First Solar’s Thin-Film PV Modules Chosen For Largest Urban Solar Power Plant In Europe

28.09.2020

solar_panels_solarni_paneli — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Zbynek Burival)

This week, First Solar shared that JP Energie Environnement (JPee) has decided to use First Solar’s Series 6 solar modules for its 59-megawatt (MW)DC Labarde solar power plant built on a former landmine. It’s an interesting project, to say the least.

The Series 6 modules are some of the most reliable in the solar industry. First Solar backs that up with a 25 year product warranty. Additionally the company notes that “First Solar is one of only five modules in the world to pass Atlas 25+, the Thresher and TUV Long-Term Sequential Tests.” Also buried on the module product page is the news that First Solar’s thin-film solar PV modules have “the best environmental profile in the industry.” They are the “lowest carbon” solar modules on the market, if First Solaris to be believed.

JPee, which is headquartered in Caen, France, currently operates 263MWDC of wind and solar power plants that create enough electricity for 230,000 average French homes.

“The land was designated as a wasteland, unfit for residential or commercial buildings, or agricultural use. JPee, however, secured a 35-year lease for the 600,000-square meter site and began developing the Labarde solar project, which was selected under successive rounds of the PV tenders organized by France’s Commission de Régulation De L’Énergie (CRE).”

“The Labarde project demonstrates the positive role that solar can play within a community. Its role goes beyond transforming sunlight into solar electricity and supporting France’s decarbonization goals, as it helps heal a piece of land that has no other practical use,” said Xavier Nass, Chairman, JPee. “While solar is inherently sustainable, this project is powered by the lowest carbon solar technology and sets new benchmarks for sustainability.”

With over 1,100 MW of solar power installed across 400 projects, “First Solar’s advanced module thin film technology forms the backbone of France’s solar fleet.”

Source: CleanTechnica

WMO Verifies -69.6°C Greenland Temperature as Northern Hemisphere Record

27.09.2020

arctic-greenland — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The World Meteorological Organization has recognized a temperature of -69.6°C (-93.3°F) at an automatic weather station in Greenland on 22 December 1991 as the lowest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.
The temperature record was uncovered after nearly 30 years by “climate detectives” with the WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes. It eclipses the value of -67.8°C recorded at the Russian sites of Verkhoyanksk (February 1892) and Oimekon (January 1933). The world’s lowest temperature record, of -89.2°C (-128.6°F) on 21 July 1983, is held by the high-altitude Vostok weather station in Antarctica.

The WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes includes records such as the world’s highest and lowest temperatures, rainfall, heaviest hailstone, longest dry period, maximum gust of wind, longest lightning flash and weather-related mortalities.

The weather station at Verkhoyanksk, which previously held the northern hemisphere low temperature record, hit the headlines when it recorded a temperature of 38°C on 20 June during a prolonged Siberian heatwave. WMO is currently verifying whether this is a new record high temperature north of the Arctic Circle (a new category for the archive). That ongoing investigation, following the lead of this evaluation, will also examine possible past occurrences of high temperatures north of the Arctic Circle.

“In the era of climate change, much attention focuses on new heat records. This newly recognized cold record is an important reminder about the stark contrasts that exist on this planet,” said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas. “It is testimony to the dedication of climate scientists and weather historians that we are now able to investigate many of these older records and secure a better global understanding of not only current, but also historical, climate extremes,” said Professor Taalas.

While most climate extreme observations evaluated by the WMO’s Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes have been made within the last few years, occasionally climate historians uncover long overlooked weather data that contain important climate information that must be analyzed and verified. Such was the case with the just-concluded evaluation of a nearly 30-year-old weather record of an automated weather station at the remote Greenland site named Klinck, located at an elevation of 3,105 meters close to the topographic summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The automatic weather station operated for two years in the early 1990s as part of a network established by the University of Wisconsin-Madison to record the meteorological conditions around the Greenland Crest during the Greenland Ice Sheet Project. In 1994 it was returned to the laboratory for testing and then sent for use in the Antarctic.

This was before WMO began evaluating global extremes, as the World Weather and Climate Extremes archive was established in 2007. The record came to light only after a WMO blue-ribbon international panel of polar scientists tracked down the original scientists involved. The committee commended the station’s original project scientists in the careful maintenance of the calibrations and metadata for an observation made so long ago. Such diligence indicates a high degree of detail and quality of observation.

After extensive analysis of the equipment, observation practices and the synoptic weather situation of December 1991, the panel unanimously recommended acceptance of the observation as valid.

“This investigation highlights the ability of today’s climate scientists to not only identify modern climate records but to play « climate detective » and uncover important past climate records—thereby creating a high-quality long-term record of climate for climate-sensitive regions of the world,” said Professor Randall Cerveny, Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes for WMO.

