last month to release 11 of the animals into a wildlife sanctuary in New South Wales, with more releases to follow.

Devils, the size of a small dog and made famous by the fierce Looney Tunes cartoon character known as “Taz”, were listed as endangered on the United Nation’s Red List in 2008.

It is the “the first time in 3,000 years, or thereabouts, that the Tasmanian Devil has roamed mainland forests and as an apex predator, it’s critically important,” said Tim Faulkner, president of conservation group Aussie Ark.

For the first time in 3,000 years, the Tasmanian Devil has been returned to the wild in Australia’s mainland.
Tasmanian Devils were originally wiped out from the mainland after being hunted by dingoes.
Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world, but it’s hoped the re-introduction will help re-balance the ecology.
The first 11 animals were released into a wildlife sanctuary in New South Wales, with help from actors Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky.

Aussie Ark, which has worked on the programme with Global Wildlife Conservation and WildArk, has been breeding young devils and plans to release 20 more next year, and another 20 the following year.

Faulkner said it was a “monumental” moment in rebuilding Australia’s ecosystem.

“This release of devils will be the first of many,” he said. “We’ve bred nearly 400 joeys, and we’re at the point now that we’re able to harvest some to return to the wild.”

Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in Marvel Cinematic Universe films, said: “We’ve laid some traps to catch the devils, and then we’re going to release them out into the wild.”

Tasmanian Devils were wiped out from the mainland after being hunted by dingoes, a pack animal, and have been confined to the island state of Tasmania.

But numbers there too have dropped since the 1990s due to a facial tumour disease.

Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world and the re-introduction will help re-balance the ecology that was damaged by the introduction of invasive predators, Faulkner said.

Source: weforum

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wind Power

10.10.2020

wind_energy_energija_vetra — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (American Public Power Association)

Brush up on your knowledge of wind!

10. Human civilizations have harnessed wind power for thousands of years. Early forms of windmills used wind to crush grain or pump water. Now, modern wind turbines use the wind to create electricity. Learn how a wind turbine works.

9. Today’s wind turbines are much more complicated machines than the traditional prairie windmill. A wind turbine has as many as 8,000 different components.

8. Wind turbines are big. Wind turbine blades average over 190 feet long, and turbine towers average 295 feet tall—about the height of the Statue of Liberty.

7. Higher wind speeds mean more electricity, and wind turbines are getting taller to reach higher heights above ground level where it’s even windier. See the Energy Department’s wind resource maps to find average wind speeds in your state or hometown and learn more about opportunities for taller wind turbines in a report from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

6. Most of the components of wind turbines installed in the United States are manufactured here. There are more than 500 wind-related manufacturing facilities located across 43 states, and the U.S. wind industry currently employs more than 114,000 people.

5. Offshore wind represents a major opportunity to provide power to highly populated coastal cities, and the nation’s first offshore wind farm was installed off the coast of Rhode Island in 2016. See what the Energy Department is doing to develop offshore wind in the United States.

4. With North Carolina’s first utility-scale wind farm coming online in early 2017, there is now utility-scale wind power installed in 41 states. There is distributed wind installed in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

3. The United States’ wind power capacity was 105,591 megawatts at the end of 2019, making it the largest renewable energy source in the United States. That’s enough electricity to offset the consumption of 29.5 million average American homes.

2. Wind energy is affordable. Wind prices for power contracts signed in the last few years and levelized wind prices (the price the utility pays to buy power from a wind farm) are 2–4 cents per kilowatt-hour.

1. Wind energy provides more than 10 percentage of total electricity generation in 14 states, and more than 30 percentage in Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma.

Source: Clean Technica

What Are the Biggest Risks to Business? New Data Shows Climate Concerns Are Rising

08.10.2020

ice-berg-santa leda — Photo illustration: Unsplash (Emma Francis)

Photo illustration: Unsplash (Xavier Balderas Cejudo)

An overly simplistic view of global economics has fuelled climate denial and skepticism for decades. Some opponents of climate change mitigation policies argue that achieving any progress would require an impossible retrofitting of our economy and result in lower profits and fewer jobs. In reality, in many ways, climate action will help businesses be more resilient in tomorrow’s economy.

Interestingly, the rapid and widespread outbreak of COVID-19 has given the world an opportunity to test the hypothesis of whether and how an economic shutdown might affect climate outcomes.

