City will plan and design drinking water system improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 20, 2024 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded a $226,000 loan to the city of Palmyra for planning and design work related to the city’s ongoing drinking water improvement project.
These funds will provide vital interim financing to cover early engineering and administrative costs while the city works with the department to secure a larger loan and grant funding package for its drinking water project. The larger project is estimated to cost approximately $3.3 million and construction is estimated to start in 2026.
The early planning phases of infrastructure projects often represent a significant financial burden for cash-limited communities with water and wastewater needs. The planning and design loan program’s goal is to provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive private financing that will allow communities to develop and deliver vital infrastructure projects for their citizens. These planning and design loans bear no interest and come with a five-year term. The funding provided by the department is estimated to save the city’s ratepayers approximately $30,000 in interest.
“Grants and low-interest loans through the State Revolving Fund help Missouri communities like Palmyra fund treatment system improvements that they might not have been able to undertake otherwise,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “Projects like this ultimately help protect public health and the environment, which improves the quality of life for Missourians.”
The department’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund finances improvements to water treatment plants, distribution systems, water storage and supply facilities, along with interconnection or consolidation projects. Communities that borrow from the fund benefit from the below-market interest rate and from assistance provided throughout their project from a project manager.
The department’s Financial Assistance Center is committed to working with communities to assist with water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. This project will be funded wholly or in part with monies received from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on wastewater and drinking water funding opportunities, visit dnr.mo.gov/water/what-were-doing/state-revolving-fund-srf.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2
• Government sets out plans to end the use of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators
A bee on a purple flower
Important step forward in delivering on election commitment to safeguarding bees, butterflies and the wider environment
A complete ban on use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides has moved a step closer today (Saturday 21 December), as the government sets out its plans to deliver a key election pledge.
Despite being banned from general use in the UK, the last government authorised the use of neonicotinoids every year for the last four years in England via a process known as emergency authorisation.
Neonicotinoids are extremely toxic to pollinators. Even at doses that are not directly fatal to bees they can cause cognitive problems impacting foraging abilities and the productivity of hives. The chemicals can also persist in the soil creating a further risk to bees.
Bees and other pollinators are crucial to the agricultural economy with the economic benefits of pollination to crop production in the UK estimated at £500 million annually.
The Government has set out its next steps, including identifying legislative options that would legally prevent the future use of three specific neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – entirely, taking full account of the importance of pollinators.
Environment Minister Emma Hardy said:
“We are delivering on our promise to ban toxic bee-killing pesticides and ending the long-term decline of our wildlife.
“A healthy environment is vital to our food and economic security. Protecting bees by stopping the use of damaging neonicotinoids is an important step in supporting the long-term health of our environment and waterways, and our farming sector.”
The move comes ahead of the publication of a new UK National Action Plan (NAP), which will set how pesticides can be used sustainably.
Ensuring that our food production is sustainable is key to the long-term health of the agricultural sector, as well as the nation’s food security. The Government’s Plan for Change is built on the strong foundation of a stable economy.
The Government commitment to farmers remains steadfast and we are fully committed to supporting farmers to protect their crops in more sustainable ways. There has already been progress in this space, including research into new virus-resistant varieties of sugar beet and new alternative pesticide sprays, and we will continue to support this work.
The announcement today builds on the swift action the Government has taken to recover nature more widely. This includes committing to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan and new delivery plans to meet targets on air quality, the circular economy and water. In the first few months of this government, legislation was introduced to put failing water companies under special measures to curb pollution in our waterways and a Flood Resilience Taskforce was introduced to speed up the creation of nature-based solutions, like planting trees to protect communities against the impact of extreme weather.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The legal requirements for emergency authorisations have not changed today and any applications for 2025 will be considered under the law as it stands.
The Neonicotinoids Policy Statement applies to England only.
The UK Government will look to work with the devolved governments to seek a shared and consistent way forward.
£5 billion was set aside in the Budget for farming over two years, including the single biggest amount of money ever allocated for sustainable food production and nature recovery.
The full Neonicotinoids Policy Statement can be found here
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments
Groundbreaking breeding programme to develop new generation of British grown Douglas fir trees after decades of research.
Credit: Forestry Commission
Douglas fir is native to North America and has been used in British forestry for over 100 years. Demand is rising rapidly and currently; we import much of our seed from the USA or France and there is a need to develop a strain that is specialised for British conditions.
For decades there have been incomplete attempts to develop British Douglas fir seed sources suited to our conditions, but now a government funded project led by the Conifer Breeding Cooperative has overcome this and will grow the next generation of Douglas fir from British tree seeds.
The project involved the selection of 200 visually superior trees from the best Douglas fir plantations in Britain, as well as 40 genetically superior trees from long-term experiments managed by Forest Research.
This selection of outstanding Douglas firs will now be used by the Conifer Breeding Cooperative and Forest Research as breeding stock to produce British Douglas Fir seed. The chosen trees will be copied by grafting cuttings onto rootstocks, after the grafted plants will go into seed orchards. In several years, once seeds are available, they will be supplied to forest nurseries to grow the first genetically improved British Douglas fir trees.
Richard Whittet, Head of Tree Breeding at Forest Research and Chair of the Conifer Breeding Cooperative, said:
“We have selected a new generation of Douglas fir trees for breeding, based on their adaptation to the British climate and timber properties which is an important step forward for the resilience of our nation’s trees.
“This achievement is the result of decades of work by Forest Research and our domestic and international partners. Collaboration has enabled us to get things done on the ground and harness new technologies, such as the low-cost DNA marker array for quality assurance.”
Sir William Worsley, Chair of the Forestry Commission, said:
“We are facing a changing climate and biodiversity decline, with trees playing a significant role in mitigating some of the worst impacts.
“We rely too heavily on timber imports in the UK and if we are to strengthen own domestic supply then this type of science will play a huge role in the future. Therefore, there has never been a more crucial time to invest in domestic tree-planting”.
A DNA fingerprint – which shows the genetic make-up of each tree – has also been taken of each tree by Oxford University. This is the first time this technique has been used at such an early stage of a tree breeding programme in Great Britain. The DNA fingerprint is used as a quality-control tool to track and evaluate the tree’s parentage and enable traceability. This important data will help advance the project.
Douglas fir is a desirable timber-producing tree for Britain and this step forward to develop a resilient British population will ensure better yield for our domestic timber industry. Fast growing conifers such at this sequester carbon more quickly than slower growing species. Using timber in construction, in place of other non-renewable materials, is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. It also ensures that carbon is locked up long-term.
Today’s development will help bolster the domestic timber industry as part of the Government’s critical mission to make the UK clean energy superpower and ensure we are resilient to a changing climate. This is the latest government innovation in the fight to protect our nation’s trees and woodlands.
The project partners involved are Conifer Breeding Coop, University of Oxford, and Forestart and it has been funded by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
Additional Information:
The trials were first established in the 1990s as part of a European Commission project with several international partners including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
01.23.25
Citing Waffling on Commitment to Hanford Cleanup Agreement, Cantwell Votes Against Advancing Trump’s DOE Nominee
In committee hearing last week, DOE nominee Chris Wright fell short of pledging to honor the negotiated Hanford cleanup agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a longtime member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, voted against advancing the nomination of Chris Wright, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to consideration by the full Senate.
In a committee markup today, Sen. Cantwell cited an exchange with Wright during a hearing last week – when she questioned him on whether he’d pledge to uphold the newly negotiated agreement between the State of Washington, DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that directs cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site in the Tri-Cities, and he fell short of giving a concrete answer.
“I voted for the last Trump Energy Secretary nominee and appreciated working with him. The first thing he said when he came here is ‘Hanford and cybersecurity are going to be his number one priorities,’ and I believed him, and he carried through on that commitment,” Sen. Cantwell said.
“I understand Mr. Wright has enthusiasm for DOE’s role in the national laboratories, and he testified about Hanford having given this country quite a mess and it needed to be cleaned up. However, his commitment to the Tri-Party Agreement and upholding it was unsatisfactory. This is such a big issue for the State of Washington,” she continued. “I hope maybe between now and the floor [vote], I might get a stronger commitment on this, on the Tri-Party Agreement. [It’s] essential for my state to have that commitment.”
The negotiated agreement, which includes the Tri-Party Agreement, spells out how the State of Washington, the DOE, and the EPA must cooperate to ensure that cleanup of the radioactive nuclear waste at Hanford remains in compliance with federal law.
Sen. Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in overseeing the DOE’s cleanup efforts, fighting numerous Administration proposals to cut Hanford budgets.
Throughout the first Trump administration, Sen. Cantwell repeatedly led the charge in opposing drastic cuts to the Hanford budget, and in 2020 she led a successful effort to defeat a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that could have diverted billions in funding from ongoing clean-up projects.
In January 2021, at the nomination hearing for former Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Cantwell secured a pledge to fully fund Hanford cleanup from the nominee. Secretary Granholm visited the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland and the Hanford site with Sen. Cantwell in August 2022 and they discussed the need for increased and sustained funding.
Video of today’s committee markup is available HERE, audio HERE, and a transcript HERE.
A positive step towards the development of local industry6 min read
In early December, the Victorian Government announced a series of measures designed to reinvigorate Victoria’s economy and encourage business investment in the state. Among these announcements was the release of the new Victorian Critical Minerals Roadmap (the Roadmap), targeting further development of the industry in Victoria to take advantage of the state’s critical minerals deposits.
The Roadmap is an encouraging sign of Government support for the development of critical minerals projects and a recognition of some of the challenges proponents face including, in particular, a slow and uncertain approvals process. It also highlights the Government’s vision of Victoria as a leading supplier of ‘ethically-sourced’ critical minerals through equitable sharing of benefits between local communities, Traditional Owners and proponents, and the maintenance of high environmental standards.
This Insight provides an overview of the Roadmap and some of its key initiatives.
Key takeaways
The Roadmap sets out an ambitious vision for developing the critical minerals industry in Victoria, centred around four guiding themes: mapping the opportunities; a modernised regulatory regime; production and processing; and sharing the benefits.
It includes several concrete initiatives that the Government proposes to implement over the next 12 months across these four themes as well as possible longer-term initiatives. The Roadmap is intended to be a live document that will be reviewed and adapted to changing circumstances.
Importantly, the Roadmap outlines several actions that the Government is already taking or will implement in the short term to streamline and reduce uncertainty in the approvals process for critical minerals projects.
It also contemplates developing a community benefit sharing model, and inviting Traditional Owners to co-design a benefit sharing model, in the short term.
There is some uncertainty about how the Government plans to balance sometimes competing objectives in the Roadmap – for example, encouraging investment while ensuring equitable sharing of benefits between proponents, local communities and Traditional Owners. However, overall, the indication of support from the Government is a positive step in the industry’s further development in Victoria.
Background
Victoria is the latest Australian jurisdiction to recognise the importance of facilitating the development of local critical minerals and strategic materials resources to support the transition to a carbon net-zero economy and, in the case of critical minerals, secure diversified supply.
Although it garners little public awareness, Victoria holds significant deposits of critical minerals and strategic materials (in particular, in the northwestern and central regions). The Victorian Government estimates the value of Victoria’s critical minerals endowment to be approximately $200 billion and that a local critical minerals industry could support up to 7,000 jobs.1
Overview of the Roadmap
The Roadmap sets out the Government’s vision for a ‘strategically and economically important critical minerals industry’ in the state. In particular, the Government envisages a ‘world-leading ethical critical minerals sector’ that:
has timely approvals for development;
delivers significant economic benefits for regional communities;
is environmentally responsible;
creates opportunities for future downstream industries; and
forms strong and lasting partnerships with local communities and Traditional Owners.
As the Roadmap is intended to be a live document that is reviewed and updated at regular intervals, it focuses on concrete actions to be undertaken in the short term while outlining possible future initiatives to be considered at a later date.
Deep dive – four core themes
The actions that the Government proposes to undertake over the next 12 months and possible future initiatives are centred across four themes, which are explored below.
Mapping the opportunities
The first theme promises to modernise geoscience data and to use geological mapping to assist in identifying new critical minerals opportunities, with land use assessments identifying future areas for development, referred to as ‘Critical Minerals Priority Development Zones’ (Priority Zones). The Victorian Government has established a whole-of-government critical minerals taskforce, led by Resources Victoria, to coordinate the Government’s actions in Priority Zones, including approvals facilitation and community consultation to drive faster development. A strategic land use assessment pilot program is currently underway in north-west Victoria to define mineral sands Priority Zones. The Roadmap flags that, based on this first pilot, in the short term, the Government will also commence a strategic land use assessment potential to identify a Priority Zone for antimony projects in central Victoria.
