South Africa Gets Go-Ahead to Increase Black Rhino Trophy Hunting

20.08.2019

black-rhino-857448_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

South Africa has won permission to almost double the number of black rhinos that can be killed as trophies after arguing the money raised will support conservation of the critically endangered species.

The decision was made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after receiving support from some African nations and opposition from others.

Poachers supplying the illegal trade in rhino horn decimated numbers in the past but the population is now growing. About 5,000 black rhinos exist today, almost 2,000 of them in South Africa.

Since 2003, South Africa has been allowed to sell hunting rights for five black rhinos a year. The latest decision means it can take up to 0.5% of the population, meaning nine rhinos at today’s levels. South Africa said adult males would be targeted, to protect breeding females.

The request was opposed by Gabon, whose delegate said: “It is a very small population and threatened by poaching.” Kenya’s delegate said the move, along with poaching, would mean almost half the black rhino population increase each year being lost. NGOs also opposed the move, with Born Free’s delegate noting South Africa rarely used its existing quota.

But South Africa was supported by other rhino range states including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), as well as the EU and Canada. South Africa agreed not to use the full quota if the rhino population fell below a certain level, but did not specify what this would be.

Tom Milliken of Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring group, said the higher quota could help increase black rhino numbers. Older males could cause conflicts, prevent younger males from breeding and even kill females, he said. “It is a positive: you are basically preventing bar-room brawls and getting faster reproduction rates going,” Milliken said.

He said the black rhino was one of the highest-priced trophy animals, costing tens of thousands of dollars to hunt.

An earlier vote at the Cites meeting delivered a ban on wild African elephants being exported to zoos. Zimbabwe has sold dozens of elephants to Chinese attractions in recent years. The new rule says the only acceptable destinations are wild, native habitats.

The vote outcome could be overturned in the final session of the summit, which signs off all decisions. This is because the EU, which opposed the move, failed to vote.

The meeting of 183 nations, being held in Geneva, also considered the plight of sea creatures, and there was unanimous support for giving seahorses more high-profile protection. They are much sought after in the aquarium trade and for traditional Chinese medicine.

Cites has restricted international trade in all 44 seahorse species since 2002. Trade in live and dried specimens has fallen by 75% and 90% respectively in the past decade, but many millions still change hands each year.

The summit also agreed to increase focus on the soaring trade in marine ornamental fish, including many coral reef fish and sharks. The trade supplying public and private aquariums has increased 60-fold since 2000, with 1.5bn fish now sold each year.

Read more: Guardian

Australian Power Stations Among World’s Worst for Toxic Air Pollution

19.08.2019

hassan-afridhi-PyLLL1J2mRs-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hassan Afridhi)

Power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and New South Wales’s Lake Macquarie region have been named on a list of the world’s biggest hotspots for toxic air pollution.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hassan Afridhi)

A new report by Greenpeace, published on Monday, used satellite data published by Nasa to analyse the world’s worst sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution, an irritant gas known to affect human health and one of the main pollutants contributing to deaths from air pollution worldwide.

The greatest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels in power stations and other industrial facilities.

Australia ranks 12th on a list of the top-emitting countries for human-caused sulphur dioxide emissions and is singled out in the report for air pollution standards that allow power stations to emit sulphur dioxide at higher rates than in China and the EU.

It comes as state and federal environment ministers are reviewing Australia’s air pollution standards for sulphur dioxide, now 11 times higher than what is recommended by the World Health Organisation.

India, China and Russia rank first, second and third respectively in the Greenpeace report for emissions of SO2 in 2018.

The report also ranks the worst individual sources of toxic emissions, with two locations in Australia appearing in the top 50, and a further two inside the top 100.

The biggest source of SO2 pollution in Australia is a complex of mining operations with copper, lead and zinc smelters in Mount Isa in Queensland. This site ranked 32nd in the report, producing 207 kilotonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions in 2018, according to the analysis.

The Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley ranked 49th at 151 kilotonnes.

The Vales Point and Eraring coal-fired power stations in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW ranked 79th, and the Liddell and Bayswater power stations near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley 91st.

The Victorian SO2 air pollution hotspot covers a population of more than 470,000 people, and the NSW hotspot covers an area of more than 1.7 million people, but Greenpeace said the the impacts from secondary pollution covered a far greater population.

In Sydney alone, more than 100 premature deaths a year are thought to be caused by pollution from coal-fired power stations. Nationally it’s more than 4,000.

“Australian coal-burning power stations are polluting at levels that would be illegal in China and most other parts of the world,” said Jonathan Moylan, a campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

Sulphur dioxide can cause health problems including heart and lung disease, and asthma.

Ben Ewald, a doctor with Doctors for the Environment Australia, said there were places in Australia that had “a serious SO2 problem” and limits were set well above what was needed to protect human health. He said the same was the case for nitrogen dioxide, another airborne pollutant.

Read more: Guardian

Forest-Friendly Chocolate

17.08.2019

fruit-cocoa-farming-kakao — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Rodrigo Flores)

Sougue Kadjatou is a 45-year-old farmer who lives with her husband and two children in Agboville, a village in Côte d’Ivoire. Her cocoa plantation, where she works every day from morning until early afternoon, is a 40-minute walk from the village. “I’m glad they told me to plant banana and timber trees in my cocoa plantation,” she says. “It’s good to plant various trees. The bananas give me something to eat and sell, whereas the timber is a friend of the cocoa—it gives it shade. Later on, I’ll be able to sell the timber for home building and furniture which will hopefully give me enough money to build my own house for my family.”

Kadjatou is not the only one practising agroforestry. “Before I used to plant cocoa without planting other trees,” says Guitty Saidou, a farmer from the same village. “Worse, I would take a piece of forest and clear all the trees away and then plant my cocoa. But for the past five years, I’ve been introducing banana, timber, orange and avocado trees and now things are much better for me. With the other trees around it, the cocoa gives a good harvest because the trees are healthier.”

