UNESCO Declares Environmental Education Must be a Core Curriculum Component by 2025

25.05.2021

nature-planeta-priroda-zemlja — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Over 80 ministers and vice ministers and 2,800 education and environment stakeholders committed to taking concrete steps to transform learning for the survival of our planet by adopting the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at the end of a three-day virtual World Conference held from 17 to 19 May.

The Conference, followed online by over 10,000 viewers, was organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany and the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner.

UNESCO has called for Education for Sustainable Development to be a core component of all education systems at all levels by 2025. UNESCO’s launch of a new publication, which analyzed educational plans and curricula frameworks in close to 50 countries informed the discussions. UNESCO found that more than half make no reference to climate change, while only 19 percent speak about biodiversity.

The Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development outlines a range of policies to transform learning encompassing teaching, learning, professional training and civic engagement. It also highlights the need to implement Education for Sustainable Development with focus on cognitive skills, social and emotional learning, collaboration skills, problem solving, resilience-building.

“We need training for sustainable development not to be a privilege but accessible to all people. The success of the Education for Sustainable Development programme for 2030 will bring us closer to all the SDGs,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her welcoming address, describing Germany’s broad network of partners working on sustainability at all levels of education and training.

Throughout the Conference, countries shared plans to integrate Education for Sustainable Development. Ms Anja Karliczek, Germany’s federal minister of education and research, shared the commitments of 18 countries of the European Union to implement the Education for Sustainable Development for 2030 framework, underscoring it as a driver for the achievement of all the SDGs.

Laurent Fabius, who presided COP21 where the Paris Agreement was sealed, stated the “fight against climate change begins at school.” He recalled commitments in the Paris Agreement to education, and called for increased efforts to improve teacher training on ESD and increase financing. “2021 is the year in which we will overcome the pandemic and embark on a sustainable development model for the future that must include ESD. If we miss this occasion, we will lose decades. This is a race against the clock.”

The voices of young people were given a platform throughout the Conference, as those leading the call for change so that they can #LearnForOurPlanet.

The adoption of the Berlin Declaration will create momentum for the implementation of ESD for 2030 Roadmap – the framework for this decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Every UNESCO Member State will be asked to create a network of actors who together can implement the ambitious vision for education.

From Berlin, 2021 will provide key opportunities for governments to apply this commitment, including the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Source: UNESCO

BMW Wants To Produce 10 Million Electric Vehicles By 2030

24.05.2021

BMW car-1281640__340 — Foto: pixabay.com

BMW Group has set a goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by over 200 million tonnes by the year 2030. Earlier this month the company announced this goal at its Annual General Meeting.

This equals well over 20 times the annual CO2 emissions of a city with over a million inhabitants, such as Munich, the company noted in its press release.

To make this goal a reality, BMW is focusing on reducing the carbon footprint of its vehicles throughout their lifecycle, which starts from raw material extraction, moves into production, goes into their use phase (owner use), and then heads to end-of-life recycling. The goal is to use fewer resources.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, stated at the Annual General Meeting in Munich, “A climate-friendly car is not created solely by using green power. We must design our vehicles for sustainability from the very first day of development: reducing the amount of material used to manufacture them and, above all, planning for reuse and recycling from the very beginning. In the face of rising raw material prices, this is not just an environmental, but also a business imperative.”

He also touched upon how the company’s circular economy will help. “The technology for this is extremely demanding: That is why we want to lead the way on the circular economy and play a pioneering role. We are already working on quotas for the use of secondary material in our ‘Neue Klasse’ that are both concrete and ambitious to meet our high standards.”

The company is focusing on making the circular economy its central theme at IAA Mobility 2021. BMW plans to highlight the company’s potential for environmental and climate protection at the IAA Mobility 2021 in September.

The company’s approach is RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE, RE:CYCLE, which BMW believes provides a holistic view of how the use of primary raw materials can be reduced in the cars of the future.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: Clean Technica

World Set to Miss Environment-Related Sustainable Development Goals – UN report

24.05.2021

butterfly_leptir — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Despite progress in key environmental areas such as clean water, sanitation, clean energy, forest management and waste, countries are still living unsustainably and are on course to miss the environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to the Measuring Progress: Environment and the SDGs report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to coincide with the International Day for Biological Diversity.

The report found that some environmental areas – such as biodiversity loss and climate change – have continued to deteriorate.

“We have still not embraced the rate of change necessary to come in line with the 2030 Agenda,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “The report makes it clear that we are falling short, and, in some cases, actually receding. The world cannot sustain our rate of use and abuse forever, and it is imperative that we accept the changes in lifestyles and livelihoods necessary to achieve the 2030 goals.”

The 2030 Agenda emanates from the 2015 UN Resolution that sets clear targets for a sustainable future, with internationally agreed goals in 17 areas such as poverty, hunger, health, climate action, clean energy and responsible consumption, among others. The Measuring Progress report calls for improved data and indicators to understand how to ensure development progresses within planetary boundaries.

The report reviews data and information about the environmental aspects of each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their progress around the world. The publication is based on global and regional performances as assessed through the SDG indicators that have a direct relation with environmental issues.

The report flagged an increase of available data, but with the newly available data, an increase in downward trends among more indicators when compared with a previous progress report in 2019. Environmental data published in the first Measuring Progress report showed that out of the 32 percent of indicators with data (30 indicators), 74 percent (22 indicators) followed a positive trend, and 26 percent (8 indicators) indicated little change or a negative trend. In this 2021 report, out of the 42 percent of indicators with data (39 indicators), 67 percent (26 indicators) followed a positive trend and 33 percent (13 indicators) showed little change or a negative trend.

The interlinked nature of the SDGs means that achieving one goal or target may contribute to achieving other goals or targets, or the pursuit of one objective may conflict with the achievement of another. The report uses an analytical approach, driven by data, to test the relationship between SDG indicators. The analysis revealed examples where correlations are significant and are consistent with intuition or published evidence. For example, the report found that Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) related to biomass extraction is negatively correlated with species at risk of extinction.

