Methane Emissions from Coalmines Could Stoke Climate Crisis – Study

15.11.2019

extraction_coal_coalmine_ugalj_mining_rudarstvo — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The methane emissions leaking from the world’s coalmines could be stoking the global climate crisis at the same rate as the shipping and aviation industries combined.

Coalmines are belching millions of tonnes of methane into the atmosphere unchecked, because policymakers have overlooked the rising climate threat, according to new research.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that the amount of methane seeping from new and disused coalmines may have reached just under 40m tonnes last year.

The potent greenhouse gas is a major concern among climate scientists because it has a far more powerful effect on global temperatures than carbon dioxide.

The global energy watchdog estimates that one tonne of methane is the climate equivalent of 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This would put annual coalmine emissions broadly in line with the international aviation and shipping sectors combined.

The IEA revealed its shock findings in the same report which found carbon emissions from the global energy industry had reached a new record in 2018 despite a boom in renewable energy in recent years.

The research is one of the first major global studies examining the problem of methane emissions from coalmines, and may help to explain the unexpected surge in methane emissions in recent years.

Scientists recorded the second highest jump in methane levels ever recorded last year, but said they could not be sure why atmospheric methane levels were rising across the planet.

The study by the American Geophysical Union said that urgent action would be required to stop the rise of methane from triggering an accelerated climate crisis in which temperatures climb well beyond 2C.

Previous studies have laid blame for rising levels of methane in the atmosphere on belching cattle, melting arctic permafrost and the destruction of wetlands and peat bogs.

Methane is also known to escape from oil and gas wells, which has prompted calls for tougher regulation of the industry to reduce the climate impact. To date, coalmines have managed to avoid similar scrutiny because of a lack of data.

Dave Jones, an analyst at the climate thinktank Sandbag, said the report proves the global coal industry “is even more polluting than we thought” and should face tougher regulation.

“Having such high-profile global research from the IEA showing such a big impact should help shock policymakers into addressing coalmine methane,” he said.

Jones called on governments to begin accounting for the emissions from producing coal, including methane leakage, on top of the pollution caused by burning it to generate electricity.

The IEA said that methane leakage from coalmines would prove more difficult to tackle than the methane pollution from the oil and gas industry, and added it did not expect the situation to improve before 2040.

Oil producers could end methane leaks at zero cost if companies trap the greenhouse gas and sell it on to manufacturers, the IEA said, but capturing the emissions from coalmines would be technically tricky because the concentration of methane released by the mines is often very low.

The IEA said: “The lower the concentration of methane, the more technically and economically difficult it is to abate.”

The energy authority studied emissions reports from US miners and mining industry studies from China and India. The analysts tested these findings against satellite-based estimates of each country’s total methane emissions.

It found that deeper coal seams tend to contain more methane than shallower seams, while older seams have higher methane content than younger seams. The findings were applied across all countries with coalmines to estimate the global scourge of coalmine methane.

3 Reasons Why Singapore Is the Smartest City in the World

15.11.2019

singaput_singapore — Photo-illustratio: Unsplash (Larry Teo)

It’s official: Singapore is the world’s smartest city. That’s according to a new survey Published by Swiss business school IMD and the Singapore University of Technology and Design – the IMD Smart Cities Index – which looked at how well cities are adopting digital technologies and improving the lives of the people who live there.

What is a smart city?

Looking at aspects such as public safety, mobility, governance and health, the index measured cities’ performance on maintaining green spaces, improving existing local institutions, and digitalizing access to employment, all while maintaining the security of their citizens.

While there is no universal definition for the term ‘smart city,’ it is a concept that was devised at the advent of the internet of things (IoT). Smart cities are committed to improving the provision and development of urban services through the use of digital technology.

Here are three ways Singapore is smarter than the average city.

1. Healthier citizens mean healthier cities.

How a city’s leaders shape the future of healthcare will ultimately determine how the prosperity of the city itself and of its citizens. A healthcare ecosystem that celebrates continuous learning and innovation, builds communities and offers reliable specialist care is essential. Moreover, how well is a city’s leadership putting empathy at the heart of its healthcare infrastructure?

In Singapore, a key example of this is the development of Healthcity Novena – a masterplan for community-focused health in which infrastructure such as pedestrian walkways, underground car parks and outdoor green spaces exist to complement and ameliorate the citizen-patient experience. A city whose leaders proactively think about these aspects of healthcare provision will inherently be a healthier one.

2. A house with a heart is a home.

Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HDB) offers all citizens access to free public housing. Furthermore, the country’s leaders have created public housing that is more than just an apartment space; it also stretches into larger community areas that integrate liveability, sustainability and growth. More than 80% of the country’s population lives in public housing, which means the provision and administration of housing is pivotal to the identity and character of a diverse city like Singapore. The country’s leadership is not only integrating crucial principles of community generosity, building family ties and racial harmony, it must also consider pragmatic factors needed for inclusive housing such as financial planning, allocation and insurance. By planning for the future, the city’s leaders can take an active role in adding heart to housing, ensuring that residents live in spaces characterized by vibrancy, self-sufficiency and connectivity.

3. Mobility is a shared community experience.

Transportation determines much of the quality of life for residents in a smart city. In late October, the city’s Land Transit Authority (LTA) expanded a pilot area for autonomous vehicles (AVs) to cover the whole of western Singapore. The city’s leaders have realized that in order to build a resilient workforce and citizenry, mobility must be designed in a way that not only covers the last mile of a journey but also that allows everyone to participate in what the city has to offer.

In Singapore, the LTA is building a system of transport infrastructure in which daily commutes can integrate active mobility modes like walking and cycling with public transportation services like mass rapid transit (MRT) and buses. The ‘Walk Cycle Ride’ initiative offers national benefits: it encourages more liveable recreation spaces, promotes sustainable energy use and reduces pollution. By applying advanced technologies to mobility, the city enables citizens to lead more active lifestyles through convenient and cost-effective transportation.

These practices demonstrate how much can be done when a city’s leaders focus on strong governance and the integration of citizens’ interaction, comfort and preferences. If these principles are adapted in other geographic contexts and are paired with the right amounts of investment, we may soon see a flourishing list of smart cities around the world. Transforming the ways in which citizens inhabit their cities by prioritizing health and mobility will, in turn, raise the growth potential of the world’s cities.

Learning to be smart

In autumn this year, the Forum of Young Global Leaders was able to host its first Executive Education module with the generosity and support of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Focusing on the theme of smart cities, the module offered a series of expert-led seminars, workshops and site visits to allow 30 Young Global Leaders (YGLs) a chance to learn about Singapore as a case study in applying technology to urban development, management and leadership. During the week-long course, YGLs were able to examine the management of different sectors of Singapore’s urban economy in order to prepare them to further improve and to invest in the urban development and livelihoods that will lead their own cities into the future. Overall, the module provided a broad overview of how Singapore has placed itself at the forefront of urban development, resilience and sustainability through futuristic policy making and regulations

Source: WEF

Why Mercury Still Poses Important Threats to Human Health

14.11.2019

fernanda-prado-amr8fdAVhtg-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Fernanda Prado)

In July, a 47-year-old woman showed up at the emergency department of her local hospital in Sacramento, California. Her speech was slurred, she couldn’t walk, and she was unable to feel her hands or face. The woman soon fell into a coma, where she remained for several weeks.

