News

News

Latest Articles

Carbon emissions also need to be paid for. Experts call on countries to quickly establish a "carbon debt" mechanism.

As the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise, there is an increasing risk that our descendants will be saddled with a massive carbon debt. Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and international partners have called for the immediate establishment of a Carbon Removal Obligation and determination of responsibilities for carbon debt. The next EU emissions trading plan to be revised is An opportunity to import. Scholar: The world should obtain funds to implement carbon debt before the carbon budget is exhausted. Over the past few decades, governments have jointly committed to slowing global warming through agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Despite many countries ratifying these agreements, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continue to rise. At the current rate of development, we are working hard to use up the remaining CO2 emissions available before warming reaches 1.5°C. If this so-called "carbon budget" is exhausted before the world reaches net-zero emissions, then we will have to remove a ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for every ton of carbon dioxide we emit. In other words, if we continue on our current trajectory—which now seems likely—we will accumulate a carbon debt. A new study published in the journal Nature points out that the net-zero commitments made by an increasing number of countries already assume that large carbon debts need to be compensated through long-term net negative emissions. For example, the ideal global scenario estimates in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5°C Warming

Development trends and responses to the requirements of the International Supply Chain Sustainability Code of Conduct

Every business and organization will have an impact on the environment, society and economy. For responsible organizations that want to face sustainability issues in a positive way, procurement will be a powerful and effective tool that can be used to change procurement behavior throughout the entire life cycle through sustainable procurement policies and practices. possible impacts and strive to minimize adverse impacts, in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals. Therefore, the supply chain has become an important role. Effective management of the supply chain is also an important part of improving the competitiveness of the organization. In addition to quality and cost considerations, the supply chain's sustainable development behavior is also an important consideration in supplier management; In order to strengthen the supply chain's response to sustainable development, it is necessary to start from the institutional aspect. In addition to formulating "Supplier Management Guidelines" and matching them with mechanisms such as evaluation and satisfaction surveys, suppliers must sign relevant "letters of commitment" to jointly move towards sustainability. The direction of development is forward. Recently, the novel coronavirus has severely impacted the organizational operations and economic development of various countries. In addition to the tourism and aviation industries that bear the brunt, a more profound impact on other global industries is the problem of "disconnected" supply chains, such as the shortage of semiconductor chips. Therefore, how to manage and transform the supply chain towards sustainability has become one of the most important issues for organizations now. In the past, supply chain management was often carried out by establishing a "supplier management" mechanism, which included the following:  New supplier surveys.  Supplier written and on-site review.  Supplier screening and grading.  Supplier product assurance system audit.  Supplier performance evaluation system. Now it is because of

EMSA: EU maritime emissions must be slashed

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) warned on September 1, 2021 that if the European Union wants to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, it must further significantly reduce emissions from maritime transport. EMSA published a report stating that shipping to and within the EU accounted for 13.5% of transport-related emissions on the European continent in 2019. According to EMSA, nearly 77% of Europe’s external trade, and 35% of all trade volume between EU member states, occurs by sea shipping. The report said that although the EU's carbon dioxide emissions from navigation have dropped by about 26% since 1990, they still account for about 16 million tons, or the equivalent of 18% of global maritime emissions. The report attributed the reduction in emissions to fleet renewal and greater energy efficiency. EMSA said that for Europe to become climate-neutral by 2050, the maritime sector needs continued action to reduce its environmental footprint. Further action is also necessary in order to "achieve our zero pollution ambition and halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity". As for another dangerous global warming and acidic gas, emissions of sulfur dioxide reached 1.63 million tons in 2019, accounting for 16% of global maritime emissions. The report noted that these emissions were due to stricter European legislation on sulfur dioxide in fuel.

