Wimbledon Is Cutting Back on Plastic at This Year’s Tournament

03.07.2019

shep-mcallister-J1j3cImjmgE-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Shep McAllister)

Wimbledon is hoping to cut down on the amount of plastic waste generated at this year’s tennis championships.

One big change is that all of the water bottles sold and given out at the two-week long tournament will be made from 100% recycled plastic that can be recycled once fans are done with them.

Tournament water sponsor Evian says it plans to make all of its bottles out of 100% recycled plastic by 2025. The company said it hopes to sell about 420,000 bottles of water at this year’s tournament, which runs from July 1 to 14.

Spectators are also allowed to bring their own reusable water bottles and organizers say there are more than 100 fountains and water refill stations on the grounds.

Almost 475,000 people attended Wimbledon last year, making it the largest single annual sports catering operation in Europe.

Organizers say that cutlery and most of the drink cups used during Wimbledon are made from 100% recycled material and the containers used for their famous strawberries and cream are made from 70% recycled plastic.

They sell an average of 166,055 portions of strawberries and cream each year.

There will also be employees encouraging sustainability and making sure people throw their recycling in the right bins.

Wimbledon has also stopped putting players’ freshly-restrung rackets into plastic bags, which means 4,500 fewer bags will be used during the tournament.

In June, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) signed on to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.

“We believe that Wimbledon, along with other major events, has a vital role to play in helping to protect the environment, today and for the future, and we are proud to be a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework,” said AELTC Chief Executive Richard Lewis in a statement.

Organizers of Glastonbury, the huge UK music festival that wrapped up on June 30, banned single-use plastic bottles at the five-day event and sold sandwiches in 100% compostable packaging.

The European Parliament voted in March to ban a variety of single-use plastic items, including straws and cutlery, by 2021.

Source: CNN

Brazil’s Clean Capacity to Top 60GW in 2030?

03.07.2019

rio-de-janeiro-809755_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Renewable energy capacity in Brazil is forecast to exceed 60GW by 2030.

That’s the prediction from analytics firm GlobalData, which expects the nation’s overall renewable power capacity, excluding small hydropower, will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% over the period.

This will see total capacity soar from 31GW in 2018 to 60.8GW in 2030, largely due to increased renewable energy auctions and government initiatives such as tax incentives, smart metering, renewable energy targets and favorable grid access policies.

It notes solar photovoltaic and onshore wind markets are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14% and 6% respectively, making renewable energy the second largest contributor to the country’s energy mix by 2030.

At 18% of the grid, it will follow only thermal generation, which is expected to make up 28% of Brazil’s capacity.

Arkapal Sil, Power Industry Analyst at GlobalData, said: “The connection of over 25,000 power systems, mostly solar photovoltaic systems to the Brazilian grid in mid-2018 under the net metering scheme, further underpins the renewable growth pattern over the forecast period.

“The main challenges for Brazil’s power sector are its over-dependence on cheap hydropower for baseload capacity and lack of a robust power grid infrastructure.”

Source: Energy Live News

Festival Fans ‘Have Carbon Footprint 850% Higher than if They Stayed at Home’

02.07.2019

crowd-festival-music-dance-concert — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Feel like going to a festival this summer? Think twice, because you could increase your carbon footprint more than eight-fold.

That’s the verdict from Cardiff University and Siemens, which have studied a number of festivals across the UK, including Hay Festival, The FA Cup Final and Rugby 6 Nations -they say each year, more than 10.4 million visitors spend an estimated £2.3 billion at festivals and music events across the country.

The food eaten, the water pumped, the electricity used and the waste generated all produce a significant impact on the environment but the new report shows transportation taken getting there and going home is the biggest offender, making up a massive 49% of an average attendees footprint.

It highlights the average distance travelled to and from the event per person is 528 kilometres, creating an ecological footprint 8.5 times larger than if they stayed at home.

Dr. Andrea Collins, Lecturer, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, said: “We have a real passion for festivals here in the UK, they have become part and parcel of the Great British Summer.

