Nearly Every US National Park Is Plagued by ‘Significant’ Air Pollution

14.05.2019

horseshoe_national_park_usa — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A new report outlines the disastrous effects that air pollution is having on our national natural treasures.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, a federal law that established the National Park Service (NPS). The role of NPS would be to oversee Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations. The purpose of these Federal areas, according to the Act, is to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Unfortunately, things aren’t going as planned.

According to a new report by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), 96 percent of America’s national parks are plagued by significant air pollution problems.

The report, “Polluted Parks: How America is Failing to Protect Our National Parks, People and Planet from Air Pollution,” looked at damage from air pollution at 417 national parks based on harm to nature, hazy skies, unhealthy air and climate change. Additional findings reveal that:

Eighty-five percent of national parks have air that is unhealthy to breathe at times;
Eighty-nine percent of parks suffer from haze pollution;
Soils and waters in 88 percent of parks are affected by air pollution which in turn impacts sensitive species and habitat;
And climate change is a significant concern for 80 percent of national parks, though all parks are affected to some level.

Since things like this become so politicized these days, it should be noted that NPCA is a non-partisan organization founded in 1919 as a citizen’s watchdog for the National Park Service. Their concern is with the state of the parks.

“The poor air quality in our national parks is both disturbing and unacceptable. Nearly every single one of our more than 400 national parks is plagued by air pollution. If we don’t take immediate action to combat this, the results will be devastating and irreversible,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of NPCA.

“When people think of iconic parks like Joshua Tree or the Grand Canyon, they think of unspoiled landscapes and scenic views. I think they would be shocked to know that these are actually some of our most polluted national parks. Air pollution is also posing a health risk to some of the 330 million people who visit our parks each year, as well as the communities who surround them. The challenges facing our parks are undeniable, but so is our resolve to help clear their air and ensure they are protected as they were meant to be, by both their founders and by the laws in place to protect them.”

Indeed, when I first read the report my mind went directly to the magnificent glory that is the Grand Canyon. “How can the Grand Canyon be affected by air pollution?” I wondered?

The park’s NPS site had an answer:

“Most visitors who come to national parks expect clean air and clear views.

However, Grand Canyon National Park (NP), Arizona, world-renowned for its breathtakingly iconic views, lies downwind of polluted air from coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners region, nearby mining, and urban and industrial pollutants from Mexico and California.

Air pollutants carried into the park can harm natural and scenic resources such as forests, soils, streams, fish, and visibility.”

Of course, air pollution knows no boundaries. Much of the parks’ pollution begins with the extraction of fossil fuels – including oil, gas and coal – and burning them in power plants and vehicles. Such pollution has no problem drifting hundreds of miles, making few places immune to its devastating impact.

For the report, NPCA analyzed an array of data sources, much of it from NPS itself. The research included 417 national park sites, and looked at air pollution vis-a-vis four categories: Harm to nature, hazy skies, unhealthy air, and climate change. For each of those, the impact were ranked as significant, moderate, or little to no concern.

Harm to Nature: The findings show that air pollution is hurting sensitive species and habitat at 368 national parks. At 283 parks, the problem is of a significant concern and in 85 parks, the concern level is moderate.

Hazy Skies: At 370 parks, visibility impairment is either a moderate or significant concern (304 and 66 parks respectively).

Unhealthy Air: 354 parks have air that is unhealthy to breathe at times. At 87 parks, ozone levels are a significant concern, and another 267 parks have a moderate level of concern.

Effects of Climate Change: Climate change is a significant concern for 335 parks. These parks are experiencing changes in climate through extreme trends in temperature, precipitation, or early onset of spring.

While this isn’t an issue that should be politicized, we can’t escape the fact that politics are playing a role in this depressing state of affairs. Over the last half a century, the Clean Air Act has worked to noticeably reduce pollution. With the current administration’s far-reaching collection of rollbacks and changes to environmental policy – and its favoring of things like the fossil fuel industry – today, air pollution is on the rise. As the report notes, enforcement actions against polluters have plummeted by 85 percent, and now scientists project that we will be facing a climate crisis much sooner than previously thought.

“At a time when the climate crisis facing the planet is irrefutable, the laws that protect our climate and the air we breathe are being challenged like never before as this administration continues to prioritize polluters’ interests over the health of our people and parks,” said Stephanie Kodish, Clean Air Program Director for NPCA.

