Carbon Emissions ‘Will Threaten Crops and Human Nutrition’

29.08.2018

sunset-241806_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations will threaten crops and levels of human nutrition around the world.

That’s according to researchers from the Harvard Chan School, which examined the impact of the gas on iron, protein and zinc levels in 225 different foods.

The study suggests atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are expected to exceed 550 parts per million in the next 30 to 80 years – this increase is expected to reduce the essential mineral content of many staple crops by up to 17%.

The report warns this could cause an additional 175 million people to be zinc-deficient and 122 million to be protein-deficient by 2050.

The scientists behind the work say Africa, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East are likely to be the regions most affected.

Sam Myers, Principal Research Scientist at Harvard Chan School, said: “Our research makes it clear that decisions we are making every day – how we heat our homes, what we eat, how we move around, what we choose to purchase – are making our food less nutritious and imperiling the health of other populations and future generations.”

Source: Energy Live News

Climate Change Is Melting the French Alps, Say Mountaineers

29.08.2018

nature-3220842_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

For the tourists thronging the streets and pavement cafes of Chamonix, the neck-craning view of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, is as dazzling as ever.

But the mountaineers who climb among the snowy peaks know that it is far from business as usual – due to a warming climate, the familiar landscape is rapidly changing.

“Global climate change has serious and directly observable consequences in high mountains,” says Vincent Neirinck from Mountain Wilderness, a campaign group that works to preserve mountain environments around the world.

One of the consequences of climate change is the ongoing retreat of glaciers.

“In the Alps, the glacier surfaces have shrunk by half between 1900 and 2012 with a strong acceleration of the melting processes since the 1980s,” says Jacques Mourey, a climber and scientist who is researching the impact of climate change on the mountains above Chamonix.

The most dramatic demonstration of glacial retreat is shown by the Mer de Glace, the biggest glacier in France and one of Chamonix’s biggest tourist hotspots which would now be unrecognisable to the Edwardian tourists who first flocked there.

“The Mer de Glace is now melting at the rate of around 40 metres a year and has lost 80m in depth over the last 20 years alone,” says glaciologist Luc Moreau.

A stark consequence of the melting Mer de Glace is that 100m of ladders have now been bolted onto the newly exposed vertical rock walls for mountaineers to climb down onto the glacier.

Another key impact of climate change in the mountains is that it is leading to an increase in the number of rockfalls; more than 550 occurred in the Mont Blanc massif alone between 2007 and 2015.

The reason, explains Mourey, is that the permafrost that lies within cracks of rocks and cements them together is now melting.

“As the permafrost melts, whole sections of rock become destabilised and more prone to collapse.”

This is what caused the destruction of the iconic Bonatti pillar, a massive column of rock and popular climbing spot that collapsed in the scorching hot summer of 2005. Significantly, climate change is happening almost twice as fast in high mountains as compared to the rest of the planet.

“Whilst there are many theories as to why this is happening, we don’t fully understand what’s going on,” says Mourey. What is not disputed, though, is that many climbing routes have been drastically altered by climate change.

“A 1970s climbing and mountaineering guidebook to the 100 best routes around Mont Blanc isn’t useable any more as most of the routes have changed and can’t be used,” he says.

The trails to the high mountain huts around Mont Blanc which are used by climbers are becoming more dangerous too, forcing the authorities to adapt and take action.

In 2012 the trail to the Conscrits hut was judged to have become too dangerous following increasing numbers of rockfalls, so a 60m Himalayan-style suspension bridge was built to make access to the hut safer.

A completely new trail, including the installation of fixed ladders, has recently had to be built to the Charpoua hut following the melting of glaciers which made the previous trail too difficult and dangerous.

Given Chamonix’s status as the cradle of modern mountaineering and alpine pursuits, the authorities are now making a determined effort to adapt to these changing conditions to ensure that climbing can continue.

“We want to support the idea that alpinism and its values are not dead and we must keep on climbing safely,” says Claude Jacot, a Chamonix councillor and head of mountain safety for the region.

But for some, the area is already becoming too dangerous.

“This year we’ve deliberately reduced our programmes on Mont Blanc due to the increased rockfall caused by higher temperatures over the last few years,” says Ed Chard from trekking operator Jagged Globe.

So what will happen to climbing around Chamonix in the coming years? Mourey is optimistic that the sport still has a future in the Alps, but future mountaineers will have to adapt.

“You’ll still be able to climb in the future – you’ll just have to change the way you climb,” he says. “If anyone doesn’t believe that climate change exists, they should come to Chamonix to see it for themselves.”

