The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest on record, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees across Europe. It was so bad that the European Union saw an excess of 53,000 deaths due to the tremendous heat. Through this time I became so reliant on my AC unit, which raises a lot of concerns as the heat of this summer becomes the new normal. But what if I told you that there is a new innovative solution to cooling which requires no electricity?

Israeli designer, Yael Issacharov, has introduced a natural energy-free air conditioner that uses the cooling properties of terracotta to regulate temperatures, while maintaining a stylish aesthetic that can be implemented in any space.

Issacharov’s Nave Air Conditioning System uses terracotta’s evaporative cooling abilities to naturally regulate temperatures by simply running water through an entry point in the structure. The water then evaporates, turning into vapour as the water seeps through the terracotta due to heat in the air, producing a cooling effect. This is all without the use of electricity, suggesting this new design is a sustainable solution to traditional AC systems.

Issacharov drew inspiration from Egyptian architecture and traditional Palestinian cooling systems which have been around for centuries, shielding its inhabitants from the brutal heat of the Middle East and Africa. Palestinian Jara, traditionally known as the Palestinian pot, was a water cooling system which Palestinians used for hundreds of years to keep drinking water cool. The clay used to make the pots has natural cooling abilities and was also believed to make the water taste better.

Similar designs have been implemented in subway stations and in low-tech cooler-humidifiers for small apartments. However, my personal favourite was seeing a similar design being used for both heating and AC in Mo de Movimiento, a restaurant in Madrid which aims to bring seasonal dishes to their clients in order to reduce their carbon footprint aka “miles to table”.

As a result of this innovative design, which is both sustainable as it is stylish, the Nave Air Conditioning System won the A’ Design Award this year.

Another Article You Might Like: Big Oil Is Thriving, The Planet Is Not

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Disposable vapes have become all the rage through being marketed as the perfect solution for long-term smokers’ health, but also for the environment.

The vast majority of cigarette butts are made from single-use plastic and contain hundreds of toxic chemicals. These chemicals remain inside the buds once smoked and littered cigarette butts can persist in the environment for many years, releasing these chemicals to air, land and water, harming plant growth and wildlife.

Thus, because vapes don’t have the same elements as traditional cigarettes, they are seen to be “better”.

If everyone was using reusable and refillable vapes then yes, vaping is better for the environment than cigarettes. Although a significant proportion of vapes sold are disposable, 600 puffs and they can be thrown away. Although it states on disposable vape labels that they cannot be just thrown away into the bin with normal garbage, and vape companies as well as retailers don’t make it clear we should properly recycle vapes, so they end up in landfills. Once in landfills, vape pens can leak even worse chemicals than those in cigarette buds such as metals, battery acid and flammable lithium-ion. Additionally, these pens are made of plastic and thus it takes hundreds of years for them to break down naturally, and once they have broken down, the microplastics will stick around, leaking into the ground soil and water.

Another Article You Might Like: Guess who is sponsoring COP27? Major Plastic Producer, Coca-Cola

Just to give a bit more context of how many vapes one person could go through, a single disposable vape experiences the equivalent as a pack of cigarettes. For a pack-a-day smoker, that’s one vape a day, 52 vapes a year, all of which end up in landfill.

According to a report from Future Market Insights, the global disposable vape market is expected to reach $6.34 billion by the end of 2022. By 2032 this number will hit $18.32 billion. This indicates that the appetite for vaping will not go away anytime soon.

The main problem with disposable vapes is the lack of awareness on how to properly dispose of them. Even though it clearly states on the packaging not to throw them in the bin, how is the everyday user supposed to know to recycle them? Only 15% of e-cigarette users reported disposing of empty pods or disposable vapes by dropping them off or sending them for electronic recycling.

So there are two main ways you can dispose of your vapes: electrical recycling bins, either through curbside pickup or via a household recycling centre; and supermarket battery recycling bins.

