Clean Energy at the Heart of Stimulus Plans to Counter the Coronavirus Crisis?

23.03.2020

solar_panels_solarni_paneli — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The impact of the coronavirus around the world and the resulting turmoil in global markets are dominating global attention. As governments respond to these interlinked crises, they must not lose sight of a major challenge of our time: clean energy transitions.

The coronavirus is turning into an unprecedented international crisis, with serious repercussions for people’s health and economic activity. Although they may be severe, the effects are likely to be temporary. Meanwhile, the threat posed by climate change, which requires us to reduce global emissions significantly this decade, will remain. We should not allow today’s crisis to compromise our efforts to tackle the world’s inescapable challenge.

Governments are drawing up stimulus plans in an effort to counter the economic damage from the coronavirus. These stimulus packages offer an excellent opportunity to ensure that the essential task of building a secure and sustainable energy future doesn’t get lost amid the flurry of immediate priorities.

Large-scale investment to boost the development, deployment and integration of clean energy technologies – such as solar, wind, hydrogen, batteries and carbon capture (CCUS) – should be a central part of governments’ plans because it will bring the twin benefits of stimulating economies and accelerating clean energy transitions. The progress this will achieve in transforming countries’ energy infrastructure won’t be temporary – it can make a lasting difference to our future.

The costs of key renewable technologies, such as solar and wind, are far lower than during previous periods when governments launched stimulus packages. And the technology for both solar and wind is in a much better shape than in the past. Meanwhile, hydrogen and carbon capture are in need of major investment to scale them up and bring down costs. This could be helped by current interest rate levels, which were already low and are declining further, making the financing of big projects more affordable. Governments can make clean energy even more attractive to private investors by providing guarantees and contracts to reduce financial risks.

Taking these steps is extremely important because the combination of the coronavirus and volatile market conditions will distract the attention of policy makers, business leaders and investors away from clean energy transitions.

The coronavirus is turning into an unprecedented international crisis, with serious repercussions for people’s health and economic activity

This situation is a test of governments and companies’ commitment. Observers will quickly notice if their emphasis on clean energy transitions fades when market conditions become more challenging.

The sharp decline in the oil market may well undermine clean energy transitions by reducing the impetus for energy efficiency policies. Without measures by governments, cheaper energy always leads consumers to use it less efficiently. It reduces the appeal of buying more efficient cars or retrofitting homes and offices to save energy. This would be very bad news, since improvements in energy efficiency, a vital element for reaching international climate goals, have already been weakening in recent years.

Governments can address this by pursuing policies that have already proved successful previously, such as measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, which create jobs, reduce energy bills and help the environment.

The recent steep drop in oil prices is also a great opportunity for countries to lower or remove subsidies for fossil fuel consumption. There are around USD 400 billion of these subsidies worldwide today, and more than 40% of them are to make oil products cheaper.

There can be good reasons for governments to make energy more affordable, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable groups. But many subsidies are inefficiently targeted, disproportionally benefiting wealthier segments of the population that use much more of the subsidised fuel. In practice, the effect of most subsidies is to encourage consumers to waste energy, adding needlessly to emissions and straining government budgets that could otherwise be prioritising education or health care.

This situation is a test of governments and companies’ commitment to clean energy transitions

The coronavirus brings other dangers for clean energy transitions. China, the country most heavily affected by the virus initially, is the main global production source of many clean energy technologies, such as solar panels, wind turbines and batteries for electric cars. The Chinese economy was severely disrupted during the government’s efforts to contain the virus, especially in February, causing potential supply chain bottlenecks for some technologies and components.

This is why governments need to make sure they keep clean energy transitions front of mind as they respond to this fast-evolving crisis. IEA analysis shows that governments directly or indirectly drive more than 70% of global energy investments. They have a historic opportunity today to steer those investments onto a more sustainable path.

As the IEA announced last month, global energy-related CO2 emissions stopped growing last year even as the world economy expanded by nearly 3%. We need to make sure 2019 is remembered as the definitive peak in global emissions, and that means taking action now to put them into sustained decline this decade.

The coronavirus brings other dangers for clean energy transitions

We may well see CO2 emissions fall this year as a result of the impact of the coronavirus on economic activity, particularly transport. But it is very important to understand that this would not be the result of governments and companies adopting new policies and strategies. It would most likely be a short-term blip that could well be followed by a rebound in emissions growth as economic activity ramps back up.

Real, sustained reductions in emissions will happen only if governments and companies fulfill the commitments that they have already announced – or that they will hopefully announce very soon.

Governments can use the current situation to step up their climate ambitions and launch sustainable stimulus packages focused on clean energy technologies. The coronavirus crisis is already doing significant damage around the world. Rather than compounding the tragedy by allowing it to hinder clean energy transitions, we need to seize the opportunity to help accelerate them.

Author: Fatih Birol

Source: IEA

The Wonder Trees That Nurture Marine Biodiversity

22.03.2020

forest_šuma — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

This 2020 theme for the International Day of Forests on 21 March is Forests and Biodiversity. It’s an often-quoted fact that forests are home to 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity, but did you know that one type of tree also supports marine biodiversity—the mangrove tree?

Awareness is growing among governments and coastal communities in tropical countries of the incredible value of mangroves to nature and humans.

Mangrove trees store more carbon in their rich soils than most other trees, which makes them valuable assets in the fight against global heating. They also buffer storm surges, provide breeding grounds for fish and a host of other marine animals, and serve as effective filtration systems that prevent the influx of saline water which renders soil unfit for agriculture.

Biodiversity is an important ecosystem benefit that mangrove forests provide. Community and biodiversity-based ecotourism in mangroves can help generate incentives for conservation and sustainable management. Tourists have a wide range of options to experience the wonderful biodiversity of mangrove forests, including through boat tours, kayaking, snorkeling, bird watching and nighttime crab fishing. In Madagascar, mangroves are home to lemurs which are among the most threatened group of mammals on Earth. These “swamp lemurs” were documented for the first time just a few years ago.

“Mangrove forests are highly productive ecosystems and their conservation should be the first priority, but where mangroves have disappeared restoration has also proved possible,” says United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) coastal and marine ecosystems expert Gabriel Grimsditch.

In 2019, the United Nations issued a massive global call to action to mobilize the political and financial support necessary to restore the world’s deforested and degraded ecosystems. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will run from 2021 to 2030 and emphasize scaling-up of restoration work to address the severe degradation of landscapes and forests, including mangroves, our marine blue forests.

Blue forests restoration initiatives

UNEP and partners have recently been involved in successful “mangrove carbon” finance projects in Kenya, and Madagascar under the Blue Forests Project.

These projects link mangrove forests to the global carbon market, with payments for mangrove carbon supporting the planting and conservation of mangrove trees and other benefits to the local communities. UNEP is currently supporting an exploration of how to similarly link seagrass ecosystems to the carbon market in Kenya.

As the world’s only examples of successful community-based mangrove carbon finance projects, the Kenya and Madagascar experiences were profiled last month at the Indian Ocean Blue Carbon Hub Inaugural Think Tank workshop in Mauritius. Results of the workshop included recognition that biodiversity and other ecosystem benefits, including carbon sequestration, are vital for advancing a nature-based healthy blue economy.

In Ecuador, the Blue Forests Project has supported Conservation International’s engagement with the government and local communities in setting up mangrove conservation agreements. Under the “socio manglar” programme, indigenous communities are given economic incentives—based on the rich biodiversity that mangrove’s support—to commit to the conservation and protection of mangrove forests. In this case, the communities gain exclusive use of the red mangrove crab and black cockle, both lucrative national fisheries.

“Restoration is not a quick win. Considerable financial resources and sustained buy-in from local communities over many years are needed for successful restoration projects,” says Isabelle Vanderbeck, a UNEP marine ecosystems expert working closely with the Global Environment Facility on mangrove restoration projects.

