After Landmark UN Declaration, Hope for Cleaner Air

25.08.2022

air-pollution-vazduh-zagađenje — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Maruf_Rahman)

Last month, the United Nations General Assembly passed a historic resolution declaring access to a healthy environment a universal human right.

The resolution has been lauded around the world in recent weeks, raising hopes it will prod governments to tackle a host of long-neglected environmental problems.

At the top of the list for environmental campaigners is air pollution, which is responsible for nearly 10 percent of all global deaths.

“The resolution will empower people to claim their rights to a healthy environment,” said Soo-Young Hwang, a Legal Officer with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “And the right to breathe clean air is an integral component of the right to a healthy environment.”

Hwang made the comments ahead of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, which is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of air pollution.

Precedent-setting

The UN General Assembly resolution, which passed by a 161-0 vote on 28 July, is not legally binding on UN Member States. But its backers say it will have a profound effect on people’s understanding of their rights and encourage states to implement national laws and regional treaties that safeguard the environment.

Air pollution is one of the world’s gravest threats to public health, causing an estimated seven million people to die prematurely every year. While air pollution is a global threat, it is developing countries that suffer the most due to a reliance on wood and other solid fuels, like coal, for cooking and heating. And even within developing countries, the crisis is felt most acutely by low-income and marginalized communities.

Air pollution also takes a heavy economic toll: according to the World Bank, in 2019 alone, it cost the world economy USD8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1 percent of global gross domestic product.

Those who have championed the UN General Assembly resolution say that it will help citizens, especially the poor, demand better air quality from governments and multinational corporations that pollute the environment.

Even before the resolution was passed, citizens, civil society groups and conservationists from Brazil to Indonesia have increasingly been using rights-based litigation to demand environmental justice, including the right to clean air.

In March of this year, the High Court of South Africa recognized the “poor air quality in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Highveld region as a breach of residents’ constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being.”

National impact

Renée Gift, a Legal Officer with UNEP, said the General Assembly resolution could push more states to develop and enforce national outdoor air quality standards, which she called “integral” to ensuring clean air.

According to UNEP’s first global assessment of air pollution legislation in 2021, one-third of the world’s countries have no legally-mandated ambient air quality standards. And in many cases, even when these standards exist, they are not adhered to.

The recognition of the right to clean air at the national level would also create a strong basis for litigation against governments that fail to uphold air quality standards. This is already taking place in many jurisdictions and is likely to increase as a result of the resolution.

There are hopes the General Assembly declaration will have the same impact as a 2010 resolution declaring access to clean water a human right. “What happened with that resolution is that it compelled countries to review their legislation at the national level,” said Hwang.

“What that meant was that water had to be accessible, it had to be affordable, and it had to integrate non-discrimination clauses. This has changed a lot of people’s lives, especially low income people,” she added.

Ultimately, the hope is that the most recent UN General Assembly resolution will not only move the needle on environmental rule of law and the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements on air quality but that it will empower citizens of the world to demand their right to breathe clean air.

As David Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, said, “having a right to a healthy environment changes people’s perspective from begging to demanding governments to act.”

Source: UNEP

Rhino poaching and illegal trade decline but remain critical threats – new report

24.08.2022

Afrika_nosorozi — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Redcharlie)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (David Clode)

Overall rhino poaching rates have declined since 2018, and trade data suggests the lowest annual estimate of rhino horns entering illegal trade markets since 2013, according to a new report by the IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC for the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which will be held in Panama in November this year.

Populations of the Critically Endangered Black rhino across Africa have increased by just over 12 per cent between 2018 and 2021, from 5,495 to 6,195 individuals.

Due to ongoing poaching pressure, Africa’s overall White rhino population has declined by almost 12 per cent, from 18,067 to 15,942 individuals, between 2018 and 2021.

“The overall decline in poaching of rhinos is encouraging, yet this remains an acute threat to the survival of these iconic animals,” said Sam Ferreira, Scientific Officer with the IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group. “To support the growth of rhino numbers, it is essential to continue active population management and anti-poaching activities for all subspecies across different range states.”

The report finds that rhino poaching rates in Africa have continued to decline from a peak of 5.3 per cent of the total population in 2015 to 2.3 per cent in 2021. At least 2,707 rhinos were poached across Africa between 2018 and 2021, accounting for both the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum), which is Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and the rarer Critically Endangered black rhino (Diceros bicornis).

South Africa accounted for 90 per cent of all reported cases, predominantly affecting white rhinos in Kruger National Park, home to the world’s largest white rhino population. As a result, overall white rhino numbers on the continent have declined by almost 12 per cent during this period, while populations of black rhino increased by just over 12 per cent.

Overall, Africa’s rhino population declined around 1.6 per cent per year, from an estimated 23,562 individuals in 2018 to 22,137 at the end of 2021.

According to the report, global lockdowns and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw several African countries experience dramatically reduced poaching rates in 2020 compared to previous years. South Africa lost 394 rhinos to poaching in 2020, while Kenya recorded no rhino poaching that year. However, as COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted, some range states reported new increases in poaching activities – for example, South Africa reported 451 and Kenya six poached rhinos in 2021. However, these numbers are still significantly lower than during the peak in 2015, when South Africa alone lost 1,175 rhinos to poaching.

Source: IUCN

Serbia Helps Bulgaria Ensure Navigability of Danube

22.08.2022

Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirovic said in Sofia that the government of Bulgaria accepted the help offered by Serbia in the form of machines, which will carry out the intervention dredging works on the Danube as early as next week.