In addition, within the next 12 months, the Government intends to develop a policy regarding when the Minister will exercise their powers under section 7 of the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 (Vic) (MRSD Act) to designate areas as exempt from minerals exploration and development. The powers granted under section 7 are broad and entitle the Minister to exempt land for any reasons they decide to be appropriate. However, in making such a decision, the Minister must take into account the known or potential value of the resources, the impact that the proposed exemption may have on that value, and the social and economic implications of the decision. We expect that this policy will be of interest to those assessing the viability of potential development opportunities, as it will provide greater certainty regarding when the Minister is likely to exercise these powers.
Modernised regulatory regime
The Roadmap outlines several key initiatives and reforms aimed at streamlining and improving the approvals process for mineral exploration and mining projects. This is a welcome development, as approval timeframes for exploration activities in Victoria lag those in other mining jurisdictions and a lack of transparency in the approval process has been cited as a key deterrent for investment.2
This will primarily be delivered through the implementation of reforms in the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Amendment Act 2023 (Vic) (MRSD Amendment Act), which will commence by 1 July 2027. These reforms introduce a duty-based model for regulation, which imposes a duty on a licence or work authority holder to eliminate or minimise, as far as reasonably practicable, the risk of harm to the environment, the public, land, property or infrastructure by its exploration, extractive industry, mining or rehabilitation of land or related activities (the breach of which will be an offence). The licence or work authority holder will not be able to commence work until the department head has determined whether the risk level for the licence or authority is lower, moderate or higher which, in turn, determines the obligations with which the holder must comply. The existing requirement to lodge work plans will no longer apply, however rehabilitation plans will continue to be required for moderate or higher-risk operations. Rehabilitation for lower-risk operations will need to be undertaken in accordance with a compliance code made under the Act. Although these reforms are intended to reduce the time and administrative burden of the existing approvals processes, largely by removing the work plan approval process, whether they are effective in doing so will depend on the details of their implementation.
Importantly, the Roadmap also indicates that the Government has committed to reforming the Victorian Environment Effects Statement process to facilitate accelerated approvals, with a targeted timeframe of no longer than 18 months for assessment under that process as a result of sharper assessment scopes and the provision of extra support to proponents.
Further, the Government has extended Resources Victoria Approvals Coordination (RVAC), a division of Resources Victoria, until 2027 so that it can continue, through its case management role, to assist with reducing the uncertainty associated with earth resources development approvals. It is not clear whether RVAC will continue to focus, in the mining workstream, on critical minerals and gold given the Roadmap also provides for the establishment of a new Critical Minerals Coordination Office (CMC) within Resources Victoria within the next 12 months with responsibility for all critical minerals project approvals. It may be that the CMC assumes responsibility for critical minerals projects while RVAC continues to be responsible for gold resources. The Roadmap does not include any further detail regarding the division of responsibility between the two offices.
Overall, these initiatives are designed to provide clearer regulatory pathways, reduce administrative burdens, ensure timely project approvals and maintain high environmental standards while fostering responsible investment in Victoria’s critical minerals sector.
Local production and processing
Across Australia, industry participants and governments have sought to explore opportunities to develop downstream critical minerals processing and end-use manufacturing capabilities. If done right, there are clear economic, security and environmental benefits that can be achieved through this. The Roadmap promises to continue to investigate these opportunities. This is a promising show of support, and industry participants will keenly await the announcement of any initiatives to navigate the challenges that Australia faces in competing with other jurisdictions for future investment in production and processing, including relatively higher labour costs and more stringent environmental regulation.
Sharing benefits
The Victorian Government has also indicated its intention to design ‘benefit sharing models’ involving regional communities and Traditional Owners. These benefits are stated to be both financial and non-financial. The Roadmap sets out key principles underpinning these proposed models, including that the benefits of Victoria’s mineral wealth should be shared equitably, and that these benefits include tangible and non-tangible opportunities. These models may, for example, encompass environmental protection, the building of a local workforce to support the development of the industry, and other means of enriching local areas. Investment in projects located in regional areas will undoubtedly contribute to local communities through employment and training opportunities and increased economic activity. It remains to be seen how the Government intends to balance these potentially competing benefit sharing objectives with the desire to create an attractive investment environment for proponents.
Continuing a trend of government support
This latest announcement continues the trend we have observed in recent times of increasing government support across Australia and globally for the development of the critical minerals industry, including:
governments globally, including Australia’s, have engaged in government-sponsored initiatives to secure diversified supply of critical minerals;
the New South Wales Government released its Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy 2024–35, including a centrepiece announcement of a $250 million royalty deferral initiative for critical minerals projects;
the Western Australian and Federal Governments announced initiatives to support critical minerals investment, namely Western Australia’s Battery and Critical Minerals Strategy 2024-2030, and support for the critical minerals industry in the recent Federal Budget; and
This is a promising trend that we expect to see continue given the challenges the volatility inherent in the markets for critical minerals present in developing projects and obtaining funding sources.
Next steps
The Victorian Government’s Roadmap is a step in the right direction to encourage investment in critical minerals projects in the state. Stakeholders at all stages of the critical minerals value chain – be they explorers, producers, financiers or otherwise – are likely to benefit from these initiatives.
However, given the significant regulatory changes to be implemented under the MRSD Amendment Act and the need to balance the potentially competing interests of proponents, local communities and Traditional Owners, time will tell how effective the Government’s proposed policy changes are at attracting investment in the exploration and development of the state’s critical minerals resources.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
January 23, 2025
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with former U.S. Congressman Sean Duffy, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Secretary of Transportation. During their meeting, Durbin asked Duffy about President Trump’s recent executive order directing agencies to immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and what that means for the future of transportation and infrastructure projects already underway. Durbin also advocated for ongoing infrastructure projects in Illinois, including the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension and the Chicago Hub Improvement Project to modernize Chicago Union Station and its surrounding infrastructure.
Durbin also raised the importance of Amtrak funding, and emphasized how many freight railroads run through Chicago as the rail hub of North America. Projects across the state, including the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program in Chicago and the Springfield Rail Improvements Project in Springfield have sought to alleviate congested rail corridors and chokepoints. Both projects received additional federal grant awards this past fall.
“Today, I had a productive meeting with former Congressman Sean Duffy, who has been nominated to serve as Secretary of Transportation,” Durbin said. “I shared the importance of funding ongoing infrastructure projects in Illinois like the CTA’s Red Line Extension Project and the Chicago Hub Improvement Project. If confirmed, I hope he will build upon the work started by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and ensure none of these projects are unnecessarily delayed.”
-30-
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Section of road within frontier closed area near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok opens today (with photos) Section of road within frontier closed area near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok opens today (with photos) ******************************************************************************************
The Government has, with effect from today (January 24), opened a specified section of road within the frontier closed area (FCA) near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok, by exempting the requirement to apply for a closed area permit for the public travelling by green minibus passing through this section of road, with a view to facilitating travel for members of the public and tourists to Lin Ma Hang Village and Robin’s Nest Country Park. A spokesman for the Security Bureau stated, “Robin’s Nest Country Park was established in November last year. Having considered public views on opening the relevant section of road within the FCA near Lin Ma Hang Village and after careful study of the feasibility, the Government decided to implement special arrangements to open the relevant road portion.” The Hong Kong Police Force published in the Gazette today that, pursuant to section 38A(1) of the Public Order Ordinance, the requirement to apply for a closed area permit would be exempted for any person travelling to and from Lin Ma Hang Village by green minibus passing through the road within the FCA between Wang Lek and the entrance of Lin Ma Hang Village. Starting from today, members of the public and tourists can take green minibus No. 59K (Sheung Shui Station – Lin Ma Hang) from Sheung Shui MTR Station to reach Lin Ma Hang Village through the relevant section of road within the FCA. After alighting, members of the public can visit tourist attractions such as MacIntosh Forts and Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine directly via the Lin Ma Hang Country Trail and can continue towards the direction of Sha Tau Kok via the Robin’s Nest Country Trail to enjoy the scenery around Yan Chau Tong and Shenzhen Wutong Mountain. “We hope this measure can facilitate visits by members of the public and tourists to Robin’s Nest Country Park and nearby areas for sightseeing and experiencing Hong Kong’s rich geological features and historical heritage,” the spokesman said. The spokesman added that this exemption is only applicable to persons travelling by green minibus through the relevant section of road within the FCA and does not apply to private vehicles, taxis or other vehicles without a valid closed road permit, or to members of the public using other means of travel such as walking or cycling. “In fact, there are various ways to visit Robin’s Nest Country Park, not limited to the above road within the FCA. Members of the public and tourists may choose other transportation means and routes, including New Territories green minibus No. 55K (Sheung Shui Station – Sha Tau Kok), KMB bus No. 78K (Sheung Shui Station – Sha Tau Kok), or KMB bus No. 277A (Lam Tin Station – Sha Tau Kok), to arrive at the Tam Shui Hang stop of Sha Tau Kok Road (Shek Chung Au), and then to the entrance of the Lin Ma Hang Country Trail through Shan Tsui Village Road. Public transport operators will closely monitor passenger demand and reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to enhance frequency according to actual passenger growth,” the spokesman said. For more information on Robin’s Nest Country Park, please visit the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk) or the Enjoy Hiking website (www.hiking.gov.hk).
Headline: Expressing Firm Determination to Solve Global Environmental Problems and Promote Business Transformation Using AI
He introduced the example of Panasonic HX, which efficiently supplies renewable energy by controlling the coordination of pure hydrogen fuel cells, solar cells, and storage batteries using an advanced energy management system while responding to changes in electric power demand and weather conditions. This solution is already in operation at the Kusatsu site in Japan and a manufacturing site in the UK, and it will be deployed in an office building in Munich, Germany, this spring.
Kusumi also spoke about the OASYS residential central air conditioning system to be released in the US market, which air conditions and ventilates an entire house using a combination of a mini split air conditioner, an energy recovery ventilator, and transfer fans using a DC motor-driven ventilation system. He pointed out that it is at least 50% more energy efficient*1 than conventional air-conditioning systems.
＊1: Conventional air-conditioning systems use a heat pump cooling system (14.2 SEER2) and a gas furnace (80% AFUE) for houses that are performance-compliant with IECC 2015. OASYS uses Panasonic’s mini split air conditioners and transfer fans for both cooling and heating functions in houses that are performance-compliant with OASYS-required specifications (estimated by converting gas energy consumption to electricity).
In recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have taken the spotlight for their contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Regarding automotive cylindrical lithium-ion batteries that support the widespread use of EVs, Kusumi mentioned that Panasonic has supplied a total of 15 billion cells to power over 3 million EVs. He also introduced the 2170 cell with the world’s highest energy density,*2 the high-capacity 4680 cell, whose mass production will begin soon, and the company’s collaboration with major carmakers. Furthermore, he mentioned the partnership with Redwood Materials Inc. in the US for the purchase of recycled cathode active materials and copper foil. JB Straubel, CEO of Redwood Materials, joined Kusumi and offered words of encouragement, “Panasonic is an incredible leader when it comes to technology and their commitment to sustainability.”
＊2: As of January 8, 2025, survey by Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd.
Upcoming issues will introduce key figures engaged in Panasonic HX, OASYS, and the automotive cylindrical lithium-ion battery business.
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
[embedded content]
To watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement, clickhere or the image above.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today voted to advance the nomination of Lee Zeldin to be the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin’s nomination was favorably reported by the EPW Committee with a bipartisan vote of 11-8, and now heads to the full U.S. Senate for consideration.
Below is the opening statement of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.
“Last week we heard from Congressman Zeldin on his plans for the Agency and his views on the EPA’s role in protecting public health and the environment, and how the Agency’s actions intersect with our economy.
“Congressman Zeldin, I think, was an excellent witness. He described his intent to take a collaborative approach both as Administrator, and demonstrated also through his work with Congress, and this Committee, and all its members to address the pressing issues of environmental needs that our nation faces in this moment.
“In particular, I deeply appreciated Congressman Zeldin’s efforts to meet with all members of the Committee prior to his hearing and his commitment to work with all of us to address the issues we have raised that impact our constituents, states, and our country.