“America’s national parks are some of the most beloved places on earth and provide once in a lifetime experiences, but the iconic wildlife and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources that make these places so special are being seriously threatened by climate change and other effects of air pollution.”

Thankfully, there is a simple solution: Reduce air pollution and transition to clean energy. Nobody wants a population suffering from asthma and all the other deleterious effects of dirty air, right? And nobody wants our beautiful national parks to be choking from the same. If they are to be “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations,” then we better get cracking.

Author: Melissa Breyer

Source: Tree Hugger

Mercedes-Benz Targets Carbon Neutral Fleet by 2039

14.05.2019

car-1506922_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Mercedes-Benz has set a target to ensure its new passenger car fleet is carbon neutral by 2039.

It has also committed to ensure plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles (EVs) make up more than 50% of its car sales by 2030 under its ‘Ambition2039’ initiative.

The car manufacturer said it is driving its supply chain to comply with its carbon neutrality objective and is working with organisations like CDP to assess the environmental impact of its supply chain and conducting workshops with suppliers to identify effective carbon reduction measures.

Mercedes-Benz, owned by Daimler, says the upcoming ‘Factory 56’ addition to its Sindelfingen plant in Germany will produce luxury cars and EVs and use renewable energy, becoming carbon neutral from the outset.

It also aims to ensure all its European plants follow suit by 2022.

The company added: “To us, the Paris Agreement is more than an obligation – it’s our conviction. And we have set a clear course to help prevent further acceleration of climate change. However, this transformation is a huge challenge – technologically and financially. After all, we want to make sustainable mobility even more exciting, not more expensive and of course, this is also about sustainable business results.

“How do we deal with this? One way would be to shy away and just try to safeguard the status quo. But that would not serve our purpose – and certainly not our future. So, we prefer doing what our founders have done: they became system architects of a new mobility without horses. Today, our task is individual mobility without emissions.”

Source: Energy Live News

Just 7% of Cities Score ‘A’-Grade on Going Green

13.05.2019

reykjavik_iceland — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A total of 43 cities have scored an ‘A’ rating in a new climate-action ranking published by CDP.

This means around only 7% of the 596 cities assessed scored top marks based on how effectively they are measuring and tackling greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adapting to the risks posed by climate change.

CDP awarded cities between an ‘A’ and a ‘D-’ score – an ‘A’ grade means a city demonstrates strong sustainable strategies and tracks its emissions on a consistent basis – Barcelona, London, Paris, Cape Town and Hong Kong were among this group.

Notable actions included London introducing an ultra-low emissions zone to clean up air pollution, Calgary building a new light rail system to take 23,000 cars off the road each year and Taipei fixing 2,200 water leaks since 2015.

The report shows whilst five cities, including Paris, San Francisco and Canberra, have city-wide 100% renewable energy targets, Reykjavík is the only city that has reached this stage already.

Kyra Appleby, Global Director for Cities, States and Regions at CDP, said: “Cities house more than half of the world’s population and are responsible for over 70% of the world’s energy-related carbon emissions, so they could make or break efforts to tackle climate change.

“We urge cities worldwide to step up their action, set targets in line with what the latest science says is needed to prevent dangerous climate change and transparently share their progress.”

Source: Energy Live News

German Onshore Wind ‘Collapse’ Jeopardises EU Renewable Energy Goals

13.05.2019

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The “collapse” in the growth of onshore wind energy in Germany is jeopardising both the nation’s and the EU’s renewable energy targets.

The warning comes from trade body WindEurope, which says Germany installed only 134MW of new onshore wind capacity in the first three months of 2019 – its worst first quarter since 2000.

It estimates the country is likely to install only between 1GW to 2GW of onshore wind farms this year, significantly down on the last five years when it installed 4.3GW per year on average.

It is also well below what Germany needs to meet its own 65% renewable power target by 2030 and deliver its share of the EU’s 32% green energy goal.

WindEurope also warns offshore wind will not fill the gap as the country is due to build just 730MW per year up to 2030.

It suggests some of the slowdown is due to its “failed auction systems” in 2017, when a lot of community projects won without a permit – many of these projects are yet to be built due to “more generous realisation timelines”.

It adds permitting for new wind farms remains the underlying problem as the process, which used to take just 10 months, now takes more than two years.