After a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications of Bulgaria Hristo Aleksiev, Momirovic stated that an agreement has been reached on the formation of a working group that will respond to all the challenges of a strategic nature that are ahead of us, due to the wartime circumstances in which Europe found itself, but also the energy crisis.

The Danube is our common highway and is of strategic importance for both countries, Momirovic pointed out, expressing his gratitude to Aleksiev for showing his willingness to give priority to our cargo traffic on their railway transport network, which will supply Serbia with coal.

He pointed out that we manage to ensure the security of coal supply from the rivers for our electricity industry, and he expressed the expectation that in this sense the problem on the Danube in Bulgaria will soon be regulated.

The two officials also discussed the future cooperation between Serbia and Bulgaria in the field of transport, as well as the current activities and plans for the improvement of infrastructure on the railway Corridor 10 and the waterway between the two countries.

Aleksiev said that the started projects will be successfully implemented and that the two sides will work together on future cooperation in the field of river and railway transport.

Source: The Government of the Republic of Serbia

Businesses Have a Role to Play in Achieving Global Food Security. This is What They Can Do

21.08.2022

voće_povrće — Foto-ilusracija: Unsplash (Iñigo De la Maza)

Ores mined in war zones have long been subject to heightened attention when it comes to sustainability and reputational risks. Yet in 2022, it is the production and sourcing of ‘soft’ commodities, such as wheat, that are increasingly under scrutiny.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, the impacts on sustainable development become more pronounced and the vulnerabilities in global food supply chains increase. Almost half of the world’s calorie intake is derived from essential crops, such as maize, rice, and wheat and, according to World Bank analysis, Ukraine and Russia account for 29 per cent of global wheat exports and 17.4 per cent of the world trade in maize. The supply of crucial cooking oils and fertilisers has also been affected.

Many companies have suspended trade and operations in Russia due to sanctions and stakeholder pressure. While the diplomatic agreement reached to unblock Black Sea trade routes from Ukrainian ports offers some encouragement, uncertainties remain. In addition, concerns over products being obtained under extortion add to the challenges for companies involved in commodity trade throughout the region.

Global baseline for transparency

Most food is produced, processed, traded and distributed by private businesses. At the same time, when an individual company looks at its impacts on global food security in isolation, it often struggles to determine them. Multinational companies may also focus on developed markets, where food security is not a significant concern. The risk is that food security is perceived as a macro ‘development’ issue, which is why expectations for transparency on food security is relatively new for many companies.

The GRI Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing Standard (GRI 13), launched in June, helps organizations communicate and disclose their sustainability impacts in a comprehensive and comparable way. This new reporting standard singles out food security as one of the significant issues that companies need to consider, providing a new global baseline for transparency on the topic.

As GRI 13 recognises, there is no silver bullet solution to global food security. A myriad of approaches and actions are needed, including:

Strengthening capacity so farmers can increase production and supply

This includes a newly launched 1.5 billion dollars African Emergency Food Production Facility that is delivering urgently needed seeds and fertilizers and helps producers to cover food shortages in the region. Rising fuel and transportation costs are another pressure on farmers’ incomes, further increasing the vulnerability of small producers. By reporting their contribution to the economic inclusion of farmers, companies can demonstrate the role they are playing and where more action is needed.

Partnerships and collaboration to alleviate global food security concerns

This advocates some companies working with governments and international development institutions. For example, a link-up between the International Finance Corporation and Olam Agri will boost exports of wheat, maize and soy to developing countries. The existing distribution channels of companies can be leveraged in cases of a crisis for a prompt response. This is why GRI 13 recognises partnerships on global food security as key information to report.

Greater action on food loss to ensure more food is preserved for human consumption

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, globally 13.8 per cent of food is lost from harvest to retail. And, of course, mitigating food loss also brings cost savings and economic benefits, while reporting can help assess the efforts to minimise food loss.

Food sovereignty policies that emphasise local resilience

This will help countries that are largely dependent on food imports to redress the balance and reduce vulnerability to crises in other regions. Localised food production also reduces the distance between producers and consumers. By reporting actions to strengthen food security at the local and regional level, companies can highlight how they address food security locally or regionally.

Trade-offs and compromises

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Chantal Garnier)

This covers issues related to land use for products or changes to align dietary choices with sustainably produced food. As the EAT-Lancet Commission report outlines, food production needs to shift to be beneficial for human health and the environment. This means businesses must make active decisions about how they are using land and natural resources.

A persistent and pressing challenge

The actions of the companies producing the essential food and materials on which humanity’s survival depends can be a multiplying factor when it comes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Given that we are on a trajectory to fail to reach SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), with 800 million people going hungry every day (according to a UN Food & Agriculture Organization report), it’s clear that we need private companies to take greater accountability for their food security related impacts.

Source: World Economic Forum

How Digital Technology and Innovation Can Help Protect the Planet

20.08.2022

aerozagađenje-air pollution - zagađenje vazduha — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Yaroslav Boshnakov)

For many countries around the world, from the US and the UK to China and Japan, July was one of the hottest months since global record-keeping began in the 1800s. The global heatwaves sparked deadly wildfires and displaced thousands of residents from their homes.

But as wildfires subside, many countries, especially in Europe, are grappling with air pollution caused by extreme temperatures.

The harmful wedding of charred habitats and lingering smoke poses a significant danger to human and environmental health. Research suggests that wildfire smoke and related air pollution causes over an estimated 33.000 deaths annually and impact the health of hundreds of thousands of people.

