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Measuring the Extent and Condition of European Ecosystems

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Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Protecting ecosystems and biodiversity are key policy targets in the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal. EU and national policymaking require approaches to be developed to measure the extent and condition of ecosystems to improve their management.

This briefing presents the EEA’s work on ecosystem extent accounts and pilot ecosystem condition accounts in the EU INCA project.

Examples illustrate the potential use of ecosystem accounting results to design measures to protect and restore European ecosystems, e.g. in implementing the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030.

Key messages

-The EEA has developed a set of ecosystem extent accounts that provide good spatial insight into the distribution and trends of up to 30 ecosystem types in Europe.
-Pilot accounts on ecosystem condition have been produced for species trends, freshwater quality and nutrient pressures.
-Successful ecosystem accounting builds on compiling different ecosystem reference data sets in one geo-spatial accounting system — the EEA Integrated Data Platform.
-The strength of input from ecosystem accounting to policy analysis is linked to the availability of geo-spatial ecosystem data based on regular monitoring.

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The international ecosystem accounting framework

The methodological framework for ecosystem accounting builds on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), coordinated by the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD).[1] The UNSD handbook on experimental ecosystem accounting (SEEA EEA) describes the various components of ecosystem accounts (UN et al., 2014).

Ecosystem extent accounts:

-measure the location and size of different ecosystem types in a spatially explicit manner (e.g. in ha or km2);
-track the opening and closing stock of ecosystems across a territory over time.

Ecosystem condition accounts measure the condition of ecosystem types. Together, ecosystem extent and ecosystem condition accounts:

-provide a detailed analysis of the area and the quality of ecosystems and their changes over time;
-describe the biological capacity of ecosystems to deliver ecosystem services, which are then measured by ecosystem service accounts in a third step.

Figure 1 sets out the basic overall structure of ecosystem accounts.

 

Building European ecosystem extent accounts

The production of ecosystem extent accounts requires three essential components:

-data sets that can be used to measure the extent and distribution of ecosystems — in Europe such data build on Corine Land Cover (CLC), which is part of the EU Copernicus programme;[2]
-software and methodology for processing these data sets within a structured accounting system — the EEA has developed specific accounting tools for this purpose (see EEA, 2020a);
-a typology for ecosystems, to allow the identification of different ecosystem types — the EEA proposes a three-tier approach to developing ecosystem extent accounts in Europe.

Tier I comprises ecosystem extent accounts for 9 of the 12 broad ecosystem types developed in the Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services (MAES) process.[3] The tier II accounts sub-divide the broad tier I ecosystem types and comprise 23 ecosystem categories. The tier III accounts further subdivide tier II accounts and comprise 30 ecosystem types, e.g. salt marsh, broad-leaved forest and arable land. All current tiers in the EEA ecosystem extent accounts are based on the CLC database.

Figure 2 shows the general structure of the ecosystem extent accounts developed by the EEA (for additional details, please see EEA, 2020b).

 

SEEA EEA established the principle that ecosystem extent accounts should cover the entire terrestrial area of a country or territory and that the individual ecosystem classes should not overlap. The EEA’s approach complies with these principles and offers the potential to calculate ecosystem extent accounts for a variety of geographical areas within the EEA-39 territory[4]. This means that they can be used for analysing ecosystem trends at country level but also for more focused spatial analysis, e.g. at the level of river basins or of trends in protected areas (EEA, 2018b). This approach is based on the EEA’s land and ecosystem accounting system, embedded in the EEA Integrated Data Platform (EEA, 2020a).

Selected results for tier I European ecosystem extent accounts (EEA-39)

Table 1 shows the changes in ecosystem extent for the period 2000-2018 across the EEA-39 countries collectively. The accounts show changes in ecosystem extent in absolute terms (km2) and as a percentage of the initial ecosystem stock (see ‘Net changes to ecosystem extent’). This variable indicates that the area of urban settlements and associated vegetation expanded by 7.1 percent between 2000-2018. Rivers and lakes also increased in extent by 1.5 percent (mainly due to an increase in water reservoirs). Both trends reflect an increasing share of very modified ecosystem types in the EEA-39 area. Cropland and grassland lost most area in absolute terms, whereas heathland and shrub suffered the largest relative decline among the semi-natural ecosystem types.

The variable on stable ecosystem stock represents the areas that are the same ecosystem type in 2000 and 2018. In all cases, the percentage of ecosystem types remaining unchanged between 2000 and 2018 is very high (> 98 percent, except for forest). This is relevant knowledge as ecosystems maintain more ecological integrity if they remain stable over time than if they are recreated (as in a forest being replanted elsewhere).

 

Note: The non-allocated area includes the CLC classes 334 (Burnt areas) and 523 (Sea and ocean) which could not be assigned to one of the nine MAES ecosystem types.

Figure 3 illustrates the spatial focus enabled by the EEA’s accounting infrastructure and summarises the information on relative changes in ecosystem extent inside and outside the EU-27[5]Natura 2000 network. This indicates that reductions in the extent of most ecosystem types — cropland, grassland, heathland and shrub, and inland wetlands — are lower within the Natura 2000 areas. Generally, protected sites in the Natura 2000 network show lower rates of ecosystem change than the area outside the network, which indicates a higher degree of ecosystem stability inside the EU protected area network. The exceptions are the rate of urban expansion (which probably indicates a pressure on more natural ecosystem types) and the increase in marine inlets and transitional waters (which may be the result of restoration measures).

 

Note: The trend figures presented above exclude data for the United Kingdom.

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Tiers II and III of EEA ecosystem accounts are calculated following the same principles but provide more detail than can be integrated into this short briefing. For information on ecosystem trends at tiers II and III level, please consult the EEA’s analytical report (EEA, 2020b) or the ecosystem extent account dashboard[6] for detailed results.

Pilot ecosystem condition accounts

Ecosystem condition reflects the overall quality of an ecosystem asset in terms of its characteristics. Measuring the ‘overall quality’ of ecosystem condition is a complex challenge, which has been analysed in the EU MAES process (EC, 2016, 2020). Ecosystem condition can be assessed in two ways:

-indirectly, by analysing pressures acting on ecosystems;
-directly, by tracking habitat condition, biodiversity and environmental quality.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The following EEA pilot ecosystem condition accounts are examples of these two approaches — the rivers and lakes ecosystem condition account is based on direct measurement, while the spatial nutrient account analyses nutrient pressures.

Rivers and lakes ecosystem condition account

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (EU, 2000) establishes a 6-year river basin management plan (RBMP) reporting cycle for Member States on the ecological status of freshwater (lakes and rivers), transitional and coastal water bodies. The EEA has reported on the status of European waters (EEA, 2018a) and now uses this rich data set to develop ecosystem condition accounts for rivers and lakes in the EU.

Ecological status is an expression of the quality of the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems associated with surface waters (EU, 2000). The ecological status for each water body is reported as a composite indicator based on biological, hydro-morphological and physio-chemical quality elements. Hence, the ecological status can be regarded as a good indicator of ecosystem condition in water bodies. Ecological status is classified on a 5-point scale from high (1) to bad (5), with the lowest scoring quality element defining the overall ecological status of a water body. An accounting time series has been available since 2019, based on two rounds of reporting under the WFD:

-first river basin management plans (status in 2010);
-second river basin management plans (status in 2016).

