Antarctic Ozone Hole Is Smallest on Record

30.10.2019

seal_penguins_antarctic_foka_pingvini_antarktik_ice_led — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Derek Oyen)

In 2019, the hole that developed in the ozone layer over Antarctica was the smallest on record since the ozone hole was first discovered, according to scientists at NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In an average southern hemisphere spring, the hole expands throughout September and mid October to a maximum extent of about 21 million square kilometres (8 million square miles), an area larger than the United States and Canada combined. In 2019, the hole reached 16.4 million square kilometers (6.3 million square miles) on September 8, but then shrank to less than 10 million square kilometres (3.9 million square miles) for the remainder of September and the first half of October.

“It’s great news for ozone in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “But it’s important to recognize that what we’re seeing this year is due to warmer stratospheric temperatures. It’s not a sign that atmospheric ozone is suddenly on a fast track to recovery.”

The long-term recovery of the ozone layer is underway but is still expected to take years, according to the 2018 quadrennial review from the Scientific Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol, which controls ozone depleting substances. Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is projected to heal completely by the 2030s followed by the Southern Hemisphere in the 2050s and Antarctic by 2060, according to report. WMO is one of the contributors to the Scientific Assessment and its Global Atmosphere Watch network stations monitor ozone, both in the troposphere, the lower 10 km of the atmosphere (where it is a pollutant), and in the stratosphere, 10 to 50 km above the ground (where it provides protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

An uncommon weather event—a sudden stratospheric warming—disrupted the circulation in the polar stratosphere in early September, just as the ozone hole was beginning to form. Warmth in the stratosphere reduces the formation of polar stratospheric clouds, which are a critical link in the chain of events that lead to the ozone hole.

The weather system causing the rapid rise of stratospheric temperatures also lead to weakening of the Antarctic polar vortex, a slowly-spinning pool of stratospheric air trapped by a ring of fierce westerly winds—the polar night jet—that emerges in the upper stratosphere during winter at the South Pole. The region poleward of the polar jet includes the lowest temperatures and the largest ozone losses that occur anywhere in the world.

The breakdown of the polar vortex helped the ozone hole in two ways. The early season warmth minimized further formation and persistence of polar stratospheric clouds. Because these clouds enable the chemistry that produces ozone-destroying substances, fewer clouds meant less ozone destruction.The weak polar vortex also allowed more ozone-rich air from lower latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere to mix into the polar stratosphere and partially patch the hole that had begun to form. The lingering warmth prevented it from reforming.

This is the third time in the last 40 years that weather systems have caused warm temperatures that limit ozone depletion. Similar weather patterns in the Antarctic stratosphere in September 1988 and 2002 also produced atypically small ozone holes.

There is no identified connection between the occurrence of these unique patterns and changes in climate.

Source: WMO

Oktoberfest ‘Produces 10 Times as Much Methane as Boston’

28.10.2019

For the millions of people who descend on Munich for the annual bash, Oktoberfest is a celebration of beer, bands and bratwurst.

But as the dust settles for another year on the world’s largest folk festival, and die Bierleichen (“beer corpses”) return to the land of the living, environmental scientists have released the first analysis of methane emissions from the 16-day party.

Researchers at Technical University in Munich walked and cycled around the perimeter of the festival last year with mobile sensors aloft. The instruments found the event emitted nearly 1,500kg of methane – 10 times the amount that wafted off Boston, Massachusetts, in the same period.

The scientists attributed most of Oktoberfest’s emissions to leaks and incomplete combustion in cooking and heating appliances. Though an appreciable part of the rise in the gas, about 10%, was attributed to the flatulence and burps of attendees.

Jia Chen, who studies greenhouse gases in urban environments, said: “The observed methane concentrations cannot solely be explained by biogenic sources.

“We have strong indications that fossil fuel methane emissions by gas grills and heating appliances are major sources.”

After carbon dioxide, methane is the second most common greenhouse gas emitted by human activity. Though shorter-lived, it is more effective than carbon dioxide at heating the atmosphere and accounts for about 20% of global heating due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions since 1750. Atmospheric levels of the gas have surged in recent years for reasons scientists cannot fully explain.

Having noticed a spike in Munich’s methane levels during Oktoberfest in previous years, Chen and her colleagues decided to monitor the event to see whether major festivals made important contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.

More than six million people visit Oktoberfest each year and make their way through more than seven million litres of beer, 100,000 litres of wine, half a million chickens and a quarter of a million sausages.

To Chen’s surprise, on average, every square metre of Oktoberfest in 2018 released 6.7 micrograms of methane per second. Less than 10% was calculated to come from festivalgoers in the form of flatulence and burps, according to a paper submitted to the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Chen believes the work can help festival organisers draw up policies to reduce their methane emissions. The study concludes the releases of methane are high enough for major festivals to be considered greenhouse gas sources in local emissions inventories.

“Large but time-limited festivals, like Oktoberfest, are sources that have not been accounted for in existing emission inventories, even though, as we have seen, the methane emissions are significant,” Chen said. “Inaccurate or incomplete emission inventories are a problem, because many decisions
are based on this data.”

With people travelling to Oktoberfest from more than 50 countries, methane leaks from the Theresienwiese site are not the greatest environmental concern. But improving gas appliances to reduce methane emissions still makes sense, Chen said. “Small steps can bring us closer to achieving the world climate goals,” she added.

Source: Guardian

Offshore Windfarms ‘Can Provide More Electricity Than the World Needs’

25.10.2019

offshore_wind_park_vetropark_na_moru — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Erecting wind turbines on the world’s best offshore sites could provide more than enough clean energy to meet global electricity demand, according to a report.

A detailed study of the world’s coastlines has found that offshore windfarms alone could provide more electricity than the world needs – even if they are only built in windy regions in shallow waters near the shore.

Analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that if windfarms were built across all useable sites which are no further than 60km (37 miles) off the coast, and where coastal waters are no deeper than 60 metres, they could generate 36,000 terrawatt hours of renewable electricity a year. This clean energy boom would easily meeting the current global demand for electricity of 23,000 terrawatt hours.

“Offshore wind currently provides just 0.3% of global power generation, but its potential is vast,” said the IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol.

The study predicts offshore wind will grow 15 fold to emerge as a $1tn (£780bn) industry in the next 20 years and will prove to be the next great energy revolution.

The IEA said earlier this week that global supplies of renewable electricity were growing faster than expected and could expand by 50% in the next five years, powered by a resurgence in solar energy. Offshore wind power would drive the world’s growth in clean power due to plummeting costs and new technological breakthroughs which include turbines close to the height of the Eiffel Tower and floating installations that can harness wind speeds further from the coast.

The next generation of floating turbines capable of operating further away from the shore could generate enough energy to meet the world’s total electricity demand 11 times over in 2040, according to IEA estimates.

The report predicts that the EU’s offshore wind capacity will grow from almost 20 gigawatts today to nearly 130 gigawatts by 2040 and could reach 180 gigawatts with stronger climate commitments.

In China, the growth of offshore wind was likely to be even more rapid, said the IEA. Its offshore wind capacity is forecast to grow from 4 gigawatts to 110 gigawatts by 2040 or 170 gigawatts if it adopts tougher climate targets.

Birol said offshore wind would not only contribute to generating clean electricity, but could also offer a major opportunity in the production of hydrogen, which can be used in place of fossil fuel gas for heating and in heavy industry.

The process of making hydrogen from water uses huge amounts of electricity but abundant, cheap offshore wind power could help produce a low-cost, zero-carbon alternative to gas.

In the North Sea, energy companies are already planning to use the electricity generated by giant offshore windfarms to turn seawater into hydrogen on a floating “green hydrogen” project, backed by the UK government. The clean-burning gas could be pumped back to shore to heat millions of homes by the 2030s. The UK has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The overlap between the UK’s declining oil and gas industry and the burgeoning offshore wind sector could offer major economic benefits for the UK, Birol said.

“Offshore wind provides a huge new business portfolio for major engineering firms and established oil and gas companies which have a strong offshore production experience,” he said. “Our analysis shows that 40% of the work in offshore wind construction and maintenance has synergies with oil and gas practises.”

Source: Guardian

Free Running Challenge that Enables Users to Compete with a Wild Snow Leopard

25.10.2019

snežni_leopard_snow_leopard — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Helena Lopes)

Aiming to highlight the need to conserve the world’s endangered wildlife, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), adidas Runtastic further supported by Internet of Elephants and the Snow Leopard Trust launched a running challenge in the free adidas Running app that enables users to compete with a wild snow leopard in Mongolia.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Helena Lopes)

The free adidas running app, launched in Pasching, Austria, is part of an international wildlife conservation campaign dubbed Run Wild, and will run for a period of 12 days from the International Snow leopard Day on 23 October 2019.

The Run Wild campaign aims to create a positive and powerful connection between runners and endangered species, to grow their understanding of the complexity of conservation, and to harness support for the hard work it takes to keep animals safe.

“Snow leopards are one of the most emblematic species of mountain regions. Yet their habitats are under unprecedented pressure due to climate change and related drivers such as land-use change and habitat degradation, shift, fragmentation or loss, as well as increased human-wildlife conflict and poaching,” said Matthias Jurek, Programme Management Officer for UNEP dealing with mountain ecosystems. “With this unique partnership, we hope to help to boost the general public’s interest in these as well as other vulnerable species.”

“Based on our company’s mission that through sport, we have the power to change lives, we are trying to harness the immense power of our digital platform to create a positive change toward sustainability and to protect our planet and all its inhabitants,” said Chris Thaller, Head of Creative Projects for adidas Runtastic and initiator of the Run Wild campaign.

Users of the app will be able to make runs and compete with Uuliin Ezen, a real wild snow leopard from Mongolia who is tracked by the Snow Leopard Trust using GPS technology for scientific purpose. Additionally, runners will get an insight about Uuliin’s daily activities and his challenges finding food and surviving poaching; the app will also present users with the opportunity to contribute to the conservation work that keeps him safe. To ensure safety of the species, the app only uses movement data and not the actual locations of the snow leopard.

The illegal trade in wildlife is a key driver of the global loss of biodiversity, as well as posing environmental, economic, development and security risks. UNEP, through its WildforLife campaign, works closely with various partners to prevent and reduce demand for illegally traded wildlife products and to reverse these trends in order to protect vulnerable species and the human well-being that depends on healthy ecosystems.

Recent research shows that one million species are threatened with extinction today, and that climate change is a key driver of global biodiversity loss. UNEP’s VanishingTreasures programme supports climate-smart wildlife conservation of endangered mountain species such as the iconic snow leopard in Central Asia, Royal Tiger in Bhutan and mountain gorilla in Virunga.

“We urgently need to engage millions more people with wildlife and nature if we want to turn the tide of the extinction of wildlife, and in order to do that we have to be unconventional and daring,” said Gautam Shah, Internet of Elephants CEO and founder. “We’re incredibly excited that adidas Runtastic is opening up their platform of tens of millions of users for conservation purposes.”

UNEP is providing conservation expertise, and the Snow Leopard Trust are providing research based know-how for the app; adidas Runtastic is leveraging its 150 million-plus registered user platform and marketing power, and the Internet of Elephants co-created the concept and is providing engagement expertise and conservation-focused storytelling to ensure that the Run Wild campaign is a success.

Source: UNEP

Melting Glaciers Reveal Five New Islands in the Arctic

23.10.2019

melting_ice_topljenje_leda — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Roxanne Desgagnes)

The Russian navy says it has discovered five new islands revealed by melting glaciers in the remote Arctic.