To help tackle air pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is working with partners to find technology and innovation solutions to promote major structural transformations that will enhance environmental sustainability, climate action and pollution prevention.

Experts say, in the years to come, a digital ecosystem of data platforms will be crucial to helping the world understand and combat a host of environmental hazards, from air pollution to methane emissions.

“Various private and public sector actors are harnessing data and digital technologies to accelerate global environmental action and fundamentally disrupt business as usual,” said David Jensen, coordinator of UNEP’s digital transformation task force. “These partnerships warrant the attention of the international community as they can contribute to systemic change at an unprecedented speed and scale,” he added.

A new age

UNEP is contributing to that charge through its Digital Transformation programme and by co-championing the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability as part of the Secretary-General’s Digital Cooperation Roadmap.

UNEP studies show that for 68 percent of the environment-related Sustainable Development Goal indicators, there is not enough data to assess progress. The digital initiatives leverage technology to halt the decline of the planet and accelerate sustainable finance, products, services, and lifestyles.

The Global Environment Monitoring System for Air (GEMS Air) is one of the first digital tools used by UNEP to track the state of the environment in real time at the global, national and local levels.

Run by UNEP and Swiss technology company IQAir, GEMS Air is the largest air pollution network in the world, covering some 5.000 cities. In 2020, over 50 million users accessed the platform and its data is being streamed into digital billboards to alert people about air quality risks in real time. In the future, the program aims to extend this capability directly into mobile phone health applications.

Building on lessons learned from GEMS Air, UNEP has developed three other lighthouse digital platforms to showcase the power of data and digital technologies, including cloud computing, earth observation and artificial intelligence.

Managing freshwater

One is the Freshwater Ecosystem Explorer which provides a detailed look at the state of lakes and rivers in every country on Earth.

The fruit of a partnership between UNEP, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Google Earth Engine, it provides free and open data on permanent and seasonal surface waters, reservoirs, wetlands and mangroves.

“It is presented in a policy-friendly way so that citizens and governments can easily assess what is actually happening to the world’s freshwater resources,” said Stuart Crane, a UNEP freshwater expert. “That helps countries track their progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.6.”

Data can be visualized using geospatial maps with accompanying informational graphics and downloaded at national, sub-national and river basin scales. Data are updated annually and depict long-term trends as well as annual and monthly records on freshwater coverage.

Combating climate change

UNEP is also using data-driven decision making to drive deep reductions in methane emissions through the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for at least a quarter of today’s global warming.

The observatory is designed to shine a light on the origins of methane emissions by collecting data from various sources, including satellites, ground-based sensors, corporate reporting and scientific studies.

The Global Methane Assessment published by UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) found that cutting human-caused methane by 45 percent this decade would avoid nearly 0.3°C of global warming by the 2040s, and help prevent 255.000 premature deaths, 775.000 asthma-related hospital visits, and 26 million tonnes of crop losses globally.

“The IMEO supports partners and institutions working on methane emissions reduction to scale-up action to the levels needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” said Manfredi Caltagirone, a UNEP methane emissions expert.

Through the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, the methane observatory works with petroleum companies to improve the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting. Current member companies report assets covering over 30 percent of oil and gas production globally. It also works with the scientific community to fund studies that provide robust, publicly available data

Preserving nature

UNEP is also backing the United Nations Biodiversity Lab 2.0, a free, open-source platform that features data and more than 400 maps highlighting the extent of nature, the effects of climate change, and the scale of human development. Such spatial data help decision-makers put nature at the heart of sustainable development by allowing them to visualize the natural systems that hold back natural disasters, store planet-warming gasses, like carbon dioxide, and provide food and water to billions.

More than 61 countries have accessed data on the UN Biodiversity Lab as part of their national reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international accord designed to safeguard wildlife and nature. Version 2.0 of the lab was launched in October 2021 as a partnership between UNDP, UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Convention on Biodiversity Secretariat and Impact Observatory.

All of UNEP’s digital platforms are being federated into UNEP’s World Environment Situation Room, a digital ecosystem of data and analytics allowing users to monitor progress against key environmental Sustainable Development Goals and multi-lateral agreements at the global, regional and national levels.

“The technical ability to measure global environmental change—almost in real time—is essential for effective decision making,” said Jensen. “It will have game-changing implications if this data can be streamed into the algorithms and platforms of the digital economy, where it can prompt users to make the personal changes so necessary to preserving the natural world and achieving net zero.”

Source: UNEP

Climate Change Driving Unprecedented Forest Fire Loss

19.08.2022

požar_paljenje — Foto-iliustracija: Unsplash (Samuel Jeronimo)

Forest fires supercharged by climate change are burning twice as much global tree cover as 20 years ago, according to data published on Wednesday (17 August) showing the equivalent of 16 football pitches are now lost every minute.

The research showed in unprecedented detail how wildfires have progressed over the past two decades, with the blazes claiming an estimated three more million hectares each year – an area the size of Belgium – compared with 2001.

The study showed that the majority of tree cover loss is occurring in the boreal forests that blanket much of Russia, Canada and Alaska, which are among the largest storers of carbon on Earth.

Researchers from the University of Maryland used satellite imagery to map areas of tree cover lost, including that burned by what are known as stand-replacing forest fires.

These are fires that kill all or most of the forest’s canopy and which cause long-term changes to forest structure and soil chemistry.

The data showed 2021 to be one of the worst years for forest fires since the turn of the century, causing 9,3 million hectares of tree cover loss globally.

