環保時事 - 立雍科技

Gower's "Climate Tracker" leaked carbon emission data, Long Steel ranked among Taiwan's top ten pollution sources

In the second episode of Gower's Climate Mirror, the world's dirtiest pollution source has been replaced? Among the major carbon emitters named in 2022, who has improved? Who's worse off? Climate TRACE is currently the world's most detailed independent global greenhouse gas emissions database. Among the 500 dirtiest carbon emission sources in the world in 2022, 7 are from Taiwan. Image source: Taken from the official website of Climate TRACE. Do you still remember that at COP27 last year, former US Vice President Al Gore opened the climate mirror "Climate TRACE"? It integrates data from satellites, remote sensing and other public and commercial data, and uses AI to calculate the carbon emissions of the world's 72,612 dirtiest power plants, refineries, oil fields, steel plants, cement plants, airports and other 20 major industries. Spread out on a world map, it claims to be the most detailed independent global greenhouse gas emissions database available. Gall is back in 2023. This time it was even more violent. The number of pollution sources exposed exploded from more than 70,000 to 352 million, an annual increase of 4,400 times. It included cities, fishing ports, road traffic, rice fields, field burning, etc., and the time span of national-level carbon emission data was It has also been extended to 2015. The closest thing to a true global carbon emissions database "It's really powerful," Gower said. “We are participating in this COP specifically for this year’s global stocktake,” he pointed out. “Climate TRACE is currently the only independent, comprehensive source of accurate data that can be used to take stocktakes.” In fact, Climate TRACE also

2024-05-28

Give old toys new life and see how recycled plastic can be transformed into fashionable furniture and baby strollers

Recycle old plastic toys into stunning children’s furniture! In 2018, two designers, Vanessa Yuan and Joris Vanbriel, founders of the Belgian B-type company ecoBirdy, debuted their designs at the Paris Fashion Home Design Show (M&O). Attract many people's attention! A series of children's furniture made from recycled old plastic toys that look like natural marble and are in soft and colorful colors. The design behind the design contains in-depth research on plastic, plastic toys and their recyclability, and is accompanied by a children's picture book to educate children. Describe the idea of circular design and a sustainable future and inspire them to contribute to a more sustainable future. Yuan and Joris previously worked in design and fashion in Milan, Italy, but they reflected that if there are already so many excellent designs, why do they need to create new things? Too much consumerism is not a good thing for the planet, so for them the answer was to create ecoBirdy to respond to the difficulties faced by today's society with the power of sustainable business. ecoBirdy has created a recycling system from the recycling of old plastic toys to the design and production of furniture. A four-piece design furniture collection made entirely from recycled plastic and can be easily and completely recycled again. We also create service solutions for manufacturing new products for companies or brands that want to solve the plastic problem, such as Mustela, a leading maternal and child care brand, and set up recycling bins in the store for disposable contact lens packaging.

2024-05-24

"Adapting Collections to Climate Change": Museums' Carbon Reduction Challenge

Museums, galleries or other cultural venues are often considered providers of public goods. When we talk about climate change, sustainability and other issues, the role of these units is often ignored, and these venues are even exempted from the supervision of related issues. Yet museums can be among the most carbon-intensive buildings in a city. how to say? Because the museum is able to properly preserve its collections by strictly controlling temperature and humidity, it has fallen into an air-conditioned "doom loop"[1]. In the process, more energy is used and more carbon dioxide is emitted, which in turn leads to climate change and extreme temperatures. When faced with drastic changes in temperature, more energy is needed to maintain and control the indoor environment, creating a vicious cycle. In addition, environmentally harmful chemicals are also used during the restoration of cultural relics, artworks, etc., further causing environmental damage. Most museums have strict temperature and humidity controls, so how to reduce carbon emissions has become a big challenge. Find the sustainable operation model of the venue with the help of "digital twin", the experience of the Charles H. Wright Museum in the United States. Ten years ago, Leslie Tom visited the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit and discovered the methods used to develop sustainability. Resources are quite scarce. In 2015, when he became the chief sustainability officer (CSO) of the museum, relying on his background in architecture and design, he discovered that due to a fire in the architect's office, the museum lost the project blueprints at that time. In 2019, in order to create a "wisdom museum"

