Finland Set to Become First Country in the World to Ban Coal

28.11.2016

The Finnish government has announced plans to stop using coal, one of the the dirtiest fuels on the planet, by 2030.

“Finland is well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to enact a law to ban coal … This will be my proposal,” Minister of Economic Affairs Olli Rehn told Reuters.

This is all part of Finland’s ambitious target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050.

“Giving up coal is the only way to reach international climate goals,” Rehn added.

According to The Independent, the “Energy and Climate Strategy for 2030 and Beyond” is the country’s plan to phase out coal within 14 years. Finland aims to turn its energy production carbon-neutral by 2050 with plans to switch its traditional energy sources to biofuels and renewable energy.

The strategy will be presented to the Finnish parliament for approval in March.

Currently, Finland gets only 8 percent energy from coal, mostly imported from Russia. Renewable sources and nuclear make up 45 percent and 34 percent respectively.

Finland is not the only country trying to stamp out coal—other European countries as well as Canada have similar plans. The state of Oregon also wants to phase out the carbon-polluting fuel.

However, Finland’s plan appears to be much more strict. According to ZME Science, “In countries such as France or the UK where coal will be phased out, there will still be some leeway that will allow the trading the coal for instance. With a ban in place, not only will be Finnish utilities be barred from producing energy from coal, it will also be illegal to import electricity that is made from it—that’s an entirely radical approach, but one that has a lot of positive environmental implications.”

“Basically, coal would disappear from the Finnish market,” Peter Lund, a researcher at Aalto University, and chair of the energy program at the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council, told New Scientist.

Of course, not everyone in Finland is happy with the plan.

“The discussion about prohibiting the use of coal under law is inexplicable,” Jukka Leskelä, the managing director of Finnish Energy, told the Helsinki Times. “Such an effort would not succeed without offering substantial compensation [to energy producers]. I fail to understand how the central administration can spend so recklessly and be so unappreciative of the situation in the energy markets.”

Transport and Communications Minister Anne Berner also told the Associated Press that the emission targets for the transport sector is “demanding.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Greenpeace calls timeout for fast fashion

25.11.2016

New research on fashion trends and textile waste, released by Greenpeace on the eve of Black Friday, highlights the serious environmental consequences of over consumption. Clothing is among the most sold products on the annual shopping day promoted in many countries, which, critics say, encourages impulsive overspending and unnecessary purchases through ‘bargain’ offers and discount prices.

“It is hard to resist the allure of a good bargain, but fast fashion means we’re consuming and trashing fashion at a higher rate than our planet can handle,” said Kirsten Brodde, head of Greenpeace’s Detox my Fashion campaign.

To counter excessive consumerism, growing numbers of people choose to abstain and observe “Buy Nothing Day” instead. As part of this movement, “trash queens” in dresses upcycled from discarded clothes are visiting shopping centres in three major cities in Asia and Europe to remind customers how many impulse buys of today end up as trash tomorrow.

The research, Timeout for fast fashion, published today by Greenpeace Germany, shows how the fast fashion business is rapidly expanding: Clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, with sales rising from US$ 1 trillion in 2002 to 1.8 trillion by 2015, and a forecast of 2.1 trillion by 2025. The average person buys 60 per cent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, producing immense volumes of textile waste.

Environmental impacts detailed include chemicals from textile factories polluting rivers and oceans, high levels of energy use and pesticides from cotton growing contaminating agricultural land. One of fast fashion’s biggest costs to the planet comes from the rising use of synthetic fibres, says Greenpeace, in particular polyester that emits nearly three times more CO2 in its lifecycle than cotton. Already present in 60 per cent of clothing, polyester can take decades to degrade, as well as polluting marine environments with plastic microfibres.

As of today, recycling is not a solution. Markets are overloaded with unwanted clothes and technological challenges mean full recycling of clothing into new fibres is still far from commercially viable. “Our research indicates that the second hand clothing system is on the brink of collapse. Fashion brands need to urgently re-think the throwaway business model and produce clothing that’s durable, repairable and fit for re-use . As consumers, we also hold the power. Before buying our next bargain item, we can all ask ‘do I really need this?’,” said Brodde.