“But the vast ecological footprint they make is becoming increasingly hard to ignore and organisers must act now if we are to continue to enjoy festivals in the future.”

Source: Energy Live News

Vanuatu to Ban Disposable Nappies in Plastics Crackdown: ‘We Had No Choice’

01.07.2019

walaa-khaleel-pgSy1-dZkuw-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Walaa Khaleel)

It is but a tiny speck in the Pacific Ocean, but the island state of Vanuatu is leading the global fight against plastic waste. The nation, which has already introduced one of the toughest single-use plastic bans in the world, is believed to be the first to propose a ban on disposable nappies, to be phased in at the end of this year.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Walaa Khaleel)

At a meeting in London this week, chaired by Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, Vanuatu was hailed as a “champion” nation, one of 12 who are forging ahead in tackling ocean and climate emergency challenges.

The radical proposal to ban disposable nappies, which contain plastic and can take hundreds of years to degrade, has caused uproar among the country’s parents, who complain it will set women, the predominant carers of the islands’ 20,000 babies, back decades.

But the government of the low-lying developing nation, which is already suffering disproportionately from the climate and ecological emergency, with rising sea levels and marine pollution, said it had no choice.

“Vanuatu is safeguarding its future,” said Mike Masauvakalo of the ministry of foreign affairs. “Eventually, plastics find their way into the water and the food chain and at the end of the day, the people of Vanuatu end up consuming [them].

“There was a lot of uproar from the community and women’s groups about the ban,” he added.

He said the task to find a replacement that parents would be happy with posed a challenge, but that they were looking into cotton alternatives.

“It is a long road ahead,” he said. “But knowing my country, we will work it out. Vanuatu is very vocal about the climate emergency. It is visible, we are living it. It is affecting our food supply and our fish populations.”

He said last year’s plastic bag ban was already having an effect in the country, with less plastic waste on the streets and people using fabric and locally made bags.

In the UK, when Michael Gove hinted at a ban on disposable nappies as part of the government’s plastic waste crackdown, it caused such an outcry that he was forced to issue a denial such a move was planned.

Vanuatu’s department of environmental protection said there was a need for a study on the effect on working parents, but that such research had not been carried out to date.

The country announced the ban after research by Commonwealth Litter Programme (CLiP) showed organic waste and disposable nappies represented three-quarters of the total weight of waste produced. It is consulting with businesses to come up with local alternatives and with NGOs, civil society and other groups.

The results of the consultation, which will take place from the 1 December 2019 to 31 December 2020, will be keenly watched by other countries.

Dr Nicholas Hardman-Mountford, Commonwealth head of oceans and natural resources, said small island countries were “canaries in the coal mine” in the face of ocean challenges, but many had taken on stewardship roles. Vanuatu has partnered with the UK as one of nine commonwealth action groups on the issue, he said.

“Innovation is the key to success on the ocean issues,” said Hardman-Mountford. “We need new thinking, not just by governments but by non-government actors.

“Vanuatu does not have a lot of land – they have to take radical action.”

At a four-day meeting in London for 12 Commonwealth countries leading on ocean issues, Scotland said: “Human ingenuity got us to where we are today with our environment, and human ingenuity can get us out of it.”

The first phase of Vanuatu’s anti-plastic waste battle, the ban on plastic bags, straws and polystyrene containers introduced in July 2018, appears to be having an effect.

A month after the ban was introduced, a waste survey showed 12% of household rubbish was plastic, with only 2% plastic bags and other banned items. This compares with 15-18% plastic in 2010 and 2014.

In March, Vanuatu banned other single-use plastic items including plates, cups, stirrers, food containers, egg cartons and flowers.

Source: Guardian

UK Accused of Ignoring Obligations on Aviation Emissions

30.06.2019

airplane-1143455_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The UK and other EU governments are in breach of international obligations by failing to be open about their policies to tackle emissions from aviation, a coalition of NGOs has said.

