With Only 2 percent of Governments’ Recovery Spending Going to Clean Energy Transitions, Global Emissions Are Set to Surge to an all-time High

20.07.2021

renewables_obnovljivi_izvori_energije_wind_energy_energija_vetra_wind_park_vetropark — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Grahame Jenkins)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Asia Chang)

Governments worldwide are deploying an unprecedented amount of fiscal support aimed at stabilising and rebuilding their economies, but only about 2 percent of this spending has been allocated to clean energy measures, according to new analysis from the International Energy Agency.

The sums of money, both public and private, being mobilised worldwide by recovery plans fall well short of what is needed to reach international climate goals. These shortfalls are particularly pronounced in emerging and developing economies, many of which face particular financing challenges.

Under governments’ current recovery spending plans, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to climb to record levels in 2023 and continue rising in the following years. This would leave the world far from the pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050 that the IEA set out in its recent Global Roadmap to Net Zero.

These findings come from the new Sustainable Recovery Tracker that the IEA launched today to help policy makers assess how far recovery plans are moving the needle on climate. The new online tool is a contribution to the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy in Naples, which takes place on 22 and 23 July under the Presidency of Italy.

The Tracker monitors government spending allocated to sustainable recoveries and then estimates how much this spending boosts overall clean energy investment and to what degree this affects the trajectory of global CO2 emissions. The Tracker considers over 800 national sustainable recovery policies in its analysis, which are publicly available on the IEA website.

“Since the Covid-19 crisis erupted, many governments may have talked about the importance of building back better for a cleaner future, but many of them are yet to put their money where their mouth is. Despite increased climate ambitions, the amount of economic recovery funds being spent on clean energy is just a small sliver of the total,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director.

Governments have mobilised USD 16 trillion in fiscal support throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, most of it focused on emergency financial relief for households and firms. Only 2 percent of the total is earmarked for clean energy transitions.

In the early phases of the pandemic, the IEA released the Sustainable Recovery Plan, which recommended USD 1 trillion of spending globally on clean energy measures that could feature prominently in recovery plans. According to the Plan – developed in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund – this spending would boost global economic growth, create millions of jobs and put the world on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

According to the Tracker, all the key sectors highlighted in the IEA Sustainable Recovery Plan are receiving inadequate attention from policy makers. Current government plans would only increase total public and private spending on clean energy to around USD 350 billion a year by 2023 – only 35 percent of what is envisaged in the Plan.

The Tracker shows the stark geographic disparities that are emerging in clean energy investment. The majority of funds are being mobilised in advanced economies, which are nearing 60 percent of the investment levels envisaged in the Sustainable Recovery Plan. Emerging and developing economies, many of which have limited fiscal leeway, have so far mobilised only about 20 percent of the recommended spending levels.

“Not only is clean energy investment still far from what’s needed to put the world on a path to reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century, it’s not even enough to prevent global emissions from surging to a new record. Many countries – especially those where the needs are greatest – are also missing the benefits that well planned clean energy investment brings, such as stronger economic growth, new jobs and the development of the energy industries of the future,” Dr Birol said

“Governments need to increase spending and policy action rapidly to meet the commitments they made in Paris in 2015 – including the vital provision of financing by advanced economies to the developed world,” Dr Birol added. “But they must then go even further by leading clean energy investment and deployment to much greater heights beyond the recovery period in order to shift the world onto a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050, which is narrow but still achievable – if we act now.”

Source: IEA

Tesla Patent Application – Process To Extract Lithium From Clay Minerals

19.07.2021

lithium-ion-battery-baterija — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

On July 8, Tesla submitted a patent application for processes to extract lithium from a clay mineral and its composite elements. Lithium has been at the forefront of many technological changes since the 1990s thanks to the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries — it is the reason for the revolution in electric vehicles (EVs) and personal technology devices.

Lithium is vital to the clean energy transition for the batteries that provide power and store energy. It is the gateway that allows renewable power to be released steadily and reliably. Demand for lithium has soared in recent years as automakers have moved much more toward EVs, notably since many countries including the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Norway, and Canada have announced a phaseout of combustion-engine cars.

According to the World Bank, 5× more lithium than is mined currently is going to be necessary to meet global climate targets by 2050.

The new Tesla patent application includes providing a clay mineral comprising lithium, mixing a cation source with the clay mineral, performing a high-energy mill of the clay mineral, and performing a liquid leach to obtain a lithium-rich leach solution.

The patent, titled “Selective Extraction of Lithium from Clay Minerals,” argues that extracting lithium from ore using sodium chloride is an environmentally friendlier way to obtain the metal compared to currently used techniques such as acid leaching. According to Tesla, it also allows for higher recoveries.

Clay minerals consist of microscopic framework layers composed of Li, Na, K, Al, Si, Mg, Ca, Fe, O, and/or OH, and inter-layer spaces through which cations like Li, Na, K, and Mg may be conducted in water or other electrolytes. The position of the lithium atom in this mineral structure makes all the difference for how it can be extracted — if the lithium is found within the framework layer or floating in the interlayer.

Source: Clean Technica

How Countries Are Turning the Tide on Marine Plastic Pollution

19.07.2021

plastika-voda — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Naja Bertolt)

More and more countries are joining the Clean Seas campaign to fight against marine litter and plastic pollution. Over 60 countries – both coastal and landlocked – have signed up to this global movement with ambitious pledges and commitments.

Many have pledged to reduce or eradicate single-use plastics from their societies through stronger legislation and regulation. Others have committed to invest more in national recycling facilities and promote action plans to prevent harm to the coastal and marine environment.

