Air Pollution Particles Found on Foetal Side of Placentas

18.09.2019

pregnant_woman_trudnoća — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Air pollution particles have been found on the foal side of the placenta, indicating that unborn babies are directly exposed to the black carbon produced by motor traffic and fuel combustion.

The research is the first study to show the placental barrier can be penetrated by particles breathed in by the mother. It found thousands of tiny particles per cubic millimeter of tissue in every placenta analyzed.

The link between exposure to dirty air and increased miscarriages, premature births and low birth weights is well established. The research suggests the particles themselves may be the cause, not solely the inflammatory response of the pollution produces in the mothers.

Damage to foetuses has lifelong consequences and Prof. Tim Nawrot at Hasselt University in Belgium, who led the study, said: “This is the most vulnerable period of life. All the organ systems are in development. For the protection of future generations, we have to reduce exposure. ”He said governments had the responsibility of cutting air pollution but that people should avoid busy roads when possible.

A comprehensive global review concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. Nanoparticles have also been found to cross the blood-brain barrier and billions have been found in the hearts of young city dwellers.

While air pollution is decreasing in some nations, the records of harm caused by even low levels are rapidly increasing and 90% of the world’s population live in places where air pollution is above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, examined 25 placentas from non-smoking women in the town of Hasselt. It has particle pollution levels well below the EU limit, although above the WHO limit. Researchers used a laser technique to detect the black carbon particles, which have a unique light fingerprint.

In each case, they found nanoparticles on the foetal side of the placenta and the number correlated with air pollution levels experienced by the mothers. There was an average of 20,000 nanoparticles per cubic millimetre in the placentas of mothers who lived near main roads. For those further away, the average was 10,000 per cubic millimetre.

They also examined placentas from miscarriages and found the particles were present even in 12-week-old foetuses. The first report of possible pollution particles in placentas was presented at a conference in September 2018, though the composition of the particles had not been confirmed.

The detection of the particles on the foetal side of the placental barrier means it was very likely the foetuses were exposed, Nawrot said. Work to analyse foetal blood for particles is now under way, as is research to see if the particles cause DNA damage.

The team also found black carbon particles in the urine of primary school children. The study, published in 2017, found an average of 10 million particles per millilitre in hundreds of nine-to-12-year-olds tested. “It shows there is translocation of particles from the lungs to all organ systems,” said Nawrot.

Amazon Deforestation Is Driven by Criminal Networks, Report Finds

17.09.2019

forest_fire_monkey_aper_deforestation_krčenje_šuma_požari — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is a lucrative business largely driven by criminal networks that threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people who try to stop them, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

Rainforest Mafias concludes that Brazil’s failure to police these gangs threatens its abilities to meet its commitments under the Paris climate deal – such as eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030. It was published a week before the UN Climate Action Summit.

Ricardo Salles, Brazil’s environment minister in the government of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, has argued that poverty drives degradation, and that development of the Amazon will help stop deforestation.

But the report’s author, Cesar Muñoz Acebes, argues that Amazon needs to be better policed.

“As long as you have this level of violence, lawlessness and impunity for the crimes committed by these criminal groups it will be impossible for Brazil to rein in deforestation,” he said. “These criminal networks will attack anyone who stands in their way.”

The report documents 28 killings in which it found evidence that “those responsible were engaged in illegal deforestation and saw their victims as obstacles”.

Victims included indigenous people, forest residents and environmental agents, and only two cases went to trial. It cites “serious flaws” in investigations of six killings. More than 300 killings were counted by the Pastoral Land Commission, a not-for-profit group connected to the Catholic church, over the last decade in the Amazon, of which just 14 went to trial.

Officials and environmentalists told the Guardian the report echoed their experiences working in the Amazon.

“There is a lack of people, a lack of resources, a lack of logistics and a lack of will,” said Antonio de Oliveira, a retired federal police officer previously seconded to indigenous agency Funai. He worked with the Guardians, a brigade of Guajajara indigenous people who forcibly expel loggers from their heavily depleted Araribóia reserve in Maranhão state on the east of the Amazon.

Oliveira received several death threats and came under fire from loggers during one operation, when an environment agency official sitting next to him was hit in the arm. Nobody was jailed.

He agreed with the report’s assertion that illegal loggers have become more brazen since Bolsonaro launched a strong series of attacks on environmental agencies for levying fines and destroying loggers’ equipment, and promised to develop protected environment areas.

“The situation has got worse,” he said. “There is a sort of encouragement to people to enter, to invade.”

Source: Guardian

European Commission and World Health Organization Join Forces to Promote the Benefits of Vaccines

16.09.2019

vaccination_health_vakcinacija_zdravlje — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

On 12th of September, the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) co-hosted the world’s first Global Vaccination Summit in Brussels. The aim was to accelerate global action to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, and advocate against the spread of vaccine misinformation worldwide.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said: “It is inexcusable that in a world as developed as ours, there are still children dying of diseases that should have been eradicated long ago. Worse, we have the solution in our hands but it is not being put to full use. Vaccination already prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and could prevent a further 1.5 million if global vaccination coverage improved. Today’s summit is an opportunity to address this gap. The Commission will continue to work with the EU’s Member States in their national efforts and with our partners here today. This is a global challenge we must tackle together, and now.”

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: “After many years of progress, we are at a critical turning point. Measles is resurging, and 1 in 10 children continues to miss out on essential childhood vaccines,” said Dr Tedros, “We can and must get back on track. We will only do this by ensuring everyone can benefit from the power of vaccines – and if governments and partners invest in immunization as a right for all, and a social good. Now is the time to step up efforts to support vaccination as a core part of health for all.”

Opening the summit, President Juncker and Dr Tedros called for an urgent intensification of efforts to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. In the past 3 years, 7 countries, including 4 in the European region, have lost their measles elimination status. New outbreaks are the direct result of gaps in vaccination coverage, including amongst teenagers and adults who were never fully vaccinated. To tackle vaccination gaps effectively, the summit addressed the multiple barriers to vaccination, including rights, regulations and accessibility, availability, quality and convenience of vaccination services; social and cultural norms, values and support; individual motivation, attitudes, and knowledge and skills.