“If he said it once, he said it probably a dozen times that transparency is going to be one of the hallmarks of his service.
“I believe he is well qualified for the position of Administrator and will be an excellent addition to the President’s Cabinet.
“His past experience as the Congressman representing New York’s 1st Congressional District gives him a unique understanding of how Congress makes laws, oversees the Executive Branch, and what is expected when it gives a mandate to federal agencies.
“As a Representative from a northeastern state and a district with a diverse set of political views, he understands what it means to build consensus to achieve durable results.
“He also has the necessary experience and integrity as a veteran of the war of terrorism, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army reserve, an attorney, and a former Congressman to implement the President’s agenda at the Agency pursuant to congressionally provided authority.
“Finally, I was very pleased during his testimony to see how he intends to run the Agency in line with the laws that Congress has passed, with the goal of prioritizing EPA’s actions on the core responsibilities of the Agency that are essential to protecting health and our land, air, and water.
“As we have seen over the past 25 years, the policies of the EPA can have a significant impact on not just the environment, but our economy.
“The EPA should support policies and set rules that improve the environment while allowing innovators to grow the economy and protecting the pocketbook of American families. I believe that’s a win-win.
“Unfortunately, too often the EPA has strayed from its mission, instead smothered small businesses and communities, I can speak from experience – my state of West Virginia, with red tape and forced higher costs on our constituents, a lose-lose.
“My home state of West Virginia, as I stated, has felt the negative impacts of EPA’s regulatory overreach in [recent] years, devastating portions of the State’s economy and putting my constituents out of work.
“Congressman Zeldin has shown that he understands the importance of striking the right balance to improve the lives of Americans across the country and to protect the environment, while also uplifting communities and cities across the nation.
“I urge our colleagues to support Congressman Zeldin’s nomination so we can get the EPA back to the basics of improving the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that we use.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography, School of People, Environment and Planning, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
Luxon specified mining and tourism among a number of sectors where the government was anticipating and facilitating growth. Having researched these sectors across the Pacific and Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 30 years, we would echo a cautionary approach.
There is certainly scope for more activity in both sectors. But there also needs to be a dose of realism about what they can deliver, and recognition of the significant risks associated with focusing solely on growth.
NZ is not Australia
Luxon wants to see mining “play a much bigger role in the New Zealand economy”, comparing the local sector with the “much higher incomes” generated in places such as Australia. If we wanted these, he suggested, we need to be aware it is “mining that pays” them.
But it is simplistic to compare domestic mining’s potential to the industry in Australia, which exports more than 400 times as much mineral wealth as New Zealand.
In addition, mineral wealth does not necessarily translate into significant increases in local or even national wealth. This is especially relevant when the local sector is dependent on foreign investment, high levels of imports and offshore expertise for construction and operations, highly volatile commodity prices and generous taxation regimes.
Luxon cited Taranaki and the West Coast as potential areas where mining could deliver “higher incomes, support for local business and families, and more investment in local infrastructure”.
The West Coast has seen the longest continuous presence of large- and small-scale gold and coal mining (for well over a century). And yet the region consistently scores among the worst for socioeconomic deprivation. Mining itself does not create regional development.
The ‘critical minerals’ cloak
The prime minister also gave a nod to the minerals “critical for our climate transition”.
While it’s true that “EVs, solar panels and data centres aren’t made out of thin air”, they are also not made in any significant way with the minerals we currently or might potentially mine (aside from some antimony, possibly).
The “critical minerals” argument risks being a cloak for justifying more mining of coal and gold.
So, even leaving aside the very real (though unacknowledged by Luxon) environmental risks, mining will not be the panacea the government suggests, and certainly not in the short term.
New Zealand does need mining, of course. Aggregates for roads and construction are the most obvious “critical mineral”. But the country also deserves a 21st-century sector that is environmentally responsible and transparent, and which generates real returns for communities and the national economy.
The tourist trap
Echoing Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ speech earlier in the week, Luxon also said “tourism has a massive role to play in our growth story”.
Willis said, “We want all tourists.” But this broad focus on high-volume tourism goes against international best practice in tourism development.
The negative impacts of a high-growth tourism model have been well documented in New Zealand. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s 2019 report – titled “Pristine, popular … imperilled?” – warned of the environmental damage that would be caused by pursuing this approach.
Mayors and tourism industry officials have responded to the Willis and Luxon speeches this week by expressing concern that boosting tourism numbers will only work if there is more government funding.
This is needed to manage growth and provide infrastructure, particularly in areas with low numbers of ratepayers. The need stretches from providing public toilets for busloads of tourists flowing through MacKenzie District, to maintaining popular tracks such as the West Coast Wilderness Trail.
A 2024 report from Tourism New Zealand showed 68% of residents experienced negative impacts from tourism, including increased traffic congestion and rubbish.
Further expansion could see tourism losing its social licence – a dire outcome when international tourists particularly value the “warm and welcoming” nature of locals.
High value vs high volume
Luxon and Willis point to major employment wins from tourism growth. But tourism is notorious for creating low-income, insecure jobs. This is not the basis for strong and sustainable economic development.
While we agree with Luxon that our tourism industry is “world class”, we risk seriously damaging that reputation if we compromise the quality of experience for visitors.
Post-COVID, there have been significant efforts by the tourism industry to support and implement a regenerative approach. This aligns with a high-value – or “high values” – approach, rather than being fixated on high volume.
We are not arguing against mining or tourism per se. Rather, we are sounding a caution: they are sectors that need careful assessment and regulation, and reputable operators, to deliver sustainable and equitable growth, regionally and nationally.
Simply generating profits for foreign investors and leaving local communities to deal with the costs cannot be a sustainable model.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs detects case of illegally importing animals in third phase of “Pet Guardian” operation (with photos) Hong Kong Customs detects case of illegally importing animals in third phase of “Pet Guardian” operation (with photos) ******************************************************************************************
Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation against smuggling of animals codenamed “Pet Guardian” with the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Shenzhen Customs since November 2023. In late January this year, Hong Kong Customs launched the third phase of the operation and detected one suspected case of illegally importing animals on January 22. Four suspected illegally imported animals with an estimated market value of about $120,000 were seized. On that day, Hong Kong Customs at Sha Tau Kok spotted a woman pushing a bike, who entered Hong Kong through the Chung Ying Street Checkpoint from the Mainland side of Chung Ying Street. The front basket of her bike carried two handbags suspected of containing animals. Customs officers then took action and found four suspected illegally imported animals, including one kitten and three puppies, inside the handbags. The 32-year-old woman was subsequently arrested. Investigations of the case is ongoing and the four animals have been handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up action. Being a government department specifically responsible for tackling smuggling, Customs has long been combating various smuggling activities on all fronts. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to resolutely combat all types of smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, and carry out targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to disrupt relevant crimes. Customs reminds the public that importing animals into Hong Kong without a valid permit is an offence. Under the Rabies Regulation, any person found guilty of illegally importing animals, carcasses or animal products is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for one year.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Import of poultry meat and products from Goleniów District of Zachodniopomorskie Region in Poland suspended Import of poultry meat and products from Goleniów District of Zachodniopomorskie Region in Poland suspended ******************************************************************************************
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 27) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Goleniów District of Zachodniopomorskie Region in Poland, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong. A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 3 480 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland in the first nine months of last year. “The CFS has contacted the Polish authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.
Source: The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Policy. For weeks, residents of the Los Angeles area have watched raging fires consume their homes, belongings, beloved pets, and childhood memories. Almost immediately, firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure. Today, at least 28 people have lost their lives and thousands more have lost everything else, with some damage estimates calculating hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.
This tragedy affects the entire Nation, so it is in the Nation’s interest to ensure that California has what it needs to prevent and fight these fires and others in the future. Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to provide Southern California with necessary water resources, notwithstanding actively harmful State or local policies. And it is the policy of the United States to assist Americans in disaster areas through responsive policies that more effectively empower them to rebuild and regain their livelihoods.
Sec. 2. Overriding Disastrous California Policies. (a) The Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall expeditiously take all measures, consistent with all applicable authorities, to ensure adequate water resources in Southern California. Each shall report to me within 15 days on all authorities, including emergency authorities, available to ensure, require, maintain, or use infrastructure necessary to fight and prevent massive wildfires in Southern California.
(b) In particular, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries. The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall consider actions including those consistent with the “No Action Alternative” in the Final Environmental Impact Statement issued November 15, 2024, by the Bureau of Reclamation on Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.
(c) The Secretary of the Interior, including through the Bureau of Reclamation, shall utilize his discretion to operate the CVP to deliver more water and produce additional hydropower, including by increasing storage and conveyance, and jointly operating federal and state facilities, to high-need communities, notwithstanding any contrary State or local laws. The Bureau of Reclamation shall take all available measures to ensure that State agencies — including the California Department of Water Resources — do not interfere with the Bureau of Reclamation’s operation of the project to maximize water delivery to high-need communities or otherwise, including but not limited to the issuance of a new Record of Decision maximizing water deliveries and consistent with the 2020 Record of Decision.
(d) In accordance with section 6 of the Executive Order of January 20, 2025 (Declaring a National Energy Emergency), the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, and in accordance with section 1536 of title 16 United States Code, shall expedite action related to any exemption under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., for the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and the State Water Project for all applicable threatened and endangered species.
(e) The Secretary of the Interior shall promptly review, revise, or rescind any regulations or procedures specific to implementation of section 1536 of title 16 United States Code, as needed and consistent with applicable law, to conform with the plain meaning of the statute.
(f) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall identify all ongoing or potential major water-supply and storage projects within the State of California for which they have joint responsibility under the ESA or individual responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.
(g) For each such project identified under subsection (f), the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall each designate one federal official to coordinate each agency’s respective NEPA and ESA compliance responsibilities. Within 30 days from the date of this order, each designated official shall identify any regulatory hurdles that unduly burden each respective water project, identify any recent changes in state or Federal law that may impact such projects from a regulatory perspective (including Public Law 118-5), and shall develop a proposed plan, for review by the Secretaries, to appropriately suspend, revise, or rescind any regulations or procedures that unduly burden such projects and are not necessary to protect the public interest or otherwise comply with the law. In so doing, each designated federal official will coordinate and share all appropriate information that will enable improved efficiencies. For the purposes of this order, “unduly burden” means to unnecessarily obstruct, delay, curtail, impede or otherwise impose significant costs on the permitting, utilization, transmission, delivery, or supply of water resources and water infrastructure.
Sec. 3. Ending the Subsidization of California’s Mismanagement. (a) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall review all Federal programs, projects, and activities for all relevant agencies that impact land management, water availability, water supply, water storage and delivery, water infrastructure, and disaster preparedness and response.
(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, to ensure that State and local jurisdictions promote sensible land management practices and reliable water supply for all Americans, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce shall jointly report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, regarding California State and local policies or practices inconsistent with sound disaster prevention and response.
(c) The Director of OMB, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, shall recommend appropriate action to the President, regarding:
(i) any lack of compliance by California with the terms of existing Federal grants, contracts, or other financial assistance to States or localities; and
(ii) beneficial additional terms that may be added with respect to any future Federal programs, projects, or activities to ensure sound disaster prevention and response.
Sec. 4. Additional Actions to Help Los Angeles Families. (a) Housing Displaced Families. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of FEMA, shall expeditiously provide an Integrated Federal Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan to the Director of OMB and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs that expedites options for housing relief to survivors displaced by wildfires in California.
(b) Expediting Waste Removal. Within 5 days from the date of this order, to accelerate the rebuilding of areas devastated by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of FEMA, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall develop and execute a plan to expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris.
(c) Effectively Using Grants to Improve Fire Preparedness. The Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of FEMA, shall immediately implement a plan to enable the timely and appropriate use of Federal preparedness grants for the City of Los Angeles. As of the date of this order, the city has yet to use the majority of its $213 million allotment that has accrued since fiscal year 2021. These Federal preparedness grants shall not be used to support illegal aliens. The Attorney General, in coordination with the FEMA Administrator, shall investigate the misuse of these grants by the City of Los Angeles and take appropriate action to address such misuse.
Sec. 5. Additional Actions to Help North Carolina Families. (a) Clearing Roads. To accelerate rebuilding and community recovery, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Administrator of FEMA, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall immediately take all necessary and appropriate measures, including through direct assistance, loans, and other available means, to expedite roadway clearance or rebuilding, including the section of Interstate 40 in North Carolina that remains closed, and the repair or rebuilding of roads and bridges on private property in areas of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.