2024-05-20

Climate change is a salary and pension thief! Global per capita income in 2050 will be 19% less

do you know? Climate change is a salary and pension thief! The latest research in the internationally authoritative journal Nature estimates that climate change is expected to cause annual economic losses of US$38 trillion in 2049. In 2100, losses may double again. How big a loss is $38 trillion? It is roughly more than twice the annual GDP of the entire European Union, 1.5 times the annual GDP of the United States, or nearly 30 times the GDP of Taiwan in 2023. This paper studies the economic impact of climate on more than 1,600 regions around the world over the past 40 years, such as how changes in average annual temperature affect changes in economic growth rates, and then uses computer simulations to predict future trends. The results found that compared with the "no warming" scenario, climate change will cause global per capita income to decrease by 18.8% in 26 years. Although almost all countries face economic losses, the biggest losses are those that are the poorest, have the lowest historical cumulative carbon emissions, and are least responsible for carbon emissions. The study estimates that the income losses of the world's poorest countries are 61% higher than those of the richest countries; the income losses of countries with the lowest historical carbon emissions are 40% higher than those of countries with the highest historical carbon emissions. "These phenomena once again highlight the widespread injustice of climate shocks," the paper said. From a regional perspective, wealthy North America and Europe will suffer the least damage, with per capita income expected to decline by 11%; Southeast Asia and East Asia, where Taiwan is located, are expected to decrease by 19%, slightly higher than the global average; the worst-affected areas are South Asia and Africa, where income will decrease by more than 22%. This is just looking at lost income, but climate change also increases other costs of living

2024-05-16

The role of recycled material verification in the development trend of international plastic tax

Origin of Plastic Tax In recent years, plastic reduction has always been an important topic on the international negotiation table. Although there has been a temporary slowdown due to the impact of COVID-19, now after the epidemic, plastic restriction and plastic reduction issues have returned to the forefront, especially in 2024. The Global Plastics Treaty, established in 2016, will be legally binding on countries around the world and is expected to pose a new wave of challenges to the plastics industry. In response to the impact of COVID-19 on the global industry, the European Union launched the NextGeneration EU economic recovery plan in 2020. The new plastic tax is one of the important measures to increase the EU's overall budget and will be levied starting in 2021. The basis for the collection is based on Eurostat data, based on the total amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste in member states in the previous year, and is levied at a rate of 0.80 euros per kilogram. Taxation is expected to generate an annual tax injection of approximately 6 billion euros (Detailed Figure 1). Figure 1: EU Plastic Tax Collection Rate Current Status of International Plastic Taxes Regarding the EU plastic tax levied from 2021, the response strategies adopted by EU member states vary according to the direction of national management policies. Some countries have responded to the EU plastic tax. Tax introduces the country's domestic taxation and fee system. This article explains the UK and Spain, which have implemented relevant tax and fee systems, and compiles a comparison table as follows:

2024-05-15

Grab carbon dioxide from the air! The world's largest carbon capture factory in Iceland captures carbon emissions from 8,600 vehicles a year

The world's largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) factory "Mammoth" was opened in Iceland on the 8th. It can remove 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year, which is equivalent to reducing the carbon emissions of 8,600 cars. Compared with the current largest factory of the same type, it is eight times larger. It is not easy to increase production capacity and reduce costs. In 2021, Swiss startup Climeworks launched the direct air capture factory "Orca". The Oka factory is located in Iceland and can capture 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The captured carbon dioxide was handed over to Icelandic partner Carbfix for carbon storage. At that time, it was the world's largest direct air capture and storage (DAC+S) plant. "Oka" comes from the Icelandic orka, which means "energy". Shortly after the opening of the Oka plant, Climeworks immediately began construction of the Mengma plant and completed it within two years. The Mengma plant can capture 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, nine times that of the Oka plant. Slowing down carbon emissions will not help, and many experts are pinning their hopes on carbon-negative technologies. The commonly heard term "carbon capture" is to separate, compress, and then store carbon dioxide emitted from thermal power plants and factories; "direct air capture" is to intercept carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Foreign media use "giant air purifiers" and " Carbon dioxide vacuum cleaner" description. The Guardian explained that the factory first uses powerful fans to suck air into the collector, and then uses alkaline filters to absorb carbon dioxide. When the filter is filled with carbon dioxide, the collector