A Resolution adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly on 15 March 2019 “encourages Member States to improve research, education and public awareness, build capacity for the sustainable management and restoration of mangroves and related ecosystems, and, to that end, consider ways in which to mobilize the necessary resources for developing countries.”

What is the Global Environment Facility Blue Forests Project?

The Global Environment Facility International Waters focal area is enabling the Blue Forests Project to provide the first global-scale assessment of how the values of carbon sequestration and other coastal ecosystem services can be harnessed to achieve improved ecosystem management and sustainable communities while mitigating climate change. The project also improves knowledge for informed decision-making, raises awareness, fosters cooperation among all stakeholders, and provides experiences and tools for greater global application.

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners such as the Africa Restoration 100 initiative, the Global Landscapes Forum and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Help us shape the Decade.

Source: UNEP

Economic Slowdown as a Result of COVID Is No Substitute for Climate Action

21.03.2020

industry_tires_industrija_gume — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Efforts to control the Coronavirus pandemic have reduced economic activity and led to localized improvements in air quality. But it is too early to assess the implications for concentrations of greenhouse gases which are responsible for long-term climate change. Carbon dioxide levels at key observing stations have so far this year been higher than last year.

Any cuts in emissions as a result of the economic crisis triggered by COVID19 are not a substitute for concerted Climate Action, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

“Despite local reductions in pollution and improvement in air quality, it would be irresponsible to downplay the enormous global health challenges and loss of life as a result of the COVID19 pandemic,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “However, now is the time to consider how to use economic stimulus packages to support a long-term switch to more environmentally and climate-friendly business and personal practices.”

“Past experience suggests that emissions declines during economic crises are followed by a rapid upsurge. We need to change that trajectory,” he said.

”The world needs to demonstrate the same unity and commitment to climate action and cutting greenhouse gas emissions as to containing the Coronavirus pandemic,” he said. “Failure in climate change mitigation could lead to greater human life and economic losses during the coming decades,” he said.

According to an analysis carried out for Carbon Brief, the lockdown and reduction in economic activity in China led to an estimated 25% reduction in CO₂ emissions over four weeks.

WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch coordinates high-quality long-erm global observations of greenhouse gas concentrations. Emissions represent what goes into the atmosphere. Concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere and the oceans.

Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries. This means that the world is committed to continued climate change regardless of any temporary fall in emissions due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

The February monthly average of atmospheric CO₂ at Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii was 414.11 parts per million, compared to 411.75 ppm in February 2019, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mauna Loa is the world’s longest continual observing station and a benchmark station of the Global Atmosphere Watch Network. At another benchmark station, Cape Grim in Tasmania, average CO₂levels were 408.3 ppm in February, up from 405.66 ppm in February 2019, according to CSIRO.

About a quarter of the total emissions is absorbed by the oceans. Another quarter is absorbed by the land biosphere – including forests and vegetation which act as carbon “sinks.” Naturally, the land biosphere takes up a similar amount of CO₂ than it releases over the year in a seasonal cycle. Therefore, global average CO₂ levels generally increase until April/May.

This natural effect is much larger in magnitude than the emission reductions related to the recent economic slowdown. It is thus too early to draw firm conclusions on the significance of this economic slowdown on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. After the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, was followed b strong emissions growth in emerging economies, a return to emissions growth in developed economies and an increase in the fossil fuel intensity of the world economy, according to a study in Nature Climate Change.

In 2018, greenhouse gas mole fractions reached new highs, with globally averaged mole fractions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at 407.8±0.1 parts per million (ppm), methane (CH₄) at 1869±2 parts per billion (ppb) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) at 331.1±0.1 ppb. Preliminary data indicates that greenhouse gas concentrations continued to increase in 2019.

Air Quality

Observations have shown that nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels are significantly reduced during the lockdown in both China and Italy. In Italy, a gradual reduction trend of about 10% per week over the last four to five weeks have been confirmed by surface observations from the EU’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.

Nitrogen dioxide, a gaseous air pollutant formed when fossil fuels are burned at high temperatures, is harmful for human health and a precursor for near-surface ozone which has adverse effects on human health, ecosystems and is also a short-lived climate forcer. NO₂ stays in the atmosphere generally less than a day before being deposited or reacting with other gases in the atmosphere. Therefore, the effects of emission reductions are visible quite shortly after they have taken place.

Surface ozone measurements at the Global Atmosphere Watch station of Monte Cimone, which dominates the Po Valley in northern Italy, show a decrease in March 2020, according to raw data. It is too early to draw firm conclusions on the significance of this for greenhouse gas concentrations, according to Italy’s Consiglio Nazionale delle Recerche. and the Institute of Atmospheric and Climatic Sciences.

Concentration of Particulate matter is also reduced. PM_2.5 is one of the most important air pollutants regarding health impacts according to the World Health Organization.

Source: WMO

Flash Flood Guidance System Saves Lives

20.03.2020

architecture — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Flash floods cause more than 5,000 deaths worldwide annually, exceeding any other flood-related event. They have enough power to change the course of rivers, bury houses in mud, and sweep away or destroy whatever is on their path.

They are among the world’s deadliest disasters and result in significant social, economic and environmental impacts. Accounting for approximately 85% of the flooding cases, flash floods also have the highest mortality rate.

As the global population increases, especially in urban areas, and societies continue to encroach upon floodplains, the need for flash flood early warning systems becomes more paramount.

In response to this need, the World Meteorological Organization, the U.S. National Weather Service, the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the Hydrologic Research Center formed a partnership in 2007 to develop and implement an early warning flash flood forecasting system (Flash Flood Guidance System – FFGS) for global application.

The Flash Flood Guidance System (or shortly – FFGS) is a forecaster’s tool designed to provide hydrological and meteorological forecasters with readily and accessible quality controlled precipitation estimates from weather radars and satellites, precipitation measurements (raingauges), forecast data from Numerical Weather Prediction models, and other information to produce timely and accurate flash flood warnings worldwide.

By the end of 2019, over 3 billion people in 67 countries are being provided early warnings of potential flash flooding through their National Meteorological and Hydrological Services working in concert with their National Disaster Management Agencies.

WMO has produced an animation explaining the challenges of flash floods and the benefits of the Flash Flood Guidance system as an important disaster management tool to save lives. This is now available in Arabic, French, Spanish and Russian.

Source: WMO

A Key Issue for Climate Change – What Passenger Cars Are Made Of

19.03.2020

ante-hamersmit-pwhKQrvLZAQ-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ante Hamersmit)

When you see a new car, you might think of the speed it can attain, the sound system on offer, the upholstery, or its range, if electric. But have you ever stopped to think about the greenhouse gas emissions created by its manufacture—including mining the metals and moulding the plastics that go into its construction?

In the transport sector, one way to reduce greenhouse gases is to use fewer and recycled materials—a process experts call “material efficiency”.

What is material efficiency?

Material efficiency means using less materials to provide the same level of well-being. It is measured by the amount of service obtained per unit of material use. Materials include biomass, cement, fossil fuels, metals, non-metallic minerals, plastics and wood.

Resource efficiency encompasses material efficiency, but is a broader term which includes materials, water, energy and land. The Global Resources Outlook 2019 of the International Resource Panel defines it as achieving higher outputs with lower inputs.

New report—new conclusions

The International Resource Panel was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of resources worldwide.

It recently published a new report titled Resource Efficiency and Climate Change: Material Efficiency Strategies for a Low-Carbon Future. Commissioned by the G7 countries, it shows that natural resource extraction and processing account for more than 90 per cent of global biodiversity loss and water stress, and around half of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report points to opportunities to reduce these impacts through material efficiencies in homes and cars.