Initial data suggests that 2020 annual emissions could decrease by as much as seven percent globally due to the downward shift in energy demand worldwide. The resulting short-term cooling effect could last until 2025, even as economies reopen and travel restrictions are lifted. Moreover, even after economies return to their full-functioning capacity, there may be shifts in the workforce that are more climate-friendly, such as maintaining online meetings and traveling less.

While these are encouraging data, the reality is that economic shutdowns are unsustainable, and any gains in GHG emissions will be obviated by a return to “business as usual,” particularly in the “dirtiest” industries. This is even more the case in a fractured geopolitical environment in which alignment toward common goals has proven more elusive. And without the support of the business community, real action on climate change may be a non-starter.

The good news is that commitment to the environment is stronger today than it was in past years, and it may be possible to make climate action beneficial to business.

Every year, the World Economic Forum conducts its Executive Opinion Survey, polling thousands of the world’s business leaders. Among other queries, the survey asks these leaders to identify the top risks for doing business in their countries over the next decade. This year, the survey was conducted between January and July, right through the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 globally. The risks question received 12,012 responses from 127 countries.

The new World Economic Forum’s Regional Risks for Doing Business Interactive Map shows that all five environmental risks included in the survey rose in the rankings and in were among the top 10 rising global concerns for businesses. “Biodiversity loss” and “natural catastrophes” were the second and third risks to increase in salience through the current crisis, by eight and seven places respectively – unsurprisingly, “Infectious diseases” was the top mover.

In Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, all five environmental risks rose through the rankings, and four environmental risks also rose in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa. In East Asia and the Pacific, three environmental risks are a top business concern, while two are top of the list in North America.

If the world can overcome COVID-19, we will have not only have succeeded in combatting a global pandemic, but we will also have the data and support necessary to continue the global transition to a green economy. Policy shifts will be a key challenge.

The impact of market shutdowns on lives and livelihoods has required most governments to vastly expand their role in their economies. Response packages worth trillions of dollars have and are still being deployed, critical regulations are being modified, and fundamental policy decisions are being made. More than in any other moment in post-World War II history, government action is likely to cause permanent structural shifts in national, regional and global economies.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hans Jurgen Mager)

Yet, it is still worryingly unclear how – or whether – many governments will embed green policies into their recovery plans. Public finance constraints, electoral incentives and populist discourses risk reinforcing the flawed belief that there must be a trade-off between economic growth and climate action. As the World Economic Forum’s COVID-19 Risks Outlook warned, some governments have relaxed, suspended or rolled-back environmental protection regulations to boost industrial activity, and these policy decisions risk becoming permanent and incurring a severe setback for sustainability in the long-run.

COVID-19 will expose how, when and where the world can fast-forward to a new nature economy without losing sight of the societal and technological challenges this will bring. At the same time, the regional risks map shows that the world’s business community is increasingly concerned with the future of the planet, even during a time in which when boosting production and creating jobs is a priority.

Governments should not miss this unprecedented window of opportunity to use their expanded capabilities and augmented power – combined with demonstrated business concern – to ensure a green recovery.

Source: World Economic Forum

Innovation Week 2020 Kicks Off with Focus on Renewable Solutions in Transport and Industry

07.10.2020

auto_motor — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Tim Mossholder)

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Martin Jeon)

IRENA’s third Innovation Week has officially started. Opened by IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera and global energy leaders in a high-level event today, more than 1800 policy makers, innovators, developers and investors from 146 countries across IRENA’s diverse global membership will virtually gather from 5-8 October and discuss how innovative solutions can advance the use of renewables and cut CO2 emissions in transport and industry.

Innovation is the backbone of the energy transition. Innovation unlocks the potential of renewables, not just in the power sector but also in industry and transport, thereby reducing CO2 emissions to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C. Without major policy changes and the massive deployment of renewable solutions, only seven industry and transport sectors will account for 38 percent of all CO2 emissions and 43 percent of energy use globally in 2050, IRENA’s Reaching Zero with Renewables report shows. Renewables will be central, accelerated through the rapid falls in technology and power costs.

A new digital Innovation Toolbox, launched at the opening for the Innovation Week, builds on findings of the Agency’s flagship Innovation landscape for a renewable-powered future. It maps and categorises 30 innovations and on-the-ground example across four dimensions of the power sector. Renewable energy innovations in emerging technologies, business models, market design and system operation can help accelerate an energy transition globally. The Toolbox outlines 11 solutions as examples of how to achieve system-wide synergies.