The cause of the woman’s desperate condition, health officials soon discovered, was a skin-lightening ingredient—mercury—that had been illegally mixed into her pot of face cream.

“Mercury poisoning has dangerous and sometimes irreversible effects, and while unborn babies are most vulnerable, anyone can suffer,” said Claudia ten Have, Senior Policy Coordination Officer at the Minamata Convention Secretariat. As the case of the Sacramento woman makes clear, the toxic heavy metal can pose serious health threats in developing as well as developed countries.

Indeed, everyone on the planet is exposed to mercury at some level—whether through the food we eat, the air we breathe, or the cosmetics that we use. And while there are a number of measures that individuals, companies and governments can take to guard against mercury poisoning, the toxic heavy metal will continue to endanger human and environmental health until we manage to comprehensively address mercury throughout its life cycle.

Achieving that goal is the principal aim of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a multilateral environmental agreement that took effect in August 2017. To date, 114 countries have ratified the convention, the world’s youngest environmental treaty. The parties to convention will gather in Geneva for their third Conference of the Parties from 25 to 29 November. The health impacts of mercury are one of the important items on the meeting’s agenda.

Mercury and our health

When we inhale, ingest, or are otherwise exposed to mercury, the element can attack our central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as our digestive tracts, immune systems, lungs and kidneys. Specific symptoms can include tremors, insomnia, memory loss, headaches, muscle weakness, and—in extreme cases—death. Unborn babies whose mothers have high levels of mercury in their blood can be born with brain damage and hearing and vision problems. Levels of the toxic element can be measured in samples of blood, hair, or urine.

But how are we exposed to mercury in the first place? Despite a growing global awareness of how mercury threatens our health, the element continues to turn up in a number of places. Here are a few:

Dental amalgam

For more than a hundred years, mercury has been one of the primary ingredients in dental amalgam, the mixture that dentists use to fill the cavities in their patients’ teeth. And while amalgam probably poses only a minimal threat to the health of those who walk around with it in their mouths, the use of mercury in amalgam also contributes to a gradual build-up of the toxic element in our environment. To tackle this challenge, the Minamata Convention proposes nine specific measures to “phase down the use of dental amalgam” worldwide. The steps include setting national objectives to reduce the use of amalgam, promoting the use of mercury-free alternatives, and supporting best practices in the management of mercury waste.

Fish consumption

Seafood is the main source of protein for about one billion people around the world. Because mercury “bio-accumulates” in the food chain, larger fish such as shark, swordfish, tuna and marlin tend to be especially high in mercury. People who consume very high amounts of seafood can be exposed to high levels of methylmercury, an organic compound that accumulates in the bodies of the fish. Mercury poisoning from consuming marine animals has been seen among indigenous groups in many parts of the world, especially in the Arctic. Per capita seafood consumption in those communities can be up to 15 times higher than in non-indigenous groups. A study published in 2018 found elevated levels of mercury in women of child-bearing age in island states across the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Oceans, where fish consumption is high. Clearly, mercury pollution has accumulated across the worlds’ major oceans, contaminating the marine food chain and threatening human health.

Cosmetics

Mercury can also be found in beauty products, particularly skin-lightening creams, but also eye make-up and eye-cleansing products. While many countries have imposed laws banning mercury from cosmetics, a number of others have yet to do so, and mercury-tainted products have been found on major online retailers. Consumers looking to avoid the toxic element should buy products from reliable vendors and ensure that their products are properly sealed and labeled. The World Health Organization has more information on the topic.

Small-scale mining

Artisanal and small-scale gold miners regularly use mercury to help them separate gold from other material, and most of that mercury ends up in the environment. In 2015, according to the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2018 Global Mercury Assessment, artisanal and small-scale mining emitted some 800 tonnes of mercury into the air, roughly 38 per cent of the global total, and also released some 1,200 tonnes of mercury to land and water. Mercury poisoning also represents a serious and direct health threat to the 12 million to 15 million people who work in the sector around the world. Reducing mercury emissions and releases from mining is a key goal of the Minamata Convention, which requires countries with small-scale gold mining to produce national action plans to reduce or eliminate mercury from the sector.

Coal burning

The other big source of anthropogenic mercury emissions is also a big driver of air pollution and climate change: coal burning. UNEP’s latest Global Mercury Assessment found that coal burning and other forms of fossil fuel and biomass combustion was responsible for about 24 per cent of global mercury emissions. Although coal contains only small concentrations of mercury, people tend to burn it in very large volumes. And as the global economy grows, so too does coal burning for power generation. The good news is that up to 95 per cent of mercury releases from power plants can be reduced by improving coal and plant performance, and improving control systems for other pollutants.

Source: UNEP

World Energy Outlook 2019 Highlights Deep Disparities in the Global Energy System

13.11.2019

energy_energija — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Federico Beccari)

Deep disparities define today’s energy world. The dissonance between well-supplied oil markets and growing geopolitical tensions and uncertainties. The gap between the ever-higher amounts of greenhouse gas emissions being produced and the insufficiency of stated policies to curb those emissions in line with international climate targets. The gap between the promise of energy for all and the lack of electricity access for 850 million people around the world.

The World Energy Outlook 2019, the International Energy Agency’s flagship publication, explores these widening fractures in detail. It explains the impact of today’s decisions on tomorrow’s energy systems, and describes a pathway that enables the world to meet climate, energy access and air quality goals while maintaining a strong focus on the reliability and affordability of energy for a growing global population.

As ever, decisions made by governments remain critical for the future of the energy system. This is evident in the divergences between WEO scenarios that map out different routes the world could follow over the coming decades, depending on the policies, investments, technologies and other choices that decision makers pursue today. Together, these scenarios seek to address a fundamental issue – how to get from where we are now to where we want to go.

The path the world is on right now is shown by the Current Policies Scenario, which provides a baseline picture of how global energy systems would evolve if governments make no changes to their existing policies. In this scenario, energy demand rises by 1.3% a year to 2040, resulting in strains across all aspects of energy markets and a continued strong upward march in energy-related emissions.

The Stated Policies Scenario, formerly known as the New Policies Scenario, incorporates today’s policy intentions and targets in addition to existing measures. The aim is to hold up a mirror to today’s plans and illustrate their consequences. The future outlined in this scenario is still well off track from the aim of a secure and sustainable energy future. It describes a world in 2040 where hundreds of millions of people still go without access to electricity, where pollution-related premature deaths remain around today’s elevated levels, and where CO2 emissions would lock in severe impacts from climate change.