A vicious cycle

Côte d’Ivoire has the fastest rate of deforestation in Africa—and one of the fastest in the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Ivorian forest cover is down to 8 per cent.

The consequences have been dramatic: a major drop in rainfall and other devastating alterations in local climatic conditions that threaten the culture of cocoa, Côte d’Ivoire’s main agricultural commodity.

Cocoa has brought prosperity to the country. However, decades of production have exhausted the soil. The decreasing fertility of unsustainably-operated plantations has led local farmers to encroach on forests in search of more productive land. As a result, the cocoa sector, a casualty of the climate crisis, is also the main driver of deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire.

Agroforestry, or zero-deforestation agriculture

The issue is so serious that Côte d’Ivoire signed the UN New York Declaration on Forests in 2014 and committed to restoring the national forest to 20 per cent of the territory by 2030. Within this context, one of the most promising solutions is planting associated trees in cocoa plantations.

“Agroforestry, though not the only solution to deforestation, is potentially one the most effective,” says Jonathan Gheyssens, REDD+ and Sustainable Land Use Programme Officer at the UN Environment Finance Initiative. “It means the diversification of revenue streams and reducing monoculture risks for smallholder farmers who face fluctuating cocoa export prices. It also increases their resilience to climate variations and makes a positive contribution to climate change mitigation.”

The UN-REDD Programme, a joint global initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Environment Programme, works with cooperatives such as the one in Agboville where both Kadjatou and Saidou are members.

The cooperative helps the farmers switch to agroforestry through training. “The shadow of the trees protects the roots of the cocoa plant,” says trainer Amory Parfait, explaining the importance of planting other trees besides cocoa. “We started this diversification two years ago, and we now plant avocado, orange and mango trees amongst the cocoa.”

In addition to promoting agroforestry, the UN-REDD Programme also advocates for increased agricultural productivity with improved plant material while making use of good practices.

“A lot of forests were destroyed to make way for plantations,” says Jean Paul Aka, national sustainable land use finance specialist and REDD+ expert. “Half of it went to cocoa production, the rest to palm oil and rubber.”

Old cocoa seeds used to require a lot of land because the yield was low. New cocoa varieties can yield up to four times as much product, but only with the right knowledge. They do not resist the harsh sun, for example, but they do produce very fast—after 18 months instead of four years—and three times more than the older generation of cocoa trees.

“For the new seed to work, a lot of shadow, fertilizer and protection against diseases is needed and the farmers need advice on good agricultural practices,” says Aka. “If you use the new seeds, you have better production and you can harvest all year long, provided there’s enough rain.”

Source: UNEP

Sports Arenas Around the World Score Sustainability Points With ABB Technology

16.08.2019

Nearly half the world watched when Kylian Mbappe secured France’s second FIFA World Cup, scoring in the 4-2 win against Croatia. Fans in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia or in front of their TV’s didn’t miss a beat thanks to the optimal lighting, controlled by ABB’s i-bus KNX System.

The historic stadium, that hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Champions League, is one of the many arenas in the world that rely on ABB technology to light up their events in an energy-efficient way.

Event arenas, which attract large gatherings of people, have tremendous potential in setting the stage for sustainability. Stadiums are increasingly adopting more sustainable ways of operating, such as efficiently using energy and utilizing renewable sources of energy. With ABB’s offerings across smart electrification and control solutions, venues such as the Luzhniki Stadium become more sustainable.

ABB has supplied its i-bus KNX system to Luzhniki, as part of its rebuilding for the World Cup. While managing the lighting throughout the stadium, the ABB system uses energy-saving algorithms that evaluate the time of day, natural illumination and the overall load on the power grid, resulting in significant energy savings and paving the way for an environment-friendly future.

In Norway, the Odd soccer club’s Skagerak Arena in Skien has its entire rooftop covered with 5,700 square meters of solar modules. They have a nominal power of 800kWp. The battery energy storage and the energy management system, provided by ABB, ensure maximum use of renewable power even when there is low light.

The photovoltaic system not only powers floodlights at the team’s home soccer games, but also provides the neighborhood with locally-produced electricity. ABB’s technology is also perfectly in tune with the Odds soccer club’s aim to be the greenest soccer club in Europe and the club’s largest supporter Skagerak Energi’s aim to form an energy lab.

ABB’s technology is also used at the Tissot Arena, world’s largest in-stadium solar power plant, located in Biel, Switzerland. The enormous sports complex features an extended roof which has about 16,500 square meters of space available for the solar modules, equivalent to a total size of two soccer fields. It is also a showcase project for the use of solar energy throughout Switzerland. The annual energy production of the plant equals the consumption of approximately 500 average Swiss households.

ABB’s power management technology, which includes the modular ArTuk distribution switchboards and switchgears, has helped the Ekana International Cricket Stadium and Sports Complex in India to stage international matches after a gap of two decades. Cricket, which has a huge fan following in South Asia, relies on energy intensive technologies to aid accurate refereeing decisions with real-time data from strategically positioned sensors, on-field cameras and gigantic screens around the field. ABB’s power management technology allows operators to maintain continuous and reliable power supply, while ensuring higher power savings during games.

ABB has also helped create a “smart” soccer stadium for FK Austria in Vienna, Austria. The Generali Arena has incorporated the latest in smart building technology and energy efficient power distribution. ABB has provided several components, including the KNX system which allows all components of lighting, shading, heating, air conditioning and ventilation in the stadium to be networked, ensuring maximum energy savings.

ABB has also provided dry transformers, which comply with the latest energy efficiency standards of the European Union. These transformers use a vacuum casting resin technology, developed by ABB, instead of oil. ABB’s smart solutions are helping the Generali Arena become the first sustainable soccer venue in Austria.

Source: ABB

Trump Officials Weaken Protections for Animals Near Extinction

15.08.2019

wolverine-1326493_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Trump administration is scaling back the US government’s latitude to protect species nearing extinction, as world scientists warn that a biodiversity crisis will soon put humanity at risk.

