Climate Change Driving Global Hunger Increase, Warns UN

14.09.2018

Climate change and extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods are among the key drivers behind the rise in global hunger.

The warning from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) comes in a new report, which adds changes in climate are undermining production of major crops such as wheat, rice and maize in tropical and temperate regions and is expected to worsen as temperatures increase and become more extreme.

It warns hunger has been on the rise over the past three years, “returning to levels from a decade ago” and is therefore urging for more to be done to tackle the issue.

The report states the number of hungry people reached 821 million last year – or one in every nine people and shows the prevalence and number of undernourished people tend to be higher in countries highly exposed to climate extremes.

The FAO adds the harm to agricultural production contributes to shortfalls in food availability, with knock-on effects causing food price hikes and income losses that reduce people’s access to food.

The report states: “Climate variability and extremes are a key driver behind the recent rises in global hunger and one of the leading causes of severe food crises. The changing nature of climate variability and extremes is negatively affecting all dimensions of food security (food availability, access, utilisation and stability), as well as reinforcing other underlying causes of malnutrition related to child care and feeding, health services and environmental health.

“If we are to achieve a world without hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030, it is imperative that we accelerate and scale up actions to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of food systems and people’s livelihoods in response to climate variability and extremes.”

Source: Energy Live News

Warming Oceans Are Changing the World’s Rainfall

13.09.2018

polar-bear-3344147_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Global warming means truly global warming. The atmosphere, the oceans, and the ground are all warming. As a result, ice is melting, seas are rising, storms are getting more severe, and droughts are getting worse. But these things are not happening in isolation. The tricky thing about the climate is that things are connected all across the globe. And those connections are revealing changes that may not be obvious at first glance.

One such change was exposed in a recent paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters by a team of top scientists from China and Brazil, an instructive video is available. The scientists focused their study on the Amazon rainforest. There, the year is broken into “wet” and “dry” seasons. The researchers wanted to know how rainfall has changed during the wet seasons over the past few decades.

What they found was astonishing – the rain in this tropical rainforest has increased 180–600 mm (7–24 inches). They learned about the increase in wet-season rainfall by reviewing old weather data – information from rain gauges for example. They also used satellite measurements to complement the rain gauge readings. The trend they found was clear – the rains are increasing.

So, any good scientist wants to know why. Why are the rains increasing? What is the main cause? By using the results of state-of-the-art climate calculations, the authors showed that the temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean are primarily responsible. The Pacific Ocean water temperature plays a smaller role.

This study is really important for a few reasons. First, the Amazon is important for the entire globe’s climate. The rainforest provides about 20% of the Earth’s freshwater. There is a tremendous amount of evaporation from the rainforest into the air. This evaporated water is carried to other parts of the planet where it falls as rain. We call the evaporation/precipitation process a “hydrologic cycle.” This cycle refers to the movement of water throughout the planet; the Amazon is an important engine for the cycle.

But the importance of the Amazon is broader than just water. The growth and decay of wood and plant growth there means the Amazon absorbs and emits large amounts of carbon dioxide. Think of the rainforest like the lungs of the planet. They help the planet breathe.

The Amazon rainforest also helps transfer heat throughout the Earth’s climate. Energy moves from one location to another with help of processes (such as evaporation and condensation) that originate in the Amazon. In these ways, the Amazon connects far-flung parts of the planet together. What happens in one region like the Pacific Ocean affects the climate elsewhere like the Atlantic Ocean. The way the climate interacts between to distant locations is called “teleconnections.” And the Amazon is a great teleconnector for the planet.

Previous researchers who have looked at the Amazon and its changing precipitation have found that the southern part of the rainforest has experienced a long-term increase in rainfall. Researchers have also found changes to the monsoon cycles that affect the rainforest. But with most of these studies looking at the southern Amazon, very little was known about the northern region. What was happening there? Also, most of the early studies looked at changes to rain during the dry season. The authors of this new study wanted to focus on the wet seasons.

The authors used six different methods to look at the data. Three methods were based on actual rainfall measurements. Three additional methods were based on a technique called climate reanalysis – essentially combining measurements and climate calculations. The image below, which is from the paper, shows results for the six methods. The blue regions indicate places where the rainfall is increasing. Areas in orange/red correspond to decreasing rainfall. The results correspond to December through May and the trends are based on 1979–2015.