The next phase of Clean Seas is expanding on the source-to-sea approach focusing on the root cause of marine plastic, which mainly comes from the land-based sources and works its way to the sea through lakes, rivers, and waterways.

In this final year of the Campaign, governments have a unique opportunity to join the global action and adopt the necessary policies to beat plastic pollution. We sat down with Leticia Carvalho, Head of the Marine and Freshwater Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to find out more about what it means to join Clean Seas, and how countries can get on board.

Clean Seas was launched in 2017, and since then, 63 countries have become signatories. What does it mean to be a Clean Seas country?

By joining Clean Seas, countries take steps towards becoming champions to turn the tide of plastic. Joining means agreeing to the Campaign objectives and having access to a platform and best practices to profile your work and encourage others to act. There are no financial implications associated with joining the Clean Seas. Signatories may also request technical support from UNEP to develop their national action plans to tackle litter and plastic pollution. So far, our signatories represent 60 percent of the world’s coastlines. But we need to engage more governments, particularly major plastic producer countries, to succeed in our mission to protect our waters, ecosystems and wildlife from marine litter and plastic pollution.

Why should a country join the current global momentum against marine litter and plastic pollution?

Pollution is one of the three interrelated planetary crisis we face, along with biodiversity loss and climate instability, due to unsustainable production and consumption. We must shine a light on the negative impact of marine litter and plastic pollution on human and planetary health. This becomes even more urgent when one looks along the value chain to the land and seascape (from source-to-sea). Of the 11 million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean, approximately 80 percent comes from land-based sources and works its way to the sea through our lakes, rivers, and other waterways.

A thousand rivers are accountable for nearly 80 percent of the global annual riverine plastic emissions. Yet, this is often overlooked. We hope to engage governments at the source to raise awareness and to strengthen legislation to encourage better business and disposal practices. Ultimately, this is an issue that affects the health of our planet, our societies, and our livelihoods. Governments need to play their part in securing their citizens’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, much of which can happen through encouraging and rewarding private sector innovation.

Are there any sub-groups of countries that have a significant role to play?

Key water bodies found in upstream countries such as rivers and lakes represent some of the main pathways for the flow of plastics and litter to our coasts and oceans. Hence, the need to get their governments on board in our efforts to prevent such flow. So far, the Campaign has been joined by two landlocked countries. The first was Paraguay and Uganda joined last month.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) also have the most to gain, and to lose, from not rapidly tackling the pollution problem since most rely heavily on tourism to some of the most idyllic beaches and underwater habitats on the planet. On average, tourism accounts for almost 30 percent of SIDS’ GDP. They have also been at the front line on the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of loss of travelers but also with having a bird’s eye view of the impacts of single-use personal protective equipment washing up on their shores. Many SIDS have some of the toughest regulations against single-use plastics in place and are true leaders in their efforts to safeguard our seas and ocean from man-made pollution. Thirteen of the 39 SIDS have already joined Clean Seas, representing one of our largest sub-groups of signatories. We hope to join hands with those who have not done so yet and coordinate their truly impressive efforts with our campaign objectives.

How can a country join the Clean Seas campaign?

It is easy! A country simply needs to decide on the level of commitment they wish to undertake, aligned with their current and future ambitions to tackle this problem and send an ‘Expression of Interest’ to the UNEP Executive Director.

UNEP stands ready to help the country team navigate this process and provide technical expertise to develop national actions plans. Our team has recently prepared an eBook to guide interested governments in this regard. It presents visually and interactively what it means to be a Clean Seas country, why it is urgent for more governments to join the momentum and what options are available for taking action.

Source: UNEP

North America heatwave almost impossible without climate change

18.07.2021

The record-breaking heatwave in parts of the US and Canada at the end of June would have been virtually impossible without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to a rapid attribution analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists. Climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, made the heatwave at least 150 times more likely to happen.

Pacific Northwest areas of the US and Canada saw temperatures that broke records by several degrees, including a new all-time Canadian temperature record of 49.6°C (121.3°F) in the village of Lytton – well above the previous national record of 45°C (113°F). Shortly after setting the record, Lytton was largely destroyed in a wildfire.

North America had its warmest June on record, according to the monthly bulletin from Copernicus Climate Change Service implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

Every heatwave occurring today is made more likely and more intense by climate change. To quantify the effect of climate change on these high temperatures, the rapid attribution study analysed the observations and computer simulations to compare the climate as it is today, after about 1.2°C (2.2°F) of global warming since the late 1800s, with the climate of the past, following peer-reviewed methods.

The extreme temperatures experienced were far outside the range of past observed temperatures, making it difficult to quantify exactly how rare the event is in the current climate and would have been without human-caused climate change — but the researchers concluded that it would have been “virtually impossible” without human influence.

The study was conducted by 27 researchers, including scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in Canada, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and the UK, as part of the World Weather Attribution group. This is an international collaboration that analyses and communicates the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events, such as storms, extreme rainfall, heatwaves, cold spells, and droughts.

“What we are seeing is unprecedented. You’re not supposed to break records by four or five degrees Celsius (seven to nine degrees Fahrenheit). This is such an exceptional event that we can’t rule out the possibility that we’re experiencing heat extremes today that we only expected to come at higher levels of global warming,” said Friederike Otto, of the Environmental change Institute at the University of Oxford.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: WMO

ENV.NET – Circular Economy and Climate Change

17.07.2021

The third cycle of the project “ENV.net factoring the environmental portfolio for the Western Balkans and Turkey in the EU Policy Agenda” (ref. No. 2017 / 394-372) – ENV.net3 was realized in the period from December 2017 to December 2020. Over the three years, well-known partners from the previous two cycles of ENV.net projects, successfully implemented from 2012 to 2016, used resources, knowledge and experience to build a strong network that represents a unique force in advocating and advancing policies through empowerment and opportunities for citizens to have their voices heard.

