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EU Imposes Hen Welfare Standards on Egg Imports for First Time

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A trade agreement to import produce into the European Union is set to be conditional upon animal welfare requirements for the first time.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Eggs imported from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to member states will only be duty-free if the hens are kept in line with EU standards under the provisional terms of the new EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Previous EU free trade deals have included aspirational provisions on animal welfare, such as the 2014 EU-Ukraine association agreement, but this is the first time the elimination of tariffs have been conditional upon particular standards being upheld.

Campaigning organisation Eurogroup for Animals welcomed the condition – which it hailed as “an important turning point in EU trade policy” – but criticised the absence of a similar prerequisite for meat and egg product imports, and called for the approach to be extended.

The RSPCA said the announcement that the agreement would be conditional on meeting EU animal welfare standards established “an important precedent” and was a highly significant move.

“It is the first time animal welfare standards have been incorporated into tariffs in an EU trade agreement, and something the RSPCA has been advocating for 15 years,” a spokesperson said.

“We urge the UK to do the same as it leaves the EU, by rolling over this particular trade agreement and including those welfare standard conditions in any future post-Brexit free trade agreements.”

The agreement was quietly made public in a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development at the European Parliament last Wednesday, after a leaked document seen by the Guardian suggested the EU had made the demand back in 2016 during the drawn-out negotiations with Mercosur.

“There is a cooperation provision in the agreement on animal welfare issues with the very clear objective to improve the level of animal welfare, particularly in the Mercosur countries, to bring them up to our world leading standards,” said John Clarke, director of international affairs at the European Commission’s directorate-general for agriculture and rural development.

“For the first time in any trade agreement, we have a condition attached to the export of eggs from Mercosur. They can only be exported at zero-duty if the Mercosur producers meet European standards for laying hens.”

Copa-Cogeca, a group that represents European farmers, called for greater work to be done to ensure states with bilateral trading agreements have reciprocal animal welfare standards.

“This is central for us, as currently animal welfare is not a universally accepted concept amongst our trading partners,” a spokesperson said. “Some of our trading partners have committed to align their animal welfare standards with the EU, but all too often they have failed to do so.”

Compliance with EU laws adds 16% to the cost price of an egg, according to the European Egg Processors Association. It said the condition would help make eggs from EU producers more competitive with foreign imports.

The British Egg Industry Council said that while the announcement represented “a step forward” it wanted to see the same animal welfare conditions apply to egg products and eggs used as ingredients in food exported to the UK.

European Commission sources downplayed the significance of the trade condition and said it would not have a major impact as shelled egg imports from Mercosur countries were limited.

Both sides are now preparing the final version of the trade agreement, the largest the EU has ever struck in terms of tariff reduction, before it is submitted to EU member states and the EU parliament for approval.

From 2012, farmers across the EU were no longer allowed to keep hens in barren battery cages, within which movement is extremely restricted. However, the cages were often replaced with more spacious versions and a large proportion of the EU’s 500 million hens remain caged for their entire lives.

Source: Guardian

Resalta and EIF Developing Energy-Efficient Europe

Photo: Resalta
Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Lemur)

The European Investment Fund (EIF) will provide EUR 6 million of new equity capital to the innovative Slovenian provider of energy efficiency solutions Resalta. This capital increase will help Resalta evolve from being a start-up and implement a business plan to become a major provider of independent energy services and renewable energy solutions, making a positive impact on Slovene and EU economy and environment alike.

The company currently works with individual clients, companies and municipalities in Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, helping them lower CO2 emissions, energy consumption and save on energy related costs.

Enabled by a guarantee from the EU budget, under the Investment plan for Europe, or Juncker Plan, the capital enables Resalta to continue contributing towards an energy efficient and environment-friendly Europe. To date, the company developed and implemented solutions saving 300GWH of electric energy and reducing CO2 emissions by 30000 tons a year – equal to planting 3400 ha of forest.

Resalta, founded by Slovenian industry heavyweights – Gorenje, Geoplin and Energetika Ljubljana – will also develop its renewables pipeline while growing its energy services portfolio. Company`s contribution to CO2 emissions reduction through the City of Ljubljana energy retrofit project has been recognized by the European Commission as the best energy service project, awarded with the European Energy Service Award.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Iva Balk)

Half of the recapitalisation amount comes from a joint instrument developed by EIF and the Slovene Development Bank (SID), while the other half comes from Bulgarian BlackPeak Capital investment fund and private investors.

Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund (EIF) Pier Luigi Gilbert said: “Companies like Resalta are proof that businesses can be successful and environmentally conscious at the same time. There is a business opportunity in making Europe a better place for generations to come and Resalta has benefitted Slovenia and the EU by seizing that opportunity. The EIF is proud to support Resalta, who shares our vision of Europe as a place where business and environment work with, rather than against, one another. I would also like to thank SID Banka for being our reliable partner in Slovenia.”

Photo: Resalta

European Commissioner for Climate action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “With its investment power, the Juncker Plan is helping us reach our EU-wide goals of clean energy use. Today, the Juncker Plan is supporting Resalta, a very promising Slovenian start up, to grow, innovate and develop renewable energy solutions. I congratulate Resalta on seizing the opportunity offered by the Juncker Plan and I hope more Slovenian innovative company will follow suit.”

CEO of Resalta Luka Komazec said: “The investment from EIF is a major step in Resalta’s development, and the trust placed in us attests to the important role independent companies play in developing energy efficiency and renewables. Thanks to this investment we will be able to develop many new projects in our pipeline and are eager to enter the next phase of Resalta’s growth, which we are confident will have a profound and lasting impact on the region’s energy landscape.”

Read the whole article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on ENERGY EFFICIENCY, June 2018. – August 2019. 