An expedition in August and September charted the islands, which have yet to be named and were previously hidden under glaciers, said the head of the northern fleet, Vice-Admiral Alexander Moiseyev.

“Mainly this is of course caused by changes to the ice situation,” Moiseyev, who headed the expedition, said at a press conference in Moscow. “Before these were glaciers; we thought they were (part of) the main glacier. Melting, collapse and temperature changes led to these islands being uncovered.”

Glacier loss in the Arctic in the period from 2015 to 2019 was more than in any other five-year period on record, a United Nations report on global warming said last month.

Russia has opened a string of military and scientific bases in the Arctic in recent years, with interest in the region growing as rising temperatures open up shipping routes and make hitherto inaccessible mineral resources easier to exploit.

This summer’s expedition to two archipelagoes – Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya – involved a team of 60 people, including civilians from the Russian Geographic Society, and was the first onboard a rescue towboat instead of an icebreaker.

Video of expedition members encountering an angry walrus that attacked their inflatable landing craft went viral last month.

“The two months this year when we held our expedition to Franz Josef Land can be described as warm,” said Denis Krets, commander of the northern fleet’s expedition force. “We were very lucky because we could land on islands where not every year the shore and the inshore water is free of ice.”

During the expedition, the defence ministry announced it had found five new islands in Vize Bay off Novaya Zemlya, a vast mountainous archipelago with two main islands. The islands had previously been seen on satellite images but the expedition was the first to see them.

It also said it had also confirmed the existence of an island that had been previously mapped as a peninsula of Hall Island, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, west of Novaya Zemlya.

Moiseyev said names for the new islands were “upcoming”.

“Of course each island will receive a name but first you have to lay out the case for it,” he said.

Source: Guardian

Asia Poised to Become Dominant Market for Wind Energy

23.10.2019

IRENA_Future of Wind_press release — Photo: IRENA

Asia could grow its share of installed capacity for onshore wind from 230 Gigawatt (GW) in 2018 to over 2600 GW by 2050, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds. By that time, the region would become a global leader in wind, accounting for more than 50 per cent of all onshore and over 60 per cent of all offshore wind capacity installed globally.

According to the “Future of Wind” published at China Wind Power in Beijing, global wind power could rise ten-fold reaching over 6000 GW by 2050. By midcentury, wind could cover one third of global power needs and – combined with electrification – deliver a quarter of the energy-related carbon emission reductions needed to meet the Paris climate targets. To reach this objective, onshore and offshore wind capacity will need to increase four-fold and ten-fold respectively every year compared to today.

“With renewables, it’s possible to achieve a climate-safe future,” said IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera. “Low-cost renewable energy technologies like wind power are readily-available today, representing the most effective and immediate solution for reducing carbon emissions. Our roadmap for a global energy transformation to 2050 shows that it is technically and economically feasible to ensure a climate-safe, sustainable energy future. Unlocking global wind energy potential will be particularly important. In fact, wind energy could be the largest single source of power generation by mid-century under this path. This would not only enable us to meet climate goals, but it would also boost economic growth and create jobs, thereby accelerating sustainable development.”

The global wind industry could become a veritable job motor, employing over 3.7 million people by 2030 and more than 6 million people by 2050, IRENA’s new report finds. These figures are respectively nearly three times higher and five times higher than the slightly over one million jobs in 2018. Sound industrial and labour policies that build upon and strengthen domestic supply chains can enable income and employment growth by leveraging existing economic activities in support of wind industry development.

But to accelerate the growth of global wind power over the coming decades, scaling up investments will be key. On average, global annual investment in onshore wind must increase from today USD 67 billion to 211 billion in 2050. For offshore wind, global average annual investments would need to increase from USD 19 billion to 100 billion in 2050.

Statistical highlights:

Asia would account for more than 50% of global onshore wind power installations by 2050, followed by North America (23%) and Europe (10%). For offshore, Asia would cover more than 60% of global installations, followed by Europe (22%) and North America (16%).
Within Asia, China would take the lead with 2525 GW of installed onshore and offshore wind capacity by 2050, followed by India (443 GW), Republic of Korea (78 GW) and South-East Asia (16 GW).
Globally, the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for onshore wind will continue to fall to 2-3 cents USD/kWh by 2050 compared to 6 cents USD/kWh in 2018. Costs of offshore wind will drop significantly to 3-7 cents USD/kWh by 2050 compared to 13 cents USD/kWh in 2018.
Wind turbine size for onshore applications will increase, from an average of 2.6 megawatts (MW) in 2018 to 4-5 MW for turbines commissioned by 2025. Offshore applications will likely increase to 15-20 MW in a decade or two. Floating wind farms could cover around 5-15% of the global offshore wind installed capacity (almost 1 000 GW) by 2050.

Read the full report “Future of Wind”.

Home Sweet Home

23.10.2019

građenje_kuće_slama — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

For thousands of years, people have used straw to build their homes. According to scientific knowledge, even African tribes from the Stone Age made houses of this material. The most significant advance in the mentioned type of construction was made in the mid 19th century when the inventors developed the straw-bale technique. The invention of special machines enabled the production of light, biodegradable blocks of exceptional isolation capacity.

One of the first buildings of straw was the school in the federal US state of Nebraska that suffered an ignominious fate. In 1902, the school walls were eaten by cows. Although the animals browsed this educational institution, the builders of that time learned a valuable lesson. Since then, builders have begun to cover objects made of straw, with cement, mortar or mud.

With the advent of rapid industrialization and new building materials, the trend of straw-bale construction disappeared in order to experience a rapid boom in the early twenties of the last century. Thanks to the significant savings achieved with the use of baled straw, this construction technique attracted the attention of architect Goran Milenkovic. He wrote a book “Straw-bale construction” together with professor Slobodan Krnjetin from the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad.

