Shipments of
Russian oil, totalling 257,000 tonnes, have been imported into the UK
since the war in Ukraine began, a new analysis of industry data by
Greenpeace UK reveals [1]. The imports, which equate to 1.9 million
barrels, have an estimated value of almost £220 million.
A total of eight tankers have
delivered shipments of Russian oil to the UK since Russia first invaded
Ukraine on 24 February, averaging one every week. Another tanker
carrying 33,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, destined for the UK, is
currently at anchor off the coast of Immingham in Lincolnshire.
More than four fifths of the oil
imports have been Russian diesel, with the rest made up of fuel oil [2].
The UK currently relies on Russia for 8% of oil and 18% of diesel imports and despite pledging “unwavering support” to Ukraine, Boris Johnson has left the door open to Russian oil imports until the end of the year.
The UK government has imposed a ban on Russian owned, operated or flagged ships
from entering the UK. However, Russian fossil fuels are still able to
pour into Britain via tankers owned and flagged by other nations.
All Russian fossil fuel shipments
that have arrived in Britain since the war began have been imported
legally, rendering the UK government’s ban on Russian ships tokenistic.
Greenpeace UK is calling for the
sanctions to be tightened and a genuine and immediate ban imposed on all
Russian fossil fuel imports, in order to stop the flow of fossil fuel
money to Vladamir Putin that is funding his bloody war in Ukraine [3].
Georgia Whitaker, oil and gas campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said:
“The UK government is no stranger to hypocrisy but pledging ‘unwavering
support’ to Ukraine while shipping in almost 2 million barrels of
Russian oil is utterly disingenuous, even by Boris Johnson’s standards.
“This war has cost at least 2,000
civilian lives so far [4]. That’s 2,000 innocent deaths largely funded
by fossil fuels. Despite the mounting death toll, the UK government has
given itself until the end of the year to stop importing Russia’s bloody
oil.
“Sanctions don’t work until they’re
implemented and eight more months of oil and gas imports is eight months
too many. It’s clear we need an explicit and immediate ban on all
Russian fossil fuels.”
Greenpeace has been monitoring Russian fossil fuel shipments since the war began, through its Russian Tanker Tracker Twitter bot [5], which uses shipping data to monitor supertankers delivering oil and gas from the country.
Six of the shipments to the UK have
come from the Russian port of Primorsk, with the remaining two from
Tuapse and Vysotsk. They have been imported into five ports across the
UK in Merseyside, Essex, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire.
In addition to banning Russian oil
and gas imports, Greenpeace UK is calling for the government to end the
UK’s dependence on fossil fuels altogether and stop wasting energy by
improving the energy efficiency of buildings and rolling out low carbon
heating. This would not only stop the flow of money to Putin, but help
tackle the climate crisis as well as reduce soaring energy bills.
I should say I am surprised but unfortunately this is the world that we live in these days. It always comes down to money. It is hard not to get despondent with news like this but I try not to because I know there are millions of us out there who are really trying to make this world a better place for future generations.
The blog song for today is:"the life of riley" by the Lightning Seeds
If you haven't already done so go to the website and they will give instructions as to what to do!
How to take part
Taking part is easy — there are 4 simple steps:
1
Sign up
If you’re not already signed up – that’s the first step. Sign up now to receive your free digital counting pack with everything you need to take part.
2
Get ready to count your plastic!
If
you ordered a postal pack, you should have it by now. In it, we’ve
provided a tally sheet to make it quick and easy for you to record all
the different types of plastic packaging waste you use.
We
suggest putting the tally sheet up somewhere near your bin this
weekend, so come Monday morning you and anyone you live with can see it.
If you ordered a digital pack (or your postal pack didn’t arrive), you can print off your tally sheet at home, at a family or friends, in the library, or at an internet cafe.
Or alternatively you can tally online.
If you’re tallying online, save the link somewhere so you’ve got it to
hand, ready for Monday morning (but remember only one person in your
household can use the tally online).
3
How do you count?
For
7 days, you need to count every single piece of plastic packaging waste
that you throw away - that's plastic waste that you put in the bin and
plastic you put in the recycling. Try to count anything you throw away
while out of the home too.
Some
people like to tally up each piece of plastic as they go along, whereas
others find it easier to save up all of their plastic over the course
of the day or week (storing it in a bag or box) and then tally it up in
one go - it’s totally up to you which you do!
We’ve
tried to make the categories on the Tally as simple and easy to
understand as possible, but if you need any help check out this plastic ID sheet or our FAQs.
4
Submit your results
At the end of the week, whether you’ve tallied as you’ve gone along, or you’re submitting all your data in at once - head over to the website to submit your results.
Please
don’t forget to do this, as this is crucial! Without your data, there
is no investigation - we need thousands of people to take part to ensure
the evidence is as strong as possible. So we really can’t do this
without you.
What
happens if you need to skip a day? Don’t worry! Either you can make up
for it another day and submit your results a bit later, or when you
submit your results you can just tell us how many days you counted for.
You’ll have up until 31 May to submit your results if you need it.
What happens after you count?