The WMO investigations also serve to improve the quality of observations through the careful analysis of observation practices and proper equipment selection.

All components of the Automatic Weather Station had to be selected to be able to function in extremely cold conditions, according to George Weidner, who helped design the station. “On Greenland, all of the sites were installed by snowmobile. So the Automatic Weather Station had to be packed to survive a traverse over very rough snow surfaces. Years of packing experience in Antarctica helped us keep our Automatic Weather Station safe and snug on the sleds being pulled by the snowmobiles,” he said.

Full details of the assessment are given in the on-line issue of the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society on 23 September.

Source: WMO

These Stackable Blocks Could Keep Coal Plants Running, Emissions-Free

25.09.2020

power-plant-coal-ugalj — Photo illustration: Pixabay

As climate change worsens, the future of fossil fuel jobs and infrastructure is uncertain. But a new energy storage technology invented in Australia could enable coal-fired power stations to run entirely emissions-free.

The novel material, called miscibility gap alloy (MGA), stores energy in the form of heat. MGA is housed in small blocks of blended metals, which receive energy generated by renewables such as solar and wind.

The energy can then be used as an alternative to coal to run steam turbines at coal-fired power stations, without producing emissions. Stackable like Lego, MGA blocks can be added or removed, scaling electricity generation up or down to meet demand.

MGA blocks are a fraction of the cost of a rival energy storage technology, lithium-ion batteries. Our invention has been proven in the lab – now we are moving to the next phase of proving it in the real world.

Why energy storage is important

Major renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are “intermittent”. In other words, they only produce energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. Sometimes they produce more energy than is needed, and other times, less.

So moving to 100% renewable electricity requires the energy to be “dispatchable” – stored and delivered on demand. Some forms of storage, such as lithium-ion batteries, are relatively expensive and can only store energy for short periods. Others, such as hydro-electric power, can store energy for longer periods, but are site-dependent and can’t just be built anywhere.

If our electricity grid is to become emissions-free, we need an energy storage option that’s both affordable and versatile enough to be rolled out at massive scale – providing six to eight hours of dispatchable power every night.

MGAs store energy for a day to a week. This fills a “middle” time frame between batteries and hydro-power, and allows intermittent renewable energy to be dispatched when needed.

How our invention works

In the next two decades, many coal-fired power stations around the world will retire or be decommissioned, including in Australia. Our proposed storage may mean power stations could be repurposed, retaining infrastructure and preventing job losses.

For coal stations to use our technology, the furnace and boiler must be removed and replaced by a storage unit containing MGA blocks.

MGA blocks are 20cm x 20cm x 16cm. They essentially comprise a blend of metals – some that melt when heated, and others that don’t. Think of a block as like a choc-chip muffin heated in a microwave. The muffin consists of a cake component, which holds everything in shape when heated, and the choc chips, which melt.

The blocks don’t just store energy – they heat water to create steam. In an old coal plant, this steam can be used to run turbines and generators to produce electricity, rather than burning coal to produce the same effect.

To create the steam, the blocks can be designed with internal tubing, through which water is pumped and boiled. Alternatively, the blocks can interact with a heat exchanger – a specially designed system to heat the water.

Old coal plants could run on renewable energy that would otherwise be switched off during periods of oversupply in the middle of the day (in the case of solar) or times of high wind (wind energy).

Our research has shown the blocks are a fraction the cost of a lithium battery of the same size, yet produce the same amount of energy.

Proving MGA blocks in the real world

Our team perfected the novel material through research at the University of Newcastle between 2010 and 2018. Last year we formed a company, MGA Thermal, and are focused on commercialising the technology and conducting real-world projects.

In July this year, MGA Thermal received a A$495,000 grant from the federal Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, to establish a pilot manufacturing plant in Newcastle, New South Wales. This project is due to start operating in the second half of next year. The goal is to begin manufacturing a commercial quantity of MGA blocks economically, at scale, for large demonstration projects.

MGA Thermal have partnered with a Swiss company, E2S Power AG, to test the technology in the rapidly changing coal-fired power industry in Europe. Beginning next year, the testing will include retrofitting a functioning coal power plant with MGA storage. This will also verify the economic case for the technology.

We are aiming for a cost of storage of A$50 per kilowatt hour, including all surrounding infrastructure. Currently, lithium-ion batteries cost around A$200 per kilowatt hour, with added costs if energy is to be exported to the electricity grid.

So what are the downfalls? Well, MGA does have a much slower response time than batteries. Batteries respond in milliseconds and are excellent at filling short spikes or dips in supply (such as from wind turbines). Meanwhile MGA storage has a response time above 15 minutes, but does have much longer storage capacity.

