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Protecting food standards – petition

At a time when we are negotiating post-Brexit trade deals with the US and others, many people are worried that in future our food may not be produced to the same high environmental and welfare standards that we currently have in the UK.  The government has maintained that no compromises will be made but has also rejected parliamentary moves to enshrine this in law.

The NFU has organised a petition about this which you can sign here.

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Greenpeace ‘Speaker Shorts’ Events in June

(Taken from the Greenpeace website)

Join our ‘Speaker Shorts’ talks in June

Throughout June Greenpeace is running an exciting new programme called Speaker Shorts. These are free 15 minute talks followed by an interactive Q&A on areas that Greenpeace is campaigning on. From protecting our forests and oceans, to plastics and the climate crisis, Speaker Shorts will give an introduction to the topic and simple things you can do to help!

Speaker Shorts talks will be delivered by members of our Greenpeace Speakers network – passionate and knowledgeable volunteers who know a lot about our work.

The talks will run as a Zoom webinar, which is a secure and private way for you and your family to participate in these fun and interactive talks. You’ll need to download Zoom for free in order to join.

Find out more about each talk and register at the links below:

Family friendly:

Young people and students:

Adults and general audiences:

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In defence of Michael Moore’s ‘Planet of the Humans’

The latest Michael Moore film, ‘Planet of the Humans’, written and co-produced by Jeff Gibbs, questions the idea that a future with 100% renewable power is possible.  It has been roundly criticised by many in the environmental movement (such as George Monbiot),  many of whom are concentrating on a switch to renewable fuels as a way of averting climate change.

Here, environmental economist Tom Smith supports the film and says that the problems go deeper than renewable energy.  Our whole way of life and use of earth’s materials, not just fuels, will need to change.  As he says, ‘An insatiable system based on renewable energy is no improvement over an insatiable system based on fossil fuels……..If there is to be an end to this madness, we need to end the death cult of capitalism.’

Has anyone seen the film?  Depressing? Realistic? Your views are welcome.

 

 

 

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World Localization Day 21 June

Local Futures is an organisation seeking to promote local economies which put the well-being of people and planet first.  They produced the film The Economics of Happiness which 2G3S showed in 2016.
Now Local Futures is organising World Localization Day, an online global festival taking place on June 21, 2020.
Organised in response to COVID-19, World Localization Day will feature eye-opening talks, interviews, music, short films and even comedy to inspire and empower individuals as we work to create a happier and more sustainable world going into the future.  HH The Dalai Lama and Noam Chomsky have both prepared special messages, and other contributors include Vandana Shiva, Joanna Macy, Alice Waters, Johann Hari, Iain McGilchrist, Gail Bradbrook, Charles Eisenstein, and many more. 
Detailed event information can be found on the World Localization Day website: https://worldlocalizationday.org.

 

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UK’s first grid-injected hydrogen pilot

The UK’s first live pilot to inject zero carbon hydrogen into a gas network to heat homes and buildings at Keele University is now fully operational.

 

Hydrogen is a zero carbon gas that when burned produces just heat and water.  The Committee on Climate Change has determined that the use of hydrogen in our energy system is necessary in order to reach Net Zero.  Heating for domestic properties and industry accounts for half of the UK’s energy consumption and one third of its carbon emissions.  If a 20% hydrogen blend was rolled out across the country it could save around six million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, the equivalent of taking 2.5 million cars off the road.

 

HyDeploy is a ground-breaking green energy trial at Keele University that could help Britain cut its carbon emissions and open the door to a low-carbon hydrogen economy.  Backed by Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition, the £7 million project is led by Cadent in partnership with Northern Gas Networks, Keele University, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Science Division, ITM-Power, and Progressive Energy.

 

From Keele Impact Magazine 2019

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‘The Story of Plastic’ – notes

The Story of Plastic

2020

Notes by Linda Whitebread (personal take on the film)

 

This film from ‘The Story of Stuff’ stable reviews the situation today regarding the build-up of plastic waste throughout the world.  Crucial points for me were:

Plastic was first mass manufactured in the 1950s.  It has many wonderful qualities – cheap to manufacture; versatile; attractive to use; durable.  However its durability also represents its huge disadvantage.  Elsewhere I have read that all the plastic ever produced still exists today.

The oil giants need to keep producing oil to make a profit.  As well as being used as fuel, oil can be used in the manufacture of products such as fertilisers and plastic.  This is especially true now that the demand for oil for energy is reducing.

So the rise of plastic manufacture has been supply- (of oil) led rather than demand-led.

 

A major use of single-use plastic Is in packaging.  Paraphrased quotes from film:

1950’s: In response to the first laws limiting disposable packaging, US companies formed ’Keep America Beautiful Inc.’  Campaigning shifted the focus to litter, causing limits on disposable packaging to disappear for decades.