That was more than a third of all the forests lost last year, according to the data, compiled by Global Forest Watch and the World Resources Institute research group.

“Forest fires are getting worse worldwide,” James McCarthy, research analyst at Global Forest Watch, told AFP.

The European Union’s satellite monitoring service said last week that Western Europe had experienced record fire activity so far in 2022, with tens of thousands of hectares of forest lost in France, Spain and Portugal.

The researchers said that climate change was likely a “major driver” in increased fire activity, with extreme heat waves that render forests tinder dry already five times more likely today than a century and a half ago.

These drier conditions lead to higher emissions from fires, further exacerbating climate change as part of a “fire-climate feedback loop”, they said.

‘Best defence’

The vast majority, some 70 per cent, of fire-related tree cover loss over the last two decades occurred in boreal regions, likely because high-latitude regions are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the planet.

Last year, Russia lost 5.4 million hectares of tree cover due to fires, the highest on record at an increase of 31 per cent over 2020.

“This record-breaking loss was due in part to prolonged heatwaves that would have been practically impossible without human-induced climate change,” said the study.

The team warned that increased changes to climate and fire activity could eventually turn boreal forests from a carbon sink into a source for carbon emissions.

“In these boreal regions carbon has accumulated in the soil over hundreds of years and has been protected by a moist layer on top,” said McCarthy.

“These more frequent and serious fires are burning off this top layer, and it’s exposing that carbon in the soil.”

This century, fire-related tree cover loss in the tropics has increased around five percent — some 36,000 hectares – a year, the study showed.

Fire is not the principal cause of forest loss in these regions, with deforestation and forest degradation the main drivers.

But the researchers said that forest loss from deforestation was making it more likely that forests would be lost to fire, as the practice leads to higher regional temperatures and drier vegetation.

They called on governments to improve forest resilience by ending deforestation and limiting local forest management practices that include controlled burning, which can easily burn out of control, particularly during dry spells.

Source: EURACTIV.com

EBRD Lends EUR 43 Million to Taaleri-ENCRO JV for Two Wind Farms in Croatia

19.08.2022

windmill-vetar-vetroturbina — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Karsten Würth)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is helping to speed up Croatia’s transition to clean energy by helping to finance the construction of two new wind farms.

The bank is extending a EUR 43 million loan to Kunovac d.o.o., a limited liability company jointly owned by Taaleri Energia’s SolarWind II Funds and ENCRO Kunovac d.o.o., for the first utility-scale renewable project in Croatia developed outside of a renewables subsidy scheme.

The EBRD proceeds will finance the construction and operation of two onshore wind farms in the Zadar region, with a joint total grid capacity of 111MW, enough to power 85,000 households. They will also help to avoid more than 78,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and are expected to increase the country’s current electricity generation from renewable sources (excluding large hydro) by around 10 percent. The EBRD financing will be complemented by parallel loans from Zagrebacka Banka d,d. and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a total debt financing package of EUR 126 million.

This is the EBRD’s first wind-farm investment in Croatia. Moreover, it showcases a novel financing structure in the country, combining a corporate power purchase agreement and merchant-based financing structure.

The investment will allow Croatia to make progress towards its 2030 environmental targets and COP26 commitments, which envisage an increase in the share of electricity generation from wind and solar from 14 percent in 2020 to 27 percent in 2030 and 45 percent by 2050.

EBRD Director, Head of Energy for Europe Grzegorz Zielinski said: “We are delighted at the opportunity to support this investment, which will secure more clean energy for the citizens of Croatia. The EBRD has always been at the forefront of supporting innovative and bold investments and we are pleased to support this project, which is among the first outside a subsidy scheme and is introducing new ways of structuring and financing renewable projects, not only in Croatia but also in other countries where the Bank operates.”

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Priscilla Du Preez)

Kai Rintala, Managing Director of Taaleri Energia, said: “Taaleri Energia is pleased to be making a contribution to the further growth of renewable energy generation capacity in Croatia. This investment is being realised thanks to the close collaboration and efforts of a number of our key partners, including the EBRD. We look forward to building upon this first investment in Croatia in the coming months and years.”

Iljko Ćurić, CEO and owner of ENCRO, said: “With this latest project, ENCRO is continuing to unlock Croatia’s renewable energy potential. This project contributes to Croatian and EU energy transition targets and strengthens economic growth, security and climate action, and will help Croatia fulfil the requirements of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (connection to the grid of 1.5 GW of renewable energy sources by 2025). This project is being realised during an unprecedented European energy crisis and it will reduce Europe and Croatia’s dependency on energy imports.”

The EBRD has already supported two Taaleri Energia fund investments in wind farms in Poland and Serbia.

Taaleri Energia, part of Helsinki-listed Taaleri Group, is a renewable energy developer and fund manager. The company has one of the largest dedicated wind and solar investment teams in Europe and a 2.8 GW wind and solar portfolio in Europe, the US and the Middle East. Taaleri SolarWind II fund is its fifth and most recent private equity fund focusing on renewables.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Croatia. The Bank has invested more than EUR 4 billion in the country to date. Its focus there is on supporting private-sector competitiveness, developing capital markets and promoting the commercialisation of public companies. Its investments are combined with support for policies that promote a more enabling business environment.

Source: EBRD

Navigability of Sava, Danube Important for Supply With Energy Commodities

18.08.2022

МГСИ 5_4 — Foto: Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture

Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirovic visited the intervention dredging works on the section near Baric on the Sava river, which are carried out in order to ensure the prescribed depth of the waterways in a period of extremely low water level.