Once
you’ve submitted your results, you’ll get your household’s plastic
footprint, and we’ll also share tips to help reduce plastic in
day-to-day life.
Once
we’ve got all the data, scientists will crunch the numbers to work out
the national results. These results will help prove that we need bigger,
bolder action to solve the plastic problem.
We
hope that covers everything you need to know! If you’ve got any other
burning questions then check out our FAQs page which has answers to lots
of common queries.
HELP US INVESTIGATE
Whether you live alone or with friends and family, use hardly any plastic or lots – we need you to be part of this.
With your help, we want to reveal the truth about what actually happens to plastic packaging when it leaves our homes.
We
will use the results from our investigation to show the government just
how bad the UK’s plastic problem is and urge them to act on it.
Although it will not mean anything, I will be counting my plastic here in Menorca, it will be interesting to see the results! I have tried to reduce the amount of plastic I buy!
The blog song for today is: "Bad decisions" by the Strokes
Initially designed for military and civil security use for emergency lighting, glow sticks have applications as varied as camping lights and night-fishing lures.
Yet, you’ll most often see them dangling from the wrists of 7-year-olds
at birthday parties or brandished on nightclub dance floors. They’ve
become almost synonymous with celebrations like Independence Day, Halloween,
and music festivals. But after the celebration, what do you do with
these plastic wands? Are glow sticks recyclable or reusable? And how can
you dispose of them when they stop glowing?
As celebratory as they are, glow sticks pose multiple problems for the environment:
They’re disposable, designed for single use.
They’re made of plastic.
They’re non-recyclable.
They contain questionable chemicals.
Glow Sticks Create Waste
There’s no question that we use a lot of glow sticks. Take a look
around after a parade or a concert. You’ll see thousands strewn about
the ground. The glowing wands are enormously popular. Amazon lists more
than 20,000 different products under the category “glow sticks.” Party
packs come with hundreds of flexible glow sticks that revelers can
fashion into glowing necklaces, bracelets, headbands, and more.
These disposable plastic tubes are single-use plastics — they can only be used once. While they vary on how long their chemical glow lasts, when it stops, they become waste. But concerns about plastic waste don’t seem to be affecting their popularity; a report from Fact.MR projects that glow sticks will only increase in popularity during the next decade.
Are Glow Sticks Toxic?
Glow sticks use several chemicals to create their trademark glow. One, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), is banned in Europe for use in cosmetics. The EPA put DBP under a risk assessment to evaluate health concerns. Specifically, the EPA is looking into DBP’s effects on reproductive and developmental health.
Glow sticks are often labeled nontoxic, but consumers need to be wary of this claim. The term nontoxic has no formal definition,
according to the Federal Trade Commission. In other words, a product
can be labeled as nontoxic, but nobody is being held to account for
making the claim.
Despite DBP being under an EPA assessment, the North Carolina Poison Control Center
states that glow sticks are low in toxicity. They say if you ingest it,
not to be “alarmed if lips and tongue glow for a few minutes.” You can
be the judge on that one.
These glow glowing tubes are single-use plastics, adding to our growing problem with plastic waste.
How Should I Dispose of My Glow Sticks?
There aren’t a lot of great options for safe disposal. The chemicals used in glow sticks contaminate the plastic so it’s not recyclable. Worse, the chemicals can leak into soil and water once they are disposed of.
Some sources advise placing spent glow sticks in plastic bags or bottles before tossing them in the trash. Have you ever seen what happens to trash once it’s picked up? Or watched a video of trash being added to the landfill? It’s hard to imagine that disposable glow sticks survive the bulldozer intact.
To prevent the chemicals in traditional glow sticks from entering the environment, we recommend treating them as household hazardous waste (HHW). Find an HHW drop-off location near you where you can dispose of these items safely.
Are There “Green” Options?
Again, a word of caution about over-generalized terms that have no
regulatory muscle behind them. “Green” and “environmentally friendly”
are two terms commonly used by marketers who are greenwashing the environmental safety of their product.
An Amazon search for “environmentally friendly glow sticks” yielded
72 results. A closer look at three products revealed little to indicate
why they were marketed as “environmentally friendly.”
That being said, there are slightly better alternatives to single-use chemiluminescent glow sticks.
1. LED Alternative
There are glow sticks that use LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead
of chemicals for their light source. There are quite a few, judging by
Amazon’s listing of 10,000 products under that search.
This Life-Gear’s reusable glow stick
use LR44 button batteries that last up to 200 hours. That’s a far cry
from the disposable sticks that last less than a day. You can replace
the batteries to reuse the product over and over. Batteries are e-waste
and need to be disposed of properly.
2. Photoluminescent Alternative
UVPaqlite’s photoluminescent glow sticks
use large strontium aluminate crystals. Similar to glow-in-the-dark
stars that kids stick on their walls, their glow sticks absorb ambient
light and glow for up to 10 hours. Though they only come in one color,
UVPaqlite’s version can be recharged indefinitely.