Innovative solutions will take center-stage at all eight sessions of IRENA’s Innovation Week. Supported by the Agency’s knowledge and drawing on the expertise of a diverse range of speakers from business and industry, panel discussions will range from smart electrification and green hydrogen to the growing of a global bio-economy. Dedicated sessions will showcase innovative renewable solutions for an accelerated industry and transport transformation alike. For the first time and as special edition of IRENA’s Youth Talk series, youth representatives will meet industry leaders to talk entrepreneurship and innovation.

Source: Irena

Why the World Needs a ‘Circular Bioeconomy’ – for Jobs, Biodiversity and Prosperity

07.10.2020

priroda-nature-landscape-klupa-park-zelenilo-planina-predeo — Foto: Unsplash (Lea Kobal)

There is no future for business as usual.

Our current economic system, which arguably has succeeded in creating unprecedented economic output, wealth and human welfare over the past 70 years, has led to exacerbated social inequalities and loss of nature at an extent that threatens the stability of our economies and societies – and could maybe even lead to a collapse of civilisation as we know it.

To add some numbers: over 70 percentage of us are affected by rising inequalities, a third of the world’s land is severely degraded, we are losing forests at an alarming rate (one football field of forests every six seconds in 2019), and up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction.

Over half of the world’s GDP ($44 trillion) is threatened by such nature loss. The system is not working.

Turning the tide requires deep transformations of socio-economic systems, as highlighted by the World Economic Forum’s New Nature Economy Report II on “The Future of Nature and Business”.

For example, the sustainable management of forests can create $230 billion in business opportunities and 16 million jobs by 2030. Shifting the energy and extractives socio-economic system to circular and resource-efficient models can lead to $2.3tn in business opportunities and 30 million jobs by 2030, and working with nature in the infrastructure and built environment system can generate a total of $3 trillion business opportunities and 117 million jobs by 2030.

To accelerate the transformation towards a climate- and nature-positive economy, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has established The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. The Alliance activities are guided by a 10-point Action Plan, co-created by a multi-stakeholder coalition with the goal to place nature back at the centre of our economy.

“I have been deeply encouraged by the number of scientists and practitioners who have come together to develop a 10-point Circular Bioeconomy Action Plan inspired by my Sustainable Markets Initiative and its Circular Bioeconomy Alliance,” he said.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Juan Davila)

“It is time for leaders, across all disciplines, to step forward, be bold in their ambition and demonstrate what is possible so that others can follow.”

A new framework

A circular bioeconomy offers a conceptual framework for using renewable natural capital to transform and manage our land, food, health and industrial systems, with the goal of achieving sustainable wellbeing in harmony with nature.

While the circular bioeconomy needs advanced technology and innovation as well as traditional knowledge to succeed, it ultimately relies on biodiversity as its true engine.

This is because biodiversity determines the capacity of biological systems to adapt and evolve in a changing environment, and therefore is crucial for ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our biological resources.

We need to acknowledge this fundamental role, not only through appropriate conservation measures, but also through regionally-tailored market-based instruments to provide incentives for farmers, forest owners and biobased companies to invest back in biodiversity.

Biological resources are central to a circular bioeconomy

Moving towards a climate- and nature-positive economy not only means replacing fossil energy with renewable energy, it also means moving to fossil-free materials, substituting carbon-intense products like plastics, concrete, steel and synthetic textiles for lower carbon alternatives. This helps to mitigate climate change and also provides other positive environmental impacts. A climate- and nature-positive economy is simply not possible without using a new range of renewable biobased materials that can replace and outperform carbon-intense materials.

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Callum Shaw)

This shift is also an opportunity to modernize and make industries more circular: renewable biological resources like forest resources, are, if managed sustainably, circular by nature and often easier to remanufacture. Indeed sustainable forestry and wood products were the basis for original circular economies around the world. Several important sectors like chemicals, textiles, plastics or construction now need new conceptual business models and innovations to become more circular and lower carbon industries. The circular bioeconomy can be a catalyst.

For example, we can now transform wood, the most versatile biological material on earth, into a new revolutionary material called nanocellulose: five times stronger than steel but also five times lighter. The first car made of nanocellulose was unveiled last year in Japan. A new generation of sustainable and circular wood-based textiles with a five-times lower carbon footprint than plastic fibres like polyester is now possible too. Engineered wood products, such as Cross Laminate Timber (CLT),are the most effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings and the construction sector, currently dominated by two carbon-intense and resource-intense materials: concrete and steel.