Singapore will set up a nature-based carbon rights trading market to focus on ecological restoration in Southeast Asia

Singapore will establish a carbon rights trading market focused on nature conservation projects, which is expected to help protect threatened tropical forests in Southeast Asia while also opening up ready sources of carbon rights to companies. The newly launched carbon rights trading market is called Climate Impact It is a rights exchange that mainly serves multinational companies and institutional investors. Taking advantage of geographical convenience to develop a "nature-based" carbon rights trading market, CIX is a voluntary carbon trading market jointly established by the Singapore State-owned Investment Corporation, the Stock Exchange, DBS Bank (Singapore's largest bank) and the British Standard Chartered Bank. In May this year, Ravi Menon, director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said at an online press conference that CIX is expected to solve the problems of "fragmented carbon rights trading market", "low market liquidity and concerns about the quality of carbon rights" in Southeast Asia. Meng Weneng said that in the future, companies of all sizes will be able to purchase high-quality, nature-based carbon credits directly from specific projects in Southeast Asia and other regions through CIX, so that more companies can Participate in the voluntary carbon market and support the conservation, restoration and protection of natural ecosystems while achieving corporate sustainability goals. Meng Wenneng said, "Singapore is located at the core of Southeast Asia. This area has great potential to develop nature-based solutions.

When the ASEAN market encounters the EU's "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism", is it trade protection or an opportunity for low-carbon transformation?

On July 14 this year, the EU's long-planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) was officially announced. In the future, it will impose taxes on imported products that do not comply with EU carbon emission regulations, which has attracted the attention of various countries. The EU hopes to use this mechanism to prevent companies from moving carbon-intensive industries to countries with looser environmental regulations, causing the risk of carbon leakage. However, how will Southeast Asian countries with lower levels of development, as well as countries that have not yet established a carbon pricing mechanism, face the upcoming carbon tariff challenge? A survey report by a German think tank: The eight Asia-Pacific countries support and oppose it. Some countries accuse the CBAM mechanism expected to be piloted by the EU in 2023 as a trade protectionist measure. Liu Youbin, spokesman for China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a press conference on July 26 that this is "a unilateral measure that expands the issue of climate change into the field of trade. This violates the principles (of the World Trade Organization)." Asian countries opinions are not monolithic. Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation released a report in March this year analyzing the views of eight Asia-Pacific countries on EU CBAM. The eight countries include Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Christian Hübner of the foundation said that based on the survey, Singapore is not opposed to the carbon border adjustment mechanism, "as long as it is fair and consistent with international norms and

Western climate plan: Britain bans oil truck sales in 2040, US proposes carbon tax on imported goods

A look at carbon tariffs, 2035 ban on sales of fuel vehicles, and 2030 renewable energy targets. Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point climate plan launched in November last year, he will ban the sale of cars and vans using new petrol and diesel in 2030. , the UK once again announced that it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel large trucks by 2040 as part of its 2050 net-zero emissions transport plan. On the other hand, the EU and the United States made progress on the carbon border tax almost simultaneously on the 14th. UK transport emissions reduction to increase, ban on freight oil trucks and zero-emission domestic flights in 2040 Transport is the most polluting industry in the UK, accounting for about 1/3 of the country's carbon dioxide emissions before the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK’s plan to cut transport emissions also includes achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, with the goal of reducing emissions from domestic flights to net-zero by early 2040. But the plan has been criticized in the past as unrealistic as technology to reduce aviation's climate impact is still in its infancy. The government also said it would replace its government fleet of 40,000 cars and trucks with zero-emission vehicles by 2027, three years earlier than originally planned. The British government has yet to announce full details of its transport decarbonisation plan, which is expected to be released before Cop26, the United Nations climate summit hosted by the UK in November. Europe and the United States are simultaneously promoting carbon border taxes, and the United States plans to increase "pollution import fees." The carbon border tax recently released by the European Union is designed to protect domestic manufacturing while pressuring other countries to reduce emissions. On the same day, the American people

Japan's Ministry of Environment plans to require the comprehensive introduction of a "carbon tax" in tax reform next year

