Category: Environment

Chair of the energy and climate change committee expresses concern that investors will abandon the green energy sector

The government’s review of green levies on energy bills is “damaging policy credibility” and “seriously undermining” investor confidence, the chair of the energy and climate change committee Robert Smith, has said.

The warning came as pressure continues to mount on David Cameron to scrap plans to “roll back” green levies on energy bills as 140 landlords and local authorities write to him saying projects funded by green levies are being shelved.

The government is currently undertaking a review of green levies, in an attempt to bring down the cost of energy bills.

But confusion has reigned about what exactly is included within the review. While the Department of Energy and Climate Change has said a number of policies that support renewable energy projects such as feed-in-tariffs, the renewables obligation and contracts for difference are not included in the review, energy minister Michael Fallon has said everything is included.

In a letter to the prime minister, Smith, a Liberal Democrat MP, said: “If the government is to unlock the £110bn of investment needed for new electricity generation and transmission by 2020 industry confidence is vital.”

He said the government’s contract for difference system, where firms are paid a fixed price for the electricity from newly built power stations, was a “cornerstone” of government energy policy and should not be undermined.

He said: “Backtracking on these legally binding contracts will damage policy credibility, seriously undermine investor confidence and could increase the cost of capital for new energy investments – thus pushing up energy bills.”

Smith backed keeping the Energy Companies Obligation, but said funding for it should come from general taxation rather than a charge on energy bills.

Meanwhile, another letter to David Cameron signed by 140 landlords and local authorities, organised by consultant Sustainable Homes, said the uncertainty over ECO was “already having a damaging impact as social landlords rethink their plans”.

It added: “Many of our members are considering delaying or disbanding much needed investment. This will have perverse impact, increasing fuel bills and reducing employment.”

It said he should “retain and improve” ECO.

 

 

The damaging health impacts of some key air pollutants can occur at lower atmospheric concentrations than indicated by the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality guidelines, set in 2005 and currently used in Europe. This is according to a new WHO report, which assesses scientific evidence to help inform European air pollution policies.

The report highlights key findings of the Review of Evidence on Health Aspects of Air pollution project, part-funded by the EU. It was written by 29 invited experts from a range of scientific fields who reviewed a wide range of scientific research to answer 22 key questions regarding the health effects of three major pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone and nitrogen dioxide. The experts drafted answers to each question based on the consensus found in research papers, which were then assessed by an independent scientific advisory committee.

Among the report’s highlights, research findings since 2005 have strengthened the evidence to show that PM2.5 can lead to adverse health effects, such as cardiovascular problems. The authors suggest that the current guidelines for PM2.5 should be re-examined in the light of recent results from long-term studies that have shown increased rates of mortality at concentrations well below the current guidelines of 10 micrograms per m3. In fact, the evidence suggests that there is no ‘safe’ threshold.

Research has also shown that PM10 cannot be regarded as a proxy for the smaller PM2.5, demonstrating that these larger particles are also dangerous in their own right. Again, evidence shows that there are health effects of long-term exposure to PM10 even at concentrations below European limits.

When the WHO 2005 review was conducted, only short-term effects of exposure to ozone pollution could be observed. However, subsequent studies, highlighted in this review, now show longer-term effects on respiratory health problems and subsequent mortality.

Living near busy roads has been linked with detrimental health effects and this report explicitly addressed the question of whether these impacts were the result of air pollution, rather than other factors, such as noise or socioeconomic status. Evidence assessed by the report demonstrates that once these other factors have been accounted for, the damaging effects of air pollution remain clear. They are likely to be caused by a number of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, a major urban pollutant produced by car exhausts, and other harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide.

The report recommends revising guidelines for nitrogen dioxide, as both short- and long-term studies of communities exposed to the pollutant find an association between exposure and mortality. These studies are supported by laboratory experiments examining the toxicological effects of exposure, such as increased inflammation of the airways of subjects, or changes to lung cells, which provide evidence of a causal link between the two. Again, this evidence points to health effects that occur below the level recommended by the 2005 WHO guidelines, which the authors suggest provides a strong argument for their revision.