Table 2 shows a pilot ecosystem condition account based on the WFD RBMP data for river and lake water bodies. Just as for ecosystem extent accounts, this tracks opening and closing stock, and the change in ecological status of water bodies between two reporting cycles of the WFD RBMPs. The stock measures reflect the number and extent (lake area or river length) of water bodies in each of the five WFD status classes i.e. high, good, moderate, poor and bad, as well as ‘unknown’. The approach developed allows tracking of intermediate changes among those water bodies having less than good ecological status (i.e. from poor to moderate or vice versa). This facilitates the calculation of a range of indices, of which two are shown here:

Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

-overall trend index — allowing the calculation of overall status trends for the water bodies with data on ecological status available for both reporting periods;
-coverage index — describes the share of water bodies for which a trend was calculated (as water bodies with ‘unknown’ status in 2000 or 2016 were excluded from the analysis).

The coverage index shows that a trend calculation can only be performed on about 50-75 percent of the water bodies in each category. The overall trend index shows that, between 2010 and 2016, the reported average ecological quality status declined substantially for lakes (16.7 percent by lake area and 6.1 percent by number of lakes reported on) and declined much less so for rivers (ca 1.1 percent by river length or 3.7 percent by number of river counts). It should be noted that some Member States updated their assessment methodology between the two reporting periods, which may affect the size of trend for lakes in particular. These EU-level results can be further broken down by country, river basin and other geographical areas. These results are available in the EEA’s summary report on pilot ecosystem condition account for rivers and lakes (EEA, 2020c).

 

Note: RBMPs = river basin management plans;
EU-28 refers to (the 28 Member States comprising) the EU up until the departure of the UK. However, this table does not include data for Greece and Lithuania, because data was unavailable.

Pilot nutrient pressure accounts

Nutrient enrichment is a key pressure indicator for ecosystem condition, as all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are negatively affected by it (EC, 2016). Nutrients derive from a variety of sources, including agriculture, waste water discharges and atmospheric deposition.

The EEA has cooperated with the EU Joint Research Centre to develop spatially explicit nutrient pressure accounts for the EU using various input data and modelling. These include:

-gridded farm statistics provided by Eurostat;

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jordan Opel)

-atmospheric nitrogen deposition data from air monitoring programmes;
-data on agricultural nutrient use generated by the common agricultural policy regionalised impact (CAPRI) agro-economic model.

The model-derived data on nutrient pressures (at the soil surface) are spatially allocated to different MAES ecosystem types by using the same CLC data underpinning the ecosystem extent accounts. This allows ecosystem condition accounting tables to be produced that can show:

-the average nutrient pressures on different ecosystem types over time, at EU, country or regional level;
-a breakdown of nutrient pressure by varying input levels and their spatial distribution.

By developing a spatially explicit accounting approach, it is possible to identify areas where nutrient inputs exceed certain load levels. This adds a new analytical functionality, compared with standard nutrient balances that provide average values per country or at the large region level. Table 3 presents information on the trend in the shares of four different nitrogen input levels for grassland ecosystems between 2000 and 2010.

 

Note: The trend figures presented above exclude data for Croatia, as it was not available.

The available data suggest that the area share of the N input category of below 50 kg N/ha has increased over the period monitored, whereas the area shares of all higher N input levels have decreased. Analysis based on the average N input level per hectare for the entire area covered would not have identified these sub-trends. However, the approach presented above includes only a coarse spatial representation and lacks sensitivity with regard to the response of different grassland ecosystem sub-types to N input. For example, highly productive grasslands are adapted to N input levels of 100kg N/ha or more but are often species poor. The botanical species diversity of semi-natural grasslands can only be maintained if yearly N input levels stay below 30 kg N/ha.

Figure 4 illustrates how the spatial nutrient accounts could be further developed to identify ecosystem sub-types and areas that require policy action to reduce nutrient pressures. Work is under way to develop further spatial detail and extend the current times series to 2018. This will allow the presentation of spatial nutrient accounts that have more analytical power and provide concrete policy input, e.g. on the nutrient pressures inside Natura 2000 areas compared with those of general farmland. Additional information and results from the pilot nutrient accounts are available in the EEA’s summary report on pilot EU nutrient accounts (EEA, 2020d).

 

Overview and conclusions

We have made good progress in developing European ecosystem extent accounts. They offer a substantial level of ecological detail and can be used to look at trends in Natura 2000 areas, river basins, etc. However, it would be useful to further differentiate agriculture and forest ecosystem types, e.g. by building on forthcoming Copernicus phenology data.

The pilot ecosystem condition accounts show how the accounting methodology can be used to show spatial trends for key ecosystem condition parameters. The EU-level ecosystem condition assessments per MAES ecosystem type provide an important comprehensive review of ecosystem condition (EC, 2020). Future work at EU level could combine such ecosystem assessment work with ecosystem accounting tools in a shared platform for tracking the condition of European ecosystems over the coming years.

The spatial foundation for the pilot nutrient accounts enables the identification of pressure hot spots, where ecosystem thresholds have been exceeded. This adds spatial detail to the analysis of the condition of agro-ecosystems, which could be used to address nutrient reduction targets in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, for example.

The EEA Integrated Data Platform enables many different ecosystem reference data sets to be compiled in one geo-spatial accounting system. This supports the development of more complex ecosystem accounts and detailed geo-spatial analysis. Further analytical progress in describing the pressures on, and trends in, European ecosystems will also require a further investment in geo-spatial ecosystem data sets based on regular monitoring programmes.

Source: EEA

Surge in Court Cases Over Climate Change Shows Increasing Role of Litigation in Addressing the Climate Crisis

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Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

Climate litigation cases have spiked in recent years, making the courtroom increasingly relevant to efforts to address climate change around the world. A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released today finds that climate cases have nearly doubled over the last three years and are increasingly compelling governments and corporate actors to implement their climate commitments, as well as pursue more ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.

The report, published by UNEP in cooperation with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, shows climate litigation has become more common and more successful worldwide.

In 2017, 884 cases were brought in 24 countries; as of 2020, cases had nearly doubled, with at least 1,550 climate change cases filed in 38 countries (39 including the European Union courts). While climate litigation continues to be concentrated in high-income countries, the report’s authors expect the trend to further grow in the global south – the report lists recent cases from Colombia, India, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines and South Africa.

The background of plaintiffs is becoming increasingly diverse as well, with NGOs and political parties joined by children, senior citizens, migrants, and indigenous peoples. Just as they are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, those groups of plaintiffs often stand at the forefront of climate change, enduring extreme weather, rising sea levels, and pollution.

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“Citizens are increasingly turning to courts to access justice and exercise their right to a healthy environment,” said Arnold Kreilhuber, Acting Director of UNEP’s Law Division. “Judges and courts have an essential role to play in addressing the climate crisis”.

Some of the recent trends in climate litigation identified by the report include:

  • Violations of “climate rights”, i.e. cases are increasingly relying on fundamental human rights including the right to life, health, food, and water.
  • Failures of governments to enforce their commitments on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
  • “Greenwashing” and non-disclosures, when corporate messaging contains false or misleading information about climate change impacts.

