World’s Largest E-Bike Fleet to Roll out in Paris Region

13.11.2018

I love electric bikes. They’re a great, low-carbon transportation option that requires much less work than traditional pedal bikes. So it’s exciting news that the Paris region is rolling out a massive fleet of them as a way to beat back traffic and air pollution.

Starting September 2019, the Ile-de-France Mobilités—the Paris-area public transport network—will offer 10,000 electric bikes for long-term rental, according to Reuters. The plan is to expand the so-called “Véligo” service to 20,000 units, making it the world’s largest e-bike rental program.

The larger aim is to encourage bike-riding in the wider Parisian region that’s home to 10 million people. Currently, commuter cycling counts for a mere 1.6 percent of daily trips in the area.

“Electric bicycles have an enormous potential. They are an efficient and ecological way to get to the railway station for short commutes that can replace the car,” Valerie Pecresse, the head of the Ile-de-France region, told Reuters.

The Véligo program works differently than typical bike-share programs where you rent a bike for a few hours and return it to a docking station after use. Instead, Véligo bikes can stay with the users for 40 euros ($45) a month, half of which can be subsidized by their employers, Reuters reported.

The new scheme is an addition to the city of Paris’ own Vélib’ bike-sharing system, which had been a “huge success and a point of pride” for the French capital until it changed operators and nearly collapsed, NPR reported last month. Daily use dramatically fell from 100,000 trips a day to only a couple thousand.

The Véligo program will be operated by the postal service and transport firm Transdev under a six-year contract and have a budget of 111 million euros ($127 million), according to Reuters.

Source: Eco Watch

Zero Emission Motorcycle Enters the Race

12.11.2018

Energica and Samsung have teamed up to create the Bolid-E Electric Motorcycle Prototype.

The motor company and technology firm have teamed up to create the smart, zero emission vehicle, which aims to provide increased rider safety and deter theft through integrated smart technology.

The clean electric vehicle (EV) uses intelligent mirrors with two integrated cameras to record and analyse images in real time and warn the rider of any developing hazards and obstacles ahead.

The bike can link with the Samsung Galaxy Watch to provide its owner with information regarding the ride and whether the bike is being tampered with, at which point the owner can activate the horn.

The watch app also directs the rider towards the closest charging station and can be used to manage the process of refuelling with electricity.

The companies said: “In Italy, a country where motorbike market is growing, urban mobility on two wheels is a crucial subject, not only with a view to reducing emissions and easing traffic but also in terms of technological development for the introduction of innovative solutions for motorcyclists.

“The collaboration between Samsung and Energica, the first Italian manufacturer of electric motorbikes, fits into this scenario.”

Source: Energy Live News

Diwali Firecrackers See Indian Air Pollution Soar

11.11.2018

This year’s Diwali celebrations saw Delhi’s National Capital Region enveloped in harmful smog as the widespread use of firecrackers caused air quality to plunge to ‘hazardous’ levels.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), despite the Supreme Court limiting firecracker use on Diwali from 8pm to 10pm, crowds continued to set them off until late at night, exposing people to major health risks.

The air quality was rated at 302 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 11pm, which is categorised as ‘very poor’ – people may suffer from respiratory illnesses as a result of prolonged exposure to such air.

If the air quality dips further, the AQI can reach ‘severe’ levels, which can harm healthy people and seriously affect those with existing ailments.

Before Diwali, the Supreme Court had ordered that sustainable, low-smoke crackers, which produce less light, sound and harmful chemicals, can be sold in the National Capital Region.

Legal air pollution limits have been reached for the year in London less than a month into 2018.

Source: Energy Live News

‘Single-use’ Named Word of the Year for 2018

10.11.2018

plasticne case — Photo-illustration: pixabay

The term ‘single-use’ has been named Word of the Year for 2018 by Collins Dictionary.

It refers to products, often plastic, that are made to be used only once before disposal.

According to Collins Dictionary, the word has seen a four-fold increase since 2013, with news stories and images such as those seen in the BBC’s Blue Planet II series “steeply raising public awareness” of the environmental issue.

It said: “Single-use, a term that describes items whose unchecked proliferation are blamed for damaging the environment and affecting the food chain, has been named Collins’ Word of the Year 2018.

“Single-use encompasses a global movement to kick our addiction to disposable products. From plastic bags, bottles and straws to washable nappies, we have become more conscious of how our habits and behaviours can impact the environment”

The dictionary’s lexicographers monitor the 4.5 billion-word Collins Corpus and create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect an ever-evolving culture and the preoccupations of those who use it.