New ecosystem-based solutions which provide flexible resilience to coastal flooding, rather than rigid defences, are needed in the face of global environmental change. A recent study examines a new coastal protection scheme in the Netherlands which reduces ecosystem damage whilst offering resilient defence against flooding. Using this case study, the researchers present a framework for evaluating climate change adaptation measures called ‘Building with Nature’.

Rising sea levels and increased storms as a result of climate change are threatening coastal settlements across the globe. The risk of flooding in coastal areas has generally been met with ‘hard’ engineering approaches, such as dams or storm barriers. However, the wisdom of such approaches is being increasingly challenged; critics highlight that hard engineering solutions often disrupt natural water and sediment flows and do not adapt easily to changing conditions.

In this study, researchers examined a case study in Holland, a densely populated region of the Netherlands with around 8 million inhabitants living in areas of high flood risk, often below sea level. These settlements are protected from flooding by coastal dunes and beaches, which also provide other vital ecosystem services, such as filtering drinking water and providing habitats for wildlife.

Continue reading ‘Building with Nature’ increases resilience to climate change

Even small areas of semi-natural vegetation, farmlands and abandoned farmlands provide important ecosystem services in urban environments. However, there is widespread loss of these non-urbanised areas (NUAs) owing to poor planning and urban sprawl. A new five-step process has now been developed that can inform effective planning to protect and enhance the value of urban green spaces.

Continue reading New five-step planning tool makes the most of urban green spaces

In view of the Ecobuild 2013 in London, the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, Italoeuropeo have decided to give space to companies that will be part of  the Ecobuild 2013, and we start with the Steff Wright, the Chairman of the Gusto Group whose Freerain rainwater harvesting company are founder-members of the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association

protecting a scarce resource …

The EC has announced the launch of a new initiative to protect a scarce natural resource, through its “2012 Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water”

The main aim of EC water policy is to ensure that throughout the EU a sufficient quantity of good quality water is available to meet people’s needs, and the needs of the environment.

Translating the Blueprint through to EU-wide legislation, as part of an overarching EC water policy, is planned for completion by 2015, and will encompass the results of four ongoing assessments; these will cover:

 National river basin management plans

 A review of EU policy on water scarcity and drought

 The vulnerability of water resources to climate change

 And a gap-analysis on existing EU freshwater policies

The results of these four reviews, together with other EU studies, will provide knowledge to help better implementation of EU policy.

This will bring a new dimension to the Design and Planning processes, with Developers and Adoption Boards needing to pre-agree infrastructure proposals and the associated adoption fee. This will place a premium on designing systems that are straightforward to maintain.

systems integration …

One way to achieve this will be to remove as much surface water from the flood-risk equation as possible, by harvesting it for re-use to meet the mains-water consumption requirements of new developments.

The rainwater harvesting (RWH) element of systems combined in this way have their own in-built maintenance cycle, and help to address water quality issues by including initial filtration. Although it is early to be certain, these elements of an integrated surface water management/RWH system might therefore not need to be adopted, thus saving a great deal of cost and complexity.

They also reduce the capacity required of other downstream “amenity” elements of the infrastructure, such as balancing ponds and swales, in the process reducing land-take and costs.

the UK perspective …

Unsurprisingly, the UK will have its own special interest in this initiative, having recently experienced one of the wettest years on record. With flood alerts regularly leading the daily news, the need to ensure that new developments do not add to the problem needs little arguing.

Perhaps more easily overlooked is an underlying position, shared with much of Europe, showing water supplies to be generally under stress, particularly in England south of the Humber estuary. Worryingly, these stresses will increase substantially as demand for water grows due to population growth.

Changing rainfall patterns are also predicted to increase flood risk, control of which in part involves getting temporary excess water out to sea as quickly as possible; having done so, it is lost as a supply resource, exacerbating water shortages.

new drivers …

UK legislation covering these issues came into force two years ago with the passing of the “2010 Flood & Water Management Act”. This reinforced the need for new developments to be, at worst, flood-risk neutral. It also brought into play broader challenges for developers such as water-quality issues, environmental impact, and the amenity value of surface water features.