Since 2011, Greenpeace’s Detox campaign has gathered support from 78 companies including fashion brands, retailers and textiles suppliers to achieve zero discharges of hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing supply chain by 2020 and many are making progress towards this goal. However, if the trend for more and cheaper clothing continues, any gains that are made on eliminating hazardous chemicals will be outstripped by higher rates of production and consumption in the industry as a whole.

Source: greenpeace.org

Mayor of Vienna receives OPEC Secretary General

25.11.2016

HE Michael Häupl, Mayor of the City of Vienna, received OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, on Thursday, 24 November 2016, during a courtesy visit to Vienna City Hall (the Wiener Rathaus).

The Mayor welcomed the Secretary General, congratulating him on his new role, and wished him a good stay in the city during his tenure as head of the 14-member Organization. The Secretary General expressed his deep appreciation to the Mayor for his hospitality, and for the good planning and services provided by the City of Vienna. Mr. Häupl has been Mayor of Vienna since 1994.

Source: opec.org

IEA moves to enhance global gas security

25.11.2016

While the rise of the liquefied natural gas market has accelerated the globalization of natural gas, the energy security implications of this transformation have attracted much less attention. Through an extensive analysis of global gas data, a new report from the International Energy Agency seeks to provide more transparency into the LNG market.

There is no doubt that global gas markets are well supplied today. While this is positive for global gas security, the new analysis from the first Global Gas Security Review, released today in Tokyo, warns that LNG markets are less flexible than is commonly believed.

A growing share of LNG capacity is offline – mostly because of a lack of enough gas to feed into the system but also because of security and technical problems – meaning the market has less extra capacity than assumed. Between 2011 and 2016, the level of unusable export capacity has doubled, disabling about 65 bcm of gas, which is equal to the combined exports of Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s third- and fifth-largest exporters. A period of low oil and gas prices could further worsen the situation.

However, the Global Gas Security Review finds that LNG contract structures are becoming less rigid, increasing market liquidity. In 2015, about 40% of LNG contracts had fixed destination terms, down from 60% for contracts signed up to the year 2014.

While shorter term contracts are gradually becoming more common, buyers are also accepting longer contracts in exchange for increased flexibility in the final destination in order to better respond to market conditions. Flexible contractual structures are important for gas security as they enable to aggregate gas volumes at a lower cost from various regions.

LNG’s share of the global gas market is set to increase in the coming years. In fact, LNG supplies have grown at a faster pace than total gas consumption. Providing a factual picture and analyzing its implications for gas security matches well with the IEA’s core mandate about energy security.

“The growth in the global gas trade, along with the diversification of supply sources, is improving the security of supply,” said Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency. “But there is still a need to be vigilant on gas security as the changing nature of the market means that regional demand and supply shocks may now be felt in more distant places than ever before.”

The report provides detailed case studies on Europe and Japan. For Japan, it show that while gas markets reacted relatively effectively to the loss of nuclear generation in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear accident, the factors that made that possible cannot always be counted on in the future.

The Global Gas Security Review builds on an extensive set of data and other substantial inputs from industry and will be produced on an annual basis. It is accompanied by country specific statistics; data on outages of LNG export capacity by type and region; flexible LNG demand by importers; flexible LNG supply by importers, producers and portfolio players; and flexible gas demand and supply in Europe.

Source: iea.org

Finland Reveals Plans To Wipe Out Coal Use By 2030

25.11.2016

Within the next fifteen years coal will have no place in the Finnish energy system, according to a new climate plan released yesterday by the Finnish government which sets out a roadmap towards the country’s long-term goal of carbon neutrality.

By 2030 the use of coal for energy production will be banned in Finland, while the use of imported oil for domestic needs will be cut in half.

Renewable energy will be called on to pick up the slack, with the Finnish government outlining plans for renewable energy – inlcuding the use of biofuels such as peat – to account for more than 50 per cent of energy use by the end of the 2020s. Meanwhile, the share of renewable transport fuels will rise to 40 per cent by 2030.

Coal use has been in decline in Finland for several years and currently accounts for just eight per cent of total energy consumption in Finland. The pledge to phase it out completely from the energy system echoes similar promises made by a host of countries including the UK, France and, most recently, Canada.

