NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government backs Mangawhai tornado clean-up

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government has confirmed a $435,000 contribution from the Ministry for the Environment to support emergency waste clean-up after a recent tornado, say Environment Minister, Penny Simmonds and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister, Mark Mitchell.
    “The Government recognises the significant challenge councils face in managing emergency waste from severe weather events and is committed to providing the necessary support,” says Ms Simmonds.
    “This funding will assist the Kaipara District Council in managing the clean-up of emergency waste in Mangawhai and provide some relief to the community as they recover.” 
    On Sunday 26 January 2025, a tornado struck the coastal township of Mangawhai in Northland resulting in serious injuries to several people, extensive damage to properties, power outages, and roads blocked by storm debris.
    Following the event, Ministry for the Environment officials met with officials from both Kaipara District Council and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to identify, quantify and assess the costs associated with the tornado event.
    “Recovery is an ongoing process, and we recognise the Kaipara District Council is working hard to strengthen resilience and support recovery in their community,” says Mr Mitchell. 
    Ms Simmonds says Kaipara District Council acted quickly after the event to manage emergency waste responsibly.
    “This funding will substantially cover the council’s costs from the tornado’s immediate aftermath, as well as helping with the ongoing clean up. The council will provide a final report within three months of project completion to outline how the funding was used.”
    For further information visit: Recovering from recent severe weather events | Ministry for the Environment

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NAB support for customers and colleagues impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred

    Source: National Australia Bank

    • NAB announces assistance for customers and colleagues affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred
    • Customers encouraged to contact bank when ready to discuss available financial assistance
    • Temporary closures of select branches to ensure customer and colleague safety

    NAB has today announced disaster relief assistance for customers and colleagues affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

    NAB encourages affected customers to contact the bank when they’re ready to discuss a range of financial relief measures, including:

    • Credit card and personal loan relief
    • Waiving the establishment fee for restructuring business facilities
    • ​​​​​​​Concessional loans to customers seeking support to restructure existing facilities to assist in repairs, restocking and re-opening for business
    • Reducing and moratorium on home and personal loan repayments
    • Wellbeing support for colleagues and customers

    NAB’s Local Personal Banking Executive Tony Story said the measures provide customers with peace of mind, and access to immediate financial support.

    “We want our customers and colleagues to know we’re here to help,” Mr Story said.

    “The number one priority here is their safety. In the coming days, our teams will be on standby to support impacted customers. We are committed to providing extra care and support during these difficult times.

    “Anyone who needs assistance or advice can contact us by calling us or choosing the chat option in the app.

    “When it’s safe to reopen our branches, we’ll also be happy to welcome you back for face to face service.”

    To access financial assistance please call NAB Assist on:  

    • 1300 661 114 for personal customers
    • 1300 881 661 for business customers

    Additional help is available via:  

    • NAB messaging in the App and on Internet Banking
    • At nab.com.au/disaster
    • Agri customers who need help can contact their banker.
    • For NAB insurance claims (damaged homes, contents, and vehicles), please call Allianz on 1300 555 013

    Be aware of Frauds and Scams

    During this time, customers are reminded to stay alert to potential scams. Criminals may use events like this natural disaster as an opportunity to impersonate well-known organisations including banks, insurance or telecommuication providers and government agencies. NAB will never send customers links in unexpected text messages, or ask customers for personal information like passwords or pins.

    Environment

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    Media Enquiries

    For all media enquiries, please contact the NAB Media Line on 03 7035 5015

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Stats NZ information release: Environmental-economic accounts: Data to 2023

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Environmental-economic accounts: Data to 2023 – 6 March 2025 – Environmental-economic accounts show how our environment contributes to our economy, the impacts of economic activity on our environment, and how we respond to environmental issues.

    Stats NZ’s environmental-economic accounts show the interactions between the environment and the economy to provide a clearer understanding of environmental-economic pressures, dependencies, trade-offs, and impacts. It is done within the United Nations’ System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework, which specifies how environmental data can be integrated coherently with economic data from the System of National Accounts.

    All accounts are expressed in monetary units and in current prices for the year to March.

    Key facts
    In the year to March 2023:

    • Total environmental taxes were $5.2 billion, most of which were transport (51 percent) and energy (45 percent) taxes. From 2022–2023, environmental taxes decreased 21 percent ($1.4 billion).
    • Marine economy contributed $4.6 billion to New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP). This was an increase of 7.9 percent compared with 2022. The contribution of the marine economy to GDP in 2023 was 1.2 percent.
    • The total asset value of renewable energy was $13.7 billion. Hydro generation made up 69 percent of total asset value, followed by geothermal (21 percent).
    • Central and local government expenditure on environmental protection (on a final consumption basis) increased 15 percent ($381 million) to total $2.9 billion. Local government contributed 68 percent ($1.9 billion) to this total, and central government 32 percent ($904 million).

    Files:

     

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Markey Reintroduce Legislation to Fund Sea Turtle Research and Rescue Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) reintroduced their bipartisan and bicameral Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, legislation to establish funding at the Department of Commerce for the rescue, recovery and research of sea turtles in Texas and across the United States. Text of the bill can be found, here.

    “Sea turtle strandings are rising at an alarming rate along the Texas Gulf Coast,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This bill would help identify the causes of these strandings and invest in rescue and recovery efforts to better protect Texas’ endangered and storied sea turtle population.”

    “Sea turtles are the canaries in the coal mine. Right now, every known species of sea turtles found in US waters is either threatened or endangered and faces extinction and environmental wipeout due to the human-caused climate crisis. We have the responsibility to act,” said Sen. Markey. “I am reintroducing the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act to financially support ongoing rescue and rehabilitation efforts of our shelled friends.” 

    The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cory Booker (D-NJ, and Tom Tillis (R-NC). In January, Representative Bill Keating (MA-09) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
     

    Background:

    In 2000, fewer than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on the beaches of Cape Cod; by 2022, that number had skyrocketed to 866. During the 2021 cold snap in Texas, more than 12,100 turtles were cold-stunned, and rescue organizations were able to save and return only 4,000 of the stranded turtles to the wild. Rescue efforts are predominantly volunteer led and underfunded despite sea turtles facing increasing environmental and human-caused threats that make strandings more likely, including rapid temperature changes, red tide events, and entanglement in marine debris. This bill would provide stability and support to efforts that rehabilitate and aid in the recovery of sea turtles along the coastal US. Specifically, the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act would create a new grant program to fund rescue, recovery, and research of sea turtles in the U.S., and authorize $5 million annually for awarding of grants to further that purpose from 2025 through 2030. 

    The Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act is endorsed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the New England Aquarium, the National Aquarium, ABQ BioPark, Acadia Institute of Oceanography, Adventure Aquarium, Allied Whale – College of the Atlantic, Assateague Coastal Trust, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Aquarium of the Pacific, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Audubon Nature Institute, Bird River Beach Community Association, Blank Park Zoo, Brevard Zoo / East Coast Zoological Park, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Buttonwood Park Zoo, Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, Conservation Council For Hawaii, El Paso Zoo and Botanical Garden, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia Sea Turtle Center / Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Gladys Porter Zoo, Gulf World Marine Institute, Healthy Ocean Coalition, Houston Zoo, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Jenkinson’s Aquarium, John Ball Zoo, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Kansas City Zoo, Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Marine Education – Research & Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. (MERR), Marine Conservation Institute, Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket, Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Mass Audubon, Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, National Marine Life Center, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Newport Aquarium, New York Marine Rescue Center, North Carolina Aquariums, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, OdySea Aquarium, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Racine Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, SEA LIFE Aquariums, Sea Turtle Recovery, Inc., Seattle Aquarium, Seatuck Environmental Association, SeaWorld Parks, Sociedad Ornitologica Puertorriquena Inc., South Carolina Aquarium, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Sunset Zoo, Surfrider Foundation, Texas Conservation Alliance, Texas Sealife Center, Texas State Aquarium, The Florida Aquarium, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, The Ocean Project, The Turtle Hospital, Upwell Turtles, Vancouver Aquarium, Virgin Islands Conservation Society, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience at University of Florida, WIDECAST: Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, Wildlife Restoration Foundation, and Woodland Park Zoo. 

    “We are grateful for Sen. Markey’s continued partnership as he reintroduces the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2025 in the U.S. Senate. Each year, the New England Aquarium rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles that wash onto the beaches of Cape Cod Bay. This bill would help fill a critical gap in sea turtle conservation efforts by providing much-needed financial support to organizations across the country like ours that help return these endangered animals to the ocean,” said Vikki N. Spruill, President and CEO of the New England Aquarium. 

    “The National Aquarium applauds the reintroduction of the bicameral, bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act. We are proud to be part of the nationwide network of organizations engaged in sea turtle conservation and in educating the public on the challenges facing these threatened and endangered species. Sea turtle strandings are on the rise, as are the expenses related to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing them back to their ocean home. The level of voluntary contribution from stranding network partners is not sustainable. We thank the champions in the House and Senate for their leadership in creating a much-needed federal grant program to support this important work,” said John Racanelli, President & CEO of the National Aquarium. 

    “Each year, aquariums, zoos and other organizations selflessly rescue and rehabilitate thousands of stranded and injured sea turtles with little to no federal support. They do it because it is the right thing to do,” said Dan Ashe, President and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “This bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act would help to fill a critical gap in support for these federally protected sea turtles.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Environmental-economic accounts: Data to 2023

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Environmental-economic accounts: Data to 2023 – 6 March 2025 – Environmental-economic accounts show how our environment contributes to our economy, the impacts of economic activity on our environment, and how we respond to environmental issues.

    Stats NZ’s environmental-economic accounts show the interactions between the environment and the economy to provide a clearer understanding of environmental-economic pressures, dependencies, trade-offs, and impacts. It is done within the United Nations’ System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework, which specifies how environmental data can be integrated coherently with economic data from the System of National Accounts.

    All accounts are expressed in monetary units and in current prices for the year to March.

    Key facts
    In the year to March 2023:

    • Total environmental taxes were $5.2 billion, most of which were transport (51 percent) and energy (45 percent) taxes. From 2022–2023, environmental taxes decreased 21 percent ($1.4 billion).
    • Marine economy contributed $4.6 billion to New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP). This was an increase of 7.9 percent compared with 2022. The contribution of the marine economy to GDP in 2023 was 1.2 percent.
    • The total asset value of renewable energy was $13.7 billion. Hydro generation made up 69 percent of total asset value, followed by geothermal (21 percent).
    • Central and local government expenditure on environmental protection (on a final consumption basis) increased 15 percent ($381 million) to total $2.9 billion. Local government contributed 68 percent ($1.9 billion) to this total, and central government 32 percent ($904 million).

    Files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Recovering From Daylight Savings May Take More Than Three Weeks, Youngest Hit Hardest

    Source: Samsung

    Do you find yourself feeling more tired once the clocks spring forward for Daylight Savings Time (DST)? Well, you’re not alone. Although losing an hour the night of DST may seem insignificant, examining the sleep patterns of global Samsung Health users1 from the US, Canada, and more than 40 European countries reveals a ripple effect that causes weeks-long disruptions to sleep patterns, hitting younger age groups the hardest.
    DST Takes a Toll on Sleep, With Younger Generations Most Disrupted
    When looking into how much of an impact DST has on people the morning after, one thing is clear, everyone’s sleep patterns are thrown off. In fact, people spent a little too much time counting sheep the night of the time change, falling asleep 33 minutes later than the previous night, waking up 19 minutes earlier. While losing sleep isn’t easy at any age, those in their 20s likely felt it the most thanks to an extremely late bedtime and a seeming inability to sleep in.

    Moreover, Sleep Score — calculated based on an evaluation of a users’ total sleep time, awake time, sleep cycle, plus physical and mental recovery — was at the worst level for weeks after DST — and again, people in their 20s appeared to be most affected. When examining the seven-day Sleep Score average, the 20s age group demonstrated the slowest score recovery rate, while older age groups adapted much quicker. By the third week, Sleep Score for all age groups were still not stable as normal, showing fluctuations in the quality of a good night’s rest.

    Useful Tips to Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep and a Quicker Recovery
    The transition into DST clearly affects the sleep patterns of all age groups long after the clocks change, but for younger generations, prioritizing sleep management during this time couldn’t be more important. In recognition of World Sleep Day, Samsung is sharing useful tips that make understanding your sleep patterns and habits as seamless and effortless as possible for a better night’s rest.

    Creating an ideal sleep environment is critical to a good night’s sleep. Later this month, Samsung Health app update2 will make this possible by providing guidance and analysis on the key factors that influence sleep quality, including temperature, humidity, CO2, and illuminance via a Sleep Environment Report3 — leveraging SmartThings and the power of Samsung’s extensive device ecosystem. With a better understanding of how your environment affects sleep, easily optimize your room conditions for an improved night’s rest.
    In addition to perfecting your sleep environment, understanding how activity can impact energy level is key. Samsung Health app updates also bring enhancements to Energy Score,4 which provides an indicator of how much energy users can expend throughout the day. In addition to sleep and heart rate,5 a new detailed factor about activity — Activity Consistency — will help you understand your overall condition in greater detail by evaluating your activity levels over the past four weeks.
    It’s also important to understand how you’re sleeping and make necessary adjustments through sleep training. Sleep Coaching makes this simple by seamlessly tracking your sleep patterns over 7 days and assigning a sleep animal based on the results. With a personalized coaching program, develop healthy habits and routines that set you on a positive path to achieving your sleep goals.

    World Sleep Day serves as an important reminder of the importance of sleep. With the latest Samsung Health app updates and the Galaxy ecosystem, Samsung remains committed to helping users optimize their sleep and lead healthier, more balanced life.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Cortez Masto Urge Interior Department to End Funding Freeze for Colorado River Water Savings Projects

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Alex Padilla (D-CA.), Adam Schiff (D-CA.), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ.), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ.) urged the Department of the Interior to immediately cease its freeze of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. The Senators, representing the three Lower Colorado River Basin states, criticized the Trump Administration’s day-one executive order halting all Inflation Reduction Act disbursements, including pausing the $4 billion Senator Cortez Masto helped secure for water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other Western areas experiencing drought.
    The Colorado River Basin, which supports 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of agricultural land across seven states, depends on a stable and reliable water supply from Lake Mead. The Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program being threatened by the Trump Administration directly adds water to the lake, contributing 1.2 million acre-feet of water in the past two years and raising the lake’s elevation by 15 feet. Projects planned for this year were set to conserve 734,000 more acre-feet and add another nine feet to the lake’s elevation.
    These savings were pivotal in securing the historic seven-state consensus agreement last year for interim operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2026, in which the Lower Basin States committed to conserving 3 million acre-feet of water to stabilize the Colorado River System. The Trump Administration’s funding freeze jeopardizes these critical conservation goals while undermining similar multistate agreements in the future.
    “This Program, funded with an initial allocation through the Inflation Reduction Act and managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, has been instrumental in increasing water conservation, improving efficiency, and preventing the Colorado River system’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels that threaten water deliveries and power production,” wrote the Senators.
    “The need for this water is more urgent than ever. This year’s water outlook is dry, with forecasts predicting below-average supply. Project recipients need certainty that the federal funding they were promised — whether formally under contract or not — will be available so they can plan accordingly,” they continued. “Without continued support from Interior, efforts to conserve water and sustain the communities, economies, and ecosystems that rely on the Colorado River are in serious jeopardy.”
    In light of the Office of Personnel Management’s memo last week calling for significant further reductions to the federal workforce, the Senators also pushed the Department of the Interior to make sure that any cuts do not further impact the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. Reclamation staff are essential to Western water management, where water systems are extremely complex and are closely coordinated with state, tribal, and local authorities.
    The full letter is available HERE.
    Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto have been leaders working to support conservation efforts and combat drought. The Senators passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S. They recently announced $10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enhance the safety and functionality of the Marlette Lake Dam. The Senators also secured $60 million for water conservation in Southern Nevada and $30 million from the Bureau of Reclamation for the Truckee Meadow Water Authority to make Northern Nevada’s water supply more drought-resilient.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Investors value green labels — but not always for the right reasons

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vasundhara Saravade, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of the Environment, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Imagine you are choosing between two similar investment options. One has a green label, promising to fund climate-friendly projects and assets. The other offers a slightly higher return, but has no green label. Which do you choose?