The Sustainable Development Scenario indicates what needs to be done differently to fully achieve climate and other energy goals that policy makers around the world have set themselves. Achieving this scenario – a path fully aligned with the Paris Agreement aim of holding the rise in global temperatures to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C – requires rapid and widespread changes across all parts of the energy system. Sharp emission cuts are achieved thanks to multiple fuels and technologies providing efficient and cost-effective energy services for all.

“What comes through with crystal clarity in this year’s World Energy Outlook is there is no single or simple solution to transforming global energy systems,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director. “Many technologies and fuels have a part to play across all sectors of the economy. For this to happen, we need strong leadership from policy makers, as governments hold the clearest responsibility to act and have the greatest scope to shape the future.”

In the Stated Policies Scenario, energy demand increases by 1% per year to 2040. Low-carbon sources, led by solar PV, supply more than half of this growth, and natural gas accounts for another third. Oil demand flattens out in the 2030s, and coal use edges lower. Some parts of the energy sector, led by electricity, undergo rapid transformations. Some countries, notably those with “net zero” aspirations, go far in reshaping all aspects of their supply and consumption.

However, the momentum behind clean energy is insufficient to offset the effects of an expanding global economy and growing population. The rise in emissions slows but does not peak before 2040.

Shale output from the United States is set to stay higher for longer than previously projected, reshaping global markets, trade flows and security. In the Stated Policies Scenario, annual US production growth slows from the breakneck pace seen in recent years, but the United States still accounts for 85% of the increase in global oil production to 2030, and for 30% of the increase in gas. By 2025, total US shale output (oil and gas) overtakes total oil and gas production from Russia.

“The shale revolution highlights that rapid change in the energy system is possible when an initial push to develop new technologies is complemented by strong market incentives and large-scale investment,” said Dr Birol. “The effects have been striking, with US shale now acting as a strong counterweight to efforts to manage oil markets.”

The higher US output pushes down the share of OPEC members and Russia in total oil production, which drops to 47% in 2030, from 55% in the mid-2000s. But whichever pathway the energy system follows, the world is set to rely heavily on oil supply from the Middle East for years to come.

Alongside the immense task of putting emissions on a sustainable trajectory, energy security remains paramount for governments around the globe. Traditional risks have not gone away, and new hazards such as cybersecurity and extreme weather require constant vigilance. Meanwhile, the continued transformation of the electricity sector requires policy makers to move fast to keep pace with technological change and the rising need for the flexible operation of power systems.

“The world urgently needs to put a laser-like focus on bringing down global emissions. This calls for a grand coalition encompassing governments, investors, companies and everyone else who is committed to tackling climate change,” said Dr Birol. “Our Sustainable Development Scenario is tailor-made to help guide the members of such a coalition in their efforts to address the massive climate challenge that faces us all.”

A sharp pick-up in energy efficiency improvements is the element that does the most to bring the world towards the Sustainable Development Scenario. Right now, efficiency improvements are slowing: the 1.2% rate in 2018 is around half the average seen since 2010 and remains far below the 3% rate that would be needed.

Electricity is one of the few energy sources that sees rising consumption over the next two decades in the Sustainable Development Scenario. Electricity’s share of final consumption overtakes that of oil, today’s leader, by 2040. Wind and solar PV provide almost all the increase in electricity generation.

Putting electricity systems on a sustainable path will require more than just adding more renewables. The world also needs to focus on the emissions that are “locked in” to existing systems. Over the past 20 years, Asia has accounted for 90% of all coal-fired capacity built worldwide, and these plants potentially have long operational lifetimes ahead of them. This year’s WEO considers three options to bring down emissions from the existing global coal fleet: to retrofit plants with carbon capture, utilisation and storage or biomass co-firing equipment; to repurpose them to focus on providing system adequacy and flexibility; or to retire them earlier.

Source: IEA

The Course of the Energy (R)Evolution in Germany

13.11.2019

Berlin_Reichstag_Building_Nemačka — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (AC Almelor)

The term evolution, referring to a gradual and continuous social development, is often used as a total opposite to the term revolution, which brings sudden and dramatic shifts of the existing system. However, their meanings could be united in the energy transition – a process of phasing out dirty energy in favour of the clean alternatives to which the sky is the limit – or, to be precise, the Sun is the limit. We had an opportunity to talk to the ambassador of Germany to Serbia Thomas Schieb on how the energy is unfolding on German soil.

EP: March of 2019 was significant for the Energiewende. For the first time in history, Germany generated 54.5 per cent of electricity from renewables. How did your country get to this important milestone and what sources are contributing the most to its cleaner energy mix? What is the plan of Germany for renewables in the forthcoming years?

Thomas Schieb: Germany’s electricity supply is becoming “greener” every year. The share of renewables in has steadily grown over the last few years – from about 6% in 2000 to around 40% in 2018. By 2030, 65% of electricity consumed in Germany is to derive from renewables. Wind and solar energy remain the most important forms of renewables in Germany while biomass and hydropower also constitute valuable building blocks in the energy system.

The Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has laid the foundations for the German “Energiewende” and was initially adopted in 2000 introducing feed-in tariffs (FIT) for electricity generated from sun, wind, water or biomass for 20 years. The costs of this were passed on to the electricity consumers via the “EEG surcharge”. The funding from the EEG surcharge transformed renewable energy from a niche product into an essential energy source in the power mix. Advances in technology have since significantly cut the costs of generating electricity from renewable sources. However, the rapid expansion of renewables also caused the EEG surcharge to rise considerably until 2014.

The Government reformed the EEG in 2014 and in 2016 to specify a gradual transition from FITs to an auction system.

As Germany is phasing out nuclear power by 2022 and coal-fired power by 2038, the use of renewable energy sources will be expanded. Currently, the main challenge lies in the expansion and modernization of the power grid. An additional 5,800 km of high voltage transmission lines are required to transport power from abundant renewable sources in Northern Germany to the industrial centres in Western and Southern Germany. The German Federal Government has therefore made the German grid expansion a key priority.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ansgar Scheffold)

EP: What regulations and political actions are implemented in Germany to encourage citizens to invest in solar panels on their roofs and energy efficiency in their houses?

Thomas Schieb: In 2016, Germany adopted the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE) to reduce primary energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2020 compared with 2008, and by 50 per cent by 2050. NAPE defines three central aims: Firstly, to provide information and advice on energy efficiency to citizens, companies and municipalities. Secondly, to promote investments in energy efficiency in innovative ways. NAPE includes increased funding, e.g. for KfW Germany’s “CO2 Building Modernisation Programme” (for energy-efficient construction and retrofitting) or for various funding programmes for energy efficiency in companies. Thirdly, to introduce mandatory energy audits for large companies as well as new energy standards for new appliances and buildings.

EP: How will the miners and the workforce that is trained to work in the fossil fuels sector be transitioned to low carbon future when it comes to positioning them on the job market?