To spur clean energy investment, the Finnish government said it will create new support programmes for renewable energy, based on the principle of technology neutrality and delivered according to “economic priorities”.

The launch of the new strategy comes just a couple of weeks after the country ratified the Paris climate treaty. To date 113 parties have ratified the Paris Agreement, representing 79 per cent of global emissions.

Source: businessgreen.com

Heathrow third runway ‘to breach climate change laws’

25.11.2016

aircraft-1362587_960_720 — Foto: Pixabay

Plans to expand Heathrow Airport are set to breach the government’s climate change laws, advisers have warned. The Committee on Climate Change says the business plan for Heathrow projects a 15% increase in aviation emissions by 2050. If that increase is allowed, members say, ministers will have to squeeze even deeper emissions cuts from other sectors of the economy.

The government said it was determined to keep to its climate change targets. The Committee on Climate Change is a statutory body set up to advise the UK government on emissions targets. It warns that creating the space for aviation emissions to grow will impose unbearable extra emissions reductions on sectors like steel-making, motoring and home heating.

The committee also says that in making the decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow, ministers appear to have jettisoned their policy that aviation emissions in 2050 would be frozen at 2005 levels.

Its chair, Lord Deben, wrote to the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark, saying: “If emissions from aviation are now anticipated to be higher than 2005, then all other sectors would have to prepare for correspondingly higher emissions reductions.

“Aviation emissions at 2005 levels already imply an 85% reduction in other sectors. My committee has limited confidence about the options (for achieving the compensatory cuts needed).”Already since 1990, aviation emissions have doubled while economy-wide emissions have reduced by more than a third. Ministers see aviation as a special case because low-carbon technology for planes is not well advanced.

The committee says the Department for Transport appears to be planning to solve the aviation overshoot by buying permits to pollute from poor countries which have low levels of CO2 emissions.

Source: bbc.com

Solar Goes Big: Launching the California Valley Solar Ranch

24.11.2016

Today marks a major solar milestone for sunny San Luis Obispo County, California, with the start of commercial operation for California Valley Solar Ranch. This facility is one of the world’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants with the ability to shift the position of panels wirelessly to track weather and optimize solar input — ensuring the panels collect as much of the sun’s energy as possible. The 250 megawatt project is led by NRG Energy and SunPower and was made possible by a $1.2 billion loan guarantee from the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office.

California Valley Solar Ranch now produces enough energy to power more than 42,000 homes. According to NRG Energy, the project sponsor, the project also has created hundreds of jobs and put an estimated $315 million into the local economy.

This isn’t just big news for California. It’s part of a broader clean energy transformation that is taking place across the country. Solar energy facilities are now producing electricity at the scale of traditional power plants. These utility-scale projects show that solar power is no longer found just on rooftops.

The Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has played a key role in realizing the promise of utility-scale solar energy. In fact, Energy Department loan guarantees have helped finance the first five utility-scale solar PV facilities in the U.S., leading the way to making utility-scale solar energy a commercial reality in the U.S. Now, similar projects are moving forward with private financing.

Source: energy.gov

China’s Crazy Smog-Sucking Vacuum Tower is Actually Working

24.11.2016

Daan_Roosegaarde — Photo: en.wikipedia.org

Studio Roosegaarde‘s smog-sucking vacuum tower is actually cleaning up the air in China. The Smog Free Tower has been installed in Beijing, a city notorious for its air pollution, and the country’s Ministry of Environmental Protection recently announced the air around the tower is in fact 55 percent cleaner than it was before. According to Studio Roosegaarde, the tower has snatched billions of PM2.5 fine particles out of the polluted air.

Over the last 41 days, the Smog Free Tower has busily scrubbed 30 million m3 of air, according to Studio Roosegaarde. That’s equal to the volume of 10 Beijing National Stadiums. Studio Roosegaarde reports that locals referred to his tower as a “clean air temple,” drawing comparisons to China’s famed pagodas.

What to do with all that pollution captured by the tower? Make jewelry out of it, of course. Smog particles sucked up by the Smog Free Tower during its stint in Beijing will make 300 special Smog Free Rings, similar to the rings Studio Roosegaarde has designed in the past. However, these rings can hold even more smog than the ones made with Rotterdam pollution.

