Investors taking advantage of corona crisis to build five small HPPs in BiH
Despite the lockdowns in the region caused by the coronavirus, the construction of five small hydropower plants (SHPPs) has begun or is being pushed in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital Sarajevo, according to a joint press release by the Coalition for the Protection of Rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Riverwatch and EuroNatur. In […]
Verbund discontinues last coal-fired energy plant in Austria; eyes hydrogen
Government-owned Verbund switched the Mellach coal-fired heat and power unit to a backup role, ending all regular electricity supply from the fossil fuel to the grid in Austria as it studies applications for green hydrogen. As high temperatures shortened the heating season, the Mellach cogeneration facility, which covered most of the district heating in Graz, […]
5 ways lobbyists are using COVID-19 to weaken EU environmental laws
Are EU environmental laws and the European Green Deal really at stake because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Lobby groups in Brussels are doing their best to diminish them, Anton Lazarus, Communications Manager at European Environmental Bureau (EEB), says in his article and lists five examples of how corporate lobbyists asked for the suspension of crucial […]
Earth Day goes digital, individual on 50th anniversary – join on April 22
A range of artistic projects, initiatives in the making and seminars are on the world map for Earth Day. The movement spread to the global scene in 1990 and this time the event is focused on networking and personal contribution. Even if it wasn’t ready for the coronavirus pandemic, humanity must be prepared for the […]
Carbon emissions dip with coronavirus but climate change isn’t going away
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are about to fall by a record 5% this year or more as the COVID-19 pandemic almost ground the economy to a halt worldwide. Still, pollution must be lowered sustainably – the rebound after the coronavirus crisis will return greenhouse gases to previous levels, climate change experts warn. Air […]
CE Oltenia suspending 13,000 workers as sales drop amid COVID-19
The government in Bucharest is paying employees on a leave of absence 75% of gross salary for the duration of the state of emergency. CE Oltenia, already strained by carbon emissions costs, introduced a minimum staffing scheme and sent the first of two groups of workers home for 17 workdays. Romania must introduce measures to […]
Ecosystem services – nature’s contributions to people
In the past decades, and especially after the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the term ecosystem services has been used in public discourse on an international level for any kind of benefit for people stemming from a sustained process in nature (ecosystems). There are four kinds of ecosystem services: nature’s provisions like food, fuel, genetic resources, […]
Officials, CEOs, NGOs call for green revival from COVID-19 in EU
An ad-hoc group is pressuring the EU to stay on track with its environmentally friendly economic measures. Heads of companies, business associations and think tanks joined ministers and members of the European Parliament calling on decision makers in Brussels to make sure the revival from the COVID-19 downturn is green. The European Commission reacted to […]