During the last third ENV.net cycle, the partners worked to strengthen the links made between the various stakeholders in the EU accession countries, to draw the attention of the media and decision-makers to key environmental issues. In the three years, the goal of the ENV.net3 project was fulfilled related to the contribution to the improvement of environmental policies in accordance with EU standards, in terms of strengthening interactions between individual actors in environmental protection, such as civil society organizations, media, local communities and decision-makers and policymakers. The joint actions examined potential opportunities for creating a better technical and financial environment to develop partnerships and joint action of all stakeholders.

The achieved results and the long-term regional partnership have led to the strengthening of the profile of ENV.net as a leading network that connects various participants in environmental protection in the Western Balkans and Turkey in relation to the EU. In addition to the Ambassador for Sustainable Development and Environment, the project partners are six organizations from the Western Balkans and two organizations from the EU: 4X4X4 Balkan Bridges, Advocacy Training and Resource Center, Green Home, Lir Evolution, TEMA – the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and Protection of Natural Habitats, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Foundation Punto Sud.

The Circular economy encompasses but also goes beyond waste management Perhaps the project’s biggest success is the launch of a discussion related to the circular economy in the region, as well as the intensification of activities related to climate change. Activities related to the exchange of experiences with partners from EU countries were adapted to the situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the virtual tour planned for Italy’s experience in the circular economy was organized by Punto Sud partners from Italy, and a special productive way of a consultative virtual meeting with EU representatives, organized by EEB, a partner from Belgium, was used in a very productive way. Also, the participation of the representatives of the ENV.net project in the conference of the signatories of the UN Convention on Climate Change was realized.

In focus:

Besides, the ambassadors of sustainable development and the environment participated in scientific and professional conferences, presenting the results of the ENV.net project (such as the Fifth Eurasian Symposium on Waste Management), where Prof. Andjelka Mihajlov PhD., a thematic expert on the ENV.net project in Serbia, presented the paper “Circular economy surpasses waste management.” A new paper was accepted, which will be presented in 2021 at an international conference in Athens (“Communication and Management”). It is based on research conducted by the Ambassadors of Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the Ebart Media Archive, during the ENV.net3 project cycle for the nexus of environmental issues. Also, at the Universities of Belgrade and Novi Sad, as well as at meetings of eco-school coordinators, representatives of various educational institutions involved in the Eco-school program, lectures were held to students and teachers on the basics of circular economy and climate change to stimulate their reactions and readiness to act. The circular economy is one of the main topics of this cycle of the ENV.net project. Introducing the circular economy in different segments and towards different interested parties has contributed to a better understanding of the concept and concept and further promotion of the transition from linear to so-called “circular economy” in different local communities. Eco-schools and civil society organizations in Serbia have played a special role in this through the sub-grant scheme within the ENV.net project.

Four organizations: Zlatibor Circle from Čajetina, Planet from Sombor, Eco-Musketeers from Belgrade and the Center of Expertise for Natural and Economic Resources from Belgrade, in cooperation with Eco-schools in their local communities, developed relations with decision-makers and presented the results of work so far in promoting the concept of a circular economy and their efforts to combat climate change. The sub grants were awarded to civil society organizations that had joint activities with Eco-schools from their communities. They chose the topics of circular economy, climate change or monitoring progress in the development of environmental policies. Also, within the subgrants, together with the Ambassadors of Sustainable Development, an analysis of policies/regulations related to the environment and climate change in Serbia was made and presented in the form of a monitoring matrix, which can serve in further work on establishing sustainable and integrated environmental protection system, including all actors and stakeholders.

Longer used resources reduce the amount of waste

The analysis “Circular Economy in Serbia – The Process Started” was created to develop a methodology for assessing the state of the circular economy in the Western Balkans and Turkey through the project ENV.net3. Authors Prof. Andjelka Mihajlov, PhD, Aleksandra Mladenović and Filip Jovanović, within this analysis (which was done as a compilation of a limited amount of available information), understand the term circular economy as follows: Circular economy is an economy in which the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy as long as possible, and waste generation is minimized. This is in contrast to the “linear economy”, which is based on the model of production and consumption “take, consume and discard”.

That is how the first report on the circular economy was created, presented at the first regional conference on the circular economy held in November 2018 in Belgrade, where all previous participants in the process of introducing the circular economy in Serbia were presented international organizations, national and local decision-makers, civil society organizations and, of course, economic entities that have based part or all of their production on the principles of the circular economy.

The following progress reports on the further development of the circular economy in the Western Balkans and Turkey were presented at two more regional conferences held in Tirana and the last virtual conference hosted by Turkish partners. The partners of the Ambassador for Sustainable Development and Environment in the advocacy campaign during the ENV.net 3 project on the topics of circular economy and climate change were the French Institute in Serbia, local communities, the EU Convention in Serbia and of course, Eco-schools. ENV.net 3 project and project “Caravan for Climate – All active in the fight against climate change!” crossed paths and together tried to point out the problems of climate change, raise awareness of the existence of this global problem and mobilize citizens, the economy, public institutions and decision-makers. “Green growth” was presented as a new opportunity for development through the promotion of simple and operational solutions that every citizen or business entity, decision-maker or civil society organization can apply and fight against climate change in their own way.

Eco-schools from a dozen cities in Serbia had the opportunity to host the exhibitions “Life of Garbage” and “Conquering Renewable Energy Sources” and encourage local decision-makers to take actions that will lead to environmental improvement and climate change mitigation. Together with the National Convention in Serbia, the need to support all initiatives that bring Serbia closer to the realization of the concept of circular economy was emphasized. It was proposed to the competent Ministry of Environmental Protection to adopt an innovative National Strategy for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Goods which would strategically complete all areas of importance for the circular economy along with the National Waste Management Strategy.