Source: Guardian

Jaguar to Charge Up Electric Production of E-Type Concept Car

29.08.2018

636699184234139498AN — Photo: Jaguar Classic

Jaguar Classic has confirmed it will start production of the all-electric E-type car driven by Prince Harry on his wedding day earlier this year.

The Duke of Sussex drove his bride Meghan Markle from Windsor Castle to their reception in May in the battery-powered vehicle, which was then a one-off.

However, the luxury carmaker has decided to start production of the vehicle following its showcase in conept form last year which received an “overwhelmingly positive reaction”.

It is expecting to start deliveries of the first electric E-type vehicles from summer 2020, targeting a range of more than 170 miles for the zero-emission car, powered by a 40kWh battery which can be recharged in six to seven hours depending on the power source.

It says the all-electric version’s lithium-ion battery pack has the same dimensions and similar weight to the standard E-type six-cylinder petrol engine and in the same location, which means the car’s structure has not changed.

The company will also offer an electric vehicle conversion service for existing E-type owners at the same Classic Works facility in Coventry in the UK.

Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director adds: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the Jaguar E-type Zero concept. Future-proofing the enjoyment of classic car ownership is a major stepping stone for Jaguar classic.

“E-type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works, while demonstrating Jaguar Land Rover’s dedication to creating zero emissions vehicles across every part of the business, including Jaguar Classic.”

Source: Energy Live News

UK Summer ‘Wind Drought’ Puts Green Revolution into Reverse

29.08.2018

wind-energy — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Britain’s long heatwave threw the country’s green energy revolution into reverse and pushed up carbon emissions this summer, leading experts to stress the need for a diverse energy mix.

The summer of 2017 was lauded as the “greenest ever” for electricity generation, thanks to a growing number of windfarms and solar installations edging out coal and gas power stations.

But this year has seen a comparatively dirty summer for power generation, due to the weather’s impact on renewables.

The Met Office said the high pressure that caused much of the country to bask under sunny skies had suppressed windy conditions.

The weather proved a boon for staycations, garden centres and solar panel owners, but windfarms suffered. They usually provide four times as much power as solar each year.

The wind drought meant that at times turbine blades sat idle for days.

Windfarm capacity is up by more than 10% since a year ago, but the share of electricity they supplied dropped from 12.9% last year to 10.4% this summer, figures from National Grid show.

Although record-breaking solar output helped fill some of the gap and nuclear plants provided a bedrock of supply, gas power stations were fired up to meet demand.

The key measure of how green the power grid is – carbon intensity, measured in grammes of CO2 per kilowatt hour – was up by 8% on average over the past three months.

Duncan Burt, director of operations at National Grid, said: “We have seen a slight decrease in wind over the summer linked to the unusually warm weather, which demonstrates why it is important for us to have a diverse energy mix to ensure we can continue to manage supply and demand.”

He welcomed the growth in wind and solar over the past year, and said both were playing an increasingly important role in the energy system.

While this summer showed an uptick in carbon emissions, it is the second greenest ever.

And looking beyond the summer, carbon intensity for the year fell to a record low in the first eight months.

National Grid said the carbon intensity of electricity generation was down 3% to 252g CO2 per kWh between January and August, compared with the same period last year.

Windy conditions and new windfarms boosted wind energy during the winter, and coal use has fallen to new lows despite a brief resurgence during the “beast from the east”.

In June, the UK went 12 days without coal, which supplied less than 1% of electricity that month.

RenewableUK, the wind power industry body, said wind had “become a mainstream power source”.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “We’re investing up to £2.5bn in low-carbon innovation and are already seeing the results.”

Analysts have told renewable energy investors not to be alarmed about the lack of wind this summer.

After examining 17 years of monthly wind speeds in the UK, Bernstein bank concluded: “We do not find any evidence of a structural trend in wind speed over time.”

Experts also said that the way solar highs coincided with wind lows showed that both technologies were needed in the switch to green energy. Wind power generation is well ahead of solar in Europe.

Pascal Storck, director of renewable energy at environmental measurement firm Vaisala, said: “Often wind and solar technologies are played against each other, but the reality is that a diverse portfolio … will be the solution to long-term variability of this nature.”

Source: Guardian

EU Must Integrate Circular Policies and Bio-Economy’

28.08.2018

The European Environment Agency suggests policies in these areas must converge to maximise green benefits.