A combination of all three options – batteries, MGA/thermal storage and hydro – would provide large-scale energy storage that can still respond quickly to fluctuating renewable supply.

Safe and recyclable

MGA blocks are safe and non-toxic – there is no risk of explosion or leakage, unlike some other fuels.

The blocks can also be recycled. They are expected to last 25-30 years, then can be easily separated into their individual materials – to be made into new blocks, or recycled as raw materials for other uses.

Like any new technology, MGA blocks must be financially proven before they’re accepted by industry and used widely in commercial projects. The first full-scale demonstrations of the technology are on the horizon. If successful, they could allow coal-fired power plants to be used cleanly, and provide hope for the future of coal workers.

Source: World Economic Forum

Domestic Tourism Can Help Drive Economic Recovery in Destinations Worldwide

21.09.2020

pexels-tourist-turista-turizam-putovanja-fotografisanje — Photo illustration: Pexels

As restrictions on travel begin to ease globally, destinations around the world are focusing on growing domestic tourism, with many offering incentives to encourage people to explore their own countries. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with domestic tourism set to return faster than international travel, this represents an opportunity for both developed and developing countries to recover from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing the importance of domestic tourism, the United Nations specialized agency has released the third of its Tourism and COVID-19 Briefing Notes, -Understanding Domestic Tourism and Seizing its Opportunities.- UNWTO data shows that in 2018, around 9 billion domestic tourism trips were made worldwide – six times the number of international tourist arrivals (1.4 billion in 2018). The publication identifies ways in which destinations around the world are taking proactive steps to grow domestic tourism, from offering bonus holidays for workers to providing vouchers and other incentives to people travelling in their own countries.

Domestic tourism to drive recovery

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “UNWTO expects domestic tourism to return faster and stronger than international travel. Given the size of domestic tourism, this will help many destinations recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, while at the same time safeguarding jobs, protecting livelihoods and allowing the social benefits tourism offers to also return.”

The briefing note also shows that, in most destinations, domestic tourism generates higher revenues than international tourism. In OECD nations, domestic tourism accounts for 75 percentage of total tourism expenditure, while in the European Union, domestic tourism expenditure is 1.8 times higher than inbound tourism expenditure. Globally, the largest domestic tourism markets in terms of expenditure are the United States with nearly US$ 1 trillion, Germany with US$ 249 billion, Japan US$ 201 billion, the United Kingdom with US$ 154 billion and Mexico with US$ 139 billion.

Initiatives to boost domestic tourism

Given the value of domestic tourism and current trends, increasing numbers of countries are taking steps to grow their markets, UNWTO reports. This new Briefing Note provides case studies of initiatives designed to stimulate domestic demand. These include initiatives focused on marketing and promotion as well as financial incentives.

Examples of countries taking targeted steps to boost domestic tourist numbers include:

-In Italy, the Bonus Vacanze initiative offers families with incomes of up to EUR 40.000 contributions of up to EUR 500 to spend in domestic tourism accommodation.

–Malaysia allocated US$113 million worth of travel discount vouchers as well as personal tax relief of up to US$227 for expenditure related to domestic tourism.

–Costa Rica moved all holidays of 2020 and 2021 to Mondays for Costa Ricans to enjoy long weekends to travel domestically and to extend their stays.

–France launched the campaign #CetÉtéJeVisiteLaFrance (‘This Summer, I visit France’) highlighting the diversity of destinations across the country.

–Argentina announced the creation of an Observatory for Domestic Tourism to provide a better profile of Argentine tourists.

–Thailand will subsidize 5 million nights of hotel accommodation at 40 percentage of normal room rates for up to five nights.

Source: UNWTO

Shanghai Shipping Company to save thousands of tons of fuel annually thanks to ABB Ability™ solution

20.09.2020

ship-1518522_960_720 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

ABB is to install its state-of-the-art engine diagnostics software ABB Ability™ Tekomar XPERT on 12 bulk carriers operated by Shanghai Ming Wah Shipping Co. The fleetwide deployment follows a successful trial on two ships in 2019.

Under the first order for four ships, ABB Ability™ Tekomar XPERT helped Shang Ming Wah save 0.62 tons of fuel per day on each of the ships. The lower fuel use will lead to a dramatic improvement in environmental impact, reducing fleetwide CO2 emissions by an anticipated 5.800 tons a year.

Chen Qiuhua, General Manager, Shanghai Ming Wah Ship Management Center, said: “With changing market conditions, Shanghai Ming Wah is embracing digital technologies while improving management efficiency, which will enable us to retain our full strength and market competitiveness. ABB’s digital solution helps our fleet optimize operations while creating a better experience for our customers.”