Thomas Schieb: In May 2019 the Government announced the allocation of up to EUR 40 billion by 2038 for the structural transition of Germany’s coal-mining areas, which will include incentives for industries, investments in infrastructure as well as the establishment of new public research and administration institutions. Through a special program, a total of EUR 240 million have been allocated for immediate and short-term support to the regions. These measures will create future-oriented and well-paid jobs in the affected areas.

In focus:

EP: In a policy reversal following Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, it was decided that Germany’s 17 nuclear power stations will be shut down by 2022. How far have you gone with their closing?

Thomas Schieb: After the shut-down of two nuclear power plants in 2015 and 2017, seven nuclear power plants are currently in operation. Of these, one will be shut down in 2019, three more in 2021 and 2022 each.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hendrik Kespohl)

EP: What were Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions, the share of renewable energy and energy efficiency targets under Europe 2020 and will all of them be achieved successfully?

Thomas Schieb: In 2018, Germany emitted 866 million tons of CO2 equivalents (4.5% less than in 2017 and more than 30.5% less than 1990).

The share of renewable energy in the production of electricity was about 40%. In the entire energy mix, the share was about 17%.

When it comes to energy efficiency, Germany has reduced the consumption of primary energy by 10% compared to 2008.

While we are confident that the 2020 goals for the share of renewable energy will be reached, it is unlikely that despite all progress our national 2020 targets for the reduction of GHG emissions and energy efficiency can be achieved.

Interview by: Jelena Kozbasic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on CLIMATE CHANGE, september-november 2019.

Scientists Plan to Flood Black Market with Fake Rhino Horn to Reduce Poaching

12.11.2019

geran-de-klerk-KsMD_tAdjg0-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Geran de Klerk)

Scientists are planning to flood the black market with realistic fake rhino horns made from horse hair in an attempt to reduce illegal poaching.

Rhino horn is in demand for a range of uses, from traditional Chinese medicine to ornamental carvings, and the illegal international trade is thriving. In South Africa alone, 769 rhinos were poached in 2018, and there have also been attempts to steal rhino horns from museums in Europe.

While a number of approaches have been looked at to tackle the trade, from stigmatising the use of rhino horn to legalising domestic trade, experts say there is another option: swamp the market with fakes.

“The economists seem to think that if you flood the market with substitutes, the price will drop,” said Prof Fritz Vollrath, the co-author of the research at the University of Oxford. “If the price drops and the penalty of having rhino horn is still very high, then the value proposition changes for the trader.”

The horns of most animals, including cows, have a bony centre covered by a layer of keratin – the same protein that is found in our hair and fingernails. Rhino horns are solid keratin and do not have a bone core.

Now scientists say they have made a convincing fake rhino horn by gluing together the hair of a horse’s tail, stripped of its outer layer.

The team say they chose horse hair because the animal is a close cousin to the rhinoceros, while the hairs have similar dimensions to the keratin filaments – or hair – that the team say make up rhino horn.

The “glue” used by the team was a silk-based substance they say emulates the materials that fulfil the role in real rhino horn. Cellulose was also included in the artificial mix to resemble the plant material that is incorporated when the animal sharpens its horn.

The resulting material, said Vollrath, can easily be moulded into a rhino horn shape, dried under vacuum in a hot oven and polished. The upshot is a material that shows similar mechanical properties to the real deal, feels similar and even looks similar under a microscope.

“It appears from our investigation that it is rather easy, as well as cheap, to make a bio-inspired horn-like material that mimics the rhino’s extravagantly expensive tuft of nose hair,” the authors write.

The team believe the development could lead to the rhino horn market being swamped with faux horns, thereby sowing confusion and causing a price crash – making it less profitable for poachers to source the real thing.

“[The idea is] any punter who wants to spend 1,000 quid on a couple of grams says, ‘Wait a minute, what is my probability that my stuff is real or that it is just horse hair?’” said Vollrath. “It is just rattling the market.” However, the team say it will be up to others to develop their idea.

The latest study is not the first to look at the possibility of producing fake horns. Among those working on the idea is the start-up Pembient, which is attempting to bioengineer fake horns that are genetically identical to the real thing. The first are reportedly expected to go on sale in 2022.

Dr Richard Thomas from the wildlife organisation Traffic said that while the latest study had good intentions, it posed considerable risks.

“Pushing a synthetic alternative could help to reinforce the perception that rhino horn is a desirable commodity, thus perpetuating existing demand, while presenting consumers with a synthetic alternative may actually stimulate demand for the real thing, thus exacerbating the existing situation,” he said.

Global Investment in Cutting Greenhouse Gases Fell by 11% in 2018

08.11.2019

tablet-1737896_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Investment in greenhouse gas emission reduction fell last year despite the growing urgency of the climate crisis, and the benefits of outlays were cancelled out by investments globally in fossil fuels and other dirty industries, finds a report by the Climate Policy Initiative.

Global climate finance hit a record high of $612bn (£476bn) in 2017, according to CPI advisers, but fell back 11% after that bumper year to $546bn in 2018.

Less public money for low-carbon transport and lower private-sector investment in renewable energy were the causes of the drop. However, the average investment for 2017 and 2018 was 25% higher than for the period 2015 and 2016.

“Given the urgency of the climate challenge it is a positive sign that we have passed the half trillion dollar mark of investment towards climate change activities,” said Barbara Buchner, executive director of climate finance at CPI, which published its assessment on Thursday.

The study, entitled Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019, found that investment at least more than three times as high as current levels would be needed annually until 2050 to clean up the world’s energy generation systems.

On top of that, adapting to the impacts of climate breakdown is likely to cost more than $180bn a year from 2020. However, only $30bn a year was spent in the last two years, an increase of about a third on 2015 and 2016 levels.

Buchner said: “[Current investment] is simply not enough, especially as investments in polluting industries continue to effectively cancel out these efforts to address climate change. Leaders should be focused on total economic transformation.”

On the plus side, the analysts said, money spent on renewable energy and low-carbon transport now went much further in cutting emissions, as the costs of such technology had dropped rapidly.

Investment in cutting emissions in developing countries was $356bn in 2017-18, compared with $270bn for the previous two-year period. More than half of climate finance globally comes from the private sector.

Climate finance is one of the key pillars of international climate-change negotiations, and the role of rich countries in assisting poor countries with investment will be a vexed topic of discussion at the COP25 UN climate talks in December, which are in Madrid following civil unrest in Chile.

Buchner said: “There are some bright spots, but our study is very clear – governments, development finance institutions and investors need to make a major shift in how they invest if they want to avoid climate change.”

Source: Guardian

Dumped Fishing Gear Is Biggest Plastic Polluter in Ocean, Finds Report

07.11.2019

fishermen_ribari — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Lost and abandoned fishing gear which is deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to a report by Greenpeace.

More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year, the same weight as 55,000 double-decker buses.

The report, which draws on the most up-to-date research on “ghost gear” polluting the oceans, calls for international action to stop the plastic pollution, which is deadly for marine wildlife.