More than 1,600 species are considered officially at risk in the US. A United Nations report this spring found humans are disrupting the natural world and putting a million species at risk of extinction worldwide. At least 680 vertebrate species have gone extinct in the last 400 years.

Under the changes finalized on Monday, species categorized as “threatened” will not automatically receive the same protections as those listed as “endangered”.

Critics say the revisions will make it harder for the US government to safeguard a species that is found across a wide range of the country.

North American wolverine

The Fish and Wildlife Service could soon decide whether to protect the North American wolverine, a species that depends on a cooler climate to survive. The 3ft-long creature, which resembles a small bear with a bushy tail, hunts across a vast range. But if temperatures rise at the expected rate, wolverines could lose a third of their range south of Canada by 2050, and two-thirds before the end of this century, according to National Geographic.

Wolverines are already rare, and only a few hundred are estimated to exist.

Under the new rule, the climate crisis might not factor heavily into conservation decisions about the wolverine because its effects don’t meet the agency’s new definition for the “foreseeable future”. The government also could allow activities that will destroy wolverine habitat, arguing that any one project won’t eliminate all the animal’s options.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ruben Marques)

Northern spotted owl

The northern spotted owl is also widely distributed. To prohibit activities that threaten the owl, the agency would have to determine they would damage the owl’s entire habitat, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

“As such, there is no way that any single logging project in old-growth habitat of the owl, or construction of a dam on one river for salmon or sturgeon could ever be found to be adverse modification,” Greenwald said. “We refer to this as allowing death by a thousand cuts.”

The owl has been listed as threatened since 1990. Its main threats are habitat loss and competition from the barred owl.

American burying beetle

The Trump administration has already proposed to “downlist” the beetle, which would allow more oil and gas drilling in states like Oklahoma. The species would be listed as “threatened”, rather than “endangered”. Under the new changes, that means it will not have the same automatic protections.

Conservationists say that means the government will face more pressure to exempt specific industries from requirements.

The beetle was once present in 35 states and is now only in nine. Female beetles make their nests in carcasses they bury. They can withstand grazing but are vulnerable to monoculture farms and the oil industry’s use of heavy machinery moving across the ground above them.

Read more: Guardian

A Small Island With Big Plans: The Kingdom of Bahrain Commits to Environmental Sustainability

15.08.2019

bahrain-51182_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

In June 2019, the Kingdom of Bahrain revealed its plans to ban plastic bags. The move took many by surprise. Ahmed Rajab, a photographer in Bahrain for the Gulf Daily News, is one supporter of the decision. He recalls a sad episode he captured on his camera: “With their bright pink colour, flamingos are so majestic and beautiful during flight, but then I saw a dead flamingo on the coast surrounded with plastic waste, and it was the exact opposite of beauty. It was gut-wrenching to capture that picture on my camera—a beautiful bird surrounded by plastic bottles and waste… It almost seemed like our waste murdered it and that is the sad truth.”

The ban is a great start, he says, and it will put the country on the road to sustainability. But he also believes in the importance of changing people’s attitudes and perceptions, especially those of children, to ensure that they grow up environmentally conscious. “Anything harming the environment will eventually harm us, so we need to take steps to regulate and ban harmful substances, and work together towards a healthier planet for all creatures.”

Bahrain means two seas in Arabic, a tribute to its sweet water springs and salty seawater. The small island, home to nearly 1.5 million people, is particularly vulnerable to plastic waste. Historically, its waters have been known for their richness, hosting more than 200 varieties of fish. Fishing, more specifically pearl fishing, was for centuries the main means of livelihood for the people of Bahrain.

In 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Bahrain’s Pearl Road as a World Heritage Site, recalling the nation’s longstanding reputation for an industry that has shaped its culture.

However, with the booming oil industry and pollution, marine life in the waters of the Gulf of Bahrain have declined drastically. Coral reefs, sea turtles, dugongs and numerous fish species are suffering the effects of marine pollution. With population growth and the increased production and consumption of plastic products and packaging, marine litter exacerbated the problem and contributed to the diminishing fish stocks.

To address these critical environmental challenges, the Kingdom of Bahrain seized the opportunity in 2018 to join the UN Environment Programme’s global Clean Seas campaign. Since then, youth networks, civil society, the government and others have spared no effort to turn the tide on plastic.

In June 2019, a ministerial order to regulate and phase out the use of plastic bags was announced across the Kingdom and the region. The order also aims to ban the import of bags that are non-biodegradable, and future phases will include a permanent ban on the use of plastic bags at certain malls and supermarkets.

Furthermore, the government plans to expand recycling by increasing the total number of recycling bins, thereby reducing plastic waste that ends up in landfills.

Bahrain is moving steadily towards a full-fledged ban. The Supreme Council for the Environment together with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism are working on policies and guidelines for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure a smooth transition to a suitable alternative. A seminar on plastic products regulations was held following the announcement of the ban to help manufacturers and importers meet the technical requirements. It also introduced measures that will be taken to monitor ports customs and local markets.

UN Environment’s West Asia Office Director and Regional Representative Sami Dimassi commended the bold decision that made the Kingdom the second country in West Asia to take a stand against non-biodegradable plastic bags after the Sultanate of Oman. “Plastic in the ocean has a disproportionately large impact on marine life. Small pieces of plastic are eaten by fish, sea turtles and sea birds, often resulting in their death. This is in addition to the fact that often, these animals become entangled in plastic debris which leads to fatal injuries and consequently puts an end to their short-lived lives.” He also added that non-biodegradable plastics break down into small pieces which are eaten by smaller marine animals and enter the food chain, eventually impacting human health.

Prior to the ministerial decision, many stores in Bahrain had already substituted plastic bags with paper ones. For them, the transition was not that difficult—they are mostly European franchises that had already switched to more sustainable alternatives years back at their mother companies.

However, during the years 2018 and 2019, a huge interest was sparked by local supermarkets and hypermarkets in building a culture of sustainability in Bahrain. At least 15 branches of the two main hypermarkets in Bahrain introduced reusable bags as part of their green policies. For instance, Lulu and Carrefour management have both sought the advice of UN Environment’s West Asia Office during the transition. For a small island like Bahrain, this is a great achievement.