The European Commission and the World Health Organization also urged for strong support of GAVI, the Global Vaccine Alliance. GAVI plays a critical role in achieving the global vaccine goals in the world’s least-resourced countries.

New models and opportunities for stepping up vaccine development are also on the Global Vaccination Summit agenda, as well as ways to ensure that immunisation is a public health priority and a universal right.

Background

The WHO has declared vaccine hesitancy, including complacency and lack of confidence and convenience, one of ten threats to global health in 2019. Vaccines are safe and effective, and are the foundation of any strong Primary Health Care system.

Worldwide, 79% of people agree that vaccines are safe and 84% agree that they are effective, according to the Welcome Global Monitor on how people around the world think and feel about science and major health challenges. Yet, the State of Vaccine Confidence in the EU report shows that vaccine refusal has been increasing in many EU member states linked to low confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines worldwide. This lack of confidence contributes significantly to lower coverage rates, which are essential to ensure herd immunity and are leading to increases in disease outbreak.

According to a Eurobarometer from April this year, almost half of the EU public (48%) believes that vaccines can often produce serious side effects, 38% think they can cause the diseases against which they protect and 31% are convinced that they can weaken the immune system. These figures are also the result of an increased spread of disinformation about the benefits and risks of vaccines through digital and social media.

So far in 2019, reported measles cases have reached the highest numbers seen globally since 2006. A surge in measles cases that began in 2018 has continued into 2019, with approximately 90 000 cases reported for the first half of the year in the WHO European Region alone and over 365 000 worldwide. These half-year figures already exceed each annual total since 2006.

Source: WHO

How Global Tourism Can Be More Sustainable

14.09.2019

photographers_mountains_planine — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

One of the world’s biggest economic activities, tourism drives wealth, employment, and regional development.

In 2018, international tourist arrivals reached 1.4 billion, while total export earnings from international tourism reached USD 1.7 trillion, or almost USD 5 billion per day on average, according to the latest data from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Despite these results, the long-term sustainability of the industry faces important challenges in terms of making the growth model compatible with the quality of life of local communities, especially in cities or mature destinations.

A recent UNWTO report on overtourism in cities recognized the need for the sector to “ensure sustainable policies and practices that minimize adverse effects of tourism on the use of natural resources, infrastructure, mobility and congestion, as well as its socio-cultural impact.”

Consequently, the tourism policy paradigm should shift from a growth-oriented model to an approach focused on the quality of this growth and its compatibility with the quality of life of residents.

A new generation of tourism strategies

In recent decades, tourism policies have focused on attracting tourists and maximizing the positive impacts of tourism in terms of employment and income, with emphasis on marketing and tourism promotion.

Now, “destination management” has emerged as a policy topic and, more importantly, governments and destination-management organizations are actively engaging in the practice.

An OECD report underlines how sustained development of the sector depends on the ability of destinations to promote adaptations to economic, social, political, and environmental trends, highlighting the emergence of integrated policies—with the participation of the private sector and local communities—in order to promote more inclusive growth.

In Portugal, tourism has very positively contributed to the Portuguese economy, generating higher revenues and employment.

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this positive contribution, two years ago the Portuguese government launched Tourism Strategy 2027, which defines the vision for the Portuguese tourism industry for the next decade: “To affirm tourism as a hub for economic, social and environmental development throughout the territory, positioning Portugal as one of the most competitive and sustainable tourism destinations in the world.”

Developed in an open process with many participants, Tourism Strategy 2027 proposes an ambitious agenda, with the principles of sustainable tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals as its DNA. The strategy sets objectives for each of the three pillars of sustainable development: economic goals cover specific growth targets in terms of overnight stays and tourism receipts; social goals include seasonality, workforce-skills improvement,and residents’ satisfaction; and environmental goals are related to best practices in energy, water, and waste management.

Underlying this vision is the principle that tourism should be a vehicle for promoting the country’s balanced development, deconcentrating tourist demand to less-developed regions throughout the year and adding value to local communities.

At the same time, the strategy aims to position Portugal as a leader in tourism of the future: a sustainable destination with a cohesive territory; an innovative and competitive country that values work and talent; an inclusive, open, creative country to visit, to invest in, to study in and live in.

New tools for monitoring (new) strategies

Making tourism more sustainable is a continuous process of making optimal use of environmental resources, respecting host communities, and ensuring viable, long-term economic operations, providing fairly distributed benefits among tourism stakeholders. This is a complex activity, with a number of economic, environmental, social, and political challenges, which require adequate management and evidence-based public policies.

And it’s far from easy to monitor the impacts of tourism. Efforts by international organizations such as UNWTO, OECD, and Eurostat have led to significant progress, including the establishment of international standards and tools such as the Tourism Satellite Account, which helps to understand the growing economic importance of tourism.

However, monitoring efforts have focused mainly on economic aspects, leaving behind the social and environmental impacts that, as we have seen, play a key role in the generation of sustainability-oriented tourism policies.

UNWTO’s initiative Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) will be an important tool to provide integrated information on sustainable tourism and to help destinations understand their social and environmental impacts.

Nevertheless, tourist destinations are already confronted with the need to develop public policies to promote sustainability, which requires new approaches in terms of generating data and guiding decision-making processes.

In the case of Portugal, the implementation of Tourism Strategy 2027 required the development of a sustainable tourism indicators system, enabling tourism policy evaluation and providing the private sector with instruments for making strategic decisions.

Those 34 indicators followed recommendations from international organizations like UNWTO and Eurostat and cover economic, environmental, and social pillars, using existing and comparable data sources. These indicators are available to relevant tourism stakeholders through TravelBI, a free and open data platform provided by Turismo de Portugal.

Finally, the new generation of tourism strategies requires a completely new approach in terms of data to enable real-time decision-making, especially of crisis management operational decisions, and broaden the dimensions of destination management. Ultimately, technology, and data generated by the rise of the digital economy, can make destination management more efficient and improve tourism’s sustainability.