The 2010 Act also legislates for the introduction of new “SuDS Adoption Boards”, the role of which will be to take ongoing responsibility for the maintenance and effectiveness of the surface water management infrastructure on new developments.

a double benefit …

Helping to manage flood risks in this way provides a substantial second benefit through its impact on mains water consumption.

The harvested rainwater can be used as a replacement for mains water used for applications such as toilet-flushing, clothes washing machines and by outside taps. In dwellings these applications account for around 50% of all consumption.

In other building, where the above applications may account for a much higher percentage of overall consumption, the mains water savings can rise to in excess of 90% in any building that shares the characteristics of a large roof, and a high demand for non-potable water.

Harvesting rainwater, in the course of managing the surface water to avoid increasing flood risks on new developments, also helps to meet the mains water consumption requirements of sustainable construction, as reflected in the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM.

For more detailed, information visit www.ukrha.org

 A new study provides the first global estimates of river and coastal flooding, highlighting past and future trends, and indicates that Asia and Europe are two of the regions that are worst affected. The researchers suggest that their methods could be useful in developing a global framework for flood risk assessment.

Although millions of people worldwide are affected by floods every year, knowledge about flood risk is mostly limited to small-scale studies. The researchers assessed the global exposure to river and coastal flooding using two methods. First, they estimated the proportion of the population exposed to river flooding and coastal flooding.

 

Continue reading A global risk assessment of river and coastal flooding

The Arctic region is home to many unique, diverse and vulnerable ecosystems. But the enigmatic and once pristine Arctic environment is being increasingly affected by human activities. This thematic issue presents the latest research into the impacts of climate change and resource extraction on Arctic biodiversity and indigenous communities.

The timing of this special issue reflects the EU’s growing engagement in the Arctic following the 2008 Communication ‘The EU and the Arctic Region‘, the Council Conclusions of 2009 and the European Parliament’s 2011 report on the High North. The forthcoming Joint Communication of the High Representative and the Commission, due in May 2012, will review recent progress and the next steps towards developing an EU policy towards the Arctic regions. Across the globe, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent. But nowhere has the effect been felt more strongly than in the Arctic. During the 20th century, land temperatures rose by an average of 1-2°C across the entire Arctic1, which is twice as fast as the average global temperature rise. Perhaps the most emblematic impact of climate change is the rapid loss of sea ice.

At the current rate of decline, the Arctic is expected to be ice-free in summer by 2040, and some experts believe that it could be much sooner.

The first article entitled “Declining sea ice threatens Arctic marine mammals” explores the consequences for marine mammals, such as whales, polar bears and seals, which depend on sea ice for feeding, shelter and breeding. Collaborating with Arctic communities may be one way to increase the number of marine mammal population studies, which have so far been limited by financial and logistical difficulties.

Loss of sea ice will also affect far less visible elements of the Arctic ecosystem. “Arctic microbes: Good or bad for mitigating climate change” describes the shift in community dynamics that is occurring within microbial populations deep within the ice. The ecological impact of climate change is increasingly evident in alterations to species migration patterns.

“Arctic birds migrate earlier under climate change” describes how migrating birds are arriving in the Arctic nearly half a day earlier each year in response to rising spring temperatures, which has significant implications for annual breeding cycles.

The different Arctic subzones are home to many native plant species, including wild flowers, shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichen. Some studies predict the trend towards longer and warmer summers will result in an overall “greening” of the Arctic. However, as the article “Reindeer are important in shaping Arctic plant communities” describes, individual species distribution depends on many factors, including the grazing and trampling habits of native reindeer, with the implication that reindeer grazing management strategies could be important in biodiversity protection measures.

Scientists predict that short-lived periods of extreme winter warming will become more frequent under climate change, during which temperatures can rise up to 10°C in 24 hours.