The smaller corner shops and the food service industry are the main culprits when it comes to the use of plastics in the Kingdom. While biodegradable alternatives are available, it is less costly and more convenient to use the good old plastic bag. Nevertheless, activists, the government and youth are relentlessly raising awareness on the negative impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, while the Supreme Council for the Environment is guaranteeing that consumers will not bear the cost of the ban.

The people of Bahrain have always been pioneers in many aspects. Their openness to other cultures and interest in modern education have been the drive for many green-thinking advocates. The nation’s younger generation is empowered and entrepreneurial. There are several youth-led green initiatives in the country, including a focus on organic and green cosmetics production and upcycled fashion.

Bahrain’s active civil society has been on the back of polluters. Even schools have started exposing children to environmentally friendly practices and information, while the country’s private sector fosters environmental responsibility for the community.

And now, the people of Bahrain have a government that is adamant about making significant progress towards sustainable development.

Source: UNEP

Renewables at the Service of Nature and Society

14.08.2019

mariana-proenca-_h0xG4s6NFg-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Mariana Proenca)

Photo: private archive of Stevica Dedjanski

When we read the news in the field of energy, often we stumble upon terms such as feed-in tariff, auction, net metering and prosumer. If you are not familiar with them and they make you stop reading the article for a second, you will get a first-hand explanation. Professor Stevica Dedjanski, Ph.D., state secretary in the Ministry of Mining and Energy, has clarified these linguistic dilemmas to us. He explained that biomass is energy source beneficial to both nature and society due to producing green energy and reducing harmful emissions while creating green jobs. We also learned from him how to reduce our electricity bills by investing only a little money or no money at all.

EP: Was the adoption of the Law on Efficient Use of Energy in 2013 a turning point for more efficient use of energy compared to the previous practice?

Stevica Dedjanski: Its adoption has brought a systematical approach to the field of energy efficiency in the Republic of Serbia and has given a legal framework for transposing European regulations in that field. Until then, ad hoc activities were regulated by law. That is how the energy management for large energy consumers and the public sector has been introduced by law and how the budget fund for improving energy efficiency has been established. Besides that, labeling of energy efficient devices has been introduced; new companies have been recognized – ESCO companies that are financing energy-efficient projects on the basis of realized energy savings. For the first time, criteria of energy efficiency that should be included in the requests for public procurement of products have been clearly defined. Also, obligations in the drafting and implementation of the Energy Efficiency Action Plans resulting from the assumed obligations towards the Energy Community have been defined and methodological approach to determining savings has been adopted.

Energy savings are planned, implemented and recorded according to the national action plans for energy efficiency. According to the latest action plan from 2016, Serbia has achieved more than 90 per cent of savings planned for the period from 2010 to 2015, and almost 50 per cent of all the savings planned for the period from 2010 to 2018.

The law introduces the obligation to save one per cent of primary energy in the current year in comparison with the previous year to the system’s associates in the industrial sector and the public commercial sector.

EP: System of energy management has started functioning in 2017. How?

Stevica Dedjanski: According to the Law on Efficient Use of Energy, the system of energy management represents a system of organized energy management. The system’s associates accomplish the legally prescribed obligations to achieve rational energy use with as little cost as possible.

According to the law, the system’s associates include the enterprises and public companies that use more energy per year than government has prescribed; local self-government units with more than 20 thousands of residents; state administration bodies; other bodies of the Republic of Serbia; the bodies of the autonomous province; and public institutions. They create a program and a plan of energy efficiency for the sake of the achievement of the savings goals prescribed by the government; designate the needed number of energy managers; implement measure ment for the efficient energy use; submit an annual report on accomplishing the energy-saving goals; provide regular implementation of energy audits; perform other duties. The Ministry of Mining and Energy has so far identified more than 70 legal entities in the manufacturing sector, such as enterprises and public companies, as well as nine enterprises in the commerce and service sectors, and 79 local self-government units as the system’s associates.

In enterprises and public companies at the moment, there are 39 appointed energy managers with a license. A total of 45 local self-government units also have a licensed energy manager.

EP: How many energy managers are there in Serbia and has the system come into life practically speaking?

Stevica Dedjanski: Training of energy managers is carried out by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Belgrade for fields of industrial energy, energy at the municipal level and energy in the building sector. So far, 12 training rounds and 17 energy manager exams have been held. The Ministry has issued 103 licenses for the field of the municipal energy sector, 145 licenses for the field of industrial energy and 42 licenses for the field of energy in the building sector.

System associates continue to learn how to fulfill the legally prescribed obligations and how to achieve energy savings. For now, it is still too early to bring up good examples of energy management. The energy management system is well-conceived, but persistence and support in its implementation are needed.

EP: Although we legally made the first steps towards the improvement of energy efficiency, energy consumption per unit of GDP is about three times higher in our country than in the European Union. Is investing in energy efficiency measures out of the budget of our citizens, or is this a consequence of their insufficient knowledge of the money savings they would bring to them?

Stevica Dedjanski: According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the share of the household sector in the total final consumption is the highest. It amounts to 35 per cent, the economy 29 per cent, and transport 23 per cent. The analysis of buildings in Serbia has shown that 85 per cent of the building fund does not meet the minimum energy efficiency requirements. The prices of energy and energy will increase in the future, which will increase the cost of living.

Insufficient knowledge of the citizens about the possibilities and potential of energy efficiency, but certainly a limited budget as well, influence the state of energy efficiency in the household sector in our country.

In order to reduce energy consumption, it is necessary to operate in three aspects. In addition to making clear legal regulations and citizens’ awareness of the possibilities and potential of energy efficiency, we need a financial incentive in the form of incentive measures, subsidies and lower interest rates for investments in energy efficiency.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Angel Videv)

Even though we are behind some of the Western European countries in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable sources, we are heading in the right direction. In comparison to some European countries, we are at a similar level, or we are better. We are giving more and more importance to those fields in every segment of our society.

