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Environment and development AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA Leading Arabic Environment Magazine

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
Mathis Wackernagel
MY OBSESSION WITH OVERSHOOT
Mathis Wackernagel
There is no other possible future than a regenerative one
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Najib Saab
After ‘Arab Spring Floods’: Do Not Use Climate Change as Excuse
Najib Saab
Will the spring floods that hit some Arab countries serve as a reminder of the power of nature and the inevitability of respecting its rules
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Philipp Pratt
Your 'Eco-Friendly' Travel App Could Be Hurting the Environment, Say Experts
Philipp Pratt
Sometimes, the road to sustainability is paved with good intentions but littered with unforeseen consequences
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Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
Industry royally champions sustainable floriculture project led by Coventry University 9/10/2024
Coventry University is leading a project to reduce plastic, packaging and waste in the British cut-flower industry. ...more
 
Major boost in carbon capture and storage essential to reach 2°C climate target 27/9/2024
Large expansion of carbon capture and storage is necessary to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet a new study led by Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden and University of Bergen, in Norway, shows that without major efforts, the technology will not expand fast enough to meet the 2°C target and even with major efforts it is unlikely to expand fast enough for the 1.5°C target. ...more
 
Europe’s deadly floods are glimpse of future climate 25/9/2024
Central Europe's devastating floods were made much worse by climate change and offer a stark glimpse of the future for the world's fastest-warming continent, scientists say. ...more
 
Which Countries Should Pay for International Climate Finance? 18/9/2024
The world needs trillions of dollars annually to combat climate change, but questions remain as to where that funding will come from. Most at stake are poorer countries that are the least protected — and hardest hit — from the increasing ravages of heat waves, storm surges and other extreme weather events exacerbated each year by climate change. Many of these countries lack the resources to undertake a rapid and just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy without external help. ...more
 
World’s strongest battery paves way for light, energy-efficient vehicles 12/9/2024
When cars, planes, ships or computers are built from a material that functions as both a battery and a load-bearing structure, the weight and energy consumption are radically reduced. A research group at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is now presenting a world-leading advance in so-called massless energy storage – a structural battery that could halve the weight of a laptop, make the mobile phone as thin as a credit card or increase the driving range of an electric car by up to 70 percent on a single charge. ...more
 
A method that paves the way for improved fuel cell vehicles 14/8/2024
More efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells are essential for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to be an alternative to combustion fuelled counterparts. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed an innovative method to study and understand how parts of fuel cells degrade over time. This is an important step towards the improved performance of fuel cells and them becoming commercially successful. ...more
 
Empowering women – a key to both sustainable energy and gender justice 13/8/2024
Involving women in implementing solar energy technologies in developing countries not only has great climate impact. A new study published in Nature Energy and carried out by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that empowering women through energy care work can change unjust, gendered norms and long-lived injustices. ...more
 
Could Australia become a green hydrogen superpower? 9/8/2024
“If you remember being a kid and blowing up a balloon or into a milkshake, your cheeks got sore because there is an energy penalty associated with bubble formation.” ...more
 
New Study: The price tag of phasing-out coal 15/5/2024
Coal phase-out is necessary to solve climate change, but can have negative impacts on workers and local communities dependent on coal for their livelihoods. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Central European University in Austria have studied government plans for coal phase-out around the world and discovered that more than half of such plans include monetary compensation to affected parties. This planned compensation globally amounts to USD 200 billion, but it excludes China and India, the two largest users of coal that currently do not have phase-out plans. The study shows that if China and India decide to phase out coal as fast as needed to reach the Paris climate targets and pay similar compensation, it would cost upwards of USD 2 trillion. ...more
 
Toxic chemicals can be detected with new AI method 2/5/2024
Swedish researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg have developed an AI method that improves the identification of toxic chemicals – based solely on knowledge of the molecular structure. The method can contribute to better control and understanding of the ever-growing number of chemicals used in society, and can also help reduce the amount of animal tests. ...more
 