This later extended to recycling:

1990’s: The packaging industry continued to fight restrictions on disposables while promoting municipal-funded recycling.  In the US, plastic recycling rates increased four-fold, funded by the tax-payer.  The American Chemistry Council promoted recycling; under pressure municipalities in the US accepted hard plastics for the first time.

 

Recycling

Figures given by the film

91% of plastic has never been recycled

Currently (? not sure at what date, or whether this is one country or globally):

32% ends up as litter

40% goes to landfill

14% incinerated

14% recycled: but only 2% effectively recycled, ie becomes something as useful as what it was before.  Most is downcycled – becomes something worse – and most is only recycled once before being incinerated, going to landfill, or ending up as litter.

 

2000s: The fast-moving consumer goods industry experienced slowing growth for the first time and began marketing to the rapidly developing middle class in the Global South.  Packaged and processed foods replaced fresh.

 

Plastics have a real benefit, for example in hospitals, surgery.  The real problem is packaging, especially multi-layered single-use sachets.  Under the influence of aggressive marketing by the west, developing countries are moving from traditional sustainable, natural packaging to plastic packaging.

 

Double whammy: countries in Asia etc are encouraged to buy toxic single-use plastics, AND to receive plastic waste shipped from the west.  We have exported the problem to other parts of the world and now say they are the problem.

 

Climate Change

Fossil fuel used for plastics, much of which are incinerated.

2018: As other nations joined China in banning scrap imports, plastic incineration increased around the world.

Incineration releases many toxic materials (eg cadmium, lead, mercury) into the environment.  People living in the vicinity of incinerators have reported respiratory problems, dermatitis, infertility.

Yet the new incinerators need a supply of plastic to keep going.  There is a huge web of infrastructure from oil refineries to incinerators all working together to increase the amount of plastics in the world and reduce recycling.

 

Fracking

2005: US Energy Policy Act gave oil and gas companies exemptions to environmental and health regulations.  Resulted in a shale gas boom and a glut of raw materials for plastic production.

As well as shale gas, the oil and gas pockets release other chemicals, eg benzene, xylene, harmful to health.  Residents living near shale gas plants report headaches and respiratory problems.

2015: In the midst of the ongoing fracking boom, the US lifted a 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports, setting off a rush of oil, gas and ‘plastic feedstock’ sales worldwide.

 

Huge increase in number of petro-chemical plants producing plastic.  Eg in2017 Exxon and Saudi-Arabia’s SABIC jointly opened the world’s largest plastic manufacturing facility of its kind, receiving billions in US tax breaks and other subsidies.

These plants must continue to maximise production in order to pay off the debts incurred by building them.

 

Latest developments

2018: public awareness of plastic pollution increased because of media coverage of plastic in oceans.

Response: plastic companies say that the fault lies with consumers and countries with inadequate waste recycling infrastructure.  The clean-up message, not the use of plastic packaging in the first place, has dominated the narrative.

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste was founded in 2019 by companies that make, use, sell, process, collect and recycle plastics.  It pledged $1.5 billion to a clean-up programme.

Meanwhile $204 billion was spent on 334 new petrochemical facilities (when/where?)

 

Nanoplastics ‘recently’ found in 83% of global tapwater sampled and 93% of bottled water.

 

Can we find new alternatives to plastic?

Research ongoing.

Bioplastics: (ie plant based) also have sustainability challenges, including effective biodegradability.

Cost of new fossil-fuel based plastic is artificially low because of oil and gas subsidies of $5.2 trillion pa.  This disincentivises the use of recycled content and other alternatives.

 

Way forward

Reduce and re-use.

Ban single-use plastics: recent increase in banning of different products throughout the world, eg EU, China, Rwanda, Morocco.

Fight to end fossil fuel subsidies.

Require plastic packaging manufacturers to use a minimum amount of recycled plastic.

Companies have profited by externalising the environmental costs of the plastic (eg to taxpayers who fund recycling schemes; to developing countries).  They must be made to absorb these costs.

Multinational companies are locked into their need for growth; and massive supply chains forcing them to rely on plastic packaging.  Try to move to small-scale firms, more local, alternative delivery systems, building communities.

 

Support/join Break Free From Plastic  https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/about/

 

Linda Whitebread 21/05/2020

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Canada ties corporate coronavirus relief to climate action

On 18 May Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new programme of corporate relief designed to help companies that are struggling during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The new programme will provide bridge loans of up to $60 million and guarantees of up to $80 million for companies earning more than $300 million in annual revenue. Companies that receive the loans, however, have to abide by a set of rules that include restricting executive bonuses and investing in climate action.  More here