About 300 sea turtles were found dead as a result of entanglement in ghost gear off the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, last year. And in October, a pregnant whale was found entangled in ghost gear off the Orkney coast. The fishing gear was jammed in the animal’s baleen, the filter-feeder system inside its mouth, and scientists said the net would have hugely impaired the minke whale’s feeding and movement.

Louisa Casson, an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “Ghost gear is a major source of ocean plastic pollution and it affects marine life in the UK as much as anywhere else.

“The UK’s waters do not exist in a vacuum as oceans have no borders. The world’s governments must take action to protect our global oceans, and hold the under-regulated fishing industry to account for its dangerous waste. This should start with a strong global ocean treaty being agreed at the United Nations next year.”

The report said abandoned fishing gear was particularly deadly. “Nets and lines can pose a threat to wildlife for years or decades, ensnaring everything from small fish and crustaceans to endangered turtles, seabirds and even whales,” it said.

“Spreading throughout the ocean on tides and currents, lost and discarded fishing gear is now drifting to Arctic coastlines, washing up on remote Pacific islands, entangled on coral reefs and littering the deep seafloor.”

Ghost gear is estimated to make up 10% of ocean plastic pollution but forms the majority of large plastic littering the waters. One study found that as much as 70% (by weight) of macroplastics (in excess of 20cm) found floating on the surface of the ocean was fishing related.

A recent study of the “great Pacific garbage patch”, an area of plastic accumulation in the north Pacific, estimated that it contained 42,000 tonnes of megaplastics, of which 86% was fishing nets.

Another expedition to the south Pacific found an estimated 18 tonnes of plastic debris on a 2.5km stretch of beach on the uninhabited Henderson Island and it was reportedly accumulating at a rate of several thousand pieces per day. In a collection of 6 tonnes of garbage, an estimated 60% originated from industrial fisheries.

Greenpeace said ghost gear was particularly prevalent from illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, but overcrowded fisheries also contributed to the problem. “Poor regulation and slow political progress in creating ocean sanctuaries that are off-limits to industrial fishing allow this problem to exist and persist,” the report said.

Greenpeace is calling for the UN treaty to provide a comprehensive framework for marine protection, paving the way for a global network of ocean sanctuaries covering 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Source: Guardian

Sea Levels Set to Keep Rising for Centuries Even If Emissions Targets Met

06.11.2019

Sea level rise is set to challenge human civilization for centuries to come, even if internationally agreed climate goals are met and planet-warming emissions are then immediately eliminated, researchers have found.

The lag time between rising global temperatures and the knock-on impact of coastal inundation means that the world will be dealing with ever-rising sea levels into the 2300s, regardless of prompt action to address the climate crisis, according to the new study.

Even if governments meet their commitments from the landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement, the first 15-year period of the deal will still result in enough emissions that would cause sea levels to increase by around 20cm by the year 2300.

This scenario, modeled by researchers, assumes that all countries make their promised emissions reductions by 2030 and then abruptly eliminate all planet-warming gases from that point onwards. In reality, only a small number of countries are on track to meet the Paris target of limiting global heating to 2C above the pre-industrial era.

“Even with the Paris pledges there will be a large amount of sea level rise,” said Peter Clark, an Oregon State University climate scientist and co-author of the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Sea level rise is going to be an ongoing problem for centuries to come, we will have to keep on adapting over and over again. It’s going to be a whole new expensive lifestyle, costing trillions of dollars.

“Sea level has a very long memory, so even if we start cooling temperatures the seas will continue to rise. It’s a bit like trying to turn the Titanic around, rather than a speedboat.”

Researchers used a computer model that simulates sea level rise in response to various emissions levels, looking both at historical emissions since 1750 and also what the emissions scenario would be from 2015 to 2030 if countries met their Paris agreement obligations.

About half of the 20cm sea level rise can be attributed to the world’s top five greenhouse gas polluters – the US, China, India, Russia and the European Union – according to the researchers. The US was a key architect of the Paris deal but this week Donald Trump formally triggered its exit from the agreement.

“Our results show that what we do today will have a huge effect in 2300. Twenty centimetres is very significant; it is basically as much sea-level rise as we’ve observed over the entire 20th century,” said Climate Analytics’ Alexander Nauels, lead author of the study. “To cause that with only 15 years of emissions is quite staggering.”

The results reveal the daunting prospect of a near-endless advance of the seas, forcing countries to invest huge resources in defending key infrastructure or ceding certain areas to the tides. Many coastal cities around the world are already facing this challenge, with recent research finding that land currently home to 300 million people will flood at least once a year by 2050 unless carbon emissions are drastically slashed.

As the world heats up, ocean water is expanding while land-based glaciers and the two great polar ice caps are melting away, causing the oceans to swell.

According to the UN’s climate science panel, the global sea level rise could reach as much as 1.1 metres by the end of the century if emissions aren’t curbed. Clark pointed out the real situation could be even worse if the melting of the Antarctic turns out to be on the dire end of the spectrum of uncertainty.

Source: Guardian

Extinction Rebellion Protesters May Sue Police as Ban Ruled Unlawful

06.11.2019

extinction_rebellion_protest_pobuna_protiv_izumiranja — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Joel de Vriend)

Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protesters may sue the Metropolitan police for unlawful arrest after the high court quashed an order banning the group’s protests in London last month.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (John Cameron)

In a judgment handed down on Wednesday morning, Mr Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Chamberlain said the section 14 order imposed during XR’s “autumn uprising” in October was unlawful.

Dingemans said: “Separate gatherings, separated both in time and by many miles, even if coordinated under the umbrella of one body, are not a public assembly within the meaning of … the act.

“The XR autumn uprising intended to be held from 14 to 19 October was not therefore a public assembly … therefore the decision to impose the condition was unlawful because there was no power to impose it under … the act.”

However, the judges noted there were powers within the act which might be used lawfully to “control future protests which are deliberately designed to ‘take police resources to breaking point’”.

The case was brought by seven prominent supporters of XR: Jenny Jones, Caroline Lucas and Ellie Chowns of the Green party, the Labour MPs Clive Lewis and David Drew, the Labour activist Adam Allnutt and the Guardian environment writer George Monbiot.

Jones said: “This is an historic win because for the first time we’ve challenged the police on overstepping their powers and we’ve won. It’s great.”

Chowns, who was arrested in Trafalgar Square just after the Met imposed its blanket section 14, said she would be taking legal advice on whether to now sue the force for unlawful arrest.

She was delighted at the outcome. She said: “I think it’s very important that we’ve won because the police actions were both disproportionate and also very dangerous.” She said curtailing free protest was a slippery slope.

Kevin Blowe, coordinator of the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol), who was in court to see the judgment handed down, said that although it was a good decision by the court, it left the police with serious questions to answer. “Someone really needs to be held accountable for the decisions that they made,” he said.

