bemoreeco

By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News, Portland

The SSV Corwith Cramer is involved in the plastics research.

Scientists have discovered an area of the North Atlantic Ocean where plastic debris accumulates.
The region is said to compare with the well-documented “great Pacific garbage patch”.
Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association told the BBC that the issue of plastics had been “largely ignored” in the Atlantic.

She announced the findings of a two-decade-long study at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, US.
The work is the conclusion of the longest and most extensive record of plastic marine debris in any ocean basin.
Scientists and students from the SEA collected plastic and marine debris in fine mesh nets that were towed behind a research vessel.

We know that many marine organisms are consuming these plastics and we know this has a bad effect on seabirds in particular
Dr Kara Lavender Law, Sea Education Association
The nets dragged along were half-in and half-out of the water, picking up debris and small marine organisms from the sea surface.

The researchers carried out 6,100 tows in areas of the Caribbean and the North Atlantic – off the coast of the US. More than half of these expeditions revealed floating pieces of plastic on the water surface.
These were pieces of low-density plastic that are used to make many consumer products, including plastic bags.
Dr Lavender Law said that the pieces of plastic she and her team picked up in the nets were generally very small – up to 1cm across.

“We found a region fairly far north in the Atlantic Ocean where this debris appears to be concentrated and remains over long periods of time,” she explained.
“More than 80% of the plastic pieces we collected in the tows were found between 22 and 38 degrees north. So we have a latitude for [where this] rubbish seems to accumulate,” she said.

The maximum “plastic density” was 200,000 pieces of debris per square kilometre.
“That’s a maximum that is comparable with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” said Dr Lavender Law.
But she pointed out that there was not yet a clear estimate of the size of the patches in either the Pacific or the Atlantic.
“You can think of it in a similar way [to the Pacific Garbage Patch], but I think the word ‘patch’ can be misleading. This is widely dispersed and it’s small pieces of plastic,” she said.
The impacts on the marine environment of the plastics were still unknown, added the researcher.
“But we know that many marine organisms are consuming these plastics and we know this has a bad effect on seabirds in particular,” she told BBC News.

Nets are dragged half-in and half-out of the water

Nikolai Maximenko from University of Hawaii, who was not involved in the study, said that it was very important to continue the research to find out the impacts of plastic on the marine ecosystem.
He told BBC News: “We don’t know how much is consumed by living organisms; we don’t have enough data.
“I think this is a big target for the next decade – a global network to observe plastics in the ocean.”

Read the full article at bbc news

When We Talk Zero, We Sound Crazy. When Bill Gates Does It, Bankers Pick Up the Phone.

On Friday, the world’s most successful businessperson and most powerful philanthropist did something outstandingly bold, that went almost unremarked: Bill Gates announced that his top priority is getting the world to zero climate emissions.

Gates predicted extraordinary climate action: zero. Not small steps, not incremental progress, not doing less bad: zero. In fact, he stood in front of a slide with nothing but the planet Earth and the number zero. That moment was the most important thing that has happened at TED.

Gates spoke about his commitment to using his massive philanthropic resources (the Gates Foundation is the world’s largest) to make life better for people through public health and poverty alleviation (”vaccines and seeds” as he put it). Then he said something he’s never said before: that is it because he’s committed to improving life for the world’s vulnerable people that he now believes that climate change is the most important challenge on the planet.

Even more importantly, he acknowledged the only sensible goal, when it comes to climate emissions, is to eliminate them: we should be aiming for a civilization that produces no net emissions, and we should be aiming to live in that civilization here in the developed world by 2050.

Why is this important? The news stories focused largely on the clean energy aspect of the speech, and certainly the world’s most successful businessman announcing that clean energy is the next frontier is a big headline. However, I think though that the real breakthrough was not Gates’ answer to the problem, but his definition of success: zero.
Bright green advocates understand that we need prosperity without planetary impact. In many of the circles I run in, this is an uncontroversial idea, and, indeed, the conversation has moved on, to discussing how we decouple better lives from ecological footprints (or even go beyond, and build a society that restores the ecosystems on which it depends).