The ABB Ability solution analyzes turbocharger and engine performance to provide pre-emptive warnings and recommendations to improve operation. Key engine indicators are provided via intuitive dashboards, allowing the crew to monitor, optimize and benchmark engine performance while preventing engine problems. In one notable example, the solution detected an unusual high cylinder pressure in one engine which increases the mechanical load on cylinder components and can lead to operational hazards. ABB’s solution runs on any engine, regardless of type or age and is built on ABB’s Ability™ platform with the highest standards of cybersecurity.

Source: ABB

EIB and IDF sign €50 million loan to support faster post-COVID recovery

17.09.2020

sveti_stefan_crna_gora_montenegro — Foto ilustracija: Pixabay

Montenegrin small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps in tourism and other sectors severely affected by COVID-19 will benefit from a €50 million loan that the European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed today with the Montenegrin Investment and Development Fund (IDF). The loan will provide immediate support for the faster recovery of the Montenegrin economy by unlocking more affordable financing for SMEs, mid-caps and public sector enterprises to sustain jobs and maintain their liquidity.

The loan is a part of the Team Europe Western Balkans COVID-19 recovery support programme, announced at the EU-Western Balkans Zagreb Summit in April. It provides affordable finance to businesses to ensure their continuity and faster and sustainable recovery from the pandemic. This facility is also the first allocation under the €500 million programme loan approved by the EIB Board of Directors in June 2020 targeting the public sector and national promotional banks in the Western Balkan region.

EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco said: “SMEs and mid-caps in Montenegro have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. With tourism being the main driver of economic growth, the EIB will help Montenegro face these unprecedented challenges, support its main source of income, recover faster and build a more resilient economy. Our more affordable loans will support other key sectors such as trade, transport and construction. We are proud to deliver this key component of Team Europe’s support package for Montenegro as a candidate country to join the European Union.”

Zoran Vukcevic, President of the Investment and Development Fund of Montenegro, said: “The European Investment Bank has once again shown that it is a true friend of Montenegro and a strategic partner of the Investment and Development Fund, with additional support in challenging and crisis moments, which are now experienced by the Montenegrin, as well as the world, economy. The cooperation of the Investment and Development Fund with the European Investment Bank, not only at this crisis moment, is of great importance for the IDF, and above all for the Montenegrin economy. The loan funds in response to the COVID-19 crisis will be used to preserve the liquidity of the economy and jobs, but also for development projects, which will contribute to the creation of new economic value in Montenegro and support the transformation of our economy towards a circular and sustainable system in the post-pandemic period that follows. So far, these funds have supported over 750 projects that have created and/or preserved over 25 000 jobs in Montenegro. I believe that these projects have given a special impetus to the development of the Montenegrin economy and strengthened its path of European integration.”

Oana-Cristina Popa, EU Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Montenegro, said: “SMEs are the backbone of Montenegro’s economy, generating more than three quarters of employment and almost 70 percent of value added. Even before the COVID-19 crisis struck, SMEs faced numerous challenges such as difficult access to finance, red tape, inadequate infrastructure and an insufficiently skilled workforce. The EU has traditionally been supporting the SME sector, helping it to tackle those challenges and increase competitiveness of the Montenegrin economy. At this time of unprecedented health and economic crisis, the EIB assistance is even more valuable as SMEs struggle to maintain liquidity and sustain jobs. Combined with the EU Delegation’s planned assistance to support micro and small enterprises in the aftermath of COVID-19, this loan agreement will provide a substantial foundation for a faster recovery of the Montenegrin economy.”

The EIB loan will be available at the IDF to individual entrepreneurs, companies and public enterprises operating in various sectors. This operation specifically aims to address the working capital, liquidity needs and investment constraints of SMEs and Mid-Caps in Montenegro in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The credit line will allow flexibilities to accelerate fund disbursement and address the most urgent liquidity and employment issues. It will encourage creating job opportunities and training for youth, under the initiative European Youth Employment and Training for the Western Balkans (EYET), promoting youth employment in Montenegro.

To date, the EIB and the IDF have signed five operations and disbursed €320 million to the Montenegrin economy, sustaining over 25 000 jobs.

Source: EIB

ABB Factory in India Wins Gold Certification for Sustainability and Eco-Efficiency

17.09.2020

Photo: ABB

Embedding sustainable technologies lies at the heart of ABB’s purpose. A very clear proof point of this is the company’s factory in Nashik, India, which was recently recognized with a gold certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The environmentally friendly factory supplies power distribution products to over 100 countries and across sectors in India.