On the other hand, with regard to biodiversity loss, the increasing extent of protected areas and other protective measures have not led to reductions in the number of species under threat of extinction. Without exception, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets – a 10-year global strategy designed to conserve biodiversity by 2020 – have been missed, according to the 5th Global Biodiversity Outlook.

The report identified a gap in the diversity and use of environmental data and statistics to inform government policy and decision-making, particularly big environmental data produced by remote sensing, in situ sensors and artificial intelligence technologies, as well as data collated through environmental–economic accounting activities. Many existing data products, statistics and indicators seem to be under-utilized, and governments have failed to place an emphasis on that data when crafting policy.

“Our comprehension of the environmental dimension of the SDGs is lagging,” said Jian Liu, Director of the Science Division at UNEP. “Our limited capacities to collect, disseminate and effectively use environmental data have hindered our holistic understanding of the environment and the effect on it of socio-economic factors – we hope this report will support countries as they strengthen action on the environmental dimensions with a view to meeting the 2030 Agenda.”

Strengthening environmental data capacities is needed if policymakers are to improve their understanding of the priority actions required to ‘bend the curve’ of continuing environmental deterioration and advance the chances of meeting the environmental SDGs. Capacity-building is required in three areas: for collection of data using international-standard methodologies to ensure data comparability; for data management to ensure open access to data, for data analysis where data are used to better understand what happened, why it happened, what may happen next and how to respond, according to the report.

Source: UNEP

Greenpeace: Stop Deep Sea Mining Before It Begins

23.05.2021

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jakob Owens)

In March 2021, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior set sail to a place called the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean to stop an emerging ocean threat – deep sea mining – before it begins.

I joined the ship as a digital campaigner – to bear witness and expose a destructive industry in the making, and share it on digital channels to help bring the story to people worldwide.

The risky business of deep sea mining aims to extract minerals from polymetallic nodules from several thousand metres below sea level. If allowed to go ahead, this would cause huge damage to the great wildlife of the deep sea and threaten the livelihoods of the Pacific Islanders who depend upon the ocean for survival.

What’s more, the deep sea is an important “carbon sink” (a place where carbon is stored), and the disturbance of it could exacerbate climate change.

Leading deep sea mining companies including The Metals Company – formerly known as DeepGreen – from Canada and the US, and Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR) from Belgium are now doing tests to prepare for deep sea mining in the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific. GSR has already sent its prototype mining robot down to the sea floor for functional tests and impact trials.

The Metals Company and GSR both talk up their green credentials. They claim that we need deep sea mining for a sustainable future, to supply the batteries needed to build our next new phones. However, tech giants including Google and car companies including BMW have already publicly announced that they are rejecting metals sourced from deep sea mining.

What’s more, both companies are using the name of science to prepare for the exploitative, environmentally destructive activities. This is one of the most important reasons why the Rainbow Warrior is now out here in this remote area of the ocean: to expose what is actually happening. By bearing witness, we want to show the world what’s really happening and not take the companies’ PR at face value.

It’s not just Greenpeace that thinks this is a risky industry – scientists around the world agree the deep sea mining industry will cause huge impacts on the environment. So in the Pacific we took action and painted “RISK” on GSR’s vessel, to warn the industry and the public of the environmental and operational risks involved in putting a 25-tonne machine 4,500 meters below sea level.

Believe me, it brings me no pleasure to tell you that just a few days later that message was shown to be absolutely right.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Author: Kelly Huang

Source: Greenpeace

How Rivals Can Work Together to Stop Plastic Waste

22.05.2021

plastic-plastika — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Brian Yurasits)

Rivals – traditionally – tend not to work together. This approach can help companies stay distinct as one-of-a-kind innovators and maintain competitive advantages. It can even protect consumers’ interests. Legislation exists across the world to prevent cartels that could force consumers to pay more for certain products than they would otherwise.

But when it comes to problems such as plastic waste, rivals will need to learn to solve problems in new ways. The urgent need for system-wide changes to benefit the environment could spark lasting changes to how rivals work together for both planet and profits.

A long-held problem

According to the UNEP, the world produces more than 300 million tonnes of plastic waste a year – more than the weight of the world’s population. Still, according to some estimates, only around 6 percent of plastic is recycled globally.

To be sure, not every locale recycles plastics at high rates and some plastic packaging cannot be reused at all once it reaches its ‘end-of-life’ stage’. Still more plastic isn’t recycled because of the breathtaking variety of plastic packaging that is produced. Almost no two pieces of packaging are exactly the same. This variety of material, colour, shape and design creates two key problems. On the consumer side, consumers simply do not understand what can be recycled in their locality. On the sorting and recycling side, it is difficult to sort the variety of packaging into the appropriate fractions for recycling, making sorting more difficult and expensive, and driving down the volume of plastic packaging which can be recycled, and with it, recycling rates.

In Europe, this means that only between roughly 20 percent-40 percent of all plastic waste is recycled. Often, ‘downcycling’ or ‘open loop recycling’ is in place, where the materials from the packaging are recycled into use in more basic applications (e.g. food-contact packaging becomes plant pots).

Standardization at the product design stage could transform recycling rates for the better. Easily recyclable packaging could be prioritized and consumers could more easily sort this appropriately. Once collected, this waste could be more easily and cheaply sorted by facilities. Higher levels of waste would make it through to the recycling stage and less would be lost to landfill, incineration or export (as is currently the case). Through standardization, new recycling economies of scale could be developed, facilitating large increases in recycling rates.

With more standardized packaging increasing recycling rates, it could be possible to create a more reliable supply of Post-consumer-recyclate (PCR) output, therefore increasing supply (and quality) of PCR. This is good news for brands. Firstly, many have set targets to include a certain amount of recycled plastic in their packaging. At the moment, supply of high-quality recyclate is low, meaning brands are struggling to source the amounts they require and continue to rely heavily on virgin resin. Secondly, by increasing the levels of recyclate in their packaging, brands increase their resilience. With PCR available locally, they reduce their exposure to the volatilities of international commodity markets. (While the price of oil remains low today, this could change as exploration slows and carbon taxes kick in. As a result, the ability to purchase oil-based products cheaply should not be taken as a given.)

