by Komoneed | Apr 24, 2024
Researchers from Colorado State University have explored the potential of using carbon financing to fund green wastewater-treatment approaches that go beyond existing greywater treatment practices.
Carbon financing is the mechanism by which companies will voluntarily buy ‘carbon credits’ on an open market in order to offset their own emissions. These credits represent a reduction or removal of carbon from the atmosphere that can be accomplished in a variety of ways (eg, tree planting, renewable energy projects, carbon sequestration).
Based on data collected at over 22,000 facilities, the report from Colorado’s Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering explored the relationship between emissions, costs and treatment capabilities for utility operators and decision-makers. It found that if carbon financing were to subsidise green infrastructure and technology solutions, this could save US$15.6 billion and just under 30 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions over 40 years. The findings have been published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment.
The work examined both point-source water treatment and non-point sources of water pollution.
Traditional point-source water treatment facilities — or ‘grey-infrastructure’ systems — such as sewage plants remove problem nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus before releasing water back into circulation. Existing facilities already account for 2% of all energy use in the US and 45 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to Braden Limb, first author on the paper and a PhD student in the Department of Systems Engineering.
A significant source of freshwater contamination in the US comes from non-point source activity such as fertiliser runoff from agriculture entering rivers. Other non-point sources of pollution can come from wildfires — aided by climate change — or urban development, for example.
Limb said that rather than building more grey-infrastructure treatment facilities to address these growing issues, the paper explores green approaches financed through carbon markets that can tackle both types simultaneously.
“There could be a switch to nature-based solutions such as constructing wetlands or reforestation instead of building yet another treatment facility,” he said. “Those options could sequester over 4.2 million carbon dioxide emissions per year over a 40-year time horizon and have other complementary benefits we should be aiming for, such as cheaper overall costs.”
While there are financing markets for water that operate in a similar way to carbon financing, water has the challenge of being more localised than air quality and carbon — something that has limited the value of water market trades in the past. The paper suggests that these existing markets could be improved, and that carbon markets could also be leveraged to change some of the financial incentives farmers have around water treatment and impacts from their activity.
The researchers found that using the markets could generate $679 million annually in revenue, representing an opportunity to further motivate green infrastructure solutions within water quality trading programs to meet regulated standards.
“These findings draw a line in the sand that shows what the potential for adopting green approaches in this space is — both in terms of money saved and total emissions reduced,” said Braden Limb, first author on the paper and a PhD student in the Department of Systems Engineering.
“It is a starting point to understand what routes are available to us now and how financing strategies can elevate water treatment from a somewhat local issue into something that is addressed globally through market incentives.”
Mechanical Engineering Professor Jason Quinn, a co-author on the study, said the findings had some limitations, but were an important first step in modelling both the problem and opportunity available now. He said the results in the paper have supported new research at CSU with the National Science Foundation to further develop the needed carbon credit methodology with stakeholders.
“This is the first time we are considering air and water quality simultaneously — water is local and carbon is global,” he said. “But by bringing these market mechanisms together we can capitalise on a window of opportunity to accelerate the improvement of America’s rivers as we transition to a renewable energy and restored watershed future.”
Image caption: The Big Thompson River in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image credit: Colorado State University.
by Grace Ebert | Apr 24, 2024
Julie Heffernan likens her paintings to “advent calendars gone haywire.” Working in oil on canvas, the Brooklyn-based artist renders vast dreamworlds with tiny vignettes scattered across wider landscapes. Appearing from a distant or aerial perspective, the pieces envision the possibilities of life after fires, floods, and other climate disasters and potential opportunities for emerging anew.
Grand in scale and scope, the intricate paintings bear titles like “Self Portrait as Emergency Shipwright” and “Self Portrait with Sanctuary,” which nod to the personal details within each work. More
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Imagining Worlds After Climate Disaster, Julie Heffernan Melds Chaos and the Sublime appeared first on Colossal.
by Komoneed | Apr 23, 2024
Evidence-based approaches to building small-scale farmers’ climate resiliency
jschoshinski
Wed, 04/17/2024 – 15:37
A key component of USAID’s approach to climate adaptation and resilience for food and water security is centered on support for small-scale farmers in low- and middle-income countries. More frequent extreme weather events, like rainfall shocks, and slow-onset change, like warmer and drier conditions, are reducing farmers’ crop harvest stability. Global food production exacerbates these impacts, emitting approximately one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Building small-scale farmers’ resilience is complex, and stewarding environmental health and enhancing agricultural productivity have often been seen as at odds with each other in policy decisions.
J-PAL will present findings from twenty rigorous and policy-relevant randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations of risk-reducing, climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices from around the world. The presentation will share examples of findings from specific studies, and identify lessons across evaluations in multiple contexts that can inform USAID’s approach to supporting small-scale farmers in adapting to the evolving challenges of climate change.
Teaser Text
J-PAL will present findings from 20 randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations of risk-reducing, climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices.