Daan Roosegaarde was especially inspired to tackle air pollution in China after a trip to Beijing around three years ago, when he noticed children had to stay inside because the air qualityoutdoors was so poor. According to Studio Roosegaarde, over 80 percent of people dwelling in urban places are “exposed to air-quality levels that exceed World Health Organization limits.” Roosegaarde’s Smog Free Tower aims to combat the issue by sucking 75 percent of PM10 and PM2.5 particles from the air.

The Smog Free Tower will continue to tour China, and Studio Roosegaarde will announce soon which city the smog-sucking tower will venture to next.

Source: inhabitat.com

Grundfos: to Be the Best with the Best

24.11.2016

Currently in the world, about 13% of primary energy consumption comes from renewable sources although the technological capacities are significantly higher. Contrary to renewable sources are non-renewable energy sources. They could be defined as sources whose reserves are expected to be exhausted for a maximum of a few hundred years, and whose regeneration could last several times longer. According to such trend, we in Grundfos believe that we have an obligation to behave responsibly always – in business and in society. We comply with international and local standards, regulations and legislation wherever we operate.

Furthermore, Grundfos operates in a manner that meets or exceeds compliance with the ethical, legal, and public expectations made by society. We are convinced that as a company, we have a responsibility towards the environment, employees, and local communities, as well as conducting a fair and correct behaviour towards our customers, suppliers and competitors.

In addition to corporate responsibility and compliance, sustainability is a key concept in Grundfos. The overall objective for this generation is to hand over our planet Earth to the next generation as cleaner and more energising place than we inherited. Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in terms of both natural resources and social wellbeing.

In Grundfos, sustainability is first and foremost related to the way we respond to the climate challenges. Grundfos strongly believes in enhancing our sustainability profile by offering cutting-edge green solutions, which will contribute to meeting a number of global challenges in terms of climate change, water constraints and demographic changes, while at the same time we make profitable and sound business in the long run.

As a global leader in pump solutions, we have a unique business opportunity in helping to improve energy efficiency. We believe that our ability to pioneer and deliver superior environmental solutions to solve problems such as water shortage, mismanagement of energy and natural resources, inefficient infrastructure and increasing CO2. It is clear that there will be a growing need for protection against flooding and better systems for transportation, filtration and water treatment. However, we have already launched products that can meet the demands and environmental standards of tomorrow and many of them are based in or originate from Grundfos.

Grundfos – being a part of the challenge – is ready to be a part of the solution. We do this by taking our own medicine and setting the goal never to emit more CO2 than we did in 2008. This is an ambitious and important objective.

It is our ambition to be a frontrunner when it comes to and cost-efficient buildings. We take our own medicine by focusing on sustainability when constructing new buildings and renovating the existing ones.

Grundfos has set targets and defined a building code, which is a classification system showing the sustainability level of our buildings ranging from class 1-3, where class 1 buildings are those with low energy and water consumption or can achieve LEED Gold level awards.

Targets

Define the ‘Building code’ for Grundfos Buildings and set specific improvements target for all Grundfos sites – year 2009.

From 2010 building code class 1 will be considered as the target to strive for when constructing new Grundfos buildings.

Renewable energy supply is chosen where the payback time is less than 5 years.

By year 2015 the consumption of fossil based energy is reduced by 30% in all existing buildings (compared to year 2008). This can be achieved via reduction in energy consumption or via renewable energy supply.

No Domestic Water has been used for irrigation from 2012.

By year 2015 the reuse of grey wastewater and rainwater harvesting accounts for more than 30% of the water consumption in all existing Grundfos buildings (compared to year 2008).

We want Grundfos’ buildings to support our values and brand. At the same time, we hope that they can inspire our customers and employees to sustainable solutions. As a global company, when planning new buildings as well as when renovating of existing constructions, we live up to the requirements in LEED (LEED Green Building Rating system), Gold level or corresponding requirements in accordance with a local standard.

Following these guidelines Grundfos factory in Indjija was built. It is a building with a LEED Gold certification, which is the second highest certificate in civil engineering in the field of environmental protection. The research regarding the installation of panels has been started on a huge deck surface, and there is an ongoing project water purification system that will be operated in the same way.