Climate mitigation efforts have traditionally focused on enhancing energy efficiency and accelerating the transition to renewables. While this is still key, this report shows that material efficiency can also deliver big emission reductions in the production, use and disposal of cars.

Specifically, material efficiency strategies could reduce emissions from the material cycle of passenger cars in 2050 by up to 70 per cent in G7 countries, and 50 to 60 per cent in China and India. The largest savings would come from a change in patterns of vehicle use such as ride-sharing and car-sharing, and a shift towards more intensive use and trip-appropriate smaller cars.

“Material efficiency strategies will play an essential role, for example, by providing low-carbon mobility services. Zero-emission transport systems are part of the solution, but it’s critical to also consider the resources and materials used to produce those systems. The good news is that material efficiency strategies for cars are based on proven technologies available today.”

Recycling, and use over a longer period of time, are key: “In the G7, improvements in manufacturing yields, fabrication scrap use, and end-of-life recovery, can lead to savings of 37 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions from the material cycle of cars in 2050. Savings in China amount to 34 per cent and in India to 26 per cent. Lifetime extension of vehicles and increased reuse of parts in the G7 can lead to additional savings of 5 to 13 per cent in the G7, 14 per cent in China and 9 per cent in India,” says the report.

Emissions from production of materials growing fast

Emissions from the production of materials as a share of global greenhouse gases increased from 15 per cent in 1995 to 23 per cent in 2015, the report says. “This corresponds to the share of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and land use change combined, yet they have received much less attention,” it notes.

Material efficiency strategies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the material cycle of passenger cars in 2050 by 57–70 per cent in G7 countries, 29–62 per cent in China, and 39–53 per cent in India, says the report.

And such strategies for the manufacturing, operations, and end-of-life management of cars in the G7 could yield total greenhouse gas emission reductions of 30–40 per cent in 2050, says the report. Savings in China and India would be 20–35 per cent.

The report also points out that nationally determined contributions currently include limited commitments to material efficiency. They appear as explicit mitigation measures only in the nationally determined contributions of China, India, Japan and Turkey. Material efficiency can be advanced not only by broadening the scope of targets in these contributions but also by increasing the mitigation ambition, the report says.

The world must immediately begin delivering faster greenhouse gas emission cuts to keep global temperature rise to 1.5°C, says the November 2019 edition of the UNEP Emissions Gap Report.

To tackle global heating, we will need to use the full range of emission reduction options. And we need progress in all sectors: energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, transportation and buildings to meet this target.

Source: UNEP

The Deadline for Submitting Applications for the CNN Tech 2020 Conference Has Been Extended!

18.03.2020

project_writing_working_pisanje_projekta_rad — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

In accordance with the current decisions of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and in the belief that by the beginning of July the situation in the field of health in the world will be completely stabilized, the Organizing Committee of the CNN Tech 2020 conference continues with the online preparations.

International conference called “CNN Tech International Conference of Experimental and Numerical Investigation and New Technologies” will be held at Zlatibor in the period from the 30th of June to the 3rd of July 2020.

Due to the current state of the Republic of Serbia and the countries in the region, and the announcement of new applications from international institutions wishing to participate in the CNN TECH 2020 conference, the deadline for submitting applications for the CNN TECH 2020 conference has been extended to 04/15/2020.

CNN Tech International Conference of Experimental and Numerical Investigation and New Technologies

In addition to the members of the Organizing Committee, participants from the following institutions submitted their application for the conference:

1. Military Medicine Academy Named after S.M.Kirov, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

2. J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Slavonski Brod, Croatia

3. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Skopje, Macedonia

4. Faculty of Organizational Sciences University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

5. School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

6. Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy – Centre for Microelectronic Technology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

7. Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

8. Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies of the Technical University of Košice with a seat in Prešov, Prešov, Slovak Republic

9. Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin, Czech Republic

10. Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

More details about this conference can be found HERE.

“The time is always right to do what is right”, said Martin Luther King once. “And what is right at the moment is writing a paper for CNN Tech at your home”, the Innovation Center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering adds. Will you listen?

Not a Waste of Breath

18.03.2020

goran_colak — Photo: Private archive od Goran Colak

Although it is imposed on him, due to his job and career, to watch seas and oceans from a different perspective than most people and, therefore, he notices what is hidden on the dark bottom, the famous Croatian diver, Goran Colak believes that people around the world are aware of the amount of waste we are surrounded by. The recorder in free diving confirms that part of that waste has found its place on beaches that look different than thirty years ago.

Goran believes that the problem is underdeveloped people’s awareness of how alarming this situation is. “People don’t understand the real damage and danger of plastic and microplastic. Everyone is busy with primary survival, especially in countries like yours and mine, but still, it isn’t hard to refrain from throwing plastic bottles in the street or the sea. It requires no effort, just common sense.”

As an experienced diver who travels very often and dives in different parts of the world, Goran has a lot to say about the situation outside the Adriatic, which he finds extremely polluted, even more than the average tourist on the Adriatic coast can see. “Wherever I dived in the Adriatic, I was greeted by the sea. But the sea of bottles, bags, tires, wreckages, and boilers. Winds and sea currents bring additional, huge amounts of garbage from Albania, which linger in coves. When I was diving in Mljet, I was seeing that all the time. However, we are still clean compared to some economically less developed countries.”

Pollution, he says, knows no boundaries. “When you look at the planet from the orbital perspective, there are no boundaries, just one big closed ecosystem that we are all in together, whether you like it or not.” The absence of a waste separation culture is considered as a big problem, and it should be the first step in solving the problem of plastic waste.

Still, he believes there is a cure. “Small advances of individuals can make a huge difference. If each one of usrecycled his one waste or just disposed of it improperly, the situation would be much better.”

In focus:

It seems a bit pointless, Goran explained vividly, if “we clean and the others dump the garbage on the other side of the fence”, alluding to the need for everyone to participate in the fight against waste. The most logical order of work to solve this problem involves reducing the amount of waste which every person produces every person individually, then local units, state and governments, down to the global level.

Indeed, there are numerous inventions and actions that contribute to attempts to prevent the accumulation of waste around the world. Recently, a group of Dutch researchers introduced a cleaning project, which also enables the collection of microplastics and tried it out in the Pacific.

“The microplastics made up of the smallest particles, created by the decomposition of plastic, currently form an integral part of the living world in the sea. That’s where they get into us,” says this world-renowned freediver who joined the appeal of Split-based organisation Green Sail in June to send a clear message to his fellow citizens about the need for personal responsibility in waste management. It is crucial that we take immediate steps regarding using plastic while there is still time, says Goran.

In his opinion, information about these problems is not sufficiently represented, at least not in our society. Consequently, people are neither informed nor aware of the danger to a sufficient degree.

“By no means do we realise that all of this is our common problem, and as such, it concerns everyone, without exception. We need to be aware that we have to save ourselves alone because the planet can function without us since it goes through constant periods of renewal” warns Goran adding that all we need to do is be guided by common sense – we should ask ourselves where in our yard or house to dispose of waste that we will take care of later.

Prepared by: Jelena Cvetic

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine GRINNOVATIONS, December 2019 – February 2020.

EBRD Unveils €1 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Financing Package

16.03.2020

The EBRD has unveiled an emergency €1 billion “Solidarity Package” of measures to help companies across its regions deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is an initial response to the crisis and the Bank stands ready to do more if and when needed.

The proposals were approved today by shareholders of the Bank which invests to support the development especially of the private sector across 38 emerging economies.

Under the emergency programme, the EBRD will set up a “resilience framework” to provide financing for existing EBRD clients with strong business fundamentals experiencing temporary credit difficulties.

Commenting on the EBRD’s response to the global health crisis, EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti said, “The COVID‐19 pandemic and its economic consequences present an unprecedented challenge to the EBRD and its countries of operations.”