Event Date
Friday, May 17, 2024, 3:00
– 4:00 pm UTC
Advanced registration required
Off
External Link
Register Here
Event Format
Virtual
Event Type
Webinar/Presentation
Topic
Agriculture
Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Emissions
Food Security
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Resilience
Weather
Strategic Objective
Adaptation
Integration
Mitigation
Sectors
Agriculture and Food Systems
Region
Global
Add to calendar
Add to Calendar
2024-05-17 15:00:00
2024-05-17 16:00:00
Evidence-based approaches to building small-scale farmers’ climate resiliency
A key component of USAID’s approach to climate adaptation and resilience for food and water security is centered on support for small-scale farmers in low- and middle-income countries. More frequent extreme weather events, like rainfall shocks, and slow-onset change, like warmer and drier conditions, are reducing farmers’ crop harvest stability. Global food production exacerbates these impacts, emitting approximately one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Building small-scale farmers’ resilience is complex, and stewarding environmental health and enhancing agricultural productivity have often been seen as at odds with each other in policy decisions.
J-PAL will present findings from twenty rigorous and policy-relevant randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations of risk-reducing, climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices from around the world. The presentation will share examples of findings from specific studies, and identify lessons across evaluations in multiple contexts that can inform USAID’s approach to supporting small-scale farmers in adapting to the evolving challenges of climate change.
Global Climate Change
team@climatelinks.org
UTC
public
by Komoneed | Apr 23, 2024
Available now as an PDF-magazine and with some articles online is the sixth issue of factory called Value-ation. It deals with all aspects of appreciation of tangible, personal and social values in the context of sustainable economy.
by Komoneed | Apr 23, 2024
Digital Product Passports that allow consumers to scan a product’s label to read up on its sustainability credentials and understand how to repair and recycle it are one step closer. In time, these passports will likely apply to everyday products like clothing and phones as the world moves to a more circular economy.
Upping the circular economy game in the EU and locally
Agreed in principle by the European Parliament in December 2023, the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will require almost any product in the EU market to provide proof that it’s sustainable, durable and recyclable. This means that local businesses need to up their circular economy game to continue to trade with the European Union.
thinkstep-anz circular economy expert Jim Goddin said, “Now is the time for businesses to get ready.” Goddin draws on experience gained from many years of working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a leading global circular economy organisation. The Chartered Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist moved from the UK to New Zealand in late 2023 to fulfil a lifelong dream and to support businesses in New Zealand and Australia. “There is a lot of interest in the circular economy in both countries, and it’s exciting to be here,” he said.
“The circular economy is a concept that changes how we produce and consume goods,” Goddin explained. “It moves us away from the current ‘linear’ model of making, using and throwing away.” It dramatically reduces waste, makes the most of resources, extends the life of products and recovers more materials.
Not the same as recycling
“The circular economy isn’t the same as recycling,” Goddin said. “While recycling is an important solution and converts waste into reusable material, the recycling process can sometimes devalue that material.” For example, we can’t make a milk bottle from purely recycled materials. There is always virgin material needed.
The circular economy aims to prevent waste and pollution from being created in the first place by designing products so that they, and the materials that make them up, can be used for as long as possible at their highest value. This means thinking beyond recycling and looking at opportunities for consumers to repair and reuse products and for manufacturers to remanufacture them.
Information for a more circular economy
However, one of the greatest challenges to making progress with a circular economy is the lack of data and transparency across supply chains. “We need to know what materials products are made of to keep them in service for longer, to work out how to reuse or repair them, to know if they can be safely composted, or to separate them effectively to maximise the value of recycled materials,” Goddin said. This is where Digital Product Passports come into play.
What the ESPR means for Australian businesses
Businesses trading with the EU — or supplying those who do — will need a Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The DPP tracks where a product has been over its entire lifecycle. It’s a digital record that contains information about its ‘journey’ and what it is made from.
Companies can apply this information to use resources more efficiently, shore up their supply chains, cut down on waste, extend the lifespan of a product and improve recycling initiatives. Consumers can make more informed decisions.
Businesses may need to provide data on several aspects:
How durable the product is. Can it be reused, upgraded or repaired?
Whether it contains substances that cannot be circulated (passed on). Examples include coatings that prevent composting or chemicals that prevent specific uses (eg, food applications).
How energy- and resource-efficient it is.
How much recycled content it contains.
Whether it can be remanufactured or recycled.
What its carbon footprint is.
Where to start:
See this as an opportunity
This isn’t just another hurdle but a chance for you to tell your product’s story and for your customers to understand its value. What story do you want them to hear, and how do you back that up with evidence to give them confidence to believe it?
Prepare in advance for the data you’ll need
A lot of your data will need to be verified by qualified third parties against established standards. This will take time.
Do your homework
Investigate how you will structure, store and share this information. Many digital platforms are emerging to help you do this. The platforms will eventually all need to work together.
Consider the lifetime of your data
How will you maintain the data? What additional value could you get from it?
Make yourself stand out
Think about your competition. How will the sustainability and circularity of your products stand out from the crowd?
When will I need the passport?
Batteries and vehicles, textiles, electronics and ICT, furniture, plastics, construction materials and chemicals will be the first industries that will need to get their passports sorted. While the final timeline is still being worked on, 2026/7 looks likely for the first industries to adopt DPPs. Others are expected to follow suit by 2030.
Growing up on the remote Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, Jim Goddin, Head of Circular Economy, thinkstep-anz, was interested in sustainability from an early age. From watching Europe’s largest experimental wind turbine from the windows of his small school to admiring a stream-powered electricity generator at his parents’ property, he was also fascinated by engineering. As a leading expert in circular economy, he has collaborated with prestigious organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. He has worked extensively on developing eco-design tools like calculators that measure circularity and assess business risks resulting from critical materials and hazardous substances legislation.
Image credit: iStock.com/BlackSalmon