With this recognition, the site becomes the first factory to be certified as a Green Building within the Nashik Industrial Area, which houses approximately 10,000 factories across various industries. Nashik is located about 190km north of Mumbai.

ABB has undertaken a variety of initiatives at the facility to reduce its carbon footprint through in-house solar panel installation, energy efficiency improvement projects, and tree plantation drives. In addition, waste management initiatives have been initiated to eliminate the usage of plastic stretch film and reduce the use of single-use plastic for packing purposes.

IGBC is a consensus-driven not-for-profit council formed with the aim of enabling an environmentally cohesive ecosystem. The IGBC Green Factory Buildings is the first rating program developed in India, exclusively for the industrial sector. This is based on globally accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known established practices and emerging concepts.

Spread over five acres, ABB’s Nashik facility is equipped with smart manufacturing features for connecting people, processes and assets, capable of relaying real-time data and a web-based integrated traceability system for daily planning and review. State of the art onsite digital screens provide information transparency across the factory and its products for key parameters that can be adjusted to increase the efficiency of operations.

Source: ABB

Renewables at Heart of Reaching Zero Emissions in Industry and Transport

16.09.2020

renewable_energy — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (seagul)

Only seven industry and transport sectors will account for 38% of all CO₂ emissions globally in 2050 unless there are significant changes in current approaches. Concerted action beyond planned policies can turn the page within the remaining 40 years and achieve zero emissions in heavy industry and transport by around 2060, a key requirement to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C. The use of renewables will be central, accelerated through the rapid falls in technology and power costs.

Renewable energy solutions for each of these sectors are available and could play a much larger role than previously assumed, preliminary findings of IRENA’s new upcoming report Reaching Zero with Renewables show. Yet, for energy-intensive industrial sectors like iron and steel, chemicals, cement and aluminum as well as long distance aviation, shipping and road freight transport, the options are not yet commercially mature and ready for wide adoption.

Analysing emission reduction challenges and options for these so called hard-to-decarbonise sectors, the upcoming report sends a strong message to policy makers and industry investors to avoid the distraction of partial measures and unerringly pursue a path that scales up the few options consistent with reaching the zero-emission goal.

IRENA’s first Global Renewables Outlook has shown how to transform the global energy system in line with the Paris Agreement, keeping the temperature rise well below 2°C. The upcoming report explores in detail how additional ‘deeper decarbonisation’ measures can go beyond to deliver zero emission in key sectors by at the latest by 2060 – consistent with holding the line at 1.5°C.

Reaching this ultimate global climate goal of zero emissions requires eliminating direct CO₂ emissions from energy use and industrial processes alike. A key component will be the production of increasingly cost-effective renewable energy carriers including electricity, biofuels, hydrogen and synthetic fuels to provide both energy and feedstocks.

Industry

Industry accounts for almost one third of total global CO₂ emissions with four industrial sectors producing over 21% of all current energy- and process-related emissions. Reaching zero however is achievable with a combination of measures – most of which utilise renewables for either energy or feedstocks.

Key recommendations for governments and industry:

Establish demonstration projects to show what can be done and to collate and share the learning.
Create demand for “green” materials e.g. through public procurement, corporate sourcing and minimum percent requirements; market creation to avoid “carbon leakage”.
Increase public and private funding and cross-border collaboration for technology RD&D including hydrogen-based iron production, bio-based or synthetic chemicals, clinker alternatives, alternative construction techniques and materials, and the use of carbon removal technologies.
Relocate production to areas with potential for low-cost renewable energy; this can create new value and supply chains while also delivering emission reductions.
Ensure that countries with large or expanding production can utilise zero-emission-compatible production technologies; emerging economies will account for high shares of future production.

Transport

Transport accounts for just under a quarter of total global CO₂emissions with 3 long distance transport sectors producing over 11% of all current energy-and process-related emissions. Emissions can be reduced to zero with a combination of measures – in particular biofuels, hydrogen & synthetic fuels and, in some cases, electrification.

Key recommendations for governments and industry include:

Build on existing industry-wide international agreements to establish a shared zero-emission vision and strategy for international shipping and aviation and co-develop national and international roadmaps that have wide stakeholder support.
Establish demonstration projects involving low-carbon fuel use and new propulsion designs, to show what can be done and to collate and share the learning.
Create early demand for low-carbon transport provision and use e.g. through progressively tightening standards, through corporate commitments and via public-support to encourage investment and drive costs reduction.
Increase public and private funding and cross-border collaboration for RD&D into sustainable biomass supply, biofuels production, synthetic fuels production and alternative propulsion designs.

Read the preview summarising some key insights from the report.

