No. 3 October 2018
Member states to set the bottom floor
The climate and environment are central objectives in the new CAP proposal, but more flexibility for member states risks undermining delivery on the ground.
Editorial: Just doing a little bit is not enough
“Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” This is the main message of the IPCC report released on 8 October. They also conclude “that we ...
Six countries taken to court over air quality breaches
If EU countries do not urgently address their air pollution problems, the European Court of Justice can impose fines amounting to millions of euro.
EU “Clean Air Outlook” up to 2030
The annual benefits of additional measures needed to achieve the 2030 national emissions ceilings are estimated at €13–58 billion, up to 84 times higher than the estimated costs.
Coal will be squeezed out by renewables
Prices of green electricity and batteries have fallen so sharply that projections for 85–90% renewables by 2035 look “ludicrously conservative”, according to the energy coalition ETC.
Lessons from aviation’s first foray into market-based measures
International Civil Aviation Organization landed on the cheapest, most contentious, and finally outdated policy instrument out there – offsetting.
Europe still building new coal power stations
Several countries in Europe have recently built or are planning to build new coal power stations. Some examples from Germany were described in the last issue of Acid News (AN2/2018), and further examples of such plants from Eastern Europe are presented here.
Germany must exit coal quickly
A study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology posits that Germany can still meet its 2020 emissions reduction target.
Swedes harmed by air pollution
Every year 7600 people in Sweden die prematurely due to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, with an annual cost to society of at least 5.3 billion euro.
Agricultural ammonia emissions keep on rising
Five EU countries breached their national emission ceilings for ammonia in 2016 and total emissions have now increased by two per cent over three years, preliminary data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows.
Three easy apples to pick
Some types of change require long-term planning, new institutions, educating a new generation etc. Other things are so easy to do that they should have been implemented yesterday.
Wind farms and birds
Wind farms are far less harmful to birds than first thought, according to the biggest ever study on the subject published in April, because seabirds actively change their flight paths to avoid them.
A smorgasbord of sustainable solutions
Environmentally aware public procurement and the inclusion of sustainability in dietary guidelines are some measures already taken in the transition towards a sustainable food system.
Sweden to stop using coal for energy in 2022
The burning of coal for heat and power in Sweden will stop in 2022, which is the deadline for the combined heat and power plant in Stockholm.
Solar radiation management (SRM) and geoengineering are not needed
SRM is perilous, as the consequnces of intervening in a highly complex system are unpredictable. Actual GHG emissions cuts can achieve more, faster, surer, cheaper and without the risk.
Cruise ship ranking
In its updated cruise ship ranking, German environmentalist organisation NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union) concludes that just one newly built cruise ship, the AIDAnova, renounces the use ...
Five fully-electric ferries in Copenhagen
The multinational public transport company Arriva Danmark has recently contracted Damen Shipyards Group for five fully-electric ferries, to be operated for the Danish public transport agency MOVIA, in Copenhagen ...
LNG wrong course
Switching to liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a costly and ineffective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, according to a new study commissioned by Transport & Environment. While LNG ...
Norway heading for zero-emission ships
Norway has set its sights on creating the world’s first zero emissions control area (ZECA). A resolution adopted by the Norwegian Parliament on 3 May seeks to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the Norwegian ...
Member states ask EU to help hide their air pollution failure
Eleven governments have asked the European Commission to retrospectively raise their “emission ceilings” after breaching their national air pollution limits in 2016, namely: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland ...
Frankfurt must ban older diesel cars
Frankfurt must ban highly-polluting, older diesel vehicles from the city centre from February 2019 as part of a plan to improve air quality, the Administrative Court in Wiesbaden ruled on 5 September. ClientEarth lawyer ...
Diesel cars cause high health costs
Recent research by scientists at the University of Oxford and University of Bath suggests that the health damage effects associated with diesel vehicle emissions are around 20 times greater than electric vehicles ...