A new solution

Rivals could improve these rates, by working together and standardizing the types of packaging they use. While governments have a role to play through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems, brand owners understand both end-consumers and the associated packaging requirements much better and have traditionally also been able to move much more quickly than governments.

Still, these efforts face many barriers. Among them are entrenched ideas, from the need for unique packaging to attract consumers to the idea that working together with rivals should simply not be an option.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Tanvi Sharma)

Education also plays a role. Brands must accept that the days of unlimited flexibility when it comes to designing packaging are over. Consumers need to understand the value of standardized packaging and stop rewarding brands who use bespoke packaging solutions which do not contribute to recycling rates. And governments need to work closely with brands to ensure EPR systems make sense (e.g. rewarding packaging which can be easily recycled on a local level).

Antitrust issues, however, are likely the largest hurdles to clear. Standardization of the sort described in this article requires a number of players from across the value chain working together and agreeing on packaging specifications, materials and even suppliers. Currently, antitrust rules limit the amount of information which competitors can share with one another, sometimes hindering efforts to commercialize sustainable solutions. As Amelia Miazad, an expert in sustainable capitalism at Berkeley Law, put it in a recent academic piece: ‘Coordinating with competitors to offer a more sustainably packaged product is a per se antitrust violation’.

As antitrust fines can be high, and most executives are not always fluent in the language of antitrust regulation, this level of collaboration is often avoided.

Looking ahead

Help is on hand, in Europe at least. The EU Commission has announced that it is examining how it can tweak antitrust legislation to support the newly announced EU Green Deal. As ‘simplifying packaging’ is one of its key aims in the plastics value chain, finding ways for rivals to work together is crucial to achieving this. Hopefully sensible solutions can be found which safeguard consumers whilst also safeguarding the planet.

Leaders are also learning the value of pre-competitive conversations with rivals. Industry bodies such as the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and the New Plastics Economy from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation both offer the chance for brands to work together on exchanging ideas.

The World Economic Forum, through its Global Plastic Action Partnership, also works closely with governments, businesses and civil society to translate commitments into meaningful action at both the global and national levels.

These efforts will also be helped by changing markets. Consumers have become increasingly climate-conscious and understand more and more that standardized packaging is key to tackling plastic waste. With this shift, the business case for non-standardized packaging will diminish and standardized plastic packaging will become a way to signal a commitment to sustainability and build brand equity.

Tackling the massive sustainability issues the planet faces requires urgent system-wide action. But it also requires a new approach to innovation. In a more climate-positive future, innovation won’t rest on a single mind or invention, it will come from the solutions that diverse groups of people create. Rivals working together won’t just reshape their industries – they’ll change how we understand problem solving and the nature of innovation.

Source: World Economic Forum

Bees, Bans and Broad-Spectrum Pesticides

21.05.2021

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Patrick Brinksma)

Bees and other pollinators are increasingly under threat from human activities. To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN marks May 20 as World Bee Day. This year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) examines how a decades-old legacy of DDT use has imperilled Tajikistan’s bees and the actions being taken to reverse this trend.

From the 1970s to the early 1990s, Daria Babenkova’s family was one of many in Tajikistan who relied on bees for their livelihood – shipping their hives across the country’s mountains and prairies as they sought out the flower meadows that would yield the finest honey.

“Relying solely on honey production did not guarantee a secure income so my family began taking on pollination jobs as they travelled,” Daria says. “Farmers would pay them to camp around their fields for a few days at a time so the bees would pollinate their crops.”

But the family’s new addition to their business soon revealed a hidden cost, as bees from one colony after another began to die off after visiting new farms.

“Although the farmers tried assuring my grandfather that they didn’t use dangerous chemicals on their fields, the legacy of more than two decades of DDT use had left a very evident imprint on the local environment,” Daria, now a United Nations Volunteer supporting UNEP’s Chemicals & Waste team, says.

Catch-all, kill all

A broad-spectrum pesticide that gained popularity following World War Two, DDT kills both malicious pests and more benign organisms alike, including bees – the primary pollinators for a multitude of plant species.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Bianca Ackermann)

Pollination is critical for the earth’s ecosystems. UN research has found that nearly 90 percent of wild flowering plant species depend on animal pollination, along with more than 75 percent of food crops. Not only do pollinators contribute to food security, but they are also key to conserving biodiversity.

While DDT’s wide-ranging effects and long-term toxicity led to it being banned for agricultural uses worldwide under the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the pesticide continues to live on in soil and storehouses around the globe.

In Tajikistan, while the former Soviet Union government issued a nominal ban on DDT in 1970, enforcement was minimal, with production and use continuing into the 90s. It wouldn’t be until 1991 that the government would formally ban DDT, disband the factories that produced it and begin to dispose of the remaining waste in specialized facilities.

“Issuing normative bans for the protection of the environment is ineffective in most cases and is also fraught with significant trade-offs in terms secure employment and livelihood for chemical producers and farmers,” Kevin Helps, UNEP’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) Chemicals and Waste Portfolio Manager says, citing the difficulties faced completely phasing out DDT use in many countries.

Roadmap to a DDT-free future

To help address the DDT issue globally, UNEP developed a “Road Map for the Development of Alternatives to DDT” in 2015, as prompted by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The Road Map was soon adopted by both UNEP Member States and other agencies working on chemicals and waste issues.

Today UNEP’s projects under the DDT Road Map are helping to navigate a sustainable transition away from DDT use in agriculture, rather than imposing abrupt bans that have caused so many complications in the past.

“We need to consider the broader economic consequences for the countries – like India – that rely on the production, use and export of these chemicals,” Kevin Helps says.