I understand that vapes are fun and they don’t give off the same negative effect as smoking, as I have also used disposable vapes and I too did not understand the environmental repercussions of using them. However, after diving into research on their environmental impact, I realise how bad our vaping habit has become. So I implore you, if you care for the environment, invest in refillable pods.

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Denmark has become the first European country to pledge to pay other countries for any “loss and damage” caused by extreme weather. This commitment comes from Denmark’s Finance Act 2022, which aims to send 60 percent of its climate budget to countries suffering the most from extreme weather. Commenting on this historic humanitarian move, Denmark’s Development Minister Flemming Møller Mortensen stated “it is grossly unfair that the world’s poorest should suffer the most from the consequences of climate change.”

Loss and damage is defined as “the destructive impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided either by mitigation (avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions) or adaptation (adjusting to current and future climate change impacts).”

Loss and damage has become an important topic at the United Nations Climate Conferences in recent years with the increased frequency of extreme weather events and the acknowledgement that poverty and climate change are intrinsically linked. Developing countries are more vulnerable to damage from extreme weather events due to over-reliance on natural resources (tourism, fishing etc.), as well as poor infrastructure. It has been estimated by The Vulnerable 20 – a coalition of the most climate-vulnerable states – that their countries have lost an estimated $525 billion in the last 20 years due to the consequences of climate change.

As it was put by the Danish Development Minister, it isn’t fair for countries that aren’t significantly contributing to global emissions to be paying entirely for the damage caused by climate change. Members of the V20 states only contribute five percent of all global emissions and their combined GDP is valued at USD 2.4 trillion, but they are the worst affected countries by extreme weather.

For example in coastal Bangladesh, salt farming is one of the major sources of employment, however due to the increased frequency of cyclones, heavy rains and rising sea levels, salt production has diminished. This has led Bangladesh to start importing salt in order to keep up with their domestic demand. So not only has climate change impacted the employment levels in Bangladesh, but also their self-reliance.

All the countries of the V20 have gone through colonialisation which has left them with insufficient infrastructure, and ill equipped to deal with the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, flooding, heat waves, drought etc. The call for financial assistance from the developed world, countries which only succeed due to exploitation of their colonies, is only fair.

This move by the Danish government serves as a wake-up call for other countries in the developed world to wake up and also donate their share to the rest of the world that needs it the most. After witnessing the tragedies of the horrific flooding in Pakistan over the past month along with the devastation of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, it has been proven time and time again, that world’s largest polluters are not going to be the first ones to pay for their actions.

Another Article You Might Like: Why Are Extreme “One-In-A-Lifetime” Weather Events Becoming More Frequent?

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Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, has just announced that he and his family will donate their 98 percent share of the company, valued at $3 billion dollars, to fight climate change. Patagonia was founded 50 years ago, in 1973, by Chouinard, a passionate rock climber with a strong enthusiasm for encouraging the preservation of the planet.

The Chouinard’s family shares will be now owned by a collective known as the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective, with the purpose of reinvesting all profits that aren’t reinvested back in the Patagonia business towards fighting climate change. The collective estimates that Patagonia will be able to contribute $100 million a year, depending on the financial health of the business. In Yvon Chouinard’s public statement about the decision he states:

‘We’re making Earth our only shareholder’

The word sustainability and all of its meanings are deeply engrained into the roots of Patagonia’s history and it continues to play an important role in the ethos of the company. The company’s vision statement literally states: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Patagonia is completely aware that they are operating in a business space where profits are prioritised with zero care for the harm done to the environment, however Chouinard has decided to take the company in another direction, highlighting quality over quantity, so that consumers are purchasing investment pieces and limiting their clothing consumption.

To further emphasise how seriously Patagonia takes their environmental commitments, the company has achieved a B-Level rating from B-Labs, which evaluates businesses on their impact on their major stakeholders: its workers, customers, community, and the environment. B-Labs also ensures that the companies it certifies maintain a level of transparency over their products and their impact.