These warming events can cause physiological changes in some dominant shrub species, decreasing their freeze-tolerance and reducing growth and survival over time. This is discussed in the article “Extreme winter warming harms Arctic plant growth”. As the articles “Polar and Atlantic cod share habitat, but not diet” and “Climate warming may enhance survival of polar cod” explain, the impact of climate change on native polar cod is uncertain.

Polar cod do not appear to be in competition for prey with Atlantic cod species, which have shifted their distribution northwards in search of cooler waters.

However, this may change if the populations continue to converge. On the other hand, warmer conditions in winter favour the growth and survival of polar cod hatchlings in a phenomenon known as the thermal refuge hypothesis.

The Arctic is very closely linked to global climate. Frozen sediment, known as permafrost, is beginning to thaw in response to rising temperatures, releasing vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Since methane is a far more potent GHG than CO2, the release of even a fraction of the 2000 billion tonnes2 stored in the permafrost could trigger a ‘positive feedback’ mechanism, dramatically accelerating the pace of climate change.

This is explained in more depth in “Arctic methane leak could cause abrupt climate warming”. From a different global climate perspective, the Arctic is estimated to contain 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas reserves and 13% of undiscovered oil. Dwindling supplies elsewhere and the fact that declining sea ice is making remote parts of the Arctic increasingly accessible means that many Arctic countries are looking to exploit their vast Arctic resources, despite commitments to reduce GHG emissions under the Kyoto Protocol (excluding the United States).

“Arctic exploration: How far and how fast?” explores the costs and risks of Arctic development and how pressure from scientists and environmental groups for sustainable development is shaping the industry.

The final article, “Reindeer herding: adapting to climate change in the Arctic” examines the impact of climate change and the expansion of industrial activities on the indigenous Arctic population. In response to declining reindeer numbers, a unique international initiative is helping native communities adapt to local environmental changes using state-of-the-art satellite observation equipment and working to increase indigenous participation in policy decisions.

Arctic environmental issues will continue to attract wide interest in the EU and elsewhere during 2012-13. Of particular importance is the International Polar Year conference in Montreal in April 2012, where key policy areas covered by this special issue will be discussed, including biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, sustainable development and resource management.

Many of the articles covered in this issue are part of on-going research under the EU Arctic Tipping Points project.

Other important EU-funded projects focus on the contribution of continental ice melt to sea level rise (Ice2Sea), the effects of climate change on stratospheric ozone depletion (RECONCILE) and the probability of a reduction in the strength of the Meridional Overturning Circulation, the global conveyor belt system that transports heat around the globe and provides northern Europe with its characteristically mild climate (THOR).

 Measures designed to reduce levels of methane and black carbon in the atmosphere could help bring climate change under control more quickly than CO2 targeting measures alone, according to a new study.

The researchers also predict wider benefits for human health and food security from methane-targeted measures. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has examined options for keeping the global temperature increase to 2°C above preindustrial levels, based on measures to stabilise CO2 equivalent concentrations at 450 parts per million1. As well as CO2 focused approaches, international organisations, including the G8 Nations, are interested in climate mitigation measures that target air pollutants.

Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) than CO2, so strongly influences climate change. The researchers looked for measures that could mitigate both air pollution and global warming.

They modelled the effects of 400 air pollution control measures on GHG emissions for 2030. After leaving out those measures that only reduced air pollution, they ranked the remainder by their potential climate impact. The top 14 of these measures accounted for 90% of the total potential emissions reductions, with seven targeted at methane and another seven targeted at black carbon. Methane-related measures included those that affect the coal mining, oil and gas production, and waste sectors. Black carbon arises from incomplete combustion, and measures to curb emissions include bans on burning agricultural waste, eliminating high-emitting vehicles, and encouraging modern cooking and heating.

Through climate simulations, the researchers revealed that implementing all 14 measures could have a more immediate impact on warming than the CO2 targeted measures outlined in the IEA’s plans. CO2 stays in the atmosphere for a long time, and action to reduce emissions would not start to have an impact on temperatures until around 2040. However, measures designed to reduce methane and black carbon could start to slow the temperature rise 10-20 years earlier. The researchers assumed a scenario in which only presently agreed policies affecting emissions are implemented. Under this, global temperatures would rise by nearly 3°C by 2070, whereas CO2 limiting measures, or the 14 methane and black carbon limiting measures, are predicted to keep the increase below 2.3°C until that time.