3. Bioluminescent Alternative
Bioluminescence is the ability of living creatures to create their own light. One company, Nyoka,
is using bioluminescence as the inspiration for its alternative to glow
sticks. It has engineered a dissolvable powder that glows when added to
water. Currently sold out on pre-order, Nyoka’s light wands are reusable with supplemental bioluminescent charges.
These light wands aren’t a scalable — or affordable — option at this
point. Nyoka sold them for $100 on its Kickstarter campaign but the
company is still fairly new. It’s possible that, with each new phase of
development, the price will come down.
To Glow or Not To Glow?
What’s an eco-minded person to do when it comes to glow sticks? As
with so many other products, the best choice for the planet is simply
refusing to buy them. But do those of us who care always have to deny
ourselves the fun stuff?
Maybe we need a little balance. Maybe we don’t say no to all that
glows. Maybe we just need a lot more people to join us. Consider this
quote from zero-waste chef Anne-Marie Bonneau, “We don’t need a handful
of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing
it imperfectly.”
One piece of advice: If you must buy a glow stick, you owe it to the planet to take the time to dispose of it responsibly.
I must admit I did wonder what was inside of these harmless looking sticks and now I know. Luckily these are well at the bottom of any of my shopping lists, mainly because I was always reluctant to give them to my kids when they were younger because of what was inside them. If they snapped one, what would happen if the liquid got onto their skin etc..
The blog song for today is " she bangs the drums" by the Stone Roses
May 10, 2022corporate responsibility, sustainable business
As climate issues continue to
escalate, sustainability has become crucial to both the environment and
modern business models. Consequently, some corporations may promote
themselves as sustainable to appeal to consumers without taking the
necessary measures, a practice known as greenwashing.
In light of these trends, you may wonder if any corporate investment in sustainability is genuine.
Companies That Champion Environmental Stewardship
While greenwashing is common, certain companies have taken effective
steps toward sustainability. Determining businesses’ overall
environmental impact can be challenging, but transparency among these
companies highlights impressive strides.
Here are three examples of corporations whose sustainability efforts seem genuine.
1. Autodesk
Construction software company Autodesk placed third on Corporate Knights’ top 100 sustainable companies
in 2022. The company already boasts net-zero emissions, powering all
its buildings, data centers, and cloud services with renewable energy.
Autodesk’s product itself also improves sustainability. The software
helps construction firms streamline their operations and reduce waste,
which, in turn, reduces their ecological impact. Even if companies
employ it for the business benefits, they still stand to reduce
construction-related emissions and solid waste.
2. Ford
Many automakers, from Mercedez-Benz to Lamborghini, are pursuing electrification, Ford was the first U.S. automaker
that committed to the Paris Agreement’s CO2 reduction goals. . The
company aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050, eliminating manufacturing
emissions and water waste on top of vehicle-related emissions.
The company is investing more than $11 billion in electric vehicles,
electrifying even iconic gas cars like the Mustang. Ford plans to
eventually sell only EVs, eliminating its vehicle emissions entirely.
3. Cisco
Tech manufacturing giant Cisco has repeatedly ranked toward the top of sustainability indexes. The company has implemented more than 400 energy efficiency projects in the past five years, and it’s not done yet.
In 2022, Cisco announced plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040,
10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. They’re already on track to meet
those goals, as 85% of its electricity comes from renewables, and it’s
reduced 60% of its direct and indirect emissions.
Companies That Have Engaged in Greenwashing
While Autodesk, Ford, and Cisco have truly embraced sustainability,
going green is merely a marketing tool for others. The following three
corporations’ environmental efforts have fallen short of what they seem.
1. SC Johnson
SC Johnson announced a new Windex bottle made of 100% recycled ocean plastic
in 2019. This led consumers to believe that the company was taking
plastic from the ocean to recycle, but experts pointed out that this
isn’t the case.
The plastic SC Johnson and many similar companies used comes from
plastic banks in Haiti, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This plastic was
“ocean-bound,” meaning it would’ve otherwise ended up in the ocean, but
the company made no distinction. This led many consumers to believe
they were making a larger impact than they actually were.
2. IKEA
IKEA has been outspoken about sustainability, calling for responsible
forest management, protecting endangered species, planting trees, and
announcing plans to reduce its waste. However, Romanian environmental
groups have accused the company of logging without a permit or ecological assessment.
Reporters have also found that IKEA’s wood consumption has doubled in
the past decade, despite its public commitment to reduce waste. The
company has come under fire for similar allegations in the past.
3. Shell
A recent study found that while oil giant Shell has increasingly
mentioned sustainability goals and announced environmental plans, its
actual impact has fallen short of these announcements. Shell’s clean
energy spending reports only go back three years, and the company has missed its historical low-carbon investment pledges.
The company has also increased its oil production, not decreased it, despite “commitments” to go green. It’s also released statements on social media asking consumers what steps they’re taking to go green, shifting the blame for sustainability away from itself.
Corporate Sustainability Initiatives Are a Mixed Bag
While some companies are going above and beyond
to protect the environment, others hinder the movement through rampant
greenwashing. Consumers and governments may have to hold these
businesses accountable to drive meaningful environmental change.