Furthermore, Patagonia is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and 1% For The Planet, rejecting fast fashion products in favour of high-quality and long-lasting products that offer a repair and reuse program.

If there is any company in the fashion world to put on the fight for climate change pedestal it is Patagonia. Their commitment to the environment combined with the way that the company has been able to use business as a way to fight climate change is a lesson that other companies in the fashion world can take notes from. Ensuring that we only buy from businesses that prioritise the planet as part of their business model really is the only way we can ensure, that we, as stakeholders, have a greener future. Not only for us but for all generations to come.

Another Article You Might Like: How To Tackle Fast Fashion

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Over the past 3 months, Pakistan has been experiencing the worst flooding in its history. Since June 2022, more than 1,400 people have died due to the mass flooding, millions have been displaced and currently, more than one-third of the country is underwater.

The flooding has become so severe that 33 million people about 15% of the population have been directly affected, and the floods have caused about $10 billion dollars of damage.

In addition, the main concern right now is the secondary disasters that could result from flooding. This includes the spread of major water diseases such as Chlorella, and food insecurity, as almost 1 million herds of livestock have been killed and 2 million acres have been destroyed. The looming food crisis is frightening. Prior to the flooding, it was estimated that 27 million people were facing major food insecurity, and that number is only about to go up.

Due to Pakistan’s location it experiences heavy monsoons, with this year’s season has been more severe than usual, resulting in the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history. This season has seen downpours 10 times more severe than usual, and some regions such as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces have experiences 500 times more rainfall. This rain has resulted in destructive flash floods in the northern mountain, and an accumulation of water creating massive lakes in the south. The human impact of the floods has become so severe that whole communities have become submerged underwater.

So why is the monsoon season so bad this year? The simple answer is global warming. Summer 2022 was one of the hottest summers on record, with heat waves reported across South Asia earlier in the summer than usual which only persisted. The insane heat has melted glaciers and ice caps resulting in more precipitation and water flow from the mountains. This is having a distinct impact on Pakistan as the country is home to more glaciers than anywhere outside the polar region. This includes the famous mountains of K2, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat.

“South Asia is one of the world’s global climate crisis hotspots. People living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts,”

Another Article You Might Like: Why Are Extreme “One-In-A-Lifetime” Weather Events Becoming More Frequent?

What is particular heartbreaking about the situation in  Pakistan is the fact that Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of all global emissions but is paying the price. The damage of the floods covers an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom, and currently, experts are unable to pinpoint when the flooding will subside. In addition, the damage to the environment, communities and economy is yet to be determined.

The situation in Pakistan has been overshadowed in the news, and it further demonstrated how unconcerned western governments are about the looming climate crisis. Even the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has commented on the seriousness of the flooding in Pakistan, stating that the world is “sleepwalking” into the climate crisis.

“As we continue to see more and more extreme weather events around the world, it is outrageous that climate action is being put on the back burner as global emissions of greenhouse gases are still rising, putting all of us — everywhere — in growing danger.”

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Last week Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, reported record-breaking profits of $48.2 billion USD for the second quarter of 2022, representing a 90% year-on-year increase in net income. What this increase in profits represents is not good for the environment. this is a representation of this world’s over-reliance on fossil fuels which is only getting worse.

This increase in profits is a result of heightened demand post-COVID, but also due to the current war in Europe, and the demand will only increase as China is expected to open back up to full economic productivity in the next few months.

However, Saudi Aramco is not alone in reporting windfall profits. Other massive oil-producing corporations such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP, have also reported huge earnings with US President Biden stating that Exxon was making “more money than god.”

It seems crazy, but its true. Big oil is COOLING the ground to keep on drilling

What is scary about Aramco and other oil-producing companies’ profits is that it represents the world’s overdependency on fossil fuels, especially as the Russian-Ukrainian war persists.

As much as governments across the world want to present a green agenda, there is also the issue that they have continued to invest in the fossil fuel industry as seen with the Biden administration allowing for more offshore drilling in Alaska, as well as diplomatic visits to Saudi Arabia to pressure OPEC into pumping more oil.