Another shortlisted word for 2018 was ‘plogging’, which involves turning a person’s daily jog into picking up litter.

Plogging, an amalgamation of the Swedish ‘plocka’ meaning to pick with jogging, “is entirely 21st century” and addresses a growing concern with humanity’s impact on the environment.

Source: Energy Live News

Fireworks ‘More Polluting Than Energy-From-Waste Plants’

09.11.2018

Waste management firm Indaver says energy recovery facilities are actually strictly regulated.

EV Registrations Now Represent 8% of Canadian Car Sales

09.11.2018

electric-car-1736418_960_720 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

EV sales peaked at more than 13,000 units during the third quarter of 2018.

Taxing Red Meat Would Save Many Lives, Research Shows

08.11.2018

photo-1521305916504-4a1121188589 — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash

The cost of bacon and sausages would double if the harm they cause to people’s health was taken into account.

Taxing red meat would save many lives and raise billions to pay for healthcare, according to new research. It found the cost of processed meat such as bacon and sausages would double if the harm they cause to people’s health was taken into account.

Governments already tax harmful products to reduce their consumption, such as sugar, alcohol and tobacco. With growing evidence of the health and environmental damage resulting from red meat, some experts now believe a “sin tax” on beef, lamb and pork is inevitable in the longer term.

The World Health Organization declared processed red meat to be a carcinogen in 2015, and unprocessed red meat such as steaks and chops to be a probable carcinogen. However, people in rich nations eat more than the recommended amount of red meat, which is also linked to heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

The new research looked at the level of tax needed to reflect the healthcare costs incurred when people eat red meat. It found that a 20% tax on unprocessed red meat and a 110% tax on the more harmful processed products across rich nations, with lower taxes in less wealthy nations, would cut annual deaths by 220,000 and raise $170bn (£130bn).

The resulting higher prices would also cut meat consumption by two portions a week – currently people in rich nations each eat one portion a day. This would lead to a $41bn saving in annual healthcare costs, the research shows.

“The results are dramatic for processed meat,” said Marco Springmann, at the University of Oxford and who led the new study. “Bacon is really one of the unhealthiest food products that is out there.”

“Nobody wants governments to tell people what they can and can’t eat,” Springmann said. But the healthcare costs incurred by eating red meat are often paid by all taxpayers, he said: “It is totally fine if you want to have [red meat], but this personal consumption decision really puts a strain on public funds. It is not about taking something away from people, it is about being fair.”

Source: The Guardian

Government and Recyclers Partnership Offers the Best Solutions

07.11.2018

During the recycling process, waste is converted into raw materials that can be further used in the production process. The use of recycled materials saves natural resources and energy. Recycling pollutes the air, water, and soil less than primary raw materials production. Recycling provides new jobs. Benefits are great but do we recognise the significance and do we have recycling opportunities in our country?

People in the Recyclers Association of Serbia say that citizens are incredibly interested in the recycling of different products.

“Citizens and companies report to our Association every day on various issues. They most often ask where and how home appliances are recycled but they are also interested in recycling bulbs, batteries, glass, rubber. There are also those who would separate household waste in four categories because, for example, they saw it while they were staying in Germany. Household managers who are interested in collecting a certain type of waste within the building contact us very often, “says Suzana Obradovic, General Secretary and adds:

“I believe that the citizens who take care of recycling are proud that they did a seemingly small thing on that day, but significant for the environment, whether they threw plastic bottles into a dedicated bin, called the recycling centre to take over the old TV or took the worn-out batteries to the stores that collect them. “

Obradovic points out that the constant education of citizens is necessary because there will always be individuals who do not pay attention to the environment without realising that they do damage to their health.

“There are still those who throw their old washing machine in the woods or a refrigerator in a canal. It is necessary that we constantly work together on educating citizens – state, media, NGOs and the recycling industry. On the other hand, in many villages, there are no regular garbage containers. This is not a justification for the existence of hundreds of wild landfills, but sometimes it takes a lot of energy for citizens to take care of the waste. Only if we have containers, dedicated bins and a generally more organised waste management system, and we educate the citizens, the results will be visible very quickly. When there is a complete system, then penalties for improper disposal of waste can be applied to each negative case.”