World’s First 5-Country Biosphere Reserve Nominated to UNESCO

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Today, thirty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia submitted an historic UNESCO application to establish the first 5-country biosphere reserve in the world. With a total area of around 930,000 hectares and a length of 700 kilometres, the shared nature and wildlife along the Mura, Drava and Danube Rivers will become Europe’s largest river protection area. The so-called “Amazon of Europe” begins at the Austrian Mura River and extends over the Drava to the Danube in Serbia. Until 1989, the river landscape had been torn apart by the Iron Curtain. “This landmark cross-border nomination is a powerful demonstration of a shared green vision that builds on, and reinforces both regional cooperation and unity in Europe. It is a significant step forward in protecting the region’s natural treasures and serves as a striking example of how nature conservation can bring countries together” says Andreas Beckmann, CEO of WWF Central and Eastern Europe. The designation is expected to be approved and announced by UNESCO in June 2020.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The basis for the nomination was forged in 2011 when the environmental ministers of all five countries signed a joint declaration committing themselves to establishing the trans-border biosphere reserve. In 2012, the riverine areas in Croatia and Hungary were granted biosphere reserve status, soon followed by Serbia (2017), Slovenia (2018) and Austria (2019). The joint nomination connects all five pieces into one coherent protected area. The strictly protected core and buffer zone consisting of 13 major individual protected areas amounts to 280,000 hectares. It is surrounded by 650,000 hectares of transitional zone.

With its rare floodplain forests, gravel and sand banks, river islands and oxbows, the area offers a unique natural and cultural landscape. With more than 140 pairs, the Amazon of Europe is home to Europe’s highest density of breeding white-tailed eagle, as well as endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otters, beavers and sturgeons. It is also an important annual resting and feeding place for more than 250,000 migratory birds. “Five countries have agreed to jointly protect an area which is one of the richest in terms of species diversity in Europe. Such floodplain areas are only surpassed by tropical rainforests”, says Arno Mohl, Programme Leader at WWF-Austria and long-time campaigner for the protection of the Mura, Drava and Danube Rivers.

Model region for nature conservation and sustainable regional development

The region’s identity, as well as the livelihoods of almost 900,000 inhabitants living in the biosphere reserve highly depend on the Mura, Drava and Danube lifelines. Intact floodplains protect settlements from floods and ensure clean drinking water supplies, whereas spectacular landscapes enhance the potential for sustainable tourism development. “In times of the climate crisis and the vast extinction of species, it becomes a matter of survival to protect our last natural areas. The new biosphere reserve is an important step away from nature exploitation such as destructive hydropower dam or sediment extraction projects. It paves the way for a sustainable co-existence of people and nature,” says Mohl.

Additional projects for nature and people are already being implemented in the area with a combined funding of around 14 million Euros, and are co-financed by the European Union. For example, under the Coop MDD Project, the protected area administrations of the Mura-Drava-Danube Region have been cooperating since 2017 to jointly focus on common goals and trans-border nature protection measures. The Amazon of Europe Bike Trail Project was launched in June 2019. By 2021, sports and nature enthusiasts will be able to book cycling tours, including excursions to local natural and cultural sights, along with services such as luggage transport. Furthermore, river revitalisations will be implemented to create new natural habitats and recreational areas for people to truly experience the stunning landscape along the rivers.

The protected area was nominated with considerable help of WWF, EuroNatur, and many local conservation partners in all five countries. “For more than 20 years, WWF has invested a great deal to achieve better protection of the rivers’ natural values. We are very proud of the achievement of this joint nomination which will preserve the unique Mura-Drava-Danube Rivers for us and future generations,” concludes Mohl.

Alongside WWF, the ministries and nature protection authorities of Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia, as well as UNESCO’s MAB (Man and the Biosphere) committees, participated in the preparation of the UNESCO nomination dossier.

Source: WWF

Protecting Europe’s Land and Soil Resources Is Fundamental for a Sustainable Future

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Land and soil underpin life on our planet. The way we currently use these vital and finite resources in Europe is not sustainable. Human activities — growing cities and infrastructure networks, intensive agriculture, pollutants and greenhouse gases released to the environment — transform Europe’s landscapes and exert increasing pressure on land and soil. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals 2019, published today, looks at a series of issues linked to land and soil, including links to climate change, agriculture, soil biodiversity, contamination and governance, and stresses why we need to manage them sustainably.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The EEA Signals 2019 ‘Land and soil in Europe’ explains key pressures — such as urban sprawl, contamination, intensive use of agricultural land, landscape fragmentation — impacting Europe’s land and soil. Today, artificial surfaces (buildings, roads, urban facilities) cover less than 5 % of the wider EEA territory and continue to grow despite slowing down in recent years. Almost three quarters of Europeans live in urban areas and continued urban sprawl is often threatening productive land used for farming as well as forests and other areas home to wildlife and vital ecosystems.

The report underlines that we need to preserve and protect these key resources better. For example, the way we build and connect cities should prioritise ‘land recycling’, which consists of re-using and re-purposing existing urban areas such as old industrial sites and avoid new land to be covered by concrete and asphalt. Europe’s urban population is projected to grow by 30 million by 2050. Given these projections, compact cities with well-connected mobility options will need to play a key role to provide better quality of urban life with fewer impacts on the environment.

Similarly, pressure from economic activities, including agriculture, can adversely affect the health of land and soils. Plant protection products containing harmful chemicals can boost yields in the short-term but risk undermining soil productivity in the long-term. Europe’s agriculture sector relies on healthy soils, which can only be ensured through a comprehensive set of measures involving a combination of agricultural practices (e.g. precision farming, crop diversification, etc.), rural and agricultural communities (e.g. tackling land abandonment), as well as retailers and consumers (e.g. reducing food waste).

Healthy and resilient soil ecosystems are also essential to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. Europe’s soils and land store massive amounts of carbon. On the one hand, warmer temperatures can melt permafrost and release some of this carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. On the other hand, a sustainable use of our soils can help keep this carbon stored in the ground. Natural areas or soils not covered by artificial surfaces or compacted by heavy machinery can help absorb excess rain in case of intense precipitation or act as a water storage in times of drought.