He added, “To respond in solidarity with its shareholders, countries of operations, partners and clients, the Bank has today established a resilience framework comprising €1 billion of new and additional funding for existing clients, comprising emergency liquidity, working capital and trade finance. This is a first step. The Bank stands ready to further scale up its response, and is taking active and urgent steps to review, adjust and expand its financing instruments, in partnership with its countries of operations, partner IFIs and the international community.”

The planned measures will include an expansion of trade finance and the provision of short-term finance of up to two years through financial institutions, specifically in support of small and medium sized enterprises.

The Bank will seek to provide short-term working capital facilities of up to two years for other corporates and energy developers and balance sheet restructuring and short term liquidity support for municipal, energy and infrastructure clients.

It will assess the need to restructure existing loans, including the possibility of extending maturities and changing other conditions and use its ability to disburse in local currency, including the possible conversion of existing facilities into local currency.

The response will put a premium on providing a rapid response to the needs of companies that are suffering from the effects of the Coronavirus and the global economic turmoil that has ensued.

In formulating its own response, the EBRD is closely following the statements of its major shareholders and coordinating with other multilateral development banks in order to exchange ideas and learn from previous experiences.

This EBRD’s package of emergency measures comes as the Bank is already pledging strong support generally for its existing countries of operations and follows a record level of investment of €10.1 billion in 2019.

The EBRD’s economists are expecting economic output to be affected right across its regions of operations, with growth seen slowing especially in Central Asia and also in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Russia and south eastern Europe.

Countries that are highly integrated into global supply chains, and in particular have direct dependencies on China and Europe, are likely to suffer most from the virus. The tourism industry is likely to be affected in many of the EBRD’s countries.

The recent slump in oil prices will have also an impact on oil producing countries in the EBRD regions and the flow of remittances from workers back to their home countries is also expected to slow.

Source: EBRD

Keravan Energia Invests in Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction

16.03.2020

KPA Unicon - Keravan Energia — Photo: KPA Union

KPA Unicon and Keravan Lämpövoima Oy, a subsidiary of Keravan Energia and an operator of a bio-power plant, have signed a contract for Unicon Condenser, which will significantly improve energy efficiency of the existing 80 MW bio-power plant and reduce emissions from the power plant. The flue gas condenser and its auxiliaries will be installed in late 2020 and the project will be handed over in the spring of 2021.

In addition to the flue gas condenser of the most advances technology the delivery includes process equipment building, new stack, emission measurement equipment and water treatment plant. The flue gas condenser recovers waste heat from flue gases and clears flue gases from pollutants such as particulate and sulphur emissions.

Although the bio-power plant in Kerava, Finland already utilizes renewable, carbon-neutral fuels in the form of various wood biomasses, this investment in waste heat recovery will reduce the amount of biomass burned at the power plant and thus reduce the environmental impact of energy production and bring savings to the plant’s economy. The production costs are also reduced by utilization of condensate from flue gas condenser for the power plant’s make-up water production, which will reduce the consumption of raw water at power generation.

“The procurement of the flue gas condenser is one step towards our strategy of zero CO2 emissions in energy production. We invest in domestic renewable fuels, and we are determined to eliminate fossil fuels – natural gas and peat. We are also investigating other options for waste heat recovery,” says Jussi Lehto, Managing Director of Keravan Energia.

“The flue gas condenser in Kerava bio-power plant is a fine example of an energy efficiency investment made possible by modern technology that saves both our living environment and money. As a result of the new flue gas condenser, flue gases from the bio-power plant formerly above 100 °C will be condensed to about 50 °C, utilizing waste heat for district heat production. At the same time, ash and other residues will be washed away from flue gases. The flue gas condenser is also an investment in the clean environment of Kerava,” says Teemu Koskela, Executive Vice President of KPA Unicon.

About Keravan Energia

Keravan Energia is a Finnish energy company established in 1906 and operating throughout Finland. In addition to electricity and heat, our range includes solar panel and electronic traffic solutions. We invest in a diverse energy mix; we use domestic renewable biofuel in our production, we have
invested in wind and solar power and we are involved in nuclear projects. In 2019, the Group had a turnover of approximately EUR 65.5 million. The number of employees is 73. www.keravanenergia.fi

About KPA Union

KPA Unicon is a Finnish family-owned company, which has been a strong advocate of clean, renewable energy since 1990. KPA Unicon creates and implements clean energy solutions around the world. It renews existing production systems with technologies utilizing renewable energy sources and
equips energy producers with innovative digital tools. The company aims to lead the debate on clean energy, and to take initiatives that produce value to its partners. The company’s headquarter is in Pieksämäki, Finland and it employs approximately 250 energy professionals in eight different countries. www.kpaunicon.com

Source: KPA Union

Member States Must Cut Emissions Across All Sectors to Achieve EU Climate Targets

15.03.2020

traffic_ham_saobraćajna_gužva — Photo-illustration: Unspalsh (Max Titov)

Emission cuts in the European Union’s (EU) Effort Sharing sectors need to accelerate considerably from 2018 onwards to achieve the current EU 2030 targets, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published recently. In particular, the large amount of emission reductions from planned measures in the transport sector need to materialise through concrete actions.

The EEA briefing ‘National action across all sectors needed to reach greenhouse gas Effort Sharing targets’ analyses EU Member States’ historic and projected emissions that are not included under the EU Emissions Trading System.

According to the EEA briefing, EU Member States and the United Kingdom (UK) have reduced greenhouse gas emissions in Effort Sharing sectors by 11 % from 2005 to 2018. If Member States and the UK were to fully implement their existing and planned policies and measures, as reported under the Monitoring Mechanism Regulation in March 2019, the Effort Sharing emissions could further decrease by 2030 to a level 27 % below that of 2005. Nonetheless, the annual pace of emission cuts needs to nearly double from 2018 onward, in order to achieve the EU Effort Sharing target of 30 % reduction from 2005 to to 2030. The effort sharing target is part of the EU’s commitment of reducing all greenhouse gas emissions at least by 40 % from 1990 to 2030.

Heating and cooling in residential and commercial buildings delivered about half of the reductions in Effort Sharing emissions from 2005 to 2018. Improving energy efficiency and switching to cleaner heating and cooling fuels, including renewable energy sources, helped make these cuts, the EEA briefing states. Emission reductions in this sector are expected to continue.

Conversely, transport and agriculture sectors delivered very limited emission cuts between 2005 and 2018. Transport and agriculture cover together about half of all Effort Sharing emissions. Transport emissions have increased every year since 2014 due to a growing demand for passenger and freight transport.

Member States expect large future reductions in transport emissions, but these reductions mostly rely on measures that are still to be adopted and fully implemented. Worryingly, current projections indicate that EU Member States plan rather low reductions in emissions from the agriculture sector by 2030.

Continued monitoring and evaluation of effects of emission reduction measures is clearly needed. This will help identify the most effective measures to achieve climate neutrality in the EU.

About the briefing

The new EEA briefing builds on the Agency’s recent Trends and Projections report, which assesses progress towards the EU’s climate and energy targets, and a briefing on national policies and measures for climate change mitigation.

The findings are based on preliminary estimates of greenhouse gas emissions for 2018 and historic and projected greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a database of policies and measures that Member States reported to the EEA in March 2019 under the Monitoring Mechanism Regulation. The work also relies on the results of two detailed assessments of trends in the Effort Sharing sectors carried out by the European Topic Centre (ETC) for the EEA in 2017 and 2018.

Source: EEA

Global Light Pollution Is Affecting Ecosystems – What Can We Do?

14.03.2020

street_light_ulična_rasveta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

For hundreds of millions of years, the web of life on land has been dependent on, and determined by, day and night, light and dark. Photosynthesis, the process by which plants grow, depends on light and dark. And all animals depend on plants for their survival.