Only 400MW of new wind farm permits were awarded in the first quarter of 2019, well below historical levels and the last three auction rounds were undersubscribed, leading to rising prices.

Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope said: “Onshore wind energy in Germany is in deep trouble. The development of new wind farms has almost ground to a halt. The main problem is permitting – it’s got much slower, more complex and there aren’t enough civil servants to process the applications. It seriously undermines Germany’s ability to meet its 2030 renewables target and contribute to the EU target. And it’s affecting Germany’s wind turbine industrial base. Half of Europe’s 300,000 wind energy jobs are in Germany but 10,000 have gone in Germany in the last five years. And this could get worse: there hasn’t been a single turbine order recorded in Germany in Q1 this year.

“The German Government now needs to make clear how they’re going to reach their 65% renewables target for 2030. It needs an annual build-out of 5GW of onshore wind – and urgent action to speed up the permitting process.”

Source: Energy Live News

Plastic Bag Bans ‘Can Slash Air Pollution’

12.05.2019

plasticna-kesa — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Plastic bag bans can not only cut down on marine waste and reduce damage to valuable ecosystems – they can also slash air pollution.

That’s according to a new study published by UN Environment, which highlights that incineration of plastic waste is a major source of air pollution, especially in continents such as Africa, where waste infrastructure is lacking in many places.

The report states around 12% of most municipal solid waste is made up of plastic – as approximately 40% of the world’s rubbish is burned, this is a problem.

The study notes the burning of plastics releases toxic gases like dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls into the atmosphere, all of which pose a threat to vegetation and human and animal health.

These chemicals not only damage the lungs but also settle on crops and in waterways, leading to them eventually entering the body and causing cancer, thyroid and respiratory problems.

Researchers note burning plastic also releases black carbon, which significantly contributes to climate change.

It concludes the plastic bag bans recently announced by Tanzania and Zambia, following effective bans in Kenya and Rwanda, are “good news in terms of air pollution, given that much of Africa’s waste ends up in flames”.

The study states: “Burning of plastic waste increase the risk of heart disease, aggravates respiratory ailments such as asthma and emphysema and cause rashes, nausea or headaches and damages the nervous system.”

Source: Energy Live News

One Million Plant and Animal Species ‘Now at Threat of Extinction’

11.05.2019

panda_black_and_white — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

One million plant and animal species are now at threat of extinction.

That’s the troubling conclusion reached in a new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which suggests many of these organisms could die out within decades, at a faster rate than ever observed before in human history.

The study, which was compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, assesses changes to the planet and its ecosystems over the past five decades – it suggests a great deal of damage has been done and warns “grave impacts” on people around the world are now likely.

The report notes the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least a fifth, mostly since 1900.

The IPBES says at least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to extinction since the 16th century and claims at least 1,000 more breeds are still threatened.

It suggests more than 40% of amphibians, nearly a third of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened, as well as 10% of insects.

It notes this has been primarily driven by changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive species being introduced.

The organisation warns that goals to interact with nature more sustainably will not be reached by 2030 unless “transformative changes across economic, social, political and technological factors” are made, noting that negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards 35 out of 44 of the assessed targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report also notes plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980 and up to 400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other wastes from industrial facilities are now being dumped into the world’s rivers, lakes and seas every year.

IPBES Chair, Sir Robert Watson, said: “The overwhelming evidence of the IPBES Global Assessment, from a wide range of different fields of knowledge, presents an ominous picture.

“The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.”

Author: Johny Bairstow

Source: Energy Live News

US Awards Nearly $10m to Clean Up Polluting School Buses

10.05.2019

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded more than $9.3 million (£7.1m) to replace 473 old and polluting diesel school buses.

The new funding will be spread across 145 school bus fleets in 43 states or territories and is sourced through the governmentbody’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).

The new buses will cut airborne pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter by up to 90% – the EPA hopes in doing so, it will help to avoid health problems linked to poor air quality, such as asthma and lung damage.

Applicants replacing buses made before 2006 will be able to receive rebates of up to $20,000 (£15,300), depending on the size of the bus.

The EPA says it is important to protect children from exposure to air pollution at schools, bus stops and on the buses themselves.

It suggests exhaust from diesel buses can cause particular harm to children, who have a faster breathing rate than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said: “Children’s health is a top priority for EPA and these grants will help provide cleaner air and a healthier ride to and from school for America’s children.