2024-05-15

The third EV100 company in Taiwan-Taiwan promises to fully use electric vehicles by 2030

Taiwan Mobile announced on the 10th that it passed the EV100 application on the 29th of last month and officially joined the "EV100 Global Initiative" (Electric Vehicle 100%) on May 10th, becoming the third EV100 member in Taiwan. Taiwan University has promised to electrify all company transportation vehicles by 2030, and Taiwan University's official vehicles and company cars will be converted to electric vehicles. Let the company's fleet be the first to electrify EV100. Taiwan achieved great results last year and joined the RE100 global initiative in 2022. It was the first telecom operator in Taiwan to join at the time, and promised to achieve the goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2040. In May this year, Taiwan joined the EV100 initiative again. This initiative, also proposed by The Climate Group, advocates gathering the power of enterprises to make electric transportation become the new normal in 2030. According to the latest annual report released by EV100 last month, as of 2023, 128 EV100 corporate members have added more than 230,000 electric vehicles globally, an increase of 57% compared with last year, which is the best result since the initiative was launched. EV100 also requires members to build electric infrastructure, including setting up charging piles. Last year, EV100 installed more than 5,000 charging stations around the world. Taiwan University, which is the latest to announce its participation in EV100, uses its self-built MyCharge charging platform to promote a new energy-saving and sustainable life from the consumer side and solve the problem of electric vehicles.

2024-05-13

Taiwan’s first carbon label certified strawberry – Taiyi Leisure Farm

Taiwanese strawberries also have carbon labels. The Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture implemented a carbon footprint inventory of fresh strawberry fruits from Taiyi Leisure Farm. After a year of coaching, it passed the review of the Ministry of Environment and successfully obtained the "Product Carbon Footprint Label" (hereinafter referred to as the carbon label). This label records the carbon footprint emissions of strawberries from production to disposal. Miaoli Agricultural Reform Farm stated that in the future, it will provide guidance to industry players on targeted carbon emission hotspots for precise carbon reduction. Consumers are also welcome to purchase products with carbon footprint labels to jointly promote the industry transformation of industry players in carbon reduction. The Ministry of Agriculture issued a press release on the 6th stating that the Miaoli Farm Reform Farm implemented a carbon inventory of the "400g plastic suitcase strawberries" produced by Taiyi Leisure Farm, becoming the first strawberry in Taiwan to have a carbon footprint label. The Miaoli Agricultural Reform Center pointed out that since Taiwan promoted the carbon labeling system in 2009, a total of more than 500 products have obtained carbon labels, but most of them are concentrated in food and manufacturing, with relatively few agricultural products. Obtaining the strawberry carbon label will not only expand the agricultural products with carbon labels, but also promote green consumption. Lu Xiuying, director of the Miaoli Farm Reform Farm, said that the carbon footprint of strawberries is based on the "Carbon Footprint Category Regulations (CFP-PCR) Fresh Fruits" announced by the Ministry of Environment, which records the carbon footprint emissions of strawberries from production to waste recycling. The inventory results show that the total carbon footprint of the "400g plastic suitcase strawberries" produced by Taiyi Leisure Farm is 1.1kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). The carbon footprint proportions at each stage are as follows: * Raw material acquisition accounts for 68.81% * Manufacturing accounts for 30.81% * Usage accounts for 0.33% * Disposal accounts for 0