The general results are the same, regardless of which of the six methods are used. In particular, in the black box (upper left image), the six methods give very similar results. It doesn’t matter whose inputs are used; the rainfall there is increasing. Only one of the methods (MERRA2) results in some portions of the region with a reversed trend.

Next, the authors used their computer calculations to determine what was causing these blue and red patterns. They found that the culprit is the Atlantic Ocean. There has been a very strong warming in the Atlantic, especially off the coast of South America. The warming oceans supercharge the evaporation of ocean water into the atmosphere and change both the amount of water and the amount of energy in the atmosphere. This warming in the Atlantic is responsible for about half of the wet-season precipitation changes in the Amazonian rainforest.

What I liked about this study is that the authors have identified another trend in how we feel climate change. We humans are generally interested in things that affect us. An abstract warming world may not lead us to think about consequences to climate change (other than temperature). But in reality, the whole world is connected. What happens to the temperature in one location can affect other aspects of the climate on the other side of the globe. These teleconnections and their changes resulting from human-caused warming are fascinating.

Source: Guardian

Sustainability Hits the High Street with New H&M Clothing Line

13.09.2018

H&M has launched a new line of premium clothing aimed to showcase the increasing possibilities of sustainable fashion.

The high street retailer will produce the collection on a smaller scale than its main offerings.

It will include a full-length coat made from a recycled wool blend and a sequinned jacket made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled nylon product ECONYL, as well as a printed dress made of 100% organic silk.

Accessories on offer include earrings made from recycled plastic and boots and stilettos made from recycled polyester.

Cecilia Brännsten, Environmental Sustainability Manager at H&M, said: “There’s a wonderful range of sustainable fabrics in this collection, like recycled cashmere, the new velvet made from recycled polyester, as well as the use of leftover ECONYL from the previous collection.”

Clothing brand North Face has committed to offsetting emissions from its athletes’ adventurous journeys around the world.

Source: Energy Live News

52 Percent of World’s Birds of Prey Populations in Decline

12.09.2018

hawk-1882885_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Grim news for the world’s raptors—an iconic group of birds consisting of hawks, falcons, kites, eagles, vultures and owls.

After analyzing the status of all 557 raptor species, biologists discovered that 18 percent of these birds are threatened with extinction and 52 percent have declining global populations, making them more threatened than all birds as a whole.

Comparatively, 40 percent of the world’s 11,000 bird species are in decline, according to an April report from BirdLife International.

The new research, published last week in the journal Biological Conservation, was led by biologists at The Peregrine Fund and in collaboration with nine scientific organizations and is the first to focus specifically on the status of raptors, according to Stuart Butchart chief scientist at BirdLife International and one of the paper’s coauthors.

“In particular, raptor species that require forest are more likely to be threatened and declining than those that do not, and migratory raptors were significantly more threatened than resident species,” Butchart said on the BirdLife International website. “The greatest concentrations of threatened species are found in South and South-East Asia.”

Unfortunately, human activities are one of the main reasons behind the decline. Threats include habitat alteration or destruction, intentional killing, intentional and unintentional poisoning, electrocution and climate change, the research shows.

“Vultures in South Asia have suffered catastrophic population declines owing to the toxic effects of the veterinary drug diclofenac,” Butchart continued. “In Africa, vultures and owls are killed for their body parts to be used for supposed medicinal benefits. Many other raptors are vulnerable to electrocution or collision with powerlines. But as with most bird species, unsustainable agriculture and logging are the primary threats.”

Raptors, also known as birds of prey, have hooked bills, curved talons, sharp eyesight and other special features to allow them to hunt for food.

Although raptors are at the top of the food chain, they reproduce slower than many other birds, meaning they are “more sensitive to threats caused by humans and are more likely to go extinct,” Sarah Schulwitz, director of the American Kestrel Partnership at The Peregrine Fund, explained in a press release.

Saving these carnivorous birds is important because they play a key ecological role. For instance, avian scavengers such as vultures clean up dead animals and other carcasses from the environment. Raptors also control populations of rodents and other small mammals.

“Raptors provide critical ecosystem services, but there has never been a systematic, global synthesis of their conservation status or threats. We needed to change that so we can identify and prioritize our conservation efforts,” Chris McClure, director of Global Conservation Science at The Peregrine Fund added in the release.

The researchers offered a number of recommendations to stop this decline.

“As well as site protection, we need to strengthen and enforce laws preventing illegal killing and unsustainable hunting,” Butchart advised. “Other priorities include education and awareness-raising, policy changes such as improved regulation on the use of poisons, and safety measures for dangerous powerlines. For migratory species, international cooperation is of particular importance, including through Species Action Plans such as those developed under the Convention of Migratory Species.”