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY march 2021.-may 2021.

Global Electricity Demand is Growing Faster than Renewables, Driving Strong Increase in Generation From Fossil Fuels

16.07.2021

struja koridor žice wires electric — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Fre Sonneveld)

Renewables are expanding quickly but not enough to satisfy a strong rebound in global electricity demand this year, resulting in a sharp rise in the use of coal power that risks pushing carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity sector to record levels next year, says a new report from the International Energy Agency.

After falling by about 1 percent in 2020 due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, global electricity demand is set to grow by close to 5 percent in 2021 and 4 percent in 2022 – driven by the global economic recovery – according to the latest edition of the IEA’s semi-annual Electricity Market Report released today. The majority of the increase in electricity demand is expected to come from the Asia Pacific region, primarily China and India.

Based on current policy settings and economic trends, electricity generation from renewables – including hydropower, wind and solar PV – is on track to grow strongly around the world over the next two years – by 8 percent in 2021 and by more than 6 percent in 2022. But even with this strong growth, renewables will only be able to meet around half the projected increase in global electricity demand over those two years, according to the new IEA report.

Fossil fuel-based electricity generation is set to cover 45 percent of additional demand in 2021 and 40 percent in 2022, with nuclear power accounting for the rest. As a result, carbon emissions from the electricity sector – which fell in both 2019 and 2020 – are forecast to increase by 3.5 percent in 2021 and by 2.5 percent in 2022, which would take them to an all-time high.

Renewable growth has exceeded demand growth in only two years: 2019 and 2020. But in those cases, it was largely due to exceptionally slow or declining demand, suggesting that renewables outpacing the rest of the electricity sector is not yet the new normal.

“Renewable power is growing impressively in many parts of the world, but it still isn’t where it needs to be to put us on a path to reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century,” said Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security. “As economies rebound, we’ve seen a surge in electricity generation from fossil fuels. To shift to a sustainable trajectory, we need to massively step up investment in clean energy technologies – especially renewables and energy efficiency.”

In the pathway set out in IEA’s recent Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050, nearly three-quarters of global emissions reductions between 2020 and 2025 take place in the electricity sector. To achieve this decline, the pathway calls for coal-fired electricity generation to fall by more than 6 percent a year.

However, coal-fired electricity generation is set to increase by almost 5 percent this year and by a further 3 percent in 2022, potentially reaching an all-time high, according to the Electricity Market Report. Gas-fired generation, which declined 2 percent in 2020, is expected to increase by 1 percent in 2021 and by nearly 2 percent in 2022. The growth of gas lags that of coal because it plays a smaller role in the fast-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region and it faces competition from renewables in Europe and North America.

Since the IEA’s last Electricity Market Report in December 2020, extreme cold, heat and drought have caused serious strains and disruptions to electricity systems across the globe – in countries ranging from the United States and Mexico to China and Iraq. In response, the IEA is establishing an Electricity Security Event Scale to track and classify major power outages, based on the duration of the disruption and the number of affected customers. The Texas power crisis in February, where millions of customers were without power for up to four days because of icy weather, was assigned the most severe rating on this scale.

Source: IEA

Growing Underwater Noise in the Arctic Puts Whales and Other Animals at Risk

16.07.2021

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Paola Ocaranza)

Until recently, the Arctic Ocean’s ice cover made it a natural “acoustic refuge” for marine animals for much of the year. Many marine animals, including narwhals, belugas, and bowhead whales, rely on clicks, whistles, songs and other noises to locate food, raise calves, and find mates for survival.

But melting sea ice has led to expanded shipping routes and increased oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. As a result of new shipping routes, the type and amount of noise underwater has significantly changed, and that traffic is expected to quadruple by 2025.

This activity puts whales and other species at tremendous risk and there is an urgent need to understand the impacts on these animals, upon which many coastal and Indigenous communities depend. Human-driven noise affects the animals’ ability to locate food, find mates, navigate, communicate, and evade predators, and can cause commercial fish species to abandon their habitats. And noise travels further underwater than above, further underscoring the threat to marine life.

Ship propellers, seismic booms, and construction are just some of the man-made noises that disrupt life under water—and their frequency is growing. A new report released by the Arctic Council—an intergovernmental and stakeholder forum for the Arctic—outlines the extent of disruption.

In just seven years, underwater noise has doubled in some areas of the Arctic. This is an incredibly rapid and concerning increase that puts wildlife in danger.

Natural sounds—and the animals that rely upon them—are in danger of being overwhelmed by an increasingly loud and man-made racket.

These Arctic Council’s findings are a wakeup call to countries and the shipping industry to turn down the volume of industrial noise in the Arctic, it cannot be left unchecked.

But something can be done. Shipping operators can immediately make a positive impact by slowing down and directing travel routes away from key habitats, Indigenous-use areas, and protected areas. Slowing ships down by just 10 percent can reduce noise pollution by as much as 40 percent in some cases.

Arctic nations—including Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States— must acknowledge the global impacts of underwater noise and take action to keep noises at safe levels by pushing for quiet vessel designs, slower ship speeds, and changes in global regulated shipping routes.

These eight nations can stop the spread of underwater noise and gain a better understanding of its impacts on marine biodiversity and coastal and Indigenous communities, whose cultures and livelihoods depend upon a healthy marine environment.

Source: WWF

EBRD and EU Support Packaging Producer in Serbia

15.07.2021

egg-pakovanje — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Packaging is a crucial feature of successful product marketing and greatly influences business and sales growth. Comex, a Serbian company specialising in the production of flexible food and non-food packaging and wrapping materials since 1990, knows this all too well.