Since biological resources, even if renewable, are not unlimited, it is essential to stress the need to ensure sustainable, regenerative and circular forestry or feedstock systems. We need to develop business models and design products and services in new ways to decouple business prosperity from the mere consumption of products. It is also about making products that can be easily reused and recycled, minimising waste and maximising their value along their life cycle.

An opportunity to tackle inequality

One of the most important societal challenges of this century is to address inequalities and to ensure inclusive prosperity, including jobs and infrastructures in rural and “depressed” areas. The way biological resources are owned and distributed and even the difficulties related to their mobilisation, transport and processing offer potential opportunities. Forest resources in Europe are a good example: they occupy more than 40 percentage of the land and are owned by about 16 million forest owners. The forest-based sector already now includes around 400,000 companies, mostly small enterprises, and provides more than 3 million jobs. This is a very valuable socio-ecological infrastructure that needs to be acknowledged and nurtured. It is true that mobilising, transporting and processing fossil resources like oil is much easier than producing, managing (for 100 years), transporting and processing wood. But this difficulty is at the same time its strength: redistributing wealth, jobs and infrastructures will ensure that we have human capital ready to take care of our natural capital.

Source: World Economic Forum

Niš and Sombor recieve 600 glass recycling bins

06.10.2020

containers-bottles-flaše-staklo-boce-kontejner — Photo illustration: Pixabay

Niš and Sombor will be the first cities to receive about 600 bins for collecting glass packaging, as a donation from NALED and German Development Aid, in order to improve the primary selection of waste at the local level.

Recycling one ton of glass reduces air pollution by 20 percentage compared to the emission of gases during the production of a new one, and great savings in water and energy are achieved. Today, most of it ends up in landfills, where this type of packaging takes more than 5.000 years to decompose.

Due to shortcomings in waste management at the local and national level, the amount of glass packaging collected that operators take over is small and unprofitable for recycling. The main reason is the high transport costs to other countries, because there are no capacities for complete processing in Serbia.

In order to establish a sustainable system, NALED and German Development Aid will donate 150.000 euros to establish the necessary infrastructure and a system for proper waste management. The donation is part of the regional Glass packaging management in the Western Balkans project, implemented by NALED, Sekopak and GIZ within the DeveloPPP program, and in cooperation with partner organizations from North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“In Serbia, between 320.000 and 350.000 tons of glass packaging are placed on the market annually, which means that 51 kilograms of packaging waste are generated per capita. Compared to other waste, glass is heavier, so transportation costs are significantly higher, which reduces the value of glass as a recyclable resource. Increased quantities of collected waste would lay the foundation for more cost-effective treatment and reuse of recycled glass in the region”, says Slobodanka Cucić, Vice President of NALED’s Environment Protection Alliance and Corporate Affairs Manager at the Apatin Brewery.

The collected glass waste will be taken over by the Sekopak company, which will invest the same amount in the infrastructure for collecting glass and further export this packaging from Niš to Bulgaria and from Sombor to Croatia, while the Ekopak and Pakomak operators will do the same in Bosnia and North Macedonia. The goal of the project is to increase glass recycling in the pilot municipalities by 20 percentage, and by 2022 the network is expected to expand to other local governments.

Currently, 43 percentage of glass from the total annual quantities placed on the market is collected in Serbia, while the EU countries’ average is 60 percentage. According to Sekopak, in order to increase this percentage by only 1 percentage, an additional 7.000 tons of glass should be collected, and according to the EU directive, by 2030, all countries should collect 75 percentage of glass packaging.

Packaging waste management is one of the priorities of NALED’s Environment Protection Alliance, and studies are underway that analyze the implementation of the system of extended producer responsibility and the possibility of establishing a deposit system for packaging. Upon completion of the study, proposals for changing the way our country manages packaging waste will be defined in detail.

Source: NALED

Seismic Blasting By Oil & Gas Industry In Atlantic Ocean Halting On November 30

05.10.2020

kit_more — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Paola Ocaranza)

In rare good news, the federal permits that allow fossil fuel companies to use deafening airguns — which harm many marine species — will expire on November 30 and not be renewed.

A status conference on seismic litigation on October 1 resulted in a victory for coastal communities and businesses, marine species, the climate, and a number of environmental organizations. After a long battle around the issuance of permits — or Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) — that allow fossil fuel companies to use seismic testing to search for oil and gas deposits under the Atlantic ocean floor, attorneys for the federal government recognized that the IHAs would expire next month, with no way to legally extend them. Lawyers for the fossil fuel companies’ acknowledged that the industry could not launch their boats this year.