Japan's Ministry of the Environment basically decided on the 27th that in the 2022 tax system revision, it will require the full introduction of a "carbon tax" based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions aimed at strengthening global warming countermeasures. This is intended to be a powerful means to achieve a decarbonized society, the signature policy proposed by the Yoshihide Suga administration. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the business community have shown a cautious attitude as they are wary of the increased burden, and will coordinate comprehensively on whether to impose taxes and the level of collection by the end of the year. The Ministry of Environment presented the outline of the proposal at a closed meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party group. It states for the first time that it will take measures to promote "carbon pricing" that taxes CO2 to promote emission reductions, and "promote professional and technical discussions while also considering the burden method" on carbon tax requirements, one of the representative methods. However, no specific tax items, tax rates and other system designs were given, which will be discussed in the future. In 2012, Japan introduced a "global warming countertax" as a type of carbon tax, which is mainly levied on companies using fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Compared with Europe, it is accused of low tax rates and poor emission reduction effects. The comprehensive introduction of carbon taxes may expand this. However, Japan already has a petroleum and coal tax and a volatile oil tax on gasoline, etc., and there are strong opinions that the overall adjustment should be unified. The coordination work is also expected to have twists and turns. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in December last year instructed the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to explore the introduction of carbon pricing. Although the methods have been discussed through separate expert meetings, the Ministry of the Environment, which wants to focus on carbon tax, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is exploring options that lighten the burden on companies, are not in sync. An official from the Ministry of the Environment said: “Finally,

Tetra Pak, Taiwan’s first grown carton, joins hands with Yimei to make food packaging materials more sustainable

Most of the cartons used to package food need to be coated with a layer of plastic in order to protect the food and block sunlight. Nowadays, however, petrification is not the only option for this layer of glue. Taiwan's first "recyclable bioplastic" all-plant box is jointly launched by Tetra Pak Taiwan and Yimei Food Company. Not only does it use paper materials with the Forest Stewardship Council FSC mark, but the film also uses "Bonsucro sugar cane sustainability certification" ” mark and 100% recycled plant-based polyethylene (PE), so that consumers can drink it fresh and recycle it according to their daily habits. These efforts have also resulted in Tetra Pak being ranked among the top 50 sustainable development and climate leaders in the world. Yimei launched this fresh milk in October 2019 using university-proven paper pulp and sugar gum in paper containers. It uses Tetra Pak's all-plant box. A small leaf is embossed on the bottle cap to quietly indicate its identity - —Even the bottle caps are grown. Because paper containers need to hold drinks, soups, and water ingredients, they must be waterproof, insulated, and even block sunlight. Therefore, the inner film is usually added with multiple layers of plastic film or aluminum foil insulating layers, which also distinguishes paper containers from paper. Recycling falls into different categories. Paper containers are not just paper, but composite materials. Traditionally, petrochemical materials are used for this layer of glue. In recent years, plant glues such as soybeans, corn, and pasture have been added. For this all-plant box jointly launched by Tetra Pak and Yimei, the cardboard comes from FSC™ certified forests, and the glue film is Made from 100% plant-based polyethylene (PE) from Bonsucro sustainably verified sugar cane. "These are raw materials that can be grown and will continue to grow.

The world's first crewless, zero-emission cargo ship sets sail in Norway to reduce nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions

Norwegian company Yara has created the world's first zero-emission autonomous cargo ship, Yara Birkeland, which runs on battery power and can achieve zero emissions. The ship is expected to sail between two Norwegian towns for the first time before the end of the year. There will be no crew on board and its voyage will be monitored by three onshore data control centres. The Norwegian company Yara, which developed the vessel, said the Birkeland will depart from the town of Her?ya and anchor in Brevikt. Birkeland uses 7 MWh of batteries, which is about 1,000 times that of an electric car. It can reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides (toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases) and carbon dioxide, has a maximum speed of 24 km/h, and can place 103 containers inside the ship. Although there are currently no plans for any major ocean voyages. But Yara also shows that the ship is capable of doing similar things to today's fossil-fuel-burning cargo ships. The shipping industry currently accounts for 2.5% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization. Almost all of Norway's electricity is generated by hydropower, which still produces greenhouse gases but is generally considered to have much lower carbon emissions than burning fossil fuels. Source: CSRone (https://csrone.com/news/7056)