Source: Eco Watch

EU Climate Law Could Cause ‘Catastrophic’ Deforestation

12.09.2018

mountain-2596480_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Senior climate scientists say that the world’s carbon sinks could be facing a grave threat from a wholly unexpected source: the EU’s renewable energy directive.

The climate law could suck in as much imported wood as Europe harvests each year because it will count energy created from the burning of whole trees as “carbon neutral”, according to several academics including a former vice-chair of the UN IPCC.

Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, who is now a climate sciences professor at Université Catholique de Louvain, said the risk of the directive encouraging tree clearances and the destruction of global carbon sinks was now “extremely high”.

“This amounts to sawing off the branch on which humanity sits,” he told the Guardian.

Indonesia and Brazil were among 27 countries which pledged “to increase the use of wood … to generate energy as part of efforts to counter climate change” at the Bonn climate summit last year.

Without additional conservation measures, “the directive in its present form will create a large demand for wood that will contribute to destroying those forests,” van Ypersele said. “It is a catastrophe in the making.”

The EU’s thinking has been that carbon neutrality can be achieved by planting new saplings that eventually compensate for the carbon released by the burning of trees for energy.

But the saplings’ growth can takes decades or centuries. By 2050, replacing fossil fuels with wood will likely result in two- to three times more carbon in the atmosphere per gigajoule of final energy, the paper says.

Nino Aveni, a spokesman for the Bioenergy Europe trade association, argued that new saplings could reabsorb the CO2 emitted by fully grown burned trees within “years to decades”.

“Sustainability criteria are a guarantee that existing forest protection measures are applied to wood used for bioenergy production,” he said. “EU member states have already strong forest policies in place.”

An EU official confirmed that the new analysis was accurate – and said that if anything, it underestimated the scale of the problem.

The directive “really will [spark] a race to the bottom because there is no inherent limit to the potential over-harvesting,” the source said. “There is a high risk that it will involve the possibility of increasing emissions with no possibility of any greenhouse gas savings at all.”

The magnitude of the problem – which eminent academics last year described as “a critical flaw” in EU climate policy – was not understood within the EU, the source claimed.

“Partly that is because of wishful thinking,” the official said. “Partly it is so fundamentally wrong that most people would not believe it could be as wrong as it is.”

Source: Guardian

UK: Zero Emission Vehicles Could Be Given Green Number Plates

12.09.2018

car-3321669_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Clean cars, vans and taxis in the UK could be given green number plates under new government plans to promote awareness of ultra-low emission vehicles.

It is seeking views on providing the “badge of honour”, which are already used in countries like Canada, China and Norway for electric and hydrogen cars.

Those vehicles with the special plates would be entitled to drive on bus lanes in addition to low-emission vehicles lanes and ultra-low emission zones.

The consultation, which is due to be launched later this year, will consider potential designs for the plates, which could be entirely green on the front, back or both sides of the vehicle, or a green symbol.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “This new cleaner, greener transport has the potential to bring with it cleaner air, a better environment and stronger economies for countries around the world.

“Adding a green badge of honour to these new clean vehicles is a brilliant way of helping increase awareness of their growing popularity in the UK and might just encourage people to think about how one could fit into their own travel routine.”

The government has also announced £2 million of funding to boost the uptake of electric delivery bikes.

The announcement comes ahead of the world’s first Zero Emission Vehicle Summit to be held in Birmingham this week.

Source: Energy Live News

Eva Kail: Vienna Acts Against the Climate Change

12.09.2018

Eva Kail, The Gender Planning Expert for the Executive Group for Construction and Technology, the City of Vienna

A survey conducted by Mercer, an international consulting firm, has shown that there’s no place in the world where the life is as good as it is in Vienna. Having been in a competition with 231 cities, the Austrian capital was honoured this year, the ninth time in a row, with the title of the city with the best quality of life, which has been contributed by a good security, developed public transport network and a number of cultural institutions and amusement places.

Eva Kail is a member of the team of the Executive Group for Construction and Technology in the Austrian capital which, among other things, enables comfortable life for its citizens. She is one of the leading experts – urbanists for gender-sensitive planning on the European continent. She coordinated more than 60 projects in the field of housing, mobility, public space, urban development and social infrastructure.