Money is the most powerful motivator you have at your disposal. If
consumers stop buying products from greenwashing brands and instead
spend money at genuinely green companies, it can motivate more
businesses to embrace sustainability. Spreading awareness of these
issues is another important step.
Consumers and environmental organizations should research companies’
environmental efforts before supporting them. Publicly calling out
greenwashing examples can drive action like broader boycotts that
penalize greenwashing. These movements may eventually lead to stricter
environmental regulations, pushing more companies to genuine
sustainability.
About the Author
Oscar Collins is the founder and editor-in-chief at Modded. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for frequent updates on his work.
I was not surprised to read about IKEA, I watched a documentary about them and they are not what they seem to be. It was very disappointing to watch it and afterwards I did look into the claims made in it! It did and does not look very good for them.
It's interesting to see what is going on in the UK regarding promises made during COP26 and how they are using any excuse to wriggle out of them. It really does look quite simple what needs to be done, but the powers that be (who in essence,work for the people who voted for them, but seemed to have forgotten this important fact) are too caught up in everything except what they are paid to do, are not doing it.
The blog song for today is: "Ant Music" by Adam and the Ants
Sitting on top of a hill in mekarwangi village, indonesia, is the ‘piyandeling’ workshop and residence designed by RAW architecture. following the studio’s ‘guha‘ project, this latest design works with local craftsmanship and local materials – predominately bamboo – to create three organic-shaped buildings that integrate into the context.
the project consists of a residence and artisan workshop
Photo courtesy of RAW architecture
The residence is contained within a circular, three-story building with a 3 x 3 m footprint. designed by RAW architecture
for a single family, the program includes two kid’s bedrooms, one
master bedroom, and shared bathrooms. the openable building envelope is
constructed using recycled plastic panels that cover and protect the inner bamboo structure.
the workshop is a floating two-story structure with an undulating roof
The envelope forms an 800 mm service corridor with double cross
air ventilation and double wall insulations to the core living space of
the building. this forms an adaptation of traditional and more
industrial approaches, mixing traditional joineries and glued joinery of
bamboo. the technique is developed from RAW’s guha bambu and alfa omega
projects, which allows the experimentation of the 3 storys of the
bamboo structure by the diagonal bamboo structure of the floor plate
construction.
The residence is contained within the smaller, curved building, which
has been constructed using recycled plastic panels to cover and protect
the inner bamboo structure
The other
building – named saderhana – is a simple 1 story volume located on the
perimeter of the site, which contains a dentist space, design studio,
and underground space. the building is constructed with a stone
platform and bamboo roof providing a ‘talahap’ – overlapping curve
traditional bamboo construction covered with layers of waterproofing
membrane and nipah. the underground studio is constructed with bamboo
skeleton and concrete, which creates a retention wall with bamboo-shaped
formwork. the idea was to create a raw, honest, and humble finish.
Piyandeling is designed by RAW as an example of bricolage architecture. the
project utilizes and adapts local craftsmanship and locally-available
materials to create a design that appears to grow out from the land.
The upper floor of the workshop features an undulating balustrade to
echo the movement of birds or kujang, which is a traditional weapon in
sunda tradition.
An underground studio is constructed with bamboo skeleton and concrete,
which creates a retention wall with bamboo-shaped formwork.
Everyday, bogotá, colombia, sees 740 tons of plastic waste that
could take around 300 years to degrade and we’re quite sure the
situation is the same in different parts of the world.
thankfully, a start up in colombia is trying to mitigate the negative
environmental impact of waste plastic by transforming it into an
alternative construction material. created by fernando llanos and
architect oscar mendez, conceptos plásticos — plastic concepts —
is based on the transformation of plastic residues and rubber in pieces
like blocks, which are used for housing construction.
‘the
objective of plastic concepts is to answer to different problematic
that affect the community nowadays, contributing at the same time with
the reduction of the pollution that plastic residues have on the
environment and his incident on the global warming,’said ricardo rico, business manager, conceptos plásticos.
Conceptos plásticos empowers communities of recyclers around the world, starting in colombia all the way to africa.
to create the LEGO-like building blocks, they use plastics that not
everyone recycles and others that are difficult to dispose of. each type
of plastic gives the bricks a different property, so they are mixed in
different ways to obtain the desired product. the resulting bricks are
easy to assemble, durable and inexpensive. they are also stronger than
traditional construction materials; are thermo-acoustic, meaning they
can be used in both hot and cold weather; they are also anti-seismic;
and do not spread flames.
In 2019, conceptos plásticos partnerted with UNICEF to
develop a factory to convert plastic waste in côte d’ivoire into
modular, easy-to-assemble, low-cost plastic bricks for classrooms.‘this
project is more than just a waste management and education
infrastructure project; it is a functioning metaphor—the growing
challenge of plastic waste turned into literal building blocks for a
future generation of children,’ concluded UNICEF representative aboubacar kampo.
Interested in how plastic is being used around the world as a building material? see another project in kenya on designboom here:
What a great way to deal with the plastic problem and the housing shortage too! I like the way it involves the local community too. I see more and more of these projects popping up all over the world and it gives me a lot of joy to see it.