When we talk zero, we sound crazy.

But when Bill Gates talks zero, he sounds visionary. Gates, whatever else he did Friday, just made the most important idea on the planet mainstream credible. That’s a big, big deal.

Please read the full article at WorldChanging.com

30,000 tonnes of portable batteries enter the UK market each year.

New EU rules have come into force that require some stores selling batteries to provide in-store recycling bins.
Anyone selling more than 32kg a year – equivalent to one pack of four AA batteries a day – must comply as part of targets on cutting landfill.

The UK currently recycles only 3% of portable batteries, but the aim is to raise that figure to 45% by 2016.
Battery maker Varta warned that a lack of awareness among consumers could hamper the scheme’s success.
An estimated 30,000 tonnes of batteries – from those in electrical goods like torches, to rechargeable ones in mobile phones – enter the UK market each year.

At present, 97% eventually end up in landfill sites, where they can leak toxic chemicals into the soil.
The EU Batteries Directive aims to tackle that problem and cut carbon emissions by reducing the need for new batteries to be made from scratch.

All the evidence shows home collections of recyclables produce the best results

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: “This new legislation will make it easier for consumers to do the right thing whilst ensuring retailers fulfil their part of the bargain.”

But Vince Armitage, divisional vice-president of Varta, said he was concerned.
“The directive places the responsibility of meeting its stringent collection and recycling targets on the manufacturer, but it relies on the co-operation of consumers and retailers to make it work,” he said.
“However, a lack of promotion means that awareness of the directive among these key groups is low.
“This gives us great concern that, as a nation, we are setting ourselves up to fail before we even begin.”
Varta estimates that just meeting the 10% target will cost manufacturers £3m.

Bob Gordon, from the British Retail Consortium, said retailers were ready for the new requirements, but called for a “comprehensive and continuing” government information campaign to raise awareness among consumers.
He also said shops should not be the only route for collection, adding: “We need an infrastructure to develop which includes workplaces, schools, community centres and kerbside collection.

Read the full article at: bbc.co.uk/news

One Life Live now takes place at The Vitality Show, giving you access to 2 shows for the price of 1!

The Vitality Show, sponsored by Simplyhealth, is the UK’s largest event for health, beauty and wellbeing. With dozens of interactive features, expert filled theatres and hundreds of exhibitors offering expert advice, The Vitality Show is the ultimate girls’ day out.

Visit the hair salon, get pampered in the day spa, join in a free fitness class or listen to seminars from top health and beauty insiders – a day at The Vitality Show with One Life Live will leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and enlightened.

>>> Link

Are you looking for inspiration to make a change in your life? One Life Live at The Vitality Show is the perfect place to start! Packed with life coaching experts, career gurus and volunteering specialists, One Life Live has everything you need to start making a real difference to your future.

Whether you feel unfulfilled in your job, want a new personal challenge or simply achieve a happier work/life balance, One Life Live can help! To start you in the right direction, they have an exclusive ticket offer for you.

Book two tickets in advance for just £20, saving £15+, and be in with a chance of winning one of 20 introductory coaching days with The Smart School of Coaching worth £100 each. 
ook your tickets now or call 0871 230 5569 and quote SSL.

Roz McLeod is the founder and owner of Tall Poppy Training and Coaching (www.tallpoppytrainingandcoaching.com) and will be speaking on the One Life Live Theatre – come along and hear how you can make positive steps to change your life for the better.

Book 2 tickets for £20 now and be in with a chance of winning a coaching day worth £100 with The Smart School of Coaching. Book now or call 0871 230 5569 and quote SSL.

If you’re interested in a more personal and in depth experience, book your ticket for a One Life Live Workshop. Get expert advice in a friendly and informal environment on everything from careers to health and diet and life change to making the most of your CV. Limited availability. Tickets will be on a first come, first served basis.