You will learn from this Viennese urbanist in what way her city crosses swords with the climate change, what the urban planning process looks like “in the West” and to what extent her own home is “green”. She and her colleagues know very well that the best weapon is the one at hand, so when they set out to fight the climate change challenges they make sure the urban plans are nearby.

So, how come Vienna ended up being an urban environment with the best quality of life? It’s due to the fact that no citizen, of any gender, material status or age, is kept out from the city’s efforts to ensure the most comfortable life for everyone.

Eva Kail also suggested to us to visit some of her favourite places in the city, and in case you are planning to visit Austria in near future, her hints might serve you as a Travel Guide.

EP: As an urban planner, could you briefly describe to us the process of construction planning in your city and tell us about all the experts involved in the project realization?

Eva Kail: Vienna is a fast growing city and a lot of construction work is ongoing. This is based on the outcome of the different planning levels. The urban development plan defines the planning principles and their specification in thematic concepts like ‘Mobility’, ‘Green and Open Spaces’, ‘Public Space’ or ‘Energy’. The transfer of master plans and urban design proposals for specific areas to legally binding land-use plans and zoning plans are the basis for project planning for public spaces, residential, public service and office buildings.

Energy and mobility concepts are usual for development of new areas, such as mobility points, car sharing, high quality of bike parking facilities, green roofs which are obligatory in most of the zoning plans. Vienna, as a federal state, is responsible for the housing subsidies law and distribution. In comparison with other European cities, Vienna has a very high percentage of social housing, with 220 000 dwelling units. Around 60% of the Viennese population live in social or subsidized housing. Ten years ago around 80% of newly built dwelling units were subsidized, due to the rapid growth and economic development this has decreased to 50%, but this is still a very high percentage. This explains why the assessment of projects asking for subsidies can play a decisive role in the implementation of high quality, sustainable and affordable housing construction. The Viennese housing fund is owned by the City. Its tasks are to buy sites for subsidized housing projects, to organize developer competitions for new subsidized housing projects, to make a quality assessment for smaller projects with a regular board and to distribute subsidies for urban renewal. This initially comprised a three-pillar model consisting of planning, economy, and ecology, and it was supplemented in 2009. with social sustainability as the fourth pillar. Due to the competitive situation, the quality of subsidized housing is rather high also in regard to green buildings, but also social sustainability, which is influenced by the gender criteria.

Gender-sensitive planning criteria are part of the general quality criteria of the Vienna Housing Fund, as the gender planning experts have been part of the juries of developer competitions for more than ten years. Most of the gender criteria were integrated into the criteria list of the Vienna housing found which are also shown in the chapter gender mainstreaming in housing construction in the Manual Gender Mainstreaming in urban planning and urban development. The gender criteria were an addition to a more detailed definition to the planning quality pillar in the context of a gender-specific preliminary review.

EP: What are some examples of green architecture in your hometown?

Eva Kail: For the office building, there are two well-known flagship projects.

One is the Raiffeisen office building on the Danube canal, which is a new construction from 2012. It has 21 story and 900 workplaces. It has a climate glass façade and uses geothermal, photovoltaic and cogeneration for energy production. The water of the canal is used for the cooling of the building. All this means a 50% reduction of energy in comparison to a similar building with conventional house technology. So this office building was the first one reaching a passive house standard. *
*Passive building is a strict standard on a voluntary basis for the energy efficiency of the buildings which enables reduction of their environmental footprint. These buildings require a rather small amount of energy for cooling and heating.

The other one is the Getreidemarkt Campus of the Technical University. This high rise building was developed with the active involvement of scientists of the University itself as future users. Finished in 2014 as a refurbishment of a building from the 70’s, this 11 storeys high office tower with 800 workplaces is already a cost-effective energy building. Austria´s largest photovoltaic system (facades and roof: 2200m²), the utilization of server waste heat and other measurements helped to reduce the 93% of the former energy consumption of the building. Both projects have gained several green building awards.

As for green residential buildings, there are quite a lot of interesting projects. I`d like to mention Seestadt Aspern, Vienna´s largest urban development area, which used to be an airfield in the outskirts, and now 2900 flats are already inhabited. The agency responsible for the planning processes is asking for high ecological standards due to the TQB criteria.

The latest project is ‘Living Gardens’, with green facades, and it demonstrates that a CO² neutral building is also possible to reach in a multi-storey.