One of the less frequently reported impacts of human activity on the environment is the presence of artificial light. Lighting disrupts photosynthesis and the activities of insects, birds and other animals.

A recent study, Light pollution is a driver of insect declines, says habitat loss, pesticide use, invasive species and climate change have all played a role in insect declines globally, but that artificial light at night is another important—but often overlooked—cause.

The light affects insect movement, foraging, reproduction and predation, says the study which, however, suggests that insect biodiversity loss can be mitigated with better informed lighting practices.

“Artificial light at night is unique among anthropogenic habitat disturbances in that it is fairly easy to ameliorate and leaves behind no residual effects. Greater recognition of the ways in which [artificial light at night] affects insects can help conservationists reduce or eliminate one of the major drivers of insect declines,“ it says.

With artificial light increasing by around 2 per cent per year globally, light pollution has become a pertinent issue.

At the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals thirteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties (CMS COP13) which took place in Gandhinagar, India from 17 to 22 February 2020, delegates considered the topic for the first time following draft resolutions submitted independently by the European Union and Australia.

Artificial light not only impacts insects. Turtles, seabirds and shorebirds, and ecosystems at large, are being affected.

Artificial light at night can disorientate adult and hatchling sea turtles, so they are unable to find the ocean. Birds are also known to become disorientated by lights, resulting in higher bird mortality due to collisions with artificial structures such as buildings. Migratory shorebirds may be exposed to increased predation where lighting makes them visible. They may also abandon preferable roosting sites to avoid lights.

Managing the impact of artificial light

New proposed guidelines drafted by the Government of Australia provide a framework for assessing and managing the impact of artificial light on susceptible wildlife, including migratory species. For example, they consider wildlife-friendly lighting design and the management of light sources near protected wildlife.

The guidelines recognize the potential of conflicting requirements for wildlife conservation and human safety and the need for a balance between the two.

To prevent harm to migratory species, the guidelines propose a multi-step approach. If artificial light is visible outside, best practice light design should be applied so as not to impact nearby habitats of threatened species. An environmental impact assessment should consider negative effects before artificial light sources are installed.

Nature-based solutions offer the best way to achieve human well-being, tackle climate change and protect our living planet. Yet nature is in crisis, as we are losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history and one million species face extinction. In addition to important moments for decision makers, including the COP 15 on Biodiversity, the 2020 “super year” is a major opportunity to bring nature back from the brink. The future of humanity depends on action now.

Source: UNEP

Citizen Science Projects on Air Quality Produce Useful Information and Raise Public Awareness

14.03.2020

zagađenje_vazduha_brod_air_pollution_ship — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Air pollution is the biggest environmental health threat in Europe and more and more people are taking action to claim their right to clean air. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) report provides an overview of low-cost devices that citizens and NGOs can use to measure local air quality.

The EEA report ‘Assessing air quality through citizen science’ presents successful examples of using simple low-cost devices to measure local air pollution levels. The report also briefly explains how these devices work, summarises their reliability, and highlights the potential of such devices to address questions about air quality.

The EEA report shows that citizen science initiatives can produce useful information about local air quality. Such information can be used, for example, to improve official air quality models used to estimate pollution levels and identify suitable actions to improve air quality. The initiatives often also help to raise public awareness of air quality problems, which can lead to stronger public measures to address the issue or changes in personal behaviour, such as switching from driving to walking or cycling.

However, the various types of measuring devices each have different benefits and disadvantages and users should be aware of their limitations, the EEA report cautions. Although some devices are relatively reliable, low-costs sensors can for example, be sensitive to weather conditions or lack the capacity to measure very high or very low pollutant concentrations.

In the near future, the increasing number of citizen science initiatives focused on air pollution, coupled with new data digitalisation approaches, may represent a paradigm shift in the way that air quality is monitored, the EEA report states. A large network of low-cost sensors, combined with statistical analysis or machine learning, could complement the quality of the current official data and provide new pathways to obtain accurate, real-time information.

Background

The EU Air Quality Directives require every Member State to establish a network of air quality monitoring stations in accordance with a set of criteria. These criteria specify both technical requirements for instruments and the types of locations where stations should be situated, including at traffic, industrial, urban, suburban and rural sites. These provisions aim to ensure that measurements are representative for a defined area and ensure the delivery of harmonised, comparable air quality data across Europe.

Although emissions of air pollutants have decreased substantially in Europe over recent decades, poor air quality continues to harm human health and the environment. Poor air quality causes an estimated 400 000 premature deaths in Europe every year and a significant proportion of Europe’s population lives in areas where air pollution poses risks to health. This is especially true for cities, where exposure to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution poses health risks.

The European Air Quality Index allows users to understand more about air quality where they live, work or travel. Displaying up-to-date information for Europe, users can gain insights into the air quality in individual countries, regions and cities.

Source: EEA

Signs and Impacts of Climate Change in Atmosphere, Land and Oceans Are Rising

12.03.2020

drought_suša — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The tell-tale physical signs of climate change such as increasing land and ocean heat, accelerating sea level rise and melting ice are highlighted in a new report compiled by the World Meteorological Organization and an extensive network of partners. It documents impacts of weather and climate events on socio-economic development, human health, migration and displacement, food security and land and marine ecosystems.

The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019 includes input from national meteorological and hydrological services, leading international experts, scientific institutions and United Nations agencies. The flagship report provides authoritative information for policy makers on the need for Climate Action.

The report confirms information in a provisional statement issued at the UN Climate Change Conference in December that 2019 was the second warmest year in the instrumental record. 2015-2019 are the five warmest years on record, and 2010-2019 the warmest decade on record. Since the 1980s, each successive decade has been warmer than any preceding decade since 1850.

2019 ended with a global average temperature of 1.1°C above estimated pre-industrial levels, second only to the record set in 2016, when a very strong El Niño event contributed to an increased global mean temperature atop the overall warming trend.

“We are currently way off track to meeting either the 1.5°C or 2°C targets that the Paris Agreement calls for,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a foreword.

“This report outlines the latest science and illustrates the urgency for far-reaching climate action. It brings together data from across the fields of climate science and lists the potential future impacts of climate change – from health and economic consequences to decreased food security and increased displacement,” he said.

The report will be launched at a press conference given by the UN Secretary-General and WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas at UN headquarters on 10 March.

“Given that greenhouse gas levels continue to increase, the warming will continue. A recent decadal forecast indicates that a new annual global temperature record is likely in the next five years. It is a matter of time,” said WMO Secretary-General Taalas.

“We just had the warmest January on record. Winter was unseasonably mild in many parts of the northern hemisphere. Smoke and pollutants from damaging fires in Australia circumnavigated the globe, causing a spike in CO2 emissions. Reported record temperatures in Antarctica were accompanied by large-scale ice melt and the fracturing of a glacier which will have repercussions for sea level rise,” said Mr Taalas.

“Temperature is one indicator of ongoing climate change. Changes in the global distribution of rainfall have had a major impact on several countries. Sea levels are rising at an increasing pace, largely due to the thermal expansion of sea water as well as melting of the largest glaciers, like in Greenland and Antarctica. This is exposing coastal areas and islands to a greater risk of flooding and the submersion of low-lying areas,” said Mr Taalas.

Climate indicators

Greenhouse Gases

A preliminary projection of global fossil CO₂ emissions using data from the first three quarters of 2019, suggests that emissions would grow +0.6% in 2019 (with a range of -0.2% to +1.5%).

Oceans

Marine heatwaves

More than 90% of the excess energy accumulating in the climate system as a result of increased concentrations of greenhouse gases goes into the ocean. In 2019, ocean heat content down to a depth of 2 kilometres exceeded the previous record highs set in 2018.