“In the nineties of the 20th century, by developing global awareness of environmental pollution and awakening concern because the construction sector in the total global energy consumption has a share of as much as 40 per cent, as well as transport and industry, the construction of baled straw got into stride in The United States, Europe and Australia”, said Goran.

The book describes different construction methods, and each of them provides longevity and stability, provided that walls are well insulated from moisture and other harmful external conditions. Even though the straw decays in the soil in 6 months, in optimal circumstances – on dry, it subsists up to three thousand years.

Under appropriate conditions that are not difficult to provide, facilities made of straw provide their customers with many benefits. Goran stressed out that excellent thermal insulation properties of straw provide 70 to 90 per cent lower energy consumption for space heating compared to classical buildings. “Heat comfort and energy efficiency meet standards three times more than prescribed. The price of a building per square meter is between 20 and 30 per cent lower compared to classical construction. It is important to note that the wall of baled straw covered with the finishing layer of lime mortar is characterised by excellent sound insulation and fire resistance in the duration of 90 to 120 minutes and the achieved temperature of 1,000 °C. In addition, air quality is better because there is no emission of harmful gases from the walls. The process of material production requires a small amount of energy, which greatly contributes to the energy efficiency of the constructed facilities. Due to its high elastic properties, the material behaves like a “silencer” gives great resistance to earthquakes,” our interlocutor pointed out, adding that the straw bale has an incredibly low price of around 60 dinars.

“Houses of baled straw breathe and are pleasant to live in. Materials in nature best regulate the reception and release of moisture, so they mitigate sudden temperature changes. Straw reduces electromagnetic smog due to the long stems pressed in all directions. After the installation and plastering, it becomes inert and the possibility of developing any allergic reactions to the material disappears. Such houses have excellent sound insulation, because the straw bales are elastic, allowing them to absorb sound vibrations. Most people say their sounds are louder in the interior of the building, which is due to better isolation of the sounds from the background noise coming from the environment,” Goran explained to us and mentioned examples where in addition to private houses, kindergartens, and even churches are built of straw around the world.

We took the opportunity to check the accuracy of the entrenched statement that the straw represents hotbed for pests. Goran denied these claims by the following arguments: “This thesis does hold water. Rodents do not eat straw, and hard-pressed bales with a density of 90 to 100 kg/m³ are strong more than enough to resist their attack. Straw, unlike hay, does not contain nutrients, so it does not attract insects either. Parasites are mainly looking for openings, nesting areas and food, and the properly dislocated wall of baled straw does not offer any of it.“ As a measure of intensified precaution and additional binding of binders to straw buildings, Milenkovic recommended the installation of thickly knitted, thin meshes in plaster on all the joints of the foundation and the wall, as well as on the upper joints of the wall and the roof structure.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbašić

Read the whole article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on ENERGY EFFICIENCY, June 2018. – August 2019.

Renewable Energy to Expand by 50% in Next Five Years – Report

22.10.2019

windturbine_vetrenjača — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Global supplies of renewable electricity are growing faster than expected and could expand by 50% in the next five years, powered by a resurgence in solar energy.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) found that solar, wind and hydropower projects are rolling out at their fastest rate in four years.

Its latest report predicts that by 2024 a new dawn for cheap solar power could see the world’s solar capacity grow by 600GW, almost double the installed total electricity capacity of Japan. Overall, renewable electricity is expected to grow by 1,200GW in the next five years, the equivalent of the total electricity capacity of the US.

“This is a pivotal time for renewable energy,” said the IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol. “Technologies such as solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind are at the heart of transformations taking place across the global energy system. Their increasing deployment is crucial for efforts to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, reduce air pollution, and expand energy access.”

The Guardian reported earlier this month that a renewable energy revolution could end the world’s rising demand for oil and coal in the 2020s, decades ahead of forecasts from oil and mining companies.

Renewable energy sources make up 26% of the world’s electricity today, but according to the IEA its share is expected to reach 30% by 2024. The resurgence follows a global slowdown last year, due to falling technology costs and rising environmental concerns.

However, Birol warned that the role of renewables in the global energy system would need to grow even faster if the world hopes to meet its climate targets.

The report said growing climate ambitions in the European Union and the US played the biggest role in driving the IEA’s forecasts higher, but it will be China which leads the way in rolling out wind and solar energy projects.

The IEA expects solar energy to play the biggest role in jumpstarting fresh growth in global renewable energy because falling costs are already below retail electricity prices in most countries.

The cost of solar power is expected to decline by a further 15% to 35% by 2024, spurring further growth over the second half of the decade.

The appetite of energy-hungry businesses and factories is expected to be the biggest driver of the solar power boom as company bosses exploit falling costs to help cut their energy bills.

Source: Guardian

Scores More Heart Attacks and Strokes on High Pollution Days, Figures Show

21.10.2019

hospital_bolnica_health_zdravlje_heart_attack_srčani_udar — Photo-illustration: PIxabay

Scores of children and adults are being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment on days of high pollution in cities across England, figures show.

Each year emergency services see more than 120 additional cardiac arrests, more than 230 additional strokes and nearly 200 more people with asthma requiring hospital treatment on days of high pollution compared with the average on days of lower pollution.

The data, to be published in full next month, shows the extra strain that poor air quality is putting on already stretched NHS emergency resources.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said: “These new figures show air pollution is now causing thousands of strokes, cardiac arrests and asthma attacks, so it’s clear that the climate emergency is in fact also a health emergency. Since these avoidable deaths are happening now, not in 2025 or 2050, together we need to act now.”

Previous studies have found spikes in hospital admissions and GP visits on days of high pollution, but the new data gives precise numbers for nine English cities and shows a clear relationship between heart attacks, strokes and respiratory illnesses and dirty air.