“Even though packaging is a very specialised sector, it is also very competitive,” says Rajko Pribilović, General Director of Comex. “Our recipe for success consists of three key ingredients: focus on our clients, dedicated employees and a drive to improve.”

The business has grown over the years to serve customers in Serbia and abroad. Comex now sells its products to more than 200 customers, with exports accounting for around 40 percent of sales.

“We operate in an extremely dynamic environment, but keep up with the latest trends through permanent innovation and investment in production processes and technology and by keeping abreast of industry standards,” Pribilović says.

Being up to date with current trends requires investment in new equipment and adherence to globally recognised standards. An EBRD and European Union (EU)-supported programme offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access to credit lines through local partner financial institutions precisely for this kind of project.

Once SMEs have successfully completed their investment, they are eligible for a cashback grant of 15 percent, significantly reducing the overall cost. In addition, SMEs can obtain EBRD advisory support, which, in Serbia, is also funded by the EU.

“After we successfully implemented world-recognised ISO standards, which helped us to harmonise our production with the highest international safety and quality regulations, the next step was to upgrade our technology,” says Pribilović.

His company decided to invest in a new printing machine, financed with a EUR 1 million loan from Banca Intesa. In addition to the loan, the company also received a EUR 150,000 grant, funded by the EU.

“The investment allowed us to replace old equipment with the latest technology, which led to several improvements, primarily in reducing our primary energy consumption, but also in boosting occupational health and safety standards,” he adds.

Investing in competitiveness pays off in the long run, generating higher sales, better-quality products and greater production capacity, among other things. Thus, the EBRD-EU programme in the Western Balkans improves SMEs’ access to well-structured finance and business advice, helping them grow.

To date, the programme has supported more than 100 businesses in Serbia with more than EUR 26 million worth of loans and grants, available through Banca Intesa and UniCredit Bank.

This is just a small portion of the total amount the EBRD provides to the private sector in Serbia. In 2020 alone, the EBRD provided more than EUR 480 million in financing to privately owned companies, the majority of which went to SMEs.

Source: EBRD

In 2020, U.S. Coal Production Fell To Its Lowest Level Since 1965

15.07.2021

rudnik_ugalj — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Gerold Hinzen)

U.S. coal production totaled 535 million short tons (MMst) in 2020, a 24 percent decrease from the 706 MMst mined in 2019 and the lowest level of coal production in the United States in any year since 1965.

The decline of U.S. coal production in 2020 was largely the result of less demand for coal internationally and less U.S. electric power sector demand for coal. Lower natural gas prices made coal less competitive for power generation. U.S. coal-fired generation fell 20 percent from 2019.

Natural gas prices started 2020 relatively low because mild winter weather led to less natural gas demand for space heating, and prices remained low as the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced both natural gas production and consumption.

U.S. coal exports were 26 percent lower in 2020 than they were in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed global demand for coal, and some U.S. coal mines were idled for extended periods to slow the spread of the virus among workers. Coal exports decreased significantly in April 2020 as the United States and countries around the world responded to the pandemic.

The Clean Air Act of 1970 restricted sulfur emissions from new coal-fired power plants. One way for coal plants to meet the emissions regulations was to use subbituminous coal, which has a lower sulfur content than other coal types. This change, along with the oil shortages and the resulting high oil prices of the 1970s that made coal more economical, contributed to the expansion of mining and the development of large, open-pit coal mines in the Powder River Basin (located in Northeast Wyoming and Southeast Montana), where the majority of subbituminous coal in the United States is found.

One of the largest U.S. coal-producing mines by volume, Black Thunder, opened in Wyoming in 1977. Today, the Powder River Basin accounts for approximately 43 percent of all coal produced in the United States.

More coal is produced in Wyoming, representing 41 percent of U.S. coal production (219 MMst) in 2020, than in any other state. Coal production in Wyoming was 21 percent lower in 2020 than it was in 2019.

Coal production in West Virginia, the state with the second-most coal output, fell by an even larger share than Wyoming in 2020, declining 28 percent from 2019. West Virginia is a primary producer of metallurgical coal, which is used to produce coke, the primary fuel for steelmaking. U.S. metallurgical coal exports dropped 20 percent in 2020.

Coal production stopped after the first quarter of 2020 in Oklahoma and Tennessee.

We estimate weekly coal production using coal railcar loadings. So far in 2021, weekly coal railcar loadings have been trending higher than 2020 levels, and the most recent year-to-date coal railcar loadings are up 9,5 percent compared with 2020.

We expect these increases in production to continue for the remainder of 2021. In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that U.S. coal production will increase by 15 percent in 2021, driven primarily by rising electricity demand, and U.S. exports will increase by 21 percent, driven by rising demand for steam coal in Europe and Asia.

Source: Clean Technica

Sustainability is in Fashion

14.07.2021

DOM (4) — Photo: Courtesy of Dunja and Marija

The concept of fast fashion prevails in the fashion industry. Garments are mass produced, and from harmful materials, and in the process of their creation, many natural resources are consumed. When we consider the rights of workers in this industry are often abused, it is clear that there is no place for the concept of sustainability in this kind of fashion. On the other hand, we as users are not sinless either. We still don’t recognize unsustainability in the way we wear clothes. We buy a lot and recklessly, as marketing and trends dictate to us, and we wear that clothes for a short time, which leads to the accumulation of textile waste in landfills.

We talked to Dunja Jovanović and Marija Radaković, the authors of the F.fm podcast show, about what sustainable fashion is and how to adopt a healthy attitude towards clothes. In their show, they and their interlocutors from the domestic fashion industry seek a balance between fashion and environmental protection. The F.fm podcast is a radio format that is broadcast every other Wednesday of the month on RadioAparat.com.