The blog song for today is: "All right now" by Free
What is – and is not – in the energy strategy and what does it mean for bills?
The energy strategy has a focus on new nuclear, boosting offshore wind and doubling hydrogen production capacity.
Hinkley Point construction (Ben Birchall/PA) / PA Archive
By
Emily Beament
The
Government’s much delayed energy strategy focuses on securing UK energy
supplies in the coming years, but has faced immediate criticism that it
does nothing to help families with soaring bills now.
Here is what is, and is not, in the new strategy.
– Nuclear
There is a big focus on new nuclear, including smaller “modular” reactors, to replace Britain’s ageing fleet, with the Government hoping to get 25% of power supplies from the zero carbon technology by 2050.
That
includes an aim to take the decision to go ahead with one project
within the next two years and for another two projects in the five years
after that, potentially progressing work on up to eight new reactors
across those projects by 2030.
The
nuclear industry has strongly welcomed the plans, which it says will
create tens of thousands of new jobs and help to achieve energy
security, but even industry groups acknowledged that new nuclear power
stations will take well over a decade to build.
The Nuclear
Industry Association said steps are now needed to speed up investment,
such as removing barriers to getting projects started, money from a
promised fund allocated “at pace” and sites made available for
development.
But nuclear power remains relatively expensive, and the Liberal Democrats warned construction of the full eight reactors could add £96 a year to household energy bills.
– Offshore wind
As
part of a drive to generate 95% of UK power from low carbon sources by
2030, with fossil fuels shrinking from around 40% today to 5%, the
Government has set a new ambition for 50 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind
– up from a previous goal of 40GW.
The cost of offshore wind has
fallen dramatically in the past few years, and the energy contracts
windfarm operators have to deliver power are now significantly cheaper
than the current wholesale electricity price which is driven by the high
gas prices.
A sailing boat passes the Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm (Gareth Fuller/PA) / PA Archive
This
means energy prices are lower than they would be without renewables on
the system – a trend expected to continue as more, and cheaper, offshore
wind is added to the grid.
– Onshore wind
Despite
being one of the cheapest forms of electricity, along with solar, and
widely popular with the public, onshore wind has effectively been banned
by Tory governments in England for nearly a decade through planning
restrictions.
The Government is not planning a wholesale change in the planning regulations for onshore wind.
It
said it will “consult on developing local partnerships for a limited
number of supportive communities in England who wish to host new onshore
wind infrastructure in return for guaranteed lower energy bills”.
“The consultation will consider how clear support can be demonstrated by local communities, local authorities and MPs,” it said.
But Boris Johnson has said new sites “will have a very high bar to clear” and would have to reward local residents with cheaper energy.
– Hydrogen
The
strategy doubles the target for hydrogen production by 2030, to 10
gigawatts, with the intention of making at least half of that using
electricity, which could come from clean renewables.
Hydrogen is
seen as a potentially clean way of shifting from the use of fossil
fuels, as it could be an alternative fuel for power plants, industrial
processes, heavy goods vehicles and even instead of heating with gas
boilers.
But energy expert Jan Rosenow said: “Using hydrogen for
home heating is much less efficient than heat pumps and district
heating. All recent independent research agrees that hydrogen for home
heating is costly.”
And he warned: “If the hydrogen is made from
fossil gas it would mean that the UK would increase its dependence on
fossil gas. This is because blue hydrogen from fossil can only be
produced with a significant efficiency penalty.”
A view of Romney Marsh Solar Farm in Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA) / PA Archive
– Solar
The
costs of solar power have also plummeted in the past decade, and the
strategy expects to see a five-fold increase in deployment by 2035.
There
will be a consultation on amending planning rules to strengthen policy
in favour of development on non-protected land, while making sure
communities still have a say, and moves to simplify planning permission
for rooftop solar.
– Oil and gas
Promoting the new energy strategy, the Prime Minister
said the Government was taking a “sensible and pragmatic view” on new
North Sea oil and gas and said it was important to license domestic
resources rather than importing higher carbon fossil fuels from Russia
and other places.
But the International Energy Agency has said
there should be no new oil and gas exploration after 2021 to meet
targets to avoid the most dangerous warming, and UN scientists have
called for the end of the fossil fuel age.
Onshore, while the Government has launched a review into the science of fracking, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said shale gas would not deliver at a commercial scale for years, and would do nothing for bills now.
(PA Graphics) / PA Graphics
The
Government’s independent Climate Change Committee has said the best way
of reducing consumers’ exposure to volatile prices is to cut demand for
fossil fuels, through developing more wind and solar power, electric
vehicles, heat pumps and energy efficiency such as insulation in homes.
Yes, what about energy efficiency?
While
the strategy highlights existing energy efficiency measures, there is
nothing new on helping cut demand for gas and boost insulation – which
is seen as the quickest way of reducing exposure to Russian gas and cut
energy bills.
Analysis by climate think tank E3G finds that energy
efficiency and clean heat such as heat pumps in homes could be
implemented within this year, would reduce bills, and would cut gas use
by the equivalent of 149% of current Russian imports by 2025.