Integrating the circular economy and the bio-economy would improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental pressures in Europe.
That’s the verdict from the European Environment Agency (EEA) – the group says the EU’s policies in these areas both have food waste, biomass and bio-based products featured as areas of intervention and also converge in terms of economic and environmental concerns, innovation and the transition towards sustainability.

However, a new report from the organisation suggests supporting policies are too loosely connected and calls for more synergy to be created between them.
It claims under-represented aspects include product and infrastructure design, as well as collaboration among the actors throughout the value chain and calls for policy interventions to be unified to better reduce environmental pressures along the entire product life cycle.

The EEA says bio-based approaches should be tailored to maximise the benefits of bio-based and biodegradable products and believes technological innovation should be embedded in wider system innovation able to tackle consumer behaviour, product use and waste management.

It adds promising innovations and technologies for circular biomass use include 3D printing with bioplastics, multipurpose crops and food waste and biowaste treatment.

Source: energylivenews

Exotic Pets Are Most Likely to Be Released in the Wild and Become Invasive Species

28.08.2018

lizard-22258_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

With imports of Fish and Wildlife-regulated reptiles exceeding one million individuals each year, it is no surprise that many of these animals are finding their way into the wild, where they are threatening natural ecosystems. Exotic pets can be extremely endearing and are bought at a low cost when they are babies. But when these animals get too large to handle or are cast off by wavering attention spans, they invade native ecosystems. This is the case for iguanas, Chinese water dragons and ball pythons, which have become the most commonly released pets in the wild, according to new research.

The massive exotic pet trade, which isn’t fully regulated, has become the leading cause of invasive amphibians and reptiles in the wild. Whether as predatory hunters or as spreaders of “alien” diseases and pests to native populations, the discarded exotic pets are wreaking havoc that ecologists and animal control workers are endlessly working to offset.

Oliver Stringham and Julie Lockwood, leading ecologists at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, researched the prevalence of specific exotic species. The paper was published on Wednesday and cross-references attributes of species that are commonly released versus those that are typically kept by their owners. The study compared data from citizen scientists on numbers of species that were introduced into the wild with figures of imports and sales from online pet stores.

In total, the researchers documented 1,722 species of reptiles and amphibians that were sold on the U.S. market between 1999 and 2016. They found that species that grow to large sizes were most likely to be released. Some of the animals also have long lifespans for pets, as in the case of the boa constrictor, which requires costly care over its 30+ year lifespan.

“These species are so abundant in the pet market, they’re potentially more likely to be bought by impulsive consumers that haven’t done the proper research about care requirements with some small fraction of these consumers resorting to releasing these pets when they become difficult to care for,” Stringham said in an interview with Earther. “Even if released exotic pets fail to become established, they still cause harm to wildlife by spreading new diseases.”

The effects have been catastrophic for many ecosystems. The animal trade-driven chytrid fungus plague alone has devastated amphibian populations on a global scale. In the Florida Everglades, where released exotic pets are the most prevalent, Burmese pythons and tegu lizards continuously scavenge native populations.

Stringham and Lockwood hope that their research will deter importers from selling these wild animals from impulsive buyers in the future; a more likely scenario is the regulation of the amount of animals or the prices for which they are sold.

Source: Inhabitat

Most-Polluting UK Home Fuels to Be Burned Up

28.08.2018

blaze-2178749_960_720 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The sale of the most-polluting fuels used in UK households are to get the chop as part of government plans to reduce emissions.

The burning of wood and coal in homes is said to be the largest single contributor to particulate matter pollution – formed of tiny particles that can enter the body and cause short and long term health problems – and identified as the most damaging air pollutant by the World Health Organisation.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), domestic burning contributes 38% of particulate matter pollution, compared with 16% from industrial combustion and 12% from road transport.

Plans to restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning and phase out traditional house coal were initially set out in the government’s draft clean air strategy earlier this year.

The proposals – which include applying sulphur standards and smoke emission limits to all solid fuels and ensuring only the cleanest stoves are sold by 2022 – are expected to prevent 8,000 tonnes of harmful particulate matter from entering the atmosphere every year.

They are also estimated to reduce the costs of air pollution by £1 billion every year by 2020, rising to £2.5 billion a year from 2030.

A report by Public Health England, however, found the health and social care costs of air pollution in England could reach £5.3 billion by 2035 unless action is taken.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “Everyone has a role to play in improving the air we breathe and reducing pollution from burning at home is a key area where we can all take action.