“This DERA funding reflects our broader children’s health agenda and commitment to ensure all children can live, learn and play in healthy and clean environments.”

Source: Energy Live News

ABB Unveils Its First Carbon-Neutral Factory

09.05.2019

At its site in Lüdenscheid, in the presence of Nico Rosberg, ABB shows how the sustainable energy transition can succeed with digital energy management. With its “Mission to Zero”, the leader in digital technology drives the transition from fossil fuels.

After a two-year design and construction phase, as part of its “Mission to Zero”, ABB is presenting its first CO2-neutral production site in Germany today. As a visible sign of intent, the company is commissioning a solar power plant at its subsidiary Busch-Jaeger in Luedenscheid. The installed ABB technology will generate enough power to cover on sunny days 100 percent of the factories` power requirements.

ABB offers products and services that make a decisive contribution toward greater sustainability in industry. Over half of ABB’s worldwide revenues are generated by technologies that combat the causes of climate change. The company’s goal is to increase this contribution from 57 percent in 2018 to 60 percent by 2020.

“The photovoltaic system is part of an integrated solution that covers all aspects of energy production and distribution, making it possible to generate enough power to cover on sunny days 100 percent of its power requirements,” says Tarak Mehta, President of the Electrification business at ABB. “With this state-of-the-art site, we demonstrate the advantages of creating a system in which all components are digitally networked and controllable. This intelligent ecosystem enhances energy efficiency, sustainability and resource conservation, enabling a genuine zero emission future for industry and beyond.” The site is the ABB group’s first CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient factory in the world.

Nico Rosberg, who is now actively involved in the fully electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship after his retirement from Formula 1, and also co-founded the Greentech Festival which will take place in Berlin soon, added, “The best thing we can do to make our world fit for the future is to implement trailblazing green technologies. The ABB solutions in Luedenscheid exemplify how the typical requirements of a complete industrial site can be met in a manner that conserves our resources by using them as efficiently as possible.”

Measuring 3500 square metres and installed over the car parks on the company premises, the photovoltaic system will deliver around 1100 MWh of climate-neutral solar power a year – approximately the annual requirement of 3360 private households. In combination with a cogeneration plant, which operates with double the energy efficiency of a coal-fired power plant, around 14 percent more energy can be generated than is needed at the site. The surplus power is fed into the public grid, contributing to the region’s power supply with sustainably produced energy. To cover peaks in demand, additional green energy is sourced from MVV Energie AG, which guarantees 100 percent CO2-neutral production.

MVV and ABB have extended their cooperation and signed a partnership agreement in April with the primary focus on shared solutions for the sustainable improvement of energy efficiency in industry, medium-sized companies and municipalities on the way to establishing a “smart city”. The cooperation between the two companies is not only about the avoidance of CO2 emissions and the economic marketing of available flexibilities in the energy sector, but also about the design of future cities through innovative technologies, such as storage solutions and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Only a few weeks ago, the transport company Hamburger Hochbahn AG placed an order with ABB for the delivery of 44 charging systems for electric buses at what is currently Germany’s largest charging depot for electric buses.

The technological centrepiece of the entire system in Luedenscheid is the scalable energy management system OPTIMAX® from the ABB AbilityTM Energy Management Suite. The digital solution provides for the constant surveillance and optimum control of energy production, consumption and storage and operates largely autonomous. This learning system calculates the optimum energy flow on the basis of predictive data and compensates for deviations in real time.

Aside from the energy management system and the photovoltaic system with inverters, the entire system brings together other ABB technologies that are digitally interconnected. For example, a battery energy storage system (BESS) with an output of 200 kW and a capacity of 275 kWh is responsible for energy storage. In addition, ABB charging points, where staff and visitors can charge their electric vehicles free of charge, provide for an additional improvement in the regional eco-balance. This single-source energy management solution is rounded off by smart switchgear for energy distribution.

The flagship site will save about 630 tonnes of CO2 a year and hence make an important contribution to help improve the climate and environmental situation at ABB in Luedenscheid.

Source: ABB

Cambridge University Agrees to Explore Fossil Fuel Divestment Plan

09.05.2019

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The former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has welcomed an “urgent change” by Cambridge University, after it agreed to provide fully costed plans setting out how it could divest multibillion-pound endowments from fossil fuel corporations.