2024-05-10

Don’t be alone in climate change! "Climate Cafe" helps you face doomsday anxiety

Have you ever been torn between the two choices of "turn on the air conditioning" and "save the polar bears"? Or are you trying to explain that you don’t have children because humans have caused too much environmental burden on the earth, but your elders dismiss it as nonsense? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the science fiction disaster film "The Day After Tomorrow". We seem to be getting closer and closer to the apocalyptic disaster caused by extreme climate in the movie. Anxiety and anxiety continue to ferment and expand in the hearts of people of this generation. The emergence of the "Climate Café" hopes that people with the same anxiety can come together to heal each other. Expressing the anxiety caused by extreme climate, climate cafes become a healing platform. According to the non-profit organization Force of Nature (an initiative founded in 2019 by Clover Hogan, who was only 19 years old at the time), the goal is to promote systemic reforms on climate change. ) statistics, currently 49 countries have held climate cafes, and a total of more than 190 have been held. The earliest climate cafe was probably hosted by Jess Pepper in Scotland in 2015. The original idea came from one of his community-based speeches. After the meeting, people wanted to know what they could do. Fighting climate change made him discover that what people need more than organizing initiatives and one-off meetings is talking. For similar reasons, Rebecca N of the nonprofit Climate Psychology Alliance

2024-05-09

Lithium critical for EU’s green and digital transition

Lithium is one of 34 critical raw materials listed by the EU under the Critical Raw Materials Act and is a key component in the EU's quest to abandon fossil fuels and move towards clean energy. The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) recently passed by the European Council will enable European industry to extract the key mineral 10%, refine 40% and recycle 15% by 2030. Among the key materials transformed, there are 34 critical materials and 17 strategic materials. , and lithium is one of the very important raw materials. Why lithium? Under the EU's energy transition plan, the mineral will face increased demand due to the large production of batteries needed for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global demand for lithium will increase 42 times by 2040 compared with last year. “It is mainly the cars, buses and trucks of the future that will consume all the lithium,” Peter Tom Jones, director of the Institute of Sustainable Metals and Minerals at the University of Leuven in Belgium, told Euronews. Lithium is a very light mineral that plays a key role in enabling the green and digital transition, helping to combat the instability of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. "More and more companies are going to have renewable electricity production facilities and they're storing that electricity in large stationary batteries so they can use it as a smart system, whether that's storing it or sending it back to the grid," Jones added. Lithium can be obtained from hard rock or (

2024-05-09

Green ammonia will be shipped to Taiwan in 2028. Ruihe Holdings signed Taiwan’s first overseas green hydrogen cooperative development agreement

Taiwanese company Ruihe Holdings signed Taiwan's first overseas green hydrogen cooperative development agreement H2U in Australia on the 2nd. H2U is a large-scale green hydrogen development project, cooperating with industry players from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Ruihe Holdings is the exclusive partner in Taiwan for this project. H2U’s goal is to produce 4 million tons of green ammonia per year in 2032. The first phase of the plan is expected to start production in 2028, with an annual output of 1 million tons of green ammonia. Green ammonia can be shipped to Taiwan in the same year, providing Taiwan’s industry with the most competitive Powerful low-carbon raw materials. The H2U transnational project is expected to produce 1 million tons of green ammonia in 2028. The H2U project is located in Queensland, Australia, and is jointly developed by Taiwan Ruihe Holdings, Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, South Korea's East-West Electric Power, Australia's Royal Vopak and Oerlikon. Providing competitively priced green hydrogen through Australia’s cheap green electricity and land. Part of the green hydrogen and green ammonia produced by H2U is used by local Australian companies, and the rest is exported. Since the transportation of liquid hydrogen is still in the experimental stage, green hydrogen must be converted into green ammonia and exported to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea in the form of green ammonia. H2U’s plan is to produce 4 million tons of green ammonia per year in 2032. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2028, with an annual output of 1 million tons of green ammonia. On the afternoon of the 2nd, Ruihe Holdings completed the signing under the witness of Taiwan Representative in Australia Hsu Youdian and Queensland Deputy Governor Cameron Dick. Dick pointed out that this is the first step for the export of green ammonia produced in Queensland to Taiwan, and it is also an important milestone in the bilateral relations between Taiwan and Queensland. Xu Youdian said that Australia’s abundant natural resources

2024-05-03

British environmental group reveals illegal greenhouse gas smuggling of bulk HFC refrigerants into the EU from China and Türkiye