EU proposes draft climate change plan Fit for 55: Comprehensive transformation of society and economy

Carbon tariffs, a ban on the sale of fuel vehicles in 2035, and the 2030 renewable energy target were announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Frans Timmermans on the evening of Wednesday (14th) Taipei time. Scale climate change plan. This "Fit for 55" (Fit for 55) proposes a total of 12 policy measures to ensure that future climate and energy policies are consistent with the goals set by the European Climate Law, and will lead other countries in Scotland in a few months. Glasgow's appearance at the United Nations climate conference in November follows. Fit for 55: Looking towards a climate-neutral Europe on greenhouse gas reduction in 2030 55% In order to achieve its contribution to the goals of the Paris Agreement, the European Commission proposed a green policy in December 2019, with the goal of making Europe the first country in the world by 2050. A climate neutral continent. This goal is officially written into the European Climate Law that will take effect in July 2021, with a specific commitment to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 compared with 1990. In order to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in nine years, the European Commission held an online press conference on the evening of the 14th and announced "55 packages" covering climate, energy, construction, carbon trading, land use, transportation, taxation Endowment and other aspects to drive economic and social transformation. Since it involves a wide range of areas, it will not only affect energy, transportation

Saving global warming can no longer just reduce carbon emissions! Walmart and Amazon plan to achieve "net-zero emissions" by 2040

The EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism is approaching, and countries and major brands have launched countermeasures. Walmart is actively reviewing its value chain and is expected to use 100% renewable energy by 2035. Amazon even hopes to use 100% renewable energy for operations by 2025. Global emission reductions are unstoppable, and Taiwan has also called for reaching a net-zero goal by 2050. It is currently evaluating sustainable strategies that can be implemented by various industries and promoting energy transformation. In order to combat climate change, 195 member states of the United Nations adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015. The goal is to control the global climate rise within 2 degrees Celsius before the pre-industrial revolution by 2100, and even preferably reach 1.5 degrees. However, in 2018, the authoritative international climate science organization "United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" pointed out that the global climate rise will exceed 1.5 degrees in 2052. If the average temperature is to return to within 1.5 degrees, global carbon dioxide emissions will It must be reset to zero in 2050. This goal is less than 30 years away from now. The European Union announced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to improve the past carbon reduction methods that only addressed the symptoms but not the root cause. In view of the climate crisis facing the world, the European Union announced the draft "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" on July 15, 2021. It is expected to be implemented on a trial basis for three years starting in 2023. Initial requirements Imported steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers and power products are required to declare carbon emissions, and taxes will be levied on the greenhouse gas emissions of imported goods, and will gradually be expanded to other industries. Although all countries have established greenhouse gas emission controls in the past, high-carbon production companies

Steel can be produced without coal. Sweden's first batch of "green steel" is delivered to Volvo, taking an important step towards zero fossil fuels.