A
focus on insulation is also backed by the public, with a poll for the
Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finding that 84% thought it was
important the Government should take steps to insulate homes to cut
Russian gas.
Insulation being installed in a loft (Philip Toscano/PA) / PA Wire
– So what does it mean for bills?
By
the Government’s own admission, the energy strategy will do little to
reduce bills in the immediate term, though ministers say other policies
will help.
This is a long-term strategy, with technologies such as
nuclear, the scaling up of offshore wind, and tapping into further
domestic oil and gas resources set to take years or even decades to
deliver.
With households hit by an energy price hike of more than
50% in April and further rises looming in October, pressure is likely to
mount on the Government to take more action to help make homes cosier
and curb energy demand and bills. Unfortunately the government is twisting and turning to wriggle out of the COP26 agreement (what a surprise) and are using any and every excuse to keep lining the pockets of fossil fuel companies with tax reductions (or no tax bills at all) paid for by the ordinary people.
Luckily summer is almost here and the electricity bills should go down, unless you have air conditioning and they will probably stay high! We're a "leave the windows open" family when it comes to summer time! I'm not a big fan of re-circulated air and most people don't know that the filters need to be cleaned regularly to keep those nasty bugs out!
The blog song for today is: "Waterfall" by the Stone Roses.
Construction starts on world's largest wildlife crossing to let animals roam over 10 lanes of L.A. highway
By Cheri Mossburg, CNN
Updated 1328 GMT (2128 HKT) April 23, 2022
A rendering shows how the bridge will let animals cross over traffic.
Los Angeles (CNN)Wild
animals in Southern California soon will have more turf to roam thanks
to the world's biggest wildlife crossing, which will span 10 lanes of
Highway 101 in northwest Los Angeles to close a crucial gap for habitats.
Mountain
lions, which typically wander a territory spanning 150 to 200 miles,
will be among the chief beneficiaries of the new overpass, providing a
safe passage from the Santa Monica Mountains, across the freeway, and
into the Simi Hills of the Santa Susana mountain range. This week, an
18-month-old mountain lion recently separated from its mother and
seeking its own terrain was hit and killed on the 405 freeway, Ana
Cholo, spokesperson for the National Park Service (NPS) tells CNN.
The
$87 million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is named for the
president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, a family foundation that
supports non-profits. More than 5,000 individual contributions were
made, said Tony Tavares, interim director of CalTrans, the California
Department of Transportation, noting the crossing also will help protect
motorists.
This cougar is often seen in the Hollywood area.
"We
can protect California's ecosystems without jeopardizing the
transportation and other infrastructure development that we need for a
growing population," said US Sen. Alex Padilla at the project's
groundbreaking ceremony Friday.
California
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was also there, promised $50 million for other
similar projects throughout the state, though they will not be of the
same size and scope. The Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a partnership of
the National Wildlife Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy, and will be built by CalTrans.
"This
project is truly incredible," said Wade Crowfoot, California secretary
for natural resources. "We will look back decades from now and realize
that this project galvanized a new era of conserving and reconnecting
nature."
Because
pumas demand such a large territory, being relegated to an "urban
island" surrounded by busy freeways has led to inbreeding and lack of
genetic diversity, according to the NPS, which has been studying cougars
in the Los Angeles area for two decades.
California
Gov. Gavin Newsom, third from left, joins other dignitaries during a
groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing on
Friday.
"You're
hemmed in to the point where all you can do is date your cousins," Brad
Sherman said of the mountain lions, which thrive when they have a large
territory to hunt and mate. We're "putting the mountain lions back on
Tinder."
"I'm
shocked to hear of a lack of food or sex in Hollywood, but for mountain
lions, it's true," quipped Rep. Adam Schiff, whose district includes
the glitzy region.
P-22,
one of the mountain lions being tracked by the NPS, has gained fame in
the area for roaming through the Hollywood Hills, a bad bout of mange
after being exposed to rat poison, and even mauling a koala at the L.A.
Zoo in Griffith Park. With its own social media accounts, an annual P-22 Day, and branded merchandise, this cat has garnered something of a cult following.
Mountain lion known for crossing 405 killed on the same Los Angeles freeway
California's
cougars are getting the lion's share of attention for this crossing, as
their enclosure threatens their very existence, the NPS said. But it
also will provide habitat access to coyotes, bobcats, deer, snakes,
lizards, toads and even ants.
"We
can coexist side by side with all kinds of wild instead of paving it
over and choking it off," said philanthropist Wallis Annenberg at the
groundbreaking ceremony. "It is about bringing more attention to an
ingenious solution so urban wildlife and ecosystems like this one cannot
only survive, but thrive."
The
crossing will blend with the surroundings and be covered in soil and
native plants. The Santa Monica Mountains Foundation created a special
plant nursery that will grow all of the fauna to be used in covering the
crossing when it nears completion in 2025.
What a great idea and so wonderful for the wildlife,after all they were there before the road was built.
I like these kind of projects!