Global tourism experienced steady growth for more than six decades, benefiting from the rise of technological advances that have made travel easier and cheaper. Now, it is time to use technology as a tool for managing tourist flows and improving the experience of both visitors and residents.

For more insights and analysis on how 140 countries performed, read the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report here.

Source: WEF

Plastic Alternatives May Worsen Marine Pollution, MPs Warn

13.09.2019

Compostable and biodegradable plastics could add to marine pollution because there is no infrastructure in place to make sure they break down correctly, a committee of MPs has warned.

The use of alternatives to plastic are being adopted by many food and drink companies, takeaway coffee venues, cafes and retailers. But experts giving evidence to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs committee said the infrastructure required to deal with the new packaging was not in place and there was a lack of consumer understanding about these alternatives.

Much of the compostable packaging produced for the UK market only degrades in industrial composting facilities, rather than in home composting – but not all is sent to these facilities.

Environmental NGOs told the committee that the rapid introduction of such alternatives could actually increase plastic pollution.

Juliet Phillips, of the Environmental Investigation Agency, said: “If a biodegradable cup gets into the sea, it could pose just as much of a problem to marine life as a conventional plastic cup.”

The environmental thinktank Green Alliance said there was evidence that the term biodegradable made consumers think it was fine to discard it into the environment, which would make pollution on land and at sea even worse.

Neil Parish, chair of the Commons select committee, said: “In the backlash against plastic, other materials are being increasingly used as substitutes in food and drink packaging.

“We are concerned that such actions are being taken without proper consideration of wider environmental consequences, such as higher carbon emissions.

“Compostable plastics have been introduced without the right infrastructure or consumer understanding to manage compostable waste.”

Keep Britain Tidy said “the drive to introduce bioplastics, biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics is being done with limited emphasis on explaining the purpose of these materials to the public or consideration of whether they are in fact better from an environmental perspective than the plastic packaging they replace”.

The committee, in a report on plastic food and drink packaging published on Thursday, said the government should focus on reducing the use of plastic packaging rather than replacing it with other materials.

“Reduction is far more important than recycling, and a fundamental shift away from all single-use packaging, plastic or otherwise, is now necessary,” the report said.

A government consultation on biodegradable and compostable packaging is under way. It will examine whether the standard required for all such alternative plastics should be that they can be home composted.

In evidence to the committee Libby Peake, from Green Alliance, said there was a need for standards to be re-examined, saying: “Some companies are already switching to alternatives including bio-based and compostable plastics, paper, cartons or other materials in ways that will not ultimately prove sustainable.”

Peake added: “You cannot have a wholesale switchover to bio-based plastics, to aluminium, to glass or to paper, which all have environmental consequences themselves.”

Vegware, a compostable packaging manufacturer, said it advised consumers to put their products in the general waste if suitable composting was not possible.

The committee said it was shocking that the government had no idea how much plastic packaging was put on to the market. This is because the system is based on producers self-declaring their packaging footprint, and only those with a turnover of more than £2m and 50 tonnes of packaging a year are obliged to release their data. MPs recommended this figure should be reduced to 1 tonne…

Disposable, single-use plastics used for packaging food and drink – particularly cigarette butts, plastic drinking bottles, plastic caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, plastic lids, straws and stirrers – are the most common single use plastics found in the environment, according to a 2018 UN report.

Source: Guardian

Japan Will Have to Dump Radioactive Water into Pacific, Minister Says

12.09.2019

pollution_radioactive_waste_nuclear — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The operator of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will have to dump huge quantities of contaminated water from the site directly into the Pacific Ocean, Japan’s environment minister has said – a move that would enrage local fishermen.

More than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water has accumulated at the plant since it was struck by a tsunami in March 2011, triggering a triple meltdown that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) has struggled to deal with the buildup of groundwater, which becomes contaminated when it mixes with water used to prevent the three damaged reactor cores from melting.

Tepco has attempted to remove most radionuclides from the excess water, but the technology does not exist to rid the water of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Coastal nuclear plants commonly dump water that contains tritium into the ocean. It occurs in minute amounts in nature.

Tepco admitted last year that the water in its tanks still contained contaminants beside tritium.

Currently, more than 1m tonnes of contaminated water is held in almost 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi site, but the utility has warned that it will run out of tank space by the summer of 2022.

“The only option will be to drain it into the sea and dilute it,” Yoshiaki Harada told a news briefing in Tokyo on Tuesday. “The whole of the government will discuss this, but I would like to offer my simple opinion.”

No decision on how to dispose of the water will be made until the government has received a report from a panel of experts. Other options include vaporising the liquid or storing it on land for an extended period.

Harada did not say how much water would need to be discharged into the ocean.

One recent study by Hiroshi Miyano, who heads a committee studying the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi at the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, said it could take 17 years to discharge the treated water after it has been diluted to reduce radioactive substances to levels that meet the plant’s safety standards.

Any decision to dispose of the waste water into the sea would anger local fishermen, who have spent the past eight years rebuilding their industry.

Nearby South Korea has also voiced concern over the impact it would have on the reputation of its own seafood.

Last month, Seoul summoned a senior Japanese embassy official to explain how Fukushima Daiichi’s waste water would be dealt with.

Ties between the north-east Asian nations are already at a low ebb following a compensation dispute over Koreans forced to work in Japanese factories during the second world war.

The government spent 34.5bn yen (£260m) to build a frozen underground wall to prevent groundwater reaching the three damaged reactor buildings. The wall, however, has succeeded only in reducing the flow of groundwater from about 500 tonnes a day to about 100 tonnes a day.

Japan has come under renewed pressure to address the contaminated water problem before Tokyo hosts the Olympics and Paralympics next summer.

Six years ago during the city’s bid for the games, the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, assured the international community that the situation was “under control”.

Source: Guardian

Up to Half of the Consumed Energy Saved Thanks to Solar Panels

12.09.2019

One production plant has saved almost half of the electricity consumption in the day of the largest production thanks to the solar power plant on the roof of the facility. Out of 950 kWh consumed, it saved about 450.