Furthermore, the CEO of Saudi Aramco, Admin Nasser, is only fuelling the debate by stating that there needs to be more investment in the oil industry, especially after so many years of industry-depleting investments. This is a smart move from Aramco especially as the Saudi state is looking to diversify their investments and revenue streams as their oil fields will eventually run dry. For Aramco to diversify into other industries they need the capital to invest, which will only come from oil money.

However, this situation presents a wake-up call for governments around the world to start taking investments in the renewable energy sector more seriously. We have already seen in the United States with the new IRA bill that investments in renewables are becoming more popular, however, without the proper infrastructure in place to support the transition from oil to electricity, there is no way we can look at a sustainable future.

Not only are there mass consequences of our overreliance on oil economic but also environmental. Oil production and consumption is one of the leading polluters and has a massive effect on climate change. Summer 2022 has been one of the record books in terms of extreme weather events.

Another article you might like: Why Are Extreme “One-In-A-Lifetime” Weather Events Becoming More Frequent?

Not only have we seen massive heat waves but also now mass flooding which can all be attributed to climate change. Burning fossil fuels is only making the hole in the ozone layer bigger, as well as taking us closer to the point of causing irreparable damage.

For Reference, it was estimated in 2018, that the world only had a 50% chance of meeting the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming down to a minimum of 1.5°C. In order to continue on track to meet that goal, the IPCC has stated that we need to shrink the global carbon budget by 30%.

However, Saudi Aramco and its production are responsible for 4.7% of the total carbon budget. This is significant because Aramco is already producing at its maximum capacity, and governments across the world are asking them to pump more. This sets a very dangerous precedent moving forward and puts us completely off the path of meeting our enviornmenal goals.

Check out this link to learn more about the greenwashing image behind Saudi Aramco: https://www.clientearth.org/projects/the-greenwashing-files/aramco/

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Summer 2022 is coming to an end, and it has been the most extreme weather season in the past 50 years.

Europe has witnessed one of the hottest summers on record, with wildfires taking over Southern Europe. Asia has seen extreme shifts in their monsoon season patterns, with Pakistan now experiencing the worst flooding in its history with over 1,000 people dead in the past month.

Meteorologists across the news state time and time again, that these events are “once in a lifetime.” However, these “once in a lifetime” events seem to be happening every year.

What Is Meant by “Once-In-A-Lifetime”?

When meteorologists say an event is “once-in-a-lifetime” or “once in hundred years” it doesn’t mean that it will happen only once in our lifetime, but rather through studying weather patterns across history, meteorologists can predict how often such events should happen.

What is undeniable about the significant increases in such events is that they are undeniably caused by climate change.

How Is Human Behaviour Affecting the Climate?

We all know that human behaviour has impacted the climate in one way or another. We have read the articles on how to be better sustainable citizens. However, what is the science behind our impact on the planet?

Starting in the early 2000s, scientists worldwide started to thoroughly investigate the relationship of the human impact on extreme weather events. This was named “extreme event attribution.” Extreme event attribution can be defined as “a field of scientific study that tries to measure how ongoing climate change directly affects recent extreme weather events.”

Initially, extreme event attribution started with almost 400 peer review studies across the world, ranging from typhoons in Asia to record-breaking downpours in the UK and fires across the United States. However, today more and more climate organizations are using extreme event attribution to explain the connections between why these “once in a hundred year” events are becoming more frequent and their link with climate change.

Check out this interactive map from Carbon Brief which tracks how climate change has been increasing the frequency of extreme weather events across the world.

Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world

What Has Extreme Event Attribution Been Able to Tell Us?

First of all, extreme event attribution cannot tell us that global warming for sure caused a severe weather event, however, it can tell us whether there is a historical link between the burning of fossil fuels, or increasing population and the frequency of such weather events.