(b) Housing Displaced Families. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall immediately provide an Integrated Federal Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs that expedites options for housing relief to survivors displaced by Hurricane Helene.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 24, 2025.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Introduction of deposit return scheme will be a step forward in ending the throwaway society and cleaning up Britain
The Government has today (Monday 27 January) pledged to end the throwaway society and clean up Britain, as it implements legislation for the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.
Once the scheme launches in October 2027, consumers will have a financial incentive to return empty containers to a collection point, such as at their local supermarket, so that the bottle or can will be recycled.
Used in more than 50 countries worldwide as a common-sense means of encouraging people to recycle more single-use bottles and cans, a DRS sees people being paid back for returning the container.
Countries such as Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland have successfully implemented schemes, ensuring valuable materials are collected, recycled and made back into new drinks containers – a truly circular approach easily grasped by the public. The average return rate for European countries with a DRS is 90%, according to global eNGO Reloop, with Germany showing the best results at 98%.
Introducing such a scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a simple yet hugely effective way of addressing problems with rubbish building up on our streets and in our rivers and oceans, while also ensuring the public gets money back on their bottle.
Across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, consumers buy an estimated 30 billion single-use drinks containers each year – including 12 billion plastic drinks bottles and 13 billion drinks cans. An estimated 6.5 billion single-use drinks bottles and cans per year go to waste rather than being recycled, with many ending up littered. Research from the Marine Conservation Society shows 97% of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items in 2023.
Encouraging everyone to get involved in recycling, the DRS will be introduced in October 2027, with 150ml to three-litre single-use drinks containers made from plastic and metal included in the scheme.
Delivering these reforms and driving investment in the recycling sector delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change through kickstarting growth, ensuring economic stability, greater efficiency, and jobs fit for the future.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said:
This Government will clean up Britain and end the throwaway society.
This is a vital step as we stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our streets, rivers and oceans and protect our treasured wildlife. Turning trash into cash also delivers on our Plan for Change by kickstarting clean growth, ensuring economic stability, more resilient supply chains, and new green jobs.
Northern Ireland’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said:
I have ambitious goals to protect our climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste. The creation of a Deposit Return Scheme plays a key part in delivering those goals.
The introduction of the new parliamentary regulations is a significant step in that process and signals our commitment to move forward together to make those ambitions a reality.
New legislation for England and Northern Ireland has now come into force, enabling the appointment of the scheme administrator – known as the Deposit Management Organisation – in April 2025. This will be a not-for-profit, industry-led body responsible for the administration and day-to-day running of the scheme.
With Scotland’s own regulations also progressing, this marks a major step forward for the introduction of the scheme across the three nations.
The three governments will ensure the scheme is implemented effectively, working closely with businesses to provide the infrastructure and investment to make it a success.
A Deposit Return Scheme really is a silver bullet that will get plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans out of our parks, off our streets and away from our rivers and seas.
Depressingly we litter, burn or bury millions of drinks containers each and every day. This legislation will end all that, save the taxpayer millions in clean-up costs and give recycling a real shot in the arm.
Backed and paid for by producers, this method of retrieval and recycling is tried and tested the world over so at Keep Britain Tidy we are putting out the bunting that this government is committed to make it happen, for us all.
Stephen Moorhouse, Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB Business Unit, said:
We’ve been supportive of launching a DRS across the UK for a number of years as they are a proven way of increasing recycling, reducing waste and tackling litter. Therefore, we welcome the clarity provided by the regulation for England and Northern Ireland and are encouraged by recent developments that will ensure an aligned scheme with Scotland, despite wider challenges around a UK-wide approach.
Delivering to the timelines will be challenging but achievable, and now is the time for industry to roll up its sleeves to create a well-designed system that works for businesses, shoppers and the environment.
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said:
We are pleased to have certainty on the DRS regulations so local shops can start to prepare for October 2027 and our communities can realise the benefits of reduced litter and higher quality recycled materials.
Now the real work begins to make the deposit return scheme a success through cross-industry partnership and a planned network of return points that work for customers.
Sandy Luk, Chief Executive at the Marine Conservation Society, said:
Today marks a fantastic win for our seas, as MPs voted in favour of a deposit return scheme in England and Northern Ireland. With plans already in motion in Scotland and the Welsh Government exploring an ambitious scheme to include reuse, this is a great step towards schemes starting across the UK in October 2027.
Last year, 97% of surveyed UK beaches were polluted with bottles and cans, posing threat to marine life like seabirds and seals. Deposit return schemes will not only boost recycling and move us towards a circular economy where nothing is thrown away but also significantly reduce this kind of beach pollution.
We’re excited to support governments and industry in launching these schemes as soon as possible.
Hitting this milestone is another big step forward for the Government’s collection and packaging reforms, which together will support 21,000 new jobs and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling over the next decade.
The action to clean up Britain doesn’t end there – there is more to come as the Government moves to ensure the throwaway society is ended for good.
Legislation has been laid to ban the sale of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025 and prevent the waste of precious resources – eNGO Material Focus estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in 2023.
The Government has also announced that a £15 million government fund will help deliver thousands of tonnes of food from farms which would otherwise go to waste to those who need it most.
A conservation effort led by Auckland Council rangers to assist one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most treasured native birds is delivering groundbreaking results.
At least 55 rare hihi chicks have hatched in Shakespear Regional Park’s Open Sanctuary this summer – a first for the species in more than a hundred years.
Auckland Council Parks Committee chair, Councillor Ken Turner, says the commitment from staff, local iwi, volunteers, and the Department of Conservation to reintroduce hihi to the Auckland mainland is a significant step to secure the future of this distinctive forest songbird.
“I’m hugely thankful for the work that our rangers and others do to build on the conservation of our region’s flora and fauna. The success of this project will give hihi the boost it needs to flourish again, and Aucklanders an opportunity to experience these little treasures in their natural environment,” Cr Turner says.
The new chicks have emerged following a carefully managed journey in June 2024 for 40 adult hihi, also known as stitchbirds, from predator-free Tiritiri Matangi Island to a new mainland home at Shakespear Regional Park.
Senior Ranger of Shakespear Open Sanctuary Matt Maitland says the council’s Regional Parks northern team, Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society (SOSSI) and Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, who all worked together on the translocation, have been thrilled to see so many of the birds breeding.
“The number of healthy chicks to arrive has exceeded all our expectations, given it’s the first breeding season in their new home,” says Mr Maitland.
“They are the first hihi – one of NZ’s rarest forest birds – to hatch and succeed in the area since disappearing from mainland Auckland in the 1870s.”
Mr Maitland credits an ongoing focus from partners involved in the project for its success, with translocation support provided by the Hihi Conservation Charitable Trust, the Department of Conservation Hihi Recovery Group, and Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi.
A couple of hihi were lost due to natural causes, but this is a great result compared with an unsuccessful translocation attempt in 2022, Mr Maitland says.
The hihi is nationally threatened, with Te Hauturu-o-toi Little Barrier Island holding the only naturally-surviving population since the 1880s.
Recovery efforts have recently established small populations in pockets around the North Island, including at Tiritiri Matangi. Shakespear Open Sanctuary now brings the total number of hihi habitats to eight.
There are thought to be around 2000 hihi in the country, making it one of New Zealand’s rarest native birds.
The council and SOSSI volunteers will continue to closely monitor the new population at Shakespear Regional Park, while working with other partners to provide enhanced protection to their habitat alongside education initiatives.
SOSSI volunteer Maree Johnston and Auckland Council ranger Bruce Harrison carefully undertake the task of banding a hihi chick.
Considerable progress has been made to restore services following Storm Éowyn but some impacts are set to continue, a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) chaired by the First Minister has heard.
Extensive work by utility companies, national agencies and local authorities has continued at pace over the weekend to respond to the significant damage caused by the storm.
More than 265,000 customers have had their electricity restored since Friday, with the road, ferry and aviation networks resuming a near normal service.
The scale, extent and severity of the storm has made the recovery operation a significant challenge, with issues remaining on the power and rail networks.
There are around 16,000 properties without electricity, with utility companies continuing to provide support to affected customers.
The rail network is recovering from multiple, major issues particularly in the Central Belt. Network Rail are working to repair the damage, with lines opening when safe to do so, enabling ScotRail to run services as soon as they are able.
While most schools are expected to reopen following the weekend, damage to some buildings will mean at least 20 will remain closed until repairs are made.
First Minister John Swinney said:
“I want to thank those working in the public, private and third sector who continue to work tirelessly in difficult conditions to get Scotland fully back on its feet following this extremely serious storm.
“I also appreciate the continued patience of the public while this work continues, and encourage them to take extra care and look out for each other, particularly those who are supporting vulnerable neighbours and family members.
“The severity of the damage caused by this major event has had a considerable impact across a wide area of the country. While every effort has been made over the weekend to fully restore services, unfortunately it is clear some disruption can continue to be expected.
“Utility companies are doing all they can to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. They continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.
“Network Rail has been dealing with more than 500 incidents, including significant treefall, and some routes are still affected, particularly in the Central Belt. I understand that every possible resource is being used to ensure services are up and running as soon as possible.
“I would therefore urge rail commuters to plan their journeys ahead. The latest information can be found on Network Rail and ScotRail social media accounts and websites.
“While most schools will reopen, a small number are expected to be closed so buildings can be made safe. I expect Local Authorities to be giving advance warning to parents, pupils and staff, where this is necessary.”
Background
SGoRR was attended by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Contance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs Culture Angus Robertson and Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website.
Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website.
Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on the SP Energy Website.
During a power cut firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters. For advice on how to stay safe during a power cut visit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Website.
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Kapag sinabing “environmentally friendly” ang isang produkto, iniisip na mahal, sosyal, at pangmayaman ito nang marami. Pero ang isang negosyo, may sikreto kung bakit abot-kaya ang kanilang sustainable cleaning products — ang pagtanggal ng single-use plastic (SUP) mula sa produksyon.
Hulyo 2022 nang magsimula ang kwento ng Sabon Express, sa layuning mahikayat ang publikong gumamit ng boteng matatagpuan na sa kanilang bahay sa tuwing bibili ng sabong panlinis. Ani Mellany Zambrano, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ng kumpanya, talamak kasi ang bentahan ng household cleaning materials sa plastic sachet at mga boteng itatapon lang din.
“Our campaign is towards [a] refill revolution,” sabi ni Mellany sa panayam ng Greenpeace Philippines. “So ‘yun ‘yung pangarap namin, na ‘yung mga Pilipino ay magiging responsable sa paggamit ng mga plastic na bote at mga lalagyan. Hindi ‘yung wala lang tayong pakialam na we are after convenience, na bumibili tayo, bumibili, kumukonsumo, at nagtatapon ng plastic.”
“So ang gusto natin is bumili tayo consciously, magkonsumo tayo at maging responsable tayo na hindi tayo makadagdag sa lumalalang plastic pollution.”
Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace
“Sachet country” kung ituring ng ilan ang mga bansang Third World gaya ng Pilipinas. Aabot sa 164 milyong sachet ang ginagamit sa bansa araw-araw, bagay na naiipon sa mga landfill, kanal at karagatan. Ito ay dahil sa walang-tigil na produksyon ng SUPs ng mga malalaking korporasyon at kawalan ng batas para rito.
Marami rito’y pinaglagyan ng personal care (19%) o household cleaning products (17%). Hindi ito nabubulok at bumabara sa mga estero, bagay na nagpapalala sa baha tuwing may bagyo. Nadudurog lang ito hanggang sa maging microscopic. Pwede itong malanghap, mainom, o makain bilang “microplastic” na siyang nagdudulot ng pagkabaog at cancer.
‘Di gaya ng mararangyang bayan, limitado ang kakayahan ng mga Pinoy na bumili nang bultuhan. Dahil dito, pumatok ang konsepto ng “tingi” na siyang sinakyan ng mga dambuhalang kumpanya lalo na’t hindi ito mabigat sa bulsa. Nakapako kasi sa P645 kada araw ang minimum wage sa Metro Manila — ang pinakamataas sa buong Pilipinas — samantalang P1,205 kada araw ang kinakailangang kita ng pamilyang may limang miyembro para mabuhay nang disente.
Plastic packaging: salarin sa mahal na produkto?
Isa sa appeal ng plastic ay ang “mababang presyo” nito. Pero alam n’yo bang malaking bahagi ng binabayaran ng consumer sa mga produkto ay packaging?