By employing a range of approaches, from prevention of unauthorized use to ensure the environmentally sound management of obsolete stocks, promoting safe DDT alternatives to, and promoting public awareness about the risks of DDT use, UNEP and partners are slowly paving the way to a DDT-free future.

One such GEF-supported project is currently being implemented in Central Asia – including in Tajikistan. The USD 15-million Demonstration of Non-thermal Treatment of DDT Wastes in Central Asia project is testing an innovative new non-combustion technology for the destruction of DDT and is expected to be used to safely dispose of the obsolete stockpiles that continue to affect the populations living next to these sites.

Daria Babenkova, for one, is glad to see an end in sight for DDT’s toxic legacy in her home country. While awareness of the risks of DDT use is growing, even today in Tajikistan, stockpiled DDT and stores “mined” from often poorly-secured disposal facilities continue to circulate on the black market, adding to the already significant residues in the nation’s environment.

“My family knows better than most how the impacts of DDT have spread far and wide across Tajikistan,” Daria says. “Progress is being made, but it will take a combined effort from government, international agencies and non-profit initiatives to finally end DDT use and restore the health of our country’s ecosystems.”

Source: UNEP

Energy Pathway to Net Zero by 2050

20.05.2021

solar — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Sungrow Emea)

The world has a viable pathway to building a global energy sector with net-zero emissions in 2050, but it is narrow and requires an unprecedented transformation of how energy is produced, transported and used globally, the International Energy Agency said in a new landmark special report.

Climate pledges by governments to date – even if fully achieved – would fall well short of what is required to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to net zero by 2050 and give the world an even chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C, according to the new report, Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.

The report is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. It sets out a cost-effective and economically productive pathway, resulting in a clean, dynamic and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. The report also examines key uncertainties, such as the roles of bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioural changes in reaching net zero.

“Our Roadmap shows the priority actions that are needed today to ensure the opportunity of net-zero emissions by 2050 – narrow but still achievable – is not lost. The scale and speed of the efforts demanded by this critical and formidable goal – our best chance of tackling climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5 °C – make this perhaps the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director. “The IEA’s pathway to this brighter future brings a historic surge in clean energy investment that creates millions of new jobs and lifts global economic growth. Moving the world onto that pathway requires strong and credible policy actions from governments, underpinned by much greater international cooperation.”

In line with this, the WMO community is accelerating efforts to support sustainable energy pathways through strengthened climate and integrated energy services.

Renewable energy systems need to be optimized for their environments and be resilient to weather extremes, climate variability, and climate change. Energy sector planning and operation are markedly affected by meteorological events. It is therefore critical to assess what both past and future climate scenarios reveal about observed and expected changes in temperature, precipitation, wind speed, solar radiation, humidity, and mean sea level pressure – all factors which modulate the performance of generation and transmission assets and affect energy demand.

The implementation of the IEA Net-Zero by 2050 roadmap will require countries and sub-national entities to take actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in an optimal way. To assist the energy sector in meeting the commitments. WMO and its partners have initiated the development of an Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS). IG3IS looks to serve users (decision-makers), especially the energy sector, who are able and willing to take actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants that reduce air quality.

Read the IEA Report here

Source: WMO

Each Program Makes a Small Contribution to the Decision to Stay in the Country

19.05.2021

istraživanje-laboratorija-naučnici — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Chuttersnap)

In less than two years since the foundation, the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia has opened as many as five programs of support for scientific research papers. In 2021, additional programs are expected to be opened, offering new opportunities to scientists for research work funding. At the head of this Fund, in the position of acting Director, is Milica Đurić Jovićević, PhD in electrical engineering and computing. Given her extensive experience in implementing multidisciplinary projects which link science and economy, we asked about opportunities to support innovation in entrepreneurship. However, the main topic of our conversation was the plan for the development of projects of our young researchers under the auspices of the Fund managed by Milica.

EP: Various projects financed by the Fund included 809 researchers. How should this data be observed since this is less than 10 percent of the total of 12,000 researchers in Serbia?

Milica Đurić Jovičić: The Science Fund was established to support scientific research work through competitive calls, to have high criteria for project selection and to help those who are best ranked according to criteria of scientific excellence, the impact of that research on the further development of science, economy or society, based on the competence of all team members, as well as research implementation plan. It is a completely different model in relation to how projects were selected or monitored their implementation in the past 10 years. The Fund is rapidly growing as well as the number of projects and researchers to be involved. By the end of 2021, we expect to involve more than 2,000 researchers through various programs. It is important to point out that the community has not been harmed in any way. The researchers have continued to receive financial support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development through institutional funding thanks to the reform and new law.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Louis Reed)

EP: Which ideas were selected within the Program for Excellent Project of Young Researchers (PROMIS) that the Fund will support for the next two years?

Milica Đurić Jovičić: Within the PROMIS program, projects of 59 research teams have been selected to implement the basic and applied research in all fields of science: natural and mathematical sciences, technical and technological, medical, biotechnical, and social sciences, and humanities. The research results will have the widest implementation in everyday life, from environmental protection, preservation of cultural monuments, improvement of health care and psychiatric treatment, creation of new energy materials, conservation of plant resources to the development of food products. Many researchers expect their projects to have a long-term effect on the economy, production, industry and society’s benefit from the research.

In focus:

EP: The publication on the PROMIS Program is adorned with excellent illustrations that accompany project summaries. Is this a sign that we have started promoting the right content, ideas and role models in an interesting way to the audience?

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Bee Naturalles)

Milica Đurić Jovičić: The work of our scientists has great potential, and everyone must be informed about it in an understandable way. The PROMIS edition, which we published in cooperation with the Centre for the Promotion of Science, presents projects in an original and creative way through 59 original illustrations by our best illustrators. The publication contains descriptions of all PROMIS projects and short texts on the main objectives, expected results and research methodology. The idea was to present these interesting projects to the public but also to inspire new research and new collaboration.

EP: Last year, funding was approved for 14 projects in the framework of the COVID-19 research program. Among them were those engaged in mental health research at the national level after the pandemic and the immune responses of patients who had suffered from this viral infection. How should these results be used to contribute to the success of our fight against the pandemic?