The researchers defined high pollution days by dividing the year in two based on levels of pollution and comparing the number of cases of the relevant illness in the higher pollution half of the year with the number of similar cases on each day in the lower half.

The data, collated by King’s College London (KCL), covers London, where there are 338 more emergencies a year on higher pollution days compared with low pollution days, Birmingham (65 a year), Bristol (22), Derby (16), Liverpool (28), Manchester (34), Nottingham (19), Oxford (10) and Southampton (16).

Much of the recent research on air pollution has focused on the lifelong effects of chronic exposure, including cognitive decline, stunted growth in children and premature death. However, it can also bring on serious illness more immediately.

Jenny Bates, an air pollution campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “Many people may not realise how dangerous air pollution at high levels can be, and that it can trigger heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks as well as having long-term health effects. These figures will be a wake-up call for city leaders to take the strongest possible action.”

The government has pledged to tackle air pollution in its environment bill, proposals for which were laid out after the Queen’s speech. Campaigners are concerned that the measures proposed are too vague and too weak.

Polly Billington, the director of UK100, a network of local government leaders across England that have pledged to shift wholly to clean energy by 2050, said: “We would like to see World Health Organization air pollution standards included in the bill, as they are widely seen as gold standard, with a legally binding timetable to meet them, as that creates certainty and enables long-term planning. The absence of significantly increased powers for local leaders, together with a lack of reference to the need for adequate funding, are the big holes in the bill that will hold action back.”

On Wednesday the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and UK100 will hold an international clean air summit with the World Health Organization (WHO) director general, Tedros Adhanom.

Heather Walton, a health expert with the environmental research group at KCL, said the study was intended to provide more detail than others that have tended to concentrate on the effects of air pollution on life expectancy, such as estimates that pollution contributes to 36,000 deaths a year in the UK.

By homing in on hospital admissions for cardiac arrests, strokes and asthma, the researchers were able to provide a clearer picture of the acute impacts on people and how emergency services are affected. “This provides additional evidence of the important need for further action to reduce air pollution,” Walton said.

Carcinogenicity Assessment Was Flawed for 4 out of 10 Pesticides, New Report Shows

21.10.2019

pesticides_pesticidi_agriculture_poljoprivreda — Photo-illustration: PIxabay

A new review of carcinogenicity assessments of pesticide active ingredients shows 40 percent of them are not carried out in compliance with existing European guidelines, leading to possible continued exposure of farmers and consumers to cancer-causing pesticides. In 30 percent of the cases significant details were missing from the dossiers, raising uncertainties about how European authorities came to a conclusion.

The report ‘Chronically underrated – A review of the EU carcinogenic hazard assessment of 10 pesticides’, released today by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Germany and the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) analysed the carcinogenicity sections of the draft Renewal Assessments Reports (RARs) of ten pesticides. The review, performed by senior toxicologist Peter Clausing, focused on how the sections describing carcinogenicity studies in rats and mice in the EU assessment documents complied with the applicable guidelines and guidance documents of the EU and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“After discovering a considerable number of flaws in the carcinogenicity assessment of glyphosate, it was the logical next step to investigate whether similar problems occurred with other pesticides. Analysing these ten RARs has made it clear that at least three of the pesticides should have been classified as ‘presumed’ human carcinogens, rather than just ‘suspected’ human carcinogens”, explained Susan Haffmans, Senior Advisor on Pesticides at PAN Germany.

The carcinogenicity classification triggers the regulatory fate of a pesticide active ingredient. Pesticides classified as ‘suspected’ human carcinogens can be marketed, while those classified as ‘presumed’ human carcinogens cannot or must be withdrawn.

Our report shows that:

For three pesticides, the outcome of our review was similar to that of the European authorities: chlorothalonil, diuron, forchlorfenuron;
For three pesticides, the outcome of our review differed from that of the European authorities and we found that the classification should be upgraded: folpet, pirimicarb and thiacloprid;
For one pesticide, our review found that severe data gap should have been identified by the European authorities and a flawed decisive carcinogenicity should not have been accepted: phosmet;
For three pesticides, our review found that reports were not sufficiently informed to allow any conclusive external review: captan, chlorpropham, dimoxystrobin.

“The current rise of non-communicable diseases including cancer means that Europe cannot afford the health price of flawed pesticides classifications”, commented Genon K. Jensen, Executive Director of the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). “Committing to a rigorous implementation of European laws should be a founding block of reaching Europe’s zero-pollution objective to prevent diseases and protect people, starting with farmers, from substances toxic to their health.”

PAN Germany and HEAL call on the European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to pay particular attention to a more rigorous application of existing pesticide legislation and guidance documents. In her recent confirmation hearing at the European Parliament, the Commissioner-designate for Health Stella Kyriakides already agreed Europe needs to reduce dependency on pesticides and stimulate the take-up of low-risk and non-chemical alternatives.

Source: HEAL

Ivory Coast Law Could See Chocolate Industry ‘Wipe Out’ Protected Forests

18.10.2019

cocoa_tree_kakao — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Ivory Coast’s dwindling rainforests could be “wiped out” under a new law that will see legal protections removed from thousands of square miles of classified forest and unprecedented power handed to industrial chocolate manufacturers.

Civil society groups, environmental campaigners and workers’ cooperatives have warned that the new forestry code, ratified by the National Assembly and currently being implemented, will encourage unsustainable cocoa production and legalise large-scale deforestation in already ravaged areas.

The majority of the Ivory Coast’s 7,700 square miles of protected forests are considered heavily degraded, with levels of deforestation at 75% or more. These will be turned into “agro-forests” under the control of international companies including Olam Cocoa and Siat. National parks and forests that are considered relatively intact will remain protected, according to the law, while a middle category will be gradually restored.

Campaigners say it is crucial to preserve the remaining parts of these already ravaged forests. “We are opposed to further deforestation of these areas,” said Youssouf Doumbia, president of the Ivorian Observatory for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, a civil society organisation consulted on the proposals.