Karaniwang 10% hanggang 40% ng kabuuang retail price ng iyong binibili ay dahil sa lalagyan nito. Gayunpaman, dedepende ito sa uri ng packaging material na ginamit, laki at bigat ng produkto, at production process. Ito’y nasa porma ng plastic na bote, galon, sticker labels, shrink plastics o sachet na madalas itinatapon matapos ang isang gamit.
Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace
Sa pagtalikod ng Sabon Express sa SUPs at pag-engganyo sa customers magdala ng sariling bote at lalagyan, nagawa tuloy nilang makapaglabas ng produktong mas mura kaysa sa mga ibinebenta sa malls at supermarkets.
“Every time na bumibili kayo ng inyong mga produkto na gumagamit ng mga single-use plastics… at itinatapon niyo, hindi lang kayo nakakadagdag sa polusyon kundi actually nagsasayang po kayo ng pera,” prangkahang pagbabahagi ni Mellany.
“Kami po as manufacturer, ito po ay tapat na sinasabi namin sa inyo. Kayo po actually ay nagsasayang ng minimum 30% to a maximum of 70% [ng presyo ng produkto] sa packaging na itinatapon ninyo… So, imagine ninyo po ‘yung mase-save po ninyo [oras na umiwas kayo rito] at imagine din po ninyo yung perang itinatapon ninyo every time po nagpa-patronize kayo yung single-use plastic.”
Sa halagang P20, makabibili ka na ng 400 milliliters na dishwashing liquid sa Sabon Express. Ang kailangan mo lang gawin, magdala ng sariling bote o lalagyang ire-refill. Malayo ang presyo nito kumpara sa mahigit-kumulang P100 halagang dishwashing liquid (355 ml sachet refill pack) na mabibili gaya ng kilalang brand na Joy.
Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace
Ang Sabon Express ay isang case study ng University of Portsmouth sa United Kingdom bilang bahagi ng research at campaign nito sa pagbubuo ng isang Global Plastics Treaty. Una nang sinabi ni Mellany na naging katuwang nila ang Department of Science and Technology (DOST) sa pagtitimpla ng kanilang mga produkto.
Gayunpaman, aminado si Mellany na wala pang insentibo mula sa gobyerno para itulak ang mga negosyong maging plastic-free. Malaki raw sana ang magagawa ng pagpapababa ng buwis para mga negosyong gaya ng kanila para maeengganyo ang iba pa. Bukod pa rito, mainam daw kung mapapadali ang pagproproseso ng business permits atbp. dokumento.
‘Kulturang tingi’ pwede palang eco-friendly
Isa ang kulturang “tingi” ng mga Pilipino — o pagbili ng mga produkto sa maliitang sukat — sa isinisisi ng ilan sa pamamayagpag ng mga plastic sachet atbp. SUPs sa bansa. Pero alam n’yo bang environmentally-sustainable ang pinagmulan nito bago i-hijack ng mga korporasyon gamit ang mga plastic na pakete?
Tradisyunal na nagdadala ng kani-kanilang mga bote, garapon at bayong ang mga Pinoy noon sa mga palengke at sari-sari store na siya nilang pinupuno ng produkto sa tuwing bibili. Ang “reuse and refill” practice na ito ang nais ibalik ng mga negosyo gaya ng Sabon Express, bagay na kanilang minomodernisa sa pamamagitan ng mga makabagong kagamitan.
Kaugnay nito, nagdisenyo sila ng mga agaw-pansing vendo machines para mapadali ang proseso ng refilling sa kanilang mga tindahan. Hindi inumin o pagkain ang iniluluwa nito kundi dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioner, liquid detergent at hand soap. Puwede itong sahurin gamit ang mga lalagyang dala ng customer kontra plastic pollution.
Tumatanggap ang kanilang mga makina ng P5, P10, at P20 barya.
Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace
“Our dream is to be visible in all supermarkets, convenience stores, public markets, grocery stores,” patuloy ni Mellany.
“Pangarap po namin na laging merong Sabon Express dispensing machines or vendo machines na makakapag-offer ng murang produkto para sa mga Pilipino, para sa mga consumers na magdadala ng sarili nilang [containers]… para mabigyan po ng pagkakataon ‘yung lahat ng Pilipino na makabili ng produkto na high quality pero very affordable.”
‘Plastics Treaty’ at insentibo sa sustainable MSMEs
Bahagi ang Sabon Express, sampu ng iba pang progresibong negosyo, sa lumalawak na koalisyong Champions of Change. Layon nitong pagbuklurin ang mga Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) atbp. negosyong lumalaban sa krisis ng SUPs. Nabuo ito sa inisyatiba ng Greenpeace International, Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Break Free From Plastic.
Lumaki ang grupo sa hanay ng mga entrepreneur habang hindi pa rin napagkakaisahan ng mga kasapi ng United Nations ang isang Global Plastics Treaty. Itinutulak dito ng Greenpeace ang hindi bababa sa 75% na pagbabawas sa produksyon ng plastic kasabay ng SUP bans.
Ayon kay Mellany, malaki ang maitutulong ng isang malakas na tratado sa pagsugpo ng plastic pollution para makapagbalangkas ng polisya ang mga bansang aayon at raratipika rito.
“A more concrete [example of this would be] sana… ma-incentivize ‘yung mga MSMEs na kagaya namin at magkaroon ng solid support ng government sa mga negosyo [na plastic-free],” paliwanag niya nang matanong kung ano ang nais niyang makita sa kasunduan.
Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace
Dagdag pa niya, responsibilidad ng mga negosyong maging kampeon ng kalikasan upang matiyak na malinis at mapakikinabangan ito ng mga susunod na henerasyon. Aniya, walang “satellite Earth” na malilikasan ang mga tao kung saka-sakaling tumindi ang krisis.
Napipintong plantsahin ng huling pagpupulong ng Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) ang isang Global Plastics Treaty sa darating na 2025. Nananawagan ang Greenpeace Philippines sa UN member states na pagkaisahan ang isang tratadong magtitiyak ng karapatan sa kalusugan at ligtas na kapaligiran habang hinihikayat ang publikong suportahan ang mga negosyong tumatalikod sa plastic wala pa mang kasunduan.
These laws have leveraged billions of dollars in government support to drive private sector investments in clean energy supply chains across the country.
For several years, one of us, Jay Turner, and his students at Wellesley College have been tracking clean energy investments in the U.S. and sharing the data at The Big Green Machine website. That research shows that companies have announced 225 projects, totaling US$127 billion in investment, and more than 131,000 new jobs since the Inflation Reduction Act became law in 2022.
You may have seen news stories that said these projects are at risk of failure or significant delays. In August 2024, the Financial Times reported that 40% of more than 100 projects it evaluated were delayed. These included battery manufacturing, renewable energy projects and metals and hydrogen projects, as well as semiconductor manufacturing plants. More recently, The Information, which covers the technology industry, warned that 1 in 4 companies were walking away from government-supported grants for battery investments.
Workers assemble battery packs for electric vehicles in Spartanburg, S.C. New battery plants in the state will help move the supply chain closer to U.S. EV factories. BMW
We checked up on all 23 battery cell factories announced or expanded since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed – almost all of them gigafactories, which are designed to produce over 1 gigawatt-hour of battery cell capacity. These factories have some of the largest employment potential of any project supported by the act.
We wanted to find out if the boom in U.S.-based clean energy manufacturing is about to go bust. What we have learned is mostly reassuring.
The biggest battery factories are on track
While the exact investment totals are challenging to pin down, our research shows that planned capital expenditures add up to $52 billion, which would support 490 gigawatt-hours of battery manufacturing capacity per year – enough to put roughly 5 million new electric vehicles on the road.
While not all 23 companies have announced their hiring plans, these facilities are expected to support nearly 30,000 new jobs, with projects mostly in the U.S. Southeast, Midwest and Southwest.
We wanted to know if these projects are on track or experiencing delays or problems.
To do that, we first reached out to local and state economic development agencies. In many instances, local and state tax incentives are supporting these projects. Where possible, we sought to confirm the project’s status through public data or formal announcements. In other instances, we looked for news stories to see if there is evidence of construction or hiring.
Of the 23 projects, our research shows that 13 appear to be on track, with total planned capital investments in excess of $40 billion and nearly 352 gigawatt-hours per year of capacity. Importantly, these include most of the biggest projects with the largest investments and projected production.
By our count, 77% of the total planned capital investment, 79% of the proposed jobs and 72% of the planned battery production are on track, which means that a project is likely to happen, roughly on time, and generally with their expected level of investment and employment.
Three projects are on the bubble. These have shown progress but experienced delays in construction or financing.
Five others show deeper signs of distress. We don’t yet have enough information to draw a conclusion on two projects.
An example of a project that is on track is Envision AESC’s battery factory in Florence, South Carolina. Its scale has been expanded twice since it was first announced in December 2022. It is now a $3 billion investment intended to manufacture 30 gigawatt-hours of batteries annually to supply BMW’s factory in Woodruff, South Carolina.
In early October 2024, South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey conducted a tour of the Envision site and posted a video. Construction on the plant started in February 2024, and 850 workers are working six days a week to finish the 1.4 million-square-foot facility by August 2025. Once it goes into full production, the project is expected to employ 2,700 people.
2024 election could end or accelerate the boom
But a lot hinges on what happens in the upcoming elections.
Our data suggests the real risk that these projects and projects like them face isn’t slow demand for electric vehicles, as some people have suggested – in fact, demand continues to climb. Nor is it local opposition, which has slowed only a few projects.
The biggest risk is policy change. Many of these projects are counting on Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credits authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act through 2032.
On the campaign trail, Republicans up and down the ticket are promising to repeal key Biden-led legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes grant funding and loans to support clean energy as well as tax incentives to support domestic manufacturing.
While full repeal of the act may be unlikely, an administration hostile to clean energy could divert its unspent funds to other purposes, slow the pace of grants or loans by slow-walking project approvals, or find other ways to make the tax incentives harder to get. While our research has focused on the battery industry, this concern extends to investments in wind and solar power too.
So, is the big boom in U.S.-based clean energy manufacturing about to go bust? Our data is optimistic, but the politics is uncertain.
Joshua Busby receives funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. He is affiliated with the Center for Climate and Security and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
James Morton Turner and Nathan Jensen do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The City of Greater Bendigo is undertaking a review of its Immunisation Services to ensure the service is meeting the needs of the community.
Residents can have input into the review by completing a short online survey on the City’s community engagement website Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo by Wednesday December 4, 2024.
City of Greater Bendigo Acting Manager Community and Environmental Health, Sue Harrison said in the last financial year the City provided a total of 10,504 immunisations at community sessions (6,725), school sessions (3,333) and 446 influenza vaccinations for City staff.
“The City’s free immunisation services are accessed by a large number of people and by undertaking a review we want to find out residents experiences and satisfaction with the current service,” said Ms Harrison.
“This is an important project because we want to gain an understanding of the challenges and barriers residents may face when accessing the service and identify what’s working well and the areas where improvements could be made,
“The information provided by residents through the survey will help us to determine how often, and where, public immunisation clinics are held, if we need to provide better access to the clinics and if services are being delivered in the best possible way.
“The review is about building community trust and knowledge and we really want to hear the thoughts of residents about the services they use so we can ensure they can access the services they want and need.”
The survey opens on Wednesday November 6 and will close on Wednesday December 4, 2024.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
For Immediate Release:
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:
Today, the FDA published “Catching Up with Califf: One Health – Optimal Public Health Outcomes for Humans and Animals in Our Shared Environment,” by FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. Dr. Califf discusses One Health and the FDA’s mission to collaborate across disciplines and sectors to promote the health of humans and animals; and taking into account agricultural and environmental issues, using science, technology, and innovation to better understand and define policies that involve these intersections. The blog also provides details on FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine’s upcoming Symposium: “Paws, Claws, Hooves, Fins, and Feet—Advancements through a One Health Approach.”
On Monday, the FDA published the Supplement to the 2022 Food Code. The Supplement updates the 2022 Food Code with recommendations made by regulatory officials, industry, academia, and consumers at the 2023 Biennial Meeting of the Conference for Food Protection. The Food Code and its Supplement provide government and industry with practical, science-based controls for reducing the risk of foodborne illness in retail and foodservice establishments of all types. The Food Code and the Supplement are joint projects by the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety and Inspection Service.