Source: Guardian

Climate Change

06.11.2019

polarni_medvedi_led — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (NOAA)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Louis Maniquet)

“As an actor, I pretend for a living; I play fictional characters. I believe that mankind has looked at climate change in that same way as if it were fiction. None of this is rhetoric, and none of it is hysteria; it is a fact,” once said Hollywood favourite Leonardo DiCaprio, who is the envoy of UN’s Secretary-General on Climate Change.

This statement by the famous actor and environmental activist reflects the true state of affairs, not only in Serbia but across our planet as well. We all live burdened with personal problems, and we do not overthink about climate change, except when a disaster happens. However, it would be wise, before climate change reaches a dramatic level, to know why they occur and how we can mitigate their effects.

Very often you can hear that climate changes are a natural process and that even our famous scientist Milutin Milankovic spoke about them, yet here we are not referring to the natural cycles of warming and cooling, but to climate changes that result from human activities. These climate changes were first mentioned in the late 19th century, and the person who first spoke about them was the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius. The climate has previously changed solely as a result of natural circumstances. Nevertheless, with the advent of industry and population growth, the human factor takes over the primacy. Forecast for the near future is not bright at all unless we do something urgently given the fact that the climate change will grow and consequently the unfavourable living conditions on the plant will also grow.

In focus:

Confrontation: Small Hydropower Plants and Big Issues

Of course, there are always divergences, and climate change are no exception. Scientists find arguments for and against climate change, yet we can say with certainty that greenhouse gases resulting from human activities are on the rise and they have a significant effect on the enhanced warming of the atmosphere. The concentration of greenhouse gases before the Industrial Revolution was around 280 ppm (ppm – parts per million), reaching a record level of 405.5 ppm in 2017. It is well known that the increase in the concentration of these gases occurs as a result of the burning of fossil fuels.

Of course, these are not the only consequences of the increased concentration of greenhouse gases. In addition to the frequent and intense droughts and floods in recent years, the fact is that glaciers and polar caps are constantly melting, sea levels are rising, and ocean acidity is increasing. All this has an impact on the safety of drinking water, food and indirectly on the health of the population.

The extinction of wildlife is also linked to climate change. Admittedly, climate change are not solely responsible for the reduction of biodiversity. Human greediness plays a significant role in the diminishing diversity and abundance of once rich flora and fauna around the world. We ruthlessly kill certain animal species due to fashion, superstition or prestige.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Matt Howard)

We do not stop even there. It appeared in the media that the Amazon fire was set, which has not been confirmed yet. As if it is not enough that forest fires are catching up more extensive areas, due to high temperatures and heatwaves, even in the areas not prone to wildfires.

We can always choose the easier path and continue to deny that our planet and its ecosystem are in danger. As if a man belongs to another, reserve ecosystem. I am not sure how long life on the planet can survive. Even if one does not believe in climate change and does not worry about its consequences, we should at least be slightly concerned about what kind of air we breathe, what kind of food we eat and what kind of water we drink. Our planet needs fighters who won’t give up on it, especially young people and teenagers like Greta Thunberg.

It seems to me that I am not the only one who feels like we are all standing on the edge of an abyss with eyes closed. Still, if we would open our eyes, we might take a step backwards to save ourselves. Many people made this life-saving step before us. Thus, Leonardo, Greta invited us to the awakening, and Rambo Amadeus, Vojin Cetkovic and Vuk Kostic have done that from the pages of our Magazine. They all strive to leave a nicer and better planet to the future generations by using their popularity to influence all those who are ignoring the elephant in the room.

Prepared by: Nevena Djukic

This article was published in the new issue of Energy portal Magazine CLIMATE CHANGE, September – November 2019.

Better Latte Than Never… Compostable Coffee Pods Go on Sale

05.11.2019

coffee_kafa — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The first compostable one-cup coffee pods from a major manufacturer will go on sale this week in a battle to stop the 20bn pods used every year around the world from ending up in landfill.

Italian espresso giant Lavazza is aiming to replace its entire range of home use capsules with new eco-friendly ones – at the same retail price – by the end of the year.

It is thought that 95m cups of coffee are drunk in the UK every day, but increasingly popular single serve pods have become an environmental scourge – typically ending up in landfill where they can take up to 500 years to break down. The 20bn capsules currently consumed every year are enough to circle the Earth 14 times.

The complexity of packaging – often a mix of different materials such as plastic, foil and aluminium – combined with used coffee dregs – can make them difficult to recycle and process in standard municipal recycling plants.

Lavazza says its new biopolymer-based Eco Caps break down into compost in as little as six months when combined with food waste for council collection. Provided local authority rules allow it, used capsules could be thrown in the food waste bin.

However, where this is unavailable, Lavazza has teamed up with waste collection service TerraCycle to establish a network of public access drop-off points for consumers to dispose of capsules which need to be industrially composted.

David Rogers, managing director of Lavazza UK, said: “This major investment confirms our commitment to excellence and sustainable development.”

Its new research, also published on Monday, shows that more than a third of people in the UK admit to throwing their used coffee capsules into the bin because they don’t know how to properly dispose of them. Consumers also feel generally confused about what can and cannot be recycled, with 72% admitting to feeling overwhelmed when trying to understand the various recycling symbols.

The coffee company Nespresso – part of the Swiss multinational Nestlé – encourages consumers to send back their used aluminium capsules in the UK in special bags while it has also trialled council collection schemes.

Most compostable or biodegradable pods on the market have been launched by small, niche brands. A separate range of 100% compostable pods made from sugar cane and paper pulp, made by online retailer Halo, can be put into home compost or food bins. Halo co-founder Richard Hardwick said: “The coffee revolution has happened and one of the key challenges the industry now faces is the millions of tonnes of waste created as a result.

“Aluminium and plastic coffee capsules are difficult to recycle so most of them end up in the bin, and that’s why up to 75% are currently being sent to landfill every minute. Most people don’t understand the irreversible damage these coffee capsules are inflicting on the planet.”

Source: Guardian

Campaigners Try Again to Stop Norway Drilling for Oil in Arctic

05.11.2019

alesund_oil_rig_nafta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Climate campaigners are taking Norway’s government back to court to oppose its plans to open the Arctic for oil drilling despite a public commitment to tackle the environmental crisis.

Greenpeace Nordic and Norway’s Nature and Youth organisation will appeal on Tuesday against the government’s decision to allow oil exploration in parts of the Arctic Ocean on the grounds that it violates people’s rights to a safe and healthy environment.

The green groups are expected to argue that the decision would breach a constitutional law, known as section 112, that calls on the government to safeguard a healthy environment for existing and future generations. They also claim the plans would violate the Paris climate agreement.

Norway has pledged to help tackle rising global carbon emissions by divesting fossil fuel investments from its trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund, but the government has continued to support new oil projects.

Total carbon emissions from the fossil fuel-rich country are forecast to climb by 16% this year compared with the year before, after oil companies drilled 130 oil and gas wells in 2019.