The blog song for today is "House of the rising sun" by the Animals
THE PLASTIC FLAMINGO – RECYCLING PLASTIC INTO ECO-LUMBERS
Founded in 2019 and also known as the plaf, the plastic flamingo is
a social enterprise that collects and transforms plastics in the
philippines into better products. the group of recyclers aims to fight
the country’s plastic waste crisis — the philippines is the
third-biggest polluter in the world — by turning bottles, soft plastics,
and sachets into planks that can be used as a building material.
By collecting post-consumer plastics, the plaf aims to compensate the material’s footprint by giving them a second-life while educating communities about the plastic crisis.
THE PLASTIC FLAMINGO COLLECTS ANY KIND OF PLASTIC WASTE IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Ocean plastic pollution is one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. its impact costs the world at least US$8 billion dollars per year.
60% of marine plastic waste has originated from south-east asia,
particularly from china, indonesia, philippines, vietnam, sri lanka and
thailand. in fact, in the philippines, 500,000 metric tons of plastic
end up in the ocean every year.
In order to offer a solution to fight ocean plastic pollution in the philippines, the plastic flamingo collects
any kind of plastic waste in the environment and from local
communities, schools, factories, buildings, etc. the plastics are then
cleaned, dried, and shredded. the resulting plastic flakes — the main
ingredient for their upcycled products — are then extruded into posts
and planks called eco-lumbers, which can be used in fencing, decking, and even in disaster-relief shelters.
PLASTIC FLAKES ARE TURNED INTO RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS
To create the eco-lumbers, the plaf mixes the flakes into a formulation where they undergo an extrusion process and are molded into different shapes.
‘regarding our planks, we have done research on the constitution of
sachets and have found a formula that will make it possible to recycle
up to 30% in the mix to create the profiles,’ said the plastic
flamingo. the company is also expanding their product line and will be
revealing a larger range of products by the beginning of 2022.
By creating eco-lumbers, the plaf ‘hopes to kill two birds with one stone. ‘adressing
plastic pollution is our main mission, but by turning this waste into
eco-lumbers, we hope to contribute to the housing sector by providing
durable and maintenance-free alternatives. this country currently has an
estimated housing backlog of 6.5 million and if this is not addressed
appropriately, this can increase to 22 million within the next two
decades,’ said anne-sophie van der spek, the company’s chief product officer, in ‘planks of promise, designing for change’, a video made by their partner the alliance to end plastic waste.
Indonesia is announcing a plan to tackle plastic pollution.
The country aims to cut marine plastic waste by 70% within five years.
By 2040, Indonesia plans to be entirely plastic pollution-free.
What will it take to end plastic pollution within a generation?
For Indonesia, it all began with a radical vision.
Our beautiful nation is grappling with a serious plastic
pollution challenge. We are home to the world’s largest archipelago –
more than 17,000 islands, 81,000 kilometres of coastlines and a rich
abundance of biodiverse marine ecosystems. Our pristine natural
environment is a gift that we have treasured for thousands of years, and
one that we must pass down to future generations.
At the same time, the amount of plastic waste generated in
Indonesia each year is growing at unsustainable levels. In our cities,
our waterways and our coastlines, the accumulation of toxic plastic
waste is harming
our food systems and the health of our people. Our booming fishing
industry, the second-largest in the world, is under threat from rising
levels of marine plastic debris. By 2025, the amount of plastic waste
leaking into our oceans could increase to 800,000 tonnes – if no action
is taken.
I’m proud to announce that Indonesia will be choosing not what is
easy, but what is right. Rather than staying with a ‘business as usual’
approach, we will be embracing a sweeping, full-system-change approach
to combatting plastic waste and pollution, one that we hope will spark
greater collaboration and commitment from others on the global stage.
At the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos this year,
we are presenting to the world a first look at Indonesia’s new plan for
tackling plastic pollution, which aims to cut marine plastic debris by
70% within the next five years.
The vision goes even further: by 2040, we aim to achieve a
plastic pollution-free Indonesia – one that embodies the principle of
the circular economy, in which plastics will no longer end up in our oceans, waterways and landfills, but will go on to have a new life.
Plastic
What is the World Economic Forum doing about plastic pollution?
More than 90% of plastic is never recycled, and a whopping 8
million metric tons of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans
annually. At this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the
world’s oceans by 2050.
The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) is a collaboration
between businesses, international donors, national and local
governments, community groups and world-class experts seeking meaningful
actions to beat plastic pollution.
In Ghana, for example, GPAP is working with technology giant SAP
to create a group of more than 2,000 waste pickers and measuring the
quantities and types of plastic that they collect. This data is then
analysed alongside the prices that are paid throughout the value chain
by buyers in Ghana and internationally.
It aims to show how businesses, communities and governments can redesign the global “take-make-dispose” economy as a circular one in which products and materials are redesigned, recovered and reused to reduce environmental impacts.
Five points of action
To successfully reach the 70% reduction target by 2025, we are
committed to leading five system-change interventions that will change
the way plastics are produced, used, and disposed of.