“While we will never be able to eliminate all particulate matter, by switching to cleaner fuels, householders can reduce the amount of harmful pollution to which they unwittingly expose themselves, their families and the environment, while still enjoying the warmth and pleasure of a fire.”

Defra has launched a consultation on the proposals which will run until 12th October 2018.

Source: Energy Live News

Asia’s First Fully Solar-Powered Drone Lifts Off

28.08.2018

In April, a group of students from the Innovation & Design Programme (iDP) at National University of Singapore Engineering developed a quadcopter drone that is powered completely with solar energy, without the need for batteries or other energy storage. In test flights, the aircraft has flown to a height of ten metres and up to a duration of two minutes. This feat is a first in Asia.

Since 2012, different groups of students from the iDP, under the supervision of NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Aaron Danner, have been working towards building a fully solar-powered quadcopter drone. The first prototype in 2012 achieved only 45 per cent of flight power from solar cells.

“Our aircraft is extremely lightweight for its size, and it can fly as long as there is sunlight, even for hours. Unlike conventional quadcopter drones, our aircraft does not rely on on-board batteries and hence it is not limited by flight time. Its ability to land on any flat surface and fly high off the ground in a controlled way also makes it suitable for practical implementation,” said Assoc Prof Danner.

The current prototype was constructed using lightweight carbon fibre, has a surface area of about 4sqm and only weighs 2.6kg in total. It is fitted with 148 individually characterised silicon solar cells and supported by a frame equipped with four rotors. It can be controlled by remote control, or programmed to fly autonomously using a GPS system installed on the aircraft.

The three team members — then-final year NUS Engineering students Mr Goh Chong Swee, Mr Kuan Jun Ren and Mr Yeo Jun Han, made further refinements to the earlier prototypes of the quadcopter drone, increasing the number of solar cells used as well as adjusting the frame material in order to make the drone more efficient and lightweight. The team, jointly supervised by Teaching Assistant Mr Brian Shohei Teo from iDP, developed three prototypes in total over the two years spent on the project.

— Assoc Prof Aaron Danner, NUS Computer and Electrical Engineering

The many crash landings of their various prototypes throughout the duration of the project were the most memorable part of the experience. Mr Goh commented that they had to “crash to learn”.

“Through each crash we learnt something; like maybe this joint is not done properly, this solar cell is not mounted properly, and the suitability of the flight controller we used,” he added.

“We encountered many engineering challenges when building the drone,” shared Mr Yeo. “These included finding an optimal number of solar cells efficient and light enough to power the propulsion system, which in turn had to be light and at the same time able to produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft. Other issues we faced included tuning and calibration of flight controls to enhance flight stability, as well as designing a frame that is lightweight yet sufficiently rigid.”

Using solar energy as a power source for the drone has multiple advantages. The drone is not limited by the size and capacity of a battery or fuel tank; in contrast to many battery-powered drones that can often only fly continuously for about 30 minutes before needing charging, said Assoc Prof Danner. A solar-powered drone could thus potentially be able to fly as long as there is sunlight, fly itself to faraway destinations, recharge itself during the flight and would not need to operate within range of an airbase.

With these advantages, the team sees this aircraft potentially used as a ”flying solar panel” to provide emergency solar power to disaster areas, as well as for photography, small package delivery, surveillance and inspection. Batteries could also be added to power the aircraft when there is no sunlight, or for charging. Other hardware such as cameras could also be incorporated for other applications.

The current aircraft is proof-of-concept that a fully solar powered quadcopter is a possibility, Assoc Prof Danner said. In the future, the team will continue to fine-tune the aircraft, further improving its flight time and duration. They are currently sourcing for better solar cells and looking into ways to reduce the size of the aircraft. The team also hope to build a spin-off company and bring the technology closer to commercialisation in the future.

Source: NUS

Recent Figures Reveal Spain’s Human Population Is Now Outnumbered by Pigs

27.08.2018

animal-farming-1851018_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Environmentalists are alarmed by recent data that reveals Spain’s pig population now outnumbers its human one by 3.5 million. This is the first time the number of pigs in Spain has exceeded that of humans, and the discrepancy is adding to concerns about the environmental impact of the pork industry. This impact stems primarily from greenhouse gas emissions, nitrate discharges, and water consumption.

The number of pigs in Spain has increased by nine million in the last five years; in 2017 alone, Spain’s pork industry produced about four million tons of pork products. Environmentalists are calling on producers to slow down, and for good reason. Each pig in Spain drinks close to four gallons of water per day, and the total amount consumed is enough to satisfy the water needs of Spanish cities Zaragoza, Seville and Alicante combined. Pig farming also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions from livestock overall, which is the fourth-largest emissions generator in the country.