Swedish company Hybrit claims to have produced the world's first batch of "green steel" that does not use coal. It has been trial-produced and shipped to truck manufacturer Volvo, and is expected to be officially commercially produced in 2026. IEA: The steel industry is the largest industrial consumer of coal. The performance of steel production in terms of emissions and other sustainability-related indicators is relatively mature, but there is still much room for improvement. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the steel industry directly emits 260 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. In 2019, this figure was higher than direct emissions from industries such as cement and chemicals. The IEA said the steel industry is the largest industrial consumer of coal. About 75% of the energy needs of the steel industry are met by coal. A year ago, Hybrit began trial operations at its green steel pilot plant in Lulea, northern Sweden, hoping to use renewable electricity and hydrogen to replace traditional coking coal to produce steel. Hydrogen is also key to the EU achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Volvo plans to use green steel to manufacture prototype cars and vehicle parts from next year. Hybrit is a joint venture between steel manufacturer SSAB, Swedish utility company Vattenfall and mining company LKAB. SSAB's CO2 emissions account for 10% and 7% of Sweden and Finland's emissions. The company said the trial delivery is "an important step towards a zero-fossil fuel value chain... The aim is to deliver fossil-free steel to the market as early as 2026 and at industrial scale"

The last country to stop selling leaded gasoline has officially passed into history. The United Nations will eliminate petroleum vehicles next.

The United Nations has announced that the era of leaded gasoline is officially over, and a major health threat to humans and the planet has finally passed into history. Major milestone: Algeria finally bans leaded gasoline. United Nations experts say lead was first used in fuel in 1922 and became an "environmental and public health disaster." By the 1970s, almost all gasoline produced around the world contained lead. Now, Algeria, the last country to use leaded gasoline, has finally stopped selling it at gas stations. United Nations officials say ending the use of leaded gasoline could prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths each year and help improve air pollution around the world. Lead is highly toxic and there is no safe upper limit for exposure. For much of the past century, leaded fuel contaminated air, dust, soil, drinking water and food crops, causing heart disease, stroke and cancer. This is especially harmful to children because lead can damage the developing brain and affect learning. "The implementation of the leaded gasoline ban is a major milestone for global health and the environment." said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program. Leaded fuels will continue to impact the environment after ban The effects of the last use of leaded fuels may continue for decades. A recent study found that leaded fuel, which was banned in London 20 years ago, is still affecting London's air quality. Although the city's current lead concentrations are well below their peak in the 1980s, they are still well above natural background levels. The UK began adding lead to fuel in the 1930s,

The Offshore Wind Power Association's 55% fund appealed to the fishermen's association to be used for marine affairs and to implement fishermen's participation.

The Energy Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced the revised draft of the "Electric Power Development Assistance Fund Utilization and Supervision and Management Measures (Electric Power Association Fund Measures)" in April this year, including offshore wind power in the Electric Power Development Assistance Fund (Electric Power Association Fund) system, and clearly stipulated the offshore wind power The distribution ratio of the onshore wind power association funds will be 55% accounted for by the local fishermen’s association, but it must be reported to the local county and city government and then reviewed together with the central government. Non-governmental organizations such as the Fishermen's Rights and Environmental Sustainability Center held a press conference on the 8th. They affirmed the Energy Bureau's intention to amend the law, but believed that the review system was still too vague. Therefore, they put forward four amendment suggestions and called for the establishment of an expert committee to review the use of electricity association funds, Fishermen are actually involved in the utilization planning, the information on the utilization of the Electricity Association funds is disclosed, and it is clearly used for fishery and marine affairs to avoid social disputes. Offshore wind power is included in the Electricity Association's financial system, and local fishermen's associations can receive 55% subsidies. my country is fully developing renewable energy and actively promoting the construction of solar photovoltaics and wind power generation. The goal is to achieve the proportion of renewable energy in 2025 to reach 20%. According to the "Electricity Industry Law", the power generation industry and the power transmission and distribution industry must set up a certain proportion of electricity association funds based on the degree of electricity produced or transmitted to assist local promotion of power development and community development. The Energy Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced this year On April 29, a draft amendment to the "Electric Power Association Financing Measures" was announced, intending to include offshore wind power that was not covered in the past into the Electric Power Association Financing System. The Energy Bureau will amend Article 6-1, Article 9 and the Schedule of Article 7 of the Measures. According to the draft content, the offshore wind power association funds will be divided into two parts, with 70% becoming the routine "subsidy type" and Thirty percent are "project-type" applications for individual projects. Routine supplement