Momirovic explained that the Ministry is performing the intervention dredging works in order to provide the navigability of rivers to the main users of river traffic, which are the largest industries – construction, chemical and oil industries and to agriculture.

According to him, activities are being undertaken on the Sava and Danube, our main water corridors, in order to further increase efficiency and speed up navigation, but also to ensure a stable supply of the market with coal, oil and petroleum products.

We want to see the approach we are taking in Serbia in other Danube countries too, because the results of our efforts and works will have a significantly limited effect if other countries do not show the same level of proactivity, said Momirovic.

In this sense, he announced that he will have a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, to whom he will propose to consider absolutely all options that will make the Danube navigable, because this is of great importance for Serbia.

In addition to the Baric sector, the Ministry is performing the intervention dredging works at two more sections on the Danube, near Cortanovci and Futog.

Source: The Government of the Republic of Serbia

Schneider Electric is a Leader in Digitalization of Electric Energy

17.08.2022

The need for decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gas emission has reached its peak and the important part of the entire process lies in electromobility and efforts to reduce pollution produced by the means of transportation to a minimum. Serbia joins this trend and the slogan of this year’s Belgrade Car Show “Natural RPM” is the very reflection of that. Vehicles with environmentally advanced power solutions, electric cars and hybrids are ever more in the spotlight so we discussed trends and future of the electric mobility with Darko Zeljković, Offer Manager in Schneider Electric.

EP: Schneider Electric is a leading company in energy management and automation sector and one of the most influential companies when it comes to sustainability. In addition to industrial software, you’re also focused also on software which contribute to electric mobility, as well as chargers for electric vehicles. What does Schneider offer in our market?

Darko Zeljković: In the field of eMobility, in the Serbia and Montenegro markets, Schneider Electric, with its network of specialized partners, offers products and solutions under a single commercial name EcoStruxure™ for eMobility. In addition to several models of EVlink AC chargers with up to 22W of total power, and DC chargers with up to 24kW of total power, we also develop and offer software solutions in order to provide smart and efficient charging of electric vehicles. In the first place, I would like to single out our EcoStruxure™ EV Charging Expert. Adding infrastructure for charging of electric vehicles increases electricity consumption in a facility. In order to avoid overload and possible “outages” of electric power systems in facilities, Schneider Electric has developed this solution to manage burdened infrastructure for charging of electric vehicles, access management and monitoring of chargers. With this solution you can control functioning of up to 1,000 charging stations in a multizone regime and at the same time provide adequate prioritization for users of chargers.

In focus:

EP: The company also participated at this year’s Car Show. Can you tell us more about your impressions, and do you believe that now there are more car industry lovers who believe that there is a need to transfer to electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles?

Darko Zeljković: Yes. This is the first time that our company participated at the Car Show in Serbia. Having in mind that this year’s Car Show was an eco show and that leading manufacturers in the car industry presented their models of Plug-In hybrid and electric vehicles, our decision to be present there was a logical one. And I don’t refer only to the chargers, but protective equipment used upon the installation of the chargers and distribution systems for safe distribution of electric energy to supply the chargers. I’m personally very pleased with the number of people who showed interest in products we presented, which is certainly one of the indicators that there is an increasing number of drivers ready to use electric vehicles and installation of chargers in their yards and garages. I’m also especially glad that there is also an increasing number of investors building residential and business facilities, we had an opportunity to talk to at the fair, who are ready to provide parking spots with electric vehicles chargers to their clients. I also believe that car exhibitors who took part at the fair are satisfied with their participation.

EP: Schneider has already installed a certain number of chargers for electric vehicles across Serbia and the region. What chargers we are talking about and are the market requirements for electric chargers satisfied?

Darko Zeljković: With its products and solutions, Schneider Electric has been present in the market of electric vehicle chargers since 2011, and almost 160,000 AC and DC charging points have been installed across the globe so far. In Serbia and Montenegro, this market embarked on an active development 4 to 5 years ago, and we now have almost 320 installed chargers with one or two connectors. They are mainly smart AC chargers with 7.4kW, 11kW and 22 kW of total power. Considering the current number of electric cars in Serbia and Montenegro, maybe it is safe to say that the need for electric chargers has been satisfied. But, if we take into account trends in the car industry and in the field of eMobility in the world which would most certainly spill over Serbia and Montenegro in the future, the current number of installed chargers, especially those publicly available, certainly is not enough to encourage owners of electric vehicles to come and visit us in their favourite vehicles, or stop on their way to a different destination.

EP: Can you tell us more about global trends when it comes to eMobility and what is awaiting us in the near future?

Darko Zeljković: One of the global trends with a major impact on the direction of development and electrification of traffic is most certainly Urbanisation. According to experts, we can expect 2.5 bn people more to relocate to cities until 2050. One of the ways to protect the environment and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to a minimum is an increasing number of electric vehicles. We expect the running cost of EVs per km to be much lower than costs of cars with an internal combustion engine very soon. Some conservative forecasts say that until the end of the next decade, one in three vehicles sold in the world will be an electric vehicle whereas more optimistic predictions announce even higher percentage. Therefore, further development of the network of electric chargers is a very important step, and estimations confirm that up to 500 million of charging points for electric vehicles will be installed until 2040.

EP: Having all this in mind, what will Schneider Electric focus on in the upcoming period?