Due to the technology that is developing at high speed, there are more and more electronic and electrical devices that need to be replaced. The Recyclers Association of Serbia invites citizens not to throw these devices in nature and not to store them in the basement because these appliances when they are depleted, become hazardous waste as they contain substances that are harmful to the environment.

Citizens can hand over all the devices to the nearest recycling centre or call the recycling centre to take over the device at their address. If they buy new appliances, they can inquire in a store whether they can hand over their old machine for recycling. In this way, old appliances will be adequately cared for and they will not affect the environment and human health negatively.

Recycling and Circular Economy

We lived in times of uncontrolled usage of resources, high energy consumption, and nobody paid attention to the environment. Although the pressure on the environment is tremendous, changes and investments have been delayed. Now, Chapter 27 on the environment commits us to significant investments in the process of Serbia’s EU accession. Likewise, the circular economy is becoming topical, a model that completes the production process, from production, through recycling, and to reproduction.

“We are far behind European countries in the field of environmental protection since our country did not deal with these issues or it dealt only sporadically in some areas. Waste management in Serbia is at a very low level in almost all segments. However, we can now use the very best practices from countries that are far away. For example, the recycling of home appliances, tires, vehicles and others started late in our country, but when it started, the companies have acquired the most modern recycling equipment and now have the best facilities in this part of Europe, “explained the interlocutor from the Association of Recyclers of Serbia.

You can read the whole article in the twelfth issue of the Energy Portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY, September – November 2018

UK Renewable Energy Capacity Surpasses Fossil Fuels for First Time

07.11.2018

Renewable capacity has tripled in past five years, even faster growth than the ‘dash for gas’ of the 1990s.

The capacity of renewable energy has overtaken that of fossil fuels in the UK for the first time, in a milestone that experts said would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

In the past five years, the amount of renewable capacity has tripled while fossil fuels’ has fallen by one-third, as power stations reached the end of their life or became uneconomic.

The result is that between July and September, the capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower reached 41.9 gigawatts, exceeding the 41.2GW capacity of coal, gas and oil-fired power plants.

Imperial College London, which compiled the figures, said the rate at which renewables had been built in the past few years was greater than the “dash for gas” in the 1990s.

Dr Iain Staffell, who undertook the research, said: “Britain’s power system is slowly but surely walking away from fossil fuels, and this quarter saw a major milestone on the journey.”

However, the amount of power from fossil fuels was still greater over the quarter, at about 40% of electricity generation compared with 28% for renewable sources.

In total, 57% of electricity generation was low carbon over the period, produced either by renewables or nuclear power stations.

In terms of installed capacity, wind is the biggest source of renewables at more than 20GW, followed by solar spread across nearly 1m rooftops and in fields. Biomass is third.

Source: The Guardian

Time to Finetune AI to Keep Animals Safe

07.11.2018

sam-mcghee-151898-unsplash — Photo: Unsplash

As AI-powered drones and self-driving cars slowly come to occupy our cities, a question arises: how will they behave towards the living beings they encounter on the way? While research on human safety has been proliferating, much less attention has been given to the animal kingdom. A new paper in Paladyn Journal of Behavioral Robots explores the issue and suggests some promising ways forward.

The picture of rare drone appearances in public spaces may change drastically within a matter of years as they become providers of numerous delivery services: hot pizzas, emergency medicines, holiday presents or simply anything else below 12-20kg that wants to be transported over short urban distances. But what about birds in the way, say?

Earlier cautionary tales of birds killed by wind turbines have been met with skepticism by many environmentalists, emphasizing the lives saved over the lost ones: clean energy kills many less birds than climate change. Fair enough, yet will this utilitarian maxim prove further useful as AI-powered machines increasingly populate our public air corridors? Will we further challenge animal welfare for more human convenience?

Oliver Bendel, a researcher from the University of Applied Science and Arts in Switzerland working in the field of machine ethics, highlights an urgent need for animal-friendly machines since the ones currently on the market can easily harm, injure and kill animals without any real need to do so. Decisions AI-powered machines make are based on logical trees imbued with moral reasoning of “yes – no” questions for most situations. Currently those decisions are often limited to whether the object is human or not, as well as to protection of the drone itself.

For a different system to emerge, Bendel suggests that decision trees need to accommodate animals and other living beings as well.