The group is lodging a formal complaint over the secrecy surrounding regulation of emissions from international flights, which they say allows the aviation industry to be a “climate laggard”. Last year, aviation emitted 895m tonnes of carbon dioxide – 2.4% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to Carbon Brief. If aviation were a country it would be the sixth biggest emitter in the world.

But the UK and other EU governments are in breach of international obligations relating to the release of environmental information because they are failing to disclose details on cutting emissions, say the NGOs which are part of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation. The Aarhus convention, which was agreed in 1998, enshrines the right for everyone to receive environmental information held by public authorities.

The parties to the convention are required to make the necessary provisions so that public authorities contribute to these rights to make them effective.

The coalition of NGOs will raise its complaints on Thursday at a meeting of the working group of members of the convention in Geneva.

The UK, EU and European governments are all members of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN body incharge of reducing the carbon footprint of international aviation. But the ICAO has been criticised for its secrecy. Its agenda and discussion documents are not released to the public or the media, and the meetings are held behind closed doors.

Documents do emerge through leaks, but the ICAO rules warn participants that they face “unlimited liability for confidentiality breaches”.

Andrew Murphy of the NGO Transport and Environment said the UK and others were using these rules to avoid releasing their policies, and were therefore in breach of the Aarhus convention.

He said governments had failed to release their submissions to the ICAO environment committee, which meets every three and has drawn up the first scheme for international airlines to declare their emissions, known as Corsia.

Murphy said: “Governments have been using this UN agency’s arcane rules to dodge their obligations under international law. They are required to be transparent in how they regulate aviation emissions. Their secrecy is one of the reasons why the airline sector remains such a climate laggard.”

Under Corsia, international aircraft will this year have to start monitoring their emissions as part of ICAO measures. Central to these measures is a market-based system of purchasing emissions offsets rather than a requirement to directly reduce aircraft emissions.

Air transport companies can reduce the amount of carbon emissions they have to offset by using biofuels. A final decision on the rules around what kinds of biofuels can be used was made last week at an ICAO meeting, but the policy has not been published.

The Guardian asked the ICAO to release details of the policy, but the agency was not able to provide the information in time for publication.

Corsia was agreed in 2016 by the 36 ICAO member countries and has taken until this year to implement. But some believe it will not have the required impact on reducing emissions produced by an aviation industry which predicts passenger numbers doubling to 8.2 billion by 2037.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport – which sends officials to ICAO meetings – said the UK did not publish official correspondence with the UN body because it is was “not an environmental organisation” and that its work involved confidential information which was commercially sensitive.

“We strive for maximum transparency and recognise the importance of public access to information, which is why we are seeking to improve ICAO practices in this area,” the DfT said. “We are engaging with the ICAO and all its other member states, and will continue working to ensure our international environmental responsibilities are upheld.”

Source: Guardian

Study on 14-Year-Old Disaster Finds Oil Still Leaking into Sea

29.06.2019

Screenshot from 2019-06-27 15-40-22 — Photo: YouTube (screenshot)

It’s been more than 14 years since Hurricane Ivan made landfall on the Gulf Coast of the United States as a Category 3 storm, with wind speeds approaching 200 kilometers per hour and a destructive storm surge. Worse is what’s still happening offshore, where an oil platform that collapsed during Ivan continues to leak into Gulf of Mexico waters despite claims from its operators, according to a report released Monday.

The new report from U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) researchers, in partnership with Florida State University, estimates that despite some efforts to plug the wells, at least nine barrels of oil per day are leaking from the remains of the Mississippi Canyon 20 (MC20) drilling platform once operated by Taylor Energy. That’s a conservative estimate: A U.S. Coast Guard containment system placed at the wreck site in May 2019 is capturing an average of 30 barrels per day, and NOAA says the leak may be up to 108 barrels per day.