On Monday, the FDA, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced the registration of the first antimicrobial treatment for pathogen reduction in pre-harvest agricultural water—a landmark achievement in enhancing food safety. This product effectively combats foodborne pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella in water used to grow crops. It is the first label amendment approved under a revised efficacy protocol–designed by the FDA and EPA–to ensure robust treatment options are available for agricultural use.
On Monday, the FDA authorized marketing of LumiThera, Inc.’s Valeda Light Delivery System to help improve vision in certain dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients. According to data on AMD prevalence estimates analyzed by the CDC, in 2019 an estimated 19.8 million Americans aged 40 years and older were living with some type (dry or wet) of AMD.
“Today’s action brings to market the first therapeutic option for adult patients with dry AMD,” said Malvina Eydelman, M.D., director of the Office of Ophthalmic, Anesthesia, Respiratory, ENT and Dental Devices at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “This authorization reinforces FDA’s commitment to assuring access to innovative, safe and effective medical devices to treat high-prevalence, degenerative conditions.”
The Valeda Light Delivery System uses three light emitting diodes that generate light at different wavelengths to provide treatment to the patient’s eye. Treatment with the device after approximately two years can provide an average improvement in vision equivalent to around one line on an eye chart.
On Friday, the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations arrested a Massachusetts spa owner, Rebecca Fadanelli, for allegedly performing thousands of illegal injections of counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvederm on clients for over three years. If you or a family member believe you received services involving a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device from Fadanelli and/or Skin Beaute Med Spa in Randolph and South Easton, Mass. between 2021 through and including to the present date, please complete the questionnaire located on the FDA’s website here.
Related Information
Related Information
###
Boilerplate
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.
Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered money for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2018-2022 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFIE), relating to a proposed merger with First CECO Environmental Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of CECO will commence a tender offer to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Profire common stock at a price of $2.55 per share.
NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:
Do you file class actions and go to Court?
When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
What cases did you recover money in and how much?
About Monteverde & Associates PC
Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.
Contact: Juan Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740 New York, NY 10118 United States of America jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com Tel: (212) 971-1341
Attorney Advertising. (C) 2024 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Four handbooks on ecosystem restoration for coastal hazard mitigation, focusing on salt marshes, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, and sandy coasts, were released in both Chinese and English, officials said on Tuesday. The guides aim to provide a “Chinese solution” to global coastal ecological challenges by showcasing examples of disaster reduction and restoration practices.
Jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the International Union for Conservation of Nature at the 2024 China-Island Countries Ocean Cooperation Forum, the handbooks compile research findings and restoration strategies for coastal ecosystems, including insights from both domestic and international sources, according to Li Lin, director of the marine warning and monitoring department of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The handbooks explain each step in the technical process, including baseline ecological surveys, diagnostics, restoration goals and measures, as well as monitoring, effectiveness evaluation, and adaptive management, Li said.
Since 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources, along with the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and other agencies, has promoted coastal protection and restoration projects. These efforts have strengthened ecosystems’ capacity to mitigate marine disasters like typhoons and storm surges. The release of the handbooks is intended to guide these practices, Li added.
A south Canterbury community group has looped in help from an unlikely source to improve water and soil quality in their catchment, with four shipments of dung beetles coming to their aid.
While most people actively avoid creepy crawlies, Barkers Creek Catchment Group is shipping them in by the hundreds.
The local community group was allocated funding by the Ōrāri Temuka Ōpihi Pareora (OTOP) Water Zone Committee to support their project, a catchment-wide release of dung beetles which aims to bring long-term soil and water quality improvements to the Barkers Creek area, a sub-catchment of South Canterbury’s Waihī River. The next shipment of beetles is set to be released in coming weeks.
Dung beetles and their role in agriculture
Dung beetles dine on the manure of grazing animals, including cows, sheep, alpacas and horses. The adults feed on dung before tunneling beneath the manure, then filling their tunnels with balls of dung, in which they lay their eggs. The piles of dung quickly disappear, broken down into the soils below.
By reducing run-off from paddocks into waterways, and with the nutrients being recycled back into the soil, water and soil quality is greatly improved, along with plant and animal health.
In most parts of the world, the beetles are strongly connected to livestock, but not here in New Zealand. Although we have native beetles, they have adapted to a forest environment and don’t provide any support in processing manure in our pastoral system.
Group Chair Danette McKeown said the beetles are a novel approach to an age-old problem for the small 34 sq km catchment, which is largely rolling terrain with heavy clay soils.
“Research shows they’re great on sloping land; they tunnel down so you have less dung to run off in a rainfall event, and they improve the structure of hard clays,” she said.
It’s a long-term project, as it can take five to seven years to know if the colony has become established, but Danette said the benefits are wide-reaching for the greater catchment.
“It was a no-brainer for us. Water quality was one of our priority issues as a catchment, with sediment and nutrient run-off issues because of our rolling clay terrain,” she said. “We’re also aware the closer to the source, the cheaper and more effective the remediation. So, we were looking for ‘close to the source’ mitigations.
“Dung beetles are a passive solution, they keep working for us and we can then focus our attention and funds on other things, like riparian planting and fencing off waterways.”
Community group bringing catchment-wide benefits
The dung beetle project is the latest in a long raft of successful initiatives undertaken by the Barkers Creek Catchment Group.
Made up of local farmers, they initially came together seven years ago to collaborate with us and the OTOP water zone about Plan Change 7of the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.
Today their work is driving landscape-scale improvements to the wider catchment, with current and future projects that include:
pest control
trapping
bat monitoring
regenerating native bush blocks
and creating corridors of native riparian planting.
“We’re focused on actions with good value,” Danette said.
“If we’re going to spend money undertaking work, we want to get the widest benefits we can, so we’re focused on projects that have more than one singular outcome.”
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
In the Koptevo district in the north of Moscow, construction of a house under the renovation program has been completed. It was erected at the address: proezd Cherepanovykh, house 54a. This was reported by the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.
“The residential complex is located within walking distance from the Koptevo and Likhobory MCC stations. This is a single-section building with 119 apartments and an underground parking lot for 88 cars. The first non-residential floors house the concierge and stroller rooms; in the future, shops, services, order pick-up points or other organizations will open there,” said Vladislav Ovchinsky.
The finished improved finish in the new apartments meets the standards of the renovation program.
To ensure that the house fits harmoniously into the architectural ensemble of the area, its facades were made of suspended wall panels faced with clinker tiles. In addition, air conditioner baskets were installed on the external walls of the building, and the entrance groups were decorated with stained glass.
The yard was landscaped, a children’s playground with a safe rubber surface, a sports area and recreation areas were equipped.
“On the instructions of Sergei Sobyanin, special attention is being paid to the quality of work on residential properties under the renovation program in the capital. A total of 13 control and supervision events were held at the site. The committee’s specialists assessed the quality of construction work, finishing, installation of engineering systems and the completed improvement of the adjacent territory. Based on the results of the final inspection, a conclusion was issued on the compliance of the house on Cherepanov Drive with the design documentation,” noted the Chairman of the State Construction Supervision Committee
Previously Sergei Sobyanin reported, that 1.2 trillion rubles have been allocated in the draft budget for three years to implement the renovation program.
Renovation program approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. In 2023 alone, 59 new buildings in the capital were handed over for settlement and the relocation of over 47 thousand people was ensured. Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin ordered to increasethe pace of implementation of the renovation program has doubled.
Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction rates and volumes. Over the past five years, within the framework of the federal project “Housing” of the national project “Housing and Urban Environment” the volume of construction and commissioning of residential buildings in the capital has doubled: from three million to five to seven million square meters per year. More information about national projects being implemented in Moscow, you can find out here.
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.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Spain is still reeling from recent floods in the Valencia region. In some areas, a year’s worth of rain fell in a single day. Sudden torrents raced through towns and cities. Over 200 people are dead. Rapid analysis suggests daily rainfall extremes in this region and season have become twice as common over the last 75 years and become 12% more intense.
The World Meteorological Organisation has pointed out that climate change is steadily increasing the risk of extreme floods like these. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, about 7% more per degree Celsius of warming. More moisture generally leads to more intense rainfall, and therefore more extreme floods.
The physics of how temperature influences the atmosphere’s capacity to hold moisture has been known for close to 200 years. But we’ve learned something worrying more recently. When water vapour condenses to form rain droplets, it releases heat which can fuel stronger convection and boost updrafts of air currents in storms. This means the intensity of extreme rainfall could increase not just 7% per degree of warming, but over twice that rate.
Last week, CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology released their biennial report on the State of the Climate, which found “heavy short-term rainfall events are becoming more intense”. Australia, the report states, has already warmed 1.5°C since national records began in 1910. In recent years, extreme rains have triggered devastating floods in New South Wales and Queensland.
The question now is – are we prepared for these more damaging floods? This year, Australia updated the climate change section of Australia’s flood design guidance. But while this will help ensure that future infrastructure is better able to weather extreme floods, our current bridges, roads and stormwater drains have not been built to weather these increases in extreme rainfall. Similarly, our flood planning levels – used to determine where houses, offices, hospitals and so forth can be built – have generally not factored in the reality of the threat.
More floods and more extreme
Many of us would have learned about the water cycle in school. Water evaporates from seas and lakes before falling as rain and filling lakes and rivers, which eventually makes it back to the sea.
Unfortunately, climate change is making this cycle more intense, as detailed in a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Rain is more likely to fall in intense short-duration bursts which are more likely to trigger floods.
This year alone, we have seen disastrous and deadly floods from extreme storms across the Americas, Asia and Europe. Scientific analysis has showed these floods were more severe due to human-caused climate change.
Australia is not immune. The devastating northern New South Wales floods of 2022 took 24 lives and ravaged towns such as Lismore. These floods are the most expensive natural disaster to date in Australia, costing A$5.65 billion in damages.
How do you prepare for worse floods?
When urban planners set flood planning levels, or engineers begin designing a new bridge or rail line, they have to take floods into account. To do so, they will inevitably reach for the local bible, Australia’s flood design guidance.
Before 2024, this document allowed for a 5% increase in rainfall intensity per degree of global warming, and generally applied it only to infrastructure intended for a very long lifespan. This clashed with most scientific studies on the topic both globally and in Australia, which showed much greater increases, and that these increases are already being witnessed.
To provide better flood guidance, we and our colleagues undertook a comprehensive review of over 300 scientific papers covering climate change in Australia and extreme rainfall.
The review proved we had been underestimating the threat of extreme rains and subsequent floods. Rain events over a 24-hour period leading to flooding are likely to increase at 8% per degree of warming, not 5%. Hourly rainfall extremes are likely increasing even faster, at 15% per degree.
Worse, these are just the central estimates. The wide range of plausible values suggests some rain events could eclipse these. For daily or longer extreme rains, the range is 2–15%. For hourly or shorter periods, that figure is 7–28% for hourly or shorter duration.
Over the month of February in 2022, the Lismore region had about 600–800 mm of rain – much more than a normal February, which might see closer to 150 mm on average. These floods took place with just 1.1°C of warming since the pre-industrial period. On our current path, it’s possible the world could warm another 1.5°C or more by the end of this century. If this happens, these rainfall totals could be substantially higher and more likely to cause even worse flood impacts.
These new figures have now been included in the August update of Australia’s flood design guidance. This is good news. It means future decisions on infrastructure and planning can now be well informed by the latest science on how climate change influences flood risk.
Over time, this will ensure essential infrastructure can be built to endure worse floods. It will affect the design and construction of everything from local stormwater drains to levees, bridges, culverts and dam spillways.
Preparing for extreme floods is complex. Pictured: water spilling out from a manhole during Spain’s floods. Fernando Astasio Avila/Shutterstock
Local councils can use it to set the height of floor levels for property development. State and federal decision-makers can use it in planning for responses to flood emergencies.
Does it mean we can avoid disastrous floods like those in Spain and Lismore? Yes and no. We now have the knowledge and tools to adapt to the increased risk levels already arriving. Yet implementing this will be challenging. In many cases, it will require retrofitting or redesigning existing infrastructure to withstand more intense flooding.
Climate change is no longer something we can file under “problem for the future”. It’s here already. The flood risks we face today are already substantially worse than 25 years ago, and will continue to worsen. We must accelerate how we plan for extreme, rapid rainfall creating catastrophic floods like those in Spain.