Darko Zeljković: The majority of existing policies focuses on the installation of public infrastructure for charging today. It is very important to develop a network of publicly available chargers along highways, in the vicinity of key traffic road links and public transport stations. However, cca 90 per cent of chargers installed until 2040 will be private settings, mainly in our residential, commercials and industrial buildings. The expected exponential growth of EV chargers in this market segment will have an increased electricity consumption as a consequence. That is why Schneider Electric continues to develop different series of AC and DC chargers, as well as software solutions, in order to provide “smart charging” and top-level user experience. In addition, during the traffic electrification process with an aim to produce “green electric energy”, the maximum use of renewable energy sources (solar electric power plants, wind parks etc) is imposed as an imperative, together with energy storage systems whereas individual producers/consumers, the so-called prosumers, will account for an important segment of an active and decentralized electric energy system with their own capacities. Schneider Electric has already imposed itself as a leader in digitalization of electric energy and decentralization of electric energy systems with its solutions, something that will pose one of the core preconditions for proper functioning of all systems in the future, including the network of EV chargers.

Interviewed by: Milica Marković

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

Nature-based Solutions Scoping Studies for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are Ready for Reading

17.08.2022

nature-priroda-Moldavija — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Within the ADAPT initiative, this summer two new knowledge products on Nature-based Solutions were produced. Two national scoping studies on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are available at the IUCN Library portal.

The publications were prepared by our NbS Field Experts, Tanja Popovicki for Serbia and Marijana Kapović Solomun for Bosnia and Herzegovina:

The scoping studies map the main climate risks and hazards and their causes, provide a stakeholder analysis of relevant existing projects using Nature-based Solutions, and set out recommendations for deploying those solutions at the national level. Both studies present an overview of ecosystem services and relevant experiences in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Based on information from relevant global databases and consultation with key national stakeholders, the scoping studies succeeded in identifying priority sites for implementation of NbS, and they will be used for a further selection of pilot sites in Serbia and NbS feasibility study in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Selected pilot site in Serbia are Gledic mountains and is expected to be implemented later this year.

Enhancing Nature-Based Solutions in B&H – https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/49897;

Enhancing Nature-Based Solutions in Serbia – https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/49896

Scoping studies for other Western Balkans economies that ADAPT operates in are in their final stage of preparation, which includes final commenting by national stakeholders.

Source: IUCN

France Plans Fashion Revolution With Climate-Impact Labels

16.08.2022

odeća-ormar-garderoba-prodavnica — Foto: Unsplash (Becca McHaffie)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Charles Deluvio)

Is it better for the environment if you buy a brand-new cotton T-shirt or a recycled one?

Well, it depends.

Recycling has apparent benefits, but the process shortens cotton fibres and so usually has to be mixed with some oil-based material to keep it from falling apart.

Such trade-offs make it tricky to figure out the real sustainability rating of clothes — but brands in Europe will soon have no choice.

Next year, France will pass a decree that will require every item of clothing sold in the country to carry a label detailing its precise climate impact.

An exact timetable has yet to be finalised, but the labels are expected to quickly become mandatory, and the European Union is mulling a similar rule for the entire bloc.

For clothing firms, that means juggling many different and conflicting data points: Where and how were its raw materials grown? What was used to colour it? How far did it travel? Was the factory powered with solar energy or coal?

The French Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe) is currently testing 11 proposals for how to collect and compare data — and what the resulting label might look like to consumers — using 500 real-life clothing items.

“The message of the law is clear — it will become obligatory, so brands need to prepare, to make their products traceable, to organise the automatic collection of data,” Erwan Autret, one of the coordinators at Ademe, told AFP.

“Some say the models are too simple, some say they’re too complicated, but it’s a sign of the maturity of the debate that no one questions the need for these calculations anymore.

‘Transparent and informed’

The need for change in fashion is urgent.

Statistics are notoriously hard to verify, but the UN says the industry is responsible for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions, as well as a significant portion of water consumption and waste.

Labels can be a key part of the solution, say campaigners.

“It will force brands to be more transparent and informed… to collect data and create long-term relationships with their suppliers — all things they’re not used to doing,” said Victoire Satto, of The Good Goods, a media agency focused on sustainable fashion.

“Right now it seems infinitely complex,” she added. “But we’ve seen it applied in other industries such as medical supplies.”

Seeing how the winds are blowing, the textile industry has been racing to come up with technical solutions.

A recent presentation by Premiere Vision, a Paris-based textiles conference, highlighted many new processes including non-toxic leather tanning, dyes drawn from fruits and waste — and even biodegradable underwear that can be thrown on the compost.

But the key to sustainability is using the right fabric for the right garment, said Ariane Bigot, Premiere Vision’s deputy head of fashion.

That means synthetic and oil-based fabrics will still have a place, she said: “A strong synthetic with a very long lifespan might be right for some uses, such as an over-garment that needs little washing.”

Capturing all these trade-offs in one simple label on an item of clothing is therefore tricky.

“It’s very complicated,” said Bigot. “But we need to get the machine started.”

Sustainable options

The French agency is due to collate the results of its testing phase by next spring before handing the results to lawmakers.

While many welcome the labels, activists say this should only be part of a wider crackdown on the fashion industry.

“It’s really good to put an emphasis on life-cycle analysis but we need to do something about it beyond just labels,” said Valeria Botta, of the Environmental Coalition on Standards.

“The focus should be on setting clear rules on product design to ban the worst products from the market, ban the destruction of returned and unsold goods, and set production limits,” she told AFP.

“Consumers should not have to fight to find a sustainable option — that should be the default.”