The findings conflict with Taylor Energy’s contention that oil sheens visible on the Gulf waters since the 2004 storm are released from hydrocarbons trapped in sediments on the ocean floor. In fact, the company – which ceased operation more than a decade ago and now exists only as an entity to deal with the MC20 disaster – has accused the Coast Guard of contributing to the problem while trying to research and remedy the leak.

“Taylor Energy had warned the Coast Guard of the risk of reckless and irresponsible disturbance of the hydrocarbons trapped in the sediment on the seafloor following the collapse of the MC-20 platform. Now the company’s worst fears are being realized,” the company said in an April statement.

Yet what the new NOAA report establishes, quite apart from oil flow rates, is that the oil isn’t coming from the sediment. It’s coming from the wreckage of the MC20 platform, which was toppled by an undersea mudslide caused by heavy seas and then broke away from its original 28 oil well pipes.

“Scientists conclusively show that the plume is primarily from active oil and gas releases from multiple wells at the MC20 site, rather than from sediments contaminated after 2004,” said NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). The study results further contradict the Taylor Energy claims that “approximately one drop of oil” is released each minute from a two square foot area on the mud line.

That’s of concern because the Gulf of Mexico supports a highly diverse ecosystem, with fishing and tourism industries as well as the region’s oil and gas industry. “When oil-related chemicals are released into the marine environment they can bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms,” said NCCOS. “Many individual oil-related chemical compounds are toxic, with some being likely carcinogens.”

The report, originally requested by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), will be used to help determine the next steps in dealing with the MC20 leak – which, ironically, came under renewed scrutiny after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. It was then that observers noticed oil sheens and contamination that weren’t related to the Deepwater crisis and began to investigate what was causing them.

Source: Sustainability Times

Indian Coal Demand Soared 9.1% over Last Year

28.06.2019

India’s annual coal demand rose 9.1% during the year ending March 2019.

That’s according to India’s Coal Minister, Pralhad Joshi, who said the figure hit 991.35 million tonnes, driven primarily by utilities, which accounted for three-quarters of total demand.

Their coal consumption rose by 6.6% to 760.66 million tonnes over the period.

India is one of the biggest global importers of the fossil fuel, despite having the world’s fifth largest reserves – its imports rose to 235.24 million tonnes last year, up from from 208.27 million tonnes in 2017-18.

The rest of supply was provided through domestic supplies, which rose to 734.23 million tonnes last year, although it was not sufficient to meet total demand – there was a national shortfall of 23.35 million tonnes, around double that of the previous year.

Pralhad Joshi stated this occurred mainly as a result of state-run producer Coal India’s inability to meet surging demand from the country’s cement and iron industries.

He noted to increase future output levels, Coal India is now prioritising starting production at mines with a capacity exceeding 10 million tonnes per year and adopting increasingly mechanised techniques.

The producer is targeting a total production of 660 million tonnes in 2019-20.

The US has signed a deal which will see it help build six new nuclear power plants in India.

Source: Energy Live News

‘Climate Apartheid’ Will See Millions of World’s Poorest Severely Impacted

28.06.2019

rain-flood-kiša-poplava — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A ‘climate apartheid’ will see millions of the world’s poorest people severely impacted.

That’s the chilling forecast from UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Philip Alston, who said even if current climate targets are met, tens of millions of people will be impoverished, leading to widespread displacement and hunger.

He said this would likely occur as wealthy nations pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict “while the rest of the world is left to suffer” in terms of their rights to life, food, housing and water.

In his report, Mr Alston warns a changing climate will also threaten the wider issues of democracy and human rights and could even undo the last 50 years of progress in terms of economic development and global health.

He suggests more than 120 million more people could be pushed into poverty by 2030, with the bulk of these happening in the worst affected locations, such as Bangladesh.

The Special Rapporteur stresses even the best-case scenario of 1.5°C of warming will force many to choose between starvation and migration.

To mitigate these dangers, he says economic well-being and poverty reduction must be decoupled from fossil fuel emissions and calls for strong policies to be implemented to support displaced workers and ensure good jobs remain in affected areas.