The enormity of the industry also makes it difficult to regulate. “When you don’t control an industry in which traditionally there’s a lot of fraud, because there’s a lot of demand but not a lot of product, this is what happens,” said Francisco Espárrago, a jamón ibérico de bellota producer in Extremadura, in reference to numerous quality control issues that have plagued Spain’s pork industry. It appears that stricter – or perhaps better enforced – regulations would benefit Spain’s longstanding pork traditions that have existed since Roman times, protect local producers, and alleviate environmental infractions which are cause for national concerns.

Source: Inhabitat

19 Global Cities Commit to Make New Buildings Net-Zero by 2030

27.08.2018

walt-disney-center-1629173_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The world’s most iconic skylines are going green. Nineteen city leaders from the C40 coalition signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration on Thursday to ensure all new buildings operate with a neutral carbon footprint by 2030.

The mayors of Copenhagen, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City, Newburyport, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tshwane, Vancouver and Washington, DC also pledged to ensure all buildings in the cities—old or new—will meet net-zero carbon standards by 2050, according to a press release. The cities are home to 130 million people combined.

Buildings are often a city’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuels being used for heat, hot water and other energy needs. About 39 percent of the total energy consumption in the U.S. comes from the residential and commercial sectors. In megacities such as London, Los Angeles and Paris, buildings account for more than 70 percent of their overall emissions. These structures are not only driving climate change, but the air pollution emitted from the buildings is also a public health concern.

Net-zero buildings, however, are incredibly energy-efficient and meet any remaining energy needs from renewable energy sources. Not only are these green buildings environmentally and socially beneficial, but they also offer economic benefits, such as cost savings on utility bills for tenants and higher property value for owners.

“Combating climate change is a moral necessity, an environmental imperative, and an economic opportunity—and Los Angeles is proud to be a leader in creating our clean energy future,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in statement. “By pledging to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings, cities are moving us another step closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement–and the promise of lower emissions, less pollution, and more renewable energy innovation.”

The pledges were made ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco next month and align with the Paris agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Delivering on the commitments made today will require a united effort, as city governments do not have direct control over all the buildings in a city. This commitment includes a pledge to work together with state and regional governments and the private sector to drive this transformation, and calls on national governments for equal action,” the press release stated.

As part of the commitment, the cities will develop a roadmap to reach net-zero carbon buildings as well as a suite of supporting incentives and programs. Each year, they will release a report on their progress towards meeting their targets.

“Paris is home to some of the world’s most beautiful and iconic buildings. As mayors of the world’s great cities we recognize our responsibility to ensure every building, whether historic or brand new, helps deliver a sustainable future for our citizens,” said Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, in a statement. “With this commitment cities are getting the job done, concretely delivering on the Paris Agreement and building better cities for generations to come. One more time, the future is taking place in cities.”

Source: Eco Watch

Fast-Melting Lakes Could Increase Permafrost Emissions 118 Percent

27.08.2018

frost-3425157_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Scientists may need to more than double their assessment of how much carbon dioxide and methane thawing Arctic permafrost will release into the atmosphere this century, according to a study published this month.

The paper, published in Nature Communications Aug. 15, said that previous estimates for how greenhouse gasses released by thawing permafrost would contribute to global climate change focused on the slow thawing of permafrost near the surface.

However, those estimates excluded the impact of thermokarst lakes that form when warming soil melts ground ice, rapidly thawing the soil beneath them and providing food for carbon-dioxide and methane-releasing bacteria.

“Thermokarst lakes provide a completely different scenario. When the lakes form, they flash-thaw these permafrost areas,” lead study author and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Water and Environmental Research Center associate professor Katey Walter Anthony said in a UAF press release. “Instead of centimeters of thaw, which is common for terrestrial environments, we’ve seen 15 meters of thaw beneath newly formed lakes in Goldstream Valley within the past 60 years.”

Previous models had not incorporated thermokarst lakes because the small size of each lake made them difficult to account for. However, the study found it was important to take their emissions into consideration because, unlike the gradual thawing of permafrost soil, the rapid thawing beneath the melt lakes cannot be reversed this century.

“You can’t stop the release of carbon from these lakes once they form,” Walter Anthony said. “We cannot get around this source of warming.”