Source: EURACTIV.com

Droughts are Getting Worse Around the World, Here’s Why and What Needs to be Done

15.08.2022

sunce-klimatske-promene — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The Po, Italy’s longest river, has been a vital transport hub throughout history helping the north of the country develop into an industrial powerhouse. But “the king of rivers” is now drying up because of periods of severe drought. Experts say it is almost three metres below the zero gauge height, significantly below the seasonal average.

The Italian government declared a state of emergency in five regions in early July because of a drought – described as the worst in 70 years. Around a third of Italy’s population (17 million people), live around the Po as well as more than half of the nation’s pigs and cattle.

The drought has threatened supplies of olive oil and risotto rice which could raise prices by as much as 50 percent, reports The Guardian. “There are two categories of causes for this water crisis: One is the rainfall deficit of the last three years. The general rise in temperatures is also contributing; there is no doubt that climate change is having an effect,” Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in a statement.

Drought threatens several European countries

Neighbouring France is experiencing its worst drought since records began in 1958, according to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Water restrictions are in place across much of the country, and the corn harvest is expected to be almost 20 percent lower than in 2021 the Agriculture Ministry has said.

Portugal recorded its hottest July since records began and 99 percent of the country is in severe or extreme drought. Average temperatures were just over 40°C, according to the IPMA weather service, almost three degrees higher than the typical July average.

Around 75 percent of Romania is affected by drought. The country’s cereal crop is predicted to drop by 30 million tonnes.

Even further North, drought has been declared in parts of England, which is expected to result in restrictions on water usage. The National Drought Group says by 2050 some rivers could have up to 80 percent less water during summer and temperatures could be up to 7 degrees hotter as a result of climate change. July saw temperatures in parts of the UK break the 40°C barrier for the first time ever. The BBC reported that the first six months of the year were the driest in England since 1976.

Drought is affecting other continents around the world

The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in more than 40 years with more than 18 million people facing severe hunger in Ethiopia, Somalia and parts of Kenya, the FAO has warned.

The United Nations (UN) says drought affects Africa more than any other continent, accounting for 44 percent of the global total in its recent report Drowning by Numbers.

These countries have experienced lower than average rainfall for four consecutive years, which has had a devastating effect on farming and food production. The FAO has launched an emergency relief and mitigation plan and the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR is appealing for USD 42.6 million to deliver life-saving assistance to people affected by drought in the region.

More than 43 percent of the US was in drought at the end of July, the government’s National Integrated Drought Information System revealed. It says over 130 million people (at the time of posting) are currently affected by drought, as well as 229 million acres of crops. The US economy has lost an estimated GBP 249 million due to drought and related crop failures according to the UN.

Drought frequency and duration has increased by nearly a third globally since 2000, the UN says. The climate crisis is fuelling this according to Drought in Numbers, 2022. It says more than 2.3 billion people around the world are currently facing water stress. Although droughts only represent 15 percent of natural disasters, they killed 650,000 people between 1970 and 2019. More than 10 million have died due to major drought events over the past 100 years.

The report goes on to say that by 2050, drought could affect more than 75 percent of the world’s population. As many as 5.7 billion people could live in areas with water shortages for at least one month a year, and more than 215 million people could be displaced from their homes due to drought and other climate change-related factors.

Changing our relationship with land and food

“We are at a crossroads,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification says in the foreword to the report. “We need to steer toward the solutions rather than continuing with destructive actions, believing that marginal change can heal systemic failure.” He also said in a tweet that land restoration is one solution to the problem that needs urgent investment.

However, the report also points to several success stories. Farmers in Niger have substantially reduced drought risks by creating new agroforestry systems on five million hectares of land. Average costs have been below USD 20 per hectare. Vegetation cover has increased over seven million hectares of land in the Sahel over the past 25 years due to interventions such as changes in tree management and tenure.

And the adoption of drip irrigation has provided significant benefits in drought-prone provinces of Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Vegetable farmers there were able to increase water use efficiency by up to 43 percent and yield by 8 percent-15 percent.

The Drought in Numbers 2022 report concludes: “Sustainable and efficient agricultural management techniques are needed to grow more food on less land and with less water, and humans must change their relationships with food, fodder and fibre – moving toward plant-based diets and stemming the consumption of animals.” The report authors say concerted policy, partnerships and funding at all levels is urgently needed going forward to provide integrated drought action plans.

Source: World Economic Forum

New Report Shows the Importance of Discouraging Wildlife Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

14.08.2022

lynx-ris-mačka-animal — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jeremy Cai)

Crimes against nature and the environment are the fourth most lucrative activity of organized crime in the world, after human, drugs and weapon trafficking.

The cost of crimes against nature and the environment sum up to 258 billion dollars a year, cause incalculable damage to our planet, significantly reduce biodiversity and can lead to the complete extinction of some plant and animal species.

Even though environmental crimes were the third most frequently reported criminal offense during the period of 2011–2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the awareness about their seriousness is weak and sentences for committing such crimes are mild or non-existing.

WWF launched a national report which provides insights into the most common wildlife crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the animal species that are most affected and recommendations for reducing and discouraging such crimes in order to raise public awareness and reduce the number of wildlife crimes through effective and successful prosecution.

“The main issue in reducing wildlife crimes in BiH is scarcity of information. There is no official data which could serve as a basis to determine the real scale of wildlife crime in that country. Most of the data and analyses are the result of the work of the non-governmental sector, and the topic of punishable acts to the detriment of birds in the country is the best researched”, said Snježana Malić- Limari from WWF Adria.