Three general examples he describes are self-driving cars that break when witnessing an animal, vacuum-cleaners that avoid bugs (also think of agricultural and forest harvesters) and camera-drones considering the type of animal to avoid disturbing it. Easier said than done, however, because obstacles are many. For example, researchers have for a while been struggling about decisions regarding passenger vs. pedestrian safety in extreme situations, and when it comes to animals vs. humans our moral reasoning won’t be in their favour.

Complexity also arises out of the changing seasons, shifts between day and night, geographical peculiarities and many other factors that may be impossible to predict due to the ever-evolving nature of the living world, which would require “self-learning systems capable of adjusting to the behavior of animals, and correcting and optimizing their behavior to fit the situation”, says Bendel.

While decision-trees for such uses may actually prove quite simple, developing necessary databases and software may prove costly. When no legislation pushes tech companies to behave ethically towards animals, they might not mind avoiding extra costs on a highly competitive market.

With the increasing automation of human lives and manifold applications of AI for environmental monitoring the amount of interactions between technical and natural worlds shall rise dramatically. Thus, the task of protecting animal lives becomes increasingly pertinent and now is the time for tech companies to take actions in the right direction.

Source: Suistanability Times

M&S Launches New ‘Eco Bag’ to Reduce Plastic Waste

06.11.2018

social-plastic-bag-3-_resize — Photo: M&S

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched a new eco-shopping bag that helps prevent waste and reduce poverty among people living in Haiti and the Philippines.

Launching in stores on 6th November, the re-usable bag is made from 75% Social Plastic©, which is plastic waste that has been collected and recycled by Plastic Bank, a social enterprise seeking to stop ocean plastic pollution.

Plastic Bank incentivises people in Haiti and the Philippines – two areas highly polluted with plastic – to collect waste and take it to one of 36 recycling centres in return for a wage. Collectors can alternatively exchange waste plastic for blockchain digital tokens that can be used to buy essential goods such as food, water, cook stoves and fuel.

With its mission to create environmental and social impact by monetising waste, Plastic Bank prevents plastic from getting into the oceans while helping to improve people’s lives. Support from companies like M&S enables Plastic Bank to roll-out the initiative to more regions, more quickly.

David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank, commented: “M&S has powerfully responded to customer demand for sustainable products and created an immediate impact on the lives of our collectors.

“The M&S team has been incredibly committed to our partnership and thanks to their support, Plastic Bank is empowered to stop more ocean plastic, help more people out of poverty and make responsible production the standard for businesses everywhere. We couldn’t be more pleased to start our journey together.”

Recycling centres in Manila sort the plastic by type and colour and shred it to create flakes, which are exported to Vietnam where the M&S bag is made. Plastic Bank has recycled the equivalent of over 100 million plastic bottles since opening its first centre in Haiti in 2014.

The bag has been launched as part of M&S’s Plastics Plan, which includes removing 1,000 tonnes of plastic packaging in less than a year and replacing the 75 million pieces of plastic cutlery given out in its stores each year with FSC certified wood alternatives.

Natalie Tate, Product Developer at Marks & Spencer said: “With more plastic than fish predicted to be in the ocean by 2050, it’s vital that we all take action to minimise plastic waste. We’re reducing the amount of plastic we use as a business and developing smart ways to help our customers reduce the amount of plastic they use.

“This is a strong, sturdy, practical bag to help our customers with their shop, but with the added benefit of reducing poverty and preventing more plastic getting into our seas by turning waste plastic into a tangible and re-usable item.”

The bag costs £1.30 and will be available across UK stores.

Source: M&S

Ozone Layer Finally Healing After Damage Caused by Aerosols, UN Says

06.11.2018

sun-sky-clouds-ozone — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The ozone layer is showing signs of continuing recovery from man-made damage and is likely to heal fully by 2060, new evidence shows.

The measures taken to repair the damage will also have an important beneficial effect on climate change, as some of the gases that caused the ozone layer to thin and in places disappear also contribute to warming the atmosphere. Phasing them out could avoid as much as 0.5C (0.9F) of warming this century.

Recovery from the holes and thinning caused by aerosol chemicals has progressed at a rate of about 1% to 3% a decade since 2000, meaning the ozone layer over the northern hemisphere and mid-latitudes should heal completely by the 2030s, if current rates are sustained.

Over the southern hemisphere and in the more problematic polar regions, recovery will take longer, until the middle of this century in the former and about 2060 in the latter case.