Source: IRENA

Golden Opportunity to Stop Deforestation Caused by EU Consumption

15.09.2020

Fires raging in the Amazon are started deliberately to make way for large-scale industrial agriculture – and EU market demand for commodities produced on former-forest land is adding fuel to the fires. Globally, the EU is responsible for over 10% of forest destruction through its consumption of commodities like meat, dairy, soy for animal feed, palm oil, coffee and cacao.

#Together4Forests, a group of 100+ NGOs, is urging citizens to take part in a European Commission public consultation on deforestation to push for a strong EU law to keep products linked to deforestation, forest fires, nature destruction and human rights violations off the European market.

Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, Senior Forest Policy Officer at WWF EU said: “Products containing deforestation are in our shopping trolley. This must stop! Forests and other ecosystems across the world are an essential shield against climate breakdown, pandemics and the biodiversity crash, but EU consumption is weakening that shield. We urge the EU to introduce a strong law to keep forest destruction products off the market.”

WWF together with Greenpeace, ClientEarth, Conservation International and Environmental Investigation Agency, have now launched a campaign to ensure that citizens have the opportunity to make their voice heard.

Deforestation is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Agriculture is responsible for 80% of deforestation for products like soy, beef and palm oil, and the EU is a top agri-food importer.

The European Commission has pledged to propose new legislation to address deforestation in 2021. But to avoid shifting the destruction of nature to other vital natural habitats, it must also protect grasslands, savannahs and wetlands, as well as forests.

The law must also protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities – they are recognised stewards of their lands and their knowledge is crucial to preventing biodiversity loss. Stopping deforestation will not be possible without them.

The #Together4Forests movement is calling on the EU to introduce a new law to tackle its contribution to global deforestation and to ensure that nothing sold in Europe contributes to forest or ecosystem destruction, or related human rights abuses.

Source: wwf.eu

Vegan Leather Made From Mushrooms Could Mould the Future of Sustainable Fashion

14.09.2020

mushrooms_pečurke — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Seven millennia since its invention, leather remains one of the most durable and versatile natural materials. However, some consumers question the ethical ramifications and environmental sustainability of wearing products sourced from animals.

This shift in social standards is the main reason we’re seeing a wave of synthetic substitutes heading for the market.

Leather alternatives produced from synthetic polymers fare better in terms of environmental sustainability and have achieved considerable market share in recent years.

But these materials face the same disposal issues as any synthetic plastic. So, the leather market has begun to look to other innovations. As strange as it might sound, the latest contender is the humble fungus.

Research by my colleagues and I, published today in Nature Sustainability, investigates the history, manufacturing processes, cost, sustainability and material properties of fungus-derived renewable leather substitutes – comparing them to animal and synthetic leathers.

How unsustainable is animal leather, actually?

How sustainable leather is depends on how you look at it. As it uses animal skins, typically from cows, leather production is correlated with animal farming. Making it also requires environmentally toxic chemicals.

The livestock sector’s sustainability issues are well known. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the sector is responsible for about 14% of all greenhouse emissions from human activity. Cattle rearing alone represents about 65% of those emissions.

Still, it’s worth noting the main product of cattle rearing is meat, not leather. Cow hides account for just 5-10% of the market value of a cow and about 7% of the animal’s weight.

There’s also no proven correlation between the demand for red meat and leather. So a reduction in the demand for leather may have no effect on the number of animals slaughtered for meat.

That said, leather tanning is still energy- and resource-intensive and produces a lot of sludge waste during processing.

This gives leather a higher environmental impact than other minimally processed animal products such as blood, heads and organs (which can be sold as meat products or animal feed).

From spore to mat

Fungus-derived leather technologies were first patented by US companies MycoWorks and Ecovative Design about five years ago.

These technologies take advantage of the root-like structure of mushrooms, called mycelium, which contains the same polymer found in crab shells.

When mushroom roots are grown on sawdust or agricultural waste, they form a thick mat that can then be treated to resemble leather.

Because it’s the roots and not the mushrooms being used, this natural biological process can be carried out anywhere. It does not require light, converts waste into useful materials and stores carbon by accumulating it in the growing fungus.

Going from a single spore to a finished “fungi leather” (or “mycelium leather”) product takes a couple of weeks, compared with years required to raise a cow to maturity.

Mild acids, alcohols and dyes are typically used to modify the fungal material, which is then compressed, dried and embossed.

The process is quite simple and can be completed with minimal equipment and resources by artisans. It can also be industrially scaled for mass production. The final product looks and feels like animal leather and has similar durability.

Mushroom for progress

It’s important to remember despite years of development, this technology is still in its infancy. Traditional leather production has been refined to perfection over thousands of years.