>>> Link

The Government has played down claims it is not doing enough to help introduce electric cars in the UK.

In a visit to the region this week Ivan Hodac, secretary-general of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said money spent on support for the North East’s electric car infrastructure was not supported across the rest of the UK.

His outspoken attack on “piecemeal” Government support has upset ministers who have spent millions of pounds on electric vehicle support.

Nissan’s Sunderland plant, which employs more than 3,000 workers, is currently bidding against its factory in Portugal to build the manufacturer’s LEAF electric car – a contract which it hopes could create thousands of North East jobs. But Mr Hodac said Portuguese efforts to introduce electric car charging points were moving much faster than UK plans.

The Government claims to have found £30m for charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

“Cities and businesses are joining together to bid for this money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities,” the Government spokeswoman said.
She added: “Overall, we’re investing more than £400m to encourage the development, manufacture and use of next generation ultra-low carbon vehicles. This support is being targeted to create jobs in a low-carbon automotive sector and to cut carbon from UK road transport.”

Mr Hodac is a representative in Brussels of the 15 European car makers.

View the full article at nebusiness.co.uk

According to John Vidal, Allegra Stratton and Suzanne Goldenberg – ‘Copenhagen Ends in Failure’

(This article is a summary – read the full article at the guardian.co.uk)

The UN climate summit reached a weak outline of a global agreement in Copenhagen tonight, falling far short of what Britain and many poor countries were seeking and leaving months of tough negotiations to come.

After eight draft texts and all-day talks between 115 world leaders, it was left to Barack Obama and Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, to broker a political agreement. The so-called Copenhagen accord “recognises” the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than 2C but does not contain commitments to emissions reductions to achieve that goal.

American officials spun the deal as a “meaningful agreement”, but even Obama said: “This progress is not enough.”

In a press conference held after the talks broke up, Brown said the agreement was a “vital first step” and accepted there was a lot more work to do to get assurances it would become a legally binding agreement. He declined to call it a “historic” conference:

The deal was brokered between China, South Africa, India, Brazil and the US, but late last night it was unclear whether it would be adopted by all 192 countries in the full plenary session. The deal aims to provide $30bn a year for poor countries to adapt to climate change from next year to 2012, and $100bn a year by 2020.

But it disappointed African and other vulnerable countries which had been holding out for deeper emission cuts to hold the global temperature rise to 1.5C this century. As widely expected, all references to 1.5C in past drafts were removed at the last minute, but more surprisingly, the earlier 2050 goal of reducing global CO2 emissions by 80% was also dropped.

Obama hinted that China was to blame for the lack of a substantial deal. In a press conference he condemned the insistence of some countries to look backwards to previous environmental agreements. He said developing countries should be “getting out of that mindset, and moving towards the position where everybody recognises that we all need to move together”.

Negotiators will now work on individual agreements such as forests, technology, and finance – but, without strong leadership, the chances are that it will take years to complete.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “The city of Copenhagen is a crime scene tonight, with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport. Ed Miliband [UK climate change secretary] is among the very few that come out of this summit with any credit.” It is now evident that beating global warming will require a radically different model of politics than the one on display here in Copenhagen.”

Earlier this month the government announced a £100bn plan to boost wind power to an unprecedented scale. The Crown Estate confirmed the latest round of leasing of UK waters for offshore farms, which will add 25 GW of electricity generation (to the existing 8GW); this will be enough to power every household in the UK.
Additional plans for offshore wind farms in Scotland could bring the total capacity to about 40GW.

This is all very impressive. Construction is planned to begin 2013-2015. I was at parliamentary seminar on energy policy earlier this week where the shadow minister for Energy Charles Hendry rightly commented on these plans en passant ”we have a shortage of ships, skills, engineers, manufacturing capacity, and absolutely
no money, but other than that everything is going fine”. It’s a typical “Yes Minister” moment, and probably spot on, but there’re reasons to be optimistic.