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants, can easily contribute to global warming and are being phased out in the European Union. However, as controls tighten, prices rise, and criminals sense business opportunities. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a British environmental organization, announced its investigation results in April. Criminals, desperate for high profits, smuggled large quantities of refrigerants from China and Turkey into Europe, exacerbating the climate crisis. HFCs are mainly used in refrigeration equipment, electronic cleaning and other fields. Although they will not destroy the ozone layer, they have high warming potential (GWP) and will accelerate global warming. Therefore, Europe and other industrial countries have promised to use 85% less in 2036 than in 2012. However, this product is still circulating in the market. “It is not difficult to find illegal HFCs on the European market,” Fin Walravens, senior climate specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency, told Euractiv. “As long as you can successfully smuggle the most polluting and dirtiest gases, you can make money. The most money". He said that illegal HFCs trade not only exacerbates climate change, but also involves major tax evasion. The Environmental Investigation Agency published an investigation report three years ago, revealing that illegal HFCs were smuggled into the EU through Romania. The updated investigation "More Chilling Than Ever" in April this year further exposed the smuggling pipeline. Smugglers mainly purchase HFCs from Turkey and China, enter the EU through Bulgaria and other countries, and then sell them to Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

2024-05-02

EU natural gas market will gradually transition to hydrogen

Green electricity is mature, but the low-carbon transformation of heavy industry and transportation cannot rely solely on green electricity, but also requires hydrogen energy. The European Parliament passed a new law on the 11th, confirming that the EU natural gas market and infrastructure will gradually transform to hydrogen, and build a hydrogen energy market and hydrogen transmission network (hydrogen network) for the low-carbon transformation of industry. The bill still needs to be voted on by the EU Council before it can be formally implemented. The European Union determines the direction of hydrogen energy for the low-carbon transformation of industry. The European Parliament passed the hydrogen and decarbonised gas markets package on the 11th to encourage investment in hydrogen energy and accelerate the transition to biomethane and low-carbon energy. Sustainable energy sources such as hydrocarbons. "Euractiv" reported that European Parliament member Jens Geier said that this is "the legal basis for the development of the European hydrogen market and the beginning of the phase-out of natural gas." Another congressman, Jerzy Buzek, said that the future energy market will have two major sources - green electricity and green gas. The EU's goal is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of 2030 compared to 1990 levels. According to "Hydrogen Insight", the European Union has defined "low-carbon hydrogen" and its derivatives (such as synthetic methane). The production process of this type of hydrogen will emit 70% less greenhouse gases than natural gas. The European Commission proposed a hydrogen energy draft in 2021. Gale pointed out that Europe’s steel and chemical industries need to decarbonize and

2024-04-23

K-pop Green Awakening BTS's boss launches "water-soluble coating" for random photo cards Korean network full fryer

In recent years, the green trend has spread into the Korean K-pop entertainment industry. Recently, HYBE, the management company of well-known groups such as BTS and NewJeans, announced the launch of an environmentally friendly album. In addition to the album casing and contents, it will use more sustainable environmentally friendly materials, and will even launch a "water-soluble coating" Xiaoka, this also caused an uproar and complaints among fans who had fallen into the Xiaoka trap. Xiaoka's album record has soared, and the album itself has become trash. Xiaoka culture is prevalent in the K-pop circle. For the same album, the company will release different versions and different channels of photo cards to increase the popularity of the album. For fans who want to collect a complete set of photo cards or want to collect the photo cards of their own members, they must not only have the financial resources to purchase multiple albums, but also have a lot of luck. Some fans buy a large number of albums in order to participate in their idol's "signing event" and want to increase their chances of winning. However, after the required contents are collected, these repeatedly purchased albums may be discarded on the roadside, causing waste and chaos and increasing garbage. Therefore, BTS owner HYBE announced on the 18th of last month that the Weverse version of digital albums released by its artists in the future will be changed to a more sustainable design. The so-called digital album does not have a physical CD, but only provides a digital card. After scanning the QR Code on it, you can listen to music or view photos on a specific app or platform. It was originally supposed to be a very environmentally friendly design. However, in order to meet the collection needs of fans, most record companies will include random photo cards or other items. HYBE is expected to release the album shell and content