The report also addresses the need to protect land ecosystems better, and to ensure that natural areas, home to wildlife, are better connected to each other to enable species to move and migrate. This requires an extensive network of green infrastructure, connecting natural areas.

New tools, like the European Union’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, Copernicus, which is revolutionising the way we understand and plan for the more sustainable use of our valuable land and soil resources.

A healthy and sustainable use of our land and soil resources will help the Europe Union achieve many of its policy targets ranging from climate change mitigation to halting biodiversity loss, as well as Sustainable Development Goals.

The EEA Signals report is an annual, easy-to-read publication, consisting of a series of short articles, that looks at key issues related to the environment and climate. Recent EEA Signals reports have looked at water (2018) energy (2017), transport (2016), and climate change (2015).

Source: European Environmental Agency

Iberia and the World Tourism Organization Team Up for Sustainable Tourism

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, and the CEO of Iberia, Luis Gallego, have signed a cooperation agreement in favour of sustainable tourism, at the headquarters of the airline.

Photo: World Tourism Organization

The two organizations share a commitment to enhancing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the tourism sector, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This agreement represents a starting point based on which the UNWTO and Iberia will develop and execute specific projects to forge a new leadership in the tourism sector resulting in new resources and actions aimed at achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda, especially Goal 13, to combat climate change.

The UNWTO Secretary-General said: “We are very happy to sign this agreement with Iberia, with whom we have been working for more than 10 years; together we can carry out projects for the sustainability of tourism worldwide.”

Luis Gallego stated: “At Iberia we have been working for many years on initiatives making us increasingly sustainable. From today going forward, we are committed to cooperating with the main global organization in the field of tourism to jointly strengthen the sustainability of the tourism sector.”

Environmental sustainability is a priority for Iberia, and to that end it is working on different initiatives both on the ground and in the air to make flying cleaner. These initiatives include, among others, the renewal of the fleet with more efficient aircraft, electric vehicles at airports, reduction of the use of plastics and recycling of on-board waste, digitalization of processes and renewable energy in its facilities.

Iberia is Spain’s number one airline and is the leader in routes between Europe and Latin America. Together with its subsidiary Iberia Express and its franchisee Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, it offers around 600 flights a day to fifty countries in Europe, America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, with a fleet of 145 aircraft. In 2017 Iberia received its 4th Skytrax star; in 2016 and 2017 it was the most punctual airline in the world and, in 2018, the third in Europe, according to FlightStats. Iberia has its hub at the Madrid airport, and is a member of the oneworld alliance, which offers more than 14,000 daily flights to nearly 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries.

Source: World Tourism Organization

More Than Half of Native European Trees Face Extinction, Warns Study

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

More than half of Europe’s endemic trees are threatened with extinction as invasive diseases, pests, pollution and urban development take a growing toll on the landscape, according to a study.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Ash, elm and rowan trees are among those in decline, says the assessment of the continent’s biodiversity, which could complicate efforts to tackle the climate crisis through reforestation.

“It is a threat. It is not just the naturally occurring trees and woodlands, it is also some of the big commercial conifers that are threatened by invasive species,” said one of the authors of the report, David Allen of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, who produced the study.

He warned that countries such as the UK were keen to import more saplings to draw carbon out of the atmosphere, but said young trees needed to be carefully screened to avoid diseases and pests entering the country and depleting existing forests.

“We are encouraged to plant more trees, quite rightly, but we have to be very careful to ensure they don’t come with pest species. We need to be very careful about biosecurity,” he said.

Invasive species – spread through the trade of plants or untreated timber – are the largest threat to native trees that are found only in Europe, sometimes only in one valley or region.

The IUCN’s European red list of trees found 58% of these endemic trees are threatened and 15% (66 species) were classified as critically endangered.

Many of those at greatest risk are in the Sorbus genus. This includes rowan, mountain ash and Ley’s whitebeam, of which there are only nine plants left – all in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Scientists say this particular tree is a relatively recent hybrid and there was only ever a very small population in a restricted geographical area, so the knock-on effects are likely to be minuscule.

Of greater concern is the demise of more common trees. Tim Rich, another of the contributors to the study, said he was alarmed by the loss of ash trees due to an invasive fungus.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on it over the past five years. Last year, I began to get quite worried. This year, huge areas are experiencing a dieback and it’s not just affecting saplings like it was before. Now it’s whole big trees. I drove in some parts of Pembrokeshire recently, and every five or 10 metres there was an ash tree dead or dying. This is a major problem – way worse than I expected it to be.”

The horse-chestnut – beloved by generations that played conkers as children – has been classified as vulnerable due to the spread of an invasive leaf-miner moth that damages its leaves. This adds to existing pressures from forest fires, tourist resort expansion and logging. Other species are negatively affected by excessive nitrogen depositions from air pollution, housing estates and pig farms.

The study of trees is part of a wider European red list that examines the status of overlooked species in order to determine priorities for conservation. It found 20-50% of terrestrial molluscs, shrubs and bryophytes, such as moss and liverworts, are threatened with extinction due to a loss of wild areas, expanded agriculture and climate change. Although these species are unglamorous and rarely attract attention, they play a vital role in food production and other natural life support systems through oxygen production, nutrient recycling and soil regeneration.

Read more: Guardian

New IRENA Report Explores Potential of Green Hydrogen

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Hydrogen from renewables can help tackle various critical energy challenges. It could particularly offer ways to decarbonise a range of sectors where it is proving difficult to meaningfully reduce CO2 emissions, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Hydrogen: a renewable energy perspective finds.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

As world leaders gather in New York to discuss climate action solutions, IRENA contributed to building a community of stakeholders that look at the emerging solution of clean hydrogen. Led by the World Economy Forum (WEF), the initiative aims to explore the role of hydrogen in the energy transition and advance on the clean hydrogen agenda. At a side event hosted by WEF, IRENA presented key findings of its new report and emphasized the expected growing role of renewables-based hydrogen in the future energy mix. IRENA projects an 8% share of total global final energy consumption to be attributed to hydrogen by 2050.