In the coming years, UNEP expects climate litigation to increase in national and international bodies, especially with respect to companies misreporting climate risks, governments failing to adapt to extreme weather events, and cases brought to enforce previous court decisions. A rise is also expected in cases concerning persons displaced by climate change impacts.

“Climate litigation is a key lever for keeping governments and corporations on task in the fight to combat climate change,” said MIchael Burger, Executive Director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change at Columbia Law School. “And it is a powerful tool for holding them to account for their failure to do so. Courts can equalize the power imbalances in society and give force to the rule of law.”

Source: UNEP

 

Reform Is Not Enough to Build Trust – a Call for System Change

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

In 2021, the world has a chance to not just move beyond the acute COVID-19 public health crisis, but to do it in a way that sets us on a just and green path to recovery. As Greenpeace has previously said, we have an unmissable chance to put people and planet before private profit and power.

This will only happen when leaders face up to the causes of the interconnected medical, environmental, and economic crises we are facing. For that to happen the ‘global elite’ coming together for The Davos Agenda must acknowledge how 2020 has brought into sharp focus the many things that are wrong with our current economic system.

Building a better world is within our reach, but it requires global cooperation at unprecedented levels. It will require system change, not mere reform. It requires new rules and new investments, not saving the old failed system via adaptation or reform.

To foster trust, as The Davos Agenda aims to do, world leaders need to be seen to be working together, effectively, for the public good. Trust in political leaders is in decline because they are failing to keep people safe. Only honesty in the face of failure and cascading crisis backed by immediate, coordinated action can begin to change that.

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Right now, the most visible – and urgent – way to earn trust is to come together to deliver a People’s Vaccine, available free of charge to all. No country is safe from COVID until all countries are safe from COVID. Delivering a vaccine to everyone, quickly, would not just prevent further human and economic hardship, but could be a powerful first sign of a more cooperative global spirit emerging for the post-COVID world.

Last year was, once again, the hottest year on record. In 2020, significantly more people woke up to the need for fundamental change. Across the globe, vast majorities indicated (in polls) that they are looking for radically better policies. In Japan, for example, 60 percent of people want transformational economic change. While in many countries, including India, Mexico, China, Brazil and South Africa, support for a green economic recovery is at 80 percent or higher. Only an ambitious and just green recovery agenda can earn the trust of these majorities.

Meanwhile, the Global Risks report 2021 illustrates how only urgent action on the climate and biodiversity crisis, as well as inequality and public health, can make the world resilient to future shocks.

In response, governments must urgently shift ‘our’ money, and invest it in public and planetary health. The vast previously ‘unavailable’ public funds that are being found amidst the pandemic must support a just transition to a better, safer, fairer, future.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

So far, governments are failing this test by a huge margin. Thirty major economies have pledged $268 billion to fossil fuels, 47 percent of all public money committed to energy-intensive sectors as part of the COVID response. This, as UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has pointed out, is simply unacceptable. It undermines the trust of people who want this crisis to be used to build resilience for the future.

In addition to shifting ‘our’ money, governments must change the rules that govern our economies. They must do so via transformational green and just recovery proposals, that strengthen our communities, respect our planet and address the root causes of injustice. No attempt to restore trust through reform can succeed. No simple notion of getting back to normal will suffice.

Civil society, including Greenpeace, has developed many proposals for a better future, whether for India, the United States, Spain or New Zealand. There is an abundance of ideas of how we can use this moment to build a new, and better normal. To deliver it, governments must do more than adopt the language of civil society proposals (such as US President Joe Biden using the phrase #BuildBackBetter during the transition), but also embrace the substance. Governments must adopt a true People’s Recovery.

Without fundamental change in trade or finance rules, for example, there can be no climate-resilient or just economic recovery. And without a shift in the hierarchy of norms of our decision-making on the local, national and international level, public and planetary health will continue to be sacrificed on the altar of private profit.

Part of the change we need is therefore a shift of power in the international system. With President Biden, we can expect the World Trade Organization to end its Trump-induced paralysis. Via its powerful dispute settlement system, it will be able to enforce its rules across the globe. The Paris Agreement, which the United States is thankfully rejoining, does not have such powers of enforcement. Indeed, no global organization ensuring human, social and environmental rights does. This has to change.

Photo-illustration: Pexels

This year, both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) will hold major summits. There is a danger that these will be mostly greenwashing. That governments and businesses alike will use them as a stage to announce positive sounding net zero emission targets for 2050, 30 years from now, aiming to hide the fact that there are no clear benchmarks or binding laws to achieve them.

Instead, both meetings (COP 26 on climate and COP 15 on biodiversity) must be moments of immediate, transformational action, that illustrate to the world that leaders are ready to build a post-COVID global order where public good trumps private profit. They must, for example, be the place where International Financial Institutions announce that they are moving from conditionality based on neoliberalism and endless growth (GDP) to supporting just and green economic systems. They must be moments where governments commit to just transition funds and a global social protection mechanism. They must be where governments end the funding of fossil fuels once and for all and commit to their orderly and just elimination. They must also be where governments deliver a concrete plan to fully protect 30 percent of both land and oceans by 2030 in a just manner, fully supporting and realizing Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

“The seeds of trust lie in the truth of action.”

—Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International

The seeds of trust lie in the truth of action. We need to see immediate honest action we can believe in, that means a People’s Vaccine and investments in renewable energies and local economies, the economies of the future.

In 2021 the world has a chance to build a future that is open, cooperative, egalitarian, peaceful, in harmony with nature. A world with public and planetary good as its driving force.

These are the lights on the path towards a safer, fairer future. If our leaders are brave enough to change the system, then maybe, just maybe, they can lay the foundation for future trust.

Source: World Economic Forum

Jamaica: Plastics Ban Creates New Opportunities

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Photo-illustration: Unsplash ( Alexander Schimmeck)

Every September, on International Coastal Cleanup Day in Jamaica, plastic is the most collected material. In 2019, the top 10 items collected were all single-use plastic and polystyrene (foam) waste, anything from plastic bottles to food wrappers.

More than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans globally, each year, adversely impacting ecosystems, biodiversity and potentially human health.

According to the Jamaica’s Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), marine litter within the country’s coastal waters has significantly impacted the tourism and fisheries industries. To reverse this trend a national ban on single-use plastics was launched on January 1, 2019, with several phases.

The final phase, which applies to 24” by 24” single-use plastic bags and disposable drinking straws attached to drink boxes or pouches, began on January 1, 2021. The government has granted a six-month transition period to the private sector and has committed to increasing public education and awareness-raising activities.

A growing problem

Of the 800,000 tons of residential waste, Jamaica generates annually, 15 percent is estimated to be plastics. While three-quarters of this is disposed of at legal disposal sites, the remainder often ends up in drains, rivers, gullies, beaches and, ultimately, the ocean. The plastic pollution results in flooding and damage to coastal and marine ecosystems and is creating an unhealthy environment for local populations.

Places like Rae Town, a coastal Kingston neighborhood, suffer the most from the wave of plastic pollution that makes its way into Kingston Harbor. The gully that traverses the area brings even more plastic waste to the area.