2024-04-19

Dubai spends hundreds of millions of dollars to build "super giant" vertical farm of desert vegetables

As global resource distribution and food issues receive attention, many countries are making efforts in food preservation, research and development of irrigation methods, and how to produce more edible crops, fruits and vegetables. Such as Norway's seed bank (Svalbard globale frøhvelv), Israel's drip irrigation system (Drip irrigation system), etc. The “super large vertical farm” GigaFarm, which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently committed to building and implementing, is also one of them. ►Dubai announced the launch of the world’s largest “Vertical Farm” in 2022. Image source: Intelligent Growth Solution (IGS) GigaFarm plans to build another vertical farm with an area of 83,000 square meters. Previously, Dubai announced the launch of the world's largest "Vertical Farm" in 2022. This indoor farm covering an area of approximately 31,000 square meters is located at Al Maktoum International Airport, approximately 40 kilometers away from downtown Dubai. The stacked boxes and pallets on the farm contain various crops, which not only require a small amount of soil and water to survive, but can also successfully harvest approximately one million kilograms of high-quality vegetables every year. However, as the saying goes, “It’s better to learn from the past than the past.” The other side of Dubai has also begun to implement G

2024-04-18

How artificial intelligence helps Amazon save 500,000 tons of packaging every year

Amazon ships 20 million packages to 19 countries every day, requiring a lot of paper, cardboard and plastic packaging, and figuring out how to package all of these items efficiently is good for the environment and its own bottom line. So in 2019, Amazon launched its own proprietary artificial intelligence model to reduce packaging waste. According to company data, after five years, it helped save at least 500,000 tons of packaging per year, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 7,750 Boeing 737 aircraft. . To handle the volume of packages, Amazon researchers built an artificial intelligence model called the Packaging Decision Engine to predict the most efficient packaging choices, such as ensuring a set of dinner plates gets a sturdy box and a blanket unnecessary. The model uses natural language processing and text-based data on each item in the online store, including basic information such as product name and description. It also collects feedback from returns and product reviews, and integrates information about receiving damaged products. All that data is combined with photos taken when items arrive at Amazon warehouses using a special computer vision channel, which gives the company details on the exact dimensions of each object and captures images from multiple angles, helping it determine the best packaging. Way. Over time, the model added more nuances in identifying specific items; for example, personal items such as adult diapers would not be shipped without packaging to save material, while products with strong magnets would be adequately protection so that they can

2024-04-16

Begin with the end in mind and master the key to green recycling design

Design thinking under the circular economy changes the "green design" talked about in the early days, which usually focuses on the selection and management of materials, reducing packaging and transportation methods, and even the issue of not causing environmental pollution when discarded. It is basically architecture. Based on the "4R concept of environmental protection in the green life cycle (Reduce source, Reuse, Recycle, Replace)", we can reduce pollution and improve the impact of global environmental ecology. However, with the industrial transformation and green transformation under the international trend of sustainable development, design thinking has also changed. In the process of traditional product design and development in the past, product designers mainly started from the user's needs and feelings, emphasizing the product aspect, such as the aesthetics of appearance, the durability and feel of materials, and the ease of use of the product. Detailed design considerations such as operational fluency are the main considerations. However, today's product design not only emphasizes cool appearance, nor does it only use green materials, but also needs to be able to live in peace with the environment and achieve the goal of recycling and sustainability. Even if the product life cycle ends, it will not become an environmental hazard. burden. Therefore, we need to advance from green design to circular design. The common point between "circular design" and past product design is the "user-centered" customer-oriented thinking, but the difference is that "circular design" advocates dematerialization and the use of sustainable products with circular economic value. Materials and recycling systems are given priority, and commercial value is considered comprehensively. Examine product cycle benefits from tangible to intangible and seek innovations for various issues

2024-04-15

Greenpeace said: Plastic becomes more toxic after recycling, impacting the human body, environment and food chain