“There will be no seismic blasting this year,” says Michael Jasny, director of NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project, “and none of the senseless harm that would bring to our whales and fish and coastal communities.”

Seismic blasts are fired as often as every 10 seconds for weeks, sometimes months on end. The noise disrupts the vital behaviors of a wide variety of marine life — including whales and many species of fish and invertebrates — that rely on sound to find food, select mates, avoid predators, and navigate. Scientists warn that, when added to existing threats like ship strikes and entanglement, seismic activity alone could drive the endangered North Atlantic right whale to extinction. In 2017, the Obama administration had determined that the practice was too risky and denied these same permits.

In November 2018, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a round of IHAs, a move that was met by a wave of backlash from environmental groups like NRDC — which, joined by ten states and numerous coastal communities and businesses, took the agency to court.

While today marks a significant victory in the fight against seismic blasting and the fossil fuel industry, “the Trump administration has left the door open to new proposals from industry,” Jasny says. “The only way to end the threat is to prohibit offshore oil and gas exploration for good.”

Source: Clean Technica

Just How Much Is The Earth Heating Up?

04.10.2020

crack-995370_1920 — Photo illustration: Pixabay

Data from NASA shows the Earth gradually heating up since the late 19th century. Since the year 2000, this trend seems to have accelerated as shown in the visualization of the data released. August 2020 was about 2.14° C hotter than the average month recorded on Earth since 1880.

As seen by the monthly temperatures of selected years since 1880, winter temperature is naturally below the multiyear mean of the reference period, which is a single figure showing the monthly mean temperature over a long period of time irrespective of seasons. Summer temperatures are naturally above the base period multiyear mean but have been diverging further and further from it.

As confirmed by NASA and NOAA, the months from February to April as well August 2020 were the second-warmest of their kind ever recorded, while January and May and July 2020 about tied for second-place.

Scientists at NOAA are projecting that 2020 will become the second-hottest year ever recorded. As of now, 2016 exceeded the Earth’s mean temperature most (calculated for the years from 1980 to 2015 and used as a reference period for the chart). 2019 was also really scorching and is currently the second-hottest year on record.

The global data for near-surface temperatures comes from onshore weather stations as well as from ship, buoys and satellite measurements of the oceans. According to scientific findings, the continuing global warming will lead to changes in the strength, frequency, spatial extent and duration of extreme weather events.

Source: weforum

Renewables Could Cover More Than One-Third of Energy Demand in CESEC

03.10.2020

windpark_vetropark — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Within ten years, the economies of Central and South Eastern Europe could cover 34 percentage of their rising energy demand cost-effectively with renewables, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds.

The Renewable Energy Roadmap for the Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity initiative (CESEC), released today at the meeting of CESEC Ministers hosted by the European Commission and the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, shows that accelerating the take-up of renewables in the region could save CESEC citizens an estimated EUR 3 billion per year in energy costs in 2030. Furthermore, the economic value of avoided health, environment and climate damage could push total benefits to society up to EUR 35 billion per year in 2030, IRENA finds.

IRENA’s energy transition path for the region estimates that additional investments of EUR 78 billion are needed between now and 2030 in order to enable CESEC members to build an energy system that is substantially less reliant on imported fossil fuels, while delivering energy at competitive costs. Moreover, accelerating the take-up of renewables in the region would cut additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 21 percentage beyond planned policies – comparable to today’s total emissions of Romania and Bulgaria combined.

By placing energy transition investments, regulations and policies at the heart of the region’s economic development, policy-makers can simultaneously alleviate the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, stimulate green recovery and sustainable job creation, and accelerate the transformation of the energy sector.

“Central and South Eastern Europe has a tremendous potential for renewable energy”, said IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera. “Renewables can reduce the region’s energy bill to the benefit of citizens and industry while improving energy security, air quality and aligning the region with long-term decarbonization goals of the Paris Agreement. Renewables also provide countries with a cost-effective way out of fossil fuels and towards a modern, resilient and sustainable energy future.”

Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy added: “The benefits from investing in renewables at this time of recovery are significant – for the economy, for the consumers and for the environment. As highlighted by the IRENA report, focusing on solar, wind and hydro power would create local green jobs and allow the region to gain from closer energy cooperation.”