Milica Đurić Jovičić: Our scientists will look for answers to many questions caused by pandemic: from what the new more efficient methods for detecting the virus are, how to preserve the mental health of people, to how to economically deal with the consequences of the pandemic at the microeconomic and macroeconomic level. One of the projects that the Science Fund will finance is a project of researchers from the Institute of Economic Sciences, which will first identify most economically affected groups by this pandemic and then investigate how the crisis affected their position and propose most effective measures. Kapsido project is also very interesting, within which students from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Belgrade University will develop a method for detecting viruses based on specific antibodies in animals. Within another project, scientists will examine how the pandemic affected people’s mental health. The topics are different, and the expectations from our researchers are high because all these projects and their results are significant for our citizens.

Interview by: Tamara Zjačić

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY, march 2021 – may 2021.

Rising Gas Prices Pushing People To Electric Vehicles, Tesla is #1 Brand They’re Considering

19.05.2021

punjenje_e_automobila — foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The recent gas shortage inevitably led to an increase in decisions to buy an electric vehicle (EV), and the top brand people are looking at is Tesla, according to a survey from AAA. A Forbes article citing the survey noted that during the time the Colonial Pipeline was offline, the national gas price average increased by 7 cents; pushing it to an average of 3.02 dollars.

This made it the highest average since October 2014. The AAA also noted that the national average will probably see more fluctuation in the coming days.

The Forbes article also cited a survey that was taken back in March 2021 which showed that as gas prices rise, the percentage of those considering purchasing an EV also rises. The Electric Vehicle Sentiment Survey United States, conducted by CarGurus, stated, “Rising gas prices would be especially influential to those on the fence who ‘possibly’ would own an EV in the next decade.”

One key takeaway from the article and the survey is that Tesla is the winning brand of choice for EVs. And if gas prices increased to 4 dollars per gallon, 26 dollars of those surveyed would become more likely to purchase an EV. At 5 dollars per gallon, that number jumped to 57 percent.

“Tesla continues to be the most trusted brand to develop EVs (and that lead has grown),” CarGurus said while pointing out that 78 percent of those interested in EVs would be open to several brands when it’s time to make the purchase. CarGurus also noted that SUVs/crossovers are the most likely type to be considered as an EV although few are available today.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: Clean Technica

Mahle Develops Magnet-Free Motor For Electric Vehicles

18.05.2021

motor_vozilo — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Sam Loyd)

Tier One automotive supplier Mahle has developed an electric motor for EVs that uses no permanent magnets. It is not the first to do so, but it is the first to create a motor that is scalable to fit the needs of many sizes of vehicles, from subcompact cars to medium duty trucks.

Mahle says the ability to tune and change the parameters of the rotor’s magnetism instead of being stuck with what a permanent magnet offers has allowed its engineers to achieve efficiencies above 95 percent right through the range of operating speeds. Only the motors used in Formula E cars offer such efficiency, according to New Atlas.

The Mahle motor is also particularly efficient at high speeds, which could help extend the range of electric cars during highway driving.

“Our magnet-free motor can certainly be described as a breakthrough, because it provides several advantages that have not yet been combined in a product of this type,” says Dr. Martin Berger, Mahle’s vice president of corporate research and advanced engineering. “As a result, we can offer our customers a product with outstanding efficiency at a comparatively low cost.”

Magnet-free motors are not unheard of, but most of them require some sort of rotating contact device to send electricity to the copper coils in the rotor. That raises the possibility of more wear and tear inside the motor than a comparable motor that uses permanent magnets would encounter.

But Mahle’s engineers have borrowed ideas from the world of wireless charging to solve the contact issue. Power is transferred to the rotor wirelessly through induction by a coil carrying alternating current. That induces a current in the receiving electrode inside the rotor, which energizes the copper windings that replace the permanent magnets and creates an electromagnetic field.

Most electric motors use permanent magnets made from rare earth minerals like neodymium, dysprosium, or yttrium. Actually, rare earth minerals are not all that rare. The issue is that China controls 97 percent of the world’s supply.

Even those that are mined elsewhere must be processed in China, which is the only country with the ability to make them commercially usable. Recently, China instituted export controls that raised the price of neodymium by 750 percent and neodymium by 2000 percent.

It’s not that the price of copper hasn’t increased as well as the EV revolution moves forward, but it is nowhere near as expensive as those rare earth minerals, which means the Mahle motor should cost less to manufacture.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: Clean Technica

Europe Needs Over 30 Battery Gigafactories By 2025

16.05.2021

carsharing-4382651_1920 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (CHUTTERSNAP)

For ease of thinking, I use 1 BGF (battery gigafactory) as unit of production capacity. This refers to the original planned size of the first Tesla battery gigafactory in Nevada. Plans change and factory sizes change and our realization of what is needed changes.

But that first shockingly gigantic factory that could produce more than the total world battery production capacity from the year before, 35 GWh, will stay burned in the minds of all who followed the news on Tesla and EV production in those days.

When I wrote my article about the Osborne effect, I came to 2025 as the most likely date by simple extrapolation of trends. I did not try to include the effect of government measures, carmakers refusing to bring models to market, or the world becoming paralyzed by a pandemic.

Today, I’d like to write about a condition for the transition that will likely not be met — the battery production capacity needed for the transition in Europe.

For most of that capacity, the factories will only exist as blueprints, or they will be struggling through permitting procedures like the Berlin Tesla Gigafactory is now. Most plans will not be shovel ready even as they should be hitting full production.

The way I calculated the amount needed is by believing that I am right and BloombergNEF is partly right. I think that, when we see price parity on the showroom floor, the last obstacle to buying fully electric is removed. The analysts at BNEF see price parity in 2025/2026 and a 100 percent BEV market in 2035. Okay, that first part I consider right, while the second part is their vision.