For example, by looking at rain patterns throughout weather history in the Gulf of Mexico, we can see that the frequency of years between massive rain events has decreased from 50 years to 30 years, and the intensity of rain has also increased by 10%. What has also been identified is that carbon emissions have also significantly increased in those years, as well as fossil fuel production.

Other studies have found that human-related climate change has had a 70% chance of impacting the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Most importantly, human-related climate change has a direct impact on heat, specifically as it is the main contributing factor to the hole in the ozone layer.

Increased heat has caused glaciers to melt and average temperatures across the world to significantly increase. China is currently experiencing one of their hottest summers on record with daily average temperatures at 40 degrees. Due to this Chinese people have turned to indoor skiing to cool down. Spain and Portugal witnessed 40-degree heat across July, and Pakistan is currently drowning in mass flooding due to melting glaciers.

Check out Eco-nnect’s weekly newsletter to learn more about weekly climate news.

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When Joe Biden came into office in 2021, he made a promise to the American people and the world that the Democrats would realign America alongside the Paris Climate Change agreement and push for net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. Climate policy would be at the forefront of his next four years in office.

However, in the almost two years since Joe Biden has taken up office, there has been little movement on the urgency of the climate crisis.

So What’s Going On with America’s Climate Change Policy? Republicans.

The Republican party is the main reason that the Biden Administration has not been able to efficiently tackle the crisis. Bill after bill has been put forward and it has been shot down again by the Republican party. Even though the party has mostly abandoned its climate change denial policy, it still remains hostile to any attempts to move America to a greener innovation and sustainability. The Republican party has consistently stated that any climate change bill will cost Americans billions of unnecessary dollars. However, in reality, the Republican party is just trying to protect their voter bases, such as the rural midwest and oil-loving states like Texas.

However, we really cannot put all the blame on the Republican party. The democrats need to bare some of the blame. There is an extreme amount of hypocrisy within the democratic party and particularly in the Biden Administration. At the beginning of July, Biden signed an executive order which would increase offshore drilling operations in Alaska. Signing off on this executive order completely goes against the promises of the Biden Administration but also against the warnings of every single environmental and climate change agency.

The US Senate just passed a bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will allocate 369 billion dollars toward the climate crisis over the next 10 years. The bill puts aside $60 billion for investments in minority communities, $27 billion for technology investments and $25 billion for environmental conservation. The bill adds new taxes for fossil fuel-producing companies but most, importantly, the package will help to cut emissions by 40% by 2030. It has been described as “the boldest clean energy package in American history” by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

This bill seems to be amazing, just what we needed in the fight against climate change, although we need to look at this in the long run. 369 billion dollars spread across 10 years is nothing. To compare, the US spends $800 billion per year on the military. In hindsight, 369 billion dollars is nothing. The allocated spending per year equates to less than 5% of the annual military spending budget.

The Biden Administration needs to get real about the climate crisis and start putting their money where their mouth is. The new climate bill really is a historic landmark for addressing climate change in the US, however, it is not enough. We can see that mainstream democrats and republicans alike are not taking the extreme and too frequent “one in a lifetime” weather events seriously.

Nevertheless, it is not just the issue of the size of the IRA bill but also the fact that the bill has hidden compromises for the fossil fuel industry. These include loosened regulations around drilling, allowed leasing of 2 million acres of public lands and 60 million acres of offshore waters for oil and gas.

Experts at this moment have stated that even with such compromises involved, emissions can still be reduced by 40%. However, many climate activists are stating that these additional compromises are selling out the integrity of the bill.

Even though this bill has now been approved in the House of Representatives, there is still more to come. This bill is just the starting point of the bigger climate fight. Call your representatives, especially if you live in a red state, and pressure them into voting for greener policies. Here’s a link with instructions on how to figure out who is your representative and how to contact them: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

For everyone else, you can do the same. Pressure your local politicians to adopt more green policies, join youth groups, and ask the tough questions. Our actions create our future.

The post What’s up with America’s climate policy? appeared first on eco-nnect.