The university’s management accepted a motion, known as a grace, which urged Cambridge to “set out fully the advantages and disadvantages, including the social and political ones”, of divestment from global coal, oil and gas companies.

The grace, agreed without adjustments by management, follows an escalating campaign by staff and students concerned about Cambridge’s financial backing for the fossil fuel industry.

Williams said: “It is an important message to our own society and national institutions, but also to all those vulnerable populations across the world who are most at risk from climate change; and it is good to see that clear and focused advocacy in the university has produced so welcome and urgent a change.”

The grace was signed by 324 academics, which campaigners said represented one of the largest totals in the university’s history.

The academic and Green party MEP candidate Jeremy Caddick, who helped push the motion, said: “Two years ago, we asked the university to divest from fossil fuels. Since then, the administration has done everything it can to avoid the question, so I am delighted that the council have accepted this latest grace.”

This year, Clare Hall, the college of the vice-chancellor, Prof Stephen Toope, became the latest to commit to fully divest funds from fossil fuels. The college also said it would withdraw money invested in the university’s £3.2bn central fund if it did not divest within five years.

Awareness of the scale of the ecological crisis has been growing. Last month, more than 1,000 people were arrested during civil disobedience protests across London. Last week, parliament became the latest body to declare a climate emergency. And on Monday, a UN report detailed the urgent threat to human society from the loss of Earth’s natural life.

Campaigners say Cambridge is too closely entwined with the fossil fuel industry. In January, the Guardian revealed the university had been offered two multimillion-pound donations from global fossil fuel corporations at the same time it was considering calls to divest its endowment fund.

The author and Cambridge academic Robert Macfarlane said it was time for the university to act with urgency. “It is good news that Cambridge has at last accepted the need to re-evaluate its position on divestment,” he said.

“Every week, new research, some of it coming out of Cambridge itself, further clarifies the severity of the climate crisis and the speed with which change is happening.”

A spokesperson for the Cambridge zero carbon society, the group campaigning for divestment, said: “The university must produce costed strategies for how it can divest, alongside an evaluation of the social and moral factors in divestment, as hundreds of academics have demanded.

“This is a second chance for the university to end their complicity in the climate crisis and align its economic policy with the scientific evidence produced at this very institution.”

A spokesperson for the university said it recognised climate change was “a real and present danger” and had made two appointments to underline its commitment in the area.

Cambridge said Emily Shuckburgh from the British Antarctic Survey had been appointed as the first director of the university’s carbon futures initiative.

Toope described it as a critical role. “Emily is the ideal person to lead this initiative, which will pool research from across the university to address the greatest challenge the world faces today,” he said.

The university has also appointed Ellen Quigley to “work with the chief financial officer to establish a programme of research into responsible investment”.

Source: Guardian

EU Sets Out Common Methodology to Measure Food Waste

08.05.2019

del-barrett-527755-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Del Barret)

The European Commission has set out a common methodology for food waste measurement to support member states on quantifying it at each stage of the supply chain.

The Delegated Act will ensure coherent monitoring of food waste levels across the EU for more data to be collated to put the food system onto a sustainable path.

Every year around 20% of food produced in the EU is lost or wasted – preventing food waste was identifying as one of the priority areas in the Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the Commission in December 2015.

While the Delegated Act defines what needs to be measured as food waste at each stage of the food supply chain and how this should be carried out, it provides flexibility as to how data collection should be carried out at the national level.

Jyrki Katainen, Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, in charge of Health and Food Safety said: “The business case for food waste prevention is convincing. Research shows a 14:1 return on investment for companies which integrated reduction of food loss and waste in their operations. I count on the active participation of food business operators to measure, report and act on food waste levels.

“In food waste, as in life, what gets measures, gets managed. To be able to implement effective national food waste prevention programmes and promote circularity in the food chain, we need to know where, what, how much and why we are losing food resources. We are making the decisive step to get this knowledge.”

The Delegated Act is subject to scrutiny by co-legislators and will be sent to the Parliament and the Council by the end of July.

Source: Energy Live News

Doconomy Launches Credit Card with a Carbon-Emission Spending Limit

08.05.2019

Swedish fintech company Doconomy has launched a credit card that tracks the carbon dioxide emissions of purchases, and caps the climate impact of users’ spending.