In order to increase the value we must bring responsibility and sustainability to a higher level, that is create common values. In simple terms, aiming to create value for Grundfos, we have to make value for the people in the countries in which we operate.

Furthermore, we can deal with the solutions related to Grundfos pumps. Pumps currently consume 10% of global electricity. However, most are needlessly inefficient. With Grundfos high efficiency pumps and motor technology we can reduce the average pump’s energy consumption by up to 60%. Our energy-efficient products are especially relevant due to increased legislation such as the EuP Directive. Some of those pumps are: MAGNA3, ALPHA2, ALPHA3 and all pumps with motors which have label Blueflux^®.

The MAGNA3 is a circulator pump based on the tried and tested MAGNA technology and our

industry-leading experience with electronic pumps. The permanent magnet motor, AUTOadapt

function and integrated frequency converter is still a part of the MAGNA package, but to MAGNA3 pumps we have added some additional, ground-breaking new technologies. The result is a cutting-edge piece of intelligent technology that retains the unrivalled Grundfos reliability.

With 40 years of experience with electronically controlled pumps and 1 million test hours for the MAGNA3 in extreme conditions, including alternating pressure tests, high humidity tests as well as high and low temperature tests, we are confident that this pump will serve you day in and day out for many years to come.

MAGNA3 is a truly full-range pump with more than 150 different single and twin circulators in cast iron or stainless steel. We have also increased the maximum twin to 18 m and the flow to 70 m3/h. Get ready to specify a perfectly sized circulator pump for any HVAC application.

MAGNA3 gives you new opportunities with more intelligent control modes, optimized building management communication (BMS) and a built-in heat energy meter.

With an Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) well below the EuP benchmark level MAGNA3 can achieve energy savings of up to 75% compared to a typical installed circulator and thereby a remarkably fast return on investment.

MAGNA3 is the ideal pump for heating and cooling applications, recirculation of hot water as well as the transport of various antifreeze mixtures. It is designed to handle liquids at temperature from -10°C to 110°C, the ambient temperatures from 0°C to +40°C, which makes it suitable for both tough industrial tasks and ground source heat pump systems (GSHP).

Grundfos Blueflux® is Grundfos’ motor & drives technology label. Grundfos Blueflux® technology represents the best from Grundfos within energy efficient motors and variable frequency converters – class IE4 (i.e MG motors, MGE motors and CUE drives). The Grundfos Blueflux® motor technology label ensures that the motor meets or exceeds international legislation regarding motor efficiency.

Every aspect of the technology driving a Grundfos Blueflux® motor has been developed to respond to the real needs of the application or the solution in which the pump system is installed – and always with an emphasis on reliability and efficiency.

A pump system or solution with a Grundfos Blueflux® motor has a considerably higher total efficiency than comparable solutions and reduces lifecycle costs substantially. When motor technology is combined with advanced pump design and the addition of speed control, Grundfos ensures superior system control, reduced day-to-day service costs, and lowered environmental impact.

Grundfos Blueflux® illustrates a range of skills and innovative processes that Grundfos brings to motor technology development. Grundfos was instrumental in the drafting and passing of the EuP Directive, setting the ecodesign requirements for electric motors for the European Union. As a technological leader of high-efficiency motors, Grundfos was invited to help with the technical aspects of the legislation.

Grundfos was able to create political awareness of the huge savings potential of variable speed motors and, at a late stage, to influence the decision makers to include variable frequency drives in the new legislation. As a consequence, Europe’s annual electricity consumption will be reduced by 5% by 2020 – about 10 times more than originally planned before Grundfos intervened.

Our ability to get our knowledge of energy optimisation and of the issues facing customers taken into consideration by researchers, opinion leaders, politicians and partners means we are uniquely placed to offer solutions that keep Life Cycle Costs down, reduce CO2 emissions, and increase the sustainability of the pump system or solution.

The Grundfos Blueflux® label guarantees that the motor technology used is ahead of current market standards, and either meets or exceeds legislative requirements for motor efficiency, where these apply.