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UNEP’s Caribbean Sub-Regional Office and its International Environmental Technology Centre have been working since 2018 with the Government of Jamaica and the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA) on a Plastic Waste Minimization Project. This project, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility and the Japanese Government with co-financing through the Jamaican Government, aims to further strengthen policy and enhance legal frameworks that will enable Jamaica to reduce and manage plastic waste from land-based sources in an environmentally sound manner.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Focusing on policy development and public education, the project is empowering Rae Town citizens to find innovative solutions to the plastic problem, from creative upcycling and income-generating opportunities to environmental warden initiatives.

Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

November 2019 saw the launch of a flagship Plastic Recycling Pilot Project. Under this initiative, Rae Town residents were encouraged to participate in clean-up activities following the 4 R’s of: Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.

Environmental wardens have been trained in the community to prevent improper waste management and the country has received the first government-owned plastic collection truck.

“This is a significant milestone,” said Ms. Kashta Graham, the Project’s Manager. “Prior to this, there was no truck for collecting only plastic.”

Rae Town residents have collected 6,974 pounds of plastic from their local environment and shoreline. These hauls of “waste” are increasingly becoming new means of livelihoods.

From plant pots to playground furniture, Rae Town residents are repurposing plastic in collaboration with 360 Recycle (a local social enterprise that manufactures and sells recycled plastic products). Residents are also encouraged to participate in competitions to find new ways to re-use plastic waste to benefit the community.

Edson Carr, Planning Manager at Jamaica’s National Solid Waste Management Authority says the Rae Town project aims to shift in how residents perceive plastic and manage plastic waste. “Success will entail residents engaging in the separation of plastics from their regular waste as well as community members adopting better practices”, he said.

Leading by example

Businesses are also getting involved through the Green Business Jamaica Environmental Stewardship Programme. Since the initiative started in May 2019, the seven companies and five public sector entities that are participating have made significant efforts to cut plastic pollution in their operations.

The project also recently launched an Eco-Rewards Plastic Recycling Pilot with Lee’s Food Fair, one of the largest supermarkets in the Kingston metropolitan area. Through the store’s customer loyalty scheme, customers earn eco-reward points for every 10 pounds of plastic they bring in to be recycled. A “no plastic” pledge board encourages people to publicly commit to reducing their consumption of plastic materials.

As Jamaica, along with the rest of the world, grapples with COVID-19, the Plastic Waste Minimization Project offers a ray of hope.

“The Rae Town project is proof that, when policy makers and the public work together, systemic and sustainable change is possible,” says Kashta Graham.

Source: UNEP

 

 

 

This Electric Car Battery Takes the Same Time to Charge as Filling up With Gas

Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

An electric-car battery that can be charged in five minutes, the amount of time it takes to fill up a tank of gas, has been produced for the first time in a factory in China. The new lithium-ion batteries were developed by the Israeli company StoreDot and manufactured by Eve Energy in China. The company has produced 1,000 sample batteries compliant with li-ion battery certifications, StoreDot said.

The samples will be used to showcase the company’s technology to prospective buyers and investors looking to get a jump on the electric-vehicle market, including BP, Daimler, Samsung Ventures, and TDK.

Faster-charging batteries would make electric vehicles more functional

For many drivers, electric cars do not cut it for long trips because of the amount of time it takes to charge the vehicles. Electric-car batteries on the market can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours to charge, though a typical EV takes about eight hours to charge from empty to full, according to Pod Point, a manufacturer of electric-vehicle chargers.

Electric vehicles are a crucial part of Biden’s USD 2 trillion climate-change plan, in which he wants an entirely green electric power grid by 2035 with cars running on electricity instead of gasoline. StoreDot’s new battery technology would make this green future more feasible, eliminating what CEO Doron Myersdorf called electric vehicle’s biggest barriers: “range and charging anxiety.”

“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone, moving XFC for the first time beyond innovation in the lab to a commercially-viable product that is scalable for mass production,” Myersdorf said in a press release. “We’re on the cusp of achieving a revolution in the EV charging experience that will remove the critical barrier to mass adoption of EVs.”

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Electric cars average about 250 miles of driving per charge. With a battery that could charge faster, drivers would not be range-bound and could take EVs on longer trips.

While lithium-ion batteries use graphite as an electrode, the StoreDot battery works faster by replacing graphite with semiconductor nanoparticles that allow ions to pass more easily and quickly. The company expects to replace this electrode with silicon, a much cheaper component, by the end of the year.

Tesla is also working on developing silicon electrodes. Elon Musk has long been calling for faster charging speeds for electric cars. On Monday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, “Battery cell production is the fundamental rate-limiter slowing down a sustainable energy future. Very important problem.”

Tesla has been making strides to give EVs a longer travel range through an extensive Supercharger network, as well as its new generation of long-range electric cars that can go up to 400 miles between charges. Musk hopes to make electric cars as convenient and accessible as conventional combustion-engine vehicles.

Fast-charging EV batteries are still several years away

StoreDot’s five-minute battery will likely not enter the mainstream market for many years, as mass production will not be available for quite some time as the company continues to hone its technology.

The startup has experimented with fast-charging batteries in the past for phones, drones, and scooters. In 2014, the company developed a prototype of a charger that could boost your phone’s battery from dead to fully charged in 30 seconds.

Source: weforum

 

Secretary-General Welcomes Us Return to Paris Agreement on Climate Change

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Anthony Delanoix)
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Gayatri Malhotra)

Following the inauguration of United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General said he looks forward to an era of new leadership towards accelerating climate action, with the US back inside the landmark Paris Agreement.

President Biden signed an executive order at the White House just hours after being sworn in, to reverse the previous administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 accord, which seeks to limit global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“I warmly welcome President Biden’s steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis”, the UN chief said in a statement.

The US was among 194 countries that signed the Agreement in December 2015 under then President, Barack Obama.

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Two years later, the Trump administration announced the country would withdraw from the treaty: a decision which became effective last November.

US deposits instrument of acceptance

A new instrument of acceptance of the Paris Agreement by the US, expressing its consent to be bound by the Agreement, was deposited with the Secretary-General, later in the day.

According to the UN chief’s spokesperson, the Paris Agreement will enter into force for the United States on 19 February 2021, in accordance with its article 21 (3).

Long road to carbon neutrality

The Paris Agreement requires governments to commit to increasingly ambitious climate action through plans known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

The Secretary-General recalled that countries producing half of all global carbon pollution committed to carbon neutrality, or net-zero emissions, following a summit held last month.

“Today’s commitment by President Biden brings that figure to two-thirds. But there is a very long way to go”, he said.

“The climate crisis continues to worsen, and time is running out to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build more climate-resilient societies that help to protect the most vulnerable.”

Climate crisis and COVID-19

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Lucrezia De Agrò)

The Secretary-General underlined his commitment to work with the new US President and other world leaders to address the climate crisis and COVID-19 recovery.

Last year, the UN was forced to postpone its latest global climate change conference, known as COP26, due to the pandemic.

“We look forward to the leadership of United States in accelerating global efforts towards net zero, including by bringing forward a new nationally determined contribution with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance in advance of COP26 in Glasgow later this year”, the statement said.

In his inauguration speech, President Biden made it clear that addressing “a climate in crisis” was a priority, noting that “a cry for survival comes from planet itself”.

Senior officials from across the UN system have congratulated the new administration in Washington.