1) Reduce or substitute plastic usage to prevent the consumption of 1.1 million tonnes of plastic per year.[i]
We will work with industry leaders in Indonesia to transform
their supply chains by rooting out plastic materials that can be
avoided. Examples include replacing single-use packaging with reusable
packaging; embracing new delivery models, such as refill shops; and
empowering consumers to move away from single-use plastic consumption.
2) Redesign plastic products and packaging with reuse or recycling in mind.
Recognizing that some forms of plastics cannot be substituted with
alternative materials, we need to make sure that they do not become
mismanaged waste. We will work with manufacturers and innovators to
champion an industry-wide shift towards circular plastics – with the
ultimate goal of making all plastic waste a valuable commodity for reuse
or recycling.
3) Double plastic waste collection to 80% by 2025.
Currently, around 39% of the total plastic waste in Indonesia is
collected; in rural and remote areas, this figure is as low as 16%.[ii]
We need to aggressively invest in our waste-collection infrastructure,
both in the formal sector (government employees) and the robust informal
sector (waste pickers, many of them women, who play a significant role
in our national waste management efforts).
4) Double our current recycling capacity to process an
additional 975,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.[iii] In 2017, only
10% of plastics generated in Indonesia were recycled. We urgently need
to close this capacity gap by directing investment into expanding
existing infrastructure facilities and building new infrastructure to
match the explosive growth in plastic production across the ASEAN region.
5) Build or expand safe waste disposal facilities to
manage an additional 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste per year.[iv]
This is our last chance to put a safeguarding measure at the end of the
plastic lifecycle to prevent plastic waste from becoming plastic
pollution. These facilities will allow us to safely dispose of
non-recyclable plastic materials, as well as plastic waste that is
generated in remote locations without recycling facilities.
Only a fraction of plastic is recycled. Indonesia plans to lead the way in reversing that trend
Image: Our World in Data
What’s next?
We believe urgent action is needed to turn the tide of plastic
waste and pollution in Indonesia, and that all have a role to play in
driving this change.
President Joko Widodo has set the course with two crucial pieces
of legislation. The Indonesia National Waste Management Policy and
Strategy (Presidential Decree No. 97/2017) and the Plan of Action on
Marine Plastic Debris 2018-2025 (Presidential Decree No. 83/2018) have
put the fight against plastic pollution at the top of the national
agenda, creating the enabling environment that we needed as
policy-makers to deliver on this ambitious vision.
The first step in this process was to bring the right stakeholders onboard. In March last year, we joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership, a new public-private collaboration platform hosted at the World Economic Forum, as its first national partner.
We became the first country in the world to test-drive the National
Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) model – a nimble, inclusive and
solutions-driven approach to solving the challenge of plastic pollution.
The same model is now being piloted in Ghana, and soon in Viet Nam.
Through the NPAP, we have created a platform for bringing
together Indonesia’s top minds to take on plastic pollution together,
from researchers to businesses to civil society. Collectively, we have
created a national roadmap that lays out the concrete steps we need to
take – in policy-making, manufacturing, awareness-building and driving
investment – to achieve a plastic pollution-free Indonesia.
Although the full report is still in the final stages of
preparation, I feel it is crucial to share its key recommendations and
action steps at Davos, this unparalleled global convening of
decision-makers and innovators, so that all can hear the good news:
Indonesia’s unprecedented national effort to take on plastic pollution
is crossing a new frontier in what is possible. Working from the basis
of a radical idea, we have built a platform, mobilized willpower from
all sectors, and identified a clear path towards our goal: to show that
plastic pollution is not too complex or too enormous a challenge to
overcome.
As we move from incubation to implementation in the months to
come, I invite all to join us on this journey. As Indonesia puts this
plan into action, we look forward to sharing our knowledge and to
learning from others on bringing solutions and successes to scale.
Together, we will demonstrate how we can work together to end plastic
pollution and build a healthier, more sustainable future for our
children and grandchildren.
Notes on data:
[i] This figure was calculated as part of an analysis adapted
from global research by the Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ and was
carried out with the Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership
(NPAP) Expert Panel, Indonesia NPAP Steering Board, Indonesian
government and other stakeholders. The analysis forms part of the full
Indonesia plastic action roadmap, which will be released in spring 2020.
[ii] Data from JAKSTRADA database (Indonesia Ministry of
Environment and Forestry), PUPR Waste portal (Indonesia Ministry of
Public Works and Public Housing), and What a Waste Global Database
(World Bank).
[iii] Data from analysis conducted on recovered plastics through both formal sorting centres and waste pickers.
[iv] The 3.3 million target corresponds to the remaining
amount of collected plastic that is not recycled and is not channelled
into landfills due to limited existing capacity within landfills.
Calculated using data from the JAKSTRADA database (Indonesia Ministry of
Environment and Forestry), and PUPR Waste portal (Indonesia Ministry of
Public Works and Public Housing).
When I read reports like this I am given hope that people like me are trying to make a difference and the fact that it is far away from here is even better.
The blog song for today is: "He's a rebel"by the Crystals
Oscar Collins is the founder and editor-in-chief at Modded. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for frequent updates on his work.
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