“Politicians have authorised the construction of infrastructure in these agro-forests – but if we do that, it’s an open door for the pure and simple disappearance of our forests. They will be wiped out.”

The purported aim of the government is to protect other forests by improving cocoa farming productivity in already deforested areas. Research has found that the least productive quarter of farms in the Ivory Coast had yields four times smaller than the most productive, usually due to diseases and pests.

By giving excessive power to industrial companies in concessions that will last up to 24 years, however, campaigners say that farmers will be disempowered. “This law is a good opportunity in principle,” said Gerome Tokpa, Africa lead for the Earthworm Foundation. “We could improve efficiency and give power to the local farmers. The problem is that the customary landowners who are trying to preserve the forest in alignment [with] the law will be punished. So much money is being earned, but nothing is coming down.”

In an industry worth $100bn (£80bn), workers earn on average less than one dollar a day, often labouring in stifling heat without shade and with heavy levels of pesticides. According to Fern, a Brussels-based organisation working with farmers, growers receive only 6% of a chocolate bar’s sale price compared with the 80% taken by manufacturers and retailers. The Ivory Coast has repeatedly struggled to establish a price floor for cocoa produce.
Traoré Ousmane, a 41-year-old cocoa farmer and workers’ cooperative member in western Ivory Coast, doubted that working conditions would improve. “We simply aren’t paid enough,” he said. “It’s very important to have a minimum price for producers because these companies do not care about us. They are looking to maximise profits.”

Critics have also lambasted the decision to forcibly evict all occupants of protected forests, who could number up to a million, as part of the law. Around 40% of the country’s cocoa crop is grown illegally in national parks and 230 supposedly protected government-owned forests, and Human Rights Watch has documented previous brutal government evictions of communities.

Fofana Souleymane, of human rights charity RAIDH, said the heavy-handed evictions had created a humanitarian crisis for indigenous communities deprived of healthcare, security and education. “It’s a very precarious situation,” he said. “Many people have lived in these parks for more than 10 years. Throwing them out is a huge problem – it destroys their means of living.”

Demand for chocolate is driving deforestation in the Ivory Coast, which produces more than a third of the world’s cocoa. Around 90% of the country’s forests have been destroyed since independence in 1960, forcing species like forest elephants and chimpanzees to near-extinction.

A Global Forest Watch report this year revealed the Ivory Coast had the second highest increase in deforestation rates in the world. If deforestation continues the Cavally Forest will disappear entirely by 2061 and the Goin Debe forest by 2071, according to a report by Mighty Earth.

Studies estimate that there are more than 2 million children working in west Africa’s cocoa fields, and trafficking and slavery is widespread.

41 European Mayors Declare Support for a Just Transition from Coal

17.10.2019

coal_dumper_ugalj_kamion_mining_rudarstvo — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

A group of 41 mayors from 10 coal regions in 9 European countries are launching a statement supporting a just transition to the post-coal era. Two of the mayors – from the Czech Republic and Germany – presented this statement to the EU Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Energy, Klaus-Dieter Borchardt at the meeting of the EU “Coal Regions in Transition Platform” in Brussels on 16 October. The Platform aims to help regions overcome their dependence on coal by developing sustainable economic activities.

In the declaration they:

affirm their commitment to the Forum of Mayors on Just Transition;
encourage governments to engage in dialogue with regional stakeholders;
underline the importance of transparency and consultation with local governments in the European Commission’s’ “Coal Regions in Transition Platform” initiative;
urge that appropriate mechanisms are made available at the national and European levels for capacity building and to ensure financial support for the just transition;
welcome the proposal of the European Union institutions for a Just Transition Fund, under the condition that it will be adequately funded and used for the support of local communities and the development of sustainable economic activities creation in coal and lignite mining regions;
call on the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Energy Community to strengthen their support for just transition; and
commit to continued action, at the local level on just transition and to supporting each other in creating a sustainable future for the benefit of all our citizens.

The signatory mayors come from Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Two are from non-EU countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro) where phasing out coal is not yet even being discussed, showing that in some cases, regions are taking the lead. Mayors from countries covered by WWF Central and Eastern Europe included:

Elza Velichkova – Bobov Dol, Bulgaria
Vasile Jurca – Petrila, Romania
Nicolae Dunca – Aninoasa, Romania
Tiberiu Iacob-Ridzi – Petrosani, Romania
Lucian Resmerită – Lupeni, Romania
Katarína Macháčková – Prievidza, Slovakia
FrantišekTám – Bojnice, Slovakia
Silvia Grúberová – Handlová, Slovakia
Dušan Šimka – Nováky, Slovakia
Jozef Božik – Partizánske, Slovakia

“41 mayors have signed the Declaration and we hope to get more signatures. We know change is happening but we now need help from the EU to build our capacity at regional level to cope with the change and to help us access the necessary resources to support a fair and successful transition for all our communities”, said Kamila Bláhová, Mayor of Litvinov (Czech Republic).

One of the signatories is the mayor of Bob dol in Bulgaria. WWF-Bulgaria has been working with stakeholders in the Bob dol and Pernik Municipalities for the past year. A study of the Southwest coal region in Bulgaria was conducted which provided 3 scenarios for possible coal-free prosperity for the region.

Mayors’ Declaration and full list of signatories

Incoming EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to achieving a climate neutral Europe by 2050. To help coal regions reduce emissions and restructure their economies, she wants to set up a ‘Just Transition Fund’. Ensuring there is enough money going to affected regions, and that it is spent only in ways that will support workers and communities in a move towards sustainable net zero emissions is crucial for achieving climate neutrality.