Japanese laundry responds to SDGs: abandoning disposable plastic and reflecting on the relationship between people and the environment

"Our laundry does not provide customers with (plastic) hangers and dust covers." Ishihara Laundry located in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture said in an interview with the public welfare group "SDGs-log". This is one of the store’s practices in response to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some people may immediately feel suspicious after hearing this. It is common sense for laundries to provide dust jackets when delivering items. If they do not provide them to customers, won't it affect their competitiveness? It turned out that Ishihara Laundromat appealed to customers to save these and asked them to donate the same expenses to the victims. "So, everyone agreed." In this way, each person's small actions achieved a win-win situation between environmental protection and charity. Ishihara Laundry also encourages customers to do other things to protect the environment. The store has set up a "Button Bank 30 Bottom Bank", where customers are asked to store their spare buttons at home and organize them into categories. One day a customer's clothes fell off a button and he would replace it. "I hope it can reduce carbon emissions and plastic waste in the sea." It's a small gesture that makes everyone feel that they can help a little bit. As an environmentally friendly laundry, the obvious thing that will affect the environment is drainage. Naturally, Ishihara Laundry also chooses relatively environmentally friendly detergents, such as soap with a simpler molecular structure than synthetic detergents, or natural persimmon astringent lotion; and "100%" which claims to be biodegradable and additive-free. All things in Nature" lotion. Among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), some also include projects such as labor and poverty reduction. And stone

Three aspects of recycling millions of retired electric vehicle batteries in the next 10 years

With automakers and governments committing to increasing the number of electric vehicles, 145 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the road by 2030. While electric vehicles can play an important role in reducing emissions, they also bring with them a potential environmental time bomb – their batteries. It is estimated that more than 12 million tons of lithium batteries will be retired between now and 2030. Not only do these batteries use vast amounts of raw materials, including lithium, nickel and cobalt, but mining can impact the climate, environment and human rights. Batteries also end up as mountains of electronic waste at the end of their life. As the auto industry begins to transform, now is the time to plan for the end of battery life, reduce reliance on mining and keep materials in circulation, experts say. Hundreds of millions of dollars in funding are pouring into recycling-related startups and research centers to figure out how to disassemble used batteries and extract valuable metals at scale. James Pennington, head of the World Economic Forum's circular economy project, said that if we want to do more with limited materials, recycling should not be the first solution. "The first and best way is to extend the use time." In December last year, the EU proposed comprehensive changes to its battery regulations, most of which target lithium batteries, including battery recycling rates of 70%, cobalt, copper, lead and nickel recycling rates of 95%, lithium recycling rates of 70%, and new batteries in 2030 Mandatory minimum levels of recycled content in batteries to ensure a market for recyclers and insulate them from commodity price fluctuations or changes in battery chemistry

Sharing experience in circular economy guidance of Food Farm Special Products

The food issue is an important item among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations. By promoting a circular economy in the production system, the realization of the SDGs will be promoted. By promoting food circular economy, such as food security and sustainable agriculture, reducing food waste, effectively managing resources in consumption and production, reducing ocean pollution, stopping global land degradation, ending world hunger, and ensuring good health and welfare... etc. implement. In the process of implementation, people have thought up many corresponding methods and measures to compensate. How to extend the use time of natural resources and make full use of them while reducing environmental pollution is the model that needs to be thought of in the circular economy and its important spirit. The current common method is to process resources through recycling, return resources to the system of cyclic supply of raw materials, and form a cycle by redesigning products and processes, changing existing business models, and cooperating with relevant logistics measures. Special products refer to products that do not meet market specifications during the planting and harvesting process but are of good quality, and this time the theme is the special product of peach. Approximately 30% of Taiwan's peaches fail to enter the market every year. The significance behind this astonishing data not only refers to the market loss of economic output, but also means that such huge resources cannot be effectively used. Therefore, after discussions with customers, , three applications have been made for peach special products. The first is craft beer using peach juice, and the application of fruit pulp as puree.