EP: PVC windows, air heat pump and wall and roof insulation, are some of the more expensive solutions for improving energy efficiency. Tell us several measures that do not require the investment of substantial funds.

Stevica Dedjanski: The cost-optimal energy rehabilitation of existing buildings, or the definition of a package of energy efficiency measures, is best determined by the characteristics and conditions for a concrete building, depending on its state. Those measures, which bring significant savings over time, are often, at the very beginning, a great investment.

However, there are also low-budget measures of energy efficiency such as replacing old bulbs with wire filaments with new LED lamps, installing sealing gums on exterior joinery, then installing curtains on windows and balconies located on the south and west side of the building due to too much sunshine in summer months, investing in energy efficient home appliances, installing thermostatic heads on radiators to optimize heat in rooms, etc.
Training.

Also, besides investment measures, reducing energy consumption is possible by applying measures that affect consumer behavior, for example: controlling if the household appliances are turned on or turned off (boiler, washing machine and oven should not be turned on at the same time), electricity and heating bills control, switching to paying the thermal energy per consumption which is profitable for isolated objects, and so on.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

Oil Market Report: Economic Woes Hold Sway Over Geopolitics

14.08.2019

charlie-hang-Hf1Wk-T4Lxo-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Charlie Hang)

While geopolitical tensions in the Middle East Gulf remain high, with US sanctions recently extended to more Iranian officials and a Chinese oil importer, as well as another tanker seizure, oil prices (Brent) have eased back from the most recent high of $67/bbl. Shipping operations are at normal levels, albeit with higher insurance costs. The messages from various parties that vessels will be protected to the greatest extent possible, and the IEA’s recent statement that it is closely monitoring the oil security position in the Strait of Hormuz will have provided some reassurance.

There have been concerns about the health of the global economy expressed in recent editions of this Report and shown by reduced expectations for oil demand growth. Now, the situation is becoming even more uncertain: the US-China trade dispute remains unresolved and in September new tariffs are due to be imposed. Tension between the two has increased further this week, reflected in heavy falls for stock and commodity markets. Oil prices have been caught up in the retreat, falling to below $57/bbl earlier this week. In this Report, we took into account the International Monetary Fund’s recent downgrading of the economic outlook: they reduced by 0.1 percentage points for both 2019 and 2020 their forecast for global GDP growth to 3.2% and 3.5%, respectively.

Oil demand growth estimates have already been cut back sharply: in 1H19, we saw an increase of only 0.6 mb/d, with China the sole source of significant growth at 0.5 mb/d. Two other major markets, India and the United States, both saw demand rise by only 0.1 mb/d. For the OECD as a whole, demand has fallen for three successive quarters. In this Report, growth estimates for 2019 and 2020 have been revised down by 0.1 mb/d to 1.1 mb/d and 1.3 mb/d, respectively. There have been minor upward revisions to baseline data for 2018 and 2019 but our total number for 2019 demand is unchanged at 100.4 mb/d, incorporating a modest upgrade to our estimate for 1Q19 offset by a decrease for 3Q19. The outlook is fragile with a greater likelihood of a downward revision than an upward one.

In the meantime, the short term market balance has been tightened slightly by the reduction in supply from OPEC countries. Production fell in July by 0.2 mb/d, and it was backed up by additional cuts of 0.1 mb/d by the ten non-OPEC countries included in the OPEC+ agreement. In a clear sign of its determination to support market re-balancing, Saudi Arabia’s production was 0.7 mb/d lower than the level allowed by the output agreement. If the July level of OPEC crude oil production at 29.7 mb/d is maintained through 2019, the implied stock draw in 2H19 is 0.7 mb/d, helped also by a slower rate of non-OPEC production growth. However, this is a temporary phenomenon because our outlook for very strong non-OPEC production growth next year is unaltered at 2.2 mb/d. Under our current assumptions, in 2020, the oil market will be well supplied.

Source: IEA

UNDP and Samsung Unveil Global Goals Partnership

13.08.2019

Samsung launch ©UNDP/Daria Asmolova — Photo: UNDP/Daria Asmolova

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced a new partnership to boost awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals today in New York.

The new Global Goals app and accessories were unveiled during Samsung’s Unpacked event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Samsung Galaxy phones will carry the Global Goals app that defines each of the 17 goals showing users how they can take small actions towards achieving the SDGs.

“This partnership with UNDP and Samsung will not only harness technological innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but will mobilize the next generation of global citizens to take action and together achieve the goals,” says Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “Only with a joint effort by everyone – private sector, civil society, and people across the world – can we truly have impact and change the world for the better.”

The Global Goals app, available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones, aims to increase awareness of the Global Goals and raise funds for UNDP to support its work around the world. In addition, a portion of the proceeds generated from sales of the special edition accessories will go directly to UNDP in support of the Global Goals.

“Now more than ever, we have the potential to use the power of technology to address the world’s most pressing challenges,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics. “Our partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide Galaxy users with easy, impactful ways to learn about the Global Goals and support the causes important to them so we can collectively make a difference.”

The app will come preinstalled on Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ and will be available for download for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones in 19 languages. The special edition phone cases and wireless charger will be available through Samsung.com and select Samsung Experience Stores in the U.S. and Korea.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 interconnected goals in a universal call for people, planet and prosperity. By 2030, the SDGs will address the world’s biggest issues like poverty, inequality and climate change.

For more information about Samsung Global Goals, visit https://news.samsung.com/galaxy, http://www.samsungmobilepress.com or https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/apps/samsung-global-goals/.

Source: UNDP

Why Is a Tesla So Hard To Steal?

12.08.2019

alex-iby-gJIIGRACueg-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Alex Iby)

Many claim Tesla makes some of the most popular cars in the world, but if that were true, why doesn’t anyone want to steal them?