I think many people will try to switch to BEV before price parity is reached because BEVs are better, safer, and have lower total cost of ownership (TCO). After price parity is reached, the market for vehicles with a tailpipe will dwindle to almost nothing. It will happen faster than in the legacy car managers’ worst nightmares.

The European auto market is about 17 million vehicles big. It consists of 15 million passenger autos, 2 million light commercial vehicles, and 300,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks. That gives me the following calculation for the batteries we need.

1) 15 million for PV with an average 70 KWh battery = 1,050 GWh

2) 2 million LCV with an average 100 KWh battery = 200 GWh

3) 300,000 MHCV with an average battery of 250 KWh = 75 GWh

Together, that is 1,325 GWh, a tad more than the 30 BGF I noted above, but there will not be factories to make that many BEVs. Battery sizes will be influenced by price per KWh, speed of charging, density of charging infrastructure, usage patterns, experience, and expectations. These numbers are based on my personal experience and market observations.

Author: Maarten Vinkhuyzen

Source: Clean Technica

Pakistan Restores Mangroves for Economy and Ecosystem Benefits

14.05.2021

venezuela-mangroves — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Tahir Qureshi had many nicknames. Father of the Mangroves. Mangrove Man. The mangrove hero of Pakistan. All reflect a life dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Pakistan’s mangroves.

As Pakistan prepares to host World Environment Day on June 5, ecosystem restoration, which includes critical ecosystems like mangrove forests, will be the focus. Mr Quershi, who sadly passed away in December 2020, played a key role in the development of mangrove restoration in Pakistan and will be fondly remembered at the event.

“He was a magnificent man. He understood the importance of mangroves in environmental conservation, he dedicated his life to them” said Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, the country representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) partner, “He literally planted millions of mangroves.”

Mangroves are also a central part of the Pakistan government’s ambitious ‘Ten Billion Tree Tsunami’ drive. Led by Prime Minister Imran Khan and supported by UNEP, Pakistan has committed to planting 10 billion trees by 2023. Millions, if not billions, of these trees will be mangroves. By the end of June this year one billion trees will have already been planted.

Mangroves are one of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet, without which, 39 percent more people would be flooded annually. The IUCN estimates that mangroves provide exceptional carbon storage – three to five times that of tropical forests – and support livelihoods for over 120 million people globally. They are also home to more than 3,000 fish species are found in their ecosystem.

“Mangroves are an important tool in the fight against climate change. They reduce carbon in the atmosphere and they also make financial sense. Restoring mangroves is five times more cost effective than building ‘grey infrastructure’ such as flood walls, which also don’t help with climate change,” said Makkio Yashiro, regional ecosystems coordinator for UNEP.

But mangroves are under threat. Climate change, logging, agriculture, aquaculture, pollution and coastal development are all eroding their habitats. UNEP and partners found that over 67 percent of mangroves have been lost or degraded to date.

Restoring a critical ecosystem

Restoring mangroves helps support not only nature but also, economies. A hectare of mangroves is estimated to be worth between USD 33,000 and USD 57,000 per year. UNEP studies find that every dollar invested in mangrove restoration there is a benefit of four dollars. Simply put they are one of the most efficient, cost effective Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

In Pakistan, as well as the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, organisations such as the IUCN have instigated a number of mangrove restoration projects. The IUCN has worked on projects including one with the Pakistani Navy to plant seven million mangrove plants and also public-private enterprises with Engro Elengy Terminal Private Limited (EETPL) in the Port Qasim area of Karachi.

As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which will run from 2021 to 2030 and aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, mangroves have a key role to play in its success.

Source: UNEP

5 Things to Know About the Future of Electric Vehicles

13.05.2021

električni punjači — Foto: Bojan Džodan/MT-KOMEX

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

While global car sales took a pandemic-related hit last year, electric vehicles (EVs) bucked the trend.

The number of EVs registered across the globe expanded massively in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) – and this is set to continue over the next decade.

Here are five facts about the market from the agency’s first Global Electric Vehicle Outlook report

1. There were 11 million registered electric vehicles on the road at the end of last year

10 million of these were cars. The total number of electric cars, buses, vans and trucks is projected to rise to 145 million, or 7 percent of road transportation, by the end of the decade under governments’ existing energy and climate policies.

With even bolder climate programmes and emission reduction targets, there could be up to 230 million electric vehicles on our streets – 12 percent of all road transport – by 2030. Motorcycles and mopeds were not included in the figures.

2. Electric car buying remained high in the face of the pandemic

Electric car registrations were up 41 percent in 2020, despite a 16 percent drop in overall car sales across the world.

Last year was indeed a ground-breaking one for the sector, as Europe overtook China as the centre of the global electric car market for the first time. From global electric car sales of 3 million, registrations in Europe more than doubled to 1.4 million, while in China they increased to 1.2 million.

3. Consumer and government spending on electric cars rose in 2020

A rise in the number of different EV car models available in the market to 370 and the falling cost of batteries saw consumers spend 50 percent more on electric cars in 2020, to the tune of USD 120 billion.

Governments also continued to encourage the move to EVs, spending USD 14 billion on direct purchase incentives and tax deductions – a 25 percent rise year-on-year. Before the pandemic, many countries strengthened key policies such as CO2 emission standards and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) directives. By the end of 2020, more than 20 countries had either announced bans on sales of internal combustion engine cars or decreed that all new sales be zero-emission.

Some European countries increased buying incentives and incorporated the promotion of EVs into their post-pandemic economic recovery plans. China postponed the end of its New Energy Vehicle (NEV) subsidy scheme to 2022, to safeguard EV sales from the economic downturn.

4. Electric bus and truck registrations also increased within the world’s largest markets

Across China, Europe and North America these rises were mainly due to municipal governments imposing greater emission reductions on commercial vehicles operating within their towns and cities. China, for example, commands a 27 percent share of all electric bus sales, where new registrations were up 9 percent in 2020.

Electric heavy-duty trucks, while more established in China, have only recently begun to come on stream further afield, currently consisting of around 1 percent of all truck sales in both Europe and the US.