There are bound to be some teething problems when adopting fungal leather. And despite its biodegradability and low-energy manufacturing, this product alone won’t be enough to solve the sustainability crisis.

There are wider environmental concerns over animal farming and the proliferation of plastics – both of which are independent of leather production.

Nonetheless, using creativity to harness new technologies can only be a step in the right direction. As the world continues its gradual shift towards sustainable living, perhaps seeing progress in one domain will inspire hope for others.

Will I be wearing it anytime soon?

Commercial products made with fungi-derived leather are expected to be on sale soon – so the real question is whether it will cost you an arm and a leg.

Prototypes were released last year in the US, Italy and Indonesia, in products including watches, purses, bags and shoes.

And while these fundraiser items were a little pricey – with one designer bag selling for US$500 – manufacturing cost estimates indicate the material could become economically competitive with traditional leather once manufactured on a larger scale.

The signs are promising. MycoWorks raised US$17 million in venture capital last year.

Ultimately, there’s no good reason fungal leather alternatives couldn’t eventually replace animal leather in many consumer products.

So next time you pass the mushrooms at the supermarket, make sure you acquaint yourself. You may be seeing a whole lot more of each other soon.

Author: Mitchell P. Jones

Source: weforum.org

EBRD to Improve Water Supply in Banja Luka

13.09.2020

water_management — Photo-illustration: EBRD

The 200,000-strong population of Banja Luka, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is to enjoy better water supply and wastewater collection thanks to a loan of up to €6 million provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The Bank’s loan will be provided under EBRD Green Cities, a strategic framework that addresses environmental and sustainability concerns through a combination of investments in municipal infrastructure, and energy and policy measures.

A Green Cities Action Plan, developed by the city and the EBRD, has identified the inadequate water supply and water quality as urgent priorities to be addressed. Accordingly, proceeds of the loan will finance the upgrade of the water and wastewater infrastructure.

The EBRD loan is part of a €56 million long-term investment plan by the city to strengthen and expand its water and wastewater infrastructure. The plan will improve citizens’ access to high quality drinking water as well as rehabilitate and extend the city’s sewerage network – another of Banja Luka’s wastewater challenges.

The EU is expected to support the project with a grant of €4 million under its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 2020. Austria and Sweden provided technical cooperation funds to finance the Green Cities Action Plan.

Launched in 2016, EBRD Green Cities helps cities to address their environmental issues and improve the quality of life for their residents. To date, 35 cities in the EBRD regions have signed up to the programme. In Bosnia and Herzegovina alone, Banja Luka, Sarajevo Canton and Zenica have joined EBRD Green Cities so far.

Since it began operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996, the EBRD has invested more than €2.6 billion in 181 projects in the country.

Author: Axel Reiserer

Source: ebrd.com

Farmers Could Substantially Boost Productivity by Conserving Soil Biodiversity – IUCN Report

12.09.2020

Gland, Switzerland (IUCN) – By increasing the biodiversity of soils through sustainable practices, farmers could deliver substantial benefits for food and water security as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation, according to a new IUCN report published today. An annual increase of just 0.4% in the carbon content of agricultural soils, which is a key indicator of soil biodiversity, over the next 30 years could potentially boost global production of three major crops – maize, wheat and rice – by up to 23.4%, 22.9% and 41.9% per year respectively, according to the report.

“The data in this report debunks the myth that nature conservation and global food production are a zero-sum game,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General.“ Agriculture has often been portrayed as a threat to biodiversity conservation. Yet conserving living, biodiverse soils and landscapes can boost yields while helping both nature and society. This report clearly identifies common ground and joint aims for farmers and conservationists that can help secure the future of agriculture itself.”

The new report, Common Ground: Restoring Land Health for Sustainable Agriculture, for the first time quantifies the potential societal benefits and monetary value of a large-scale, global adoption of cost-effective sustainable farming methods that boost soil organic matter and biodiversity. These methods include agroforestry and conservation agriculture as well as the use of manure and mulching.

The potential yield increases for maize, wheat and rice are worth an estimated US$132 billion. As an additional benefit, the increased organic carbon content in agricultural soils worldwide would enhance their capacity to store water by up to 37 billion m³, reducing the need for irrigation by ca. 4% globally and potentially saving US$ 44 Billion per year, the report finds.

By sequestering carbon, biodiversity-rich soils also help mitigate global warming. The report estimates that the annual 0.4% increase in soil carbon content would translate into an additional 1GtC being sequestered per year on average. This represents 10% of global human-induced carbon emissions based on 2017 numbers. This contribution to climate change mitigation would save society an estimated 600 Billion US$ per year in present value terms over the 2020-2050 time horizon, according to the report.