IRENA estimates that all CESEC members have cost-effective potential to accelerate the deployment of renewables over the next decade beyond current policies. By stepping up capacity, the share of renewables in the energy mix in CESEC members would reach 23 percentage to 56 percentage in 2030.

Achieving the shift to modern, clean, competitive and regionally-integrated energy systems will require decisive policy action at national and regional levels. The development of a long-term vision in national plans is key and can be an important first step. But the mobilisation of the required investments will also depend on adopting appropriate regulatory and market frameworks. Closer cooperation with neighbours could also help CESEC members to reduce costs and tap the synergies of a regional approach.

Source: IRENA

Nature-based Solutions – An Answer To The Climate Change Challenges In The Western Balkans

02.10.2020

nature-priroda-green-plant-biljka — Photo illustration: Pexels

Nature-based Solutions offer a cost-effective, no-regret solution to reducing disaster risks and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. While still an emerging concept, evidence has shown the benefits of Nature-based Solutions to societies, national economies and ecosystems. They have emerged as a powerful ally to address societal challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and disaster risk reduction.

In March this year, the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) launched a regional project, supported by Sida, with the long-term goal of increasing the climate-resilience of societies in the Western Balkans – the ADAPT project: Nature-based Solutions for resilient societies in the Western Balkans.

“Nature-based Solutions open up pathways for solving multiple societal challenges all at once. They are cost-effective options that positively contribute to disaster risk management and offer long-term economic, social and environmental benefits. The protection and restoration of natural ecosystems is an economically viable and safe way to adapt to climate change and reduce risks of natural disasters,” emphasised Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia opening the first virtual Nature-based Solutions webinar with a spotlight on the Western Balkan region. “Our new ADAPT initiative aims to mitigate the effects of climate change and increase societal resilience in the Western Balkans by introducing Nature-bases Solutions into relevant regional and national policies and implementing pilot projects on the ground,” he added.

The first regional Nature-based Solutions webinar presented an overview of the major challenges faced by Western Balkan countries and brought together an array of experiences from the region highlighting opportunities of utilising them for reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change.

“The post-COVID-19 world presents a timely opportunity to alter traditional policies, investments, and decisions on an economic recovery that is more resilient. Healthy natural systems reinforce stronger and healthier societies. Nature-based Solutions offer a bridge and an opportunity to adapt to climate change effects, while improving economic recovery and sustainable livelihoods, saving lives and properties. ADAPT has great potential to contribute to Agenda 2030 and EU accession in the Western Balkans,” stressed Maria Osbeck, Senior Advisor Environment and Climate from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in her welcome remark.

To showcase existing initiatives and applicable solutions in the region, Stevko Stefanoski, Head of Department for Analysis, Assessment and Strategic Planning, Crisis Management Center offered insights on how North Macedonia has applied Nature-based Solutions for disaster risk reduction. It demonstrated that sustainable forest management is essential ingredients to manage disasters effectively and to increase the resilience of local communities. “The Republic of North Macedonia is strongly committed to fully integrate into the EU polices and our government and relevant institutions are continuously working to achieve the required standards in various fields. Implementation of Nature-based Solutions support major EU strategies, such as the European Green Deal, EU Biodiversity Strategy and EU Adaptation Strategy. The motivation for our involvement in the implementation of the ADAPT project and the application of the Nature-based Solutions standards is at the top of our priority list,” he emphasised during the presentation.

“Nature-based Solutions can be a cost-effective response especially in a transboundary context where the cost of addressing transboundary issues is not easily taken up by a single country. An official cooperation process, as in the case of the Drin Basin, can provide a framework for moving from ad-hoc NbS interventions to address issues, to NbS related policy recommendations and policy making,” stressed Dimitris Faloutsos Deputy Regional Coordinator, Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) presenting an overview of transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the Drin Basin.

There is growing evidence at the global level on and momentum behind the importance of Nature-based Solutions and sound progress with documenting, communicating and mainstreaming these solutions into climate change and sustainable development policies and disaster risk management.

The aim of the regional ADAPT initiative, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is to apply innovative solutions to increase community resilience in the Western Balkans, for instance to a flood or drought event, reduce environmental degradation, increase social and gender equality, and thus adapt to longer-term changes over an extended period. The project will be implemented in six Western Balkan countries and will involve national and local partners, with two Nature-based Solutions pilot projects that will be executed in Albania and Serbia.