Decarbonisation impacts depends on how hydrogen is produced. Current and future sourcing options can be divided into grey (fossil fuel-based), blue (fossil fuel-based production with carbon capture, utilisation and storage) and green (renewables-based) hydrogen. With massively falling cost of renewables, the potential of green hydrogen particularly for so called ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ sectors and energy-intensive industries like iron and steel, chemicals, shipping and aviation would become more compelling given the urgency to limit CO2 emissions. In that context, IRENA also supports the work of the “Getting to Zero 2030 Coalition” to achieve carbon emissions cuts in the global shipping sector by 2030.

However, deployment of hydrogen-based solutions will not happen overnight, IRENA’s new report cautions. Hydrogen might likely trail other strategies such as electrification of end-use sectors, and its use will target specific applications. The need for a dedicated new supply infrastructure may also limit hydrogen use to certain countries that decide to follow this strategy. While renewable energy and energy efficiency are immediately ready to be deployed at large-scale, hydrogen in combination with renewables could represent a complementary solution in the long run.

Download IRENA’s report Hydrogen: a renewable energy perspective.

Source: IRENA

Mont Blanc Glacier in Danger of Collapse, Experts Warn

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Patrick Boucher)

Italian authorities have closed off roads and evacuated homes after experts warned that a portion of a Mont Blanc glacier is at risk of collapse.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Patrick Boucher)

Stefano Miserocchi, the mayor of the town of Courmayeur, said “public safety is a priority” after experts from the Fondazione Montagna Sicura (Safe Mountains Foundation) in the Aosta Valley said up to 250,000 cubic metres of ice was in danger of sliding off the Planpincieux glacier on the Grandes Jorasses peak.

“This phenomenon once again testifies that the mountain is in a phase of strong change due to climatic factors, therefore it is particularly vulnerable,” Miserocchi said in a statement.

Experts have been monitoring the glacier closely since 2013 to detect the speed at which the ice is melting, and Miserocchi said the rate had “significantly increased” recently. But they are unable to predict when the ice would break away.

“There are currently no empirical models or methods that can enable quantitative predictions in the case of glaciers with sliding dynamics such as Planpincieux,” Miserocchi added.

The warning comes as world leaders meet in New York for the UN climate action summit. The Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said: “The news that part of Mont Blanc risks collapsing is a warning that should not leave us indifferent. It must shake us all and force us to mobilise.”

In 2017, about 50 cubic metres of ice fell from Planpincieux, while in September last year a mass of ice broke away from the Glacier de la Charpoua, on the south-east side of the Aiguille Verte, on the French side of Mont Blanc.

Miserocchi’s order came into force on Tuesday and includes the evacuation of homes and mountain refuges in the area. He said it was a precautionary measure and there was no threat to residential areas or tourist establishments. The zones affected are in the area of Val Ferret.

Rising temperatures are causing glaciers to melt, with environmental activists in Switzerland holding their second “mourning ceremony” on the evaporating Pizol glacier in the country’s Glarus Alps on Monday. The glacier has lost up to 90% of its volume since 2006. In August, a similar event was held at a glacier in Iceland.

A heatwave across Europe this summer is also said to have accelerated the melt speed.

Source: Guardian

Deconstructing Myths About Waste Management Transition

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Noah Buscher)
Photo: Private archive

The main task for the future of waste management in Serbia is to debunk the waste management goals. So, where are we heading to as a society when it comes to this sector? As in all other fields, we simply follow global trends, and we try to give the meaning to different interests by using fashionable phrasing about the transition. As a result, we participate in public opinion about the waste treatment in Serbia being misshaped. At the same time, as the government administration is making an effort to provide development for 26 regions and implementation of Chapter 27, the expectations of our citizens and all the parties involved in waste management are being shaped by incomplete information in relation to few essential facts about waste management.

Before we set about demystifying the goals, it is necessary to bust the myth about current treatments (recycling and incineration). First of all, the primary separation, that is separated gathering of recyclable waste fraction, and secondary separation in separation facility are not recycling. These activities are the preparation of the material from waste for the process of recycling or reuse. This straw man argument is ever so present as much among the experts as it is with the broader audience, and it partakes in an already somewhat confusing situation in this sector. Second, and maybe more importantly, “recycling” won’t save the waste management system in Serbia nor will save the economy of our country. Why? That is because empirical data show that there isn’t an example of waste management in the world that generates profit without investment and operational costs (by default higher than incomes). In other words, waste management isn’t “Perpetuum mobile” as many would think. Waste route starting from collected materials to entering a recycling facility or becoming reused is technologically demanding and costly. Also, having increased the criteria of the required quality of material, its usable mass is decreased, and subsequently, the waste gathered this way isn’t completely usable as a resource or free for that matter. As this fact is valid for any country in the world, it goes for Serbia too. Third, it’s vital to stress that the key benefit for the society in terms of recycling materials is lowering greenhouse gas emissions in air, water and soil due to the reduction of primary resources exploitation, and not the profit and development!