The results, presented on Monday in a four-year assessment of the health of the ozone layer, represent a rare instance of global environmental damage being repaired, and a victory for concerted global action by governments. Scientific evidence of the depletion of the ozone layer over the Antarctic was first presented in 1985, and in 1987 the Montreal protocol was signed, binding world governments to reduce and phase out the harmful chemicals identified as causing the problem.

Ozone in the upper layers of the atmosphere protects the earth’s surface from most of the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Without it, skin and eye damage can occur, and evidence suggests a rise in skin cancers associated with the thinning of the ozone layer.

“The Montreal protocol is one of the most successful multilateral agreements in history for a reason,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “The careful mix of authoritative science and collaborative action that has defined the protocol for more than 30 years and was set to heal our ozone layer is precisely why the Kigali amendment holds such promise for climate action in future.”

The Kigali amendment to the Montreal protocol, coming into effect at the start of next year, will help reduce future climate change, by targeting HFC gases, mostly used in refrigeration, which have a warming effect tens of thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.

Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said: “Over the last three decades, the Montreal protocol has fulfilled its original objective to heal the ozone layer. But it didn’t stop there. Because CFCs and related gases are also super climate pollutants, phasing them out has reduced the climate problem by an amount that would have equalled the contribution of carbon dioxide today – more than half of all warming – with the Kigali amendment adding even more climate protection.”

Until recently, most major sources of ozone-harming gases were thought to have been closed down, until studies showed sites in China where gases were still emerging. The Chinese government has pledged to find and close down these sites.

Source: Guardian

The Oceans Absorb Even More Heat Than We’ve Thought and That’s Bad News

05.11.2018

ocean-sunset — Photo-illustration: Unsplash

Two thirds of the planet is covered in water and so no surprisingly oceans have an inordinate effect on the Earth’s climate. They absorb vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and regulate global temperatures.

But here comes bad news, courtesy of scientists in the United States who have just published their findings in the journal Nature. The oceans have been absorbing far more heat than previously thought. And by quite a large margin too: their estimate is that the actual degree is more than 60% than the figure cited in the most recent assessment by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“If we think the ocean is warming more than we thought, it means the Earth is warming more than we thought, and that means the Earth is more sensitive to our emissions,” explains the study’s lead author Laure Resplandy, an assistant professor of geosciences at Princeton University.

According to the scientists, this stronger than expected ocean warming indicates that the planet is even more sensitive to the effects of excessive fossil-fuel emissions than has been assumed. For each of the past 25 years, they explain, the planet’s oceans have absorbed an amount of heat energy that is 150 times the energy produced annually by humans.

“Imagine if the ocean was only 30 feet deep,” Resplandy said. “Our data shows that it would have warmed by 6.5℃ (11.7℉) every decade since 1991. In comparison, the estimate of the last IPCC assessment report would correspond to a warming of only 4℃ (7.2℉) every decade.”

The planet’s oceans has long been known to absorb around 90% of all the excess energy produced as the Earth warms so by knowing the actual amount of energy thus absorbed scientists can calculate the real degree of surface warming. “The result significantly increases the confidence we can place in estimates of ocean warming and therefore helps reduce uncertainty about climate sensitivity,” said the study’s co-author Ralph Keeling, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.

The researchers say their findings suggest that greenhouse gas production through human activities will need to be reduced by another 25% beyond previous estimates. This means that decarbonization efforts will have to be even more drastic and fast-paced in coming years if we are to keep climate change within manageable limits.

Source: Sustainability Times

Glasgow Unveils Plans to Become Scotland’s First Circular City

05.11.2018

Glasgow City Council has announced its ambitious plan become the first circular city in Scotland.

Its Circular Economy Route Map will focus on cutting food waste and engage with universities and colleges to embed circular design principles in textile design courses to reduce and reuse waste.

It has also set an ambitious target for 15% of homes to be powered by renewable energy by 2030 and will develop a community of practice around circular construction techniques in the built environment.

The city hopes to publish a strategy and action plan on addressing plastic waste by next spring while working with partners to reduce, recycle and repurpose plastic waste in the city.

Cllr Susan Aitken said: “The first minister has announced that the opportunity for Scotland in embracing the circular economy runs into the billions of pounds. I want Glasgow to be at the forefront of seizing that opportunity.”

“Our Route Map will point a way to building better homes and communities, reducing food insecurity and playing our part in dealing with the world’s addiction to single use plastic. Increasing the number of homes powered by renewable or circular energy to 15% by 2030 is an ambitious target but we will need to be ambitious in the coming years.”

Source: Energy Live News

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