Taking into account social sustainability, the special place belongs to Wohnprojekt, a self-governing co-housing community near the train station in the north part of Vienna. This complex with 40 flats is a very low energy consumer and it is enhanced with varieties of facilities for users, such as two private sharing cars, big bike garage, many shared rooms of an extraordinary quality, roof garden, food cooperation,self-run coffee shop, neighbourhood garden, etc. This project has been awarded many times, and the users of the building take the planning and house administration decisions guided by the principles of sociocracy.

EP: Are there future plans for making already quite a green Vienna even greener?

Eva Kail: Since 2014. Vienna has a Smart City Framework Strategy, which was approved by the city´s Council. This is not only a concept about energy saving, CO² reduction, and sustainable economic innovations, but it defines life quality as a central field of action and a core issue of future developments. The Fair shared City concept was influenced by Vienna´s Gender Planning activities, which aimed to improve the quality of everyday life for many different groups including also the weaker ones. This social awareness is an outstanding characteristic in comparison to the Smart City Strategies of other Cities. The Executive Office for Construction and Technology, where I work, coordinates now a broad implementation process in order to use the potential of the public buildings owned by the City, such are schools, hospitals, etc.) and to support private initiatives.

EP: What is the area of land covered with trees in your city?

Eva Kail: The area of Vienna is 41.487 ha. The green land covers 18.887ha, 8.169 ha are forest, 1.756 ha are parks and graveyards. Vienna has 86.683 trees on the streets.

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE, July 2018.

Interview by: Jelena Kozbasic

Scaling Up Climate Action ‘Could Provide $26tn to Global Economy’

11.09.2018

protest-455714_960_720 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Scaling up climate action in line with the Paris Agreement would deliver a $26 trillion (£20tn) boost to the global economy by 2030.

That’s according to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, which calls for nations to ramp up efforts on carbon pricing, move to mandatory disclosure of climate-related financial risks and accelerate investment in sustainable infrastructure.

It also says the international community must harness the power of the private sector to support innovation and ensure the transition to a low carbon economy is fair to all people.

It estimates these actions could help generate a combined $2.8 trillion (£2.1tn) in government revenues, create more than 65 million new low-carbon jobs and avoid more than 700,000 premature deaths from air pollution per year by 2030.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Former Finance Minister of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Global Commission, said: “Policy makers should take their feet off the brakes, send a clear signal that the new growth story is here and that it comes with exciting economic and market opportunities – $26 trillion (£20tn) and a more sustainable planet are on offer, if we act decisively now.”

Source: Energy Live News

Solar to Become Europe’s Most Competitive Energy by 2030

11.09.2018

solar-power-862602_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Solar will become the continent’s most competitive source of energy by 2020.

That’s the verdict from Sun Investment Group, which suggests the elimination of the Minimum Import Price (MIP) allowing solar modules to become up to 30% cheaper.

It says the decision to lift trade tariffs on the import of solar panels from China means solar energy will become an even more attractive form of energy to investors, consumers and policy makers and as a result become more widely adopted.

The EU originally imposed tariffs of up to 64.9% on the price of Chinese solar panels in 2013, after accusing the nation of selling subsidised panels below cost and threatening European manufacturers.

Experts predict Europe could begin to reap the benefit of the lifted tariffs in as little as a few weeks.

Deividas Varabauskas, CEO of Sun Investment Group, said: “Lifting of the trade duties was a decision long due. The whole photovoltaic sector is going to benefit greatly from this change.

“With the cost of carbon dioxide emission rights on the rise and the reduction of the cost of solar modules, solar will most likely become the most competitive form of energy in the bigger part of the EU by 2020.”

Source: Energy Live News

British Fashion Council Commits to a Fur-Free London Fashion Week

10.09.2018

fashion-show-1746590_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

London Fashion Week (LFW) will be the first event of its kind to go fur free. The British Fashion Council just announced that all of the designers at the event this month are excluding animal fur in their clothing lines. The move is a response to the criticism LFW has received over the past two years from activists.

More than 250 protesters appeared at LFW last year, a big increase from the 25 that showed up in 2016. With more people boycotting brands that use real fur, companies are starting to switch over to non-fur materials. Caroline Rush of the British Fashion Council said the move to go fur free corresponds to a growing trend in the country.

One major company that plans on eliminating fur from its inventory entirely is Burberry. The British fashion giant recently announced its decision to ditch fur and has initiated a plan to phase out the material over the next few years. Given its popularity in the U.K., the company hopes other fashion business will follow its lead and stop using animal fur.