It doesn’t mean whatsoever that Serbia shouldn’t recycle and undertake activities in this field. Quite the contrary. Still, it should be singled out that after many decades of passive watching by and brushing under the carpet the facts about the need and importance of system solutions in the waste management field, the rescue isn’t solely in recycling but in system approach. In all countries with developed recycling system, there are no landfills where you could dispose of your waste without any charge as it is the case in Serbia. All those countries developed their recycling industry having built sanitary landfills first where it is compulsory to pay for waste disposal. That was followed by raising the prices for waste disposal, which led directly to rerouting the waste to other waste treatments (recycling, biological treatments, incineration et). In order to move things in the right direction, we have to be realistic and accept the fact that neither public consciousness nor public opinion nor individual activities, which are noteworthy, are going to spark this process – but the information/ fact that if you recycle or incinerate waste you spend less  money than in the case of its disposal. As long as any of us has an option not to pay at all for waste disposal, the development of recycling industry and waste management in Serbia is doomed to sheer populism and an attempt to create an image of fake waste management development.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Bas Emmen)

Here is where the paradox comes forth. All the people who profess an idea that we shouldn’t dispose but exclusively recycle and incinerate waste, with an explanation that waste in the Western world doesn’t end at landfills, are actually failing the industry of waste treatment. However contrary it may seem, urgent construction and implementation of sanitary landfills in the Republic of Serbia are exactly the one and only thing that will instigate the development of the recycling industry. Serbia mustn’t democratize the choice of diverse options for waste disposal, but those options should be based on the system approach. Being one of the indispensable goals of the popular circular economy package, it is high time to introduce taxes and fees for waste disposal, which actually means establishing regional centres and sanitary landfills. We mustn’t forget that the circular economy package comes from the societies which have implemented long time ago fees for waste disposal, so the option of not having fee is rather inconceivable there. If we try to merely replicate specified requirements brushing under the carpet the importance of proper landfills, we are going to come to a dead-end, having implemented system which won’t have circular economy principles integrated, nor proper, technologically suitable sanitary landfills. Thus, it appears to be vital for the further development of this system what order and functional segments we are going to put our energy in. Finally, it mustn’t slip our mind that waste management is a compound system and all functional segments (generating, collecting, separation, treatment, disposal, etc.) are interwoven and mutually dependent.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Martijn Baudoin)

Therefore it is required to show waste management goals realistically. They have nothing to do with recycling, disposing of, composting, nor incineration of waste. It is a fact that by building the facility for waste management, we achieve the quantity goals imposed by the EU. However, the real question now revolves around whether we treat waste to “use energy” from waste, or to prevent its negative effect on human health and environment which arises from bad waste management? The example of incineration shows that only 5 per cent of total energy consumption can be compensated by waste incineration on the national level. On the other hand, incineration helps prevent uncontrolled dispersion of mercury and cadmium flows on the national level (those are two highly toxic metals), whereas 40 to 50 per cent of those metals in national flows end up precisely in the waste management system.
So, the technologically advanced incinerators have a greater impact in the sector of human health protection than in energy production. The prime goals of waste management aren’t the treatments by themselves, or reusage and resource production, namely energy production. The prime goals are the protection of human health and environment, resources conservation and sustainable waste management, while the treatment, the EU waste treatment hierarchy, the production of recyclables and energy are solely the instruments for reaching the stated goals.
In other words, the only right way of development is the systematic one that aims to reach a higher level of fulfilment of real waste management goals – protection of health and environment. We need our own genuine ideas that correspond to our local conditions and not only sheer duplication of the solutions from other countries.

Nemanja Stanisavljević

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

IRENA on the Front Line of the Battle to Limit Climate Change

Photo: IRENA

It was billed as a day of action. Parties without concrete, actionable plans and commitments stayed away from a meeting that the UN Secretary General and wider community believed could be the most important climate meeting since Paris in 2015. Leaders who brought announcements to the Climate Action Summit effectively represented the world’s front line in the battle to stay within the 1.5°C  of warming.

Photo: IRENA

The International Renewable Energy Agency participated. Director-General Francesco La Camera joined heads of state and leaders from business and civil society in reinforcing a unified and immediate response to the climate emergency. In an address to delegates, Mr. La Camera reiterated the Agency’s support for the world’s most vulnerable nations including small island developing states (SIDS) and reminded attendees that it’s possible to limit warming if we invest in the energy transition.

“It’s possible to secure justice for SIDS who, along with least developed countries, are the most threatened [by the effects of a warming planet], despite having contributed nothing to climate change,” said Mr. La Camera. While SIDS have shown climate leadership through 100% renewable energy ambitions, realizing these ambitions is critical – something the Agency pledged to continue supporting. “IRENA stands with SIDS in this effort,” he continued “including through the SIDS Lighthouses initiative which received a new injection of financial support from Denmark, Germany, Norway and the UAE.”

Furthermore, the Director General presented the recently launched Climate Investment Platform. “It’s possible to mobilize financial resources for the change,” he said. “The recently launched Climate Investment Platform will be inclusive, well-articulated, proactive and agile in supporting SIDS and other developing countries access the capital necessary to respond. It will also facilitate private sector engagement to accelerate the energy transition, and scale-up a low-carbon resilient economic future for islands.”

Photo: IRENA

The day began with a powerful opening message from youth climate activist Greta Thunberg. She rallied the Summit telling the global community, “How dare you put my future in jeopardy. How dare you to turn to young people to solve the problems you created. We [the next generation] are watching you.”

UN Secretary General said, “Nature is angry and we fool ourselves if we think we can fool nature. Our Earth is issuing a cry: “STOP”. The climate crisis is caused by us, and the solutions must come from us to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said the time has come for “leaders to lead”. Leaders responded.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said her country aims for 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2023 as part of their climate response package. She says it’s not just about avoiding the worst but building the best future possible.

Michael Bloomberg reported that due to the anti-coal lobbying, the USA had closed nearly 300 coal power plants since 2011 and his coalition would not stop until every remaining plant was closed. Orsted CEO Henrik Poulson said his company would stop using coal altogether by 2022 and by 2025 the company’s production will reach carbon neutrality.

The day proved beyond doubt that it is possible to mitigate catastrophic climate change and that the political will exists to take meaningful and immediate action. But “we have to do more,” Mr. La Camera reminded attendees, “IRENA is ready to act.”