The construction of a small solar power plant with the installed capacity of 50 kW in Simanovci with the connection to the cabinet for consumption was entrusted to the Belgrade-based company MT-Komex. The amount of produced energy from accumulated solar radiation is used exclusively for their own consumption. The photovoltaic power plant in Simanovci supplies the user with clean energy, and at the same time reduces the monthly electricity bill.

The rooftop structure carries 180 panels of 275 Wp which are set at an angle of 10°. In order to transform the DC to AC, three Fronius inverters were installed: two of 20 kW and one of 8.2 kW.

Experienced installers of MT-Komex have mounted a system of aluminium construction of the K2 Systems manufacturer from Germany, one of the leaders in the production of aluminium systems for rooftop structures. Due to the specificity of the location, they chose a system that reduces the influence of wind, thus reducing the need to use additional load in the form of concrete slabs which make the construction of solar panels and aluminium rails heavier. In this way, the risk of wind pushing the structure along on the roof and taking it off the roof with all the panels was averted.

The solar power plant was put into operation in mid-March. Even though April was marked by bad weather and abundant precipitation which are not characteristic for this time of year, the solar power plant has produced enough electrical energy to reduce almost 30 per cent of the electricity consumption to the cabinet for consumption in the production plant on whose roof a solar power plant is installed. In some cases, when days are sunny, no precipitation, this amount of reduction of electricity consumption has reached as much as 50 per cent. One of the sunniest days in the fourth month was April 26th and then the factory had the highest consumption in the facility, given that they had the highest production capacity, which resulted in a total consumption of 950 kWh on that day, and the solar the power plant gave almost 440 hours.

Thanks to solar power plants, MT-Komex customers receive clean and cheaper electricity. Certified engineers and electrical fitters are trained to mount solar power plants almost on any land and any facility, whether it’s a house, a factory, a parking lot or a canopy. So far, they have built 16 solar plants with 10 thousand solar panels with a total installed capacity of 2.6 MW. Behind every project of the power plant construction is 25 years of experience.

IN BRIEF ABOUT SOLAR POWER PLANTS Solar power plants produce “clean” electricity, and they can be rooftop or ground-mounted. The generated electricity from a solar power plant can be used to satisfy own consumption. This clean energy reduces the energy you would pay by taking it from the distribution network, which generates significant savings. Solar power plants can provide 15 to 70 per cent of the electricity of their consumption when there is constant electricity consumption throughout the day. Energy production depends mostly on how to install panels and equipment selection.

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on ENERGY EFFICIENCY, June 2018. – August 2019.

Global Food Producers ‘Failing to Face Up to Role’ in Climate Crisis

11.09.2019

cows_milking_dairy_food_production_hrana — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The world’s biggest producers of meat, dairy and seafood are failing to tackle the enormous impact they are having on the planet through deforestation, the routine use of antibiotics and greenhouse gas emissions, a report warns.

The Coller Fairr index ranks 50 of the largest global meat, dairy and fish producers by looking at risk factors from use of antibiotics to deforestation and labour abuses. The producers are the “hidden” supply chain, providing meat and dairy to global brands including McDonald’s, Tesco, Nestlé and Walmart.

The index is written by investment experts who want to encourage awareness of the risks posed to the planet – and to their own profitability – by companies that fail to mitigate the damage done to the environment by food production.

Jeremy Coller is founder of Fairr and chief investment officer at Coller Capital. He says it is the huge companies behind the brands that will themselves suffer if the planet isn’t protected. “It is the companies hidden upstream in the meat and dairy supply chain who face the most significant climate and public health risks.

“As last month’s landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) demonstrated, the world’s meat, fish and dairy industries are under serious threat from climate change impacts. In stark contrast to the transport sector, only one in four meat, fish and dairy producers even measure their greenhouse gas emissions, let alone act to reduce them.”

Among other failings, the index says that none of the companies analysed have a comprehensive policy to stop deforestation. And just four companies in the index “have committed to phasing out routine use of antibiotics, widespread in the industry”.

According to the report, two-thirds of producers do not even measure all their greenhouse gas emissions let alone set targets to reduce them. These include Hormel Foods in the US, a supplier to McDonald’s. Also included is Cal-Maine Foods. Cal-Maine is the largest producer of fresh eggs in the US and a supplier to Walmart and Nestle. Nestlé, McDonald’s and Walmart have all publicly committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And while Walmart has previously said it wants to achieve zero net deforestation in its supply chain by 2020, the research shows that Walmart suppliers such as Cranswick in the UK have no comprehensive policy on deforestation. McDonald’s have pledged to reduce antibiotics use in their beef supply chains. But the vast majority of beef suppliers do not have a policy to avoid routine use of antibiotics. Only one – Marfrig – does.

The companies are ranked according to their risk for investors, based on analysis of nine key environmental, social and governance risk factors, combined with the sustainable development goals. The Hong Kong-based WH Group were noted as “high risk” while Hormel Foods and Cranswick were designated as “medium risk”.

The research argues that some of the companies, who between them have a value of $300bn (£248bn), are already suffering the costs of the deepening climate crisis.

Marine Heatwave Hits Pacific, Raising Fears of a New Hot ‘Blob’

10.09.2019

sea_ocean_turtle_more_okean_morska_kornjača — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jakob Owens)

The ocean off the western coast of North America is five degrees Fahrenheit hotter than usual after warming at an unusually rapid rate, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

It has been dubbed the “north-east Pacific marine heatwave of 2019”.

Marine heatwaves are defined as oceanic events in which the surface temperature of the water is warmer than 90% of past measurements for at least five days in a row. The current heatwave is the second-largest since scientists started tracking the phenomenon in 1981, Noaa reported on Friday.

If the abnormal patch does not dissipate soon, it could become as destructive as the so-called “blob” of warm water in the same area that, in 2014-2016, created toxic algae blooms, killed sea lions and endangered whales by forcing them to forage closer to shore.