Ocean warming has widespread impacts on the climate system and contributes more than 30% of sea level rise through thermal expansion of sea water. It is altering ocean currents and indirectly altering storm tracks and melting floating ice shelves. Together with ocean acidification and deoxygenation, ocean warming can lead to dramatic changes in marine ecosystems.

In 2019, the ocean experienced on average nearly 2 months of unusually warm temperatures. At least 84% of the ocean experienced at least one marine heatwave.

Ocean Acidification: In the decade 2009-2018, the ocean absorbed around 23% of annual CO₂ emissions, cushioning the impacts of climate change but increasing ocean acidity. The change of pH reduces the ability of marine organisms such as mussels, crustacean and corals to calcify, affecting marine life, growth and reproduction.

Ocean Deoxygenation: both observations and models indicate that oxygen is declining in the open and coastal oceans, including estuaries and semi-enclosed seas. Since the middle of the last century, there has been an estimated 1%–2% decrease (77 billion–145 billion tons) in the global ocean oxygen inventory.

Marine Ecosystems: Deoxygenation alongside ocean warming and acidification is now seen as a major threat to ocean ecosystems and the wellbeing of people that depend on them. Coral reefs are projected to decline to 10%-30% of former cover at 1.5°C warming, and to less than 1% at 2°C warming.

Sea level has risen throughout the satellite altimetery record (since 1993), but the rate has increased over that time, mainly due to melting of ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica. In 2019, the global mean sea level reached its highest value on the record.

Ice: The continued long-term decline of Arctic sea ice was confirmed in 2019. The September monthly average extent (usually the lowest of the year) was the third lowest on record with the daily minimum extent tied for second lowest.

Until 2016, Antarctic sea ice extent had shown a small long-term increase. In late 2016 this was interrupted by a sudden drop in extent to extreme low values. Since then, Antarctic sea-ice extent has remained at relatively low levels.

The Greenland ice sheet has recorded nine of the 10 lowest surface mass balance years in the last 13 years. And 2019 was the 7^th lowest on record. In terms of total mass balance. Greenland lost about 260 Gt of ice per year over the period 2002-2016, with a maximum of 458 Gt in 2011/12. The loss in 2019 was 329 Gt, well above the average.

Glaciers: Preliminary results from the World Glacier Monitoring Service indicate that 2018/19 was the 32nd consecutive year of negative mass balance for selected reference glaciers. Eight out of the ten most negative mass balance years were recorded since 2010.

Climate-related Impacts

The report devotes an extensive section to weather and climate impacts on human health, food security, migration, ecosystems and marine life. This is based on input from a wide variety of United Nations partners.

Health

Extreme heat conditions are taking an increasing toll on human health and health systems.

In 2019, record-setting high temperatures from Australia, India, Japan, and Europe negatively affected health and well-being. In Japan, a major heat wave event resulted in over 100 deaths and an additional 18 000 hospitalizations. In France over 20 000 emergency room were recorded for heat-related illnesses between June and mid-September and during two major summer heatwaves, there were a total of 1 462 excess deaths in the affected regions.

Changes in climatic conditions since 1950 are making it easier for the Aedes mosquito species to transmit dengue virus, increasing the risk of the occurrence of disease. In parallel, the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades, and about half of the world population is now at risk of infection. In 2019, the world experienced a large increase in dengue cases.

Food Security

Climate variability and extreme weather events are among the key drivers of the recent rise in global hunger and one of the leading causes of severe crises. After a decade of steady decline, hunger is on the rise again – over 820 million people suffered from hunger in 2018. Among 33 countries affected by food crises in 2018, climate variability and weather extremes a compounding driver together with economic shocks and conflict in 26 countries and the leading driver in 12 of the 26. In light of this, the global community faces an enormous challenge to meet the Zero Hunger target of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The food security situation deteriorated markedly in 2019 in some countries of the Greater Horn of Africa due to climate extremes, displacement, conflict and violence. By late 2019, about 22.2 million people, (6.7 million in Ethiopia, 3.1 million in Kenya, 2.1 million in Somalia, 4.5 million in South Sudan, 5.8 million in the Sudan) were estimated to be severely food insecure, only slightly lower than during the severe and prolonged drought in 2016-17.

There was exceptional dryness in March and much of April followed by unusually heavy rainfall and floods in October-December. The unusually heavy precipitation in late 2019 was also a factor in the severe desert locust outbreak in the Horn of Africa region – the worst in over 25 years, and the most serious in 70 years for Kenya. This is expected to spread further by June 2020 in a severe threat to food security.

Displacement

More than 6.7 million new internal disaster displacements were recorded between January and June 2019, triggered by hydrometeorological events such as Cyclone Idai in Southeast Africa, Cyclone Fani in South Asia, Hurricane Dorian in the Caribbean, and flooding in Iran, the Philippines and Ethiopia. This number was forecast to reach close to 22 million in 2019, up from 17.2 million in 2018. Of all natural hazards, floods and storms contributed most to displacement.

High impact events

Floods

More than 2 200 lives were reported to have been lost in various flooding episodes in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar during the monsoon season, which started late but finished with rainfall totals above the long-term average.

The 12-month rainfall averaged over the contiguous United States for the period for July 2018 to June 2019 (962 mm) was the highest on record. Total economic losses from flooding in the United States in 2019 were estimated at US$20 billion.

Very wet conditions affected parts of South America in January. There was major flooding in northern Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil, with losses in Argentina and Uruguay estimated at US$2.5 billion.

The Islamic Republic of Iran was badly affected by flooding in late March and early April. Major flooding affected many hitherto drought-affected parts of east Africa in October and early November.

Drought

Drought affected many parts of southeast Asia and Australia, which had its driest year on record, influenced by the strong positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole.

Southern Africa, Central America and parts of South America received abnormally low precipitation amounts.

Heatwaves

Australia finished the year where it started: with extreme heat. The 2018-2019 summer was the hottest on record, as was December. Australia’s hottest area-averaged day on record (41.9°C ) was on 18 December. Australia’s seven hottest days on record, and nine of the 10 hottest, occurred in 2019.

Two major heatwaves occurred in Europe in late June and late July. In France, a national record of 46.0°C (1.9°C above the previous record) was set on 28 June at Vérargues. National records were also set in Germany (42.6°C), the Netherlands (40.7°C), Belgium (41.8°C), Luxembourg (40.8°C) and the United Kingdom (38.7°C), with the heat also extending into the Nordic countries, where Helsinki had its highest temperature on record (33.2°C on 28 July).

Wildfires

It was an above-average fire year in several high-latitude regions, including Siberia (Russian Federation) and Alaska (US), with fire activity occurring in some parts of the Arctic where it was previously extremely rare.

The severe drought in Indonesia and neighbouring countries led to the most significant fire season since 2015. The number of reported fires in Brazil’s Amazonia region was only slightly above the 10-year average, but total fire activity in South America was the highest since 2010, with Bolivia and Venezuela among the countries with particularly active fire years.

Australia experienced an exceptionally prolonged and severe fire season in the later part of 2019 with repeated major outbreaks which continued into January 2020. As of early 2020, 33 deaths had been reported and over 2000 properties had been lost, while a total of about 7 million hectares had been burnt in New South Wales and Victoria.

Daily total wildfire CO₂ emissions generally followed the 2003-2018 average, according to the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service ECMWF Global Fire Assimilation System dataset. The largest increases above the 17-year mean in July, August, September and the end of December corresponding to the peak activity of wildfires in the Arctic/Siberia, Indonesia and Australia respectively.

Tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone activity globally in 2019 was above average. The Northern Hemisphere had 72 tropical cyclones. The 2018-19 Southern Hemisphere season was also above average, with 27 cyclones.

Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique on 15 March as one of the strongest known on the east coast of Africa, resulting in many casualties and widespread devastation. Idai contributed to the complete destruction of close to 780 000 ha of crops in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, further undermining a precarious food security situation in the region. The cyclone also resulted in at least 50 905 displaced persons in Zimbabwe, 53 237 in southern Malawi and 77 019 in Mozambique.

One of the year’s most intense tropical cyclones was Dorian, which made landfall with category 5 intensity in the Bahamas. The destruction was worsened as it was exceptionally slow-moving and remained near-stationary for about 24 hours.

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall west of Tokyo on 12 October, causing severe flooding.

Source: WMO

A Future in Recycling: From Street Waste Collector to Entrepreneur

12.03.2020

Young people on parts of the African continent sometimes turn to waste management as an ad hoc or extra job to make small money when they are struggling with unemployment, but often opportunities are scarce to learn how to grow in this sector and turn it into real business.

Here’s an example from South African where supporting an entrepreneur pays off.

Tshepo Mazubuko, a young person from a Johannesburg suburb, started his business from scratch to build a recycling company that is today employing 17 people and engaging over 800 waste collectors, most of them women from poor communities.

“I learned business in the street. After four years of unemployment, I decided to join waste collectors,” says Mazubuko. “I had to support myself and my family. At the beginning, I was making 200 to 300 rands (13 to 19 US$). It was not enough, but I knew that there was a lot of potential in what I was doing.”

Starting was not easy for Mazubuko.

“I was proud and happy with my first bag from the waste, but it turned out that it was full of rubbish without value,” Mazubuko confesses with a large smile on his face. “I had to learn how to differentiate between rubbish and waste to make money.”

After joining trolley pullers—street waste collectors—he quickly realized that more opportunities abound.

Mazubuko quickly saw the potential in waste and decided to start his business by building a small company to recycle plastic.

“At the beginning, I proposed to my colleagues who were collecting waste that I could help them with transport. They supported me and that was when I decided to buy a truck,” says Mazubuko proudly.

That was Mazubuko’s first step into real business.

Mazubuko then went and procured a small area that his stepfather used to own for producing bricks. He proposed the idea to his wife who supported him. Together, they took a loan to buy the plot. There was nothing on it. They bought few machines and started recycling plastic waste and created their company.

Today, KI Recycling Company employs 17 staff and engages over 800 waste collectors. The company received support from Switch Africa Green, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-European Union project, as well as the Government of South Africa.

Switch Africa Green helps medium, small and micro enterprises in South Africa and other countries in the region to achieve sustainable development by assisting the transition towards an inclusive green economy and sustainable consumption patterns and practices.

“The transition to a green economy requires actions and significant technological, behavioural and systemic change in all levels of the society including citizens, public and private sectors,” says Patrick Mwesigye, UNEP Africa Office Regional Coordinator on Resource Efficiency. “We have seen more radical innovations come from the micro, small and medium enterprises. These enterprises play a key role in the transition to green economies and sustainable development. As UNEP, we support these enterprises in creating business models that are not only economically profitable but also boost environmental and social inclusiveness.”

Waste is processed and turned into plastic pellets that the company exports to other neighbouring countries such as Mozambique and Botswana. The plastic pellets are used to produce water pipes and other products such as plastic chairs.

“Switch Africa Green helped me to learn how to improve my business and grow. It supported me with networking and connected me to other businesses,” explains Mazubuko. “Switch Africa Green widened my horizon and opened my eyes to the real potential in this sector.”

The segregation of waste is time-consuming and costly. After participating in various trainings that were supported by Switch Africa Green, Mazubuko decided to organize his business to make it more focused. He learned that he had to outsource a number of activities that his company couldn’t handle in an efficient way. He decided to outsource waste collection which ensures the waste collectors get more involved in the business. It also makes them happy.

Waste collectors don’t only collect and sell waste but also segregate it to make it easy for processing. By outsourcing these activities, KI Recycling managed to cut on costs and created other parallel businesses for other people from poor communities.

As the business grew, Mazubuko had to think out of the box and encourage householders to segregate the waste they generate. The company created incentives, as Mazubuko realized that people engage in waste segregation if they see the value in doing it.

KI Recycling partnered with others, such as supermarkets, to create a simple system to buy waste from consumers, an initiative dubbed Packa-Ching.

Packa-Ching is a mobile buy-back centre that travels into communities to purchase recyclable materials. Households are paid for materials onto a cell phone (e-wallet) which they can use to purchase airtime, withdraw cash, transfer money or pay at participating shops. Each type of waste is evaluated and bought at a different price.

Pointing to a young man training two new young staff on how to use a newly acquired system for purchasing waste, Mazubuko explains. “He is our engineer, training our colleagues here on how to use Packa-Ching system and make sure waste is well segregated and households are paid the right price for their waste.”

About Switch Africa Green

The SWITCH Africa Green programme supports seven African countries—Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda—to achieve sustainable development by engaging in transition towards an inclusive green economy based on sustainable consumption and production patterns. It aims to turn environmental challenges into opportunities based on the understanding that an inclusive green economy is at the core of sustainable development and has multiple benefits next to environmental protection, notably growth and jobs creation, poverty reduction, economic diversification and income generation. The programme focuses on key enablers for the transition, including access to green financing, enabling policies and standards, circular practices, awareness and skills on eco-entrepreneurship, and innovative solutions.

SWITCH Africa Green is developed and funded by the European Commission and implemented by UNEP. Project partners include United Nations agencies, notably the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Office for Project Services, One Planet network and the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The main governmental partners are the relevant ministries (environment, industry, agriculture, tourism, economy and finance) as well as national environmental protection or management agencies and authorities.

Source: UNEP

Investments in Better Living Conditions and Sustainable Solutions

11.03.2020

KfW is a financial institution for domestic business, namely in Germany, but also for countries in the processes of development and transition. In addition to its headquarter in Frankfurt, it has regional offices in almost 70 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South-East Europe. KfW Development Bank acts on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is responsible for Germany’s so-called “Financial-Cooperation” activities within the area of development cooperation. We talked with Arne Gooss, the director of the KfW office in Serbia, about their investments, which now have reached almost EUR 2 billion, about ongoing Programme for entrepreneurship and self-employment promotion, about the outcome of activities taken for energy efficiency improvement as well as about other issues.

EP: What is KfW’s geographical scope and who exactly might be supported by KfW in this region?

Photo: From private arhive of Arne Gooss

Arne Gooss: Our main focus in Serbia is its preparation for a future EU-accession and to help Serbia meet the targets of the acquis communautaire especially in the sectors of energy, water supply and disposal, waste management and environment. Besides this, we also promote sustainable economic development by providing credit lines for micro, small and medium-sized companies and municipalities. The choice of companies that could be supported by KfW depends on local needs and the general conditions in place. KfW Development Bank finances investments and reform programs that create better living conditions for the population and offer sustainable and climate-friendly solutions.

When we speak about Serbia, it can be differentiated between activities in the public and the private sector. For instance, in the public sector, we are active in the areas of energy and environment, which includes projects for energy efficiency, renewable energies, water supply and sanitation, as well as waste management and biodiversity. With our activities in the private sector, we aim to reach small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and businesses with a positive social and environmental impact through which Serbia’s society as a whole can benefit.

EP: When the KfW programme of emergency support was launched in November 2000, aimed at the energy import and spare parts procurement, its budget was 70 million euros. It was all spent to provide stable electricity supply. It was almost 20 years ago. Are you familiar with what was the situation in the energy sector back then, especially in the aftermath of 1999?