    My recent study explored this question. My co-researchers and I found that, for most retail investors — individual, non-professional investors — the presence of a green label mattered more than the actual environmental impact of the bond or the higher financial return of a non-green option.

    This finding raises critical questions about how sustainable finance is marketed and whether green labels alone are enough to drive real environmental change.

    Green bonds and retail investors

    Green bonds are a financial tool designed to fund environmentally friendly projects. Institutional investors and governments have embraced them, but their adoption by everyday retail investors remains low.

    The Canadian market was one of the first to provide access to retail-level green bonds, but demand for such bonds was always oversubscribed. Low interest rates made it difficult to balance investor returns with lending profits. This imbalance squeezed sustainable investment firms like CoPower, which ultimately led to its green bond model winding down.

    With the urgent need to attract capital for climate financing, the role of retail investors is now a key topic of discussion. In 2021, these investors accounted for 52 per cent of global assets under management in 2021 — a figure expected to jump to nearly 61 per cent by 2030. This presents a massive opportunity to mobilize private capital toward sustainable finance.

    However, before retail investors venture into the green bond market, the sustainable finance sector must address a key question: do people invest in green bonds because they believe in their environmental benefits or simply because of the “green” label?

    And, more importantly, does the green label alone persuade retail investors to accept a “greenium” — choosing a lower-return green bond over a higher-return non-green bond — like professional investors do?

    The ‘green-label effect’ is real

    To determine this, my co-researchers and I conducted an experiment with over 1,000 self-identified retail investors to see how different framing techniques — such as labels, environmental impact and reporting descriptions — shaped their willingness to invest in green bonds.

    Our study identified a “green label effect.” Most retail investors relied on green labels as a shortcut to save time and avoid having to evaluate the environmental impact of a bond. Investors often relied on simplified decision cues like labels and financial returns to navigate complex financial information.



    Read more:
    Sustainable finance: Canada risks being left behind in low-carbon economy

    However, a small subset of environmentally conscious investors researched the validity of green bonds and aligned their investments with their values, even at the cost of lower returns.

    This highlights the need for green bonds that offer a competitive return, given that a majority still invest based on financial returns in addition to labelling. Labelling alone is not enough to drive mainstream retail investment in sustainable finance.

    Our study also found that certain types of personal characteristics made people more likely to invest in labelled green bonds, even if those bonds had the lowest financial returns. Investors with a high-risk tolerance were more likely to invest in green bonds.

    Additionally, previous investment experience played a role. Those who had moderately invested in stocks, had none to high levels of experience investing in bonds.

    The greenwashing challenge

    Our findings highlight both the potential and pitfalls of sustainable finance. The popularity of green-labelled bonds suggests that retail investors are open to sustainable investment and would help to drive growth in this market considerably.

    However, the fact that many choose labels without finding out whether the bond is actually green raises concerns about greenwashing. This practice occurs when companies exploit sustainability branding and use green labels on non-green bonds to avoid delivering environmental impact.

    If investors rely too much on green labels without verifying the actual impact of their investments, they may inadvertently support projects that fail to make a meaningful difference.

    As green finance regulations evolve, governments must strengthen labelling standards and transparency. This would ensure that labelled green bonds deliver on their promises.

    Stronger green taxonomies and consumer oversight mechanisms would help prevent misleading claims, protect investors and ensure sustainable finance can scale quickly. Without these safeguards, green bonds could lose credibility and fail to scale effectively.

    What should policymakers do?

    To expand the green bond market and align it with Canada’s climate goals, policymakers could introduce tax-free government green bonds or green infrastructure bonds. These would incentivize retail investors and raise their awareness of sustainable finance.

    Policymakers could allow banks to add green bonds to registered products like tax-free savings accounts or registered retirement savings plans. They could create new green registered products that would encourage individual-level savings and investment, like the first home savings account.

    Making verified climate-related financial disclosures easier to use could help retail investors better understand the impact of green products. This would reduce reliance on labels alone and encourage more informed decision-making.

    Green bonds have the potential to be a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, but only if they’re backed by real accountability. As our study shows, labels matter a lot — but what’s behind them matters most.

    Vasundhara Saravade is affiliated with the Smart Prosperity Institute.

    – ref. Investors value green labels — but not always for the right reasons – https://theconversation.com/investors-value-green-labels-but-not-always-for-the-right-reasons-251021

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev and Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis summed up the results of the implementation of the national project “Ecology” in the region

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with the Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis.

    Murmansk Region took second place in the national environmental rating of Russian regions based on the results of last autumn. Andrey Chibis spoke about the solutions developed aimed at preserving the Arctic nature.

    The head of the region reported that since 2019, within the framework of the strategic plan “Living in the North!” and thanks to the implementation of the national project “Ecology”, it has been possible to reduce total emissions into the atmosphere by 32%, eliminate more than 1.6 thousand landfills. More than 8.7 thousand hectares of forests have been restored, more than 287 km of the coastal strip of water bodies have been put in order and cleared of garbage. This work will be continued as part of the region’s participation in the new national project “Ecological Well-Being”.

    The meeting participants also noted that environmental protection issues will become an important part of the agenda of the International Arctic Forum, which will be held in Murmansk on March 26–27.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific Concludes with the unanimous adoption of Jaipur Declaration by member countries

    Source: Government of India (2)

    12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific Concludes with the unanimous adoption of Jaipur Declaration by member countries

    India’s proposal to float a multi stakeholder global alliance Cities Coalition for Circularity ( C-3) as a collaborative platform for knowledge sharing.

    The Forum saw the physical participation of 24 Asia Pacific member countries and nearly 200 international delegates

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 7:55PM by PIB Delhi

    The 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific concluded today with the unanimous adoption of the ‘Jaipur Declaration’ by the member countries.

    A guidance document has been prepared to suggest indicative strategies to countries as per national policies, circumstances and capabilities.

    As part of the Jaipur declaration, a collaborative knowledge platform as a global alliance C-3 ( Cities Coalition for Circularity ) has also been agreed upon.

    Jaipur Declaration speaks about different waste streams and circular economy goals for each of them. It speaks about the resource efficiency and sustainable material consumption. The declaration also covers informal sectors, gender issue and labour issues.

    It also provides for means of implementation, partnerships, technology transfer, funding mechanism and research and development.

    In his closing remarks, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal said that Jaipur Declaration’ that has been adopted today is a testament to this shared commitment. I am glad this decadal declaration will be associated with the name of ‘Jaipur’ and even though it is non-binding, it will guide our country and all member nations of the Asia Pacific towards a circular transition.

    He also said that  based on our principle of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, India will take the lead in formation of the Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3) and  invited all UN member countries to join this coalition.

    Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs , Shri Tokhan Sahu said that  the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum for Asia and the Pacific has been a historic moment.

    He added “Over the past days, we have engaged in crucial discussions and deliberations on environmental conservation, sustainable resource utilization, and waste management to build a better future.”

    He also said that in today’s era, the concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and the circular economy is not just an option but a necessity.

    Prof. Amit Kapoor, Chair, Institute for Competitiveness, University of Stanford, delivered a special address on implementing circularity of solid and liquid waste for the largest human congregation at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, India. He shared key preliminary findings of an in-depth study that explores sustainable waste management solutions for the event, focusing on innovative approaches, scalability, and best practices to ensure environmental sustainability while managing millions of pilgrims.

    Click here for findings

    About the event

    The 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific was organized from 3rd to 5thMarch 2025 at Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur.The theme of the Forum is  “Realizing Circular Societies Towards Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality in Asia-Pacific.

    Participation in the event

    The 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific witnessed high-level participation, with the Hon’ble Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal inaugurating the event alongside ministers from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana.

    The forum saw the physical participation of 24 Asia-Pacific member countries, with ministers from Japan, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Maldives attending in person. Nearly 200 international delegates, including government officials, experts, and private sector representatives, joined the discussions. From India, 800 delegates from 33 States & UTs, 15-line ministries, private sector, and technical institutions took part. The event had representation from 75 cities (9 international and 66 Indian cities).

    The forum featured 120 speakers contributing to 29 plenary sessions, 10 thematic sessions, 6 country breakout sessions, and 7 side events. To ensure broader participation, a virtual platform was also created for stakeholders across India and internationally.

    On the Inaugural day the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific featured key announcements and initiatives aligned with India’s commitment to sustainability and circular economy principles.

    The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s message, presented during the inaugural session, emphasized India’s Pro Planet People (P-3) approach. To advance this vision, the Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3) was proposed as an Indian-led multi-stakeholder, multi-nation alliance to facilitate knowledge sharing, city-to-city collaboration, and private-sector partnerships through a digital platform.

    A major milestone was the rollout of CITIIS 2.0, a Union Cabinet-approved program under which ₹1,800 crores worth of agreements were signed for integrated waste management and climate action in 18 cities across 14 states.

    The forum also marked the inauguration of the ‘India Pavilion’ and the ‘3R Trade and Technology Exhibition’, showcasing India’s achievements in the 3R and circular economy space. The exhibition provided a platform for over 40 Indian and Japanese businesses and startups to present innovative solutions.

    Engaging sessions such as the ‘Mayors’ Dialogue’ and ‘Case Clinic’ fostered deeper collaboration, while NGOs and self-help groups showcased waste-to-wealth initiatives, promoting sustainability-driven entrepreneurship and community engagement.

    On the second day of the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific witnessed a significant announcement with India declaring its candidacy to host the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026, following São Paulo, Brazil, in 2025. The announcement was made during a special session attended by Hon’ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, and the Hon’ble Minister from Andhra Pradesh. The forum also hosted plenary sessions, country breakout sessions, and side events, including discussions on India’s pathways to a circular economy, highlighting efforts in waste management and sustainability.

    Key outcomes included the launch of several initiatives such as the SBM Waste to Wealth PMS Portal, IFC Document Reference Guide, and India’s Circular Sutra, a compendium of 126 best practices compiled by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). Additionally, a study on best practices in solid waste management in million-plus cities, prepared by CEEW, was released. A crucial MoU was signed between CSIR and MoHUA to advance scientific research and innovation in circular economy solutions. Delegates also participated in technical field visits to solid and liquid waste management facilities and key heritage sites in Jaipur, gaining firsthand insights into sustainable urban practices.

    ****

    SK

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sh. Bhupender Yadav addresses Inaugural Session at World Sustainable Development Summit, 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sh. Bhupender Yadav addresses Inaugural Session at World Sustainable Development Summit, 2025

    The Global South is driving the climate agenda, and the world now looks to India as a leader, says Union Minister Sh. Bhupender Yadav

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 7:22PM by PIB Delhi

    “The Global South is driving the climate agenda, and the world now looks to India as a leader. In 2020 alone, India slashed its GHG emissions by 7.93%—a testament to its commitment to climate action,” said Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav in his inaugural address today at the World Sustainable Development Summit 2025. The summit was organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) with the theme “Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions.” Prime Minister of Guyana, HE Brigadier Mark Phillip and HE Ms. Marina Silva, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil were present on this occasion.

    Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sh. Yadav underscored the critical role of the Global South in the fight against climate change, calling for increased collaboration, ambition, and action at the international level. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to global sustainability under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has spearheaded transformative global initiatives, including the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE).

    Union Minister reiterated the need to confront the issue of speciesism, which, like racism, prioritizes human interests over the well-being of other species and ecosystems. He emphasized that true sustainability can only be achieved when all forms of life are considered equally important and when environmental policies account for the protection and restoration of wildlife and biodiversity.

    Sh. Yadav observed India’s role as a global climate leader, committed to ensuring that climate action remains inclusive, ambitious, and collaborative. He emphasized that the Global South, including India, is essential in shaping climate discourse, as it faces the brunt of climate change impacts while also offering solutions rooted in sustainable development practices. He called on developed countries to honour their financial and technological commitments, especially in fulfilling their obligations under the Paris Agreement. He also underscored the need for enhanced international cooperation in strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ensuring they address both the challenges and opportunities of climate action.

    Union Minister Sh. Yadav addressed the pressing need for increased climate adaptation finance. He referenced the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report, which highlights the urgent need to scale up adaptation efforts to cope with rising climate impacts. He called for more robust financial support for adaptation, ensuring that the most vulnerable regions are able to implement solutions that build resilience and safeguard livelihoods.

    Union Minister Sh. Bhupender Yadav outlined India’s long-term vision to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, with a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. He highlighted India’s progress, including the 36% reduction in emission intensity of GDP between 2005 and 2020 compared to the 45% target for 2030, and the Union Budget of 2025’s emphasis on energy security, expanding clean energy capacity, and fostering domestic manufacturing of green technologies. He emphasized that the fight against climate change cannot be fragmented. He emphasized on the importance of integrating climate action with the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and called for strong global partnerships to address interconnected challenges such as poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. The Minister called for reforms in global governance, urging the international community to place equity and justice at the heart of climate negotiations.

    Union Minister Sh. Yadav also praised the leadership of TERI in uniting the Global South on climate action and reiterated the need for multi-sectoral partnerships to accelerate progress toward a sustainable, low-carbon future.

    The summit was attended by Sh. Nitin Desai, Chairman, TERI, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, subject experts and diginitaries.

    ***

    Gaurav Sharma

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hot frogs and sizzling salamanders: climate change is pushing amphibians to their limits

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrice Pottier, Postdoctoral researcher in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney

    Wirestock Creators, Shutterstock

    Frogs and other amphibians rely on the surrounding environment to regulate their body temperature. On hot days they might seek shade, water or cool spaces underground. But what if everywhere is too hot?

    There is a limit to how much heat amphibians can tolerate. My colleagues and I wanted to work out how close amphibians are to reaching these limits, globally.

    Our new research, published today in Nature, shows 2% of the world’s amphibians are already overheating. Even when they have access to shade and moisture, more than 100 species are struggling to maintain a viable body temperature.

    If global temperatures rise by 4°C, nearly 400 species (or 1 in 13 amphibians) could be pushed to their limits. However, this assumes access to shade and water, so it’s probably an underestimate. Habitat loss, drought and disease will likely make even more amphibians vulnerable to heat stress.

    Here is why that matters — and what we can do about it.

    Finding the missing pieces of the puzzle

    The critical thermal maximum is the temperature beyond which an ectothermic (“cold-blooded”) species simply cannot function.

    In laboratory experiments, it is defined as the temperature that renders the frog or salamander unable to right themselves when flipped on their back, or when they start having muscular spasms.

    At this temperature, they are incapacitated and unable to escape. If amphibians stay under those conditions for extended periods, they will eventually die.