Source: IUCN

Humans Destroyed an Ecosystem the Size of Mexico in just 13 years

02.10.2020

posečena-šuma — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Between 2000 and 2013, Earth lost an area of undisturbed ecosystems roughly the size of Mexico.

That’s the mind-melting finding of a new study published in One Earth and the researchers say it has “profound implications” for global biodiversity and for humans who rely on natural resources.

“We were expecting there to be high levels of intact ecosystem and wilderness loss, but the results were shocking,” lead researcher Brooke Williams of the University of Queensland told The Guardian. “We found substantial area of intact ecosystems had been lost in just 13 years – nearly two million square kilometres – which is terrifying to think about. Our findings show that human pressure is extending ever further into the last ecologically intact and wilderness areas.”

In total, the researchers found that 1.9 million square kilometers (approximately 700,000 square miles) of previously intact ecosystem area had been “highly modified” during the study period. They also found that 58.4 percent of Earth’s land ecosystems were under “moderate or intense” pressure from human activity, while only 41.6 percent of ecosystems were intact and 25 percent were true wilderness.

The 1.9 million square kilometers lost were mostly tropical and subtropical grasslands in Asia, South America and Africa, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which participated in the research. The rainforests of Southeast Asia also suffered significant human encroachments.

To achieve these results, an international team of 17 scientists from six countries used satellite imagery to assess the human footprint on land-based ecosystems and how it had changed between 2000 and 2013, The Guardian explained. The researchers found that human pressure increased on nearly 20 percent of the globe and decreased on only around six percent.

“Data does not lie,” senior author James Watson from WCS and the University of Queensland said in the WCS press release. “Humanity keeps on shrinking the amount of land that other species need to survive. In a time of rapid climate change, we need to proactively secure the last intact ecosystems on the planet, as these are critical in the fight to stop extinction and halt climate change.”

The study comes amidst other dire news for wildlife and biodiversity. A UN study released last week found that world governments had failed to achieve any of the 20 targets they had set for preserving biodiversity by 2020. Another study published this month found that wildlife populations had plummeted 68 percent on average over the last 50 years.

Williams explained to WCS why the loss of intact ecosystems is such a big deal for humans and other animals.

“Intact lands are relied on by biodiversity for habitat, and by people for ecosystem services such as climate regulation and clean water,” Williams said. “We continue to take these last functioning places for granted, and our results show urgent action is needed to protect those lands that do remain intact.”

Source: weforum

How Investing In Nature Can Help Tackle The Biodiversity And Climate Crises

01.10.2020

This month, world leaders and experts convened for the UN General Assembly which is culminating in the UN Summit on Biodiversity today. The Summit will emphasise the need to safeguard nature and drive momentum towards the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework. Last year, the UN Summit on Climate, also convened during UNGA, focused on addressing the climate emergency.

Just as our societies and economies are inextricably linked with and dependent on biodiversity, nature loss and climate change are also linked – and great benefits for people and planet can be achieved if they are tackled together. The COVID-19 pandemic has made an even stronger case for a fundamental shift towards net-zero, nature-positive economies.

The health crisis is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of overlooking biophysical risks on human wellbeing, businesses and economies. We must urgently and deliberately seize the narrowing window of opportunity to avoid such crises in the future.

As we reach irreversible tipping points for both nature and climate, the time to act is now. Over half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and, in 2020, the World Economic Forum ranked climate change as the biggest risk to economy and society. Business-as-usual is no longer good for business.

The safeguarding of natural ecosystems is crucial if we are to meet both biodiversity and climate goals. Stopping deforestation and restoring forests, for example, is one of the best options available to halt climate change; it also brings vast benefits for biodiversity. Such win-win scenarios are central to nature-based solutions and natural climate solutions.

Nature-based solutions are gaining popularity among governments and businesses alike to address environmental threats and solve societal problems by protecting, restoring and sustainably managing ecosystems. They are also a powerful tool against climate change and could provide 37 percentage of the cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed by 2030 in order to stay below 2°C of warming. Natural climate solutions are related but have the specific aim of reducing carbon emissions and increasing the carbon stock in natural ecosystems such as forests and wetlands.

The way in which decarbonization efforts are planned can either help or hinder the reversal of nature loss. In order to reach climate goals, it is estimated that wind and solar must provide almost all new electricity generation capacity between now and 2040. However, the development of such technologies could pose a risk to critical natural ecosystems if not designed with nature in mind. Vast areas of land and sea will be needed to transition to renewable energy and, by some estimates, the production of some metals will need to increase 12-fold by 2050 in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate goals.