Source: IRENA

Call for 1m People to Join UK’s Biggest Mass Tree-Planting Campaign

Photo: Dragan Leleš

Volunteers are being urged to do their bit to stop the climate emergency by grabbing a spade and signing up for the biggest mass tree-planting campaign in the UK’s history.

Photo: Dragan Leleš

Plots in suitable sites around the country are being prepared for 30 November, when the Big Climate Fightback campaign will start with pledges sought from 1 million people. Local groups are being encouraged to run tree-planting events and councils are being asked for permission to plant trees on their land, or outside schools and other publicly owned properties. Businesses are also being urged to plant trees on their own premises if possible.

People without gardens or the means to plant their own trees are being encouraged to spot potential sites and ask their local council or the landowner for permission to plant.

By 2025, the Woodland Trust – the charity behind the Big Climate Fightback – hopes to have planted a tree for every person in the country. All of the trees provided by the charity will be native broadleaf varieties, such as oak, birch and hawthorn.

The writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has pledged to plant a tree and called on others to do the same. “Climate change is a real threat and affects us all, but there is the simplest of all solutions: the humble tree,” she said. “I urge people to get off their sofas and plant a tree. It’s very simple and you could be one in a million.”

According to the Committee on Climate Change, the government’s statutory advisers on the climate crisis, the UK should have 1.5bn new trees by 2050 to meet the net zero carbon target, set in line with international scientific warnings on the climate crisis. The government has set a target of 5,000 hectares a year for England alone, but planting rates have fallen well short of that, with last year only 1,420 hectares (3,508 acres) of new woodland planted.

However, trees will also need to be cared for after planting to ensure they survive, so groups are encouraged to participate beyond the planting stage. The Woodland Trust also warned that tree planting alone was not enough. “As individuals, we all need to do much more to reduce our impact on the planet by cutting emissions and reducing pressure on resources,” said Darren Moorcroft, the charity’s chief executive.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Working with the Woodland Trust and other organisations, we also want to encourage everyone to play a part and help us to plant more trees. We’ve already kick-started the creation of a Northern Forest, which will see 50m trees planted from Liverpool to Hull, and we have set up two funds worth £60m to drive up planting rates, including in our towns and cities. Later this year we will be consulting on a new English Tree Strategy, focusing on how to accelerate woodland creation across the country.”

Source: Guardian

Greta Thunberg Condemns World Leaders in Emotional Speech at UN

Foto: YouTube (screenshot)

Greta Thunberg has excoriated world leaders for their “betrayal” of young people through their inertia over the climate crisis at a United Nations summit that failed to deliver ambitious new commitments to address dangerous global heating.

Photo: YouTube (screenshot)

In a stinging speech on Monday, the teenage Swedish climate activist told governments that “you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is. You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal.”

Days after millions of young people joined protests worldwide to demand emergency action on climate change, leaders gathered for the annual United Nations general assembly aiming to inject fresh momentum into efforts to curb carbon emissions.

But Thunberg predicted the summit would not deliver any new plans in line with the radical cuts in greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are needed to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown.

“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,” a visibly emotional Thunberg said.

“The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us I say we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.”

As the summit spooled through about 60 speeches from national representatives, it became clear that Thunberg’s forecast was prescient. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, told delegates that “the time for talking is over” in announcing a plan to ramp up renewable energy but didn’t announce any phase-out of coal – a key goal set by António Guterres, the UN secretary-general who convened the summit.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, did set out the end of coalmining in her country but only by 2038 – a lengthy timeframe that disappointed environmentalists.

Meanwhile, China declined to put forward any new measures to tackle the climate crisis.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, called for the European Union to deepen its emissions cuts and said that France would not make trade deals with countries not signed up tor the landmark Paris climate agreement. “We cannot allow our youth to strike every Friday without action,” Macron said, in reference to Friday’s global climate strikes.

Despite Guterres’ efforts, the summit was somewhat overshadowed by its absentees – most notably the US, and Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil, whose representatives were reportedly not selected to make a presentation there because of Brazil’s failure to outline plans to strengthen its efforts to counter climate change.

Donald Trump did visit the UN on Monday but only briefly dipped into the climate summit to see Modi’s speech before attending a meeting which he had called on religious freedom.

As he arrived at the UN, Trump crossed paths with Thunberg, who fixed the president with a hard stare.

The summit was designed to accelerate countries’ ambition to address the climate crisis amid increasingly urgent warnings by scientists. A new UN analysis has found that commitments to cut planet-warming gases must be at least tripled and increased by up to fivefold if the world is to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement of holding the temperature rise to at least 2C above the pre-industrial era.

The world is currently on track to warm by as much as 3.4C by the end of the century, the UN warned, a situation that would escalate disastrous heatwaves, flooding, droughts and societal unrest. Major coral reefs and many other species face extinction.

Read more: Guardian

After Stalling Last Year, Renewable Power Capacity Additions to Hit Double-Digit Growth in 2019

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (American Public Power Association)

After stalling last year, global capacity additions of renewable power are set to bounce back with double-digit growth in 2019, driven by solar PV’s strong performance, according to the International Energy Agency.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (American Public Power Association)

The IEA expects renewable capacity additions to grow by almost 12% this year, the fastest pace since 2015, to reach almost 200 GW, mostly thanks to solar PV and wind. Global solar PV additions are expected to increase by over 17%.

Last year was the first time since 2001 that growth in renewable power capacity failed to accelerate year on year, largely due to a Chinese government policy change. This highlights the critical role of governments for the deployment of renewables and the need to avoid sudden policy changes that can result in strong market volatility.

Renewables have a major part to play in curbing global emissions and providing universal access to affordable, secure, sustainable and modern energy. Renewable capacity additions need to grow by more than 300 GW on average each year between 2018 and 2030 to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to the IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario.