He said: “Perversely, while people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change and have the least capacity to protect themselves.

“As a full-blown crisis that threatens the human rights of vast numbers of people bears down, the usual piecemeal, issue-by-issue human rights methodology is woefully insufficient.”

Source: Energy Live News

Will Burberry Set a Green Trend with New 2022 Emissions Goal?

27.06.2019

sai-de-silva-4o23nx9hH6o-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Sai de Silva)

Burberry has committed to slash its direct emissions by 95% in the next three years.

The luxury fashion brand set the target against a 2016 baseline and has had the ambition independently assessed and approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), which confirmed it was in line with limiting the trajectory of global warming to 1.5°C.

The company also pledged to reduce its supply chain emissions by 30% by 2030 and announced it is now carbon neutral across its retail operations in the US, Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.

It says this has been acheived through driving energy efficiency measures through its stores and reinvesting cost savings into the procurement of renewable energy.

In 2017 Burberry set a target to procure 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2022 – it says it is now on track to meet this goal and notes it sourced 48% of its total energy use from clean generation last year.

The brand has a controversial history when it comes to its environmental footprint – last year it drew criticism from green groups after it was found to be burning its unsold clothes, bags and perfume.

Source: Energy Live News

77 Health Organizations Call for Climate Action to Fight Public Health Emergency

27.06.2019

glass-2655954_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

More than 70 leading public health groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, agree that the climate crisis is also a health emergency.

So far 77 organizations representing nurses, doctors, hospitals, volunteers and public health professionals have signed on to The Call to Action on Climate, Health and Equity: A Policy Action Agenda, released Monday. The agenda urges government, business and community leaders to take a series of actions designed to promote health and fight climate change.

“We are here today to declare that climate change is a health emergency. Climate change is already harming the health, safety and wellbeing of every American living today and if it is not addressed, will bring untold harm to all our children and grandchildren,” former Acting Surgeon General and Retired U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak said in a transcript of a press call emailed to EcoWatch.

On the call, medical professionals shared how climate change was already impacting the health of their patients. Pediatrician and incoming Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health Dr. Aparna Bole explained how worsening air quality linked to global warming was increasing the risks faced by her patients in a Cleveland, Ohio community where one in five children has asthma.

“In my community, burning fossil fuels contribute to not just asthma exacerbations but also poor birth outcomes like low birth weight and prematurity, both risk factors for infant mortality. Even prenatal exposure leads to neurodevelopmental delays that negatively impact school readiness, which is an important foundation for a child’s academic success,” Bole said.

Meanwhile, Gundersen Health System CEO Emeritus Jeffrey Thompson shared how extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires were making it harder for hospitals to care for their patients.

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, many emergency medicine physicians throughout the U.S. were forced to ration critical IV fluids after the hurricane damaged a major producer of IV bags in Puerto Rico. This shortage persisted for months and into flu season. Imagine having to tell a worried mother that you couldn’t give her child fluids that could help him,” Thompson said.

The group outlined six major priorities for policy makers to fight climate change and improve health outcomes:

Meet and ramp up Paris agreement commitments.
Transition away from coal, oil and natural gas and towards renewable energy.
Encourage a shift from driving to biking, walking or public transportation while shifting to zero-carbon transit alternatives.
Support sustainable agriculture and protect green spaces.
Make sure all communities have safe and sustainable supplies of drinking water.
Ensure a “just transition” for workers and communities impacted by climate change.

The group also encouraged health organizations to take climate action by engaging with calls like this one, integrating climate responses into public health plans and assisting vulnerable communities in responding to climate impacts.

Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University Director Ed Maibach told the Associated Press that the health organizations’ statement could shift some Americans’ image of climate change as “primarily as a threat to things in the environment, like polar bears.”

“It’s incredibly helpful when health professionals point out the actual reality of the situation, point out that this is also a threat to our health and well-being now … and it’s likely to get worse, much worse, if we don’t take action to address it,” he said.