Three years ago, Dunja and Marija launched Sustainable Fashion Day, an event held twice a year as part of the official program of Belgrade Fashion Week. In the meantime, they worked on a podcast, wrote columns, held forums and fairs of sustainable local brands, and finally founded the Association for Sustainable Initiatives with the idea of influencing environmental and social change through education and action.

How to tell if a fashion brand is sustainable?

Sustainable fashion is a holistic approach to the design, production, sale, consumption and use of clothing, accessories, and footwear to restoring ecosystems and respecting and protecting human rights, thus enabling the equal development of communities. But what does it mean when we say that a material is sustainable?

In their posts on Instagram, Dunja and Marija mention textiles made from cork, “leather” made from cactus and biosporin. Today, there is more and more talk about mushrooms and their use in the textile industry.

In focus:

Our readers had the opportunity to read in the previous issue the story of the new material Biosporin, which is an ecological alternative to styrofoam, and was obtained from one type of fungus. This material is produced (or perhaps a better word – grown) by the domestic startup SOMA, and their idea is to replace different types of packaging with it. They are already working with wineries and ceramic producers who want their products to be completely sustainable. California-based company MycoWorks has developed an alternative to animal and plastic skin from a single type of fungus. This material, in addition to being completely safe to wear, is not sprayed with various chemicals, as is the case with other skin types. When it decomposes in a landfill, it actually turns into fertilizer. Maja Halilović and Adrien Ujhazi made sure that our region does not lag behind the world. They work on the development of skin from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, which is also very sustainable. Research is ongoing, and it should answer how this material behaves when worn and how it is maintained.

The authors of the F.fm podcast believe that in addition to the problems caused by today’s fashion industry, it is important to continuously communicate alternatives to today’s fast fashion system to inform citizens about possible solutions and better choices available to us – such as domestic, small local brands. They are one of the options of sustainable fashion because they produce a small series of clothes. They consider every aspect of the business – from materials through working conditions to product packaging. It is very encouraging that more and more brands on the local scene are thinking about making their business (more) sustainable.

“On our Instagram profile, we have several separate cat- egories dedicated to domestic producers, as well as a series of posts #domacicakida, so we suggest readers explore the local scene and other brands behind really great, creative and responsible people”, Dunja reveals how to keep up. Recommended manufacturers include:

@marijahandmade , in addition to recycling fabrics and materials, also employs women from vulnerable categories;

@thema.page – children’s clothing brand that uses certified organic cotton;

@manonija introduced an ordering system according to which sewing is started only after a certain number of orders;

@ivkowomen company introduces numerous innovations such as electricity from renewable energy sources, water purification, fabric recycling and production certification.

Marija also points out the work of fashion designer Ana Trošić Trajković, who opened the concept store Biro 354c three years ago, where clothes can be rented and redesigned to extend its shelf life. There is also a team of young people who are developing an application for exchanging clothes, and their profile on Instagram is Barter.rs.

Prepared by: Jovana Canić

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY, march 2021 – may 2021.

San Diego International Airport Goes 100 percent Renewable Electricity

14.07.2021

avion — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Marcus Zymmer)

San Diego International Airport may be the home base for an enormous amount of emissions from all the airplanes flying in and out of there, but the airport itself is becoming one of the greenest when it comes to its electricity supply.

San Diego International Airport is working with San Diego Community Power (SDCP), a not-for-profit community choice energy program, to get 100 percent clean, carbon-free, renewable energy supply. The airport is signed up for the Power100 service, which means that SDCP will provide it with 100 percent renewable electricity.

This new partnership means that San Diego International Airport is switching to 100 percent renewable electricity almost 15 years early, as its target was to achieve this milestone by 2035.

“Having the opportunity to work with San Diego Community Power enables us to reach our goal of 100 percent renewable electricity well before our planned timing of 2035,” said Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority President and CEO. “SDCP’s ability to provide reliable, zero-carbon energy at competitive costs is a gamechanger for us and everyone in the region.”

“As one of our first Power100 Champions, we hope SAN’s choice will inspire additional businesses to upgrade to 100 percent clean energy enabling us to reinvest even more in the community,” said Bill Carnahan, Interim CEO of San Diego Community Power. “As a local not-for-profit, all of our excess revenue will be invested locally in workforce development, job training, aid for communities of concern, and training and employing local workers.”

San Diego Community Power indicates that it offers Power100 service and PowerOn service, the latter of which provides 50 percent renewable electricity supply, but there are not many Power100 customers yet.

San Diego Community Power will start offering renewable electricity packages like these to residents in February 2022.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Source: Clean Technica

Global Call for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable Land Management

13.07.2021

Registration is now open for the Global Call for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable Land Management. The international competition aims to identify and promote readily deployable and scalable solutions and innovative technologies from the private sector, which address the adverse effects of climate change and ultimately contribute to inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economic development in developing countries.

Initiated by the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Germany (ITPO Germany) and hosted by the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Network (ITP Network), this year’s Global Call is supported by other UN agencies, such as UNCCD and UNFCCC. It is conducted in cooperation with Future Cleantech Architects (FCA), a leading German think tank, and focuses on four categories:

1. Decarbonizing growing urban environments

Innovative solutions for decarbonizing growing urban environments by addressing the demands and distribution of water, agricultural, energy, mobility and other resources, as well as solutions for areas that are vulnerable to climate change (e.g. coastal areas);

2. Clean and efficient energy generation and storage

Innovative solutions for generating and distributing energy in a clean and smart way, especially affordable and decentralized renewable energy solutions that are applicable in developing countries;

3. Circular production and industrial processes

Innovative solutions related to the reuse, recycling and remanufacturing of resources, as well as energy and process efficiency solutions and smart approaches for more climate-cautious consumption;

4. Sustainable land management

Innovative solutions for productive lands, including new technologies and approaches to production with a demonstrable positive contribution to soil health, land rehabilitation and combating desertification.