The DO Black credit card directly connects our consumption to the impact it has on the planet, in a bid to encourage us to actively reduce our carbon footprint each day.

Users can make their daily purchases with the DO card, tracking the carbon emissions associated with their spending via the DO app.

The app uses a calculation system called the Åland Index to measure the CO2 produced with every transaction, and allows users to put limits on the climate impact of their spending.

Those who sign up to DO will receive access to a free savings account that helps them understand their carbon footprint, learn about UN-certified climate compensation projects, and discover investment funds that have a positive impact on people and the planet.

The card itself is made of bio-sourced material and is printed with Air Ink – an ink made from recycled air pollution particles, namely the unburned carbon soot that comes out of car exhaust pipes, chimneys and generators.

According to the Paris Agreement, which was signed by the United Nations in November 2016, to avoid an irreversible climate crisis global emissions must be halved by 2030.

“While countries are working to address climate change through the Paris Agreement, it’s clear we need much more ambitious climate action, and we need it now; but, governments cannot solve climate change alone,” said UN Climate Change executive secretary Patricia Espinosa.

“Many companies are already taking steps to lower their emissions, and to create a more sustainable and resilient future,” Espinosa continued.

“People are also thinking about the environment in their daily lives, including making more informed decisions about what they buy,” she added. “That’s why we are pleased to welcome this initiative being undertaken by Doconomy.”

DO card owners will also be invited to compensate for their environmental impact by donating to or participating in projects that meet the criteria of United Nations certified green projects, which contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

These projects are implemented in developing countries, and all contribute to global emission reduction, such as the Improved Cook Stove project in Malawi, which replaces traditional three-stone cooking fires with fuel-efficient cook stoves, and the construction of a wind farm in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Users will also be rewarded financially for being more environmentally friendly. DO owners can receive refunds – also known as “DO credits” – from connected stores based on the carbon impact of their purchases.

These refunds can then be directed to UN-certified carbon-offset projects, or invested in sustainable funds.

“We all need to come to terms with the urgency of the situation and rapidly move towards more responsible consumption,” said Doconomy CEO Nathalie Green. “With DO Black there are no more excuses.”

“Through our collaboration with the UN Climate Change Secretariat and Mastercard, DO will enable people to do their part to contribute to the carbon-reduction goals of 2030 and onwards,” added Green.

Doconomy is just one of many companies striving to reduce carbon emissions. Last month New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to ban the construction of glass and steel skyscrapers, in a major bid to tackle the climate-change crisis.

The announcement was made not long after the passing of the city’s wider Climate Mobilization Act on 18 April, which comprises a series of bills to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate global warming.

Author: Natashah Hitti

Source: Deezen

EPA Releases Report Advising Communities to Prepare for Climate Change-Related Disasters

07.05.2019

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Policymakers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report in the Federal Register outlining how local communities should start planning for near-future catastrophes associated with climate change.

As first reported by the Washington Post, the 150-page report – titled “Planning for Natural Disaster Debris” – offers updates to the 2008 report by advising local government bodies to go “beyond resilience to anticipate, plan, and prepare for impacts” of climate change. In particularly, it addresses how local communities can cope with debris and disaster following floods, hurricanes, wildfires only intensified by a changing climate.

“Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters,” reads the report citing a 2014 National Climate Assessment. “The amount of debris generated by natural disasters, and the costs to manage it, will likely increase as a result.”

Citing “climate change” or “a changing climate” a total of 29 times, the report veers somewhat from recent comments made by the agency’s own administrator Andrew Wheeler, who told CBS in an interview that “most threats from climate change are at 50 to 75 years out,” though the threats represent “an important change we have to be addressing and we are addressing.”

Just last fall, the Trump administration released a federally mandated major climate report produced every four years by more than 300 independent and government scientists. Writing in the Fourth National Climate Assessment, report author Brenda Ekwurzel said at the time that the findings “made it clear that climate change is not some problem in the distant future. It’s happening right now in every part of the country. When people say the wildfires, hurricanes and heat waves they’re experiencing are unlike anything they’ve ever seen before, there’s a reason for that, and it’s called climate change.”