The call also comes as climate change is emerging as a major issue in the 2020 election, something Lushniak alluded to in introducing it.

“[W]e are well aware that we are initiating this effort at an important moment when our Nation’s attention is increasingly focused on the most important issues we face and how we should address them,” he said. “Our goal is to influence this national conversation at this critical moment. We are providing our leaders at all levels and with a meaningful path forward.”

The call was released the same week that Democratic candidates will engage in their first debate, the Associated Press pointed out. It shares priorities with the climate policy proposed by candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Associated Press concluded, since it urges a transition away from fossil fuels without endorsing an outright ban on fracking.

Source: Eco Watch

Kladovo Gets a New Biomass Heating Plant

26.06.2019

W4_17 — Photo: Polytechnik Biomass Energy

Hospital in Kladovo and primary school “Vuk Karadzic”, which houses also a music school and a school for children with special needs, will soon fulfil needs for heating and hot water consumption with the new biomass system PEMCI 1.

The requirements of this large school, almost 185 years old, currently attended by more than a thousand pupils, is presently covered by heating plants Centar and Pemci. In the first heating plant, located in the residential zone in the centre of Kladovo, a 2% sulphur fuel oil is used, while coal is used in the second heating plant. The new biomass heating plant will be able to meet the overall energy needs of the above mentioned users. There are several good sides of the transition from fossil fuels to biomass, and one of the most important is cleaner air.

The future heating plant will use wood residues from sawmills, forestry residues, and available wood chips. The main difference between the old heating and the new one will be the reduction of CO2 emissions by almost 100 per cent. Kladovo, as a town famous for exceptional natural beauties, the Danube, Djerdap, turbulent history, energy resources, and hospitality again shows interest in sustainable energy and environmental protection. After two solar power plants were commissioned which were designed by CEEFOR ENERGY EFFICIENT SOLUTION ENERGY EFFICIENT SOLUTION, carbon dioxide emissions in Kladovo have been significantly reduced. This new heating plant will additionally enable citizens of Kladovo to inhale cleaner air. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are the consequences of increased carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. This project envisages that the new plant, with the current 5,852 tons of carbon dioxide released by the heating plant on the fuel oil annually, will reduce the emission of these particles to 75 tons.

The new heating plant PEMCI 1 should be connected with the central heating system to the heating plant Centar, located in the centre of Kladovo, and through it with the hot water distribution system into the district heating system in Kladovo.

This heating plant on wood chips with the installed capacity of 2 × 3.0 MW will be located in the northwestern part in Kladovo, in the settlement Pemci, in the vicinity of the existing plant, with the installed capacity of 1.1 MW which uses coal as a fuel, will be shut down after commissioning the mentioned biomass power plant. It is envisaged to install two identical hot water horizon Of all renewable energy sources in Serbia, biomass has the highest potential. Green Energy Portal provides support to investors and companies that want to improve their efficiency and switch to renewable energy sources.

This unique platform represents a part of the activities of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce within the “Reducing the barriers for rapid biomass market development in Serbia” Project, implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the competent institutions and partners from civil sector. Green Energy Portal is the first online trade in various types of biomass in our region and connects buyers and sellers of biomass, as well as investors, designers, contractors, distributors, banks, and other participants in the market of renewable energy sources.

Prepared by: Zeljka Vesic

Read the whole article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

2019 ‘Could Be the Worst Year for Energy Price Rises on Record’

26.06.2019

electricity-meter-96863_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

2019 could be the worst year for energy price rises on record.

That’s according to auto-switching service Look After My Bills, which suggests both the frequency and severity of hikes could reach unparalleled levels this year.

It notes there have already 42 rises so far, whereas in 2018, there were 57 in total and only 15 by the six-month point.

The average price increase has also risen, up from around £75 in 2018 to a significantly more expensive £110 in current times.