Conrad Wasko receives funding from The University of Sydney and the Australian Research Council. Conrad has previously received funding from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Andrew Dowdy receives funding from University of Melbourne, including through the Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and the Melbourne Energy Institute.
Seth Westra is a Professor of Hydrology and Climate Risk at the University of Adelaide, Director of Research for the One Basin Cooperative Research Centre, and Chair of the Systems Cooperative. Seth receives funding from state and federal governments support decision making under hydrological or climatic uncertainty.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Luk Chung-hung and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (November 6):
Question:
There are views that most waste furniture is reusable, and for Hong Kong, collaborating with the Mainland in waste treatment is not only a superior mode of co-operation leveraging on the strong support of the motherland, but also crucial to the city’s efforts in reducing waste generation, turning waste into resources, and promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the quantity of waste furniture disposal as measured by weight in the past five years, together with a breakdown by household furniture and commercial furniture;
(2) as some members of the public have relayed that at present, they have to deliver waste furniture to public refuse collection points themselves, which is very physically demanding, whether the Government will, by drawing reference from the practice of treating and recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment, introduce a producer responsibility scheme on furniture, and commission contractors to provide services for to-the-door collection of waste furniture and the delivery of used furniture in suitable conditions as a donation to the underprivileged groups, so as to assist members of the public in the disposal of waste furniture and promote the turning of waste into resources; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as it is learnt that Hong Kong will explore with the Mainland the integration of waste resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, whether the Government will consider collaborating with the Mainland in creating new green industries for the treatment of household or commercial waste furniture that has a value and is reusable, and establishing a “green lane” for exporting waste furniture to the Mainland with the provision of tax incentives; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been attaching great importance to promoting the culture of “use less, waste less”, and vigorously promoting community-wide participation in waste reduction at source and clean recycling, with a view to achieving full utilisation of materials and minimisation of resources wastage. The Government’s support to the recycling industry is primarily based on the principles of market economy and fair competition. Meanwhile, consideration is also given to the feasibility of converting different types of waste into energy or resources, as well as the cost effectiveness of recycling, when determining priority and appropriate measures for various types of recyclables. In view of the diverse types of waste, in order to optimise the use of government resources, the priority of Government’s support measures will be accorded to the treatment of two types of wastes, including (i) wastes containing hazardous substances, which will pose hazards to the environment and human health (such as waste electrical and electronic products), and (ii) wastes of relatively large quantities that will be more cost-effective in alleviating burden on the landfills (such as waste plastics and food waste). For these two types of wastes, we will fill the gaps in the market through appropriate measures based on the relative economic value and environmental benefits of recycling. As regards recyclables with stable market value or items with an active second-hand market, the Government will allow the recycling industry and the private market to handle them in accordance with market principles which will be conducive to enhancing the economic value of recovery and recycling, thereby building a circular economy in the long run.
On the handling of used furniture, the second-hand market and trading platforms for used furniture are active in Hong Kong, and members of the public are aware of the mode of operation of the relevant market. For example, members of the public could arrange for the proper disposal of used furniture through furniture companies or trading platforms, or arrange for door-to-door collection by themselves in the course of purchasing new furniture.
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Luk Chung-hung is as follows:
(1) The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) does not keep separate statistics on the amount of furniture disposed of and thus is unable to provide relevant figures.
(2) At present, there are different channels and platforms in the market for second-hand sale, exchange, donation, refurbishment, and facilitating the reuse of furniture, including commercial organisations, social enterprises, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social media, to assist members of the public to handle used furniture. The public may choose suitable channels for trading, exchanging or donating their used furniture according to different circumstances and needs, such as the quality and quantity of the furniture, as well as their district of residence.
If members of the public need to dispose of used furniture, there are companies that provide furniture disposal services, the charges of which depend on the size, type and weight of individual furniture, as well as the relevant removal condition and the districts concerned. On the other hand, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and its contractors collect domestic waste, including disposed furniture, from its public refuse collection points, as well as the refuse collection points in public and private housing estates. Some residential buildings employ their own contractors to deliver disposed furniture by their residents, from the refuse collection points of their residential buildings to the public refuse collection points under the FEHD, or directly to the refuse transfer stations or landfills under the EPD for disposal. The arrangement for relevant disposal services has been operating effectively, and is generally in line with the “polluter pays” principle. Therefore, at present, we do not consider it necessary for the Government to provide door-to-door disposal services for used furniture for the public through a designated operator.
As most of the furniture is made of composite materials, containing a wide range of substances, such as plastics, wood trimmings, wood or other plant fibres, these composite materials are difficult to be separated into single materials for recycling by simple means, leading to very high cost of recycling and relatively higher carbon footprint in the process of recycling. Therefore, recycling is generally not a suitable outlet for used furniture. Encouraging members of the public to reuse the used furniture would better comply with the environmental principles and should be more cost-effective than recovery and recycling through producer responsibility schemes or other measures.
(3) We will continue to promote waste reduction at different levels of the community, maintain communication with the trade and stakeholders and join hands to publicise and promote the culture of “use less, waste less”, so as to cultivate a culture and habit of reusing, exchanging and donating used furniture in the society. Specific measures include collaborating with NGOs to explore ways to step up publicity and education on the donation or exchange of second-hand furniture at the community level, promoting the culture of “use less, waste less” through the Big Waster’s social media platform and the Government’s “Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website”, as well as further disseminating the relevant message at the district level through the community network of the “Green Outreach”.
As for the co-operation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Ecological Environmental Protection Plan” promulgated by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment vigorously promotes the development of a “Zero Waste” Bay Area. With this opportunity, Guangdong and Hong Kong have established a close co-operation and exchange mechanism on environmental issues to jointly explore the capacity and modes for developing a circular economy in the region, leveraging the competitive advantages of the two places, complementing each other’s strengths, and mutually developing green industries, green energy and related facilities. We believe that this will bring greater opportunities for the recycling industry in Hong Kong in the future.
We will continue to monitor the market situation and maintain communication with the trade, with a view to further fostering a culture of “use less, waste less” in the community and encouraging the reuse and donation of used furniture.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
In the South-Eastern Administrative District (SEAD) of the capital, 30 new buildings are being built on the site of old housing stock under the renovation program. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.
“The South-Eastern Administrative District is one of the leaders in relocating residents from old housing stock to new buildings under the renovation program. Thus, today in the southeast of the capital, 135 houses have been resettled, 81 of which have already been dismantled. Now 30 new buildings are being erected on the site of the demolition. The total area of apartments in them will exceed 480 thousand square meters. This will provide new housing to about 17 thousand city residents,” said Vladimir Efimov.
According to the renovation program in the South-East Administrative District, 818 houses are to be resettled. More than 164 thousand city residents will move into new apartments.
“The houses being built on the sites of demolished buildings are located in seven districts of the South-East Administrative District and are designed for approximately 8.5 thousand apartments. The leader in terms of construction is the Kuzminki district, where 10 residential complexes are being built under the renovation program – almost 2.9 thousand apartments with finished improved finishing will appear here. Nine houses are being built in Lublin, designed for a total of almost 2.6 thousand apartments, and in the Ryazan district – four buildings, which will house more than 1.7 thousand apartments,” added the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Urban Development Policy
In the South-Eastern Administrative District, 135 houses have already been resettled, where more than 24.6 thousand people lived. In the Lyublino district, almost 6.1 thousand city residents from 31 completely resettled houses have become the owners of new apartments. In Kuzminki, more than 5.8 thousand residents have moved from 29 completely vacated buildings, noted the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of City Property Maxim Gaman.
In addition, in the Nizhegorodsky District, more than 3.5 thousand city residents from 24 resettled houses signed contracts for new apartments under the renovation program, in the Lefortovo District – over 2.5 thousand residents from 17 such houses. In the Ryazansky District, 16 buildings were completely resettled, almost 3.2 thousand people received new apartments.
As the Chairman of the Moscow State Construction Supervision Authority noted Anton Slobodchikov, the south-east of the capital is also leading in terms of the volume of prospective construction under the renovation program. Since the beginning of the year, the State Construction Supervision Committee of the City of Moscow has issued permits for the construction of seven buildings in the South-East Administrative District, designed for a total of more than 2.3 thousand apartments with an area of over 134.6 thousand square meters. New buildings will appear in the Vykhino-Zhulebino, Lyublino, Kuzminki and Ryazansky districts.
Renovation program approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. In 2023 alone, 59 new buildings in the capital were handed over for settlement and the relocation of over 47 thousand people was ensured. Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin ordered to increase the pace of implementation of the renovation program has doubled. For these purposes, the draft budget for three years 1.2 trillion rubles have been pledged.
Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction rates and volumes. Over the past five years, within the framework of the federal project “Housing” of the national project “Housing and Urban Environment” the volume of construction and commissioning of residential properties in the capital has doubled – from three million to five to seven million square meters per year. More information about the national projects being implemented in Moscow can be found find out here.
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.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
The mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney’s beaches in mid-October were likely lumps of “fatberg” containing traces of human faeces, methamphetamine and PFAS, according to a new detailed analysis of their composition.
Initial reports suggested the ominous lumps were probably tar balls from an oil spill. However, analysis with a barrage of scientific tests has revealed a more complicated picture.
The mysterious black balls
On October 16, the first reports emerged from Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east. Lifeguards reported numerous black spheres on the sand that appeared at first glance to be tar-like.
Similar sightings were soon reported at nearby Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama and Maroubra beaches, prompting immediate closures and cleanup efforts. Authorities initially feared these could be toxic “tar balls”, leading to health advisories and public warnings.
Preliminary testing by Randwick Council was consistent with tar balls made up of oil and debris.
Oil – or something more disgusting?
We set out to find out exactly what the black balls were made of and where they came from. We ran a wide range of tests and analyses with colleagues from UNSW in collaboration with the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre and the the environmental forensics arm of the federal Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water (DCCEEW). We also collaborated with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), and Randwick Council.
Initial testing, based primarily on results from a technique called solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, suggested the material resembled unrefined oil. However, further testing indicated a different, more disgusting, composition.
A cross section of one of the balls, showing its sandy coating and surface, some fibres, and the core. Jake Ireland, CC BY
Analysing the elements involved revealed the black goop was mostly carbon. Radiocarbon dating then showed only about 30% of the carbon had a fossil origin, suggesting fossil fuels were not the major component of the balls.
We also identified significant levels of calcium, and much smaller amounts of various metals. Spectroscopic tests showed signatures in the black balls matching fats, oils and greasy molecules often found in soap scum, cooking oil and food sources. This pointed to human waste.
PFAS, drugs and signs of faeces
The next step was to see if we could dissolve the substance in organic solvents. Only about one-third to one-half of the mass dissolved this way.
We were able to take a closer look at the dissolved part using a technique called mass spectrometry, which identifies molecules by their weight and electric charge. This revealed molecules found in vehicle-grade fuels as well as organic molecules such as fatty acids and glycerides.
We also identified industrial perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS or “forever chemicals”), steroidal compounds such as norgestrel, antihypertensive medications such as losartan, pesticides, and veterinary drugs. This is consistent with contamination from sewage and industrial runoff.
The crushed up interior of one ball, ready for testing. Jon Beves, CC BY
There were also signs of human faecal waste, including a cholesterol byproduct called epicoprostanol and residues of recreational drugs including tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC, a compound found in the cannabis plant) and methamphetamine. This is consistent with contributions from domestic waste.
Analysing the part of the mass that we couldn’t dissolve proved more challenging. Here we tried solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and a method called Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which uses infrared light to detect chemicals. The results suggested the presence of fats, but they were not definitive.
Were the blobs lumps of fatberg?
So what does all this mean? The high levels of fats, oils, greasy molecules and calcium, along with the low solubility, are consistent with a “fatberg”: a congealed mass of fats, oils and greasy molecules that can accumulate in sewage.
The detection of markers of human fecal matter, medication and recreational drugs suggest the origin may be sewage or other urban effluent. However, while the composition of these black balls suggests they may be similar to fatbergs, we cannot definitively confirm their exact origin.
The black ball incident does highlight the broader issue of pollution along Sydney’s coastline.
Recent reports indicate about 28% of monitored swimming sites in New South Wales are prone to pollution. Many receive poor water quality ratings, especially after rain. Beaches such as Gymea Bay, Coogee Beach, Malabar Beach, and Frenchmans Bay have been identified as areas of concern, with advisories against swimming due to contamination from human faecal matter.