Some companies are already addressing this issue. Elion, a Chinese salt chemical engineering business, committed to using only renewable energy as well as to ensuring that the land on which solar panels are built is restored and biodiverse. This model is called “eco-restoration and wealth creation”.

As outlined in The Future of Nature and Business Report, there are significant economic gains to be made by transitioning to a nature-positive economy, amounting to $3.5 trillion in additional annual business revenues or cost savings and 87 million new jobs by 2030 in the energy and extractives system alone.

Nature-based solutions can increase the resilience of businesses and livelihoods. For example, Nestlé is using the approach to restore ecosystems and preserve water resources. Its reforestation programme plants trees throughout its supply chain, using an agroforestry approach, which contributes to biodiversity, stores carbon and provides water and nutrients to the crops around them. Farmers implementing this approach with Nestlé, therefore, use less water, achieve greater crop yields and are more resilient to extreme weather events.

Similarly, Unilever, as a part of its commitment to stop deforestation, is working to restore and expand forested areas to “prevent the worst impacts of climate change and safeguard the world’s biodiversity”, in five different landscape programmes across Indonesia and Malaysia. Since 2018, Kering has partnered with Savory to pioneer nature-based solutions for regenerative agriculture in fashion, an industry which, if nothing changes by 2050, will use up one-quarter of the world’s carbon budget and significant amounts of land and water.

Nature-based solutions should form part of the strategy of any forward-thinking organisation looking to reduce their impact on nature and climate and take advantage of the business opportunities of a nature-positive, net-zero economy.

Investing in nature to tackle climate change

Natural climate solutions are also gaining traction in policy and business. Such solutions are proven ways of reducing carbon emissions and storing more carbon in the landscape. The EU’s recently announced Green Deal combines safeguarding nature and reducing carbon emissions to create a sustainable and inclusive growth strategy by implementing approaches such as regenerative agroforestry.

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer has taken steps to make carbon sequestration a crop opportunity for farmers. Bayer rewards growers who generate carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices and creating a new on-farm revenue stream. Shell also believes that natural solutions can make a big contribution to their net-zero emissions by 2050 strategy. In June 2020, Amazon announced a $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund to invest in companies building products, services, and technologies to decarbonise the economy and protect the planet.

Natural climate solutions are often complex and interconnected and can deliver significant adaptation and mitigation benefits. The Natural Climate Solutions Alliance at the World Economic Forum is working to scale-up affordable natural climate mitigation solutions to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Restoring and preserving nature can help us fight the twin crises of nature loss and climate change. Addressing these issues together, however, offers wide benefits beyond the obvious reduction in carbon emissions and increases in plant and animal varieties. Doing so would strengthen the resilience of our societies and jobs in the face of environmental, economic and health shocks, as well as improve water and food security.

Governments and businesses alike must promote action that supports biodiversity and natural ecosystems in addition to reducing climate change and its impact.

The benefits of natural solutions are not insignificant and could enable us to build back better. Transitioning to a nature-positive economy could generate up to $10 trillion in additional annual business revenue and cost savings and create 395 million new jobs by 2030. While the integration of climate change and nature in COVID recovery packages is still not as widespread or consistent as it should be, the message is clear: we must not solve problems of today with solutions that create problems for tomorrow.

Investing in nature holds the key.

Source: WEF

Secretariat Supports Albania’s Decision to Stop Hydropower Construction on the Vjosa River

30.09.2020

minihidroelektrana_mini_hidroelektrana_141114_tw1024 — Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

The Energy Community Secretariat supports the announcement made by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to cancel plans for the construction of hydropower plants on the Vjosa river.

Hydropower Balkans Summit

Confrontation: Small Hydropower Plants and Big Issues

The announcement came two weeks after the Secretariat opened a dispute settlement case addressing its concerns with regard to the environmental impact assessment of the HPP Poçem project, a dam on the Vjosa river. The Vjosa River is one of the last unregulated rivers in Europe.

The announcement followed the rejection of a construction permit for the HPP Poçem.

Director Dirk Buschle said: “We fully support the Albanian Government in this decision. As our assessment in the Poçem case showed, the quality of the environmental impact assessment and the procedure were not appropriate for power plants with such a massive impact on the ecosystem of the river Vjosa.”

Source: Energy Community

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