Japanese company develops new recycling technology to give the plastic film used in bread a new lease of life

Garbage sorting and recycling is a common thing that ordinary people must do every day. Generally speaking, it is common sense during recycling that only relatively intact plastic bottles can be recycled compared to plastic straws. However, recently some Japanese manufacturers have challenged the scope of recycling to increase the reuse value of plastics. Japanese company DIC recently stated that it will cooperate with bread companies to develop a recyclable plastic film for bread packaging, which is expected to be put into production this summer. Plastic is one of the highly convenient materials in modern society. While it is convenient, it also places a burden on the environment due to waste issues. How to effectively utilize plastic waste is an issue of international importance. Although many countries are committed to recycling plastics and reusing them without burning them, the proportion of plastic waste in Japan is still low. For example, the total discharge of waste plastic in 2018 was 891 tons, and only 2.08 million tons, that is, 23%, could be recycled. According to a May 25 press release from Japanese PPS plastics company DIC, DIC will cooperate with large bread companies to make the soft plastic films used to package bread that could only be discarded in the past recyclable. Renewable resources have been used to achieve so-called "material recycle" (used products can become raw materials for the same products.) and are scheduled to be put into actual production this summer to confirm the recycling process and effect. In addition to contributing to a sustainable society through reusing technology, Dickson has also expressed support for the Japanese climate change advocacy group (Japan C

For the first time, two United Nations environmental organizations have united to call for climate change and biodiversity issues to be solved together

The United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) jointly issued a research report on the 10th stating that climate change is far more important on the global agenda than biodiversity loss. However, the two issues are actually closely related and have similar impacts, and they must be resolved together immediately. Scientists call on countries to treat climate change and biodiversity as one. This report is the first collaboration between IPBES and IPCC scientists. According to the report, damage to forests and other ecosystems affects nature's ability to regulate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and withstand extreme weather, accelerating climate change on the one hand and making it more vulnerable to its consequences on the other. For example, mangroves and seagrasses that capture carbon are rapidly disappearing, reducing carbon storage and exposing coastlines to storm surges and erosion. The report calls on governments to develop policies and natural solutions to address both issues simultaneously. Pamela McElwee, an ecologist at Rutgers University and one of the report’s authors, said at an online press conference: “For a long time, policymakers have tended to view climate change and biodiversity loss as separate issues. Policies also tend to be separate." "Climate is receiving more attention because people are increasingly experiencing it in their own lives, such as wildfires and hurricanes. Our report points out that biodiversity loss has an impact on The human impact is very similar." UN appeal

What does the global 2050 energy net-zero emission path tell us?

On May 18 this year (2021), the International Energy Agency (IEA) published the first forecast path analysis report for the global energy system to reach net zero emissions, "Net Zero by 2050: Global Energy Sector Roadmap" (Net Zero by 2050 : A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector), hoping to help countries formulate energy-related policies. The report analyzes the actions and timetable required to achieve carbon reduction goals, such as banning the sale of fossil fuel boilers in 2025 and making 60% of new cars electric in 2030. In addition, the report also analyzes the development of low-carbon technology and its impact on the economy and energy industry. , global natural resource extraction, energy security and other different aspects of impact. The report mentions "only a pathway, rather than the pathway." Actually reaching net zero will involve many uncertain factors such as the degree of behavioral change and the progress of carbon capture technology development. The current policies and carbon reduction progress of various countries make it very difficult to achieve net-zero emission goals. Global carbon reduction policies and processes: How far are the current policies of various countries from net-zero emissions? In addition to discussing the path to net-zero emissions, the report also analyzes two non-net-zero scenarios, the "Stated Polices Scenario (STEPS)" and the "Anounced Pledges Case (AP)".

error: Content protected