Oceanographers started to notice something strange back in June in a triangle-shaped mass of ocean stretching from Alaska to Hawaii to southern California. The direct cause of the heat is weak winds, though these conditions do not usually persist for months at a time as they have done this year. Warm water has also lingered from the previous extreme heat event.

“It went from a little bit warmer than average to about as warm as we’ve ever seen it, in just three months,” said Nate Mantua, a research scientist at Noaa’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, California.

“It’s not clear to me that there’s a simple link between persistence of this weather pattern and longer-term climate change,” Mantua added. “There might be. It’s still an evolving field and there are a lot of open questions.”

The oceans have absorbed about 90% of excess heat linked to the climate crisis. “That’s played out over many decades now, and it’s a slow process compared with this event, which has happened in just three months,” Mantua said.

It is also not known if there have been major impacts on marine life, mostly because researchers have relatively little monitoring equipment in the 4m square miles of ocean affected. Oceanographers are starting to see subtle effects in the distribution of some species, Mantua said, such as tuna that are hanging out closer to the coast to avoid the warmer waters.

The impact has mostly been limited to the upper 50 meters of the ocean. “If it persists for one to two years, then warming will penetrate to deeper depths,” Mantua said.

Source: Guardian

Australia Cleared 7.7m Hectares of Threatened Species Habitat Since Introduction of Environment Act

09.09.2019

forest_trees_šuma_drveće — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Josh Withers)

More than 7.7m hectares of habitat have been cleared since the introduction of Australia’s national environment act, according to new research that finds 93% of land cleared was not referred to the federal government for assessment.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Queensland and three environment organisations – the Australian Conservation Foundation, WWF Australia and the Wilderness Society – warns that Australia’s high extinction rate will increase “without a fundamental change” in how environment laws are enforced.

The scientists used publicly available spatial data to quantify the amount of clearing of potential habitat for 1,638 listed threatened species and ecological communities – which are groups of species that form a single habitat – between 2000 and 2017.

They used the federal government referral record to calculate how much of the clearing had been referred to the government for assessment.

The study examined two types of habitat – forests and woodlands – and excluded clearing that had occurred before the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act came into force in 2000 and any clearing that was due to natural causes such as fire.

They calculated that the land cleared included 7.7m hectares of potential habitat for terrestrial threatened species, 64,000 hectares of habitat for terrestrial migratory species, and 330,000 hectares for threatened ecological communities.

The researchers found that clearing had affected potential habitat for 84% (or 1,390) of the species studied and that the overwhelming majority of that clearing (93%) had not been referred to the federal government for scrutiny under the EPBC Act.

“This noncompliance means that potential habitat for terrestrial threatened species, terrestrial migratory species and threatened ecological communities have been lost without assessment, regulation or enforcement under the EPBC Act,” they wrote.

Some species suffered more habitat loss than others. According to the study, the Mount Cooper striped skink lost 25% of its potential habitat, the Keighery’s macarthuria, a plant native to Western Australia, lost 23% and the southern black-throated finch lost 10%.

The researchers found that 1.1m hectares of potential habitat for koalas had been cleared.

“These are the species threatened with extinction,” said Michelle Ward, the study’s lead author from the University of Queensland. “If we don’t stop their habitat loss, they’re going to go extinct.”

Queensland was the location of the highest levels of clearing – the state had nine of the 10 species that lost the most potential habitat.

A statutory review of the EPBC Act is due to begin this year. Ward said the researchers would be submitting comments based on their research.

Their paper says Australia’s national environment laws have been “ineffective” at preventing habitat loss and calls for amendments that require critical habitat, where possible, to be mapped and monitored for threatened species and ecological communities, and for protection of that habitat to be enforced.

“We think that the act should be amended so that critical habitat is mapped, available to stakeholders and fully protected from further destruction,” Ward said.

Source: Guardian

Every Man Who Loves Nature Is My Brother

08.09.2019

He said that Indians are the only people who live in harmony with nature, that we are in desperate need of every grain from the field that we do not leave a furrow after the harvest to feed the pheasant, that a new age man who talks most about the nature conservation is the one who pollutes it… We could expect this kind of attitude from some passionate naturalist or avid fighter for the protection of the planet. Still, in the picture we see Vuk Kostic, an actor, hunter and fisherman, and these are truly his words.

In between rehearsals and filming, Vuk took the time to answer our questions about hunting and fishing and whether these activities are contrary to the concept of nature protection. In order not to waste time, we chose in medias res approach.

EP: People generally have a negative assumption about hunting because their first association is killing innocent animals for fun. Are hunters the enemies of nature?

Vuk Kostic: It’s a far cry from the destruction of nature because hunting is the best form of nature protection. People who have never taken a single corn cob into the woods and yet comment hunting should acknowledge that hunters are those who feed animals. When the winter comes with temperatures of – 20 or any other natural disaster, the animals run out of food. Not only do those circumstances starve the ruminants because they cannot reach the food, but predators also decimate them. Here is another example; if one year we do not hunt foxes, they multiply and eat all the rabbits in the hunting area. The following year, the foxes reproduce, but the rabbits are gone, so they have nothing to eat. Man intruded in nature a long time ago. It is easy to illustrate that. Highways crisscrossed the land so the game cannot move freely. Thus, when the man has already interfered with nature, he must regulate it. The fact is that the hunter cannot endanger nature as much as the industry can; the fisherman cannot fish as much as the industry can.

The modern man uses numerous household chemicals and does not think about nature when he enthusiastically says, “I have just sprayed a little bit and it immediately took off the rust”. And that went into the water and the packaging to a landfill where it will never decompose. Appealing packaging attracts us while shopping, but it will remain in nature for another three hundred years.

Each hunting association “Srbija sume”, every hunting ground, every forest has a game management unit. It means that you approximately know how many animal species there are per species. The aim is that the forest is full of a healthy animal population. One of the ways to maintain the game is preservation and harvesting. Apart from us hunters, mountaineers and mushroom pickers, I do not know who else goes to nature. Admittedly, some people spend one day in nature and leave behind the plastic bags, and the bear can’t pick them up. Waste Utility takes care of this in the city, but not in nature. Animals can’t deal with it.