Arne Gooss: The critical situation in post-war Serbia was the initial reason for German engagement in the energy sector, so we remember the situation very well. The Serbian energy sector was facing significant deficiencies in electricity supply after 1999, and the Serbian coal sector dropped from one of the most modern in the region at the end of the eighties, dramatically in the late nineties. With the KfW Emergency Aid Energy and Untied Financial Loan Energy programmes a contribution was made to stabilising the political and social climate and power supply in Serbia, the latter largely benefiting private users but also industry and trade. Both programmes were designed to support the new pro-reform government. At programme appraisal in 2000/01, Serbia was in a complicated process of political change. Regular and protracted load sheddings in the power sector seriously affected the conditions of life. Both programmes contributed to remedying this core problem. At programme appraisal, the Serbian government had a clear and understandable interest in stabilising the power sector.

Besides our efforts, the Stability Pact for the Balkans accompanied by an aid programme being established on a Conference of Foreign Ministers convened by the EU on the initiative of the German government came into force in June 1999. Today Serbia is still aware of the sizeable economic importance of the energy sector and is continuing with its effective development to meet the EU acquis. While these and other earlier projects were aimed at ensuring a stable electricity supply, more recent projects have focused on making the energy sector more environmentally and climate-friendly by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

In focus:

EP: The investment in Serbia by KfW reached 1.9 billion euros. What sectors are chosen to invest in, and why is it important to help small business to expand too? What kind of companies has the priority for financing?

Arne Gooss: From the total investment amount of roughly EUR 1,9 billion that KfW Development Bank invested in Serbia since 2000, around EUR 1,3 billion EUR went to projects in the public sector and EUR 600 million in the private sector. As I mentioned before, in the public sector our work concentrates on energy and energy efficiency with a focus on renewable energy in wind and hydropower, as well as sustainable infrastructure, particularly in water supply and sanitation, wastewater, solid waste and biodiversity. In the private sector, we concentrate on loans for SMEs and municipalities. SMEs are of particular importance to us because they represent the backbone of the Serbian economy. SMEs in Serbia employ more than 66% of all employees and represent more than 99% of all economic entities in Serbia. In particular, KfW Development Bank aims to introduce new products in the financial market and to help SMEs to achieve easier access to these products. For this reason, SMEs have the priority for financing.

As you might know, in 2000, SMEs had limited access to loans. Private individuals with a low or medium income had almost no access to financial services. To solve this problem, KfW Development Bank, ProCredit Holding, Commerzbank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Dutch Development Bank FMO conjointly founded ProCredit Bank of Serbia. Also, together with the most important donors in Southeast Europe, KfW Development Bank established the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) in 2005. EFSE successfully activated private investment intending to increase the scope of loans for SMEs in Southeast Europe. By the end of 2017, its loan portfolio equalled EUR 131.4 million for more than 100,000 small enterprises. The way of financing SME today through KfW Development in Serbia is in place since 2007.

Our most recent program in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia represented by Public Investement Management Office and the Ministry of Economy as well as the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) is the Programme for entrepreneurship and self-employment promotion (PESEP). This program aims to make a continuous contribution to the development of a sustainable entrepreneurial culture in Serbia, to increase the competitiveness of the Republic of Serbia and to build an economy based on entrepreneurial spirit. By implementing this program, the Republic of Serbia seeks to encourage citizens, especially young people, to think in an entrepreneurial way, as well as to help them to set up their companies to a greater extent. The emphasis is on strengthening local and regional initiatives that should deliver the most immediate results and contribute to the growth of economic success, job creation and retention of young people in the Republic of Serbia.

EP: Recently, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources have come into the KfW’s focus. The result should be a more environmentally friendly energy sector. How far have you gone with the plan of the rehabilitation of hydropower plants in Serbia?

Arne Gooss: For reaching the goal of a more environmentally friendly energy sector, we are active in energy efficiency, where we work closely with the Ministry of Mining and Energy (MoME) and the Office for Public Investment (PIMO). In the field of RES, we see the reconstruction of ecologically friendly hydropower plants as one key component of sustainable energy generation. The rehabilitation of the hydropower plants Bajina Basta and Zvornik, financed by favourable loans of EUR 100 million, was one of the first projects in the area of renewable energy resources. The Bajina Basta and Zvornik hydropower plants were built in 1968 and 1955 and have exceeded their economic and technical life. Without extensive refurbishment and modernisation the two hydropower plants’ electro-mechanical units would suffer from serious malfunction. The project includes the rehabilitation of the turbines and the modernisation of the electro-mechanical equipment in both hydropower plants. The Bajina Basta and Zvornik projects have increased their capacity by 15 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. In total, 460 MW of installed capacity have been rehabilitated, and 77 MW of power were additionally commissioned. This way, we increased the efficiency of production from RES. Also, the turbines have been overhauled in both power plants, and their service life has been extended by 30-40 years. The continued operation of the power plants avoids CO₂ emissions of around 1.9 million tons per year (compared to electricity production in a coal-fired power plant).

EP: In cooperation with the EBRD, KfW financed the introduction of a coal quality management system in Serbia’s largest mining area Kolubara. We are at the moment in the middle of the crisis concerning air pollution. As it seems, and official monitoring review confirms it, the majority (especially when it comes to PM10 and PM2,5) of it comes from thermal plants. How much will that novel system reduce CO2 emissions?

Arne Gooss: In the field of electricity production, KfW, in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), participated in financing the introduction of a coal quality management system in Serbia’s largest mining area Kolubara. There is a great need for an environmentally friendly coal quality management system that significantly reduces CO2 emissions. With the introduction of an open-pit coal quality management system in the western part of the Kolubara mining basin, coal-fired power plants should receive a uniform coal quality for energy production. The total cost of the project is EUR 182 million, with EUR 74 million from KfW and co-financing from EBRD with EUR 80 million and EPS with EUR 28 million. The project enables a more efficient and cleaner energy production and reduces CO₂ emissions by approx. 700,000 tons per year, SO₂ emissions by approx. 3,800 tons per year and NOX emissions by approx. 800 tons per year. Besides, the more efficient coal quality management will save EPS EUR 25 million annually, so it will save not only a notable amount of greenhouse gases and pollutants, but also costs.

Interview by: Tamara Zjacic

Read the whole article in the new issue of Energy portal Magazine GRINNOVATIONS, December 2019 – February 2020.

Europe Has Warmest Winter on Record

11.03.2020

spring_proleće — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Biegun Wshodni)

The past winter was by far the warmest on record for Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF. It was the second warmest February, both globally and for Europe.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Sasha Sashina)

From December 2019 to February 2020, there was persistent mild weather over Europe, particularly in the north and east. The average temperature was almost 1.4°C higher than that of the previous warmest winter, 2015/16 (when there was a strong El Niño) and 3.4ºC above the 1981-2010 norm.

February temperatures were most above average over a large region covering much of Europe, Siberia and Central Asia, and over West Antarctica, while they were most below average over northern Alaska. The month was 0.8°C warmer than the average February from 1981-2010, making it the second warmest February in this data record, about 0.1°C cooler than February 2016 and 0.1°C warmer than February 2017.

European-average temperature anomalies are generally larger and more variable than global anomalies, especially in winter, when they can change by several degrees from one month to the next. The European-average temperature for February 2020 was particularly high. The month was: 3.9°C warmer than the average February in the period 1981-2010.

Japan also had both its warmest winter and warmest February on record, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The average temperature from December to February was 1.66°C above the 1981-2000 baseline.

France and Spain both had the warmest and driest Februarys on record. In North Africa, Morocco also reported very low rainfall. By contrast, the United Kingdom had its wettest February on record, according to the Met Office.

In addition to the underlying long-term signal from climate change, natural climate variability also played a role. The North Atlantic Oscillation, which refers to variations in the large-scale surface pressure gradient in the North Atlantic region, has been predominantly “positive” during winter 2019/20. A positive NAO during winter is usually associated with wetter-than-normal conditions across northern Europe and drier-than-average conditions for southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.

It was the warmest January on record, both in Europe and globally.

Details are available here

Source: WMO

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