Urban waste pollution
Analysing and understanding urban waste pollution is not an easy task. It requires a multi-disciplinary approach.
To unravel the complex composition of the blobs, we used carbon-14 dating, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and microscopy techniques.
Even after all we did, we cannot yet draw definitive conclusions regarding the primary source of the blobs. This uncertainty reflects the broader challenges faced by scientists and environmental agencies in tracking and addressing pollution in coastal areas.
This incident underscores the importance of thorough scientific analysis in understanding environmental issues. By continuing to investigate the sources and composition of such pollutants, we can learn more about how urban waste management affects the health of our coasts.
This research was led by UNSW researchers, including Associate Professor Jon Beves, Dr Tim Barrows, Dr Martin Bucknall, Professor William Alexander Donald, Dr Albert Fahrenbach, Dr Sarah Hancock, Dr Christopher Hansen, Ms Lisa Hua, Dr Martina Lessio, Dr Chris Marjo, Associate Professor Vinh Nguyen, Dr Martin Peeks, Dr Aditya Rawal, Dr Chowdhury Sarowar, Professor Timothy Schmidt, Dr Jake Violi and Dr Helen Wang.
Jon Beves receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. He is affiliated with The Greens.
William Alexander Donald receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the US National Institutes of Health, iCare Dust Diseases Care, Coal Services NSW Health and Safety Trust, as well as industry-funded research contracts.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
A team of students from the Polytechnic University took part in the All-Russian and regional Olympiads in engineering and computer graphics (descriptive geometry).
The 23rd All-Russian Student Olympiad in Descriptive Geometry, Engineering and Computer Graphics “Geometryada” was held in Moscow at the Department of Engineering and Computer Graphics of the Russian Technological University – MIREA. Representatives of 22 Russian universities competed for the victory, including three from St. Petersburg – SPbPU, BSTU “VOENMEKH” named after D. F. Ustinov and SPbSUT named after prof. M. A. Bonch-Bruevich.
The Polytechnic University team participated in the Olympiad for the first time. The team included IMMiT students Kirill Khitushkin, Aidar Ibragimov, Matvey Leontyev, Anton Izyumov and Artem Doronin. In the team standings in the “Descriptive Geometry” section, the Polytechnics took third place. In the individual standings, Kirill Khitushkin also came in third. In the “Engineering Graphics” section, the SPbPU team entered the top ten.
The event was organized at the highest level. The opening ceremony left the most pleasant impressions. We successfully completed the tasks and gained valuable experience. We will look forward to participating next year to improve the result, – shared Matvey Leontiev.
The first experience of participation of the polytechnics can be considered definitely successful. A special role in such a significant result was played by serious regular training, which was provided by Associate Professor Tatyana Markova, who conducted systematic classes with candidates for the team, – noted Associate Professor of the Higher School of Design and Architecture of the Institute of Social Sciences Mikhail Kokorin, the head of the team.
Also, the regional student Olympiad in engineering and computer graphics (descriptive geometry) was held at BSTU “Voenmekh”, organized by the Committee for Science and Higher Education of St. Petersburg. The event was attended by 75 students from 12 St. Petersburg universities.
The Polytechnic University was represented by students of the Civil Engineering Institute majoring in Architectural Environment Design A. Glukhova and D. Otinova, as well as students of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy K. Khitushkin, A. Ibragimov, M. Leontyev, A. Izyumov and I. Zaborovsky. The team leader is Associate Professor of the Higher School of Design and Architecture of the Civil Engineering Institute Tatyana Markova.
The interuniversity jury checked and assessed the works, summed up the results. It included associate professors of the Higher School of Design and Architecture of the Institute of Social Sciences Mikhail Kokorin and Elena Knyazeva.
Polytechnician Kirill Khitushkin won the individual championship (29.63 points out of 30), Aidar Ibragimov took second place (28.5 points out of 30).
The Olympiad was memorable for its diverse tasks and the exciting search for solutions. It can be compared to solving a crossword or sudoku. The event flew by unnoticed, I wanted to stay longer and rack my brains, – said Daria Otinova.
As a result, the Polytechnic University was awarded second place. The victory in the Olympiad was won by the BSTU “Voenmekh” team, and the third place went to the A.F. Mozhaisky VKA.
The tasks were of a high level of complexity, but our students coped with them perfectly. We are proud of the guys and wish them further success in all their endeavors, – shared Elena Knyazeva.
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.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Carmen Kan and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (November 6):
Question:
Regarding the monitoring of charitable institutions, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information of charitable institutions as at September 30 of each of the past three years (set out in a table):
(i) the respective numbers of tax-exempt charitable institutions recognised by the Inland Revenue Department under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) whose tax exemption status was approved and withdrawn, as well as the percentages of such numbers in the total number of institutions for that year and the year-on-year rates of change; (ii) the number of charitable institutions (set out by type) as well as the amounts of donations exempted from tax and the year-on-year rates of change; and (iii) a list of the 50 charitable institutions being granted the highest amounts of government funding, the amounts of funding granted to them, as well as the percentages of such amounts in the total amount of funding for that year and the year-on-year rates of change;
(2) whether it will, on the basis of its experience in making reference to common law precedents over the years, study the formulation of a legal definition of “a charitable institution or charitable trust of a public character” under section 88 of Cap. 112 applicable to the situation in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) as the newly amended Charity Law of the People’s Republic of China has been formally implemented on the Mainland since September 5 this year to regulate charitable organisations, whether the authorities will enact a Charity Ordinance; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) given that in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 21 this year, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau indicated that the Bureau would, in the light of the relevant circumstances, consider setting up a dedicated department or organisation as the regulator of charitable institutions, of the factors considered by the authorities in the light of the current situation, and whether they will set up the relevant organisation as soon as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, as well as the measures in place to monitor the operation of charitable institutions; and
(5) given that pursuant to a recommendation in Report No. 68 of the Public Accounts Committee, the authorities have drawn up a new “Good Practice Guide on Charitable Fund-raising” (the Guide), of the effectiveness of the Guide; whether they will consider making it mandatory for charitable institutions to comply with the Guide; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD), my reply, on behalf of the Government, to the various parts of the question raised by the the Hon Carmen Kan is as follows:
(1) (i) Charities are exempted from tax if they meet the conditions stipulated in section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (IRO), i.e. (a) the profits are applied solely for charitable purposes; (b) the profits are not expended substantially outside Hong Kong; and (c) either the trade or business is exercised in the course of the actual carrying out of the expressed objects of the charity, or the work in connection with the trade or business is mainly carried on by persons for whose benefit the charity is established.
As at September 30 of the past three years, the total number of tax-exempt charities, charities newly exempted from paying tax and charities with tax exemption status withdrawn by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD); and their year-on-year rates of change and percentages in the total number of tax-exempt charities are set out below:
Year Total number of tax-exempt charities Charities newly exempted from paying tax Charities with tax exemption status withdrawn
Number (Note) and year-on-year change Percentage in total number of tax-exempt charities Number and year-on-year change Percentage in total number of tax-exempt charities
2022 9 856 449 4.6% 211 2.1%
2023 10 347 655 (+45.9%) 6.3% 208 (-1.4%) 2%
2024 10 699 578 (-11.8%) 5.4% 267 (+28.4%) 2.5%
Note: The figures do not include charities tax exemption status of which had been withdrawn and later reinstated.
(ii) As at September 30 of the past three years, the numbers of tax-exempt charities (categorised by legal structure) are as follow:
Year Number of tax-exempt charities Total
Incorporated under the Companies Ordinance Registered under the Societies Ordinance Trusts Others (Note)
2022 7 586 743 432 1 095 9 856
2023 8 071 742 438 1 096 10 347
2024 8 419 743 441 1 096 10 699
Note: “Others” comprises mostly incorporated management committees established under the Education Ordinance, statutory bodies, ad hoc special committees and overseas companies registered under the Companies Ordinance.
Donations made by taxpayers to charities exempted from paying tax under section 88 of the IRO are tax deductible. In the past three financial years, the amounts of approved charitable donations allowed and the year-on-year rates of change are set out below. However, as there is a cap on the amount of tax-deductible donations to charities, the following figures do not represent the amount of tax-exempt donations received by charities each year:
Year of assessment Approved charitable donations allowed under profits tax Approved charitable donations allowed under salaries tax Total and year-on-year rate of change ($ billion)
Amount and year-on-year rate of change ($ billion) Amount and year-on-year rate of change ($ billion)
2020/21 4.35 7.45 11.8
2021/22 6.9 (+58.6%) 7.4 (-0.7%) 14.3 (+21.2%)
2022/23 5.16 (-25.2%) 7.27 (-1.8%) 12.43 (-13.1%)
The tax returns for the year of assessment 2023/24 are being processed. Hence, IRD is unable to provide the statistics for that financial year at the moment.
(iii) At present, the monitoring of different charitable organisations currently involves various policy bureaux/departments. The Government does not centrally maintain and consolidate the relevant data.
(2) to (4) In processing applications for tax exemption under section 88 of the IRO, IRD has been making reference to the relevant common law cases to determine whether an organisation’s object is a charitable purpose at law, and whether the organisation is established for public benefit. IRD regularly reviews the tax-exempt charities to ascertain whether their objects are still of charitable nature and whether the activities are compatible with their stated objects. The existing mechanism has been effective in handling tax matters under section 88 of the IRO.
In addition to the abovementioned tax arrangement for charitable organisations, charitable organisations which wish to conduct fund-raising activities in public places shall apply for the relevant permits or licences from the FEHD, HAD or SWD.
With reference to the recommendations in the Law Reform Commission Report on Charities published in December 2013 (LRC Report), relevant Audit Report and the Public Accounts Committee Report (PAC Report), the Government has introduced a series of administrative measures in phase since 2018 with a view to further enhancing the transparency and accountability of charitable fund-raising activities. For example, uploading all audited accounts submitted by organisations which obtained approval to organise charitable fund-raising activities to the fund-raising activities page of GovHK for reference by the public; issuing the “Good Practice Guide on Charitable Fund-raising” (Good Practice Guide) and encourage adoption by charitable organisations; and setting up a dedicated hotline for handling enquiries or complaints in relation to charitable fund-raising activities held by organisations in public places, etc.
Since the legislation and monitoring in relation to charitable organisations involve different bureaux / departments, and that the recommendation of setting up a dedicated department or organisation as the regulator of charitable organisations carries significant implications on the definition and operation of charitable organisations in Hong Kong, it takes time for the Government to study and consider the recommendations thoroughly and carefully.
(5) As mentioned above, with reference to the LRC Report, relevant Audit Report and the PAC Report, the HAD, SWD and FEHD issued the Good Practice Guide to provide the best practices for organising charitable fund-raising activities. Relevant departments have been encouraging the adoption of the Good Practice Guide by charitable organisations to ensure the accountability and transparency of charitable fund-raising activities and the use of donations so received.
In respect of the HAD, under the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148), anyone who wishes to conduct a lottery event in Hong Kong has to apply for a licence. The Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the HAD is responsible for processing applications for lottery licences. Lottery licences are issued to bona fide organisations to conduct lottery ticket sales for the purpose of fund-raising, and funds so raised are to be used to meet the organisations’ operating expenses or for donations to local registered charities, or both. In fact, the conditions stated in the lottery licences issued have already covered some of the suggested good practices, including the preparation of income and expenditure statement regarding the sales of lottery tickets. The OLA will continue to promote the voluntary adoption of the Good Practice Guide.
Besides, the FEHD also encourages charitable organisations which applied for a Temporary Hawker Licence for setting up any booth in public places to sell goods for raising funds, to adopt the Good Practice Guide on a voluntary basis. The FEHD has provided a link for downloading the Guidelines on its website.
In respect of the SWD, since the publication of the Good Practice Guide, all organisations that have applied for a Public Subscription Permit (PSP) from the SWD have committed to observing the Guide (except for one organisation that had adopted another set of guidelines which also complies with the standards of good practice). The major arrangements contained in the Good Practice Guide, including the rights of donors, fund-raising practices and financial accountability, etc., have been incorporated into the permit conditions of the PSP for organisations issued with the PSP to comply with.
As some or the major arrangements contained in the Good Practice Guide have already been incorporated into the conditions stated in different permits or licences for conducting charitable fund-raising activities, the Government has no plan to further mandate the charitable organisations to adopt the Good Practice Guide at this stage. The Government will continue to encourage charitable organisations to adopt the Good Practice Guide.