    First, we searched the scientific literature for data on heat tolerance in amphibians and compiled a database. This database covers more than 600 species, but that’s only 7.5% of amphibians on Earth. Knowledge of the heat tolerance of amphibians from tropical regions and the Global South is especially sparse.

    To build a global picture, we needed to fill those gaps. We used statistical models to predict the heat tolerance of species missing from the database.

    Think of it like solving a puzzle: if a piece is missing, we can make an educated guess of what it looks like, based on the pieces around it.

    By using what we know about a species’ biology and how its relatives cope with heat, we can predict how much heat it is likely to tolerate. With this approach, we estimated heat tolerance limits for more than 5,000 amphibian species — around 60% of all known species.

    We then compared each species’ tolerance limits to temperatures experienced over the past decade, as well as future conditions under different climate scenarios. That allowed us to see which species could be pushed over the edge by extreme heat events.

    Frogs face an uncertain future as the world warms.
    Artush, Shutterstock

    Intensifying threats

    We found 2% of amphibians (about 100 species) are probably already overheating. This is an optimistic scenario, assuming they always have access to shaded and humid conditions. In reality, many amphibians live in disturbed habitats, where shade and water are in short supply.

    If global temperatures rise by 4°C, the number of vulnerable species jumps from 2% to about 7.5%. That’s nearly a fourfold increase, meaning almost 400 species — 1 in 13 amphibians — could be pushed to their heat tolerance limits.

    We also found some interesting regional patterns. In the southern hemisphere, tropical species are most exposed to overheating. However, in the northern hemisphere, species outside the tropics often face higher risk. This underscores how local temperatures and species-specific tolerance limits matter more than just the distance from the equator, challenging common assumptions about the greater vulnerability of tropical species.

    Local extinctions — where a species can no longer survive in a particular area — may occur if extreme heat events become too frequent. Amphibians often cannot just hop to cooler places. Many cannot relocate to different areas because they depend on specific wetlands, steams and ponds to breed and feed. If these habitats disappear or become too hot, some amphibians may have nowhere else to go.

    Cooling off in a stream won’t always work.
    Rejdan, Shutterstock

    Thermal refuges

    Dense vegetation and reliable water sources act like natural air conditioners for amphibians. Our results show that if amphibians can stay hydrated and cool, many can survive heatwaves. Yet climate change is rapidly making these moist refuges more scarce.

    With increasing deforestation, habitat disturbance, and droughts, amphibians are losing their ability to cope with the heat. Active efforts to protect, restore, and connect forested areas and wetlands are increasingly needed to boost their chances of survival.

    Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is also crucial. It’s clear every fraction of a degree counts. Keeping climate warming as low as possible will reduce the risk of sudden, widespread overheating events, not only for amphibians but also for countless other species.

    Time to act

    More than 40% of all amphibians are already threatened with extinction, making them especially vulnerable to climate change.

    But if we protect and restore forests, wetlands, ponds, and streams — and reduce carbon emissions — many species may stand a chance.

    More research on amphibians is needed. Our statistical models help us predict which species are most at risk, but these predictions cannot replace on-the-ground research.

    By studying these species directly, we can better understand the threats they face and optimise conservation efforts. This is particularly needed in the lesser-studied areas of South America, Africa and Asia.

    Amphibians have been around for millions of years. They are part of our cultural heritage and play vital roles in balancing ecosystems. Let’s not lose them to a climate crisis we hopefully still have time to fix.

    Patrice Pottier works as a postdoctoral researcher for The University of New South Wales, Sydney. This research was funded by a UNSW Scientia PhD scholarship. Patrice Pottier is also a board member of the Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE).

    – ref. Hot frogs and sizzling salamanders: climate change is pushing amphibians to their limits – https://theconversation.com/hot-frogs-and-sizzling-salamanders-climate-change-is-pushing-amphibians-to-their-limits-250653

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, Penn State

    This Montana refinery processes crude oil imported from Canada. AP Photo/Matthew Brown

    President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency” on his first day in office – and which he reiterated during his address to Congress on March 4, 2025 – might have seemed to echo other national emergencies, like those presidents declared in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

    But there has never before been a national energy emergency. During the energy crises of the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter declared local or regional energy emergencies in a handful of states. These actions suspended some environmental regulations, such as air-pollution limits for coal-fired power plants, for very short periods to make sure those states’ residents had enough electricity.

    When a president declares a national emergency, he claims significant powers under the National Emergencies Act, which allow him to take steps to solve the emergency. In this situation, Trump might seek to override environmental regulations, order utility companies to buy power from particular power plants, or invoke the Defense Production Act to secure materials needed for power plant construction.

    A natural gas well pad in Washington County, Pa., is one of many sites around the nation where fracking has boosted U.S. energy production.
    Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

    Six weeks into his presidency, Trump had not taken any action to address this emergency, though during his speech to Congress he said he wants to increase drilling and build a new natural gas pipeline in Alaska. And Trump’s discussion of energy policy has not directly referred to the consumer price hikes expected as a result of the 10% tariffs he imposed on Canadian oil, gas and electricity starting on March 4, 2025.

    Critics of the president’s declaration have described it as a “giveaway” to the fossil fuel industry in the form of looser regulations and measures to make it easier to drill for oil on government-owned land. In fact, the executive order’s definition of “energy” excludes energy generated from wind and solar, as well as efforts to conserve energy – all of which were major parts of the Biden administration’s energy strategy.

    As someone who has studied energy markets for decades, I have seen several events that might qualify as energy-related emergencies, such as meltdowns at nuclear power plants around the world, shortages of electricity and natural gas, and massive power blackouts.

    But over the past 15 years, the United States has become a global energy superpower even without any emergency declarations. The advent of hydraulic fracturing unleashed a wave of oil and gas production, even as U.S. energy demand barely budged. In a time of such energy abundance, there is no clear emergency on the scale of the energy crises of the 1970s. But there are some causes for concern.

    Big increases in domestic production

    One goal Trump’s declaration sets out is to increase what the executive order calls the nation’s “energy security.” Usually that phrase refers to an ability to operate using energy produced within the U.S. rather than overseas – particularly from countries that have long-standing conflicts or disagreements with the United States.

    Based on raw numbers, however, the U.S. is already quite energy secure. In 2023, the nation produced nearly 13 million barrels of oil per day, which is more than any country has ever produced in the history of the oil business. Since 2015, when a federal ban on oil exports was lifted, the U.S. has been increasing the amount of oil it exports every year. And for the past several years, the U.S. has been the world’s leading exporter of gasoline, sending 10% of its total annual production to other countries.

    Since the start of the shale-fracking boom in the mid-2000s, U.S. production of natural gas has also been increasing. The country’s natural gas exports have also risen over the past 10 years, though they have been limited by the number of ports that can handle liquefied natural gas cargo.

    Still a net importer of oil

    The U.S. produces plenty of oil to meet its demands, but not the kinds of oil that American refineries are designed to process into useful fuels.

    Therefore, despite the increases in domestic production, the U.S. is still a net importer of crude oil. In 2023, the U.S. imported almost twice as much oil as it exported.

    And U.S. refineries’ output of gasoline and heating oil depends on imported oil. Most oil refineries in the U.S. are quite old and were engineered to process so-called “heavy” crude oil produced in countries such as Canada, which is historically the United States’ biggest source of imported oil.

    Most of the recent increase in U.S. oil production comes from hydraulic fracturing of shale and is so-called “light” crude oil. Refining light crude would require new refineries or a major reengineering of existing refineries, with new equipment, expanded capacity or both.

    Making those changes would be very expensive. So refinery owners are hesitant to make these kinds of investments because there is a risk that the investments won’t pay off. Because U.S. refineries produce so much gasoline and have limited capacity, the U.S. also continues to import some refined petroleum fuels such as jet fuel.

    A liquefied natural gas tanker ship moves toward Cameron Pass near Cameron, La.
    Washington Post via Getty Images

    A fragile power grid

    Concern over the nation’s aging electric power grid is another focus of Trump’s energy emergency declaration. Experts have been issuing warnings for years. A 2024 study on the national transmission grid commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy has concluded the U.S. needs to double the size of the grid in the next couple of decades.

    For the first time in nearly half a century, the U.S. is facing the prospect of rapidly increasing electricity demand. The demand for power has always gone up and down a bit with population and the health of the economy, but this time is different. Growth in electricity demand is now driven by the construction of massive data centers and by electrification of cars and heating and cooling systems. The Department of Energy reports that data center electricity use in particular has tripled in the past 10 years and could easily double in the next few years. At that rate, data centers could account for over 10% of all electricity demand in the country before 2030.

    The U.S. supply of power generation in many regions is not ready for this surge in demand. Many power plants – particularly the older ones and those that burn coal – have shut down in the past several years, driven by a combination of economic pressures and environmental regulations. Building new power plants in many parts of the U.S. has become bogged down in regulatory red tape, public opposition and economic uncertainty. The North American Electric Reliability Corp., which develops standards for grid reliability, has placed over half of U.S. states at some level of risk for not having enough power generation to meet anticipated future demand.

    A study has found that the nation’s electricity grid is expected to need significant investment to handle rising demand.
    Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

    Will declaring an emergency help?

    Under Trump’s energy emergency declaration, the administration seems likely to take actions that will make it easier to drill for more oil and gas. And the federal government may also make it easier to build power plants that run on coal, natural gas and possibly nuclear fuel.

    But expanded fracking, in and of itself, will probably not address any energy security issues in the U.S., unless there are major investments in refineries to handle the increased oil production. Reducing the barriers to building power plants addresses a much more pressing problem, but the country would still need to expand the transmission grid itself, which does not get as much attention in the president’s declaration.

    Time will tell whether the energy emergency declaration will be used to solve real problems in the nation’s energy supplies, or whether it will be used to further bolster oil and gas producers that have already made the U.S. a global energy powerhouse.

    Seth Blumsack receives funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Heising Simons Foundation.

    – ref. The US energy market has its troubles, though it may not be a ‘national emergency’ – https://theconversation.com/the-us-energy-market-has-its-troubles-though-it-may-not-be-a-national-emergency-249336

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG’s office sues collections agency for failing to advise consumers about medical debt protections

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — The Washington State Attorney General’s Office today filed suit against Renton Collections, Inc., for failing to disclose to consumers that they are legally entitled to information about their medical debt. The company sent more than 400,000 such collection notices to Washingtonians since 2019.

    Medical debt can add up in unexpected and complex ways, which is why lawmakers have strengthened protections for Washington consumers burdened with medical debt. The Legislature amended the state Collection Agency Act in 2019 to require companies like Renton Collections give notice to people receiving collections letters about their right to request key information about the debt.

    But from the date the law took effect through at least Dec. 1, 2024, Renton Collections failed to include these key disclosures in their notices. Their illegal debt collection practices netted more than $35 million from consumers while the agency made more than $7 million in commissions.

    “Medical debt often stems from life’s unexpected events and can spiral households into bankruptcy,” said Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown. “Our laws require collection agencies to respect people’s dignity by providing information about what they’re being asked to pay – but Renton Collections ignored this.”

    The lawsuit alleges that the agency’s actions violate the Collection Agency Act as well as the state Consumer Protection Act.

    The case, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks to prevent Renton Collections from any further violations of the law and to require the agency pay restitution to consumers for the total amount collected, plus interest.

    The lawsuit also requests the court prohibit the business and other entities entitled to recover debt from these accounts from seeking more than the amount of the original claim. Consumers who received these illegal letters would not be subject to any interest, attorney fees or other costs the businesses may charge in any future collection attempts.

    The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation, as well as fees and costs for the Attorney General’s Office.

    The Consumer Protection Division is funded through money recovered from businesses who have violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and similar laws, not by taxpayers. Specifically, a portion of Consumer Protection recoveries go into the Attorney General’s Civil Justice Operating Fund, which supports the Consumer Protection, Antitrust, Wing Luke Civil Rights, and Environmental Protection divisions. It also directly funds the Medicaid Fraud Control and the Complex Litigation divisions.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Cornyn Reintroduce Legislation to Fund Sea Turtle Research and Rescue Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (March 5, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and co-author of the Green New Deal resolution, and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) reintroduced their bipartisan and bicameral Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, legislation to establish funding at the Department of Commerce for the rescue, recovery and research of sea turtles in Massachusetts and across the United States.

    “Sea turtles are the canaries in the coal mine. Right now, every known species of sea turtles found in US waters is either threatened or endangered and faces extinction and environmental wipeout due to the human-caused climate crisis. We have the responsibility to act,” said Senator Markey. “I am reintroducing the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act to financially support ongoing rescue and rehabilitation efforts of our shelled friends.”  

    “Sea turtle strandings are rising at an alarming rate along the Texas Gulf Coast,” said Senator Cornyn. “This bill would help identify the causes of these strandings and invest in rescue and recovery efforts to better protect Texas’ endangered and storied sea turtle population.”

    The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tom Tillis (R-N.C.). In January, Representative Bill Keating (MA-09) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

    In 2000, fewer than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on the beaches of Cape Cod; by 2022, that number had skyrocketed to 866. During the 2021 cold snap in Texas, more than 12,100 turtles were cold-stunned, and rescue organizations were able to save and return only 4,000 of the stranded turtles to the wild. Rescue efforts are predominantly volunteer led and underfunded despite sea turtles facing increasing environmental and human-caused threats that make strandings more likely, including rapid temperature changes, red tide events, and entanglement in marine debris. This bill would provide stability and support to efforts that rehabilitate and aid in the recovery of sea turtles along the coastal US. Specifically, the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act would create a new grant program to fund rescue, recovery, and research of sea turtles in the U.S., and authorize $5 million annually for awarding of grants to further that purpose from 2025 through 2030.

    The Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act is endorsed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the New England Aquarium, the National Aquarium, ABQ BioPark, Acadia Institute of Oceanography, Adventure Aquarium, Allied Whale – College of the Atlantic, Assateague Coastal Trust, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Aquarium of the Pacific, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Audubon Nature Institute, Bird River Beach Community Association, Blank Park Zoo, Brevard Zoo / East Coast Zoological Park, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Buttonwood Park Zoo, Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, Conservation Council For Hawaii, El Paso Zoo and Botanical Garden, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia Sea Turtle Center / Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Gladys Porter Zoo, Gulf World Marine Institute, Healthy Ocean Coalition, Houston Zoo, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Jenkinson’s Aquarium, John Ball Zoo, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Kansas City Zoo, Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Marine Education – Research & Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. (MERR), Marine Conservation Institute, Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket, Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Mass Audubon, Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, National Marine Life Center, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Newport Aquarium, New York Marine Rescue Center, North Carolina Aquariums, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, OdySea Aquarium, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Racine Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, SEA LIFE Aquariums, Sea Turtle Recovery, Inc., Seattle Aquarium, Seatuck Environmental Association, SeaWorld Parks, Sociedad Ornitologica Puertorriquena Inc., South Carolina Aquarium, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Sunset Zoo, Surfrider Foundation, Texas Conservation Alliance, Texas Sealife Center, Texas State Aquarium, The Florida Aquarium, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, The Ocean Project, The Turtle Hospital, Upwell Turtles, Vancouver Aquarium, Virgin Islands Conservation Society, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience at University of Florida, WIDECAST: Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, Wildlife Restoration Foundation, and Woodland Park Zoo.

    “We are grateful for Sen. Markey’s continued partnership as he reintroduces the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2025 in the U.S. Senate. Each year, the New England Aquarium rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles that wash onto the beaches of Cape Cod Bay. This bill would help fill a critical gap in sea turtle conservation efforts by providing much-needed financial support to organizations across the country like ours that help return these endangered animals to the ocean,” said Vikki N. Spruill, President and CEO of the New England Aquarium.