The competition is open to private sector entities (micro, small, medium enterprises, and large companies and start-ups) interested in sharing their technical expertise, know-how and best practices which can contribute to solve the global challenges posed by climate change. Applications should be submitted in one of the above-mentioned categories and must fall into one of the following sub-categories: technological solutions in the early stage; technological solutions in the growth stage; mature technological solutions.

Submitted applications will be evaluated by a jury of experts who will determine a maximum of 12 winners, in line with the four categories and three subcategories of the competition. Winners will be announced during a hybrid award ceremony on 26 October 2021. Besides other rewards, the winning applicants will be given the opportunity to showcase their solutions at international events related to the Global Call’s strategic categories and will receive advisory services from the ITP Network.

Applications must be received by 2 August 2021 via this online form.

More information on the Global Call for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable Land Management can be found on its dedicated webpage.

Source: UNIDO

Securing Food, Protecting Biodiversity

13.07.2021

cereals-žitarice-hrana — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, today told a gathering of experts, diplomats and senior officials that the agricultural world and the environmental world needed to “listen to each other and collaborate.”

He was speaking at the Global Dialogue on the Role of Food and Agriculture in the Global Biodiversity Framework – an event jointly organized by FAO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).“We must conserve biodiversity because we want to meet the increasing demand for agricultural products. There is no healthy food without a healthy environment,” Qu added, while simultaneously extolling the role of technology and collective action in reconciling those pursuits.

He stressed that securing “food, fibre, feed and fuel” while protecting and restoring ecosystems was both possible and necessary. It is precisely through the conservation of precious resources, Qu suggested, that humanity can build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.

There was wide agreement on the distance yet to be travelled. The Executive Secretary of the CBD, Elisabeth Maruma Mrema, called for decisive moves to promote not just the diversity of crops, but “all species in-between that inhabit our productive landscapes”.

Joint platform, dual agenda

It was the second time in as many months that Qu and Mrema had shared a platform to highlight joint approaches. In late May, they spoke as the United Nations launched its Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. That gathering heard urgent calls for the emergence of a “global restoration culture,” amid evidence that more than three billion people are suffering from some form of ecosystems degradation; a third of all fish stocks are being exploited unsustainably; and every year, deforestation wipes out an area the size of the Republic of Korea.

As the Global Dialogue opened, Mrema noted that the role of indigenous people and local communities would be critical in “bending the curve of biodiversity loss”. She pointed out that “the time for systemic change is now”.

Outlining FAO’s efforts to tackle the challenge, Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo referenced the Organization’s recent Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across the Agricultural Sectors, which aims to ensure that “biodiversity and the services it provides are factored into all relevant agriculture and food policies and practices”. “Biodiversity,” Semedo said, “needs to be an integral part of all stages and levels of decision-making and actions.”

Nutrition and biodiversity

There were similar calls from Gerda Verburg, Coordinator of the Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, who congratulated the organizers for “bringing the interests of people and the planet together”. Verburg said the manifold rise in agricultural production in the last half-century, while it had helped feed the world, had come at a high cost.

“The current food system is bankrupting our health system, while exhausting biodiversity,” Verburg stressed as she urged a change in mindsets, away from generating calories and towards ensuring healthy nutritious food for all. “We need to produce smarter,” she added, calling for policies that include paying farmers for ecosystem preservation services, and for more determined moves towards gender equality in the food production system.

Thanawat Tiensin, Chair of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and co-chair of the Global Dialogue, joined Verburg in stressing the importance of protecting biodiversity as the world seeks to promote nutrition and food security. His co-chair, Ambassador Marie-Therese Sarch of the United Kingdom, concurred as she outlined the process whereby the conclusions of the Dialogue will inform the United Nations Food Systems Summit, scheduled in New York later this year (with a pre-summit in Rome).

Also in late 2021, the Chinese city of Kunming will host the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Source: FAO

The Eye Of Fire In The Gulf Of Mexico Wasn’t The Only Time The Ocean Caught Fire This Year

12.07.2021

Meksički zaliv-požar — Foto: Printscreen/Youtube

Remember the fire that happened in the Gulf of Mexico a few days ago? This wasn’t the first ocean fire of this year and definitely not the last. So far, there were three in total.

Each of the ocean fires had different causes, but I don’t think anyone was expecting the ocean to catch fire on three different occasions this year. Even after the wild year that 2021 was. I kind of expected the extreme heat, hurricanes, and wildfires, but ocean fires?

Lagos, Nigeria

This first ocean fire happened in Ajah, Lagos, back in May. The video noted that there was a mysterious fire burning on the water. Take note that the fire is moving towards the shore where the people are. Also, take note of how high the flames are rising in the smoke. Before you assume that the fire was caused by a boat explosion, take a look at the boats in the video. These are all wooden boats that don’t seem to have any type of gasoline engine attached to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAofzNQa9IU

The fire eventually reached the shore and people started realizing this and panicking. You can see the smoke engulfing the palm trees as the fire moves onto the shore. The video ended with the fire moving in on the trees–I am not sure if the trees caught on fire or if the fire was put out. Browsing the comment section of that particular YouTube video, there were many theories as to how this happened. Some thought it was God, while someone said it was probably an NNPC pipe with petroleum inside of it. The prevailing guess seems to be that an underwater pipeline blew up.