Walter Anthony’s U.S. and German research team spent 12 years observing and measuring thermokarst lakes in Alaska and Siberia and drew their conclusions from those observations, as well as from remote-sensing data of lake changes in the past two years. They found that the lakes could increase the emissions generated by permafrost by 118 percent in the late 21st century.

Other scientists responded to the study by emphasizing the limits of climate models that governments rely on to make climate policy decisions.

“The models that we’ve used to construct these carbon budgets, of how much CO2 we can emit and stay below a certain temperature threshold that we say is the edge of where things go from bad to really bad—those carbon budgets are probably made with models that are incomplete and may, in many ways, be very optimistic,” Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California climate scientist Charlie Koven told Alaska’s Energy Desk Monday.

Previous models showed gradual, land-based permafrost thawing would be offset by an increase in plant growth as the Arctic warms, but the rapid thawing caused by thermokarst lakes could mean that the warming contribution of thawing permafrost will be close to that of clearing or burning forests, the study found.

Source: Eco Watch

The Impact of Architecture on the Environment

26.08.2018

Pixabay hall — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

In 1987, the World Commission on the Environment and Development defined sustainability as a process of meeting the present needs without compromising future generations and their needs. This definition can be expounded into three main aspects on which sustainability rests – ecology, economy, and society.

Ecological aspect refers to our impact on the environment and surroundings. It can be positive and negative. The key factors in this aspect are energy, its renewability, and consumption, water, air and soil pollution, emission of gases, resource renewal, climate change… The economic aspect includes the prices of material, its transport and processing, energy efficiency, productivity as well as the development of local economy. On the other hand, the social aspect is to provide social equity, preserve cultural heritage, engage and educate the local community, as well as its safety and health.

When we want to characterize something as sustainable, it is important to have in mind that these aspects should not be separated because neglecting either of them will lead to the emergence of an unsustainable system.

Architecture is a discipline that through its practice has a profound impact on all fields of sustainability. The economic development of a country will cause the construction of many industrial, business and residential facilities, and also the economic development of one country will lead to a desire for a larger and more luxurious housing unit. It can be concluded that the growth of the economic status of a social apparatus, a country, business or family, also increases the demand for land and construction materials, which affects the global ecosystem. The challenge of sustainable design is to find technological and design solutions that guarantee the prosperity of this ecosystem.

During its existence, an object affects the local and global environment by various related activities and processes even before it is actually constructed. Exploitation of resources, their processing, production of construction materials and their transport can cause environmental damage of a larger scale. Materials that are not available locally must be delivered from the locations that are on some occasions far away from the place on which the facility is being built. Therefore, even if these exclusive materials are produced with minimal energy consumption, the transport itself will have a negative impact on the environment. The process of constructing an object, although temporary, also affects the environment in terms of the use of energy and resources by creating a construction site and temporary infrastructure for its servicing, making waste and noise…

After the completion of the construction, the very functioning of the building leaves a long-term effect on the ecosystem. Energy and water consumed by the residents of the building are converted into harmful gases and wastewater after use. When a facility loses its function, it does not lose its influence on the environment. If we do not recycle that facility, either in terms of object conversion or literal demolition in order to use the materials for something else, all energy spent on exploitation, processing, production, transport, construction, and maintenance can be considered as a loss.

Problems which sustainable design aims to solve depend on a number of external factors that are contained in three aspects of sustainability. These external factors vary in intensity and type, thus it is impossible to provide universal solutions. The sustainable design actually represents a conceptual framework which helps us anticipate these problems and find a solution with adequate ecological, economic and social qualities. With sustainable design, we try to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, promote the use of renewable energy resources, reduce waste to a minimum and create healthy and comfortable places. The principles of sustainable design include optimization of the potential of construction land, use of ecological materials, conservation of energy and water, optimization of functioning and maintenance process of the facilities, as well as the improvement of the conditions for staying and working on the premises.

When positioning a facility on a plot, the existing contour of the site should be taken into account. Major changes in the field are not only costly but also affect the existing microclimate, such as changes in the conventional drainage of the field and airflow, which may be even more important at the moment. In addition, attention should be paid to the level of groundwater – if you expose groundwater to external influence during the construction, you will increase the chances of its pollution. It is recommended that flora and fauna at the construction site become the part of the project in greater percentage so as to maintain the local ecosystem.