Inger Andersen, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), tweeted that her agency looks forward to working closely with President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris to strengthen climate action, “to address a planet in crisis, and to build a just and green transition for all.”

Source: United Nations

IEA Calls on Companies, Governments and Regulators to Take Urgent Action to Cut Methane Emissions From Oil and Gas Sector

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Drop in methane emissions from oil and gas industry in 2020 due mainly to lower production rather than prevention of leaks, says IEA as it releases new ‘how-to’ guide for policy makers to tackle issue.

Methane emissions from the global oil and gas industry fell by an estimated 10 percent in 2020 as producers slashed output in response to the historic shock of the Covid-19 crisis, the International Energy Agency said today, warning that these emissions could rebound strongly without greater action by companies, policy makers and regulators.

Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (CO2) and makes a major contribution to global warming. According to the IEA’s 2021 update of its Methane Tracker, oil and gas operations worldwide emitted more than 70 million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere last year. This is broadly equivalent to the total energy-related CO2 emissions from the entire European Union.

The new IEA analysis indicates that a large part of the drop in methane emissions in 2020 occurred not because companies were taking more care to avoid methane leaks from their operations, but simply because they were producing less oil and gas. As such, there is clearly a risk that this downward trend will be reversed by an increase in production to fuel a rebound in global economic activity.

“The immediate task now for the oil and gas industry is to make sure that there is no resurgence in methane emissions, even as the world economy recovers, and that 2019 becomes their historical peak. There is no good reason to allow these harmful leaks to continue, and there is every reason for responsible operators to ensure that they are addressed,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director.

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“Alongside ambitious efforts to decarbonise our economies, early action on methane emissions will be critical for avoiding the worst effects of climate change. There has never been a greater sense of urgency about this issue than there is today, said Dr Birol. “To help accelerate these efforts, the IEA is today releasing a ‘how-to’ guide that governments and regulators can use to bring down methane emissions from oil and gas operations.”

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

IEA analysis highlights that reducing methane emissions is very cost-effective for oil and gas companies. Unlike CO2, there is already a price for methane everywhere in the world – the price of natural gas. This means the costs of improving operations or making repairs to prevent leaks can often be paid for by the value of the additional gas that is brought to market.

“We believe that industry must act, visibly and quickly,” Dr Birol said. “But there is also a strong role for government policies; to incentivise early action by companies, push for transparency and improvements in performance, and support innovation in getting results.”

The new IEA report, Driving Down Methane Leaks from the Oil and Gas Industry: A Regulatory Roadmap and Toolkit, offers a step-by-step guide for anyone trying develop or to update regulation on methane. Its advice draws on analysis of how more than 50 countries, states or provinces – from the United States to Nigeria, from Iraq to China and Russia – have tackled methane emissions from a regulatory perspective.

“In this crucial year for climate action leading up to COP26 in Glasgow in November, this is the moment for governments to raise ambitions not only on CO2 but also on methane,” Dr Birol said. “One important avenue, especially for countries with large oil and gas sectors, will be to include commitments on methane in their new or updated pledges in advance of the COP meeting. This is also the moment for companies to put all their weight behind this effort.”

The case for action is not just environmental or reputational. There are increasing signs that consumers are starting to look carefully at the emissions profile of different sources of gas when making decisions on what to buy. A gas producer without a credible story on methane abatement is also one that is taking commercial risks.

Source: IEA

 

Serving up Sustainable Food

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Along with a vow to return to exercise, upping personal intake of fruit and vegetables tops the list of New Year’s resolutions for many. But what if this year’s resolution didn’t end with the eating – and extended to reducing the amount of healthy, nutritious produce that gets trashed?

That’s a commitment that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is banking on to help achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda.

Global estimates suggest that roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted every year. Those 1.3 billion tons of fruits, vegetables, grains and roots are lost through spillage or spoilage in the harvest-to-market chain, or to spoilage and discard once products hit retailers and, eventually, consumers.

In a world where malnutrition is a contributing factor to roughly 45 percent of deaths of children under age five in developing countries, and where consumption of highly processed foods is pushing obesity rates ever higher, remaining accountable to those New Year resolutions isn’t just personal – they’re critical for humanity.

They are also critical for the survival of the planet. Food production, consumption and waste – and how they impact the environment – will be a key topic of discussion at this year’s United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-5), taking place online on 22-23 February 2021.

UNEP and partners are developing the world’s most comprehensive data analysis and modelling on food waste, which will be launched at the Assembly. Titled the ‘Food Waste Index’, the document will be released at UNEA-5. It offers new estimates of food waste at household, retail and food service sectors at country level, and provides a methodology that enables countries to measure and track progress on Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve retail and consumer food waste and reduce food loss by 2030.

Food systems for the future

Agriculture and the pressure to produce cheaper, faster commodities are among the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. Resource-intensive food production that depends heavily on the use of inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides and complex irrigation and energy systems means fewer wild spaces for the other creatures we share nature with, whether it’s birds, mammals, insects or microbial organisms. Meanwhile, political and economic structures are pricing farmers off their land.

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“The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the obstacles and blockages in our global food system. We have a timely opportunity to build back better and redesign the way we grow, harvest, sell and eat the bounty of nature’s production,” said Clementine O’Connor, from UNEP’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme.

Transforming our food systems will not only help restore biodiversity and habitat but can also strengthen market opportunities for smallholder farmers – many of whom are women on the road to economic self-sufficiency through sustainable production of fruit and vegetables.

A fruitful year?

At UNEA-5, the virtual convening of representatives of UN member states, the private sector, civil society, scientists and other leaders will be an opportunity to share and adopt best practices for transforming food systems. Momentum toward sustainable food production and consumption that is generated by the Assembly will be built upon going forward in 2021, with the historic first-ever UN Food Systems Summit.

The year 2021 has also been marked by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 to highlight the role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, livelihoods, food security and health.

Source: UNEP

 

These Are the World’s Greatest Threats in 2021

Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Issy Bailey)

The Global Risks Report 2021 is the 16th edition of the Forum’s annual analysis and looks back at a year ravaged by a global pandemic, economic downturn, political turmoil and the ever-worsening climate crisis. The report explores how countries and businesses can act in the face of these risks.

Unsurprisingly, one of the big changes between this year and last, in terms of risks, has been brought about by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The risk posed by infectious diseases is now ranked at number one, while in 2020 it came in 10th place.

Widespread effects

“The immediate human and economic costs of COVID-19 are severe,” the report says. “They threaten to scale back years of progress on reducing global poverty and inequality and further damage social cohesion and global cooperation.”

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For those reasons, the pandemic demonstrates why infectious diseases hits the top of the impact list. Not only has COVID-19 led to widespread loss of life, it is holding back economic development in some of the poorest parts of the world, while amplifying wealth inequalities across the globe.

At the same time, there are concerns the fight against the pandemic is taking resources away from other critical health challenges – including a disruption to measles vaccination programmes.

Climate concerns

But despite the inescapable fallout from COVID-19, it is climate-related matters that make up the bulk of this year’s risk list, which the report describes as “an existential threat to humanity.” Despite a drop in carbon emissions caused by lockdowns and disruption to international trade and travel, there are concerns that as economies start to recover, emissions will soar.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The 2021 risks report draws upon data and insights from a wide array of respondents via the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey. The survey was completed by over 650 members of the Forum’s diverse leadership communities.