The report shows that the largest number of recorded cases of poaching, poisoning and illegal trade relate to birds. It is estimated that in Bosnia and Herzegovina up to 47 thousand birds are killed annually, and the reason is often poaching of songbirds for illegal trade. Trophy hunting often threatens black grouse, waterfowl and birds of prey, and griffon vulture is extinct on a national level for about 30 years due to poisoning. Griffon vultures are scavengers, which means they feed on dead prey and have an important role in nature as “natural cleaners”. In doing so, they often eat poisoned carcasses left by locals and intended for predators, which led to their extinction in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Besides birds, other cases of poaching, poisoning, keeping and smuggling are related to large carnivores, especially bears, but also wolves and lynx.

“The institutional and legislative framework for nature protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina is complex and uneven due to its fragmentation at four administrative levels – state, entity, cantonal and municipal, which makes it even more difficult to fight against wildlife crimes systematically and effectively. Such a complex state structure significantly slows down the adoption of regulations and complicates the clear division of responsibilities between levels of government and institutions. For example, wolves are a protected species in one entity in the country, and considered a game without a prescribed closure period in another. Also, date shells are protected in the EU but are not protected in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they are regularly offered in restaurants”, said Malić-Limari.

For a greater number of reported, successfully detected and sanctioned cases of wildlife crimes, it is necessary to strengthen the public and institutional awareness about the serious consequences of such crimes on nature and people, and to increase the capacities of institutions responsible for nature protection and the judiciary. Although the transfer of international and European obligations to the national legal order has achieved some progress in the nature protection sector and the work of the judiciary in the country, that process is limited and differs in the entities. Improvement of regulations and their harmonizing with international and European laws, as well as better cooperation between competent institutions and experts can lead to reducing and discouraging wildlife crimes.

This national report is part of the LIFE SWiPE project (Successful Wildlife Crime Prosecution in Europe), that aims to discourage, and ultimately reduce the number of wildlife crimes through better enforcement of EU environmental regulations and more successfully prosecuted crimes.

Source: WWF Adria

Young People Call for Intergenerational Solidarity on the Climate Crisis

13.08.2022

klimatski_protesti — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Duncan Shaffer)

Young people bear a disproportionate burden of the environmental crises the world faces today, which will impact their future. Research shows that many young people feel frustrated and unheard, creating a sense of unfairness that has, in recent years, fueled a surge of climate activism led by youth.

According to a recent study, children born in 2020 will experience a two to seven-fold increase in extreme climate events, particularly heatwaves, compared to people born in 1960. The study finds there is “a severe threat to the safety of young generations” and calls for “drastic emission reductions to safeguard their future.”

United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs research shows that there are about 1.2 billion youth aged 15 to 24 in the world today. This is a huge percentage of the global population whose interests and voices have traditionally been overlooked.

This year’s International Youth Day on 12 August will highlight the potential of Intergenerational Solidarity in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the UN Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda. The report calls on policymakers to listen to and work with youth.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) recognizes the important role young people play in every environmental issue facing the world today. UNEP has helped establish The Global Youth for Environment, which brings together young people from around the world and inspires them to take action locally, nationally and internationally towards environmental conservation and environmental governance based on the interest of youth.

Many young activists have highlighted that all too often, policymakers and government officials publicly support youth leaders and give them a seat at the table at prestigious international conferences, says Barratt. But away from the cameras, when important policies that affect young people are being made, their voices and interests are often not taken into account.

Youth activists say that they want more than lip service from global leaders. They want more inclusive policymaking processes and a seat at the decision-making table.

At the recent Stockholm+50 Youth Assembly, young people called for the mainstreaming of youth engagement in environmental and multilateral processes on the road to the UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt (COP 27).

“Change is coming,” said UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake. “We will continue to fight for our [youth] voices to be heard at the decision-making table.”

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Callum Shaw)

Over the years, multiple international declarations and covenants have called for inclusive policymaking, including recommendations for accelerating action towards a healthy planet for the prosperity of all, as set out in Stockholm+50 Agenda for Action, Renewal and Trust – Outputs and outcomes.

Recognizing intergenerational responsibility is a cornerstone of sound policymaking and puts front and center the critical role of young people in climate action and the need to build the capacity of young people to engage with global leaders and financial institutions.

To promote intergenerational solidarity, among other activities, UNEP has been working with the World Bank’s Connect4Climate initiative to launch a series of YouTube videos that foster intergenerational dialogue.

The videos feature advocates of climate action of all ages and backgrounds to exchange ideas and experiences and build solidarity.

The last episode, to be broadcast on International Youth Day, features Aldo Manos, 89, a former senior staff member of the UN, and Emmanuela Shinta, 29, an environmental film-maker and indigenous people’s representative from Kalimantan, Indonesia. They discuss the climate crisis, sustainable lifestyles, the value of nature, environmental education, and the need for a shift in global mindset to protect and restore the web of life.

60 million jobs that will be created by the green economy in 30 years do not even exist yet.

UNEP and partners are also working with higher education and youth networks from around the world, by mainstreaming environmental education and awareness across curricula to equip young people with the tools and skills they need today, for the jobs of the future green economy we want.

“Intergenerational responsibility is ultimately about ethical and moral fairness,” said Barratt.

“Future generations who are likely to face more frequent and intense extreme weather events have come into focus due to the fierce and effective advocacy of young climate activists. It’s now time to meaningfully engage our youth – providing them with not only a seat at decision-making tables, but also the skills and capacity to effectively operate at these tables.”

Source: UNEP

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