“In Weisswasser, we have navigated many hurdles, for example overcoming depopulation in the 1990s. But we cannot ensure a fair energy transition alone. Our Declaration shows that mayors are ready to engage with the EU and national governments on this issue. We need the EU to show it is listening and work with us on a successful transition for all Europe’s coal regions”, concluded Torsten Pötzsch, Mayor of Weisswasser (Germany).

“Mayors and their regions are looking forward to a future after coal. They are showing their commitment to that future by signing and handing over this declaration. To help them and ensure no-one is left behind, EU funding and constructive dialogue with the impacted regions is crucial”, stated Juliette de Grandpré, Senior Policy Adviser in WWF Germany.

Source: WWF

We Gonna Rock down to Electric Avenue!

17.10.2019

What is the connection between 54 students of nine different faculties of the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Organizational Sciences and Military Academy? Even though finding a common interest of people with seemingly radically different professional orientations is hard, this diverse crew gathered to design and construct an electric formula.

In October 2018, a few former members of the Tenfore Road Arrow started the Electric Arrow. They strengthened the capacities of their team with some fresh ideas and people. And then, by clubbing together, they made a shift that humanity is striving for in the era of fight against climate change – from the internal combustion engine to electrodrive. They decided to put the knowledge that they collected in the previous team towards the realization of the most ambitious project so far. They faced a challenge to develop and construct a prototype of an electric racing car to be able to participate in the world’s most prestigious engineering contest Formula Student. The team’s leader Nikola Novakovic has presented the Electric Arrow to us, as well as its past and future targets.

At the beginning of the conversation, Novakovic has mentioned that the Electric Arrow is closely cooperating with the Road Arrow. “Essentially, we are functioning as one big team whose work is well shared”, he said.

Curiosity led us to learn more about the Formula Student contest. “Teams are designing and constructing a vehicle leaning onto a rule book that was brought by the best engineers from the car industry. For each part of the formula, each system, each discipline, and each document, some requirements must be met. Otherwise, the team is disqualified and has no right to further participation. Inspection of vehicles is carried out by engineers employed in the largest automotive companies, therefore there is no way for an irregularity to pass unnoticed”, explained Novakovic, giving us insights into the events outside the Formula Student circuits.

In 2008, the trend of reducing fossil fuels use had led to the emergence of the first electric formulas within the competition. Since 2012, these formulas have been given the chance to show off their performances side by side with the formulas with an internal combustion engine.

Who is believed to be the fiercest competition to the Electric Arrow within the contest and whose students are the most innovative in the field of electromobility? “German teams are the leading ones within the contest, as well as in the automotive industry,” Novakovic revealed to us. He added “that industrial branch has somehow become a part of their culture and that is why the teams also have the help of large companies and the state. In addition to the Germans, there are the Dutch, the Swedes, the English and others.” According to him, the Delft team started working on the autonomous vehicle with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, and a large number of innovations that will emerge from this cooperation could help other contestants in the future. “We can certainly not expect that with our first constructed electric formula we will be able to compete with the teams that have years of experience and large companies supporting them, but we are heading in that direction regardless”, Novakovic concluded.

At the beginning of the next year, the team will be finishing developing the formula. With the advent of spring and nicer weather, it will be tested to the limit on the circuit. “The 2016 vehicle design represents a custom version of the Road Arrow vehicle from the same year. The drive of the vehicle, as well as other necessary systems, have been changed, while the chassis, suspension and aerodynamics have stayed unchanged or slightly modified to meet the rules of the competition. This year’s concept of a vehicle will contain a large number of innovations and will almost certainly not have a similarity to the design from the 2016 year. Each vehicle system has been drastically improved to allow students to learn about new things. A four-wheeldrive that allows the vehicle to have better dynamic characteristics and the first monocoque that will replace the tubular chassis and reduce the mass of the vehicle are the main innovations. Also, a battery that powers the engines tested in detail and adapted to meet requirements of the contest and safety requirements. It is necessary to project a battery management system with it. According to calculations, the new vehicle will have an acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds and will be powered by a battery of nearly 600 V and a capacity of 7.7 kWh. Given that the team has already won the third place with the previous design in Italy, we expect to be placed among the first three with the improved concept, although the competition in the United Kingdom, where we are going this year, is stricter and more serious”, said Novakovic.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbašić

Read the whole article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on ENERGY EFFICIENCY, June 2018. – August 2019.

Resalta Completes Lighting Project for bERS in Musachevo

16.10.2019

Resalta has completed a lighting renovation project for bERS logistics at their facility in Musachevo, Bulgaria. The client is an industry leader in logistics services, including warehousing, shipping and e-commerce support, with facilities throughout Bulgaria. The client chose to renovate lighting at its Musachevo logistics center, near Sofia, in order to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.

To expedite the process and be able to focus on its core business, bERS chose to outsource the renovation to Resalta. Using the ESCO model, Resalta carried out the entire project from its design stages to implementation, has provided financing and will cover operations and maintenance for the duration of the contract.

337 luminaires were replaced with LED luminaires in total, reducing the installed lighting capacity from 86 to 42 kW, and thus generating annual savings of 375 MWh. In addition to the energy and corresponding financial savings, the implemented measures will also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 307 tons each year. Lighting renovations are a straightforward and quick way to improve efficiency and generate savings: LED lighting is energy efficient because it consumes less electricity than a fluorescent alternative, with a longer life cycle. Moreover, it significantly improves the quality and intensity of lighting, providing more favorable conditions for staff and clients at bERS.

Resalta is the leading independent energy services provider in Southeastern Europe (SEE) and has realized over 180 projects for over 120 clients. A dynamic, fast-growing company, Resalta works with both public and private clients to finance, design and implement projects that reduce energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions and promote sustainability while generating cost savings. Besides being present in Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, Resalta has expanded to the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland as well, offering the same impeccable quality of service throughout Central and Southeastern Europe.