One of those communities is the Global Shapers – the Forum’s network of young people driving dialogue, action and change. For them, climate-related risks are seen as “the most likely and most impactful long-term risks.” They also sound a note of caution about the dangers of “youth disillusionment” around the world.

“They see personal risks as immediate threats, macro risks in the medium term and fundamental geopolitical risks in the long term,” the report says.

Among the short-term threats, which are likely to come to fruition within the next two years, are infectious diseases, livelihood crises, digital inequality and youth disillusionment.

Photo-illustration: Pexels

As for medium-term risks in next three-to-five years, the Global Shapers identified asset bubble bursts, IT infrastructure breakdown, price instability and debt crises.

In the longer term, the community voiced concerns about weapons of mass destruction, state collapse, biodiversity loss and adverse technological advances.

Countering risks

Alongside the risks listed, the report reflects on responses to COVID-19 to draw lessons that could bolster global resilience.

These include formulating analytical frameworks, creating new forms of partnership and building trust through clear and consistent communication.

It also includes recommendations to help countries and businesses act, rather than react, in the face of risks.

The Forum’s upcoming virtual Davos Agenda event will bring together global leaders to discuss how to advance the principles, policies and partnerships needed to do this.

Source: World Economic Forum

Norwegian Company to Join Wind Farm Building Efforts in Serbia

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Alex Eckermann)
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Xin)

The Norwegian company NBT, which invests in high-power wind farms in Serbia, has become a partner of WV International in developing wind farm projects in Serbia of a total power of 800 MW. The joint press release of the two companies says that NBT, headquartered in Oslo, will do business in the Serbian market under the name of WV-NBT Serbia.

“Considering that it is always looking for opportunities for projects in developing markets, NBT has recognized Serbia as a reliable environment for green energy and decided to join forces with WV International, in order to realize the project portfolio together”, the press release says.

The aim is to put into operation 800 MW at wind farms by 2026, and the first 168 MW will be available within the network as soon as 2023.

WV International and NBT will develop and build wind farms in line with the international standards that match the requirements of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Equator Principles.

The wind farms will make a considerable contribution to the economic development, bring substantial tax revenues, secure up to two thousand jobs during the construction and make a permanent economic impact even after the construction is completed.

“Also, these projects will considerably increase the share of renewable sources in the total consumption of electrical energy in Serbia, which is one of the most important objectives of the energy sector of Serbia”, the press release says.

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WV International, which previously operated as Windvision, started carrying out the wind farm projects in Serbia in 2010.

The projects are now at an advanced development phase and are ready for realization under transparent, competitive and adequate market conditions, which the announced system of auctions will enable.

WV International operates in the field of RES for almost 20 years and is present in eight countries: Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Serbia, Senegal and Tunisia. It has successfully realized over 200 MW of wind farm projects in Belgium and France, obtained permits for over 800 MW, and it employs over 50 people.

NBT develops wind farm projects and manages power plants of this type in developing markets. The company was founded in 2004 and is most active in China and Ukraine.

Source: Beyond Communications Consulting

Make #NotWasting Food a Personal Resolution

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

All over the world, holidays mean the return of certain specialties: Olivier salad for New Year’s in Russia, Red bean porridge for solstice in Korea, Haleem for Ramadan in India and the Middle East, Mince pies for Christmas in England, Pogača bread for Orthodox Easter, Banana cakes for Lunar New Year in Vietnam.

Whatever the holiday is and wherever in the world it is celebrated, there is usually a type of special food that goes along with it.

The holidays are a great time to celebrate food and to appreciate it.

Yet, in some parts of the world, holidays have become synonymous with over-eating and food waste. In 2011, FAO estimated that *1/3 of all the food produced in the world is either lost or wasted. That amounts to 1.3 billion tons per year. And food isn’t the only thing that is wasted when it goes uneaten: all of the resources (like seeds, water, feed, etc.), money and labour that go into making it are also lost.

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While we celebrate the people and ideas that we value, let us make saving food one of them.

Here are six tips on how to avoid and reduce holiday food waste:

1- Be realistic – Plan in advance and don’t prepare food for 50 people if only 5 are coming to dinner.

2- Freeze leftovers or give them to guests – If you do cook too much food, encourage guests to take some home with them. Whatever is left, put it promptly in the freezer for another day. In general, food should not be left at room temperature for longer than two hours.

3- Turn the leftover food into the next day’s lunch or dinner – There are many creative recipes on the internet for using leftovers. In fact, several dishes like casseroles, goulash, fattoush and panzanella started from the desire not to waste fruits, vegetables or even excess, bread. Make sure that you store any leftovers in the refrigerator and use it as soon as possible.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

4- Finish leftovers before making something new – The instinct to make something different for every meal is quite common, but before cooking a new dish, see if you have anything already prepared and still safe to eat to finish first. Alternatively, turn your old leftovers into a new dish. Just remember to avoid re-heating food and then putting it back into the refrigerator later.

5- Allow guests to serve themselves so they can choose as much or as little as they want – As nice as it is to serve people, a host might not accurately gage how much or how little someone wants to eat, and usually errs on the side of too much. Allowing guests to serve themselves means that they can choose the amount that they would like to eat. (As a food waste tip for guests: when a meal is self-serve, don’t take more than you can eat!)

6- Donate what you don’t use – If you buy extra cans, dried goods or other non-perishable food that can be donated, there are many local charities that happily accept these foods. Check the internet for places near you that accept donations.

This holiday, remember that having enough food is a privilege. Don’t waste it!

*Editor’s note: The estimate which suggested that approximately 1/3 or 30 percent of the world’s food was lost or wasted every year was calculated by FAO in 2011 as a broad, preliminary estimate. The figure is currently being replaced with two separate indicators, the Food Loss Index and the Food Waste Index, to give more insight into the problem. In 2019, FAO calculated the Global Food Loss Indicator (food lost from post-harvest up to but not including retail) at 14 percent. The Food Waste Index (food lost in retail and at the consumer level) is currently being developed by UN Environment (UNEP).

Source: FAO

Latest EEA Study Finds Multiple Benefits of Switch to Renewable Electricity

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Nicholas Doherty)

The increased use of renewable electricity across the European Union has not only reduced pressures linked to climate change, but also to air and water pollution (particulate matter formation, eutrophication and acidification), according to a European Environment Agency (EEA). More targeted actions can help minimise the negative environmental effects of boosting renewable electricity supply.

cross the European Union (EU), the increase in electricity from renewable sources like solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and biomass, had, by 2018, significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EEA briefing on renewable electricity. The assessment, which draws on two larger reports done for the EEA, presents a detailed life cycle analysis of global changes in overall environmental impacts associated with the trends in the EU power mix between 2005 and 2018, especially the shift towards increasing shares of renewable electricity generation.

For most of the impact categories investigated, the switch from fossil fuel to renewable electricity sources within the EU Member States resulted in clear improvements in 2018, compared with 2005. This is because the impact intensity of fossil fuel electricity generation is significantly larger than that of renewable power. As such, the life cycle impact potentials were lower for eutrophication, particulate matter formation and acidification in 2018 than in 2005, while ecotoxicity- and land occupation-related impact potentials slightly increased.