    “The National Aquarium applauds the reintroduction of the bicameral, bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act. We are proud to be part of the nationwide network of organizations engaged in sea turtle conservation and in educating the public on the challenges facing these threatened and endangered species. Sea turtle strandings are on the rise, as are the expenses related to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing them back to their ocean home. The level of voluntary contribution from stranding network partners is not sustainable. We thank the champions in the House and Senate for their leadership in creating a much-needed federal grant program to support this important work,” said John Racanelli, President & CEO of the National Aquarium.

    “Each year, aquariums, zoos and other organizations selflessly rescue and rehabilitate thousands of stranded and injured sea turtles with little to no federal support. They do it because it is the right thing to do,” said Dan Ashe, President and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “This bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act would help to fill a critical gap in support for these federally protected sea turtles.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Global coal use at an all-time high as China tops international coal consumption rankings – P-000033/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The decarbonisation of energy systems is a key element of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions. At COP28 in 2023 in Dubai[1], parties agreed, among others, to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

    In the EU, the electricity used to power electric vehicles is increasingly produced from renewable sources. As a result, the amount of GHG emitted per unit of electricity has halved between 1990 and 2023, and emissions are set to decrease further. These developments will be reflected in the carbon footprint of products, as required by EU legislation[2].

    The EU does not have a trade agreement with China. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded in principle in 2020 is put on hold.

    The Commission decided not to put the agreement to ratification when China sanctioned Members of the European Parliament, the Subcommittee on human rights, think tanks, and the Political and Security Committee of the Council.

    Those sanctions are still in place. To encourage China to decarbonise swiftly and peak their emissions before 2030, the EU continues to engage bilaterally under the High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue, and the Energy Dialogue.

    On 26 February 2025, the Commission adopted a Clean Industrial Deal[3] to accelerate the decarbonisation of EU industry while strengthening its competitiveness. In addition, the Affordable Energy Action Plan[4] will help reduce energy costs while strengthening EU’s industrial base.

    Further, the Global Energy Transition Forum[5], launched by the President of the Commission in 2025 in Davos, seeks to unlock new clean energy investments opportunities for EU business abroad.

    In parallel, the Commission works to ensure that the EU continues playing a leading role in energy and climate diplomacy.

    • [1] Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
    • [2] As required by Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2023 concerning batteries and waste batteries, amending Directive 2008/98/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Directive 2006/66/EC, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj; or by implementing legislation under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, amending Directive (EU) 2020/1828 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC (Text with EEA relevance), http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj
    • [3] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/9db1c5c8-9e82-467b-ab6a-905feeb4b6b0_en?filename=Communication%20-%20Clean%20Industrial%20Deal_en.pdf
    • [4] The Plan has been announced most recently in the EU Competitiveness Compass: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_339
    • [5] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/president-von-der-leyen-launches-global-energy-transition-forum-davos-2025-01-23_en

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Ceršak landfill on Mura River – E-002830/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The competent national authority shall ensure that landfills comply with the strict requirements of the Landfill Directive[1]. A permit may not be given unless t he characteristics of the site, or the corrective measures to be taken, indicate that the landfill does not pose a serious environmental risk[2]. The location of the landfill must take into consideration distance to residential and recreation areas, waterways, water bodies, the existence of groundwater, coastal water, and the geological and hydrogeological conditions in the area[3]. During the landfill’s operation and after-care, water control, leachate management, protection of soil, groundwater and surface water shall be ensured[4]. The competent national authority shall inspect the site to ensure that it complies with the permit[5]. Control and monitoring shall be made according to detailed provisions[6].

    2. Polluters shall take preventive and remedial action in accordance with the Environmental Liability Directive[7] with regard to significant damage or imminent threat thereof they have caused. Member States have the primary responsibility to monitor the application of EU law, ensure the required process and take necessary enforcement steps. In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission monitors the situation and may decide to take appropriate action. The Commission aims to swiftly follow up on systemic issues involving the application of EU law. However, individual cases such as this are better dealt with at national level, using the available remedies, including judicial ones. In these cases, it is up to the national courts to apply and enforce rights under EU law[8].

    • [1] As defined by Article 2(g) of Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1-19, amended by Directive (EU) 2018/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 100-108.
    • [2] Annex I, Section 1.2 and Article 8 of the Landfill Directive.
    • [3] Annex I, Section 1.1 of the Landfill Directive.
    • [4] Annex I, Sections 2-3 of the Landfill Directive.
    • [5] E.g. Articles 8 and 13 of the Landfill Directive.
    • [6] Articles 12-13 and Annex III of the Landfill Directive.
    • [7] Directive 2004/35/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage, OJ L 143, 30.4.2004, p. 56-75.
    • [8] As set out in the communication of 19 January 2017 (EU law: Better results through better application — C/2016/8600, OJ C 18, 19.1.2017, p. 10-20) and in the communication of 13 October 2022 (COM(2022) 518 final — Enforcing EU law for a Europe that delivers).
    Last updated: 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lauren Lowman, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wake Forest University

    A hillside burns near Tryon, N.C., on March 3, 2025. Fire season here typically starts in late March or April. Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Scores of wildfires broke out across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in early March 2025 as strong winds, abnormally dry conditions and low humidity combined to kindle and spread the flames.

    The fires followed a year of weather whiplash in the Carolinas, from a flash drought over the summer to extreme hurricane flooding in September, and then back to drought again. A storm system on March 5, 2025, was likely to douse many of the fires still burning, but the Southeast fire season is only beginning. Wake Forest University wildfire experts Lauren Lowman and Nick Corak put the fires and the region’s dry winter into context.

    Why did the Carolinas see so many wildfires?

    Most of North and South Carolina have been abnormally dry or in moderate drought since at least November 2024. Consistently dry conditions through the winter dried out vegetation, leaving fuel for wildfires.

    When the land and vegetation is this dry, all it takes is a lightning strike or a man-made fire and wind gusts to start a wildfire.

    Drought maps: North and South Carolina conditions as of Feb. 25, 2025.
    U.S. Drought Monitor

    Hurricanes did flood the region in late summer 2024, but before that, the Carolinas were experiencing a flash drought.

    Flash droughts are extreme droughts that develop rapidly due to lack of precipitation and dry conditions in the atmosphere. When the atmosphere is dry, it pulls water from the vegetation and soils, causing the surface to dry out.

    In August and September, Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene caused extensive flooding in the two states, but the Carolinas received little rainfall in the months that followed, leaving winter 2025 abnormally dry again.

    How unusual are fires like this in the region?

    Fires are historically fairly common in the Carolinas. They’re a natural part of the landscape, and many ecosystems have evolved to depend on them.

    Carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps and pitcher plants rely on frequent fire activity to remove shrubs and other plants that would grow over them and block the light. Even some wildlife depend on fire for their habitats and for food from the mix of native plants that regrow after a fire.

    The expected return periods for wildfires – how often fires have historically burned in a region – range from one to 10 years for the Piedmont and Coastal Plains in the east and 10 to 40 years in the Appalachian Mountains. However, many unplanned fires today are put out. That means underbrush that would normally burn every decade or so can build up over time, fueling more intense fires when it does burn.

    Some ecosystems rely on fire.

    To avoid that overgrowth, land managers conduct annual prescribed fires to try to mimic that natural fire activity in a controlled way. These controlled burns are critical for removing vegetation that otherwise could provide additional fuel for more intense and damaging wildfires.

    Is dryness like this becoming more common?

    Extreme weather events are becoming more common across the U.S., including in the Southeast and the Carolinas.

    Increasing temperatures mean the atmosphere can hold more moisture, amplifying how much water it can draw from the land surface and eventually drop in heavier storms. That can lead to more extreme storms and longer dry periods. In humid regions like the Southeast, where there is an abundance of dense vegetation, periods of warm, dry conditions that dry out that vegetation will increase the risk of wildfire.

    A fire crew prepares to battle a blaze in Horry County, S.C., on March 3, 2025.
    SC Department of Natural Resources/Anadolu via Getty Images

    According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the southeastern U.S. experienced more droughts than other regions in the country in the first two decades of the 21st century.

    The weather variability also makes it harder to clear out forest undergrowth. Prescribed burns require that vegetation be dry enough to burn but also that winds are calm enough to allow firefighters to manage the flames. Studies show those conditions are likely to become less common in the Southeast in a warming world. Without that tool to reduce fuel, the risk of intense wildfires rises.

    Lauren Lowman is a Co-PI on a National Science Foundation Grant titled, “AccelNet-Design: iFireNet: An international network of networks for prediction and management of wildland fires.”

    Nick Corak receives funding from the North Carolina Space Grant Graduate Research Fellowship for his project titled “Disentangling Burn Severity and Vegetation Regrowth Dynamics Following Prescribed Fire Across North Carolina.” The work was previously supported by the joint NC Sea Grant – NC Space Grant Graduate Research Fellowship.

    – ref. Carolina wildfires followed months of weather whiplash, from drought to hurricane-fueled floods and back to drought – https://theconversation.com/carolina-wildfires-followed-months-of-weather-whiplash-from-drought-to-hurricane-fueled-floods-and-back-to-drought-251470

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: EA Chief Scientist sets out water monitoring vision

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    EA Chief Scientist sets out water monitoring vision

    Dr Robert Bradburne outlines a future approach to environmental monitoring at newly refurbished £4 million laboratory in Leeds.

    Celebrating our new laboratory capabilities

    Welcome, and may I add my thanks to you all for coming today.

    I am delighted to be here with colleagues and partners to celebrate the opening of the refurbished laboratory at Olympia House.

    Today marks an important moment to take stock of the amazing work our laboratory and field staff do in giving us the data and information we need to help protect and enhance the environment as part of sustainable development.

    Understanding environmental data

    The Environment Agency is a huge data producer and consumer. That is hardly surprising as we exist to influence a hugely complex system – that of our environment.

    It is a system in a constant state of change. We see that change in nearly all of the parameters that we are measuring:

    • in the air which blows through our cities and countryside
    • in the materials that flow through our economy
    • in the water that flows through our landscape and around our coasts

    All of these systems have changed hugely in my working life.

    Future changes

    If the future is anything like the past, we will see a similar amount of change over the coming 25 years, but those changes may all occur at very different rates.

    Change may be decadal in nature – we know that the mix of pollutants in the air of our cities and countryside has changed enormously since the 1990s and some levels of some chemicals, such as phosphates, have fallen considerably in many of our rivers over that time period. These shifts will in turn create changes in other parts of the system, such as levels of freshwater biodiversity, all responding at different paces. In the context of a changing climate, that suggests a very dynamic picture for our environment over the coming decades.

    That changing climate may also increase seasonal changes across our environment. The blistering heat of July 2022 in England was in stark contrast to the high rainfall and stormy weather experienced in parts of the country in 2023 and 2024. This led to the flow, and therefore quality, of water through our pipes and sewers, our rivers and aquifers, our lakes and coasts being similarly highly variable over the space of just a couple of seasons.

    Environmental monitoring

    And we must not forget that change can also happen to our environment over very short timescales. Pollution entering a watercourse from an industrial incident or road accident can create rapid changes in water chemistry and longer lasting changes on river ecology. I have seen the damage a single barbecue can cause to acres of peatlands in just an afternoon – impacting decades of restoration work.

    That’s why we at the Environment Agency collect data on our environment in such a wide variety of ways, to address these many issues and different timescales. That’s why we need skilled people and powerful analytical capabilities to gather, process and analyse information at the pace required to take action, be that over the space of hours or decades. We cannot stand still as science and the environment changes, and the lab you are about to see brings together some of the latest technology to help us do this information gathering in new and robust ways.

    Our monitoring methods

    I must point out that our labs are not the only way we monitor the environment. They are very important to us, but only one facet of our overall information gathering activities.

    If we focus just on water, we employ:

    • Continuous monitors for several applications
    • A network of hydrometry equipment watching river flows and levels
    • Sea and tide level monitoring
    • Ground water level monitoring through our ground water monitoring network
    • Earth observation and other remotely monitored data sources to increase the areas we can collect data from

    We bring in others’ data too. We work closely with the Met Office to share data and analytical capabilities. We also expect industries we regulate to monitor and provide us information on their own emissions. In recent years that information flow has increased with more Combined Storm Overflow data becoming available, and this will continue with the requirements for more continuous monitoring under the Environment Act. Citizen Science programmes continue to flourish around the country, and we actively engage in learning from catchment-based research and other academic data collection.

    Adapting to change

    This laboratory, and the equipment and people in it, is a very important part of giving the Environment Agency the scale it needs to rise to this information challenge, and also to adapt and grow as our needs change.

    Why do I say we need to adapt and grow?

    As the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said – no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. That’s certainly true for monitoring. We know that you never monitor the same piece of water twice as it flows through the landscape, but also the techniques and understanding we have at our disposal are changing all the time.

    Evolution of monitoring

    That’s important because it’s not only the water that changes – but the things that we want to know about it continue to evolve. As an example, to understand the pressure chemicals might put on the environment, we used to look only for 77 priority chemicals. Now we scan for over 1,650, with our labs being at the forefront globally in deriving new techniques for quantifying some of them.

    And chemicals is just one issue. Right now we have:

    • 100 different monitoring programmes and themes for water quality and ecological data
    • 42 different legislative reasons for collecting water quality and quantity data

    This means we:

    • Have a network of 13,000 different monitoring sites relating to water quality, and 11,800 looking at water quantity.
    • Take many samples – increasing from over 65,000 samples in 2022 to 99,000 samples in 2024
    • Produce a vast quantity of data – over 1.7 million measurements last year

    Our dedicated teams

    This sheer scale and complexity is a true testament to the expertise of:

    • Our field teams
    • Analysis and reporting teams
    • Hydrometry and telemetry teams
    • Lab staff

    They have to work out ever more efficient ways of reaching the sampling sites we need to visit, to undertake surveys and get samples back to the lab here or in Exeter for rapid analysis. Just for water quality and ecology that amounts to 77,000 tasks being scheduled next year, and I am indebted to their perseverance and professionalism in delivering so many to such a high standard.

    Looking to the future

    But today we’re really looking to the future. What will the world of water monitoring look like in a few years, and what is the place for this wonderful lab refurbishment in that?

    Well first, as a good scientist, I can’t know what the future holds, but today I want to set out a bit of a vision for where I want the Environment Agency to be going over the next few years to keep our data collection and analysis as modern, robust and impactful as it possibly can be in the face of so much change.

    The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme

    This refurbishment has been made possible by investment over the last few years through the NCEA. This is an amazing programme of work involving seven different Defra Group organisations all working together in a way that they never have before to create a comprehensive baseline of the state and value of all aspects of our environment. It is driven by two main things.

    The first is the Environment Act and the statutory Environment Improvement Plan. The Natural Capital Committee advised the Treasury in 2019 that to assess whether the Government is meeting its legally binding targets on the Environment and so meet the “significant improvement test” it would need to have a baseline from which to work.

    I led delivery of the National Ecosystem Assessment back in 2011, which was the first of its kind in the world to take a snapshot of the state and value of a whole country’s environment and the services it provides to people and nature. It showed we have some of the best environmental data in the world. But it also showed potential blind spots.

    NCEA objectives

    The NCEA was in part created to fill those blind spots, monitoring in places we haven’t done so before, like our smaller streams, lakes and ponds.

