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Are Sharks and Rays Using Offshore Wind Farms as Habitats?

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20 Jun, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

In new research, scientists from the Wageningen University & Research have confirmed regular activity by sharks and rays at offshore wind farms around the Netherlands. The team was able to confirm the presence of these elasmobranchs through traces of environmental DNA, or eDNA, in the waters around Dutch wind farms.

The researchers collected 436 seawater samples to analyze for DNA traces, a method that the team noted was affordable and non-invasive, making it more humane for the marine life. It served as an alternative to actually capturing any sharks or rays present in the study areas.

“It’s like finding a fingerprint in the water,” Annemiek Hermans, Ph.D. candidate at Wageningen University & Research, said in a statement. “Even if you don’t see the shark, the DNA tells you it’s been there.”

A researcher takes laboratory samples to analyze for DNA traces. Wageningen University & Research

The results, part of the university’s larger ElasmoPower project, revealed the presence of five shark and ray species at four offshore wind farms, including Borssele, Hollandse Kust Zuid, Luchterduinen and Gemini. Thornback rays (Raja clavata) were the most common and were present year-round at three of the offshore wind farms. The scientists published the results in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management.

The researchers were able to learn more about the migration of basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) through detecting their DNA around the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm during the winter. As Earth.com reported, the basking sharks’ winter migratory path in Dutch waters was previously unknown.

The Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm. Esgian / Silco Saaman / s2foto

Other notable findings were the starry smooth-hound (Mustelus asterias) and the blonde ray (Raja brachyura). Both species were found at multiple offshore wind farm sites through various seasons.

“We’re trying to understand whether these animals are actually using the wind farms as habitat, or whether they’re being displaced by them,” Hermans explained.

The scientists noted that the elasmobranchs could be drawn toward the offshore wind farms because trawling is not allowed in these areas and fishing and shipping near wind farms comes with restrictions, which could potentially create safer areas that may benefit and attract marine life. The lack of seabed disturbance further allows smaller fish and other marine life to recover, creating a more abundant food source for sharks and rays, Earth.com reported. 

Ongoing research will be needed to determine whether the elasmobranchs are using the offshore wind farm sites as safe habitats and how they affect other marine life. In particular, the study authors warned that preventing seabed-disturbing activities in these areas will be vital for protecting marine life.

“We must tread carefully,” Hermans said. “If we start allowing bottom trawling in these areas, we risk losing the very protection these zones may offer.”

The post Are Sharks and Rays Using Offshore Wind Farms as Habitats? appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

Renewables Helped Prevent Blackouts on New England’s Hottest Day This Summer

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The post Renewables Helped Prevent Blackouts on New England’s Hottest Day This Summer appeared first on EcoWatch.

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