High-precision diaphragm metering pump makes the “Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg” system demonstrator fit for industrial application 14/4/2024
Effective decarbonization of German industry – and with it, the achievement of the climate targets with a secure energy supply at the same time – is unthinkable without the expansion of hydrogen technologies. Since they are a carbon-free energy source, they do not release any emissions during combustion. Hydrogen is also suitable as a storage medium to compensate for fluctuations in renewable energy production, since it can be produced via electrolysis using any power source. As part of the "Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg" project, which was completed in 2023, the Baden-Württemberg Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) has now strengthened the region as a hydrogen location for the long term. With the participation of 40 companies, a scalable system demonstrator for alkaline pressure electrolysis with an output of 1 MWel was engineered. The pump specialist LEWA from Leonberg, Germany, also contributed to the success of the project: an ecoflow diaphragm metering pump with Ex motor feeds the water required for hydrogen production into the process. As of 2026, the system will continue to operate in the H2 GeNeSiS model region and feed hydrogen into the new pipeline along the Neckar River. ...more
 
Ammonia attracts the shipping industry, but researchers warn of its risks 5/2/2024
Switching to ammonia as a marine fuel, with the goal of decarbonisation, can instead create entirely new problems. This is shown in a study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, where researchers carried out life cycle analyses for batteries and for three electrofuels including ammonia. Eutrophication and acidification are some of the environmental problems that can be traced to the use of ammonia – as well as emissions of laughing gas, which is a very potent greenhouse gas. ...more
 
Resource-efficient and climate-friendly with sodium-ion batteries 13/12/2023
The transition to a society without fossil fuels means that the need for batteries is increasing at a rapid pace. At the same time, the increase will mean a shortage of the metals lithium and cobalt, which are key components in the most common battery types. One option is a sodium-ion battery, where table salt and biomass from the forest industry make up the main raw materials. Now, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, show that these sodium-ion batteries have an equivalent climate impact as their lithium-ion counterparts – without the risk of running out of raw materials. ...more
 
Benchmarks for Success for COP28 6/11/2023
Floods recently wreaked havoc in Libya, damaging critical infrastructure and killing more than 6,000 people. Wildfires in Canada burned 18.5 million hectares, an area the size of Syria. September 2023 set “gobsmackingly bananas” heat records that unsettled climate scientists. ...more
 
Egypt, World Bank collaborate on Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project 22/10/2024
Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, inaugurated the opening session of a World Bank technical mission visit to review the progress of the Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project. This joint initiative between the Ministry of Environment and the World Bank aims to address critical environmental challenges in the capital city and its surrounding areas. ...more
 
World lags on 2030 nature goals headed into UN COP16 talks 22/10/2024
The world in 2022 reached its most ambitious deal ever to halt the destruction of nature by decade's end. ...more
 
Top EU countries spend $45 billion subsidizing fossil-fuel company cars, study says 22/10/2024
The EU's five biggest members spend 42 billion euros ($45.60 billion) annually subsidizing fossil-fuel company cars, according to a study commissioned by environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E), which called for more subsidies for EVs instead. ...more
 
UK appoints first nature envoy to tackle species decline 22/10/2024
The government has appointed the UK’s first envoy for nature, a former environment campaigner described as “the environmentalist’s environmentalist”, who will be charged with forging global agreement on halting the precipitous decline of species. ...more
 
UK rivers contain ‘cocktail of chemicals and stimulants’ endangering aquatic life 22/10/2024
The UK’s rivers contain a cocktail of chemicals and stimulants including caffeine, antidepressants and painkillers from water company sewage releases, polluting freshwaters at levels which can pose a risk to aquatic life, testing has found. ...more
 
COP16: From forests to oceans, nature in a dire state 21/10/2024
Global destruction of nature has reached unprecedented extremes. ...more
 
Explainer: Countries must report nature protection plans to the UN. What does that mean? 21/10/2024
Nearly 200 nations face a deadline to report their nature conservation plans to the United Nations ahead of a two-week U.N. nature summit dubbed COP16, beginning on Monday in the Colombian city of Cali. ...more
 
Exclusive: Global coral bleaching event expands, now the largest on record 21/10/2024
The mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world since February 2023 is now the most extensive on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Reuters this week. ...more
 
Azores create largest marine protected area in North Atlantic 21/10/2024
The regional assembly of Portugal's Azores Islands approved the creation of the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic to reach international conservation goals well ahead of time. ...more
 