5. Widespread EV adoption could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The IEA says mass adoption has the potential to cut emissions by more than one-third by 2030 under the existing ‘stated’ green policies.

Up to two-thirds of emissions could be slashed in that time if countries endorse more ambitious ‘sustainable development’ targets.

Long road to sustainability

While progress is being made, electric cars currently make up 1 percent of the global fleet. And significant barriers to the wholesale adoption of EVs remain, the report says.

Insufficient charging infrastructure continues to prevent wider use, as does the low supply of appropriate electric vehicles in many sectors, such as heavy industry. Despite falling battery costs, rising vehicle production to meet demand, and the promise of savings over the lifetime of an EV from lower fuel and maintenance costs, upfront prices remain prohibitive for some.

On the supply side, there are also challenges related to the poor sustainability levels associated with EV batteries: the sourcing of raw materials is frequently concentrated in a few developing countries that are often politically volatile and economically fragile.

A related concern is around recyclability. EV batteries consist of multiple Lithium-ion cells that are largely difficult to dismantle and which contain hazardous materials.

But there are some recent examples of the industry responding to this challenge.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (John Cameron)

Nissan is now reusing batteries from its Leaf cars to power automated guided vehicles used around assembly plants. And while Volkswagen has also redeployed old batteries, it has also opened a recycling plant in Salzgitter, Germany.

Global Battery Alliance

But until recycling moves from the fringe to the mainstream of EV battery production, demand for critical raw materials will only grow.

The Global Battery Alliance (GBA), initiated with support of the World Economic Forum, is a public-private collaboration between 70 organizations across manufacturing, public service and civil society that was established to address this issue by working to bring sustainability to the battery value chain.

The GBA advocates for the production of EV batteries and their by-products to be integrated into the circular economy and promoting transparency and reduction of greenhouse emissions from battery manufacturing.

Last year, the alliance outlined 10 guiding principles for a sustainable battery value chain, to significantly reduce the 40 percent of all annual global carbon emissions that the transport and power industry is currently responsible for.

It is also committed to policies in which EV battery production takes into account local economies, their environments and human rights, especially in relation to child labour exploitation.

Source: weforum

Taking the Pressure off the Water Industry with Digitalization

12.05.2021

Sitesing 18-280, ABB - Mälarenergi, Kraftvärmeverket Västerås. — Foto: ABB

Traditional water and wastewater utility systems weren’t built for the dramatically changing stresses of climate change and rapid urbanization. Therefore, the risk that ageing infrastructure brings – both in terms of potential failure and poor environmental compliance – is a key concern for water utilities worldwide.

There is increasing pressure on utility companies to lower their total cost of ownership and high leakage rates. The rapid development of real-time sensing and monitoring technologies to improve early leakage and water quality anomaly detection is an effective way to address these challenges.

By combining smart monitoring technology with drives and motors, water utility operators can secure pre-emptive asset management optimization and, in the process, drive a significant shift from reactive to real-time monitoring.

Condition-based monitoring

Nearly a third of all electric motors in the world are driven by variable speed drives (VSDs), mainly to reduce energy use. However, there are other reasons for employing drives in water and wastewater applications, including process control (keeping constant water pressure, avoiding leakage caused by high pressure), avoiding water hammer, or optimized well exploitation.

Drives can perform pump cleaning in wastewater applications and control several pumps in a cascade system in water pumping applications to optimize pump operations and save energy. Condition-based monitoring services can work alongside all these water automation products to access real-time data via the cloud from remotely located water assets.

At the heart of this approach is a new generation of smart wireless sensors – a low-cost, easy-to-install digital solution. Smart sensors have revolutionized motors’ maintenance logistics by enabling operators to use remote monitoring for the early detection of incipient problems. Now, maintenance actions can be cost-effectively planned before functional failure. The result is reduced downtime, eliminating unexpected production stops, optimized maintenance, and reduced spare parts stock.

With built-in intelligence for live, adaptive behavior, the technology assists in managing the effects of extreme weather conditions such as excess rainfall that poses problems from water quality to environmental compliance. Furthermore, the digital solution allows experts to analyze data collected from the sensors and turn it into corrective and confident actions to extend equipment lifetime. It’s possible to analyze and decipher the best solution for improving the operation of water and wastewater assets, from a single pump station to entire water or wastewater treatment facility.

In focus:

Sensors can also turn traditional pumps into smart, wirelessly connected devices. This approach measures vibration and temperature from the pump’s surface and uses it to develop meaningful insight into the pump’s condition and performance. This includes details such as pump speed, vibrations, misalignment, bearing condition and imbalance. Besides, smart sensors attached to the motors connected to the pumps can detect a drop in water flow based on the motor’s output power.

Digitalization also extends to variable speed drives (VSDs). Drive data can be uploaded to the cloud via a remote monitoring solution. This allows data from the drive, motor and pump to be analyzed together, providing insights into the complete powertrain’s health and performance. While water companies are always monitoring their networks for changes in pipe pressures and water flow (that can indicate problems such as blockages and leakages), sometimes the first warning they receive is when a customer notifies them of a burst water pipe. Digitalization can trigger the earliest possible warning.

The earlier or quicker utilities can prevent treated water from being wasted, the higher the savings, not to mention the boost in customer confidence. Non-treated water, also known as wastewater, is a real problem if its leaks into the environment. Utilities can be fined, not to mention the safety hazards for people, property and the image of a water utility.

How hard is digitalization to implement?

The water utility sector has made great strides in the uptake of digital technology. However, there is still plenty of scope for improvement. And because technology has evolved, and the prices of smart devices have decreased, it’s possible to take a great leap forward to achieve a true digital transformation. Ripping out all the existing hardware is probably not the best approach. Utilities need to start with a clear strategic plan to create an entire ecosystem.

This can start by dividing the water network into discrete zones and identifying what is needed to address each specific challenge. Effectively, it is best to start small by adding to existing technology. In this sense, smart sensors are the perfect starting point as they can be placed on a motor, pump, bearings or gearing. They are easy to connect and use without having to invest in new, expensive systems.