By proper positioning of a facility in relation to the environment, an architect adjusts the facility to the natural resources at the site, such as the sun and wind energy, which increases the energy efficiency of the facility and the quality of its space. Thus, the shade during summer is created by planting deciduous trees on the south side of the building (which is the most exposed to the Sun), while in winter the sunlight passes through the stripped branches which results in achieving passive solar heating of the building. By planting the conifers on the north, the facility is protected from cold, winter wind. By combining both principles, the thermal loses of the facility are reduced, as well as the energy consumption for heating or cooling.

The urban environment limits the freedom of positioning in relation to natural resources, and this should be addressed at the urban level by forming parameters for construction of blocks so as to maximize the utilization of these natural conditions. The advantage of cities in terms of the local environment is reflected in the existing infrastructure for the supply of construction sites and buildings, which would have to be planned and whose performance would affect the environment if they were built outside the towns.

Renewable resources are all those resources that can be grown and exploited at a rate that exceeds the speed of human consumption. By definition, the use of these materials is sustainable. Materials made from non-renewable resources (oil, metals, etc.) are not sustainable even if their current supplies are adequate. The use of renewable materials, as much as possible, greatly reduces the need for non-renewable materials.

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

Prepared by: Petar Veselinovic

Solar-Powered Car to Speed into the Sunlight by 2019

25.08.2018

SonoMotors_Sion_electric_car_solarcar_Hero-1 — Foto: Sono Motors

A German start-up has launched a series of trials to test its new solar-powered car.

Sono Motors’ Sion is an electric vehicle (EV) with one important difference – 330 solar cells built into its doors, bonnet and roof aim to do away with the range anxiety often associated with battery-powered transport.

Once fully charged it will possess a range of around 155 miles, with its on-car generation allowing it to cover an additional 19 miles per day.

In case it isn’t sunny or the car needs to be charged at night, it can also be powered from conventional EV charging points.

Production of the Sion is planned to begin in 2019, with the company having already taken more than 6,500 pre-orders at a price of €16,000 (£14,400), excluding the battery unit.

Source: Energy Live News

Passionate Fisherman in the Struggle for Preservation of Untouched Nature

25.08.2018

Twenty years ago, he won the affection of a broader audience with the role of Brando in the television serial “Family Treasure”. Since then, Vojin Cetkovic has shown that he is equally able to play different and demanding roles: bad guys, monks, poets and recently he added the role of the first crowned Serbian king – Stefan the First-Crowned in the TV serial “Nemanjici – the Birth of the Kingdom”. Although it is expected to talk to him about his rich career and plans, we decided to ask him about his love for fishing, black storks and white-tailed eagles that land in the vicinity of his energy-efficient vacation home, but also about the things which drive him to participate in the activities of clearing illegal landfill in National Park Fruska Gora.

EP: When did you decide that you were tired of city life and was the love for fishing crucial for the construction of your vacation home in Cortanovci municipality, on the Danube bank?

Vojin Cetkovic: It was my need made all the difference. I have been fishing since I was five. I was lucky to have grandparents who lived in the village, thus I spent a lot of time there, and my parents constantly took me into nature. Since my childhood, I have been attached to nature, animals, and especially plants and rivers. My parental grandfather had an entire hill above Mojkovac, where he lived, so it was most logical for me to find a place for my vacation home which is close to a hill and a river. Thanks to my friend from the kindergarten Novica, who has a vacation home in Cortanovci, we often visited him there and I liked the place very much. He found a plot for me. At first, the Danube could not be seen due to the shrubbery on the plot, but when I cleared it, one of the most beautiful panoramas appeared in front of us. Now I have a boat on the Danube and a house with the view.

EP: Since we are not a nation that takes much care of nature it is not difficult to come across the daily evidence of our negligence. What is the thing that especially worries you while you are fishing?

Vojin Cetkovic: Everything bothers me, and above all the consciousness of people. Some fishermen often do not know where they are, and they say they love the river. Recently, I saw a father who thought his son how to catch a pike during the prohibition period and not to mention the size of the pike which was well below the allowed dimensions. What are you supposed to say to that man?

I have seen everything on rivers; poachers, nets which should not be in small rivers. Unfortunately, without harsh laws and without the application of these laws, nothing can be done. That is what bothers me the most. It also bothers me that the state was negligent because the damage is huge and almost irreparable. Twenty years ago, in the kilometer of the river flow, there were around 800 kilograms of fish. Today it is less than 80 kilograms. The data on the amount of fish in the see is equally shocking.