“This report shows that by working together, farmers and conservationists can deliver long-term food, nutrition and water security to everyone. Healthy, living soils and landscapes can indeed increase the resilience of food production to the negative impacts of climate change, and can secure the access to safe and nutritious food, particularly for the most vulnerable people in developing countries”, said Ludovic Larbodière, Senior Expert for Agriculture and Environment with IUCN. “To achieve this vision, we must stop thinking of agriculture purely in terms of food, fibre, and fuel, and instead incentivise and reward these additional services farmers provide to society.”

The calculations in the new IUCN report are based on an assumed annual increase of agricultural soil carbon content of 0.4% between 2020 and 2050. This increase was set as a target by the 4 per 1000 initiative, launched by the French government in 2015. According to a recent study, this target is attainable through a large-scale adoption of sustainable practices.

The report lays out concrete steps that farmers, policy makers, government agencies and private companies can take to help foster a global transition to sustainable agriculture. The report calls for broader use of agro-ecological approaches, and urges the agriculture sector to adopt ambitious targets for land health. It also calls for national and global targets aimed at achieving a net positive impact from agriculture on key biodiversity indicators by 2030. The authors recommend that states reward farmers for adopting sustainable agricultural practices. They advise that public subsidies as well as private funding should be redirected from conventional to more sustainable agriculture, which would also help meet public health objectives. Finally, the report underlines how sustainable agriculture can contribute to biodiversity conservation worldwide and encourages improved dialogue between the agriculture and the conservation sectors to build awareness of the natural capital of biodiverse soils for farming.

Access the full report here.

South Africa Aims to Stop Marine Litter at Its Source

11.09.2020

The coast of South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal province looks like it was pulled from a postcard, with wide, sandy beaches stretching for some 600 kilometres. International and local tourists flock here in normal times, drawn to the warm Indian Ocean waters for surfing, relaxation, and glimpses of spectacular wildlife, like loggerhead turtles.

But heavy rains can transform this beautiful coast in a flash. Downpours accelerate the flow of polluted upstream rivers, sending their litter cascading into the sea, including around the city of Durban. After a storm, heaps of plastic bags and bottles pile up on Durban’s shores with the current transporting some rubbish hundreds of kilometers down the coast.

What’s happening to Kwazulu-Natal’s beaches is part of a larger marine litter crisis in South Africa. Every year, between 90,000 and 250,000 tonnes of rubbish enter the oceans that surround the country. This marine litter can damage ship engines and propellers. It becomes entangled in nets and other fishing equipment. It drives away tourists. It’s often ingested by birds, mammals, and fish, causing them to choke or become sick. And it can find its way into the human food chain.

But just where is all this waste coming from?

“Eighty per cent of marine litter originates on land, mediated through flash floods and river inputs,” said Jared Bosire, Project Manager with the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Seas Programme. “Therefore, if we want a clean ocean, we must change our behavior on shore and link the solution to the source, which is upstream.”

A new project driven by the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries aims to do exactly that. The department is joining forces with local officials, non-profit groups, like Coastwatch and Durban Green Corridors, and Plastics SA, a privately-owned company, to stem the flow of marine litter in five river systems in Kwazulu-Natal. Through increased litter collection and community-led waste sorting and recycling, the department will reduce litter generation at its source, thereby lessening the amount of pollution that reaches the ocean.

Litter booms, barriers that collect floating debris, will be installed in the uMngeni, uMlazi, uMbilo, uMhlatuzana, and aManzimnyama rivers. Communities will help clean out the booms on a daily basis during the two-year project. The booms have the added benefit of trapping invasive species, like the exotic water hyacinth, before they take root in waterways.

The department will also implement a waste sorting and recycling programme in one community per river. One possibility being considered is the idea of “swop-shops” where community members can trade the recyclable litter for essentials, said Yazeed Petersen, a Project Manager from the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. “Integrating these shops into the project will further encourage communities to become involved in litter collection.”

Douw Steyn of Plastics SA agreed. “We need to ensure that value is given to waste plastic so that it can contribute to the circular economy. Recyclers cannot get enough material, so there is enormous potential for those willing to collect litter.”

The project is designed to help South Africa achieve its targets under Sustainable Development Goal 14.1, under which the country committed to preventing and reducing marine pollution by 2025, as well as Sustainable Development Goal 6.3 to improve water quality by 2030 through reducing pollution.

The initiative is being funded by the Global Environment Facility through the Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-Based Sources and Activities, executed by the Nairobi Convention. This project will reduce land-based stresses on this environment by protecting critical habitats, improving water quality, and managing river flows. The convention, part of UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme, serves as a platform for governments, civil society and the private sector to work together for the sustainable management and use of the Western Indian Ocean.

Source: unep.org

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