Can recycling plastic solve pollution? The answer is "no". You may be surprised by this answer, but the report "Eternal Toxic" released by Greenpeace in 2023 does point out that plastics not only increase toxicity during the recycling process, but also harm recycling site workers, nearby communities, and even End consumers pose a serious health threat. Recycling plastic means recycling toxic chemicals. The report "Eternal Poisons: Scientific Research on the Health Threats from Plastic Recycling" released by the Greenpeace US Office in May 2023 pointed out that plastic contains 13,000 chemical substances, of which more than 3,200 have been confirmed to be harmful to health. Harmful to humans, there are many chemicals whose toxicity has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, once the plastic enters the recycling system, it is equivalent to recycling the toxic chemicals in it. Recycled plastics usually contain higher levels of chemicals and are more toxic, including benzene, toxic flame retardants, endocrine disruptors, environmental pollutants such as brominated and chlorinated dioxin, and other carcinogens, making recycled plastic unsuitable for Food grade or other consumer uses. In other words, plastics are not inherently suitable for a circular economy. Three toxic transfer paths in plastic recycling Almost all plastics are composed of carbon (mostly oil/natural gas) and toxic chemicals. There are three uncontrollable toxic transfer paths in the recycling process: Improper classification, and specific packaging after classification Ingredients may also cause the toxicity of recycled plastics. Studies have found that mechanical recycling of No. 1 plastic (PET#1) may produce the carcinogen benzene (ben

2024-04-15

Methane-eating microbes could eliminate carbon emissions that are warming the planet

Startup Windfall Bio has developed microorganisms that can tackle some of the most challenging sources of methane. Methane is approximately 83 times more potent than carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere. While some of the world's largest oil and gas producers have pledged to significantly reduce methane emissions by 2030, the largest anthropogenic source is agriculture, particularly agriculture. It’s beef and dairy production where these emissions have proven difficult to avoid. “This is especially difficult because agriculture is so important and we all need to eat,” said Stephanie Díaz, an associate on Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s technology and innovation team. This is where Windfall hopes to step in, with methane-eating microorganisms (MEMS). In addition to destroying methane, the process also produces organic fertilizer. The startup is currently trialling its technology with customers including Whole Foods, which supplies Windfall access to its network of dairy farmers. Windfall co-founder and CEO Josh Silverman said methane "has been a huge blind spot" and that MEMS could be a way to turn harmful emissions into useful substances and a source of revenue. He compared the microorganisms to yeast; MEMS like to eat methane just as yeast likes to eat sugar, and Windfall's mems use the energy from the methane they eat to extract nitrogen from the air and create a

2024-04-12

Volkswagen electric car sales plummet: Why are Europeans returning to gasoline cars?

Sales of Volkswagen's electric cars in Europe fell by nearly a quarter in the first three months of this year as consumers switched back to gasoline. The company said in its latest financial report released on April 10 that sales of pure electric vehicles in Europe fell by 24% compared with the same period last year, while sales in China increased by 91% compared with the same period last year. Overall, the company said its vehicle deliveries increased by 3% to 2.1 million vehicles, with key drivers coming from China, South America and North America. Internal combustion engine vehicles increased by 4% to 1.97 million units, overcompensating for a small decline in all-electric vehicles (BEV) 3% units to 136,400 units. In this area, strong growth in China (+91%) failed to fully offset declines in Europe (-24%). Why are Europeans turning back to gasoline? In February this year, the European Parliament voted to pass a new law banning the sale of gasoline and diesel cars from 2035. The new rules are part of the EU's efforts to combat climate change and will accelerate the bloc's transition to electric vehicles. Still, as the World Economic Forum highlighted in a recent report, European EV sales declined in the first quarter of 2024 as the industry continues to face challenges such as high costs and a lack of charging infrastructure. “A recent Ernst & Young report noted that regulations, subsidies and incentives have had a positive impact in driving adoption…but even with subsidies, cost remains one of the biggest barriers to mass-market adoption. On average, Ernst & Young noted, the cost of electric vehicles A quarter higher than internal combustion engine models

2024-04-11

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