The campaigners claim Norway’s total exported greenhouse gas emissions are 10 times bigger than the domestic emissions from its production.

Frode Pleym, the head of Greenpeace Norway, said: “The Norwegian government can no longer ignore the dangerous impact its exported oil is having on the climate. Climate change knows no borders. Oil is oil, no matter where it is burned, and the government needs to cancel all drilling for new oil in the Arctic. Not acting now violates the Paris agreement and Norway’s own constitution. That is why we are back in court.”

The green groups first took the government to court in Oslo in 2017 after years of lobbying against oil exploration in the Arctic. The co-plaintiffs will have the backing of Friends of the Earth Norway and the Norwegian Grandparents Climate Campaign.

The appeal comes weeks after the UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David Boyd, delivered a stinging rebuke of the Norwegian government’s oil expansion in a report calling for an end to the country’s search for new oil.

“Norway should stop exploring for additional oil and gas reserves, stop expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, and harness Norwegian wealth and ingenuity to plan a just transition to a fossil fuel-free economy,” he said.

“Norway, as one of the world’s wealthiest nations and one of the world’s leading producers of oil and gas, must accept substantial responsibility for leading efforts in mitigation, adaptation and addressing loss and damage.”

Gaute Eiterjord, the head of Nature and Youth in Norway, said it was deeply concerning to see Norway’s government “bury its head in the sand”.

“It is the government’s obligation to safeguard a safe and healthy environment. The young generation, in Norway and all over the world, is worried about the prospect of an unsafe future,” he said.

Source: Guardian

Getting Creative with Coral Reef Conservation

05.11.2019

coral_reefs_koralni_grebeni — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Li Fei)

This week in Los Angeles, 15,000 people will be attending one of the biggest creativity conferences in the world, Adobe MAX. It’s not the kind of event that is normally associated with conservation, but this year is different. The creative community is getting involved in coral reef conservation and it might just help save an entire ecosystem.

Corals aren’t as charismatic as big cats, elephants or dolphins, so when people consider where we should focus our conservation efforts, corals rarely get attention, protection and funding support. They live in a world that’s out of sight and out of mind, and it’s a world that is rapidly changing. The ocean absorbs 93 per cent of climate heat and coral reefs are firmly on the frontline of the climate issue. In 2016-2017, half the corals on the Great Barrier Reef died from ocean heatwaves and that was just one of many reef systems that were hit. Just imagine if half the trees in the Amazon suddenly died—how concerned the world would be.

Corals rank as one of the most important animals on the planet—a foundation species that supports a quarter of all ocean life and over a billion people with food and income. They’re worth US$375 billion each year to the global economy. Put simply, we can’t afford to lose them. Yet despite all this, there’s remarkably little support for saving corals. We’ve lost over half the world’s corals already and the speed of decline is accelerating.

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that we could lose between 70 and 90 per cent of the world’s coral with a 1.5˚C global increase in temperatures, and up to 99 per cent of corals with a 2˚C increase. “Coral reefs are perhaps the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth to climate change, like nature’s fire alarm. We are running out of time if we want to save these iconic ecosystems, and it will require partnerships across a diverse range of sectors to do so,” says Gabriel Grimsditch, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) marine ecosystems expert.

It has become clear we need to be very creative if we are going to save them. To do just that, UNEP has joined forces with The Ocean Agency, Adobe, Pantone, We Transfer, the World Surf League and PADI: Professional Association of Diving Instructors, and together we are aiming to unlock the potential of the global creative community in rapidly attracting mainstream support for coral reef conservation. The aim is to create enough attention and excitement around the issue that it rapidly becomes a priority for ambitious policy support and funding.

The inspiration for the initiative came from the corals themselves. Some corals turn incredibly colourful when under too much stress from ocean heatwaves combined with excessive sunlight. It happens during the coral bleaching process and is caused by a chemical that corals produce which acts as a sunscreen. Instead of just turning white (the colour of their skeletons which becomes visible during the bleaching process), the colourful chemicals make the corals appear to ‘glow’ in bright colours. It’s nature’s most vibrant warning signal—a signal that we’ve reached a tipping point for the planet. But it is warning that has largely gone unnoticed.

Using new technology, Adobe and Pantone teamed up and directly sampled the colours of these glowing corals (uniquely captured during the filming of the Netflix Original Documentary, Chasing Coral), to create an official Pantone range. The Glowing Gone campaign, launched in June 2019, challenged the creative community together with the powerful brands they work with, to use these colours to amplify coral’s warning signal and demonstrate support for urgent action.

The initial phase of the campaign was a big success with well over 1,000 creatives getting involved. They inspired major brands like the World Surf League to get on board too. The world’s best surfers competed in ‘Glowing’ jerseys at a Glowing-themed Pro-tour event in Tahiti, broadcasting support for coral reef conservation to the world. The diving community, through PADI, is also getting involved in the next phase of the campaign, launching at Adobe MAX this week. This phase is not just for creatives. Everyone is invited to get ‘Glowing’.

Source: UNEP

Confrontation: Small Hydropower Plants and Big Issues

05.11.2019

river_reka_priroda_nature_vodopad_waterfall — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jeffrey Workman)

We asked two experts if the construction of small hydropower plants is a national interest, or a public interest is to stop the process of further construction of these power plants, and how to find the right balance between the need for clean energy on the one hand and the conservation of water resources, biodiversity, and the environment on the other. On the pages that follow, these questions were answered by Prof. Svetlana Stevovic, PhD, scientific advisor at the Innovation Centre of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, and Prof. Ratko Ristic, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade. You will notice that their points of view are sometimes contradictory. Nevertheless, they should help us understand the causes and consequences arising from this burning issue.

EP: Could we expect the effects of the rebellion against small hydropower plants to be transferred on to other renewable sources since there is always some environmental impact and the electricity bill includes – which is currently very negatively perceived – a compensation for privileged producers for all renewable energy sources and not just hydropower?

Svetlana Stevovic: Rebellion is always possible if the public is not well informed. The technological process of getting electricity is not cheap at all. Citizens are paying the highest price for the consequences of producing electricity from fossil fuels, primarily coal, among other things by their poor health. Similarly, subsidies in renewable energy (RES) are known to be one-off. They last for 12 years, after which RES is in the free market. As it turned out so far in Europe, these RES influenced the reduction of the total electricity price in the market. It is because RES projects, relieved of financial obligations after exiting the subsidy period, can drive down the cost. If you were to campaign against other RES sources, you could always find arguments against construction, as each construction causes some environmental disturbances, and through ecology, you can easily provoke rebellion and overturn any solution. One thing is for sure: the rebellion caused by the environmental impact of electricity generation, if this continues with protests against the use of RES, as well as the overthrowing large and necessary multi-purpose hydropower facilities, could easily be transformed into a revolt caused by a lack of electricity.