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), Tesla’s 2016–2018 Model S and X were among the least stolen vehicles, only beaten by the BMW 3 Series. The institute claims this is due to electric cars typically being stored in garages where they’re charged. But if that’s the case, where are the other EVs on the HLDI’s top 20 list?

According to HLDI, “Two of the vehicles on the least-stolen list are the Tesla Model S and Model X. Their low theft rate may be related to the fact that, as electric vehicles, they are usually parked in garages or close to a house [located] near a power supply. In a separate report last year, HLDI showed that electric vehicles from a variety of manufacturers have lower theft claim rates than comparable vehicles.”

Regardless, Tesla has done a lot to earn its (nearly) chart-topping position on this least-stolen list. In addition, the relatively few Teslas that are stolen have an incredible recovery rate. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (via Marketwatch), 112 out of 115 stolen Teslas were recovered from 2011 to May of 2018. In comparison, the overall recovery rate for all vehicles in 2016 was just 58.4%.

“That’s about as good as it gets,” explains Fank Scafidi, director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau. “I’m wondering if the thieves’ intellect might have been overwhelmed just sitting in a Tesla, much less figuring out how to operate it for any length of time.”

While most new cars have advanced tech to prevent theft, the Silicon Valley automaker outshines the industry in both minimal thefts and recovery rate. So, what makes Tesla’s cars such a headache for thieves? Much of this can be attributed to three key Tesla security features: GPS Tracking, Sentry Mode, and Pin to Drive.

GPS Tracking

GPS tracking has been a security feature since Tesla’s early days. From within Tesla’s phone app, owners can receive real-time data on vehicle location. If a Tesla is ever stolen, owners can use their phone to tell officers exactly where their car is located. It’s happened plenty of times already and likely accounts for a large portion of recovered stolen Teslas. One downside to this feature is that in order to save battery life, the car only updates real-time while driving. And a knowledgeable thief, in theory, could remove the car’s SIM card to prevent tracking altogether.

Sentry Mode

Tesla’s Sentry Mode is another method used to deter thieves before they even attempt to steal the car. Enabling this feature will leave the vehicle in a “monitoring” state. The two side cameras, front camera, and sensors will remain active even while the car is off. In turn, the Tesla observes its surroundings, ready to notify its owner and any individual too close to the vehicle in the unlikely event that a theft is in progress. The display flashes a “recording in progress” message, and the vehicle does just that. For the majority of thieves, this is enough to reconsider. And for those daring thieves who still forge ahead, they run the risk of simply getting caught.

Pin To Drive

Okay, so let’s say a knowledgeable thief was able to successfully accomplish a relay attack, ignores the recording in progress, and pulls out the car’s SIM to prevent tracking. The thief will still have trouble driving away thanks to the Pin to Drive feature. This security feature requires you to enter a pin in order to drive the Tesla. The location of the pin-pad even shifts with each startup in order to prevent reading of fingerprint smudges. The only way to reset the pin is to enter your Tesla account credentials.

In this case, using the owners’ account credentials is just about the only way to drive away with a stolen Tesla. Fortunately, most petty car thieves lack the skills necessary to hack into your Tesla account through phishing, social engineering, brute force methods, etc. And if a Tesla owner is still concerned about these types of corner cases, there are some helpful steps they can employ in order to defend against car hacking.

Sources: EVBite, Clean Technica

Hyundai Launches First Car with Solar Roof Charging System

11.08.2019

Hyundai Motor is launching its first car with a solar roof charging system.

This groundbreaking eco-friendly technology will provide vehicles with additional electrical power, as well as increasing fuel efficiency and driving range.

Hyundai Motor’s solar roof charging system makes its debut on the New Sonata Hybrid. The system supports the vehicle’s electric power source, improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

In the coming years, Hyundai will roll out the technology to other vehicles across its range. This is the latest application of a smart solution from Hyundai advancing the mobility industry towards a more sustainable future.

The solar roof system includes a structure of silicon solar panels that are mounted on the car’s roof. Being able to charge even while driving, the solar roof system can charge 30 to 60 per cent of the battery per day. With 6 hours of daily charging, it is expected to increase drivers’ travel distance by an extra 1,300 km annually.

The system is composed of a solar panel and a controller. Electricity is produced when solar energy activates the solar panel’s surface, which converts this energy by using photons of light from the sun. This creates the electron-hole pairs in silicon cells, which generate solar electricity.

The electricity from this process is converted to the standard voltage by the controller, then stored in the battery. Hyundai Motor took not only efficiency but also design into account while developing the solar charging system.

While the solar roof system currently plays a supporting role, it opens up perspectives for vehicles no longer need fossil fuel to operate.

The New Sonata Hybrid

The New Sonata Hybrid is equipped with the world’s first Active Shift Control (ASC) technology and solar roof charging system. It boasts a hybrid-exclusive design with enhanced dynamic elements, as well as a Smartstream G2.0 GDi HEV engine and 6-speed hybrid transmission. Hyundai’s new model also supports a ‘Digital Key’ function via a dedicated smartphone app.

The New Sonata is now on sale in Korea and will soon be sold in North America. Hyundai currently has no plans to expand sales of this model to the European market.

Source: Hyundai

IRENA and UN Climate Change Join Forces to Accelerate Renewables as Climate Solution

09.08.2019

IRENA_UNFCC_MoU_Accelerate Climate Solutions_2019_press release — Photo: IRENA

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) are jointly ramping up efforts to fight climate change by promoting the widespread adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. The new strategic partnership builds on a long history of cooperation that aims to ensure a low-carbon climate-resilient world in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

In a Memorandum of Understanding signed today in Bonn between the heads of IRENA and UN Climate Change, the two organisations have agreed to step up the exchange of knowledge on energy transition, collaborate more closely at expert meetings, increase capacity building to promote renewables and undertake joint outreach activities.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said: “The rapid transition to clean energy is crucial to meet the central goal of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which is to hold the global average temperature rise to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Time is running out – we are already seeing worsening climate change impacts around the world –including unprecedented heatwaves – and we need to grasp all opportunities to rapidly deploy clean, renewable energy at scale to prevent the worst climate scenarios form becoming a reality.”