    It’s there to look at these things in new ways, including:

    • Exploring eDNA to understand the microbial and other communities in our soils and water
    • Developing new approaches to understand groundwater ecology and groundwater microplastics
    • Harnessing the power of remote observations and machine learning to map habitats

    Future developments

    These new data streams will come online over the next few years, with the full baseline complete by 2028. It will be a far cry from the Dudley Stamp survey of the 1930s using school children that tried to map our land into six broad land use types. It is almost impossible to conceive of the new insight it will give us and the science it will drive.

    Understanding what works

    The second reason for doing the NCEA is because we need more than ever to know what works. We now have an opportunity to manage our land proactively through substantial change likely over the next few decades. The introduction of the new Environmental Land Management Scheme means we will want to see how this impacts the 70% of our land surface used for farming activities.

    Further change may be driven through our transition to Net Zero. The Land Use framework consultation and recent Climate Change Committee reports are both talking about very significant changes to our landscape. These will be needed to make space for nature, water, and emissions reduction, while also delivering new infrastructure and housing and maintaining food production. This will require information on how fast those changes are going and the impacts they are having.

    Measuring diverse impacts

    Because when we say “what works” we need to be aware that these changes could deliver a wide range of benefits or create other pressures. We will need to know:

    • Are we capturing the carbon we need to?
    • Are our water supplies resilient in the face of ever more variable weather patterns?
    • Are our habitats large enough, linked enough and of high enough quality to adapt to the changing pressures?
    • Are we investing in our environment in ways that increase the value of our natural capital?

    The NCEA is not just about what is out there, but why, and what is driving change. This increase in our need for new knowledge is why we have needed to increase capacity in our labs to deliver these diverse measurements and analyses.

    The future of water monitoring

    When we then think about the future of how we actually monitor our water, a lot will depend on technological advances, which are challenging to forecast. I think we can expect to see more automated surveillance techniques being used, bringing more real-time understanding.

    We will likely see:

    • More powerful satellites for remote sensing
    • Artificial intelligence and advanced computing methods in predictive ways
    • Better analytics unlocking more parameters that can be monitored remotely, such as water levels in soils, habitat structure and condition becoming possible to monitor
    • Higher resolution, higher time slice data sources

    Innovation and science

    This will be underpinned by further science, which will include more understanding of the systems so that we know what we need to monitor to detect a range of changes. If we can understand better the important nodes in the real-world systems we are studying, our monitoring points will become more targeted and more powerful.

    It will also include more innovative approaches – for example in non-target screening as is being developed in this Lab – so we can understand our changing chemical landscape more quickly and advise on action needed.

    Using more of these innovations in monitoring will safeguard the time and resource that will continue to be needed to go and monitor by hand where we need to get immediate or unplanned evidence. Incidents and accidents will continue to happen, and we will need to have the ability to respond.

    Integrating new data sources

    The big challenge is making best use of the new data sources at our disposal. From the Environment Act via the water industry, we will have potentially thousands of new sampling sites continuously monitored for things like ammonia, dissolved oxygen and pH. That’s not perhaps a huge range of parameters. Nonetheless it should help us to see if these outflows are causing intermittent issues to the river’s chemistry or ecology, and, because of the upstream monitoring, it could also help us to understand how these physicochemical parameters are changing through the rest of our catchments.

    Also, the new technology and new sensors will require different approaches to data. DNA technology is becoming available to many. But this provides different information from ecology-based measurements. Our science suggests it can be powerful in detecting non native species, and it could also be a useful part of predicting ecological condition.

    But there is so much more we need to do to capitalise on this and other new technologies. Every time as a regulator we invest in a new technology, we need to have high confidence that:

    • We can trust what we learn from the observations
    • Quality standards are maintained
    • We have good data and analytical practices

    All of this needs to be based on sound science.

    Working with citizen scientists

    These technologies are becoming more accessible to everyone, meaning more data will be available from Citizen Scientists. We’ve seen Earthwatch expand into wider emerging chemical testing. And with better kits for some water parameters and expansion of some citizen scientist networks, data integration questions are going to be at the forefront of how we work together better.

    As we look forward in this new “data world”, our work with Citizen scientists more than ever needs to be properly complementary. We have statutory duties to monitor in certain places using specific techniques. The involvement of citizen scientists can be incredible in providing deeper investigative input. So, if we accept we’re different in what we are trying to monitor, why we’re doing it, and the scale of operation, working together we can be stronger – as fundamentally we all want an improved environment.

    Future collaboration

    Later this year we will publish our citizen science guidance, designed collaboratively with our partners. This guidance represents the start of a change – ensuring that citizen scientists know what to consider to maximise the opportunities of their data being understood, trusted and used by the Environment Agency.

    We also know we need to do more than simply providing much of our data into externally facing databases, to share the insights from our monitoring evidence. We get plenty of queries about what data we hold, even though so much is already available. So, I have teams looking at new and better ways of presenting this to a wide range of users so that everyone who needs to act to improve the environment has access to the information from us that they need.

    Closing remarks

    Thank you again for joining us on this journey. It really is brilliant to celebrate reaching this point in this lab refurbishment. I hope you will enjoy looking round to see the new ways of working that it will open up to meet the changing and developing demands of science and operations at the Environment Agency.

    We will have our first new baseline from the NCEA in 2028. I expect it will tell us different things from the data we have collected thus far and enable us to consider doing things in new ways in future.

    Ultimately, we only have one environment. And I think we all realise that we only have power to change some things.

    I have a distinct childhood memory of a prayer written in calligraphy by my late grandfather at my grandmother’s bedside. It read “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”. Maybe I can update it; hoping that this new lab refurbishment will mean that monitoring will grant us the surveillance to understand the things we cannot change, the insight to change the things we can, and the data to prove the difference.

    I hope you will join me on this exciting journey, not just around the lab, but also into the future of environmental monitoring, and will be as excited as I am by the new opportunities ahead.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Florida businessman sentenced for migrant labor employment scheme, payroll tax evasion, worker death

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WASHINGTON — A Florida man was sentenced Feb. 20 to 48 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $5.5 million to the United States as well as forfeit numerous real properties and cash, and to pay over $55 million in restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and willful violation of a workplace standard that resulted in the death of his employee following a joint agency investigation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Manual Domingos Pita, of Wesley Chapel, previously pleaded guilty to those charges on July 9, 2024.

    According to court documents, Pita owned and operated Domingos 54 Construction, a subcontracting business for the wood framing of new construction homes. Domingos 54 was a shell construction company that Pita used to provide workers, including undocumented aliens, with construction jobs. However, Pita failed to secure the required workers compensation insurance coverage for these employees by falsifying in worker’s compensation insurance applications the number of workers for which he sought coverage. In addition, Pita failed to pay any federal employment taxes on the wages that these workers earned during the course of the scheme between 2018 and 2022. As a result, Pita caused several worker’s compensation insurance companies to sustain a loss of over $22.7 million in premiums that they could have charged had they been aware of the number of workers which they had been manipulated into covering with their policies. In addition, Pita failed to pay to the IRS over $33.7 million in federal employment taxes on those workers’ wages.

    Between February and July 2019, investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six citations to Domingos 54 for failure to provide fall protection to workers. Even after being cited for these violations, Pita continued to ignore OSHA requirements. In March 2020, Pita assigned a worker and three other carpenters to install sheeting on the roof of a residential home in windy conditions without providing the required fall-protection gear or ensuring its use. As a result, one of the workers was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.

    The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, ICE Tampa, Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Insurance Fraud-Criminal Investigations and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay L. Hoffer for the Middle District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Curb Food Waste

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the bipartisan Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act to prevent and reduce food waste across the country. Each year, the U.S. produces and imports 237 million tons of food, but 31 percent of this food is never sold or eaten, while millions of Americans experience food insecurity.
    “Too many families suffer from food insecurity. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa has demonstrated the economic and environmental benefits of reducing food waste, and Congress should act to build on this impactful work. Our legislation would recognize businesses for using excess food responsibly and incentivize others to improve their practices,” Grassley said.
    “While millions of Americans face food insecurity, millions of tons of food waste end up in landfills every year and contribute to methane emissions that drive the climate crisis. We must address these crises for the sake of hungry families, our economy and our environment. Today, I’m reintroducing the bipartisan Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act with Senator Grassley to move our country toward more conscious consumption and curbing food waste,” Durbin said.
    “Food waste continues to be a national concern for our communities, especially here in Iowa, where 22 percent of all waste going to our landfills is food. We look forward to working with Senators Durbin and Grassley to support the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act through our continued initiatives at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center,” said Mark Nook, President of the University of Northern Iowa.
    Specifically, the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act would establish a “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification,” and direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create:
    Criteria, which businesses and organizations would have to meet to receive a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification;
    A verification process, to confirm that businesses and organizations have achieved the criteria; and
    A label, which certified businesses and organizations would be authorized to use on their products, buildings and websites.
    The “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification” would be similar to existing certifications, such as ENERGY STAR and the BioPreferred Program. The Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act would direct USDA to promote the certification to ensure that consumers are informed about which businesses and organizations have received it.
    The Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act has support from the University of Northern Iowa, National Restaurant Association and Consumer Brands Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, World Wildlife Fund, Too Good To Go, Kellanova and FMI – The Food Industry Association.
    Background:
    Food waste has significant economic, environmental and social impacts. More than $440 billion is spent annually to produce and dispose of food that is never consumed or sold. Sending uneaten food to landfills or incinerators uses up more than 20 trillion liters of water, which is equivalent to the annual water use of 50 million homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
    Additionally, just one-third of food waste, if saved from disposal, could feed the 47 million Americans, including 14 million children, who are suffering from food insecurity, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The shortcut to less warming? It runs through a farm field

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    Barillo_Images/Shutterstock

    “The biggest challenge to limiting climate change to 2°C, the upper target of the 2015 Paris agreement, is this: methane emissions are rising very fast,” says Euan Nisbet, a professor of earth sciences at Royal Holloway University.

    If each CO₂ molecule is like a candle that patiently warms the atmosphere, methane is like an exploding bomb: responsible for much more heat, but over a much shorter timescale. Satellites are identifying the methane that’s leaking from oil wells and gas pipelines, and most countries have at least promised to reduce these emissions by a third by 2030.

    But if humanity is to throw the brakes on runaway climate change, something has to be done about the biggest human source of methane there is: agriculture.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    Taming methane

    Earth’s atmosphere is warmer and wetter than it would otherwise be, thanks to fossil fuel burning. This is inducing wetlands, once a reliable carbon store, to emit more methane to the atmosphere, and so speed up climate change, Nisbet says.



    Read more:
    Methane emissions are turbocharging climate change – these quick fixes could slow it down

    This makes it even more urgent to tamp down the methane sources under our immediate control. Nisbet has calculated that roughly 210 million to 250 million tonnes of methane come from agriculture and its products. Most of this is in the breath of livestock animals and their manure, and food rotting in landfills.

    Here’s the good news.

    “Cutting agricultural methane emissions involves a wide range of relatively cheap measures that need good design and management, but could cut food-related emissions substantially over the next decade,” Nisbet says.

    Adding a layer of soil to a landfill provides habitat for methane-munching bacteria. Covering manure storage tanks, banning the burning of crop waste and only flooding rice paddies when necessary could pinch other methane sources.

    Reducing food waste would also cut methane emissions.
    AleksB59/Shutterstock

    These aren’t expensive or difficult changes, Nisbet says. It might cost more to vaccinate cattle or breed them to produce more female calves, however. The point with both measures is to have smaller herds for the same quantity of beef and milk.

    Lower consumer demand would also shrink these methane mobs (here’s where you come in, dear reader). If more of our essential nutrients like protein came from beans instead of meat, our health would benefit along with the climate. While nutritionists and environmental scientists urge us to eat more fruit and vegetables, the global food system is stacked against this outcome.



    Read more:
    Meat and dairy gobble up farming subsidies worldwide, which is bad for your health and the planet

    Globally, every fifth dollar of public farming subsidy goes towards rearing meat. In the intensively farmed UK where I live, 85% of farmland is devoted to livestock and the crops that feed them. Yet these captive animals are the source of less than one third of our calories.

    “The longer the livestock-intensive system prevails, the greater the environmental, economic and social costs,” says Benjamin Selwyn, a professor of international development at the University of Sussex.

    The fruits of our labour

    Selwyn favours a “green new deal” that would make farming “complement rather than undermine the environment”.



    Read more:
    The UK’s food system is broken. A green new deal for agriculture could be revolutionary

    What does that look like? Fewer cows, more woodland and more crops grown for human consumption, Selwyn says. This is essentially what government advisers recently proposed to keep the UK on track for net zero emissions.



    Read more:
    The UK must make big changes to its diets, farming and land use to hit net zero – official climate advisers

    To nudge the food system in this direction, researchers like Yi Li, a senior lecturer in marketing at Macquarie University, are testing the effect of labels on meal choices.

    In Australia, where Li is based, meat accounts for half of all greenhouse gas emissions from products consumed at home. Producing 1kg of beef may emit 60kg of greenhouse gas, while the same quantity of peas yields just 1kg of emissions. But Li found consumers weren’t always savvy to the gulf in emissions between the two.

    “Our label creates a mental link between a food source and its carbon impact,” she says.

    “When a consumer sees high carbon scores and red traffic lights appearing more frequently on meat and other animal products, they begin to make the connection between those products and higher emissions.”



    Read more:
    Want a side of CO₂ with that? Better food labels help us choose more climate-friendly foods

    While better informed consumers are important, the food system needs deeper reform.

    “Many conceptions of the protein transition from animal sources to more plant products ignore the necessity of improving farmers’ and agricultural workers’ incomes. But this will be crucial,” Selwyn says.

    Just as oil and gas workers will need financial support and training opportunities to ply their skills in a low-carbon energy sector, farm workers will need security and guidance to adapt to new forms of food production says Alex Heffron.



    Read more:
    The UK farmer protests you probably haven’t heard about

    Heffron, a PhD candidate at Lancaster University, researchers agricultural transitions and is a farm worker himself. He says that people picking crops, milking cows and driving farm machinery are among the most exploited and precariously employed of the UK’s workforce.

    Seasonal farm workers often live where they work, raising the risk of abuse.
    Pavel Tarin Alcala/Shutterstock

    In fact, if the country were to begin phasing out livestock and ramping up fruit and vegetable production tomorrow, the burden would fall heavily on migrant labourers who the UK attracts with a seasonal worker scheme. This scheme has been criticised for overlooking allegations of forced labour.

    “There will be no green transition unless these workers have a stake in it,” Heffron says.

    What kind of stake might move farmers away from steak? Selwyn has some suggestions, which include spreading land ownership more evenly with community land trusts and allowing public bodies to acquire vacant, derelict or damaged land for allotments and nature habitat.

    “Farms can be paid directly by government for sustainable production to combat farmer poverty,” he adds. “And the real living wage of £12.60 an hour should be compulsory for agricultural workers.”