Ratko Ristic: I do not believe that the rebellion against SHPPs will affect resistance to other forms of RES, as they do not have such negative environmental consequences. Every human activity has some negative consequences for the natural environment. Still, if there is a clear consensus on the public interest, that is, the interest of the majority of citizens in an area, then the project is ethically acceptable. In the case of SHPPs, only individuals and interest groups benefit, with significant adverse environmental consequences, which is not acceptable to most citizens in our country.

EP: What has changed in our country and the world since the Cadastre of SHPP (which defined 856 potential sites for the construction of SHPP with a total capacity of 450 MW) in 1987? Do today’s SHPPs problems arise partly from the implementation of this outdated document?

Svetlana Stevovic: Before I got my PhD and went to faculty, while working in Energoprojekt – Hydro engineering, at the Hydropower Systems Bureau, as a young engineering designer I was a participant in the development of the Serbian Cadastre of SHPPs. One of the key purposes of that document at the time was for the military. The Cadastre was made with the basis of technological development from that period, with different hydrological inputs and property relations. Due to climate change, hydrological regimes have changed in the world and in Serbia, the extremes have become more intense and more frequent, and each project done decades ago would have to be updated. Otherwise, in Serbia, the Cadastre of SHPPs was repealed under the Law on spatial planning. For the purpose of the construction of a small hydropower plant, it can only be used today as an information base. Each SHPP investor is obliged to create entirely new substrates with current data in the field of geology, geodesy and hydrology. In addition, public authorities thoroughly review the social, energy and other aspects of the current state of the site and issue conditions in accordance with all restrictions, and the answer may be negative. To conclude, referring to the 1987 Cadastre as a problem is merely a fiction of the opponents of the construction of SHPPs.

Ratko Ristic: Numerous administrative procedures were started by referring to the Cadastre of Small Hydropower Plants (from 1987), which was never adopted as an official state document, which caused a lot of problems. Since 1987, there have been drastic modifications of the hydrological regime on numerous small watercourses, and during the design of the so-called Cadastre, no one considered nature protection.

EP: At what point is the impact on the natural environment considered during the construction of the SHPP?

Svetlana Stevovic: Analysis is made at an early stage of the project documentation development. When the investor is in the phase of developing a conceptual design for SHPP, a request is submitted to the Institute for nature conservation of Serbia, whose expert services decide whether or not a site can be built and, if so, under what conditions. Also, if the response from the Institute for nature conservation of Serbia for a site is positive, it is further evaluated through the Environmental Impact Assessment Study. During the construction, construction, water and environmental inspectors check whether the works are performed according to the issued acts or not.

Ratko Ristic: It is envisaged that the appropriate inspection services monitor the process of construction of SHPP, from the beginning through all phases, until completion (construction, ecological, forestry, and water management inspection), and to record all irregularities, which they partially do. However, there are numerous examples where inspections do not act on reports or respond inappropriately (cases of laying pipelines in riverbed for high water and removing coastal vegetation in sections of several kilometers, which is explicitly prohibited; perforating barriers to install pipelines; diverting water flow from the natural trough; self-willed change of intended construction sites; construction of access roads without evacuation bodies for surface water, which thus become a source of erosion material and accelerate the formation of flood runoff; destruction of habitats of strictly protected species.)

Interviews by: Tamara Zjacic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on CLIMATE CHANGE, september-november 2019.

New Standards for Air Conditioners and Refrigerators Set to Tackle Climate Change

04.11.2019

air_conditioners_klima_uređaji — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Growing demand for air conditioning units and refrigerators is threatening to accelerate global warming, but new guidelines could help reduce emissions by setting clear performance standards for new appliances.

The new model guidelines for room air conditioners and refrigerators provide a tool for developing and emerging economies on laws and policies requiring new appliances to be energy-efficient and use refrigerants with a lower global warming potential.

If ambitious efforts in line with the guidelines are pursued throughout Africa alone, the annual impacts by 2030 would result in savings of 40 terawatt hours of electricity—equivalent to the output of almost 20 large power plants and a cost of US$3.5 billion in electricity bills—and a reduction of 28 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“We need to expand access to cooling, which is essential to many aspects of human life and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Brian Holuj of the UN Environment Programme’s United for Efficiency initiative (U4E), and one of the lead authors of the guidelines. “But we need also need to mitigate the energy and environmental impacts. The guidelines advise governments on how to do just that.”

Cooling on a growth spurt

Cooling is critical for human health, productivity, manufacturing, data centres and research. But the anticipated growth will accelerate climate change unless we change our approach.

Typical cooling units require electricity and a refrigerant gas to operate. When electricity comes from fossil fuel power plants—which is the case for nearly 75 per cent of the electricity in non-OECD countries—they emit greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Globally, an estimated 3.6 billion cooling appliances are in use today, and this is projected to increase to 9.5 billion appliances by 2050. If cooling is provided for all who need it in a warming world—and not just those who can currently afford it—this would require up to 14 billion cooling appliances by 2050.

Electricity consumption varies widely, but household refrigerating appliances in some unregulated markets have been found to consume over 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity (kWh) per year, whereas some of the best consume around one fourth as much.

Minimum standards can make real difference

Minimum energy performance standards and energy labels, if well-designed and implemented, are some of the fastest and most effective approaches to improve efficiency.

The problem is that while dozens of countries have minimum energy performance standards and energy labels, many are outdated or unenforced. Inadequate standards and labels leave countries vulnerable as dumping grounds for products that cannot be sold elsewhere.

By producing clear guidance, the guidelines can ensure that standards and labels are effective.

Aside from the energy profile, many refrigerants have a global warming potential that is well over 1,000 times as potent as carbon dioxide. Under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, countries will phase down hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants—one type of such climate-warming gases—by over 80 per cent over the next 30 years. The climate benefits are significantly enhanced by improving energy efficiency while phasing down hydrofluorocarbons. According to the latest research, moving to best available cooling technologies would reduce cumulative emissions by 38–60 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 and 130-260 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2050.

“To get the most climate and development benefits from the refrigerant transition, we need a combined strategy that links the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons required by the Kigali Amendment with improved cooling efficiency. This includes integrating policies for enhanced cooling efficiency into the broader frameworks of energy and climate policy, and the enhanced nationally determined contributions of the Paris Agreement,” said Gabrielle Dreyfus, Chief Scientific Advisor, Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program. “These new model guidelines offer well-proven policy options to promote energy efficiency.”

The guidelines are another strand to a global movement to make cooling efficient and climate friendly. The Cool Coalition—a global network connecting over 80 partners—also works to expand access to cooling while reducing the climate impact. Its partners from industry and government are all pledging concrete initiatives to make the cooling industry part of the climate solution.

Source: UNEP

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What is a smart city?

1. Healthier citizens mean healthier cities.

2. A house with a heart is a home.

3. Mobility is a shared community experience.

Learning to be smart

Mercury and our health

Dental amalgam

Fish consumption

Cosmetics

Small-scale mining

Coal burning

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Cooling on a growth spurt

Minimum standards can make real difference

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