Source: Resalta

Little Progress Made in Tackling Air Pollution in Europe, Research Says

16.10.2019

gas_mask_air_pollution_zagađenje_vazduha — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Little progress has been made on tackling air quality in Europe, new research shows, despite public outcry in many countries and increasing awareness of the health impacts of pollution.

Levels of the dangerous fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, which can lodge deep in the lungs and pass into the bloodstream, appear to have reached a plateau across Europe, after more than a decade of gradual reductions. The results come from the European Environment Agency’s Air Quality in Europe 2019 report, published on Wednesday, which collates data taken from thousands of monitoring stations in 2017.

“We do not see any big improvement, or worsening, year on year,” said Alberto Gonzalez Ortiz, air quality expert at the EEA, Europe’s environmental watchdog. “It is PM2.5 that we should worry most about, and it is coming from domestic heating [such as wood-burning stoves], industry and transport.”

In 2016, the latest year for which an accurate count can be made, there were about 412,000 deaths in Europe from PM2.5 alone, according to the EEA. From 2014 to 2017, the levels of fine particulate matter remained broadly flat, after long-term reductions in levels of the pollutant stretching back to 2000.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels have fallen further, but remain a serious problem. Nitrogen dioxide is an irritant gas, emitted from diesel vehicles in particular. In 2017, according to the report, about 10% of monitoring stations in Europe showed levels above safety limits. In the UK, the monitoring station at Marylebone Road continued to record the highest level of nitrogen dioxide pollution in western Europe, despite falls in the overall concentrations of the gas.

Jenny Bates, air pollution campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “People across the UK are paying a heavy price for the government’s continuing failure to clean up the nation’s filthy air, with tens of thousands of premature deaths every year. While half of our European neighbours manage to comply with legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution, 36 out of 43 UK air quality zones continue to suffer unlawful levels. And we’re also failing World Health Organization standards for the most deadly fine particle air pollution [PM2.5] in places across the country.”

The government has pledged to bring forward air quality commitments in new legislation announced in the Queen’s speech on Monday. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said more recent data than that included in the EEA report showed “positive progress”, including one fewer road showing breaches in safe levels of NO2 in 2018 compared with 2017.

“We are working hard to reduce transport emissions and are already investing £3.5bn to clean up our air, while our Clean Air Strategy has been praised by the WHO as an ‘example for the rest of the world to follow’,” the spokesperson said. “Our environment bill will drive further improvements, increasing local powers to address key sources of air pollution and introducing a duty to set a legally-binding target to reduce fine particulate matter.”

Campaigners urged ministers to include legally binding targets based on WHO standards, with a duty on public bodies to take action to meet the targets, and a right to clean air enshrined in law.

Greg Archer, UK director at the NGO Transport & Environment, said the bill must be strengthened: “The proposed environment bill will create an undernourished, toothless watchdog. Without ambitious targets and actions to tackle air pollution, people will continue to die unnecessarily.”

He added: “Ministers must also scrap their multi-billion pound road-building programme, and invest in cleaner alternatives such as better public transport, cycling and walking facilities. This will not only allow people to breath more easily, it will also help address the climate emergency.”

Levels of ammonia are also on the rise, driven by farming. Ammonia can combine with other pollutants in the air to harm human health, and is also damaging to plants and wildlife. The Guardian revealed earlier this year that 3,000 deaths a year could be avoided in the UK by halving ammonia emissions from farms.

Source: Guardian

Eden Project to Begin Drilling for Clean Geothermal Energy

14.10.2019

The_Bee_(Eden_Project) — Photo: Wikipedia/A1personage

A plan to heat the giant biomes of the Eden Project and, eventually, neighbouring communities by tapping into the “hot rocks” beneath the Cornish attraction has moved a step closer.

The Eden Project announced on Monday that it had secured the funding to begin drilling for clean energy next summer.

Cornwall council and the European Union have provided the bulk of the £16.8m needed to launch the geothermal project, which will initially involve a well being sunk almost three miles (4.5km) into the granite crust beneath Eden.

The Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit said the geothermal project was the biggest leap forward for Eden since it opened in a former clay quarry near St Austell in 2001.

Smit said: “Since we began, Eden has had a dream that the world should be powered by renewable energy. The sun can provide massive solar power and the wind has been harnessed by humankind for thousands of years, but because both are intermittent and battery technology cannot yet store all we need there is a gap.

“We believe the answer lies beneath our feet in the heat underground that can be accessed by drilling technology that pumps water towards the centre of the Earth and brings it back up superheated to provide us with heat and electricity.

“The missing piece of the jigsaw in a 24/7 clean renewable energy future is this baseload. Now we have the green light and the funding to start drilling we are determined to make this technology work.”

Almost £10m has come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) while Cornwall council has put in £1.4m and institutional investors have contributed the remaining money.

The £16.8m will pay for the first phase of the project – drilling a well, a research programme and a heat main – to prove the extent of the resource.

This first well will initially supply a heating system for Eden’s biomes, offices and greenhouses. It is intended to pave the way for the second phase – another well almost three miles deep and an electricity plant.

Completing the second phase will mean Eden will be generating sufficient renewable energy to become carbon positive by 2023, and it aims to be able to provide heat and power for the local area.

Smit said: “Geothermal will be a gamechanger for Eden, Cornwall and the UK. Once up and running, our plant will provide more than enough renewable electricity and heat for the whole site, as well as for the local area.”

Guy Macpherson-Grant, managing director of EGS Energy, a geothermal development group that is working with Eden, said: “The geology in the county is particularly well-suited for cost-efficient heat and power generation, and St Austell benefits from particularly high heat flows.”

Glenn Caplin, chief executive of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, added: “This is another huge step forward in the drive to create a geothermal industry in Cornwall, using our natural assets to decarbonise our economy and create high value jobs. Renewable energy is both an environmental and an economic opportunity for Cornwall.”

Source: Guardian

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