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) added: “Falling technology costs have made solar, wind and other renewables the competitive backbone of energy decarbonisation and, together with energy efficiency, the most effective climate action tool available.

Renewable energy delivers jobs, delivers on sustainable development and will deliver a viable climate solution. The renewables-based energy transition provides a clear opportunity to increase ambition in the reviewing process of the national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. IRENA will fully support countries in realising this opportunity on the way to COP25 in Chile this year and to COP26 in 2020.”

UN Climate Change and IRENA are already working together to promote renewable energy, notably at expert meetings and through publications.

At a practical level, the organisations have jointly provided capacity building on renewable energy through training sessions, for example to several African countries.

IRENA is also one of the biggest supporters of the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action work, designed to mobilise climate-related activities of cities, regions, businesses and investors.

The new agreement is designed to build on this work, and to expand regional activities in the field of clean technology.

Source: IRENA

Australian Solar Could Power Singapore Within a Decade

08.08.2019

solar-1593008_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

When the 720 km power cable from Norway to the UK made landfall two years ago it was hailed as the longest in the world. Now a Singaporean renewable energy company has plans for an undersea power line five times longer.

Sun Cable plans to generate electricity using solar power in Australia’s Northern Territory and transmit it to Singapore along a 3,800 km subsea cable. As well as being the longest on the planet, the cable would turn Australia into a major green energy exporter.

Although the Norweigan electricity delivered to the UK will come from hydro-electric generation, the Australian project would take the export of sustainable energy to a new level. In much of the world, renewable energy is generated for local consumption.

The company wants to build the world’s largest solar farm, covering 15,000 hectares. The 10 gigawatt installation will be backed up by battery storage to provide 24-hour supply to the city of Darwin as well as providing one-fifth of Singapore’s energy needs.

Green hydrogen

In the Pilbara region of Western Australia an even larger green energy project is underway. The Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) plans to use wind combined with solar to generate up to 15 gigawatts of electricity from what the consortium of energy leaders say will be the world’s biggest wind/solar hybrid site.

Both projects are still at the planning stage and the AREH team are working with the indigenous Nyangumarta people on whose land the 6,500 square kilometre project will be built.

AREH plans to use one-fifth of its output to supply local needs, including serving the tourist town of Broome, with the remainder devoted to a hydrogen manufacturing hub.

The aim is to use the hydrogen to power local mineral industries, helping Australia move away from being an exporter of raw materials to a manufacturer of finished product by, for example, replacing coke in steel blast furnaces.

Reducing CO2 emissions

Australia is currently the world’s biggest exporter of coking coal and iron ore, the second largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG) and has the world’s largest economically recoverable reserves of gold.

The nation was placed at number 43 in the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Energy Transition Index, largely due to a low score on environmental sustainability because of its reliance on coal for electricity generation.

The Australian government has argued that transitioning to greener energy sources will raise consumer bills. The Forum’s report highlights the need to ensure equitable distribution of the costs of energy transition to avoid placing lower-income citizens in fuel poverty.

By greening its industries and becoming a major exporter of renewable energy, Australia would be able to reduce its carbon emissions which, including its coal, oil and gas exports, now account for 5% of the global total. This is in part due to an increase in LNG exports, which rose by 22% last year.

Author: Douglas Broom

Source: WEF

Why Forest Elephant Extinction Will Make Climate Change Much Worse

07.08.2019

marc-bombenon-FzZWp6yrwEY-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Marc Bombenon)

Forest elephant extinction would exacerbate climate change. That’s according to a new study in Nature Geoscience which links feeding by elephants with an increase in the amount of carbon that forests are able to store.

The bad news is that African forest elephants – smaller and more vulnerable relatives of the better known African bush elephant – are fast going extinct. If we allow their ongoing extermination to continue, we will be also worsening climate change. The good news is that if we protect and conserve these elephants, we will simultaneously fight climate change.

Elephants are fascinating animals, and I have studied them for more than 15 years. They are intelligent, sentient, and highly social. But their single most remarkable feature is their size. Evolutionarily, elephants gambled on becoming massive enough to deter predators like lions and tigers.

In exchange, they became slaves to their appetite. Elephants need huge amounts of food everyday, something like 5-10% of their body mass. A typical three-tonne female could eat 200 kg of plant material in one day. Her family may need to consume more than a tonne of food per day.

It is not easy to find so much food, especially in tropical rain forests, where plants have high concentrations of chemical defences (toxins) to avoid being eaten. Elephants spend most of their life eating and looking for food. We can think of them as “eating machines”. African forest elephants are particularly fond of saplings, young trees, and the plants that first grow into newly opened gaps in the forest. These “early succession” plants are specialised in growing fast following a disturbance and they invest less in chemical defences. Early succession trees also have lower wood density than slow-growing late-succession tree species.

Elephant eating manners are also remarkable. They feed by breaking stems and branches, pulling down lianas, uprooting whole plants, stripping leaves off twigs, and so on. It is easy to notice their presence because of the mess they leave behind.

How elephant disturbance affects carbon stocks

The key novelty of the new study, by the ecologist Fabio Berzaghi and colleagues, is they include, for the first time, the effect of elephant feeding disturbances in a computer modelthat simulates demographic processes in forest ecosystems. They found that “elephant disturbance” – all that messy eating – results in forests having fewer, larger trees. Elephants filter out small early-succession (i.e. low wood density) trees, promoting the dominance of late-succession (high wood density) trees, which ultimately leads to long-term increases in the total biomass. Berzaghi and colleagues were able to validate their model predictions with data from real forest plots in the Congo Basin.

By promoting these larger, woodier trees, elephant feeding disturbances therefore mean the forest stores more carbon. These results have important and far reaching implications for elephant conservation and carbon policy. The authors estimate that the disappearance of African forest elephants would result in a loss of as much as 7% of the carbon stocks in Central African forests, which they valued at around US$43 billion, based on a conservative carbon stock price. In short, forest elephants are our allies in the fight against climate change and their existence saves us tens of billions of dollars in climate responses.