Over 5 days, from the 27th of June to the 1st of July, the United Nations held the much anticipated Ocean Conference. This event, held in Lisbon, was co-hosted by the Kenyan and Portuguese governments. The conference was built on a platform of discussions and events, with a special emphasis placed on public-private partnerships for sustainable innovation in the blue economy.

Why is the UN Ocean Conference Important? 

Our world and the survival of humanity rely almost entirely on the health of the world’s oceans. The ocean contributes to the production of over half of the world’s oxygen, it is the main source of CO2 absorption and it covers 70% of our earth’s surface. It is estimated that 3 billion people worldwide rely on the ocean directly for their livelihoods, but in reality, the whole world relies on our oceans for survival.

The growth of capitalism and human expansion has come at the cost of the health of our oceans. Ocean acidification, oil spills, macro and particularly micro-plastic pollution, combined with overfishing are jeopardising the ocean’s survival.

The UN Ocean Conference serves as the primary forum to force governments to reassess their policies around SDG 14: Life below Water. They are bringing together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to propel science-based solutions to ocean pollution and global warming.

One of the main topics of discussion and utmost importance is deep sea mining. Deep-sea mining is the process of extracting and often excavating mineral deposits from the deep seabed. It is the excavation process that causes real harm to both the sea bed as well as fish and other marine mammals due to noise pollution, light pollution and chemical pollution.

As of right now, deep sea mining is illegal. Nonetheless, many companies are lobbying governments to allow operations with the promise of heavy profits, as the sea bed holds many minerals and raw materials needed for the creation of batteries and other in-demand technologies. Yet, there is strong evidence to indicate that deep sea mining will only exaggerate the effects of climate change, such as an increase in ocean temperatures and rising sea levels.

Pacific island nations such as Palau and Fiji have stated that deep sea mining could destroy their livelihoods and even the nations themselves, as rising sea levels threaten to sink the island nations. The effects of deep-sea mining could be deadly for pacific islanders.

Key Takeaways

The UN Ocean Conference has been called a “success” by both the UN and participating nations, resulting in many new partnerships, as well as voluntary commitments and pledges of funding to the oceans.

1. 150+ Member States made voluntary commitments to conserve/protect 30% or more of the global oceans by 2030 through Marine Protected Areas and other measures.
2. Reaching carbon neutrality by 2040.
3. A reduction in plastic and chemical pollution.
4. Increasing the use of renewable energy.
5. 300+ pledges of billions of dollars dedicated to marine research and conservation.

On the topic of deep sea mining, French President, Emmanuel Macron made the pleasantly surprising statement that the world’s oceans need to be protected against the negative effects of deep-sea mining.

“I think we need to develop a legal framework to put a stop to deep-sea mining in international waters and not authorise new activities that would endanger the [ocean] ecosystems.”

Is this enough?

We have heard a lot of fancy wording from the UN and governments discussing the environmental “call to action” to save the oceans, but what does this mean for the world?

Most of the commitments that have been praised as a success and huge advancements for the future of the world’s oceans are all voluntary. Which means that they do not have to be implemented at all. Even on a monetary level.

The question is, is this enough? The simple answer is no. Voluntary commitments are not enough to save us from global warming of 3 degrees which will completely devastate our planet. We have seen time and time again, governments pulling out of their commitments such as the Paris Climate Agreement.

Despite this, we must acknowledge that the voluntary commitments made by member states, and the overly whelming presence of young activists at the UN Ocean conference paint a lighter picture for what is to come. Never before have we seen such collaborations for sustainability in the public/private sector and the involvement of young people in finding solutions that will last and create a bluer future.

We are still missing adequate policy enforcement for the protection of the world’s oceans, and we must continue to pressure both our governments and corporations to adopt more expansive sustainable policies.

We still have time to make the changes necessary to prevent further warming of the planet and thus the one thing this conference has demonstrated is that there is still hope to make our oceans a bluer place.

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