EP: You mentioned fishermen. You also often go to the Adriatic for fishing. Is the situation at sea better than in the forests?

Vuk Kostic: I have travelled from Mexico to Australia, and there is no such beautiful sea as the Adriatic because there are no poisonous fish or sharks. In Mexico and Australia, corals can burn you, and the fish are poisonous. So, one little jellyfish can kill 20 people if they touch it. Not to mention tsetse flies, spiders, poisonous snakes, Anopheles mosquitoes and other insects.

The climate of the Adriatic is so mild, and there is nothing that can endanger and harm you. There is fish, but we should not think that this fish stock is limitless. Fish quotas have been set in Croatia, thus, for example, the period for fishing tuna is known. Still, with that measure, a small fisherman gets the wrong end of the bargain. Those with large ships and large nets catch all the fish and then it is said that one can catch only three more. And only small fishermen depend on what they catch, and they are the only endangered by this measure. The sea is polluted, but when you have protected areas, the fish has a place to circulate and spawn. One must not fish there. Finally, several old boats can be sunk, which are interesting for diving at depths of 30 meters, where fish can reside.

EP: Is there plastic at these depths?

Vuk Kostic: Not in the Adriatic. But if we were to collect all the plastic floating on the seas, we would see an island bigger than Australia. But that’s not the only problem. There is also the engine noise, as well as the one from the oil rigs, which confuse fish, mammals, dolphins, whales and it leads them in the wrong direction, so they stray. I recommend everyone to watch a documentary with Leonardo Di Caprio “Before the Flood”. Your readers will be much more aware of the problems that animals face.

EP: Apart from Serbia, is there any other place you would like to live in?

Vuk Kostic: I used to think about Mexico. Australia is beautiful too. However charming these countries are, there is no such beauty as the Adriatic.

EP: What have we demonstrated as nature guardians?

Vuk Kostic: A modern man is generally not in touch with nature. I remember one nifty anecdote. A friend of mine who is a producer was shooting a commercial in which a child was supposed to pet a cow. They went to a farm in Vojvodina. They took the cow outside, and since it had never come out of the box, it could not walk; its legs were like macaroni. It was out of the question for the child to go and cuddle it. They lost a whole day because they had to find an animal that spends its days in nature.

I believe that it will be even worse even though technology enables us the ability to protect nature. We are not good guardians, except for us hunters. It is in hunters’ best interest to have does in the forest, and others do not care if there are any. They have never seen them.

Prepared by: Nevena Djukic

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

Per Aspera Ad Sol

07.09.2019

When you crave a cake but do not have any will to make it on your own, you will be going to a pastry shop. In case of experiencing back pain at work, you will be arranging a massage appointment. If you need a new pair of running shoes, you will be visiting the shops with sports equipment. Supposing that you want to improve the energy efficiency of your objects, you will be reaching out to the engineers of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development (CEEFOR).

Why choose them over the huge competition? Because when you see only data, they see the opportunity to save energy and money and reduce emissions of harmful gases. By contacting them, many domestic and foreign companies seized the opportunity for both themselves and the environment, while improving their business at the same time.

The team of experts of the Belgrade-based company has top-quality references in designing and implementing measures of energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. The knowledge of twenty engineers is based on the best examples from world practice and is supported by the many years of experience in the development of projects, production of technical and project documentation and the provision of support services.

Whether you are hiring the CEEFOR as a reliable consultant for energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources or as a direct partner in charge of developing studies, projects and project documentation, you can count on the dedicated work of employees in finding a practical and long-lasting solution, adapted to your capabilities and needs, in the following areas:

implementation of preliminary, short and detailed energy audits,
consulting and engineering for financial institutions and investors in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy,
elaboration of feasibility studies related to energy technologies and technologies related to energy efficiency improvement,
making feasibility studies for the use of renewable energy sources and the construction of power plants,
consulting and production of all kinds of project technical documentation (General Projects, Conceptual Designs, As-built designs, Projects for building permit, Detailed-Design Projects etc.),
consulting in the field of preparation and implementation of the energy management system in industrial enterprises at the local level (municipalities and cities),
information technology in the field of energy savings and implementation.

It would be surprising finding at one place the Recycling Center “Bozic i sinovi” from Pancevo, producer of confectionery and food products “Swisslion Takovo” from Novi Sad, “Knjaz Milos” from Arandjelovac, Winery “Vino Zupa” from Aleksandrovac and public garage “Obilicev venac” from Belgrade, but the list of the CEEFOR’s customers includes even this diverse team.

There are also Elektroprivreda Srbije, Lazarevac heating plant “Kolubara”, Municipality of Lapovo, Health Center Kladovo, small hydro power plant Ravni, Novi Sad meat processing company “Neoplanta”, cardboard factory “Umka”, NIS Gasprom-Njeft and Solaris Energy.

When you place your confidence in the knowledgeable hands, there is no room for fear. Your expectations will be outplayed.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

Rare Two-Headed Snake Nicknamed ‘Double Dave’ Is Found in US

06.09.2019

dvoglava zmija_Nju Džersi — Photo: Facebook (screenshot)

Scientists have named a rare two-headed snake Double Dave after it was found in a forest in the US state of New Jersey.

The baby timber rattlesnake was discovered last month by environmentalists from the Herpetological Associates group, who study endangered and threatened reptiles.

The name Double Dave was coined because it was discovered by the environmentalist Dave Schneider and his colleague, also called Dave. The venomous pit viper, which is 20-25cm (8-10 inches) long, has two fully formed heads, meaning it has four working eyes and two flickering tongues.

Schneider explained that Double Dave’s two heads worked independently of each other, and it would be difficult for such a creature to survive in the wild, because the condition meant it was slow-moving and could be easily picked off by prey.

Two-headed snakes often have one head that is slightly more developed than the other, and the heads have been known to fight each other over food, not realising that whatever they eat is heading to the same digestive system.

