French incentives for less-polluting cars and heating systems

Evolution of ship emissions in China

Ship emissions contribute significantly to air pollution and pose health risks to residents of coastal areas in China. A new study has estimated ship emissions in China from 2004 to 2013 and also made projections up to 2040 under different control scenarios.

For the area within 200 nautical miles of the Chinese coast, emissions of SO₂, NOx, CO, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and hydrocarbons in 2013 were estimated to amount respectively to 1010, 1443, 118, 107, 87 and 67 kilotonnes per year. Ship emissions have doubled over the last ten years, and now contribute around 10 per cent of the total SO₂ and NOx emissions in the coastal provinces of the country.

Ship emissions in ports accounted for about one quarter of the total emissions within the 200-nautical-mile zone, and nearly 80 per cent of the emissions were concentrated to the top ten busiest ports of China.

The authors concluded that the IMO’s 0.5-per-cent global sulphur cap would reduce ship SO₂ emissions by 80 per cent from 2020, but that a similar reduction in NOx emissions would require significant technological change and likely take several decades.

The article: “Decadal evolution of ship emissions in China from 2004 to 2013 by using an integrated AIS-based approach and projection to 2040” (2017). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions: 1-36. DOI:10.5194/acp-2017-743. Link: http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/14939/

Cruise ships pollute Copenhagen’s summer air

Measurements of ultrafine particles from cruise ships in the Danish port of Copenhagen have shown that emissions from cruise ships contribute significantly to air pollution in the port area and in the connected city areas during periods of onshore wind. Throughout May to September, there are on average two cruise ships in the port every day, and onshore winds occur 25–30 per cent of the time.

The Danish Ecological Council concludes that if no action is taken, increasing cruise tourism risks exposing even more people to harmful air pollution, and it therefore recommends to the municipality of Copenhagen and the port of Copenhagen that they should cooperate to:

Build shore power supply facilities at the most attractive cruise berths.

Charge higher port fees to cruise ships that are unable to (or do not) connect to shore power.

Gradually expand the number of shore power supply facilities and exclude cruise ships from entering the port three years after installing shore power supplies at all cruise berths; unless the cruise ships run on gas or have an effective flue gas cleaning system installed.

Coordinate similar actions with the region’s other cruise ports and port authorities.

The report: “Air pollution with ultrafine particles from cruise ships in Copenhagen, Denmark” (November 2017). Published by the Danish Ecological Council. Link: www.ecocouncil.dk

World’s biggest electric cargo ship

China has launched its first all-electric cargo ship. The 230-foot-long ship can carry over 2,000 tons of goods. It has a battery capacity of 2,400 kilowatt hours – enough lithium batteries to power 40 cars. After two hours of charging, the ship can run for 50 miles. As it is powered purely by electricity, it has zero emissions of exhaust gas pollutants. The irony, however, is that the ship is being used for hauling coal on the inland section of the Pearl River.

Source: Newsweek, 6 December 2017.

World’s first electric container barges

The world’s first electric container barges will soon sail from European ports according to the Guardian.

The world’s first fully electric, emission-free and potentially crewless container barges are to operate from the ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam from summer 2018. The vessels, designed to fit beneath bridges as they transport their goods around the inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands, are expected to vastly reduce the use of diesel-powered trucks for moving freight. Dubbed the “Tesla of the canals”, their electric motors will be driven by 20-foot batteries, charged on shore by the carbon-free energy provider Eneco.

The barges are designed to operate without any crew, although the vessels will be manned in their first period of operation as new infrastructure is erected around some of the busiest inland waterways in Europe. About 23,000 trucks, mainly running on diesel, are expected to be removed from the roads as a result. The barges are being developed by Port Liner, which believes it could produce about 500 barges a year to revolutionise the freight industry, although the electric motors and batteries could also be retrofitted into older boats. The barges would be the first in the world to sail on carbon-neutral batteries and only the low bridges in the low countries prevent them from being loaded with more goods.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/24/worlds-first-electri...

Towards a pollution-free planet

In early December, world governments committed to a pollution-free planet at the third United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) in Nairobi, Kenya, with resolutions and pledges promising to improve the lives of billions across the globe by cleaning up our air, land and water.

A new resolution on preventing and reducing air pollution to improve air quality globally recognises that air pollution is “the single greatest environmental risk to health”, linked to an estimated 6.5 million premature deaths across the world, and says that “in the absence of aggressive intervention, the number of premature deaths due to ambient air pollution are estimated to be on track to increase by more than 50% by 2050”. It urges countries to take action across sectors to reduce all forms of air pollution.

Source: United Nations Environment, 6 December 2017.

The resolutions: https://papersmart.unon.org/resolution/index

Low levels of PM linked with premature death

Short-term exposures to tiny particles (PM_2.5) and ozone — even at levels well below current United States national safety standards — were linked to higher risk of premature death among the elderly in the US, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The risk was even higher among elderly who were low-income, female, or black.

“This is the most comprehensive study of short-term exposure to pollution and mortality to date,” said Francesca Dominici, a senior author of the study. “We found that the mortality rate increases almost linearly as air pollution increases. Any level of air pollution, no matter how low, is harmful to human health.”

The study “Association of Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution with Mortality in Older Adults” (December 2017). Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/air-pollution-premature...

French incentives for less-polluting cars and heating systems

From 1 January 2018 the bonus scheme for the purchase of new less-polluting vehicles, which was previously available only to low-income families, has been extended to all citizens and to second-hand cars. For poorer families, the premium has doubled to €2,000. For buying an electric car, the incentive amounts to €2,500, on top of a €6,000 subsidy.

Measures also include bonuses and tax credits for domestic energy savings, and they specifically target low-income households. Up to €3,000 is available for households with very modest incomes to switch from old heating systems to new renewable ones. Tax credits on insulation improvement are maintained and extended to energy audits. From 2019, these will be turned into a premium to be paid directly after completion of the work.

Source: Ends Europe, 3 January 2018.

French Ministry: https://www.ecologique-solidaire.gouv.fr/entree-en-vigueur-des-quatre-me...

Call to halve meat and dairy consumption

Global meat and dairy production and consumption must be cut in half by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change and keep the Paris Agreement on track, is the message of a new Greenpeace report “Less is more”. According to their calculations agriculture, in a business as usual scenario, is projected to produce 52% of global greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, 70% of which will come from meat and dairy.

In response to the rising impacts of animal agriculture on the environment, and the climate, Greenpeace is launching a new global campaign calling for a major shift in the way we eat and the way we farm. Greenpeace calls for a 50% reduction of meat and dairy and a significant increase of plant-based in both production and consumption by 2050.

The report: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/publication/15093/less-is-more/

100% renewables more cost effective than fossils

A new groundbreaking study by Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and the Energy Watch Group (EWG) simulates a global electricity system based entirely on renewable energy on an hourly basis throughout a whole year. Its results prove that the existing renewable energy potential and technologies, including storage, are able to generate sufficient and secure power worldwide by 2050. Under favourable political conditions, full decarbonisation and nuclear phase-out of the global electricity system can succeed even earlier than that. The study proves that a 100% renewable electricity is more cost effective than the existing system, which is largely based on fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Link: https://medium.com/thebeammagazine/100-renewable-electricity-worldwide-i...