While it’s great to see that fur will not be a part of LFW this year, the British Fashion Council is not planning on banning it entirely. The head of the organization Stephanie Phair recently explained that the council does “not define or control the creative process of the designers.” Phair added that the U.K. government has not banned fur, and the decision to go fur free is up to individual companies.

That said, the British Fashion Council does encourage companies to research more sustainable and cruelty-free materials for their clothing lines. In addition to Burberry, the number of fashion houses going fur free is growing. This includes Gucci, Versace, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Yoox Net-A-Porter, among others.

Source: Inhabitat

Danish Brewer Carlsberg to Swap Plastic 6-Pack Rings for Glue

10.09.2018

beer-bottle-933240_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Danish beer company Carlsberg is doing its part in cutting down plastic waste. The brewing company just vowed to stop using plastic six-pack rings to hold its cans together, instead opting for glue. Once the new policy is in full swing, Carlsberg estimates it will save around 1,200 tons of plastic every year.

CEO Cees ‘t Hart explained how Carlsberg experimented with some 40,000 variations before settling on the perfect glue. Hart described the glue as something similar in consistency to chewing gum and says it is just as effective as traditional plastic rings.

Carlsberg plans on debuting its glue-based six packs in Norway and the U.K. before distributing them around the world. Hart would not say how much the company invested in researching the new glue. The CEO did, however, assure customers that the price of Carlsberg beer would not go up with the new packaging. Instead, the company plans on using previous cuts to help pay for the new glue.

Although Carlsberg invested heavily in the new glue, the company does not own the rights to the substance and hopes that other brewers will follow its lead. For reference, the glue does not stick to the hand once the cans are separated. Each six-pack will still feature a tiny plastic handle to make it easier to carry around.

The new glue is not the only way in which Carlsberg is becoming more eco-friendly. In addition to ditching the traditional plastic rings, the company is improving the technology surrounding its recyclable bottles. Carlsberg is planning on using an extra layer of protection on each bottle that will increase its lifespan.

The brewer has also created a new bottle cap that keeps the beer fresher and a different type of label ink that is more sustainable. It is yet to be determined if the moves will improve sales, but Carlsberg is definitely taking steps in the right direction for the environment.

Source: Inhabitat

Adidas Sold over a Million Pairs of Trainers Made from Ocean Plastics in 2017

09.09.2018

parley-clp-fw18-pre-rfto-restoration-ubparley-landing-creative-desktop-716x565_tcm66-249129 — Photo: Adidas

Two years ago, Adidas jumped into the sustainable apparel market to clean up toxins in their shoes and help prevent ocean pollution. They announced in March that they reached a milestone of one million sales last year and expect to see that number increase this year.

Adidas teamed up with Parley, an organization that collaborates with various companies to help protect our oceans. They supply material needed for the shoe company to create sustainable products. Products were now packaged in paper instead of plastic bags and microbeads were eliminated from the manufacturing process.

The collaboration was initially going to be on a limited run basis, but Adidas has since gone all in. Last May, they released a new line of Boost running shoes and apparel that would be created from plastics and fishnet fibers. 11 plastic bottles are repurposed to create the laces, heel linings, and sock liner covers of the shoes.

Company CEO Kasper Rorsted told CNBC last week that they sold one million shoes. Last April, the company was scheduled to switch over to 100 percent sustainable cotton by this year, they removed 70 million plastic shopping bags since switching over to paper, and Parley was going to help out with new Adidas uniforms in Major League Soccer.

Within the next six years, Adidas wants all of their products to be created from plastic that would otherwise have been put into the ocean. According to Racked, they expect five million pairs of recycled shoes to be sold this year, but that’s a very small fraction of the 450 million they sell on an annual basis.

Eric Liedtke, head of global brands at Adidas, told The Current Daily that the goal is a “moonshot” and that five million pairs is “a drop in the bucket.” However, he believes that it’s time for no new plastics to be made at all. While it was a good invention, “it was made to never go away, so all that has been made is still floating around the world today.”

Source: World Economic Forum

Blue Dye Could Be the Next Key to Harnessing Renewable Energy

09.09.2018

ink-2427263_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Scientists at the University of Buffalo have discovered an adept way of storing renewable energy thanks to wastewater produced from the textile industry. Polluted water containing blue dye, chemically referred to as methylene blue, has been found to have electrical properties and may soon be repurposed to revolutionize the battery industry in the near future. The revelation could help the textile industry, which is not known for its sustainable practices, reach a milestone in dealing with its water pollution and consumption issues. Similarly, for countries such as Sri Lanka where the textile industry makes up the majority of income, the discovery is paramount in facing the world’s changing environmental standards.