We believe that every day holds the possibility of solving the urgent challenges of the world. Every day we choose to take steps to care for our people, our planet and our business. In Grundfos everyone is invited to take part in making the world better. Only through a joint global effort will we be able to keep our core promise: to be responsible, to think ahead and to innovate the future. Step by step, day by day – every day.

99-MW Oliver Wind III Project in North Dakota Due for Operation in December

24.11.2016

Oliver Wind III LLC, in a Nov. 4 filing of its decommissioning plan for the 99.3-MW Oliver Wind III Wind Energy Center in Morton and Oliver counties, North Dakota, told the North Dakota Public Service Commission that the project is due to be operational in December of this year.

The project has been approved already by the commission, with the decomissioning plan filing being a routine part of the commission’s mandates. Oliver Wind III is comprised of 43 General Electric 2.1 MW wind turbine generators and five GE 1.79 MW Xle wind turbine generators. The turbines have an anticipated useful life of at least 35 years. Upgrades based on new technology may allow the wind facility to produce efficiently and successfully well beyond this period of time, the filing noted.

Oliver Wind III LLC is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy, which had more than 45,000 MW of generating capacity as of year-end 2015.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com

UN development chief meets communities grappling with scarce and vulnerable water resources in Burkina Faso

24.11.2016

Wrapping up a three-day visit to the country, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark met today with a rural community in Burkina Faso which is bearing the brunt of the effects of environmental degradation and deforestation in a country where scarce water resources leave the population especially vulnerable to even the smallest fluctuations in rainfall.

Lake Dem, in the country’s Central North region, has lost about 40 per cent of its water. The 51,000 inhabitants of the nearby city of Kaya, and the villages around the lake depend on its health for their water supply.

A UNDP project in partnership with the Government of Burkina Faso and with support from the Government of Austria, works with local communities around Lake Dem to address critical issues threatening the lake – including pollution by fertilizers as well as the build up of sand deposits caused by soil erosion. A lake once replete with fish now has none.

Speaking with project participants, Helen Clark commended the grassroots nature of the initiative – noting that the project had come about because of action at the local community level. “You saw what was happening to the lake, and you decided to act. Without the leadership of the communities, projects like this cannot succeed”, she said.

With an initial investment of US$200,000, the project has run pilot schemes to show how ecosystem-based adaptation initiatives can work in practice. At Lake Dem, the project involved the establishment of a local water committee, the development of a land charter, reforestation of the lake’s borders, and action to reduce the sand deposits which threaten to choke the lake.

The visit to Burkina Faso, Helen Clark’s second as UNDP Administrator, also involved discussions with President HE Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the Prime Minister, Ministers and officials, on the country’s ongoing and future sustainable development. Talks focused particularly on the country’s new national economic and social development plan, ANDES, which was launched in July this year.

“I first came to Burkina Faso six and a half years ago”, Helen Clark told reporters during the visit. “A lot has changed since then. A political transition has occurred, a comprehensive reform programme is underway, and there is a comprehensive national development plan.”

“These major initiatives will be the basis of discussion with development partners at the conference in Paris in early December. UNDP has been closely involved with the preparation of the new national plan and the preparations for the Paris conference”, she said.

Elsewhere during the visit, Helen Clark joined President HE Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and Ministers in Dori in the north of the country at the launch of a new programme – ‘PADEL’ – which seeks to accelerate and transform local development across the country.

Source: undp.org

Patagonia: ‘On Black Friday, We’re Donating 100% of Sales to Grassroots Environmental Organizations’

24.11.2016

We’re just days from Black Friday, one of the biggest consumer shopping days of the year in America. And as people think generously about family and friends, we also want to help our customers show love to the planet, which badly needs a gift or two (and still gets coal every year).

This year Patagonia will donate 100 percent of global Black Friday sales in our stores and on our website to grassroots organizations working in local communities to protect our air, water and soil for future generations. These are small groups, often underfunded and under the radar, who work on the front lines. The support we can give is more important now than ever.

We’ll also provide information in our stores and on our website about how to get in touch with these groups and easily be active in your own communities—on Black Friday and every day.

For decades, Patagonia has demonstrated that caring for our planet is not in conflict with running a successful business. We are always looking for ways to further reduce our manufacturing footprint, including our company’s reliance on fossil fuels. We also fund grassroots environmental organizations by giving away 1 percent of our sales. To date that amount totals $74 million.