By combining CO2 land 14 methane and black carbon limiting measures the researchers predict that in 2070 the temperature increase would be below the 2°C target. Without the CO2 measures, however, the effects of methane and black carbon reductions would not prevent temperatures from rising steeply in the future. The study also examined the benefits of improved air quality for human health, agriculture and the global economy.

Methane is directly involved in reactions that produce ozone, a GHG that is also a main component in smog. Thus, methane reductions in particular would play a role in reducing crop losses caused by ozone, while the black carbon focused measures would have the greatest impact on human health by reducing particulates.

According to the simulations, the 14 measures identified could avoid up to five million premature deaths a year related to air pollution, and increase crop yields by up to 135 million metric tons. The economic value of the benefits associated with methane reductions would be worth around €818.35 per metric ton of methane.

Europe could struggle to meet the target set by the renewable energy sector of 25% of electricity produced by solar energy by 2040 because the supply of materials, including rare metals, needed to produce photovoltaics (PV) is unlikely to meet demand. Production rates need to be drastically improved, according to a new study.

Calculations based on available appropriate land, global irradiance and conversions of solar energy to electricity demonstrate that technically, solar energy could provide 7.5 to 9 times the expected electricity demand in 2050. However, several PV technologies employ rare metals, which could limit the capacity for electricity generation. [photo cleantechnica.com]

The new study looked at whether current global production of rare metals could support the huge increase in solar panels generation required to meet ambitious energy targets for 2040 laid out by the Europe an Renewable Energy Council (EREC)1. The scientists looked at the four main PV technologies: (i.) crystalline silicon (c-Si), (ii.) amorphous silicon (a-Si), (iii.) cadmium tellurium (CdTe) and (iv.) copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The scientists assumed that by 2040, each technology would have an equal market share of 25%.

This reflects the fact that although c-Si currently has the largest share (81%), a shift is already taking place towards the other technologies, which require a thinner layer of PV material. They simulated a ‘neutral’ future scenario, where moderate technological developments gradually improve the efficiency of electricity generation, in line with current policy expectations.

The results showed that the maximum demand for gallium and indium in tonnes per year for use in CIGS technology surpasses current production (2008) by a factor of 7.3 and 2.8, respectively. Even under an ‘optimistic’ future scenario, in which more ambitious technological advances in cell efficiency require less PV material, demand still outstrips current supply by a factor of 3.9 and 1.5, respectively.

Neither cadmium nor copper were found to be seriously limiting, even when the scientists simulated a ‘pessimistic’ scenario in which technological advances do not meet current expectations. However, the predicted demand for tellurium was found to be 30-180 times higher than today’s production rate, depending on the scenario used.

Although silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, only very high purity silicon is used in the solar industry and production will need to increase by 15 times to meet demand in the neutral scenario and by 10 times in the optimistic scenario.

Even bigger shortages may result from competition with the electronics industry, which also uses high-purity silicon. On the other hand, amorphous silicon technology represents the only realistic option for large-scale electricity production since the cumulative demand by 2040 would equal just 20% of production.

The research shows that reaching solar power targets for 2040 will not necessarily be limited by known global reserves of silicon and rare metals, but that current production rates will be the limiting factor. Better refining techniques, increased exploitation of deposits and strategic planning of technological shifts are needed to satisfy the demand for PV materials. [photorenewableenergycredit]

This poses a challenge as tellurium, indium, gallium, selenium and cadmium are by-products of other processes and are not currently mined separately. New production methods are also likely to take up to 10 years to develop and so research should be initiated soon to meet the anticipated demand.

As the growth rate of new installations decreases, recycling PV material could drastically reduce the need for new materials. While nanomaterial technologies that increase cell efficiency even further are currently in development, they are not expected to be widely used by 2040, so they are not included in these scenarios and projections.