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The briefing also shows that monitoring and targeted actions can help minimise some adverse effects of this transition, in particular those regarding freshwater ecotoxicity and land occupation.

Actions should focus on reducing impacts linked to material sourcing and to production processes across various supply chains (e.g. for solar photovoltaic modules and biomass fuels), along with improvements in energy and resource efficiency. As renewable electricity projects are set to grow, assessing other potential trade-offs, such as those affecting habitats and ecosystems, will be essential to contain future impacts.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andreas Gücklhorn)

Other key findings

Latest data available shows that the EU-wide share of renewable energy in 2019 was less than half a percentage point lower than the binding 20 percent target for 2020. At 34 percent of all electricity generation, renewable electricity has almost doubled since 2005, and coal no longer supplies most of the EU’s electricity.

Still, fossil fuels produce more electricity altogether (38 percent of all generation in 2019) than renewable sources. With combustion-based installations dominating the power mix, the EU electricity sector is responsible for almost a quarter of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. It also remains an important source of acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone formation.

Fully implementing national climate and energy plans for 2030 would allow the EU to overachieve its current climate and renewable energy targets for 2030. However, such progress is still insufficient to meet a higher target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Renewable power would have to grow to over 80 percent by 2050 to meet these pledges.

Source: EEA

2020 Climate Events Were Examples Of How Excess Heat Is Expressed On Earth

Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

By most accounts, 2020 has been a rough year for the planet. It was the warmest year on record, just barely exceeding the record set in 2016 by less than a tenth of a degree according to NASA’s analysis. Massive wildfires scorched Australia, Siberia, and the United States’ west coast — and many of the fires were still burning during the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record.

“This year has been a very striking example of what it’s like to live under some of the most severe effects of climate change that we’ve been predicting,” said Lesley Ott, a research meteorologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Decades of greenhouse gas emissions set the stage for this year’s events

Human-produced greenhouse gas emissions are largely responsible for warming our planet. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas releases greenhouse gases — such as carbon dioxide — into the atmosphere, where they act like an insulating blanket and trap heat near Earth’s surface.

“The natural processes Earth has for absorbing carbon dioxide released by human activities — plants and the ocean — just aren’t enough to keep up with how much carbon dioxide we’re putting into the atmosphere,” said Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist and Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City.

Carbon dioxide levels have increased by nearly 50 percent since the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago. The amount of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled. As a result, during this period, Earth has warmed by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (just over 1 degree Celsius).

Climate modelers have predicted that, as the planet warms, Earth will experience more severe heat waves and droughts, larger and more extreme wildfires, and longer and more intense hurricane seasons on average. The events of 2020 are consistent with what models have predicted: extreme climate events are more likely because of greenhouse gas emissions.

Heat waves fanned the flames of extreme wildfires across the globe

Climate change has led to longer fire seasons, as vegetation dries out earlier and persistent high temperatures allow fires to burn longer. This year, heat waves and droughts added fuel for the fires, setting the stage for more intense fires in 2020.

The Australian bushfires that started in 2019 continued into 2020 due to sustained high temperatures, burning vast forested areas and sending smoke around the globe. The heat wave helped the fires grow rapidly, burning over 20 percent of the Australian temperate forest biome. Fire-induced thunderstorms called pyrocumulonimbus events resulted in smoke plumes that reached a record-breaking 18 mile (30 kilometer) altitude — crossing into the stratosphere. Smoke released from the bushfires circumnavigated the globe before returning to the skies over Australia.

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Hundreds of wildfires burned throughout the western United States this past year, making it the most active fire season on record. Fires in Colorado grew quickly as heat waves enabled the fire to burn faster and hotter. In California, more than 650 fires were actively burning in late August; the largest of these — the August Complex Fire – burned over a million acres.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A heat wave hit the Arctic Circle this summer, with temperatures rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of Siberia. This heat wave triggered a wildfire outbreak that reignited “zombie fires” from the previous year.

Zombie fires can occur when fires burn in areas with permafrost, carbon-rich soil that typically stays frozen year-round. Zombie fires burn so deep in the permafrost layer that they can continue to smolder under a blanket of snow throughout winter and can reemerge in the spring.

Wildfires in the Arctic have long-term impacts on Earth’s climate system. Tundra and boreal fires release methane and carbon in these regions that have been accumulating for centuries into the atmosphere. Burning also creates the conditions for continued permafrost layer thaw, resulting in increased greenhouse gas emissions for years to come.

Earth is continuing to lose a key player in the fight against Climate Change: Ice

This year wasn’t a record-breaker for ice loss at sea or on land. But ice plays a key role in regulating Earth’s temperature, and the overall trends show we’re continuously losing ice around the globe.

The planet is losing about 13.1 percent of Arctic sea ice by area each decade, according to sea ice minimum data from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. Studies of sea ice thickness have also shown that sea ice is a lot thinner than it used to be.

Sea ice floating in the Arctic acts like an insulating barrier, preventing the ocean from heating the atmosphere. Sea ice is also so bright that it reflects heat energy from the Sun away from Earth. Without sea ice, that energy would be absorbed by the darker ocean waters, leading to even higher sea surface temperatures.

Each year, Arctic sea ice melts and regrows, reaching its minimum extent around mid-September and maximum extent in March. This year had the second lowest Arctic sea ice summer extent on record. Arctic sea ice also got a slow start regrowing this year due to warmer air temperatures, which doesn’t bode well for the sea ice extent in 2021.

“When the ice has a slow start to regrow, it’s hard to catch up,” said Tom Neumann, glaciologist and Chief of the Cryospheric Sciences Lab at Goddard.

On land, the Greenland ice sheet is continuing to melt, and the record-breaking temperatures of 2020 didn’t help. This year, 23.1 million square kilometers of Greenland’s ice sheet (about 70 percent of the ice sheet’s surface) reached the melting point. Glaciers and mountain ice caps in places like Alaska, South America, and High Mountain Asia are continuing to melt, contributing more than either Greenland or Antarctica to sea level rise, which affects coastal communities around the world.

Photo illustration: Unsplash (Xavier Balderas Cejudo)

The situation in the Arctic is a direct consequence of climate change – and a foreshadowing of what’s to come in other places. “The Arctic is like the canary in the coal mine because the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet,” said Neumann. On average, the Arctic is warming three times faster.

High sea surface temperatures intensified storms in the busiest Atlantic hurricane season

This year brought one of the busiest and most intense Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, with 30 named storms.

“We had more named storms than we’ve ever had before,” said Jim Kossin, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) based in Madison, Wisconsin. More storms and a longer hurricane season are probably a result of regional conditions rather than global warming, Kossin said.

However, climate change warms the ocean’s surface and drives storm intensification – the change in windspeeds that, for example, raises a Category 4 storm to a Category 5. That warmer water at the surface acts like fuel, providing energy in the form of heat that the hurricane uses to intensify more quickly. This year’s Atlantic hurricane season brought many examples of storms that intensified quickly: ten of the 30 named storms showed rapid intensification.