Only 5 percent of methylene blue is absorbed by fabric in the dyeing process, meaning that thousands of liters of dye are released by factories daily to produce the azure hues people love to wear. The rest of the dye, now infused into water sources, is simply thrown away. Discovering the electrical properties of methylene blue — which is also used as medicine in some blood diseases, urinary tract infections and cyanide poisoning cases — is a game changer for both the textile industry and countries where textiles are increasingly damaging the environment.

“The textile industry is what most of my country’s income is based on, but it’s associated with a lot of waste water, which is causing problems,” collaborating chemist and Sri Lankan national Anjula Kosswattaarachchi explained. “The good thing is we can repurpose the wastewater and create a green energy storage technology.”

The research, published last month in the scientific journal ChemElectroChem reveals how methylene blue molecules change form when voltage is applied to the compound. Two protons and two electrons are taken on by the deep blue dye to form leuco-methylene blue, a colorless byproduct.

This composition is then used by chemists in alternating reduction and oxidation processes, making it a successful alternative to current battery compositions. Using a solar cell to generate power, large quantities of the dye can be transformed into leuco-methylene blue. Alternately, the reverse process is employed at night when the electricity is needed back from the dye. Best of all, by varying the size of the cell in which the dye is subject to the voltage, the desired power output may be obtained independent of the size of the chemical storage tanks. This is a quality that other batteries, such as lithium ion models, do not have.

The configuration is being referred to as the redox flow battery, which is already available with vanadium solutions, however the near-perfect reversibility exhibited by the methylene blue composition will certainly create some competition. Kosswattaarachchi and PhD supervisor Tim Cook are now working on repeating tests with actual samples of waste water, which contain other chemicals as well as the methylene blue, and creating scalable models in an effort to refashion both textiles and renewable energy into more sustainable models.

Source: Inhabitat

Asia’s Growing Appetite for Meat Is Causing Problems for the Environment

08.09.2018

appetizer-3315965_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Asia’s growing appetite for meat and seafood over the next three decades will cause huge increases in greenhouse gas emissions and antibiotics used in foods, researchers said on Tuesday.

Rising population, incomes and urbanisation will drive a 78 percent increase in meat and seafood demand from 2017 to 2050, according to a report by Asia Research and Engagement Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based consultancy firm.

“We wanted to highlight that, because of the large population and how fast the population is growing, it is going to put a strain on the environment,” said co-author Serena Tan.

“By recognising this and where it comes from, we can tackle the solutions,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

With supply chains ramping up to meet demand, greenhouse gas emissions will jump from 2.9 billion tonnes of CO2 per year to 5.4 billion tonnes – the equivalent of the lifetime emissions of 95 million cars – the researchers said.

A land area the size of India will be needed for additional food production, according to the report, while water use will climb from 577 billion cubic meters per year to 1,054 billion cubic meters per year.

The use of antimicrobials – which kill or stop the growth of micro-organisms, and include antibiotics – will increase 44 percent to 39,000 tonnes per year, said the report, which was commissioned by the Hong Kong-based ADM Capital Foundation.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food is rife in Southeast Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said this year, warning of serious risks for people and animals as bacterial infections become more resistant to treatment.

Growing urban areas contribute to the rising demand for meat and seafood, because people there usually have better access to electricity and refrigeration, said David Dawe, a senior economist at the FAO in Bangkok.

“But income growth is the big driver,” he added.

Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Pakistan are among nations likely to contribute most to the rise in meat and seafood consumption, while countries with ageing populations, like China, will likely limit growth, Tan said.

Food producers can increase efficiency by implementing rainwater harvesting, using sustainable animal feed and capturing biogas from cattle, Tan said.

Regulators, consumers and investors can also pressure restaurant chains and producers to limit the use of antibiotics in meat supplies, she added.

At meal times, consumers can also choose plant-based foods made to look like meats as an alternative, Tan said.

“You have a lot of people in Asia who don’t get that great a diet so animal-sourced food intake will increase,” said the FAO’s Dawe.

“In many ways it’s a good thing for nutrition, but it does raise environmental issues.”

Source: World Economic Forum

Botswana Poaching Spree Sees 90 Elephants Killed in Two Months

08.09.2018

elephant-111695_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Ninety elephant carcasses have been found in Botswana with their tusks hacked off, in what is believed to be one of Africa’s worst mass poaching sprees.