But during a difficult and divisive time, we felt it was important to go further and connect more of our customers, who love wild places, with those who are fighting tirelessly to protect them. This we know: If we don’t act boldly, severe changes in climate, water and air pollution, extinction of species, and erosion of topsoil are certain outcomes. The threats facing our planet affect people of every political stripe, of every demographic, in every part of the country. We all stand to benefit from a healthy environment—and our children and grandchildren do, too.

By getting active in communities, we can effect local change to protect the food we and our children eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the treasured places we love the most. And we can impact global priorities, too, by raising our voices to defend policies and regulations that will reduce carbon emissions, build a modern energy economy based on investment in renewables and, most crucially, ensure the U.S. remains fully committed to the vital goals set forth in the Paris climate agreement.

At Patagonia, we will grow and deepen our resolve to protect what we love. We will fight harder and smarter, and use every means at our disposal to prevail for the sake of the country, the planet and the wild places and creatures that need our voice.

Source: ecowatch.com

UK Has Second-Highest Number of Deaths From NO2 Pollution in Europe

23.11.2016

The UK is second only to Italy in Europe for the highest number of annual deaths from a major air pollutant, a report has found just days after a court gave UK ministers a deadline for drawing up a stronger air quality plan.

The European Environment Agency said the UK had 11,940 premature deaths from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 2013. This is down from 14,100 in 2012, but still the second worst in Europe. The toxic gas is mostly caused by diesel vehicles and is linked to lung problems.

The agency also revealed that the UK is home to the worst NO2 hotspot in Europe. Marylebone Road in London recorded the highest annual mean levels of the pollutant, more than double than double the legal EU limit.

Campaigners said the data was a reminder that the UK, which has been in breach of EU limits on NO2 since 2010, needed to take tougher action.

James Thornton, the CEO of law firm ClientEarth, which brought the court case, said: “Today’s EEA report puts the UK in an unwanted position near the top of the table when it comes to premature deaths from exposure to NO2 pollution. The UK government should be ashamed of these figures and must act now to protect the health of people in this country.”

Italy and UK both a similar proportion of diesel cars, but the NO2 problem in Italy is also compounded by industrial sources of the pollutant in urban and suburban areas, experts at the EEA said.

Across Europe, the EEA estimated that 71,000 people died prematurely in 2013 because of NO2 pollution. While the pollutant has been on a downward trend since the turn of the century because of stricter diesel car standards, more than one in 10 monitoring stations in Europe still breach NO2 limits, the agency found.

Hans Bruyninckx, the EEA’s executive director, said: “Emission reductions have led to improvements in air quality in Europe, but not enough to avoid unacceptable damage to human health and the environment.”

The report comes as MEPs in the European parliament on Wednesday arpproved caps for five air pollutants, including NO2, to come into force in 2030. The new national emissions ceilings rules are expected to halve the number of deaths from air pollution.

Catherine Bearder, a Liberal Democrat MEP, said: “If I had become a doctor instead of a politician I would be prescribing a serious health warning to the UK government today. The UK government have approved a third runway at Heathrow airport even though they know that air pollution around the airport is already dangerously above legal levels of nitrogen dioxide.”

Source: theguardian.com

Activism around the World: Highlights from November 2016

23.11.2016

river, nature — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Each year Global Greengrants Fund makes over 700 grants to environmental activists around the world, helping to support grassroots initiatives to protect the planet and the rights of the people who call these natural places home. Here are three exciting projects they’ve supported recently.

Indonesia: Protecting The World’s Most Efficient Carbon Sink

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation, and is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet. The expansion of palm oil plantations in the Jambi province of Indonesia has recently led to extensive deforestation, damage of the peat forests, and loss of local indigenous territory to corporations. Jaringan Masyarakat Gambut Jambi will use $5,000 to mediate social conflicts, document community land claims, and address the destruction of peat forests by oil palm, and pulp and paper corporations.

Togo: Taking on Oil Extraction

In West Africa oil extraction is causing environmental degradation, pollution from gas flaring, and negative impacts on the quality of local food and soil. Oil Watch Africa Network will use $8,000 to educate and organize 2,500 people in eight countries to resist the expansion of exploitative fossil fuel projects and encourage the adoption of alternative energy systems.