The condition of having more than one head is known as polycephaly, and happens in much the same way that conjoined twins are formed: an embryo that has begun to split into identical twins stops before fully dividing.

Two-headed animals are considered in many cultures to be a portent of disaster, and they have frequently appeared in mythology. But although they are rare, happening in around one in 100,000 live births in the wild, two-headed snakes do turn up fairly frequently. In recent weeks, another two-headed snake made the news after it was photographed in the Bali resort of Tabanan.

In 2018, a two-headed snake even went on tour. Named Tom and Jerry, the 17-year-old California kingsnake appeared as one of the star attractions at the Reptile Expo in Villeneuve, Switzerland.

Keeping two-headed snakes alive can pose problems. Photographs of a two-headed eastern copperhead found in Woodbridge, Virginia, last year went viral, and the viper breeder Cooper Sallade, who was looking after it, told Wired magazine: “Since the snake had such an incomprehensible amount of media attention, there was a lot of pressure on me to keep that thing alive.”

He ended up gently force-feeding it, because the heads were not well-developed enough to eat independently, but after a few months the snake died.

Because of its poor chances of surviving in the wild, Double Dave is being taken into captivity by the Herpetological Associates. “We’ll take care of it,” said Schneider.

Source: Guardian

Energy Self-Sustainable Microgrids Are the Future of Energetics

05.09.2019

Profesor_Željko_Đurišić — Foto: Privatna arhiva

Professor Zeljko Djurisic lectures at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. According to anonymous claims on the portal “Rate Professor”, there were students who would only come to the faculty because of his lecturers. Regardless of whether these statements were given by nerds who once racked up As or laggers who preferred sipping coffee at a nearby café in relation to lectures, the compliment does not lose significance and testifies to Djurisic’s pedagogical skills and receptivity.

In an interview we conducted recently, Professor Djurisic showed that extensive professional knowledge, turned into numerous books and research paper can adapt to non-specialists as we are. He revealed to us where the exhaustion of coal reserves and the lack of a strategy for decarbonisation of electricity production could lead Serbia and also why engineers prefer to opt for employment in private companies rather than in the public company “Elektroprivreda Srbije”.

EP: Which course of the master studies is the most sought-after, and which one do you consider the most promising in the current labour market conditions?

Zeljko Djurisic: The labour market influences students when choosing a course at the undergraduate level to a large extent. It was particularly felt when the infrastructure of mobile networks in Serbia was built, and then telecommunications were the most popular. The development of renewable energy sources then brought the popularity of energy, and digitization now brings popularity to computer technology.

The labour market does not have a decisive influence on the choice of course on master studies. Engineers are already formed as well as their affinities toward some of the expert areas they acquired during undergraduate studies which determine their choice of study module. On the module of the Electrical Grids and Systems, where I am engaged, there are three courses of master studies: Grids and Systems, Facilities and Equipment and Renewable Energy Sources. Last two to three years, the students’ interest in all three directions is approximately equal. I believe that this is good for the labour market because the projects in the energy sector are complex and cannot be tied exclusively to one segment of the profession.

EP: One of the subjects taught at the PhD studies is the integration of renewable energy sources into the distribution system. What are the optimal parameters which the grid needs to fulfil so that renewable energy sources can be connected to it?

Zeljko Djurisic: Technical conditions for the connection of renewable resources are mainly defined by the regulations. In our country, those are the Regulations on the operation of the distribution and transmission system. These regulations define measurable criteria that must be met so that a power plant can be connected to a distribution or transmission system. However, the problem of the massive integration of renewable sources is not related to the connection point. It represents a systemic challenge. The main limitation of the connection of renewable sources is to ensure the flexibility of the system. It is necessary so that intermittent energy sources, such as solar and wind, could be integrated into the power grid. Flexibility is the ability of the system to provide, in all real connections of generation and consumption, satisfying technical performances of the system: voltage constraints, power flows, safety principles…

EP: What is the general state of our grid? What are the losses of the active power which incurred in the transmission of electricity?

Zeljko Djurisic: The Serbian Electric Power System did not follow world trends, especially in terms of the development of the distribution network. Technical power losses in the distribution network are significantly higher than in the European electricity system and range up to 10 per cent, which indicates the underdevelopment of the network. “Elektroprivreda Srbije” must make an effort to change the existing situation and make the system more flexible. It includes strengthening of critical transmission lines, automation of distribution facilities and installation of advanced relay protection systems, switchgear and measuring equipment. Unfortunately, Elektroprivreda Srbije is an inert system that does not show visible signs for the improvement of the system. Today, there are no jobs in Elektroprivreda Srbije on which young engineers could affirm their knowledge of modern energy. Therefore, they are looking for jobs in private companies rather than in the power utility. That has to change if we want to create an electric distribution system that will keep pace with world trends.

The transmission network is much more developed, and the losses are on the average level of European operators’ networks. Several projects which are in the implementation phase will significantly improve the transmission system. First of all, it is a Trans-Balkan corridor that will represent the main power exchange between eastern and western Europe. The strong interconnection is crucial for the increase of the conditions for the construction of renewable energy sources in our region. Of course, there is still plenty of room for the improvement of the transmission grid, both through the construction of new transmission lines, especially in the regions with good wind sources, and trough the construction of advanced systems for grid monitoring and real-time management. It can provide better capacity utilization and more reliable work in extreme meteorological and other complex conditions.

An essential aspect of improving flexibility is the cooperation between transmission and distribution network operators. It is crucial for the development of auxiliary service market in the new environment in which there is no clear boundary between the producers and the consumers of electricity.

EP How is the power plant which uses renewable energy sources connected to the grid? Are the costs borne by the investor or the Elektroprivreda Srbije and what does that depend on?