The planet is also seeing more slow-traveling hurricanes that stall, bringing prolonged rainfall to an area, likely as a result of climate change. Warmer air holds more water vapor (about 7 percent more water per 1 degree C of warming). The planet is warming at different rates around the globe, which can reduce the temperature and pressure gradients, thus slowing the winds that push hurricanes. That means storms are more likely to stall, bringing sustained high winds and dumping massive amounts of rain in one area. Hurricanes Sally and Eta – which respectively made landfall in Alabama in September and Central America in November – were prime examples.

“Global warming won’t necessarily increase overall tropical storm formation, but when we do get a storm it’s more likely to become stronger. And it’s the strong ones that really matter,” Kossin said.

What does the future hold?

This year we experienced firsthand the ways that more heat is expressed on our planet. The large wildfires, intense hurricanes, and ice loss we saw in 2020 are direct consequences of human-induced climate change. And they’re projected to continue and escalate into the next decade – especially if human-induced greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate.

“This isn’t the new normal,” said Schmidt. “This is a precursor of more to come.”

To help us understand and prepare for our planet’s future, NASA observes and learns about Earth from space. By collecting a variety of data, NASA scientists are able to better understand how Earth operates as a system and create models to predict what the next decades will bring, providing information that helps decisionmakers around the world.

Source: Clean Technica

 

 

Ministerial Council Adopts Measures Against Bosnia and Herzegovina and List of Priority Infrastructure Projects

Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Quinten de Graaf)

Following the 18th Ministerial Council of the Energy Community, convened virtually under the Montenegro Presidency on 17 December 2020, the Ministerial Council by written procedure suspended certain rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Energy Community Treaty on account of the country’s serious and persistent failures to comply with the Second Energy Package in the gas sector, the Sulphur in Fuels Directive as well as the Third Energy Package in both electricity and gas. According to the Ministerial Council’s Decision, Bosnia and Herzegovina will not participate in the decision-making on matters of budget and enforcement for a period of two years, unless it rectifies the breaches in question in the meantime.

The Ministerial Council also adopted a list of seventeen energy projects of regional significance under the so-called TEN-E Regulation. The six Projects of Energy Community Interest (PECI) and eleven Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) in electricity and gas can benefit from investment incentives, streamlined permit granting and enhanced regulatory conditions. The projects were assessed based on a scenario which complies with the Paris Agreement goals.

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The Council also approved adapted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/803 regarding quality reports on natural gas and electricity price statistics pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1952.

The Council failed to reach consensus on the General Policy Guidelines on the 2030 Targets and Climate Neutrality for the Energy Community and its Contracting Parties.

Source: Energy Community

 

EBRD, EU and Donors Support SMEs and Green Homes in North Macedonia

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing two loans of €3.5 million combined to ProCredit Bank Skopje in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reach EU standards and residential home-owners to make their buildings more energy efficient.

The new funds come at a critical time as private businesses and citizens in North Macedonia feel the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The first part of the financial package consists of a €2.5 million loan to increase the competitiveness of local SMEs. Funds will be lent on to businesses to upgrade their production processes and equipment to EU standards, in particular with regards to product quality and safety, health and safety measures and environmental preservation.

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These investments are covered by the Western Balkans SME Competitiveness Support Programme, for which the EBRD provides loans and the EU incentive payments and technical assistance. The goal is to help SMEs to modernise their activities and take advantage of trade opportunities in the Western Balkans region and the wider European market.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The second part of the financial package is a €1 million loan to support individual investments in green materials, equipment and technologies for privately-owned residential buildings.

It comes under the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF), which offers energy and resource-efficient solutions to build a greener and more sustainable economy.

The programme is supported by the European Union, the Western Balkans Investment Framework and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance.

Andi Aranitasi, EBRD Head of North Macedonia, said:

“We are very pleased that, together with our longstanding partner ProCredit Bank Macedonia, we can provide additional support to SMEs to invest in the competitiveness of their businesses and to citizens to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Strengthening the SME sector and investing in green economy are some of our key priorities in North Macedonia and this project will help us come a step closer to both of these objectives. We are also thankful for the support of EU, WBIF and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, all of whom with their grant contributions, have helped make the programmes a big success and North Macedonia a regional leader in terms of utilisation of funds under both CSP and GEFF.”

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Janmaat Freek, Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia, Head of Operations 1, said:

“Within the current health pandemic, provision of more favourable access to finance to small and medium sized companies is of outmost importance. While ongoing government measures do support companies to preserve jobs and survival of companies, the joint EU and EBRD programme “SME financing facility”, provides resources for completion of capital investments and future growth of companies. The combination of loan and grant has proven to be a strong tool to encourage companies to pursue the planned investments and expand business further. On the other hand, the facility is a booster for the financial intermediaries which in turn can take on more risk and expand lending activities from their own resources.”

The EBRD has been investing in the economy of North Macedonia since 1993.

To date, the Bank has signed more than 130 projects in the country, with a net cumulative business volume of over €2 billion.

Source: EBRD

This Zoo Just Saved One of the World’s Rarest Turtles From Extinction

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Michael Schaffler)
Photo: IUCN

Some of the rarest turtles in the world have been brought back from the brink of extinction.

The Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) is a freshwater turtle once common in the waterways of southwest India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It has been considered a local delicacy, which is what led to them being hunted until only a few individuals remained in captivity.

But ten years ago, a team from Vienna’s Schönbrunn Zoo, working with conservation groups and Bangladesh’s Forest Department, launched a project which has seen the terrapins successfully reintroduced into the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans on the country’s south coast.

Black market traders

The project started when local conservationist Rupali Ghosh bought a terrapin dealer’s entire stock to save them from slaughter.

Females are traditionally the most prized for their meat. “Fishermen can get up to $365 for a female – that’s twice the average monthly wage in Bangladesh,” says the Zoo’s turtle project leader Doris Preininger. “They are often kept as talisman’s in village ponds. Traders can get three times that amount by selling the meat and the shells on the black market,” she adds.

They are believed to live for up to 100 years, grow up to 60 centimetres long, weigh up to 20 kilogrammes and, as one of the most endangered species of turtle in the world, are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Today, the project is producing 250 hatchlings at its nursery in Bhawal National Park. When the terrapins are old enough, they are taken to the coast and released.

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Hunters turned helpers

Once in the wild, the terrapins face predation by another endangered species – the Sundarbans National Park is home to one of the world’s largest populations of Bengal tigers.

But the terrapins now have some unlikely human allies in their fight for survival. Local fishermen, who once hunted the freshwater turtles, are now employed to help protect them. They are part of a team who have helped make this a successful species conservation project.

Not that it’s all been plain sailing. The terrapins are still caught as by-catch in fishermen’s nets and are still being hunted for international trade. Even in their nursery, they are under threat.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

“We have only eight females because they are very expensive,” says centre manager AGJ Morsched. “People have broken into the station and one of the keepers was beaten up trying to stop people getting in.”

The good news is the released terrapins are putting on weight – which proves they are feeding successfully – and extending their range. Juveniles have also been found, suggesting they are breeding again in the wild.

Tipping point

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Nature and Business report said the economic recovery from COVID-19 must focus on protecting nature, arguing that commercial interests were not immune from the threats to the natural world.

“There is no future for business as usual – we are reaching irreversible tipping points for nature and climate, and over half of the global GDP, $44 trillion, is potentially threatened by nature loss,” it said.

Source: World Economic Forum

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