There is a huge challenge in delivering the necessary volume to build these offshore farms and the cost involved, especially at a time when Britain is risking a rating downgrade and needs to keep a lid on printing money, but I have no doubt that we will rise to the challenge. It also beside the point that in all likelihood all this technology will be sourced from abroad.

The concerns about the unreliability of windpower are unjustified. If there’s wind for a net 50% of the time during the year, and we need to resort to burning coal and gas for the remainder to make up for the shortfall, that is a 50% cut in emissions already. There is no objective need to expect that any one renewable source will produce electricity
at a continuous level 24/7. The key is to diversify the energy mix and securing that the main elements of the mix delivering the lion’s share of the demand are low carbon.

The same applies at a micro-generation or household level. Solar panels can be a great investment because the excess production can be sold to the National Grid. The limited number of hours of daylight means that a household needs to buy back from the grid part of the time. However the net balance
is that an average set up with an initial outlay of £30000  can bring dividends of about 5-7% p.a. by selling the electricity, which is more than one would get from putting the money in a savings account, plus there’s the added advantage that the household becomes a carbon negative contributor to reducing emissions.

This is far from a trivial point. Micro-generation and energy efficiency can play a crucial role in decreasing demand that would otherwise spiral out of control.

Article by Mikel Susperregi – full article can be found at http://www.baseshow.co.uk/

Passengers who fly with no-frills carriers leave a softer “carbon footprint” than those on full-service airlines, new research has shown.

A couple flying with Ryanair from London to Venice and returning a week later have a carbon footprint of 410kg, while the equivalent journey on Alitalia would produce 977kg. A flight from London to Zurich with easyJet has a carbon footprint of 277kg per couple, compared with 688kg with Aer Lingus.

An easyJet spokesman said: “Our policy is to expand our fleet through the acquisition of the latest-technology aircraft, as these are more fuel-efficient than older models. The average age of an aircraft in our flight is 3.5 years. We also use these aircraft as efficiently as possible, by maximising load factors and seating density.” On an Airbus A319, the average full-service airline has 124 seats; easyJet has 156.

“Our analysis shows that the environmental stigma of budget travel may be unwarranted,” said Gbenga Kogbe of Liligo.co.uk. “Travellers can now assess the financial and environmental costs of travelling with low-cost airlines, traditional airlines and charter-flight companies.”

While many scheduled carriers report dwindling passenger numbers, low-cost carriers continue to see growth: easyJet reported a 9.3 per cent rise in passenger traffic in December compared with December 2008.
Analysts said the airline had benefited from the threat of Christmas strike action against BA and the disruption by snow of Eurostar services.

BA carried four per cent fewer passengers in December compared with the same month last year. Overall, passenger numbers fell by 750,000 to 25.2 million last year. It is not yet clear how damaging the renewed threat of strikes will be to bookings, but several travel agents have already switched flights away from BA since the cabin crew’s union, Unite, announced plans for a new strike ballot. The vote is expected to be held in early March.

Read the full article at the telegraph.co.uk

Wind turbines and solar panels will be popping up on schools across the country as part of a Government drive to educate children about climate change.

From today every school in the country will be offered a hi-tech smart meter that shows pupils and staff how much energy is being used at any one time.

Ultimately schools will be expected to go carbon neutral by improving energy efficiency through insulation, double glazing, using low energy equipment and encouraging children to turn off appliances. Schools will also be expected to generate their own heat and power where appropriate by installing solar panels, wood chip boilers and wind turbines.

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said it was important people learn about cutting carbon at a young age.
“As parents know, their children have a real desire to become the environmental champions of the future and help save the planet for future generations – and we need to harness this interest and do even more,” he said.
The £12 million initiative to provide smart meters to every school will help monitor energy use. It can also be used as a teaching tool by demonstrating how different appliances and lifestyle changes can cut energy use.

See full article at telegraph.co.uk