Mexico: Crops without Pesticides

In Mexico traditional farming has been replaced by practices that rely on of the use of highly toxic pesticides. Jittoa Bat Nataka-Weria supports projects that preserve the cultivation of traditional medicinal plants and other native species without the use of pesticides. Using $5,000, members of the group will attend the International Indian Treaty Council’s Pacific Taro Food Sovereignty Conference to increase awareness of the devastation caused by toxic pesticides, and to promote the revival of traditional food crops and medicinal plants.

Source: greengrants.org

Alstom and Carbone 4 measured the carbon footprint of the tramway versus Bus Rapid Transit systems

23.11.2016

Alstom and Carbone 4, a leading consulting company specialized in climate-resilient and low-carbon strategy presented recently the results of a study demonstrating that tramways have a smaller footprint than Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems.

With global urban transport emissions expected to double to nearly 1 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year by 2025, favouring transport modes with the lowest carbon footprints is crucial. Rail can be a key contributor in the fight to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reach the target set at COP21 in 2015 to keep global warming below 2°C.

The tram, for example, has been identified as one of the greenest urban transport modes due to its low environmental impact when in operation. The study conducted by Alstom and Carbone 4 compares the carbon footprint of tramways and BRT systems, enabling a better understanding of their comparative performance over the entire lifecycle including construction, operation and maintenance of the two systems. An analysis conducted on a typical 10 km line operated in Belgium demonstrated that for equivalent transport capacity, over a 30-year lifetime, a tramway system emits about half as much CO2 as a BRT system operated with diesel buses, and about 30% less CO2 than a BRT system operated with hybrid buses.

Cécile Texier, Sustainable Development Director at Alstom, said: “At Alstom, we are constantly working to promote sustainable mobility, striving to reduce the operational cost from energy for the benefit of our customers and committed to reducing the carbon footprint of transport. The survey conducted with Carbone 4 illustrates that rail systems have a lower carbon footprint that other motorised modes. It also shows that optimised system like Attractis, an innovative integrated tramway system that is simpler to operate and cost-effective, can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from the construction phase.”

Source: alstom.com

UK’s Largest Community-Owned Rooftop Solar Array Installed at Oxfordshire Aerospace Factory

23.11.2016

Installation of the UK’s largest community-owned rooftop solar array has been completed at UTC Aerospace Systems CTG’s manufacturing site in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The 2,590 panel project installed at the facility generates 593,304 kWh of clean electricity a year, avoiding 5,800 tonnes of CO2 over the 20 year lifetime of the project.

The project is owned and run by Oxford-based social enterprise Low Carbon Hub, which funded the upfront costs through a combination of loans and a community energy share offer.

The arrangement sees Low Carbon Hub both lease the roof space from UTC Aerospace Systems CTG and sell it the clean electricity generated from the panels, with any extra electricity set to be fed into the national grid. Low Carbon Hub will then use all surplus revenues for community benefit.

“What made this project work in the context of massive solar subsidy cuts, was UTC Aerospace Systems CTG’s corporate goals for carbon reductions and their willingness to see the social and environmental value of our community benefit model,” said Tim Crisp, business project manager at Low Carbon Hub in a statement.

Solarcentury provided the installation and design for the project.

UTC Aerospace System, which has 126 manufacturing sites around the world, says its goal is to be the “greenest aerospace company in the world”. The installation at the CTG site follows a similar solar panel installation at the firm’s Singapore facilities in 2015.

John England, site director at UTC Aerospace Systems CTG, said using the firm’s roof space to generate clean energy whilst also helping the local community is a “win-win for us all”.

“Our business is at the forefront of aerospace innovation and technology,” he said in a statement. “We’re working on next generation aircraft that will enable greener flight. What we do inside our factory is reflected in what we do outside.”

Other projects funded by Low Carbon Hub’s 2016 share offer include a 636 kWp solar project with Prodrive, a 440 kWp community-owned hydro project at Sandford on Thames, and 12 solar PV projects on Oxfordshire schools.

Source: businessgreen.com

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