Look After My Bills claims this brings into question the effectiveness of the energy price cap and whether it has inadvertently led to more price rises, as the majority of suppliers have raised their standard variable tariff close to the new £1,254 limit, despite the measure being initially introduced to protect consumers from paying too much.

The auto-switching service says this has added a collective £1.2 billion to bills across the country and notes as wholesale energy costs have fallen each month through 2019 so far, “raising people’s energy bills seems unjustified”.

Lily Green, Head of Research at Look After My Bills, said: “This is set to be the worst year on record for energy price rises.

“Too many suppliers are seeing the cap as a target and taking the opportunity to push prices up. What is particularly baffling is that wholesale energy costs are in fact going down. You would expect energy bills to do the same.”

Source: Energy Live News

Air Pollution ‘May Affect Number of Eggs Ovaries Can Produce’

26.06.2019

family-sea-ocean-kids — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Air pollution has been linked to a drop in activity of female ovaries, researchers have revealed.

Experts say the findings suggest that female reproductive system is affected by environmental factors, although the study does not specifically look at the impact of air pollution on fertility.

However, they added that if such an effect was permanent, it might mean that women might have a shorter period of their life in which to reproduce and earlier menopause.

“The environmental aspects of our lives are so important that we should take care of indoor and outdoor environments,” said Antonio La Marca, a researcher at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.

The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, are based on a study of levels of a hormone called AMH. This is released by cells in the ovaries and gives an indication of a woman’s ovarian reserve – the number of viable eggs the ovaries can produce. This level differs among women and is affected by a number of factors, including genetics, age and smoking. Its link to fertility is debatable: a low ovarian reserve does not necessarily mean a natural conception will be difficult.

However, La Marca said previous studies suggested that there could be a link between higher air pollution and reduced fertility in women, and animal models have inferred air pollution could affect levels of AMH.

To explore the issue further, La Marca and colleagues looked at AMH levels in about 1,300 women, the samples being collected in Modena between early 2007 and autumn 2017. From the home addresses of the participants, the team estimated daily levels of small particulates known as PM2 .5s and PM10s, as well as levels of nitrogen dioxide.

For women over the age of 25, levels of AMH in the blood fell with age. After taking age into account, however, the team found AMH levels were lower among women who lived in areas with higher levels of air pollutants.

More specifically, when the team split air pollution levels into four bands, they found women living amid the worst pollution were two to three times more likely than those in other bands to have AMH levels below 1ng / ml – a level the team say signifies a severely low ovarian reserve. La Marca said earlier research had shown only about 10% of healthy women under the age of 30 had such low levels of AMH.

La Marca said while the link between AMH levels and the chances of becoming pregnant naturally in the short term remained unclear, the results suggested environmental factors could play a role in female reproductive health.

“Having a high AMH is in some way a reproductive advantage because women with a higher AMH will have a longer reproductive life span,” he said, adding that it was also important for those undergoing IVF. “If you have a high AMH you will have a higher number of eggs after ovulatory stimulation that turns into a higher number of embryos,” he said.

The study has limitations, not least that the team was unable to take into account other factors, such as poverty and poor health, which tend to be more prevalent in areas of high pollution and may also affect AMH levels. What’s more, AMH and pollution levels were not tracked over time.

Richard Anderson, a professor of clinical reproduction at the University of Edinburgh, said that while the impact of environmental factors on sperm count and quality was a topic of much research, there was much less work on possible effects on the female reproductive system.

“This shows a reduction in the activity of ovaries in women [living in areas of high air pollution]”, he said, although he pointed out that the levels of air pollution that women were directly exposed to was not measured.

Anderson said questions remained. “There is uncertainty in whether this is a permanent effect, which may indicate a reduced reproductive lifespan and earlier menopause, or whether this is a temporary effect that women could recover from if they are no longer exposed to those chemicals,” he said.

Source: Guardian

Aldi to Trial Plastic-Free Veg at Its Stores in England

25.06.2019

vegetables-1736170_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Aldi is extending a trial to eliminate the use of plastic packaging for some fresh vegetables at its stores in England.