It’s no secret that the world is already seeing the effects of climate change. A NASA website section dedicated to the subject notes shrinking glaciers and shifting plant and animal ranges as evidence that it’s happening in real time with past predictions now coming to fruition through loss of sea ice, intensified heatwaves, and sea level rise around the world. The agency is confident that temperatures will continue rising for “decades to come” primarily due to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The most recent report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms such findings, predicting a 1.5 degree Celsius increase of temperature above pre-industrial levels around the world, bringing with it more droughts and heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns, stronger and more intense hurricanes, and an expected sea level rise of between one and four feet by the end of this century. Altogether, these effects are expect to impact everything from our food supplies to clean water access with measurable impacts to human health, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

When it comes to planning, communities should assume “the worst-case scenario” as they adapt to the “debris-related impacts of climate change.” Across the nation, flooding is expected to intensify even in areas where total precipitation is projected to decline. Climate change is expected to “increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters.” Larger amounts of debris will affect wider areas, contributing to a greater risk of chemical and industrial release from facilities and increased gas emissions from debris management activities, among other things. Pre-incident planning, the agency notes, should include pre-incident planning with key stakeholders to identify potential debris streams, evaluate recycling programs to see if they can be scaled up during disasters, consider waste collection, and address health and safety considerations.

Author: Madison Dapcevich

Source: Eco Watch

Australia’s Capital Cities Face Water Restrictions as Dams Near 50%

06.05.2019

hidrocentrala — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Sydney, Darwin, Brisbane and Melbourne are all facing the prospect of dams below 50% capacity after low rainfall and high temperatures across the country.

In Sydney, inflows are at their lowest since 1940. Greater Sydney’s 11 dams were at a combined 55% capacity on Sunday – compared to 73% at the same time last year.

Sydney activated its desalination plant in January, when dam levels dropped below 60%, but levels continue to drop 0.4% a week. Stricter water restrictions will come into effect if the level drops below 50%. The last time Sydney’s dam levels neared 50% was in 2011.

In the Northern Territory, the Darwin river dam received its lowest-ever rainfall in March, as the territory recorded its driest wet season in 27 years. On Sunday, Darwin’s dam was at 76% capacity, compared with 98% last year.

In Melbourne, dam levels were at 51% on Monday, compared with 59% last year and 61% the year before.

Last month, Melbourne Water warned that storage “hasn’t been this low since April 2011”.

In Queensland, the south-east was also reaching a 10-year low. Neil Brennan, the chief executive of Seqwater, said in April that water levels were at their lowest since February 2010. Brisbane’s dams were at 70% capacity on Sunday, down from 82% last year.

Dry conditions and lower-than-average rainfall are expected to persist through the autumn and into winter, with the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate outlook predicting a “drier than average” May for eastern Australia.

It follows a record-breaking summer and the hottest March on record.

On Monday, Peter Hatfield from Sydney Water told radio station 2GB that “we just haven’t had enough rainfall in the past couple of years.”

He said people need to “become mindful of water, and treat it like the valuable resource that it is”.

In Sydney, a series of permanent Waterwise rules are already in place, which ask residents to only water gardens before 10am and after 4pm, and ban the hosing of driveways unless for health or safety reasons.

However, further restrictions will come in once water levels fall below 50%. A Sydney Water spokesman said the precise make up of the restrictions is “still being finalised”.

Similarly, in Melbourne, a series of permanent rules have been in place since 2012.

There are currently no water restrictions in place in Darwin, and it is the only capital city in Australia that has never had them.

Hatfield also said that Sydney had begun receiving water from its desalination plant in the middle of March. “They are currently ramping up production,” he said. “The full production is 15% of Sydney’s drinking supply. Once the desalination plant is up to max capacity, in the coming months, there will be a 15% reduction in the draw from Sydney’s dams.”

Source: Guardian

Indonesia Will Move its Capital from Fast-Sinking Jakarta

06.05.2019

džakarta_jakarta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Indonesia’s president elect announced plans this week to move the country’s capital away from Jakarta, reportedly the fastest sinking city in the world.

A 2018 report said that Jakarta, located on the island of Java, was one of the global cities most vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. It is sinking at a rate of approximately 10 inches per year due to a combination of the drilling of wells for groundwater and the weight of its buildings. The 40 to 50 centimeters (approximately 16 to 20 inches) of sea level rise expected by 2100 even if warming is limited to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius would only make the situation worse.