Forest elephants could soon disappear

The situation of African forest elephants is particularly dramatic. Once numbered in the millions, their population is now less than 10% of its potential size and, in the decade from 2002 to 2011, as many as 62% of forest elephants might have been killed. This decline is mostly due to poaching to feed Asian demand for ivory as well as increasing human encroaching of their habitats. What a sad reason for a massacre and an ecological disaster.

Scientists largely recognise African bush (Loxodonta africana) and forest (L. cyclotis) elephants as different species. However because of practical challenges (such as dealing with abundant hybrid populations), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which officially tracks endangered species, has kept the two together. The problem is that the more populous bush elephants have masked a drastic reduction in their forest cousins.

Berzaghi and colleagues emphasise the need for forest elephants to be finally acknowledged as their own species. This would give them a separate IUCN Red List status – probably marked as “endangered” – and trigger important policies and actions.

Conserving elephants helps fight climate change

Berzaghi and colleagues show that forest elephants produce ecosystem services in the form of climate stability from which we all benefit, including people like you and me who might never visit the forests of Central Africa. If we are all beneficiaries of elephant conservation, we should be also responsible for it. It is very important that more affluent societies assume a bigger share of the responsibility to conserve the elephants and other tropical biodiversity from which we benefit.

In the past decade we have learned a lot about how important elephants and other large animals are for functioning ecosystems. It is time to apply this knowledge. Berzaghi and colleagues produced evidence linking the behaviour of a single species – feeding disturbances by African forest elephants – to global-scale climatic impacts. As mentioned earlier, the bad news is that we humans are killing elephants and ruining our planet. The good news is that we could synergise efforts and fight climate change by effectively protecting and restoring forest elephant populations and their habitats. The choice seems obvious to me.

Author: Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz

Source: WEF

Extreme Water Stress Affects a Quarter of the World’s Population, Say Experts

06.08.2019

ken-treloar-UbT39c9a60E-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ken Treloar)

A quarter of the world’s population across 17 countries are living in regions of extremely high water stress, a measure of the level of competition over water resources, a new report reveals.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ken Treloar)

Experts at the World Resources Institute (WRI) warned that increasing water stress could lead to more “day zeroes” – a term that gained popularity in 2018 as Cape Town in South Africa came dangerously close to running out of water.

Qatar, Israel and Lebanon were ranked as the most water stressed countries in the world, with Badghis in Afghanistan and Gaborone and Jwaneng in Botswana the world’s most water-stressed regions.

WRI said the data reveals a global water crisis that will require better information, planning and water management.

“Water matters,” said Betsy Otto, global director for water at WRI. “We’re currently facing a global water crisis. Our populations and economies are growing and demanding more water. But our supply is threatened by climate change, water waste and pollution.”

The global research organisation compared the water available to the amount withdrawn for homes, industries, irrigation and livestock.

In the 17 countries facing extremely high water stress, agriculture, industry, and municipalities were found to be using up to 80% of available surface and groundwater in an average year. When demand rivals supply, even small dry spells, which are set to increase because of the climate crisis, can produce dire consequences.

Twelve of the 17 high-risk countries were in the Middle East and North Africa.

The level of water stress in India, a country of more than 1.3 billion people, was striking, experts noted. India ranked 13th in the report.

In July, taps in the southern city of Chennai ran dry and satellite photographs showing an empty lake in the city went viral on social media.

“The recent water crisis in Chennai gained global attention, but various areas in India are experiencing chronic water stress as well,” said Shashi Shekhar, former secretary of India’s ministry of water resources, and senior WRI fellow.

Although the US did not have high levels of water stress overall, a handful of states – including New Mexico and California – were found to be facing significant strains on their water supplies that will only intensify with global heating.

World Bank research has emphasised that “while the consequences of drought are often invisible, they are significant and cause ‘misery in slow motion”.

The report paints a worrying image of water risk and warns of other social and political problems attached to water shortages.

Around the world, stress on water supplies can exacerbate conflict and migration, threaten food supplies and pose risks for water-dependent industries, including mining and manufacturing, WRI notes.

Read more: Guardian

Students Changing the World – This Year’s Google Science Fair Winners

05.08.2019

GSF2019_Fionn_Celestine.max-2000x2000.jpg — Photo: Google

When Google Science Fair launched last fall, students were challenged to channel their curiosity and ingenuity to invent, code or build a solution to a problem they’re passionate about. Thousands of students participated, and past weekend Google welcomed their 24 finalists—from 14 countries around the world—to explore Google’s headquarters to reveal the winners.

These changemakers tackled issues across sustainability, healthcare, and accessibility. The company saw impressive entries that used a variety of STEM disciplines—from using AI to help detect disease in plants to finding new ways to diagnose heart disease.

Ready to find out who the winners are?

Grand Prize: Fionn Ferreira—a West Cork, Ireland resident who wants to help save the oceans by extracting harmful microplastics from wastewater.
Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award: Celestine Wenardy— a student from Indonesia who set out to find affordable, non-invasive ways for members of her community to test their blood sugar levels.
Scientific American Innovator Award: Tuan Dolmen—a Turkish science enthusiast who found a way to harness energy from tree vibrations.
National Geographic Explorer Award: Aman KA and AU Nachiketh—two young scientists from India who found an eco-friendly way to coagulate rubber.
Lego Education Builder Award: Daniel Kazanstev—a Russian student who wanted to find a better way to help those with impaired hearing communicate with the world around them.

Google was joined by a panel of judges, including their partners: Lego Education, Scientific American, Virgin Galactic and National Geographic. Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scientific American and the chief judge for this year’s competition praised Fionn for his “tenacity and dedication to solving an important environmental problem embodies the spirit of exploration.”

Behind every ambitious student are parents and teachers (hats off to you!) who cheer them on, and push them to keep learning. And to the students, you rock. We can’t wait to see what you do next.

Source: Google

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