The supermarket started selling five loose fresh produce, including savoy cabbage, white and red cabbage, pointed cabbage and cauliflower, without plastic wrapping in Scotland earlier this year.

It says that has helped save more than three tonnes of plastic so far and estimates the move, if rolled out across all its 830 UK stores, would avoid the use of more than 100 tonnes of plastic a year.

Aldi is now planning to trial it across 230 stores in England from early next month and if successful, it will be rolled out across all stores before the end of the year.

The supermarket has also completed the removal of all non-recyclable black plastic from its core range of fresh fruits and vegetables and previously pledged to ensure all of its own label packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022.

Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “The trial of so-called ‘naked’ vegetables has had a very positive reception in Scotland and as a result, we’re now looking to extend this trial into two of our regions in England.

“Cutting waste is at the heart of what we do. Where we can, our aim is to remove unnecessary plastic entirely without leading to unnecessary food waste. Where we can’t do that, we are committed to ensuring that packaging doesn’t end up as waste by ensuring that all ours is recyclable, reusable or compostable.

“It is initiatives like this that will help us achieve this goal and is a measure of our determination to be as sustainable and environmentally responsible a business as possible.”

Source: Energy Live News

Domestic Efficiency Measures ‘Pay for Themselves 12 years Faster Than Renewables’

24.06.2019

insulation-2389795_960_720 — Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

Energy efficiency measures pay for themselves 12 years faster than renewable energy installations.

That’s according to new research from price comparison website MoneySuperMarket, which highlights how the average renewable installation, such as rooftop solar panels or mini wind turbines, takes 21 years and three months before it starts to make a saving.

This is because the average renewable energy installation has an average setup cost of £7,237.73 but only saves £28.33 a month.

However, while energy efficiency measures such as LED light bulbs and reduced-water shower heads offer a smaller average saving of £6.92 each month, initial costs are much lower, averaging at £762.59.

This means on average they take around nine years and two months to pay for themselves.

The report suggests fitting a home with energy saving light-bulbs would cost around £51.804 and could save £27.135 a month, meaning they only have a two-month payoff time.

Meanwhile, lagging jackets for hot water tanks cost £156 but save only £1.67 each month, meaning costs will be covered after nine months.

On average, solar ovens take a year and eight months to cover their own costs, water saving shower heads take two and a half years and cavity insulation will provide a return on investment after three years and seven months.

MoneySuperMarket says by implementing a variety of measures, energy customers could save more than £200 on their bills by making energy efficient upgrades to their home.

You can check the infographic out at the following link: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/renewable-vs-efficient/.

Stephen Murray, Energy Expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Energy bills are one of the most significant regular payments made by any household, regardless of your living situation.

“If you’re looking to make some savings, you don’t have to make big changes to your home – simply switching to energy saving light bulbs can be a good starting point.”

Source: Energy Live News

McDonald’s Puts the Freeze on McFlurry Plastic Packaging

24.06.2019

mcdonalds-mekdonalds-fast-food-restaurant — Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

McDonald’s has announced it is to stop using single-use plastic to package its McFlurry ice creams and salad options.

Once the environmentally-friendly change comes into effect in September, the brand expects it will reduce plastic waste by around 485 tonnes every year.

Instead, the food options will be served in 100% recyclable cardboard containers, made from 50% recycled content and 50% sustainably-sourced material.

Supply Chain Director, McDonald’s UK and Ireland Beth Hart said: ‘I am delighted that today’s news means we will be serving our much loved and new menu items in an even more sustainable way.

“Removing plastic lids from the McFlurry, and introducing new cardboard packaging for salads, will save nearly 500 metric tonnes of plastic a year.”

The brand removed plastic straws from its drinks options last year, which was met by criticism by some fans who felt replacement cardboard straws were ineffective.

The recycling rate of plastic packaging across the EU almost doubled between 2005 and 2016.

Source: Energy Live News

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