    – ref. The shortcut to less warming? It runs through a farm field – https://theconversation.com/the-shortcut-to-less-warming-it-runs-through-a-farm-field-251419

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Rosen Urge Interior Department to End Funding Freeze for Colorado River Water Savings Projects

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) urged the Department of the Interior to immediately cease its freeze of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. The Senators, representing the three Lower Colorado River Basin states, criticized the Trump Administration’s day-one executive order halting all Inflation Reduction Act disbursements, including pausing the $4 billion Senator Cortez Masto helped secure for water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other Western areas experiencing drought.
    The Colorado River Basin, which supports 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of agricultural land across seven states, depends on a stable and reliable water supply from Lake Mead. The Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program being threatened by the Trump Administration directly adds water to the lake, contributing 1.2 million acre-feet of water in the past two years and raising the lake’s elevation by 15 feet. Projects planned for this year were set to conserve 734,000 more acre-feet and add another nine feet to the lake’s elevation.
    These savings were pivotal in securing the historic seven-state consensus agreement last year for interim operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2026, in which the Lower Basin States committed to conserving 3 million acre-feet of water to stabilize the Colorado River System. The Trump Administration’s funding freeze jeopardizes these critical conservation goals while undermining similar multistate agreements in the future.
    “This Program, funded with an initial allocation through the Inflation Reduction Act and managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, has been instrumental in increasing water conservation, improving efficiency, and preventing the Colorado River system’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels that threaten water deliveries and power production,” wrote the Senators.
    “The need for this water is more urgent than ever. This year’s water outlook is dry, with forecasts predicting below-average supply. Project recipients need certainty that the federal funding they were promised — whether formally under contract or not — will be available so they can plan accordingly,” continued the Senators. “Without continued support from Interior, efforts to conserve water and sustain the communities, economies, and ecosystems that rely on the Colorado River are in serious jeopardy.”
    In light of the Office of Personnel Management’s memo last week calling for significant further reductions to the federal workforce, the Senators also pushed the Department of the Interior to make sure that any cuts do not further impact the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. Reclamation staff are essential to Western water management, where water systems are extremely complex and are closely coordinated with state, tribal, and local authorities.
    The full text of the letter is available here.
    Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been leaders working to support conservation efforts and combat drought. As part of the Great American Outdoors Act, they secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). They recently announced $10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enhance the safety and functionality of the Marlette Lake Dam. They secured $30 million from the Bureau of Reclamation for the Truckee Meadow Water Authority to make Northern Nevada’s water supply more drought resilient.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Introduces Legislation to Modernize Broken Mining Law, Protect Public Lands and Taxpayers

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Luján Bill Would Update the 1872 Mining Law Which Has Led to Significant Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025, legislation that would reform the broken 1872 Mining Law. Failure to update the 1872 Mining Law has allowed mining companies to exploit public resources for free, pass environmental costs onto taxpayers, and engage in speculation with minimal government oversight. Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) leads companion legislation in the House.

    Senator Luján’s bill would update the 153-year-old law by eliminating patenting of federal lands, imposing a federal minerals royalty, establishing a Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund for the cleanup of abandoned mines, and requiring a review of certain lands within three years to determine if they should be available for future mining claims.

    “Elon Musk and President Trump are putting a chainsaw to our federal workforce and public lands protections. If Republicans were serious about eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, they would join me in reforming this Civil War-era mining law that has allowed mining companies to exploit our gold, silver, and critical minerals from public lands without paying their fair share and stiffing the American taxpayer with the cleanup costs. It’s far past time that we update this law to crack down on actual waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Senator Luján. “I am proud to lead this legislation to modernize the broken 1872 Mining Law to reduce waste, protect taxpayers, generate revenue, and protect public lands. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this legislation passed.”

    “For more than a century and a half, the mining industry has operated under an outdated, free-for-all system that gives them carte blanche to pollute and destroy, while American taxpayers get stuck with the cleanup bill. Under the Mining Law of 1872, foreign-owned companies, even companies controlled by our adversaries with egregious track records of human rights abuses and environmental harms, can mine our publicly-owned minerals. These companies then ship our minerals abroad without paying a cent back to the American people or even committing for these minerals to support the U.S. economy. It’s past time to reject this harmful status quo and move forward with commonsense reforms that protect Americans and ensure a more responsible, accountable mining industry that actually benefits Americans,” said Representative Grijalva. “Securing the minerals we need for our clean energy future cannot come at the cost of our environment, our health and safety, or tribal sovereignty. I want to thank Senator Luján for lending his leadership to join me in this effort and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.”

    Specifically, the Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025 would:

    • Require annual rental payments for claimed public land, thereby treating mine operators as other public land users.
    • Set a royalty rate of not less than 5% and not greater than 8% based on the gross income of production on federal land but would not apply to mining operations already in commercial production or those with an approved plan of operations.
    • Revenues would be deposited into a Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund for abandoned mine cleanup. Additionally, the Fund would be infused by an abandoned mine reclamation fee of 1% to 3%.
    • Allow the Secretary of the Interior to grant royalty relief to mining operations based on economic factors.
    • Require an exploration permit and mining operations permit for non-casual mining operations on federal land, which would be valid for 30 years and continue as long as commercial production occurs.
    • Permit states, political subdivisions, and tribes to petition the Secretary of the Interior to have lands withdrawn from mining.
    • Require an expedited review of areas that may be inappropriate for mining, and allow specific areas be reviewed for possible withdrawal.

    The Mining Law of 1872 was enacted to promote mineral exploration and development in the western United States. Today, the Civil War-era statute still guarantees broad rights to individuals and corporations, including foreign-owned, to extract minerals from public lands without payment of royalties to the federal government and constrains protections for public health and the environment.

    The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    The legislation is supported by Earthjustice, Earthworks, Hualapai Tribe, The Wilderness Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Grand Canyon Trust, Outdoor Alliance, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the National Parks Conservation Association, and Trout Unlimited.

    Endorsement quotes can be found here.

    Full bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ocean Energy Is Almost Ready, But It Needs a Boost Over the Testing Barrier

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    How Robust Facilities, Like NREL’s, Could Shrink the Chasm From Data to Demonstration

    March 5, 2025 | By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy | Contact media relations

    This article is the first in a “Found at Flatirons” series that showcases the various technologies at NREL’s Arvada, Colorado, campus.

    In a large room with concrete-block walls, a crane lifts what looks like a miniature lunar lander out of a water tank. Water drips from the metal contraption as the crane slowly lowers it onto the floor. Then, the clock starts ticking.

    “My colleagues and I were like, ‘OK, as soon as it touches the ground, we’re going to do this and this and this,’” said Brittany Lydon, a mechanical engineering graduate student at the University of Washington.

    Lydon, who likens that moment to a race car pulling up to have its tires changed midrace, will not be sending her machine to the moon. But she is prepping it for a similarly harsh environment: the ocean.

    An artist’s impression of a wave energy farm illustrates how ocean energy technologies integrate with the larger power grid. Illustration by Alfred Hicks, NREL

    Lydon’s device is designed to harness wave energy, which is a type of marine energy, an early-stage, tricky-to-harness renewable that flows through the currents, tides, and other motions of our oceans and rivers. The United States has enough marine energy pulsing in its waters to meet about 60% of the country’s electricity needs. We cannot capture all that energy, but even a little could help energize offshore industries (like seafood farms), give coastal and island communities the power to weather outages or natural disasters, and help the country reach its energy goals.

    However, the marine energy industry needs custom facilities and instruments to vet their novel tech. Researchers studying solar panels can prop a new prototype in a sunny field to see if it works, but tossing an untested marine energy device into the ocean is a bit like hopping into an experimental space shuttle and hitting the ignition.

    You could argue that, in some ways, space exploration is actually easier.”

    —Ben McGilton, NREL electrical engineer

    “You could argue that, in some ways, space exploration is actually easier,” said Ben McGilton, an electrical engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) who studies marine energy technologies. “In space, conditions like gravity, radiation, and vacuum are relatively predictable, whereas the ocean’s ever-changing waves, currents, and corrosive saltwater can create unforeseen challenges that are nearly impossible to simulate perfectly.”

    Marine energy developers often start with a functional theoretical design. But even the best virtual designs cannot account for every invisible defect or ocean oddity. Developers need a lab-sized ocean to test those theories before they head to the big blue.

    That is why Lydon and her colleagues recently found themselves kneeling on wet concrete in NREL’s water power facilities in April 2024. A cable on their wave energy prototype was tugging on the device, potentially warping their experimental data. Out at sea, that kind of flaw would have been invisible—just a rogue cable hidden beneath the murky waves—and, even if the defect was spotted, it could take weeks to fix.

    From left, NREL Research Engineer Charles Cando, University of Washington graduate student Brittany Lydon, and NREL Research Technician Kyle Swartz finish their wave tank tests for the University of Washington’s oscillating surge wave energy converter device at NREL’s Flatirons Campus. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

    At NREL, Lydon and her team needed just 10 minutes to reconfigure their prototype’s wiring before a technician lifted it back into a wave tank (located inside the Sea Wave Environmental Lab—or SWEL, for short) for further testing.

    “It went as smooth as we could have ever wanted,” Lydon said.

    Today, NREL’s desert facilities offer the comprehensive, computer-to-ocean testing that marine energy researchers and developers need to get their technologies closer to commercial use.

    But even NREL did not always have such a bounty.

    Between the Data and the Deep Blue Sea

    Scott Jenne, a marine energy researcher at NREL, refers to the jump from computer simulations to the open ocean as “the leap of faith. Basically, you go from numerical simulations to, ‘Hey, we’re going to build a thing and put it in the ocean and hope everything works.’”

    And even if every piece of the device functions just as expected, the ocean might not.

    “There’s a well-known saying in marine energy that the 1-in-100-year wave will happen the first week you deploy,” McGilton said.

    But a leap of faith is not the only way to get from the computer to the ocean. NREL has bridges.

    In 2021, the laboratory installed its first wave tank at SWEL, which can simulate scaled ocean waves representative of different sites around the world. In 2023, the facilities welcomed another ocean mimic, called the large-amplitude motion platform (or LAMP), which can replicate even larger ocean motions without even a drop of water.

    [embedded content]

    Text version

    The laboratory also has machines called dynamometers that can test a device’s electrical elements, 3D printers and other rapid manufacturing tools that can quickly churn out new parts if one breaks, and virtual systems that can hook up to actual hardware while simulating different device components, ocean conditions, and even electrical grids.

    With all that, researchers and developers could, for example, assess how their device might function in winter waves off the coast of Hawaii, examining how much strain waves might put on their tech or how much energy they could produce for the local grid. And they can do all that without the time, risk, and costs associated with an actual ocean deployment.

    It’s essential that we have lab facilities that can validate and test the performance before we go anywhere near the water.”

    —Ben McGilton

    “Any time you go to test in a river or the sea, it costs an absolute fortune, and there are so many risks and uncertainties,” McGilton said. “It’s essential that we have lab facilities that can validate and test the performance before we go anywhere near the water.”

    McGilton’s colleague, Jenne, would agree: He has experienced both options.

    The HERO on the LAMP

    In 2020, Jenne and a team of NREL researchers started building a hero—or rather, a HERO WEC, which stands for hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis (HERO) wave energy converter (WEC).

    The name fits: This kind of device could be a hero for some communities. The wave-powered machine is designed to produce clean drinking water from salty seawater, which could be critical for communities that lose power and access to potable water after a natural disaster.

    [embedded content]

    Text version

    In 2022, Jenne and his team deployed their HERO WEC prototype in the waters off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. But the ocean did not cooperate.

    “In that two-week period, we really only saw roughly two-ish useful wave conditions. It was dead flat for the rest of the deployment,” Jenne said.

    Luckily, they could turn to an ocean imitator for help.

    In 2023, the team was the first to mount their device onto NREL’s new LAMP, a long-legged metal platform that resembles something out of “Star Wars.” There, they could subject their prototype to almost any kind of wave motion without worrying about storms or dead waters.

    NREL’s LAMP tests prototype devices to improve designs before deployment in ocean waters.Photos by Joshua Bauer, NREL

    “There’s still a reason to do those ocean deployments,” Jenne said. “You learn stuff there that you’ll never be able to learn on LAMP and vice versa. But having that controlled test facility where you can literally turn the waves on and off when you need them is so valuable.”

    During their LAMP test, the HERO WEC’s drivetrain “locked up and snapped the mooring line,” as Jenne described it. But, like Lydon and her team, the crew simply shut the LAMP down, came up with a solution to prevent it from happening again, and resumed testing within a couple days. For comparison: Just six hours into a recent Outer Banks deployment in 2024, a rogue storm knocked the HERO WEC around, causing a winch to cut a cable. But no one could reach the device for two weeks.

    “You spend a huge amount of money to understand maybe a few ocean conditions,” Jenne said. “Versus LAMP—we ran over 100 different cases in a month.”

    That is why Lydon and her team came to NREL. They too were searching for that data wealth. Only, they turned to a different instrument.

    Swell Data From the SWEL Wave Tank

    Lydon’s wave energy prototype looks nothing like the HERO WEC. Her group’s device is designed to generate electricity by swaying back and forth, like sea grass, in ocean waves. Although her institution, the University of Washington, has its own wave tank, it is about 2.5 times smaller than NREL’s. Their small-scale prototype could barely fit, and the team was concerned its proximity to the tank’s walls could create ricochet waves that might not exist in the real world, skewing their data.

    “That brought us to the point of having this system functional but not having a good place to test it,” said Brian Polagye, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington and Lydon’s advisor. “And that’s where SWEL came along.”

    SWEL’s tank is big enough to handle prototypes about 1/75th the size of a full-scale device. Through the tank’s one glass side, researchers can watch how their device handles waves both above and below the water (the ocean’s often murky water prevents this kind of up-close study). And if human eyes are not powerful enough to spot an issue, the tank’s motion-tracking cameras and various sensors likely are.

    With support from the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and administered by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, Lydon spent several months at SWEL during the spring of 2024. There, Lydon and the team could test how their device performed in a larger range of potential wave conditions.

    “We were able to get a ton of data in a relatively short amount of time,” Lydon said. “That has been huge in trying to answer our questions but also forming new questions.” But if Lydon had to describe her experience in one word, she would say it was boring, “which is what you want.” Boring means nothing went awry; boring equals success.

    “We had what we needed, and we were given everything to do it,” she said.

    The Recipe for Advancing Marine Energy

    Over the past few years, NREL’s water power facilities have grown to offer what NREL Water Power Technology Validation Manager Rebecca Fao often calls a “soup-to-nuts” service. At the Flatirons Campus, people can model their novel designs with the laboratory’s award-winning software, manufacture a prototype, test a specific component or the entire device, manufacture an improved or larger prototype, and hook actual hardware up to virtual grids or oceans that can mimic real-world conditions.

    We can test whole systems and see how they would interact with a microgrid, small community, or even the grid—and not just simulated but with real voltage and currents.”

    —Ben McGilton

    “We can test whole systems and see how they would interact with a microgrid, small community, or even the grid—and not just simulated but with real voltage and currents,” McGilton said. All this support can, as McGilton puts it, “improve the overall chances of success.”

    But none of these machines or models function without people.

    “One of the reasons that these experiments, even the initial experiments, were so successful is the support and flexibility of the staff,” Lydon said.

    From modelers to technicians to electrical and mechanical engineers, NREL’s team of experts are perhaps one of the laboratory’s greatest assets. If a device malfunctions, they are there to troubleshoot, diagnose, repair, or even operate a crane.

    Of course, NREL might have a suite of swell equipment, but it does not have everything. The U.S. Navy has an indoor ocean (also known as the maneuvering and seakeeping basin, or MASK) that holds 12 million gallons of water (SWEL holds only 13,000). A new wave energy test site, called PacWave South, where researchers and developers can test full-scale devices in the open ocean, is under construction off the coast of Oregon.

    Because the United States has so few of these facilities, collectively, they are critical for the marine energy industry to advance quickly. “It’s all a big, interconnected ecosystem,” said Polagye, Lydon’s advisor.