Since I am a public figure and I have the chance to be heard by people, I feel that my duty is to talk about ecology and somehow change the consciousness among people. That would be my huge success, and I have given that task to myself. I have often responded to working actions for cleaning of lakes and rivers, and within a project, we tried to stock the Drina with huchen. There were many difficulties in the implementation of this project, and there were some constant excuses that were mostly related to the difficult economic situation. I also spoke with some guards, who were willing to do their job well and to catch poachers, but they are in a difficult situation due to the threats they receive.

I read that Chapter 13 which is related to fisheries should be opened. If all the laws were implemented as well as the requirements which the European Union requires from us and if only ten people who committed offenses were punished, the situation would change dramatically.

In addition, we still have factories that throw out wastewater into rivers and canals and cause a lot more damage. It is necessary to install collectors, which is a large investment that will have to be implemented. I know very well both running and standing waters in Serbia and I can say that the situation in them is quite alarming. There are rare examples of certain parts of national parks in which some order exists, and in which stocking with young fish is carried out and fishing is controlled. According to my knowledge, the European Union has devoted enormous funds to ecology and I hope that it will be used for these purposes.

The Survival of Drina Huchen

At the initiative of Vladimir Grbic, the famous volleyball player and also a fishing enthusiast, a project was launched for stocking the Drina with huchen six years ago in which Vojin also participated. “The Pond in Perucac is built under the Perucac dam due to which it was not possible to establish a fishing route. The huchen could not go upstream of the Drina where it would spawn, thus its survival was questioned. Drina huchen is really unique and beautiful for sports fishing. We tried with the Ministry for Agriculture and Environmental Protection to make an agreement. We received the funds and managed with the help of ichthyologists, although it was very difficult, to let a certain number of huchen in the Drina”, says Vojin and he explained to us that the huchen, this natural rarity, which exists in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Slovenia, were produced in artificial conditions and were returned back into the Drina. Unfortunately, the project did not last for long. Now that pond serves for commercial purposes.

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

Interview by: Nevena Djukic

Spectacular Town Hall Doubles as a Bridge in Denmark’s Faroe Islands

24.08.2018

town-hall-eysturkommuna_henning-larsen_photo-by-nic-lehoux_742 — Photo: Henning Lasen

When Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen Architects was tapped to design the Town Hall in Eysturkommuna, the firm knew that there would be no point in trying to compete with the sublime Faroe Islands setting. Sculpted by wind and volcanic forces, the lush Nordic landscape instead provided inspiration for the building, which doubles as a bridge over a river and appears as a green-roofed extension of its surroundings. Blurring the line between nature and building, the Town Hall pays homage to traditional Faroese architecture with a new contemporary twist.

Located in the village of Norðragøta, the Town Hall in Eysturkommuna is a subtle addition to the lush landscape that was created to help revive the local community. With an area of 750 square meters, the building is remarkably small for a town hall, yet what the structure lacks in size it makes up for in dramatic views. Doubling as a bridge, the angular building unites what used to be two separated municipalities and is partly wrapped in full-height glazing to frame stunning vistas of mountains and water. A circular mirror-lined glazed opening was also inserted into the floor to allow views of the rushing river below.

“A central theme in traditional Faroese architecture is the blurred line between nature and building, the fact that the spectator has difficulties distinguishing where the landscape ends and the building begins,” explains Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Partner at Henning Larsen. “The primary conceptual idea behind the design of the town hall is driven by the notion of this fleeting line between landscape and building. I believe that could be one way to approach modern Faroese architecture.”

The public is not only invited to enjoy the interior of the Town Hall, but they are also welcome to use the terraces and green roof for picnics or to even swim in the river. To heighten the building’s connection with the site, artist Jens Ladekarl Thomsen created an exterior sound and light installation that draws from the sounds and structure of the local neighborhoods and nature and “lets passersby believe the ‘house speaks’ of its surroundings.”

Source: Inhabitat

Renewables Powered 88% of Brazil in June

24.08.2018

brazil-3001462_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Renewable energy generated 88% of Brazil’s entire demand in June.

Clean power sources such as wind, biomass, solar and hydro accounted for 81.9% of Brazil’s installed capacity of energy generation at the time, according to a new report from the country’s Ministry of Mines and Energy.

The nation’s total electrical generation capacity reached 160GW in June, if distributed generation is also taken into account.

Hydropower is still the country’s main source of energy, creating 63.7% of the month’s electricity, followed by 561 biomass plants creating power from organic fuels such as sugarcane, rice husk and wood waste.

Wind farms account for 8.1% of the energy produced in June, with solar facilities contributing around 1%.

Source: Energy Live News

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