Support for renewables over coal in Turkish poll
While Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan has strongly promoted new coal power plants, only 5.2 per cent of 2595 residents surveyed preferred coal power, compared to 70 per cent support for solar and 52.8 per cent support ...
EU livestock numbers are too high
“What is the Safe Operating Space for EU livestock?” is the question at issue and the title of a new report from the Rise Foundation. Their preliminary analysis shows that the numbers of farm animals in Europe ...
Climate-vulnerable countries: 2015 commitments are outdated
The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) has urged countries to step up and revise their national climate plans without further delay. “Growing climate risks, economic and technological developments in low-carbon technology" ...
No more sales of wet firewood in the UK
Retailers could face restrictions on selling wet wood as a fuel for household heating, under plans announced by the UK government on 17 August to tackle particulate (PM) air pollution, following on from the launch of the government’s Clean Air Strategy this summer.
Zero-emission construction machinery
Construction sites are the source of various forms of pollution, such as material waste, visible dust, noise, and vibration. But they also produce air pollution, especially nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).
In brief
London ULEZ to expand from October 2021
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone will expand out to the North and South Circular roads from 25 October 2021 and cover an area 18 times larger than the Central London ULEZ, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed on 8 June.
The ULEZ is to be introduced in the centre of the city from early 2019, before expanding out to the North and South Circulars in 2021 – and will increase the emissions standards for vehicles operating in the capital. Replacing the current T-Charge, the ULEZ would see vehicles that do not meet emission standards liable to incur a daily charge to drive within the zone, ranging from £12.50 for some light vehicles, up to an additional £100 for some heavy goods vehicles which do not meet the Euro VI emissions limit.
Source: AirQualityNews, 8 June 2018.
Denmark to ban new fossil fuel cars by 2035
The Danish government has launched a climate and air pollution package called “together for a cleaner world”, which includes 38 initiatives. The country aims to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and sales of plug-in hybrids by 2035. This should be enough to achieve a fossil-free car fleet by 2050. This would reduce annual CO2 emissions by 7 million tonnes. They also intend to set up a scrapping premium for diesel cars.
Besides transport measures, the package also includes initiatives to promote precision farming with the ambition to reduce ammonia emissions, and improved monitoring of sulphur emissions from the shipping sector.
Source: ENDS Daily 9 October 2018
Sweden will fine high-sulphur ships
After years of preparatory work, the Swedish government has now finally introduced economic sanctions on ships using illegal high-sulphur fuel. The minimum penalty fee is SEK 5,000 (€482) and the maximum SEK 500,000 (€48,200). The higher the engine power and the fuel sulphur content, the higher the penalty. If a company continues to violate the rules the fee can be doubled, potentially reaching SEK 1 million.
As from 1 January 2015, EU legislation as well as rules set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) require ships to use fuels with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1 per cent when entering the North Sea and Baltic Sea, which are designated as sulphur emission control areas. In comparison, the sulphur standard for most of the rest of world is currently 3.5 per cent, but will come down to 0.5 per cent as from 2020.
Source: Press release from the Swedish Ministry of Environment, 1 June 2018
Copenhagen mayor wants to ban wood-burning stoves
Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen wants to reduce air pollution by banning new wood-burning stoves and offering householders a cash incentive to scrap their old stoves and switch to district heating. Jensen would like to see the cash incentive funded by the state, but if it is unwilling to do so, Copenhagen Municipality is seeking permission to set up a local scrappage scheme.
“In a city where we’ve got district heating in every house there’s no need for wood-burning stoves as a heat source. They are only for ‘hygge’ (cosiness) and that kind of ‘hygge’ is something we will have to wean ourselves off,” he said.
There are more than 16,000 wood-burning stoves in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, and one study has estimated that 77 premature deaths in 2014 could be directly attributed to particle emissions from wood-burning stoves.
Source: chppost.dk, 30 August 2018
http://cphpost.dk/news/nature-news-in-brief-mayor-wants-to-rid-copenhage...