Zeljko Djurisic: When it comes to connecting to the distribution grid in a technical sense, small power plants can be divided into those that connect via energy converters and those that are connected directly. The first group includes photovoltaic power plants and modern wind power plants, while biomass power plants and small hydropower plants mainly use synchronous and rarely asynchronous generators that are directly connected to the grid. Technical conditions, which power plants must meet to be connected to a certain point in the power system, are defined for both categories. Often, preferred connection point does not meet the Regulations on the operation of the distribution, and Elektroprivreda requires a connection at remote locations, which further requires the construction of transmission lines, and that represents significant costs for the investor, and it also has a negative effect on the environment. In Europe, it is harder to get a license to build a transmission line than to build a power plant. If it is necessary to build 20 km of transmission in order to connect a power plant of several megawatts, it is not just an issue of the economy. At the Faculty, we have done a lot of research into the effects of the connection of renewable sources and conducted analyses. These research showed that the conditions of connecting could be improved with the use of modern power electronic devices which contribute that both the electric distribution and the investor have benefit from the operation of a small power plant. In this regard, I believe that there is room for the improvement of the existing Regulations and Operation Management of Distribution Networks. Conditions and alternative solutions for the connection must take wider aspects of the plant’s impact on the distribution system. For example, the existing Regulation did not take into consideration the impact which connection of a small power plant has on electricity losses in the distribution system. It is precisely this factor that should define the choice of connection point and also the split of costs between the investor and Elektroprivreda.

EP: Which renewable energy source in Serbia has the most significant potential, and which is the most cost-effective when it comes to the return of the investment?

Zeljko Djurisic: When it comes to the production of electricity, I would place the potential of wind and sun in the first place. In terms of the wind potential, Serbia is on the average level of the European Union and the sun potential is even above the European average. Biomass and geothermal energy have good potential in certain areas, and their most efficient use is the production of heat energy. The production of heat from renewable sources is highly suppressed, and it must be a priority in future strategies for the development of renewable energy sources in Serbia.

The investment repayment rate depends on subsidy, which the state should define only for the upcoming period. The current model of the feed-in tariff is overdated, but it played a role in developing renewable energy technology. Today, the technologies of wind turbines and photovoltaic systems are developed. New subsidy measures are expected to be largely market-oriented. In the free electricity market, the return on the investment is defined by the costs of the production. The investment costs have fallen both for wind farms and solar systems. Thus, the costs of wind power generation at favourable locations in Serbia can be below 50 euros/MWh, while for photovoltaic power plants is somewhat higher. However, it should be kept in mind that the price in the electricity market is significantly variable during the day, thus the profit which power plant gains is influenced by the daily production diagram dictated by wind and sun. It is not the same whether a power plant produces energy in the early morning hours or in the afternoon, so in the future, the systems for energy storage will be developed, and they will provide better economy for wind and solar power plants in the free market conditions.

Prepered by: Jelena Kozbasic

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

Wildlife Selfies Harming Animals, Experts Warn

04.09.2019

ronilac-selfi — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Pascal van de Vendel)

At the International Penguin Conference in New Zealand, the experts were worried. Among sobering discussions about the perils of the climate crisis and habitat loss, the unlikely issue of wildlife selfies photobombed the agenda, with increasing concern that the celebrity-fuelled search for that perfect shot is affecting animal behaviour.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Pascal van de Vendel)

Professor Philip Seddon, the director of Otago University’s wildlife management programme, said: ‘We’re losing respect for wildlife, we don’t understand the wild at all.”

Seddon told the global convention – held in Dunedin last week – that the normalisation of wildlife selfies was “scary” and was harming animals, including causing physical and emotional stress, interrupting feeding and breeding habits, and even potentially lowering birth rates.

“The trouble with wildlife selfies is the images are often appearing without any context – so even if the message is promoting conservation or an ambassador programme, that message is lost and all people see are someone hugging a penguin, and want to do that too,” says Seddon.

“We have an increasingly urbanised population around the world who are alienated from the natural world and whose access to wildlife is commodified and sanitised and made safe. So we’re seeing these very strange behaviours that seem weird to us as biologists – such as posing your child on a wild animal.”

Seddon takes his concerns so seriously he has forbidden his students from posting images of themselves on their social media accounts while studying and working with local wildlife, fearful that the photographs will be taken out on context and contribute to the rise of wildlife selfies online.

The International Penguin Conference itself turned down a lucrative sponsorship deal with a Dubai company recently because of concerns about its use of wildlife selfies in promotional material.

Platforms such as Instagram host hundreds of thousands of wildlife selfies. Researchers at World Animal Protection analysing wildlife selfies for a 2017 report discovered a 292% increase in the number of wildlife selfies posted on Instagram between 2014 and 2017, with 40% of the images posted described as “bad selfies” – meaning someone hugging, holding or inappropriately interacting with a wild animal.

A “good” wildlife selfie was described as a picture where there is no contact between an animal and a human, and the animal is not being restrained or held in captivity to be a used as a photo prop.

Celebrities have also contributed to the popularity of wildlife selfies, with Roger Federer and Margo Robbie posing with quokkas in Australia, Justin Beiber with a tiger, Kim Kardashian with an elephant and Taylor Swift with a kangaroo.

In New Zealand, tourists have been caught dancing with endangered sea lions for selfies, chasing rare yellow-eyed penguins, and trying to hug the shy and reclusive Kiwi bird.

Philippa Agnew, science and environmental manager at the Blue Penguin colony in Oamaru, on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, says wildlife selfies have an “indisputable” impact on the penguins and all electronic recordings by tourists are banned.

Significant savings thanks to heat pumps

Background

A new generation of tourism strategies

New tools for monitoring (new) strategies

Newsletter

Calendar of events

2025 November

Events for 30 November

Events for 1 December

Events for 2 December

Events for 3 December

Events for 4 December

Events for 5 December

Events for 6 December

Events for 7 December

Events for 8 December

Events for 9 December

Events for 10 December

Events for 11 December

Events for 12 December

Events for 13 December

Events for 14 December

Events for 15 December

Events for 16 December

Events for 17 December

Events for 18 December

Events for 19 December

Events for 20 December

Events for 21 December

Events for 22 December

Events for 23 December

Events for 24 December

Events for 25 December

Events for 26 December

Events for 27 December

Events for 28 December

Events for 29 December

Events for 30 December

WRITE US