Colombian scientists develop supplement to protect bees from pesticides 21/10/2024
Scientists in Colombia say they have developed a novel food supplement that protects bees' brains from pesticides, keeping the insects safe from neurological damage caused by agricultural chemicals. ...more
 
EU envoys agree implementation delay of deforestation law 18/10/2024
European Union ambassadors agreed on Wednesday to delay implementation of the bloc's landmark deforestation law by a year till the end of December next year, they said in a statement. ...more
 
OECD-backed group calls for global pact to solve water crisis 18/10/2024
Countries need a new international pact to fix a mounting water crisis that could cut economic growth by at least 8% and put half the world's food supplies at risk by 2050, an OECD-backed commission said on Thursday. ...more
 
Deep ocean marine heatwaves may be under-reported, study says 18/10/2024
Heatwaves deep in oceans may be "significantly under-reported", highlighting an area of marine warming that has been largely overlooked, a joint study by Australia's national science agency (CISRO) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found. ...more
 
Canadian climate lawsuit by young people could sway global cases 18/10/2024
The appeals court in Canada's most populous province is set to rule on Thursday whether Ontario's climate target violates young people's rights, in a decision that could sway similar cases internationally. ...more
 
Fungi could be given same status as flora and fauna under conservation plan 18/10/2024
A new era of mycelial conservation could begin this month when the UK and Chile propose that fungi should be placed alongside animals and plants as a separate realm for environmental protection. ...more
 
The financial cost of weather-related disasters 17/10/2024
The financial cost of weather-related disasters reached unprecedented levels in 2023, with a record number of events each costing insurers more than $1 billion. This surge in costly natural catastrophes highlights the growing impact of climate change on global economies and the insurance sector.. ...more
 
'Age of electricity' to follow looming fossil fuel peak, IEA says 17/10/2024
The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity with fossil fuel demand set to peak by the end of the decade, meaning surplus oil and gas supplies could drive investment into green energy, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. ...more
 
Germany earmarks $3 billion for decarbonisation subsidies 17/10/2024
The German government has earmarked up to 2.8 billion euros ($3.1 billion) to support 15 industrial companies in their bid to decarbonise under its first round of "climate protection contracts", the economy ministry said on Tuesday. ...more
 
Top scientists call for political leadership to tackle the climate crisis 17/10/2024
A guide to help parliamentarians understand and respond to the challenges of climate change was launched Wednesday in the House of Commons. ...more
 
Amazon.com joins push for nuclear power to meet data center demand 17/10/2024
Amazon.com (AMZN.O) said on Wednesday it has signed three agreements on developing the nuclear power technology called small modular reactors, becoming the latest big tech company to push for new sources to meet surging electricity demand from data centers. ...more
 
The Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi Launches Initiative to Plant a Mangrove Tree for Every WEEC 2024 Visitor and Enhance Community Participation in Environmental Research 16/10/2024
As part of the Year of Sustainability and Abu Dhabi’s Climate Change Strategy, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) has announced a new initiative involving teachers and students of the Sustainable Schools Initiative (SSI) to plant a mangrove tree for every visitor and participant at the 12th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) 2024, which took place in Abu Dhabi from January 29th to February 2nd and attended by more than 3,000 participants. ...more
 
About 80% of countries fail to submit plans to preserve nature ahead of global summit 16/10/2024
Countries promised to save 30% of land and sea for nature - but as their deadline approaches, only 24 have followed through with a plan. ...more
 
Only one-third of Europe’s surface water qualifies as good or better, study finds 16/10/2024
Data compiled by EEA shows quality of water bodies falls far short of target first set for 2015 and since extended to 2027. ...more
 
Burning rubbish now UK’s dirtiest form of power 16/10/2024
Burning household rubbish in giant incinerators to make electricity is now the dirtiest way the UK generates power, BBC analysis has found. ...more
 
AI enhances flood warnings but cannot erase risk of disaster! 16/10/2024
When floods ripped through parts of Europe in September, the scale of the destruction took people by surprise. The intense rains should not have, because those had been predicted by sophisticated forecasting systems enhanced with artificial intelligence. ...more
 
 
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