Successful application in Singapore

In the bustling city-state of Singapore, its water utility focuses on one main goal: to ensure that the rapidly growing metropolis – with few natural water sources and limited landmass – has a steady supply of clean water. To add to the challenge, water demand is set to double in the next four decades over its current consumption of over 400 million gallons a day.

High operational costs, rising energy usage, and a national workforce shortage compelled Singapore to think beyond convention. ABB and the Public Utilities Board (PUB), the water utility, conducted a successful pilot, which involved installing smart sensors on the PUB’s motors and pumps.

The real-time data obtained via the sensors allowed the utility to reduce troubleshooting time and resources, and paperwork. ABB then installed an integrated solution with 22 smart sensors, remote condition monitoring, and augmented reality glasses (Microsoft HoloLens) to assist with maintenance and training.

It also installed six digital powertrains, which integrate sensor and drive data with cloud-based analytics along the entire chain of plant equipment – from drives and motors to pumps and bearings. The condition monitoring portal allows the PUB to configure the powertrains easily and monitor critical health and operating parameters via a single portal. The digital powertrains, in turn, alert the utility to warning signs of failure, which helps reduce maintenance costs.

Looking ahead

A smart city is often described as a ‘system of systems’, where the Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics converge with traditional infrastructure. These cities use IoT and analytics capabilities to reach operational efficiency and improve service levels, sustainability, and economic vitality. Previously siloed sectors such as power, transport, disaster management, and water all work in sync.

Many cities around the world have made great strides in digitizing several areas of infrastructure, such as energy and transport. Still, most have yet to connect their water supplies to their smart city strategies and systems. However, the threat of growing scarcity may push more cities toward smart water management systems.

Find further information here.

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY march 2021.-may 2021.

Renewables are Stronger than Ever as They Power Through the Pandemic

12.05.2021

sky-vetropark — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration Unsplash (Jonny Clow)

Renewable sources of electricity such as wind and solar grew at their fastest rate in two decades in 2020 and are set to expand in coming years at a much faster pace than prior to the pandemic, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. The growth in Europe and the United States will be even brisker than previously forecast, compensating for China’s transitional slowdown after exceptional 2020 growth.

According to the IEA’s latest market update, the amount of renewable electricity capacity added in 2020 rose by 45 percent in 2020 to 280 gigawatts (GW), the largest year-on-year increase since 1999. That extra power is equal to the total installed capacity of ASEAN, a grouping of 10 dynamic South-East Asian economies.

The increase in 2020 is set to become the “new normal”, with about 270 GW of renewable capacity on course to be added in 2021 and almost 280 GW in 2022, despite a slowdown in China after an exceptional level of additions last year. Those forecasts have been revised upwards by more than 25 percent from the IEA’s previous estimates in November as governments around the world have auctioned record levels of renewable capacity and companies have signed record-level power purchase agreements, even as the pandemic spread macroeconomic uncertainties and suppressed demand.

Shifting power generation to renewable sources is a key pillar of global efforts to reach carbon neutrality, but CO2 emissions are set to rise this year because of a parallel rise in coal use, underscoring the major policy changes and investments in clean energy needed to meet climate goals.

“Wind and solar power are giving us more reasons to be optimistic about our climate goals as they break record after record. Last year, the increase in renewable capacity accounted for 90 percent of the entire global power sector’s expansion,” said Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the IEA. “Governments need to build on this promising momentum through policies that encourage greater investment in solar and wind, in the additional grid infrastructure they will require, and in other key renewable technologies such as hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal. A massive expansion of clean electricity is essential to giving the world a chance of achieving its net zero goals.’’

Global wind capacity additions almost doubled last year to 114 GW. That growth will slow down a bit in 2021 and 2022, but the increases will still be 50 percent larger than the average expansion during the 2017-19 period. Solar PV installations will continue to break new records, with annual additions forecast to reach over 160 GW by 2022. That would be almost 50 percent higher than the level achieved in 2019 prior to the pandemic, affirming solar’s position as the “new king” of global electricity markets.

China is at the center of global renewable demand and supply, accounting for around 40 percent of global renewable capacity growth for several years. In 2020, China’s share rose to 50 percent for the first time due to a rush to complete projects before government subsidies were phased out. In 2021-22 renewables growth in China is set to stabilise at levels that are below the 2020 record but still over 50 percent above where it was during the 2017-19 period. Any slowdown in China in the coming years will be compensated for by strong growth in Europe, the United States, India and Latin America where government support and falling prices for solar PV and wind continue to drive installations.

China is the largest manufacturer of solar panels and wind turbines, as well as the biggest supplier of raw materials such as silicon, glass, steel, copper and rare earth materials needed to build them. Supply chain constraints, including due to a fire in a Chinese silicon factory last year, have recently pushed up prices of PV modules, highlighting the sector’s potential vulnerabilities in the longer term.

In the United States, renewable capacity growth this year and next is mainly spurred by the extension of federal tax credits. The forecast does not take into account the US administration’s new emissions reduction targets or its infrastructure bill. If enacted, the bill would drive a much stronger acceleration in the deployment of renewables after 2022.

India’s capacity additions declined by almost 50 percent last year compared with 2019. However, growth is set to rebound and renewable expansion is expected to set new records by 2022, driven by the commissioning of delayed projects. However, the current surge in Covid‑19 cases in India has created short-term uncertainty for this year.

Transport biofuel production declined 8 percent globally in 2020 as the pandemic limited travel. Production is expected to recover this year to 2019 volumes, and expand another 7 percent in 2022 as biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) production increases globally and ethanol expands in India.

However, the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 crisis on demand, as well as price competition for sugar cane from sweetener manufacturers in Brazil, continue to keep ethanol production in both the United States and Brazil below 2019 levels. At the same time, global HVO production capacity is expected to nearly double in the next two years, significantly expanding the capability of producing biofuels from waste and residue feedstocks.

Source: IEA

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