    That ecosystem is growing thanks to renewed interest in this lesser-known renewable. And, in part because of facilities like NREL’s, the field has made significant leaps in the last 10 years.

    “It’s been a fascinating decade,” Polagye said. “And I think the next will be just as fascinating.”

    Want to learn more about NREL’s Flatirons Campus? Stay tuned for the next feature in our “Found at Flatirons” series. Remember to sign up for the water power newsletter, too!

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Storage facility for over 900 vehicles completed at MOD Ashchurch

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Storage facility for over 900 vehicles completed at MOD Ashchurch

    An advanced storage facility with capacity to house over 900 Army vehicles has opened at MOD Ashchurch under the Vehicle Storage and Support Programme (VSSP).

    Brig Matt Wilkinson and VSSP Senior Responsible Owner Belinda Lunn cut the ribbon to the new building, accompanied by representatives of DIO, the Army, Skanska and Mace. Copyright Skanksa.

    As the largest Army infrastructure programme currently in delivery, VSSP is enhancing operational readiness and future capability through provision of modern, sustainable storage and maintenance solutions for the Army’s vehicle and equipment fleet.

    The programme is delivering dedicated inspection and maintenance facilities, essential office space and Controlled Humidity Environment (CHE) storage, which will reduce vehicle maintenance costs and unnecessary deterioration caused by extreme drops or rises in temperature.

    The largest CHE storage building on site, which is equivalent in size to around five football pitches at around 25,300m2, has now been handed into service, with the first vehicle rolling into the facility at an official opening ceremony on 3 March.

    A vehicle breaks the ribbon as the first vehicle to be stored in the new building. Copyright Skanksa.

    Belinda Lunn, Senior Responsible Owner of VSSP, said:

    The handover of this new CHE storage building is a fantastic milestone in our programme to deliver this exceptional facility for the Field Army. This is the fifth building to be completed under VSSP in the past year and represents a step change in the capability of the site. We look forward to further progress over coming months as we continue our collaboration with DIO and industry partners, to improve working infrastructure for personnel at MOD Ashchurch. 

    VSSP is being delivered for the Army by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) contracting to Skanska for construction and Mace as project manager. Overall, the programme will deliver 13 new buildings alongside demolition of 58 existing buildings and renewal of site-wide infrastructure. All buildings adhere to the latest sustainability standards and support the Army’s contribution to government net zero targets, with provision to generate solar energy on site.

    Warren Webster, DIO MPP Programme Director – Army, said:

    It is always gratifying to celebrate a significant milestone for a complex construction project. The excellent progress we’ve made at VSSP has been achieved thanks to the collaborative effort of DIO, Army, Skanska and Mace project teams, and their supply chain. We are proud to be delivering modern, sustainable infrastructure that will meet the enduring requirements of the Army’s fleet and benefit military personnel.

    Terry Muckian, Skanska Executive Vice President, said:

    Working within a live military environment presents unique challenges, but through close collaboration with site personnel, we were able to maintain their operations while continuing to deliver this significant infrastructure project on schedule. Our partnership with DIO, Mace, and our supply chain was instrumental in achieving these results. Additionally, through meticulous design and construction efforts, we have ensured that the vehicle storage building not only meets but surpasses the required air tightness specifications, enhancing its durability and operational efficiency.

    Graham Seage, Director of Defence and National Security at Mace, said:

    The completion of this state-of-the-art storage facility is a significant step forward in ensuring the long-term resilience of the British Army’s estate and assets. The level of collaboration across all partners to reach this milestone has been first rate and, importantly, has extended to teams working across the wider defence estate, drawing on lessons and experience from around the DIO portfolio to drive efficiencies and innovations.

    MOD Ashchurch is owned by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and VSSP is due to complete at the site in 2027.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: VelocityEHS Redefines Excellence in Chemical Management Software in Analyst Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VelocityEHS, a global leader in enterprise EHS and ESG solutions, has been recognized as a market-leading chemicals management software provider in the latest Smart Innovators: Chemicals Management Software report conducted by Verdantix, an independent research firm.

    In a comprehensive assessment of 13 leading vendors, VelocityEHS achieved the highest overall score across key functional areas critical to chemical safety and compliance.

    “At VelocityEHS, we are dedicated to empowering organizations with the most effective, intuitive, and scalable solutions for managing chemical safety and compliance,” said VelocityEHS CEO Matt Airhart. “This recognition validates our commitment to helping companies navigate the increasingly complex regulatory landscape to improve worker health safety.”

    The Verdantix report evaluated providers across six core capabilities, with VelocityEHS earning high marks in four of the categories—earning a Market-Leading designation. In the remaining two categories, VelocityEHS was recognized as a Comprehensive Solution, further solidifying its position as an industry leader.

    Market Leading Capabilities

    Chemical Approvals & Inventory Tracking
    Facilitates streamlined approval workflows, real-time inventory tracking, and regulatory screening of chemical ingredients, helping companies maintain compliance and prevent unauthorized chemical use.

    Chemical Spill & Incident Management
    With the industry’s best spill response tools, Velocity enables real-time reporting, automated workflows, and corrective action tracking to mitigate chemical-related risks and improve workplace safety.

    Chemicals Management Compliance Reporting
    Simplifies compliance with Tier II, TRI, and other reporting frameworks by offering automated regulatory tracking and comprehensive data management, ensuring firms meet evolving chemical regulations.

    Hazard Communication & HazMat Labeling
    Provides advanced labeling capabilities, including built-in templates and automatic hazard classification based on SDS data, ensuring organizations remain compliant with global labeling standards such as GHS, OSHA, and WHMIS.

    Comprehensive Capabilities  

    Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Management
    Provides a robust SDS management solution, offering a centralized repository for SDSs, automated indexing, and multi-language support, ensuring organizations can easily access and update chemical safety information.

    Chemical Substitution & Toxicology Analyses
    By providing tools to identify safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals, VelocityEHS helps firms comply with regulations like REACH and TSCA while minimizing environmental and health risks. This commitment to safety and sustainability drives continues innovation, ensuring their solutions not only meet regulatory requirements but also support organizations’ broader EHS goals.

    A key example of this innovation is the recent enhancements to the Chemical Management solution, making it one of the first to align with OSHA’s Hazcom standard updates with Revision 7 of the UN’s Globally Harmonized Systems of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). These updates ensure companies can adapt to evolving compliance requirements while maintaining workplace safety.

    The key changes include:

    • Revised classification criteria
    • Updated label provisions
    • Classification amendments
    • Additional updates to SDS information requirements
    • New provisions for concentration ranges claimed as trade secrets

    VelocityEHS proactively implemented these updates based on the final rule and insights from internal experts, ensuring that EHS professionals had the tools and capabilities exactly when they needed them most.

    “Another recent advancement, our new AI-powered SDS indexing tool, helps companies quickly access critical safety data, improving response times during incidents and potentially saving lives. It’s all about combining innovation with responsibility to create a safer, more efficient and human-centered future for EHS,” said Airhart.

    “Organizations need more than just compliance tools—they need intelligent, connected solutions that help them stay ahead of risks. That’s why we’ve integrated our Chemical Management solution onto the enhanced Accelerate Platform,” he added.

    Unifying Chemical Management with Safety, Industrial Ergonomics, and Operational Risk, Velocity empowers organizations to create reports and integrate data from multiple solutions, enabling them to proactively manage risks and drive safer, more sustainable operations.

    “As chemical regulations continue to expand, firms are turning to chemical management software to help guide them through the increasing complexities and keep pace with change. Chemicals management software vendors, such as VelocityEHS with its advanced technology, enable medium – to high-risk companies to streamline chemical management workflows and exceed compliance requirements,” says Zain Idris, Industry Analyst at Verdantix.

    To learn more about VelocityEHS Accelerate, visit www.ehs.com/accelerate/.

    About VelocityEHS

    Relied on by more than 10 million users worldwide to drive operational excellence and achieve outstanding outcomes, VelocityEHS is the global leader in true SaaS enterprise EHS & ESG technology. The VelocityEHS Accelerate® Platform is the definitive gold standard, delivering best-in-class software solutions for managing Safety, Ergonomics, Chemical Management, and Operational Risk. In addition, Velocity offers world-class applications for Contractor Safety & Permit to Work, Environmental Compliance, and ESG.

    The VelocityEHS team includes unparalleled industry expertise, with more certified experts in health, safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, sustainability, the environment, AI, and machine learning than any other EHS software provider. Recognized by the EHS industry’s top independent analysts as a Leader in the Verdantix 2025 Green Quadrant Analysis, VelocityEHS is committed to industry thought leadership and to accelerating the pace of innovation through its software solutions and vision. Its privacy and security protocols, which include SOC2 Type II attestation, are among the most stringent in the industry.

    VelocityEHS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Tampa, Florida; Oakville, Ontario; London, England; Perth, Western Australia; and Cork, Ireland. For more information, visit www.EHS.com. 

    About Verdantix

    Verdantix is the essential thought-leader for world-enhancing innovation. We support change-makers with our proprietary data, unique expertise and executive networks. Our impactful analysis is delivered via a digital platform, consulting engagements and in-person events to thousands of decision-makers in more than 100 countries. From offices in London, New York and Boston, the Verdantix research team applies the principles of rigour, accuracy and curiosity to help our globally distributed clients solve their most complex challenges. Verdantix.com.

    Media Contact

    Jennifer Sinkwitts

    jsinkwitts@ehs.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Madagascar’s lemurs live with the threat of cyclones – has this shaped their behaviour?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alison Behie, Professor of Biological Anthropology, Australian National University

    Madagascar is an island that’s no stranger to natural disasters, in particular cyclones. This is because it’s located in the south-west Indian Ocean cyclone basin, a region of the Indian Ocean where tropical cyclones typically form and develop.

    Madagascar has experienced 69 cyclones between 1912 and 2022, although cyclones have been a pressure on the island for much longer – estimates range from hundreds to more than thousands of years. This regular exposure has resulted in a uniquely harsh and unpredictable environment.

    Madagascar is also the only place in the entire world where lemurs, a group of primates, are naturally found. It’s home to over 100 species of lemurs.

    Due to ongoing threats of disaster impacts, hunting and deforestation, lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals in the world. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 98% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, 31% of which are critically endangered.

    It is therefore important to understand future threats to lemurs so as to protect them.

    Lemurs are unusual among primates. They show a higher degree of traits associated with resilience to living in a disaster-prone environment. For example, very few species rely on a diet of fruit, which is one of the first food items to disappear after a cyclone. Over half of lemur species rely on leaves as their main food item.

    They also exhibit a high degree of energy conserving behaviours, including hibernation and torpor – a shorter period of inactivity characterised by a lower body temperature and metabolic rate.

    It has long been believed that these behaviours are a result of Madagascar’s frequent cyclones. Living in an unpredictable environment over multiple generations could lead to different features being beneficial for survival. Some evolutionary adaptations may happen within a few decades, others could form over thousands of years.

    However, there is variation among species in these traits and, to date, no one has tested whether the unique behavioural features of lemurs actually occur more frequently in species that have experienced more cyclones, or if there may be a different explanation. Our research wanted to clear this up.

    In our study, my colleagues and I found no association between cyclone impact and how resilient lemurs are. We did however find a positive association between cyclone impact and body size. This suggests that the more a lemur species is affected by cyclones, the smaller they are.

    Given the increase globally in disasters, this type of work allows us to better understand the most and least resilient species to prepare for conservation efforts into the future.

    How resilient are lemurs?

    My research focuses on how animals, particularly primates, respond to the threat of climate change and disaster exposure. Previous work my colleagues and I did with howler monkeys showed that historical hurricane exposure was significantly linked to the evolution of behavioural adaptations, like small group size and energy conserving behaviours.

    We set out to design a specific study for lemurs. We wanted to determine whether the variation in behavioural traits in lemurs could be accounted for by the variation in cyclone exposure across the island.

    To carry out this research, we first made a map showing how cyclones affect different parts of Madagascar. We used weather patterns, past cyclone paths, how strong the cyclones were, and how much rain they brought. Data used for this came from the past 58 years, which is the data that was available, although Madagascar has been hit by cyclones over a much longer time period.

    We then placed a map of where lemurs live on top of our cyclone map to see how much cyclones affect each lemur species’ home. Our study covered the 26 species for which enough data was published to be able to determine their overall behavioural traits.

    For each of these species, we created a “resilience score”. To create this score, each species got one point for each behavioural trait they exhibited that is associated with living in a cyclone-prone area. For example, a species that shows hibernation got one point and a species that does not got 0 points. The resilience traits we used included: energy conserving behaviours; habitat use; group size; fruit in the diet; home range size; geographic range; and body size.

    We then added up the score across all resilience traits and compared the resilience score of each species with their habitat range cyclone score. This helped us see if species in high-impact areas had higher resilience. If so, it would strongly suggest that resilience traits evolved as an adaptation to frequent cyclones.

    Our results found no relationship between cyclone impact and overall resilience score. This may be because the historical cyclone data we had access to covered only the past 58 years. This may not be an accurate proxy for longer term cyclone activity associated with evolutionary adaptations.

    It could also be that the traits linked to cyclone resilience may have already existed in the last common ancestor of lemurs due to rapid environmental change on the African continent. Recent research suggests this ancestor rafted to Madagascar from Africa on floating vegetation. These traits could have helped it survive the journey. They’re also seen in other wildlife believed to have rafted to their island habitats and that may have been crucial for island colonisation.

    While overall resilience scores were not associated with cyclone impact, we did find that lemur species with smaller bodies experienced greater cyclone impacts. The north-east of the island was found to experience higher cyclone activity compared to the south-west. This aligns with previous research suggesting that larger primates, which require more food and space and reproduce more slowly, are less resilient and more likely to die after habitat disturbance.

    Importance for conservation

    Ours was the first study to try to find a quantitative link between cyclone exposure and the evolution of behavioural adaptations in lemurs and only the second to do so in primates.

    While results did not show a link to overall resilience, they did provide a template for future studies to explore the concept on other primates at a global scale. The study also provides a cyclone impact grid that could be used to assess impacts on other wildlife in Madagascar.

    In addition, our work has highlighted the importance of body size as a factor associated with less resilience to disaster.

    Read more: Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival

    This research helps us to understand more about how species responded to cyclones in the past, which improves our understanding of the sorts of behavioural flexibility needed to survive severe environmental change. This then improves our ability to predict the effects of future events and mitigate impacts through more effective and targeted conservation. This is particularly true in island ecosystems, such as Madagascar, where endemic species are confined.

    Read more: Madagascar supports more unique plant life than any other island in the world – new study

    – Madagascar’s lemurs live with the threat of cyclones – has this shaped their behaviour?
    – https://theconversation.com/madagascars-lemurs-live-with-the-threat-of-cyclones-has-this-shaped-their-behaviour-249172

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government to unleash the North Sea’s clean energy future

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government to unleash the North Sea’s clean energy future

    The government is consulting on plans to put the North Sea at the heart of Britain’s clean energy future and drive economic growth.

    • UK government consults on plan to unleash the North Sea’s clean energy future and ensure prosperous and sustainable transition for oil and gas

    • this plan backs industry to make North Sea a world-leader in offshore industries, such as hydrogen, carbon capture and wind, as part of the government’s clean energy superpower mission

    • it also offers oil and gas industry long-term certainty on the fiscal landscape by ending the Energy Profits Levy and consulting on a new regime to boost investment in jobs and growth 

    • consultation gives certainty to industry about the lifespan of oil and gas projects by committing to maintain existing fields for their lifetime and work with business and communities on a managed transition, while implementing the commitment not to issue new licences to explore new fields 

    The government has today (Wednesday 5 March) launched a consultation that will put the North Sea – its communities, workers, businesses and supply chains – at the heart of Britain’s clean energy future to drive economic growth and deliver the Plan for Change.   