Most of the animals killed were large bulls carrying heavy tusks, Elephants Without Borders said on Tuesday.

The discovery was made over several weeks during an aerial survey by scientists from Elephants Without Borders and Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Mike Chase, the charity’s director, said: “We started flying the survey on 10 July, and we have counted 90 elephant carcasses since the survey commenced. Each day, we are counting dead elephants.”

The wild pachyderms were shot with heavy-calibre rifles at watering spots near a wildlife sanctuary in the Okavango Delta.

According to Chase, the carcasses’ skulls were “chopped open by presumably very sharp axes, to remove their tusks”. In some cases, the trunks were also removed.

“The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I have seen or read about in Africa to date,” Chase said, adding that the poaching coincided with Botswana’s rangers being reportedly disarmed earlier this year.

Botswana previously had a zero-tolerance approach to poaching, with a “shoot-to-kill” policy against poachers.

The landlocked country with its unfenced parks and wide open spaces has the largest elephant population in Africa at more than 135,000.

Chase said elephants in Zambia and Angola “have been poached to the verge of local extinction, and poachers have now turned to Botswana”.

Botswana’s tourism minister, Tshekedi Khama, confirmed dozens of elephants had been poached.

“I am very concerned, it’s a huge worry,” he said. “I’m aware that the numbers are in double digits, and for Botswana they are high.

“Because we had been spared poaching for a long time, I think now we are realising the sophistication of these poachers. Unfortunately, sometimes we learn these lessons the hard way.”

Maj Gen Placid Segokgo, the country’s defence chief, said he was unable to immediately comment on rangers being apparently disarmed earlier this year under a new government policy.

The number of African elephants has fallen by about 111,000 to 415,000 in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The killing is taking place at a rate of about 30,000 elephants a year, to meet demand for ivory in Asia, where tusks sell for about $1,000 (£780) a kilo.

The Botswana poaching occurred months after Ian Khama, who is passionate about protecting wildlife, stepped down as president, handing power to his chosen successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare’s vice-president for conservation, Jason Bell, said of the slaughter: “Until now, Botswana’s elephant herds have largely been left in peace, but clearly Botswana is now in the crosshairs.”

Poachers have also targeted rhinos in Botswana, with six white rhino carcasses found in recent months.

Source: Guardian

World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Opens in Irish Sea

07.09.2018

offshore-wind-park-3080449_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The world’s largest offshore wind farm opened in the Irish Sea on Thursday, covering an area of 145 square kilometers (55 square miles).

The 659-megawatt Walney Extension, located approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Cumbria, England, consists of 87 turbines and is capable of generating enough renewable energy to power almost 600,000 UK homes.

To compare, the 175-turbine London Array—now the second largest offshore wind farm in the world—has a 630-megawatt capacity, or enough to power about half a million homes.

The Walney Extension is run by Danish energy giant Ørsted (formerly Dong Energy) and the Danish pension funds PKA and PFA.

The project was constructed on time and within budget, Ørsted UK managing director Matthew Wright said in a press release.

The wind farm features 40 MHI Vestas 8-megawatt turbines and 47 Siemens Gamesa 7-megawatt turbines, the first project to use wind turbines from two different manufacturers. That’s less than half the number of turbines used at the London Array, but Walney’s turbines are more powerful.

“It’s another benchmark in terms of the scale. This—bigger turbines, with fewer positions and a bit further out—is really the shape of projects going forward,” Wright told The Guardian.

MHI Vestas turbines stand 195 meters (213 yards) tall, and are the most powerful being used globally.

The UK government approved the Walney Extension contract in 2014 that promised a minimum price of £150 ($195) per megawatt hour for 15 years. Since the contract was awarded, costs of offshore wind plummeted more than 50 percent, with the latest auction dropping as low as £57.50 per megawatt hour, Reuters noted.

Offshore wind technology is advancing at a rapid pace, meaning the Walney Extension could soon lose its title. For instance, Ørsted’s Hornsea Project One off the UK’s Yorkshire coast is expected to be fully operational by 2020 and will have a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, or enough power for more than one million UK homes.

The Netherlands is also planning a massive offshore wind farm proposed by Dutch electric grid operator TenneT. If that gets the green-light, the 10,000-turbine complex could produce up to 30 gigawatts of power by 2027. That’s enough electricity to power a city of 20 million people.

Watch here to learn more about the Walney Extension:

Source: Eco Watch

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