“These latest numbers give us many reasons to celebrate: Renewable electricity additions are now growing at their fastest pace in four years after a disappointing 2018,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director. “We are witnessing a drastic decline in the cost of solar power together with strong growth in onshore wind. And offshore wind is showing encouraging signs.”

“These technologies are the mainstays of the world’s efforts to tackle climate change, reduce air pollution and provide energy access to all,” Dr Birol said. “The stark difference between this year’s trend and last year’s demonstrates the critical ability of government policies to change the trajectory we are on.”

The cost of solar PV has plunged more than 80% since 2010, making the technology increasingly competitive in many countries. The IEA estimates that global solar PV capacity additions will increase to almost 115 GW this year, despite a slight decline in China, the world’s largest market. This is set to be the first year that solar PV additions have surpassed 100 GW and the third year in a row that they account for more than half of global renewable additions.

The softness in the Chinese solar PV market is being offset by faster expansion in the European Union, led by Spain; a new installations boom in Vietnam as developers rush to complete projects before incentive cuts; and faster growth in India and the United States. Japanese solar PV developers are also expediting the commissioning of projects to meet deadlines for higher incentives.

The pace of acceleration in the Chinese solar PV market remains the biggest uncertainty for the IEA’s 2019 estimates. China’s policy transition from feed-in tariffs to competitive auctions resulted in relatively slow solar PV deployment in the first half of 2019. But installations in the second half of the year are expected to accelerate with the completion of the first projects linked to large-scale auctions and the emergence of projects that rely far less on incentives to compete with other power sources.

The rebound in renewables is also supported by higher onshore wind growth, which is expected to rise 15% to 53 GW, the largest increase since record deployment in 2015. In the United States, project developers have accelerated deployment before the phase-out of federal production tax credits. In China, lower curtailment levels have unlocked additional growth in several provinces this year, enabling faster expansion.

Offshore wind growth is expected to be stable at around 5 GW in 2019, led by the European Union and China.

Source: IEA

Climate Crisis Leaving 2 Million People a Week Needing Aid

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A new report by the world’s largest humanitarian network warns that the number of people needing humanitarian assistance every year as a result of climate-related disasters could double by 2050.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Cost of Doing Nothing – published today by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – estimates that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of storms, droughts and floods could climb beyond 200 million annually – compared to an estimated 108 million today.

It further suggests that this rising human toll would come with a huge financial price tag, with climate-related humanitarian costs ballooning to US$20 billion per year by 2030, in the most pessimistic scenario.

Speaking in New York, in the run-up to the UN Climate Action Summit, IFRC President Francesco Rocca said:

“These findings confirm the impact that climate change is having, and will continue to have, on some of the world’s most vulnerable people. It also demonstrates the strain that increasing climate-related disasters could place on aid agencies and donors.”

“The report shows the clear and frightening cost of doing nothing. But it also shows there is a chance to do something. But now is the time to take urgent action. By investing in climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, including through efforts to improve early warning and anticipatory humanitarian action, the world can avoid a future marked by escalating suffering and ballooning humanitarian response costs,” said Mr Rocca.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Cost of Doing Nothing builds on the work and methodology of the World Bank’s Shock Waves report, and draws on data from the UN, the EM-DAT International Disaster Database as well as IFRC’s own disaster statistics. The report shows that we are facing a stark choice. No action and costs are likely to escalate. Take determined and ambitious action now that prioritizes inclusive, climate-smart development and the number of people in need of  international humanitarian assistance annually could in fact fall to as low as 68 million by 2030, and even drop further to 10 million by 2050 – a decrease of 90 per cent compared to today.

Julie Arrighi, an advisor at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, and one of the main contributors to the report, said:

“In this report, we present some of the potential consequences should the global community fail to step up ambition to address the rising risks in a changing climate. It also shows some of the potential positive outcomes if indeed the global community takes action now to build resilience, adapt and address the current climate crisis.

“We hope that this report helps build momentum during the upcoming Climate Action Summit and beyond to increase investment in inclusive, climate-smart development – including reduced emissions, but especially renewed efforts to adapt to the rising risks,” Ms Arrighi said.

To download the full report, visit www.ifrc.org/costofdoingnothing.

Source: IFRC

All Set for Entering New Markets

Foto: Privatna arhiva
Photo: Private archive

In an old wine cellar, in the middle of rolling vineyards at the bottom of the massif of Stara Planina, two brothers were thinking on how to make a course of making excellent wine from a good grape harvest more certain. It was their turn to take care of this family heritage. In little wineries, fine grapes don’t necessarily make superb wine. It was obvious that they can’t rely any more on a technique which their ancestors used to sustain the temperature in barrels in cold or warm nights. The Jovic brothers have already had substantial engineering experience, and it was pointing them to find a solution in close vicinity. At the desk in the R&D office of their own company for ventilation and heating which they founded in 1995 in Knjazevac. So that is how the Alfa Clima company has become a link between thermodynamics and winemaking.

Having implemented the temperature control process in wine fermentation, they have achieved quality, but also different wine character. It hasn’t lost its acids nor drinkability, let alone freshness of its aroma. The wines from the Jovic winery have gain distinctiveness, and the word has been spread – about their wines much as about an airto-water type cooling system with freon which the Jovics designed and installed in their Alfa Clima company. Little wineries from across Serbia have got a chance to take a turn in technology and instead of using enological chemistry, to install this device for fermentation control and cold stabilization of the wine. Thanks to this solution, almost 30 local wineries hitherto can be proud of having ”healthy”, clean wines in their offer.

Meanwhile, the brothers Sasa and Jovan Jovic have come up with the idea to design a device for quick and thorough cleaning of wine barrels and tanks. Soon the Parko unit was born in the Alfa Clima facilities. It is now indispensable in the inventory of small local cellars, which uses water vapour to efficiently clean and sterilize containers. Although it is quite obvious that twosome Jovic doesn’t lack innovation, we were curious to find out how they intend to solve the problem with Freon. Freon is the primary cooling liquid in most systems in our country, whose withdrawal is just a matter of time. We got an impression that Sasa Jovic, the general manager at Alfa Clima, couldn’t wait for someone to show up and ask this question.

“No doubt that the death knell for freon has been tolled, but there are options such as ammonium, carbon dioxide and propane. In the field of ventilation and technological processes in positive temperatures, or slightly negative, propane behaves well – and if there wasn’t for its flammability, it would be the perfect solution. Still, that is where our creativity has stood out. We have come up with a technical solution and registered a patent since we have reduced the risk of flammability and fire to a minimum. This invention, named Propsafe, was granted by the Innovation fund and currently, we are in a testing process. By the end of the year, we will have final prototypes.“

To say that propane usage in small domestic appliances isn’t a novelty is something that Sasa confirms too. However, there is no refrigerant grade propane R290 at our market, nor has been its usage regulated by law. Without this refrigerant, the whole Propsafe project could come to a dead end. The manager at Alfa Clima says that this type of fluid is imported with a permit granted by the government. Hitherto, there hasn’t been any demand, so the permits haven’t been issued. Until the problem is solved, they keep testing the prototype which is filled with Freon since that is a simpler and more available option.

“It is not only the question of importing propane, but also about handling, storing and licensing the workers who will be using it. The regulations are needed, and their lack is imposing a problem for engineers, clients and service providers. For the record, we are just now trying to license service providers for Freon usage, whereas it is slowly going out of use. The system is slow and inert, so it is important we animate it”, explains Sasa having mentioned that there is a great demand for propane chillers. “Croatian companies make bigger, purpose-built chillers with propane for Nordic market and their production is sold for a year or two in advance. Although the propane usage hasn’t been regulated there either, they overcame the problem by delivering the device that isn’t filled. In our case, that is rather complicated, since we oriented future production range towards households and low-power devices.“

Their efforts in making a request more striking to institutions are backed up by the Union of mechanical and electrical engineers and technicians of Serbia. Therefore, Sasa and Jovan are hoping that the problem of propane importing and handling too will be solved sooner. While waiting for a favourable outcome, there are no delays in the realization of other plans. Along with two production lines, which include heat pumps as standard devices for ventilation and with a range of purpose-built devices, Alfa Clima is today a heartbeat away from introducing the mass production of standard heat pumps for smaller buildings and households. Proud-hearted, Sasa points out this to be a turning point for the company as the realization of this goal leads to conquering markets which hitherto haven’t been within their reach. On their way to new clients, one of the very important steps was establishing a testing station where prototypes of devices are checked in a quick and precise manner. “When you are offering pump 300 kW, it must have the exact power, and not being able to achieve it in ideal conditions. In the testing station it is what we check precisely”, confirms Sasa.

Significant savings thanks to heat pumps

Production at this company in Knjazevac was focused from the early days on heat pumps whose main purpose was energy savings. Back then, the price of electric energy was pretty low, so only a few were considering energy savings. Sasa says in hindsight it seems unbelievable that they were able to get clients at all. ”Today, although the electric energy we use still comes at a price lower than the European average, people think that this situation at the energy market won’t last too long and wonder about the future. Therefore, clients install our air-to-water and water-to-water types of pumps, namely two basic types we have been making from the start, which are even today in demand. We are particularly proud of the fact that some of the pumps are still in use even though they were installed more than twenty years ago.”

Now they make the fourth generation of heat pumps, which means that they have implemented four considerable changes in the construction and concept of those devices. The pump’s power ranges from 5-6 kW to 500 kW. All inovative solutions have been made in their R&D office where the team of engineers assemble each time they face a production challenge. ”When it comes to pumps waterto-water, we use the energy of groundwater in wells. We have made a new design of heat pump with a different type of heat exchanger which we produce. That way we have made shorter and cheaper not only installation but also the pump. At the same time we raised the degree of heating since we don’t have the interchanger”, says the Alfa Clima manager. He emphasizes benefit not only from reducing the costs but also from better heat pump efficiency.

„Groundwaters that are not too ’aggressive’ or murky we can use directly in heat pumps. But with aggressive water which happens to be loaded with Sulphur and metal residues such as manganese or iron, we put the interchanger into the pumps. River and lake water we can also use – where in the coldest days the water temperature doesn’t exceed 1°C or the water even gets frozen. In those pumps, we utilize different exchangers, and that is a nice and appealing solution. Anyway, there is a solution to every type of water. Still, we might say that heat pump water-to-water is the most efficient”, explains Sasa adding that there is also a subtype of this pump. “The most interesting is wastewater, and the Germans are the first who started using it for generating electricity. In two buildings we installed pumps which use waste water. In the spa centre in Mladenovac we built in a system for the use of wastewater coming from showers and other sanitary ware. The pump capacity is 300 kW, and this energy is used for heating the sanitary water for the whole building, so ten times less energy is consumed in comparison with other energy sources. That way, the users can pay off the investment faster.”

Another pump was built in the Tornik hotel at the Zlatibor mountain which covers up to 36.000 m². The project also involved the construction of the separate sewage system which allowed the installation of the pump that would use waste water from sanitary wear. According to some estimates, pump repayment period in hotels can be reduced to up to one year based only on the savings of the sanitary water. Sasa says that realistic expectations are to pay off the investment in several years. “It’s a common knowledge that in hotels, no one thinks about saving hot water. Therefore, it is indispensable to plan the savings from the early stage of the project development for the hotel.”

Prepared by: Tamara Zjacic

Read the whole article in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine  on ENERGY EFFICIENCY, June 2018. – August 2019. 

Air Pollution Particles Found on Foetal Side of Placentas

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.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

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.

Read more: Guardian

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