“In Java, the population is 57 percent of the total for Indonesia, or more than 140 million people, to the point that the ability to support this, whether in terms of the environment, water or traffic in the future, will no longer be possible so I decided to move outside Java,” Indonesian President President Joko Widodo told local media, as The Financial Times reported.

Jakarta’s sinking isn’t a problem for the end of the century. Heri Andreas of the Bandung Institute of Technology found that 95 percent of North Jakarta could be underwater by 2050, BBC News reported. Jakarta also experiences serious flooding once a decade and is so congested that its traffic costs Indonesia $7 billion a year, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro announced Widodo’s decision Monday following a cabinet meeting, Reuters reported.

“The president chose to relocate the capital city to outside of Java, an important decision,” he said.

Indonesia held its presidential elections April 17, and private polls have indicated that Widodo is the winner, though his opponent Prabowo Subianto has not conceded. The official results will be announced May 22. During the campaign, Widodo promised to more evenly distribute economic growth outside Java.

An alternative capital has not yet been selected, and Widodo asked ministers to come up with alternatives, The Jakarta Globe reported.

Brodjonegoro said the new capital would probably be located in the center of the country, to encourage a sense of fairness and equity, and that it would need to have enough drinking water and be relatively safe from natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding.

The frontrunner right now is Palangkaraya in Kalimantan, the part of Borneo controlled by Indonesia, BBC News reported. However, one high school student was concerned about what the move might mean for the region’s forest.

“I hope the city will develop and the education will become as good as in Jakarta. But all the land and forest that’s empty space now will be used. Kalimantan is the lungs of the world, and I am worried, we will lose the forest we have left,” the student said.

Some Indonesians are skeptical that the capital will actually be relocated, since such a move has been discussed off and on since the country gained its independence from the Dutch in 1945. But Brodjonegoro was optimistic, pointing to other countries that had achieved similar moves.

“Brazil moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia near the Amazon, and look at Canberra it’s built between Sydney and Melbourne, and Kazakhstan moved their capital to closer to the centre of the country and also Myanmar moved to Naypyidaw,” he said, as BBC News reported.

He estimated the process would take 10 years. Wikodo said the move could cost $33 billion, The Financial Times reported.

Author: Olivia Rosane

Source: Eco Watch

Toblerone, Cadbury and Milka to Go Sustainable

05.05.2019

morgan-thompson-727405-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Morgan Thompson)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Morgan Thompson)

The maker of Toblerone, Cadbury and Milka has committed to switching to 100% sustainable cocoa.

Mondelez International currently sources around 43% of the cocoa through its Cocoa Life programme, which promotes sustainable farming practices, aims to tackle deforestation and provides educational and financial support to farmers.

It has now promised to increase this figure to 100% of its cocoa by 2025, noting that climate change is a risk to business and stating it is important to minimise exposure.

The brand said climate change has already caused variability in crops and unexpected cost inflation.

The Cocoa Life programme focuses on helping them raise money from local governments for their communities, distributing shade trees and teaching green farming techniques.

Tesco unwrapped sustainable chocolate across its stores just in time for Easter this year.

Source: Energy Live News

Could a New Solar Technology Prove as Groovy as It Sounds?

04.05.2019

technician-3936982_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Could a new solar technology prove as groovy as it sounds?

A team of researchers from the University of Sheffield have worked with energy technology firm Power Roll to create an innovative new solar-cell design they say can push up efficiency and drive down manufacturing costs.

Together they have developed a new type of solar panels, which uses a surface embossed with hundreds of ‘micro-grooves’ – they say by coating opposing sheets of these grooved surfaces with different electrical contacts and filling the gap with a semiconductor, it was possible to create a new type of ‘back-contacted’ solar cell.

This moves many parts of the panel from the front of the cells to the back, increasing the amount of light that can be absorbed.

The scientists say the design also allows new materials to be used that would not usually be appropriate in regular solar cells and weighs much less than traditional options, making the equipment more suitable for off-grid purposes.

Following successful tests, Power Roll is now focusing on scaling up the technology ready for commercialisation.

Professor David Lidzey from the University of Sheffield said: “The devices we have demonstrated with Power Roll, have a promising efficiency, whereby 7% of sunlight power falling onto a single photovoltaic micro-groove device is directly converted to electrical power – this is already around a third of what the best performing but expensive solar cells produce today.”

Source: Energy Live News

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