Gulf Today reported on the story but didn’t really have much to add except what users commenting on the original Instagram video were saying. The article did add that many thought there was some type of oil spill from the release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons.

National Light had a bit more information to add, including a statement from an anonymous eyewitness who said that such a thing has never happened at the beach. “I have not seen this kind of fire outbreak inside the ocean. Some people are arguing that it could be a tyre burning inside the water, but such notion cannot stand because the fire was coming straight from the water and no object was visible to be attributed with the cause of the fire.”

Caspian Sea

This next fire is actually more recent. On July 4th, an eruption south of the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku sent fire exploding into the sky. The fire is believed to be caused by a mud volcano. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) told the APA that none of its oil platforms were affected by the fire. Also, there were no injuries reported.

“There have been no accidents on offshore platforms and industrial facilities under the direct control of SOCAR, and work is continuing normally,” Ibrahim Ahmadov, deputy head of SOCAR’s public relations and events department, told the APA.

WATCH: Large explosion reported near oil platform in the Caspian Sea; officials say it may have been caused by a mud volcano pic.twitter.com/eqwNw110bF
— BNO News (@BNONews) July 4, 2021

A mud volcano is a type of volcano that erupts with muddy fluids instead of lava. Mud volcanoes are caused by water that is heated deep inside the earth. The water mixes with rocks and minerals to create a slurry that is forced up to the surface via fissures.

They can range from tiny fractures to much larger holes that are hundreds of meters high and miles wide. CNET noted that if they happen to be near something like an oil field, they could be mixed into oil and natural gas systems. When they erupt, the oil and gas spew into the sky with the mud. It’s not clear how they could ignite, but the pressure change or even sparks created by rocks smashing into each other during an eruption could have a part to play.

Mark Tingay analyzed the fire in a Twitter thread and he noted that this could have been the Makarov Bank mud volcano, which has done this before.

He also noted that there were other reports that said it could have been a fire from a rig or platform. He pointed out that many didn’t think a mud volcano could cause a fire, but Tingay shared a video of one back in 2019 sending up fire. He shared another tweet that had footage of the blast and noted that the fireball was clearly visible on the horizon.

Tingay said that the footage from Baku is right out into the Caspian and he drew a rough area of where the footage was looking out to, less than a 50-kilometer distance. He thought it was too close to be Qum Daniz and that if it’s a known volcano, the most likely candidate is Makarov Bank, which he had a file on since it erupted in 1958 with a massive 500-meter high fireball.

A day or later, he shared an image from Simon Carn that showed the thermal anomaly the previous night in the Caspian. Data from NASA confirmed that the anomaly wasn’t there in the days leading up to the fireball, which led Tingay to believe the source of the fireball was actually Ignatiy Stone Island mud volcano. This was later confirmed by Liveuamap on Twitter, which showed a video of the morning footage of the mud eruption on Dashly Island, another name for Ignatiy Stone Bank.

Conclusion

Two of the three fires were not naturally caused, and the latter fire wasn’t an actual ocean fire as was the case for the other two. However, the fact that these mud volcanos are close to oil drilling platforms is pretty wild. It doesn’t make sense to me that oil companies would drill near volcanoes of any sort, but then again, they don’t care about the air we breathe, so why should they care as to whether or not they accidentally set off a volcanic eruption?

Please note that the last question was rhetorical. Let’s hope that there will be no more ocean fires. The idea of water being on fire is not attractive at all.

Source: Clean Technica

Snøhetta & Saferock Turn Mining Waste Into Zero-Carbon Concrete

11.07.2021

cement_beton — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hannen Krimly)

Internationally renowned Norwegian architecture and design company Snøhetta has teamed up with Norwegian startup Saferock to develop a zero-carbon concrete for use in construction. This is big news considering the level of carbon emissions of the construction industry; currently, cement production is responsible for 8 percent of global carbon emissions. In order to meet the targets set by the Paris agreement, the amount of carbon emissions that are produced during the production of concrete will need to be significantly reduced.

The good news is that the method developed by Snøhetta and Saferock produces much less carbon emissions than traditional techniques, and that by 2025 the whole process will be carbon neutral. The progress has been made by focusing on producing geopolymer concrete, a manufactured molecular material formed from the waste minerals that are a by-product of the mining industries and power plants.

At the moment, Portland cement is the most common type of cement and it is used as the basic ingredient of concrete. It is estimated that the new geopolymer method produces 70 percent less carbon than Portland cement. This is a huge reduction, and if the production of the material can be scaled to replace the use of Portland cement, then the total impact on carbon emissions will be massive.

To put it in context, aviation fuel is responsible for 2,5 percent of carbon emissions and agriculture is responsible for 12,5 percent At 8 percent, the emissions from cement production sit in between these two, showing the size of its footprint and the huge potential that geopolymers have for bringing this figure down.

The lower carbon footprint is not the only benefit of the new geopolymer technique — geopolymers possess a higher temperature and chemical resistance as well as significantly lower permeability. The fact that this is all generated from industrial waste materials that would otherwise be disposed of makes it even more advantageous.

In a statement from Snøhetta and Saferock, the team said: “The first step of the research project is to pilot and scale up the development of tomorrow’s building materials in the form of low emission concrete. The next step will be to ensure that the technology and materials are a part of a circular ecosystem. This will truly impact the industry’s environmental footprint.”

They then go on to outline the future vision for the partnership: “By 2025, the aim is to produce fully CO2 neutral concrete. The project is in line with Snøhetta’s mission to reduce the environmental footprint of the building industry, and to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable building materials.”

It’s a bold vision and plan, and exactly what is needed if we are to stand a chance of effectively reducing global carbon emissions.

Source: Clean Technica

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