    This will support private investment into the technologies that will deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers, invest in local communities, cut carbon emissions and help the UK become energy secure.

    The consultation sets out the next steps in the government’s overarching objective for the North Sea to make it a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry, building on the UK’s world-class oil and gas heritage. In addition to maintaining existing oil and gas fields, and continuing ongoing domestic production, which have been critical to the UK’s energy system and will continue to play an important role for decades to come, the government wants to boost the economy through the expansion of clean technologies, protecting the country’s energy security in the process. To achieve this, the government needs to ensure the oil and gas industry and its workers can take advantage of a clean energy future.

    Separately, HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs are confirming that the Energy Profits Levy will end in 2030. They are consulting on what a new regime could look like, to respond to any future shocks in oil and gas prices. The government will work closely with the sector and other stakeholders to develop an approach that protects jobs in existing and future industries and delivers a fair return for the nation, during times of unusually high prices. The government will ensure that the oil and gas industry has the long-term certainty it needs on the future fiscal landscape, helping to support investment and protect businesses and jobs now and for the future. 

    The government is committed to working with industry, communities, trade unions and wider organisations to develop a plan that will ensure a phased transition for the North Sea – creating tens of thousands more jobs in offshore renewables estimated by 2030.   

    The government recognises the call of workers and trade unions for a coordinated plan to protect good jobs, pay terms and conditions in the North Sea, and commits to shaping this plan with workers and unions. 

    The consultation also includes delivering the government’s commitment not to issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields in the UK, in line with the science of what is required to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees. The consultation also engages with industry on how to manage existing fields, which will continue to make an important contribution during the clean energy transition, for the entirety of their lifespan.  

    This comes after the government has backed new investment into Scotland’s clean energy future, awarding £55.7 million to the Port of Cromarty Firth, securing critical facilities needed for the rapid development of new floating offshore wind farms and ensuring that they are built from the UK.

    By sprinting to achieve this mission, the UK can take back control of its energy and protect both family and national finances from fossil fuel price spikes – with cleaner, affordable, homegrown power. As part of this, Britain must also reduce its dependency on oil and gas, which leaves consumers exposed to unstable global energy markets, as its price is set on international markets.  

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 

    The North Sea will be at the heart of Britain’s energy future. For decades, its workers, businesses and communities have helped power our country and our world. 

    Oil and gas production will continue to play an important role and, as the world embraces the drive to clean energy, the North Sea can power our Plan for Change and clean energy future in the decades ahead.  

    This consultation is about a dialogue with North Sea communities – businesses, trade unions, workers, environmental groups and communities – to develop a plan that enables us to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities of the years ahead.

    Diversifying the North Sea industries while domestic production is managed for decades to come is key to protecting its jobs and investment in the long-term. Today’s consultation explores how to harness the North Sea’s existing infrastructure, natural assets and world-leading expertise to deploy new technologies – like hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and renewables – to create skilled jobs, meet the UK’s climate obligations, and make the UK a clean energy superpower.  

    It is estimated that the offshore renewables workforce, including offshore wind, CCUS and hydrogen, could increase to between 70,000 and 138,000 in 2030, Meanwhile, an up-and-running carbon capture industry alone is expected to add around £5 billion per year of gross value to the UK economy by 2050. 

    New proposals could also see changes to the role of North Sea Transition Authority, as the regulator of UK oil and gas, offshore hydrogen, and carbon storage industries. This includes ensuring the authority has the regulatory framework it needs to support the government’s vision for the long-term future of the North Sea and enable an orderly and prosperous transition to clean energy.  

    The government has already taken rapid steps in accelerating clean energy industries – with the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and up to £21.7 billion in funding over the next 25 years for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen projects. This comes alongside the launch of Great British Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, and the creation of a National Wealth Fund, both of which will unlock significant investment in clean power projects across the UK and help create thousands of skilled jobs. 

    The government has also consulted on revised environmental guidance offshore oil and gas projects and will respond to give certainty to the industry and enable developers to resume applying for consents for already-licensed projects. This follows a Supreme Court ruling last year that requires regulators to consider the impact of burning oil and gas – known as scope 3 emissions – in the Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects.

    Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, said: 

    We are committed to working together with the sector on the future of the North Sea by providing the stability they need to keep investing and supporting jobs across the country while ensuring they make a fair contribution at times of unusually high prices. 

    Tania Kumar, Net Zero Director, CBI said:

    The North Sea has long been a cornerstone of the UK’s energy sector and will continue to play a vital role in securing energy independence and transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Today’s consultations highlight the government’s commitment to a managed transition. Success hinges on our collaboration with communities, workers, and businesses to develop a practical plan.   

    Robust regulation and the pivotal role of the North Sea Transition Authority will be essential. The UK’s net zero economy is growing faster than the rest of the economy – the future is green growth and managing the transition away from fossil fuels to a clean energy future for the North Sea is vital to achieving it. 

    Dhara Vyas, CEO, Energy UK said: 

    Today’s announcement offers a positive step toward a just transition for offshore workers. The North Sea has been an engine of economic growth and energy security for the UK, but it’s critical to ensure pathways are available for offshore workers to transition to the low carbon industries of the future. The government has a sent a strong signal about the UK’s clean energy future, and the role the North Sea will continue to play in fostering clean technologies such as offshore wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage. The clean energy mission can help ensure the North Sea’s best days are ahead of it, powering economic growth and enabling the UK to lead the way in the global clean industrial revolution. 

    David Whitehouse, Chief Executive, OEUK said:

    The UK offshore energy industry, including its oil and gas sector, is responsible for thousands of jobs across Scotland and the UK, and today the government has committed to meaningful consultation on the long-term future of our North Sea. That is important and welcomed. Energy policy underpins our national security – how we build a clean energy future and leverage our proud heritage matters.

    Today’s consultations, on both the critical role of the North Sea in the energy transition and how the taxation regime will respond to unusually high oil and gas prices, will help to begin to give certainty to investors and create a stable investment environment for years to come. We will continue to work with government and wider stakeholders to ensure a future North Sea which delivers economic growth and supports the communities that rely on this sector and workers across right and the UK.

    Rachel Solomon Williams, Executive Director, Aldersgate Group said:  

    The private sector recognises the growth opportunity of the clean energy transition alongside the risks associated with investments that are incompatible with the 1.5C target. This consultation is an important step on the path to building a prosperous and resilient economy, with wider benefits across all regions of the UK. Investing in assets that risk becoming stranded is sustainable for neither the UK economy nor the environment – the government’s recognition of this position will contribute to resolving uncertainty and building private sector confidence for clean energy investments in the region.    

    The skills and expertise built over recent decades in the North Sea are invaluable. They are highly transferable for clean energy and other growth sectors, both directly and with further upskilling. We welcome the government’s announcement that it is ensuring that the North Sea transition makes best use of the strengths in the region, creating opportunities and jobs. Capturing this growth opportunity for the UK must ensure that the local communities and workers can play a role in future energy sectors. The right policy framework and engagement with industry and local communities can enable a transition to net zero emissions without deindustrialisation.

    Dan McGrail, Chief Executive, RenewableUK said: 

    The biggest offshore wind farms in the world are being built in the North Sea and even more ambitious projects are being planned. Offshore wind is at the very heart of the government’s mission to reach clean power by 2030 and net zero by 2050, and the industry also offers the UK one of its biggest opportunities for job creation, industrial regeneration and economic growth. 

    The North Sea is already playing a crucial role in powering the UK and this is set to grow in the years ahead. A future focused on offshore wind isn’t just cleaner – it provides a more stable energy system for billpayers as we will be less exposed to volatile international fossil fuel prices. Offshore wind also offers opportunities for skilled workers from other industries to transfer into this dynamic and innovative sector.

    Notes to Editors 

    The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s consultation on Building the North Sea’s Energy Future will run for 8 weeks from 5 March to 30 April.

    The government is consulting on how to deliver its commitment to end new licences to explore new fields, including all new seaward exploration and production licences to search for and extract new oil and gas resources in the UK. Licence extensions and transfers would not be affected, to facilitate existing fields to operate for the entirety of their lifetime and support the government’s commitments not to revoke existing licences. Licences for carbon storage, gas storage and methane drainage would also not be affected.   

    The consultation also sets out the government’s commitment to end new licences for onshore oil and gas exploration and production in England.    

    HM Treasury’s consultation on High Price Mechanism for Oil and Gas will run for 12 weeks from 5 March to 28 May.   

    Officials figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s ‘Digest of UK Energy Statistics’ show a 72% reduction in UK oil and gas production occurring between 1999 and 2023. The North Sea Transition Authority also predicts an 89 per cent drop in UK oil and gas production by 2050.   

    Office for National Statistics’ analysis shows that direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023.   

    Meanwhile, findings from the Robert Gordon University study ‘Powering up the Workforce’ in 2023 estimated that the offshore renewables workforce – which includes offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen – could increase to between 70,000 and 138,000 in 2030. This study also found that over 90% of the UK’s oil and gas workforce have medium to high skills transferability and are well positioned to work in adjacent energy sector.   

    Today’s announcement also comes after the government confirmed Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire as key growth regions for clean energy and launched pilots to help workers in these areas access jobs in new clean energy industries.    

    Oil and gas workers will also get help to move into these sectors, thanks to a new energy ‘skills passport’ launched last month – led by Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK, and backed by UK and Scottish Governments. This tool will support workers into careers in offshore wind initially, before being expanded to other renewables roles later this year.   

    Many of the skills required for the transition already exist, with research showing that 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs. The government is now exploring what further support is needed to help workers take full advantage of the UK’s clean energy transition, as part of its consultation on the future of the North Sea.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Madagascar’s lemurs live with the threat of cyclones – has this shaped their behaviour?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alison Behie, Professor of Biological Anthropology, Australian National University

    Madagascar is an island that’s no stranger to natural disasters, in particular cyclones. This is because it’s located in the south-west Indian Ocean cyclone basin, a region of the Indian Ocean where tropical cyclones typically form and develop.

    Madagascar has experienced 69 cyclones between 1912 and 2022, although cyclones have been a pressure on the island for much longer – estimates range from hundreds to more than thousands of years. This regular exposure has resulted in a uniquely harsh and unpredictable environment.

    Madagascar is also the only place in the entire world where lemurs, a group of primates, are naturally found. It’s home to over 100 species of lemurs.

    Due to ongoing threats of disaster impacts, hunting and deforestation, lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals in the world. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 98% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, 31% of which are critically endangered.

    It is therefore important to understand future threats to lemurs so as to protect them.

    Lemurs are unusual among primates. They show a higher degree of traits associated with resilience to living in a disaster-prone environment. For example, very few species rely on a diet of fruit, which is one of the first food items to disappear after a cyclone. Over half of lemur species rely on leaves as their main food item.

    They also exhibit a high degree of energy conserving behaviours, including hibernation and torpor – a shorter period of inactivity characterised by a lower body temperature and metabolic rate.

    It has long been believed that these behaviours are a result of Madagascar’s frequent cyclones. Living in an unpredictable environment over multiple generations could lead to different features being beneficial for survival. Some evolutionary adaptations may happen within a few decades, others could form over thousands of years.

    However, there is variation among species in these traits and, to date, no one has tested whether the unique behavioural features of lemurs actually occur more frequently in species that have experienced more cyclones, or if there may be a different explanation. Our research wanted to clear this up.

    In our study, my colleagues and I found no association between cyclone impact and how resilient lemurs are. We did however find a positive association between cyclone impact and body size. This suggests that the more a lemur species is affected by cyclones, the smaller they are.

    Given the increase globally in disasters, this type of work allows us to better understand the most and least resilient species to prepare for conservation efforts into the future.

    How resilient are lemurs?

    My research focuses on how animals, particularly primates, respond to the threat of climate change and disaster exposure. Previous work my colleagues and I did with howler monkeys showed that historical hurricane exposure was significantly linked to the evolution of behavioural adaptations, like small group size and energy conserving behaviours.

    We set out to design a specific study for lemurs. We wanted to determine whether the variation in behavioural traits in lemurs could be accounted for by the variation in cyclone exposure across the island.

    To carry out this research, we first made a map showing how cyclones affect different parts of Madagascar. We used weather patterns, past cyclone paths, how strong the cyclones were, and how much rain they brought. Data used for this came from the past 58 years, which is the data that was available, although Madagascar has been hit by cyclones over a much longer time period.

    We then placed a map of where lemurs live on top of our cyclone map to see how much cyclones affect each lemur species’ home. Our study covered the 26 species for which enough data was published to be able to determine their overall behavioural traits.

    For each of these species, we created a “resilience score”. To create this score, each species got one point for each behavioural trait they exhibited that is associated with living in a cyclone-prone area. For example, a species that shows hibernation got one point and a species that does not got 0 points. The resilience traits we used included: energy conserving behaviours; habitat use; group size; fruit in the diet; home range size; geographic range; and body size.

    We then added up the score across all resilience traits and compared the resilience score of each species with their habitat range cyclone score. This helped us see if species in high-impact areas had higher resilience. If so, it would strongly suggest that resilience traits evolved as an adaptation to frequent cyclones.

    Our results found no relationship between cyclone impact and overall resilience score. This may be because the historical cyclone data we had access to covered only the past 58 years. This may not be an accurate proxy for longer term cyclone activity associated with evolutionary adaptations.

    It could also be that the traits linked to cyclone resilience may have already existed in the last common ancestor of lemurs due to rapid environmental change on the African continent. Recent research suggests this ancestor rafted to Madagascar from Africa on floating vegetation. These traits could have helped it survive the journey. They’re also seen in other wildlife believed to have rafted to their island habitats and that may have been crucial for island colonisation.

    While overall resilience scores were not associated with cyclone impact, we did find that lemur species with smaller bodies experienced greater cyclone impacts. The north-east of the island was found to experience higher cyclone activity compared to the south-west. This aligns with previous research suggesting that larger primates, which require more food and space and reproduce more slowly, are less resilient and more likely to die after habitat disturbance.

    Importance for conservation

    Ours was the first study to try to find a quantitative link between cyclone exposure and the evolution of behavioural adaptations in lemurs and only the second to do so in primates.

    While results did not show a link to overall resilience, they did provide a template for future studies to explore the concept on other primates at a global scale. The study also provides a cyclone impact grid that could be used to assess impacts on other wildlife in Madagascar.

    In addition, our work has highlighted the importance of body size as a factor associated with less resilience to disaster.



    Read more:
    Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival

    This research helps us to understand more about how species responded to cyclones in the past, which improves our understanding of the sorts of behavioural flexibility needed to survive severe environmental change. This then improves our ability to predict the effects of future events and mitigate impacts through more effective and targeted conservation. This is particularly true in island ecosystems, such as Madagascar, where endemic species are confined.



    Read more:
    Madagascar supports more unique plant life than any other island in the world – new study

    Alison Behie receives funding from The Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Madagascar’s lemurs live with the threat of cyclones – has this shaped their behaviour? – https://theconversation.com/madagascars-lemurs-live-with-the-threat-of-cyclones-has-this-shaped-their-behaviour-249172

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –