The Environment Chronicle

In the field of consumer electronics it is now possible to label TV sets, DVD recorders, Blu-Ray and DVD players as well as compact hi-fi systems with the Blue Angel. The requirements of the Blue Angel for TV sets are aligned with those of the European Ecolabel, but are even more ambitious. The highest admissible power consumption, for example, is 160 watts. And for DVD recorders (with and without hard disk) and players as well as Blu-Ray disk players (DVD players with high memory capacity, improved picture quality, different sound formats) power consumption is likewise the key award criterion. The Blue Angel for compact hi-fi systems in addition demands a non-deactivatable automatic switch-off at the latest after 15 minutes of non-use, and it must be possible to take the device off the grid completely. In the kitchen the Blue Angel is establishing benchmarks for more and more appliances. Exhaust hoods with the Blue Angel must be low noise and easy to disassemble. Furthermore, spare parts have to be available long-term. Energy-saving electric ovens for use in the home may now be labelled with the Blue Angel as well.

Within the European Union, liquid / transport biofuels may only be financially supported or be counted towards renewable energy targets if the biomass used is produced in a sustainable way. Germany is now the first EU member state to have developed a certification scheme for sustainable biomass production. The preliminary approval of this certification system, the “International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISSC)“, by the German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) means Germnay is transposing European requirements into national law.

According to the present state of knowledge, the best variant of how to further deal with the radioactive waste emplaced in the Asse II mine is retrieving the waste. This is the result of the comparison of options for decommissioning Asse. "Not only do we confront a great scientific-technical challenge, but we will only be able to walk this road to permanent safety together with the people living in the area," Wolfram König, President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), said on 15 January 2010 in Hanover when the result was presented. Apart from the retrieval of the waste, the complete backfilling of the mine and the relocation of the waste to deeper parts of Asse were examined, too. According to the present state of knowledge, proof of long-term safety can be furnished regarding the option of retrieving the waste. All three decommissioning options have been evaluated with the help of previously established evaluation parameters and criteria. The result of this comparison is that on the basis of today’s state of knowledge one must aim at completely retrieving the waste from the Asse mine. One argument against choosing the option of complete backfilling is the fact that it is currently not known whether it will be possible to furnish proof of long-term safety for this option. The relocation of the waste additionally involves the risk of not finding an appropriate emplacement area. Besides, this decommissioning option requires by far the most time. None of the three variants is optimal, all of them involve uncertainties as to their realisation.

WWF has sent the European Commission a formal complaint against Germany for its failure to fulfil a legal obligation introduced by the 2008 EU climate and energy legislative package. The complaint concerns the apparent faulty approval procedure for a new coal-fired power plant at Mannheim (Baden-Württemberg), which was given the go-ahead on 27 July last year. Under the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive, as now amended, Member States are required to ensure that companies planning to build new large power plants, assess certain conditions for the capture, transport and storage of the carbon dioxide they create, prior to approving any new project.

Pollution of the climate owing to waste management activities was at a level of some 38 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in Germany in 1990. Up until 2006 this burden had lightened to about 18 million tonnes. The overall decline in emissions of climate-damaging gases-- thanks in particular to ending disposal of untreated residential waste- amounts to about 56 million tonnes, which is a volume roughly that of the annual CO2 emissions of 7.7 million cars, or about 20 percent of registered vehicles in Germany. These are the results of a jointly commissioned study titled Klimaschutzpotenziale der Abfallwirtschaft [Climate protection potential of waste industry], which was introduced today by President Peter Kurth of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Rohstoffwirtschaft e.V. (BDE), and President Jochen Flasbarth of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Berlin. The study took stock of climate protection efforts made by the waste management industry since 1990 and points out other potential for further measures in Germany and EU 27 until 2020. By the year 2020 almost ten million additional tonnes of CO2 equivalents can be saved over 1996 levels, particularly by means of increased materials recovery and improved recycling, as well as greater efficiency in the use of residential waste and used wood to produce energy. The study illustrates that the waste industry can contribute roughly 14 percent to the fulfilment of Germany’s CO2 reduction targets to be reached by 2020 if the detailed measures were implemented.

The average specific CO2 emissions in the year 2008 were 153.5 gCO2/km. This is a decrease by 3.3% or 5.2 grams per kilometre from the previous year (158.7 gCO2/km in 2007) which is the largest relative drop in specific emissions since the beginning of the monitoring scheme. Both petrol and diesel vehicles improved by more than 5 grams per kilometre in comparison to the year 2007. Since the year 2000, petrol vehicles improved by 11% while diesel vehicles only by 6%. On the other hand, alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) improved by 34% since year 2000. In 2008 the share of AFV almost doubled since the previous year and AFV are now accounting for 1.3% of new passenger car registrations.

On 12 January 2010 the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave the go-ahead for a controversial paper-mill on the shores of Lake Baikal to start production again, despite decades of complaints about pollution.

A new and previously unknown species of spider has been discovered in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region by a team of scientists from the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim. Since it has been found in the Arava, it has been given the name Cerbalus aravensis. The researchers say that this spider’s leg-span can reach up to 14 cm, which makes it the largest spider of its type in the Middle East.

Hoping to save the dried wetlands of Las Tablas de Damiel National Park from underground peat fire, the Spanish government has unleashed floodwaters onto an expanse of the marsh now under threat due to past water mismanagement. Over the weekend, waters diverted 150 kilometres from the Tagus River began pouring from an underground pipe onto the wildlife sanctuary.

Estonian environmental groups have asked the European Commission to take action against EU countries that have granted permission to construct the Nord Stream pipeline, accusing them of failing to comply with EU environmental laws. The Estonian Green Movement and the Estonian Fund for Nature sent an official complaint to the Commission on 7 January, arguing that the governments of Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden have violated EU directives on environmental impact assessment (EIA) and conservation of wild birds and habitats.

A new scientific study has found that seaweeds have claimed large areas of the coastal shelf of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The study has found that more than 40 per cent of inshore reefs on the GBR are dominated by seaweeds (macroalgae) – but that the mid-shelf and outer reefs are virtually free of weed. Worldwide, many scientists consider that a shift from coral-dominated reefs to weed-dominated reefs signals a decline in the health of coral ecosystems – and is exceptionally difficult to reverse.

Moss of the Year 2010 is the Common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune).

Lichen of the Year 2010 is the Pink earth lichen (Dibaeis baeomyces).

Since 2004, on the Worlds Wetlands Day (2nd February) GNF nominates the “Threatened Lake of the Year” to call attention to a threatened lake and help solving environmental problems. Pulicat Lake is an important habitat for 160 different fish species and more than 110 varieties of terrestrial and aquatic birds and small mammals and reptiles. Up to 15,000 flamingoes visit the lake on their annual migration route.

Bird of the Year 2010 is the Great Cormorant or Great Black Cormor (Phalacrocorax carbo).

Avenue of the Year 2010 is a chestnut-lined avenue in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Solzow near Vipperow).

Cactus of the year 2010 is the Pink Easter Lily Cactus or Red Easter Lily Cactus (Echinopsis eyriesii).

"Soil of the Year 2010" are soils of urban and industrial environment (Tecnosol).

Medicinal Plant of the Year 2010 is the Common Ivy (Hedera helix).

Cave animal of the year 2010 is the Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix).

Orchid of the Year: Lady's Slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus))

Fish of the year is the Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius).

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) named 2010 Medicinal Herb of the Year by the NHV Theophrastus.

Algal researchers of the German Botanical Society have chosen Batrachospermum gelatinosum as alga of the year 2010.

Butterfly of the Year 2010 is the Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula).

Spider of the year 2010 is the garden spider (Araneus diadematus).

Fungus of the Year 2010 is the Golitah Webcap (Cortinarius praestans).

Laboratory Animal of the Year 2010 is the pig.

Residents in the city of Kiel can now park for free in the centre if they drive low-emission cars cars. The new programme, which came into effect on 1 January 2010, provides drivers with low-emission cars with a “free parking sticker” valid in any city-owned parking space. With the sticker people will be allowed to park for two hours. Cars proven to emit less than 120 grammes of CO2 per kilometre will get the green light for the sticker at the Ordnungsamt, the office of public order, for the price of €5.

Insect of the Year 2010 is the Antlion (Myrmeleon formicarius).

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU-27) increased by 2.4 % (or 111 million tonnes CO2 equivalent) between 2009 and 2010. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU-27) increased by 2.4 % (or 111 million tonnes CO2 equivalent) between 2009 and 2010. These figures from the greenhouse gas inventory published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on 30 May 2012, confirm earlier EEA estimates.

BirdLife International has announced, in the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds, the extinction of Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus. Restricted to a tiny area of east Madagascar, this species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes in which it lived. This, along with the use of nylon gill-nets by fisherman which caught and drowned birds, has driven this species into the abyss.

Traditionally known as 'The Venice of the North', Stockholm has added more fame to its name. Throughout 2010, Sweden's capital was celebrated as Europe's first Green Capital. Stockholm, a fast-growing city of 800,000 inhabitants, has set itself the ambitious target of becoming fossil free by 2050. The city has an Integrated Management System that ensures environmental issues are included in the city’s budget, operational planning, reporting and monitoring. Some 95% of the population live less than 300 metres from green areas that improve the local quality of life, bringing recreation, water purification, noise reduction, and an enhancement of biodiversity and ecology. The city was commended for its extensive programme of future improvements to such areas, including the creation of more beaches for bathing. An innovative integrated waste system means high recycling rates, especially of bio-waste, using underground vacuum controlled systems. A pioneering Congestion Charging system has reduced car use, increased use of Public Transport and reduced emissions, and the city can boast a 25% reduction in per capita CO2 emissions since 1990, bringing the emissions to about half the national Swedish average.

Germany continued to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments during the 2010 economic recovery period. Based on the 1990 index year, Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions had sunk by nearly 25 percent in 2010. Some 295 million tonnes CO2 less were emitted in 2010 than in 1990. Germany’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol is to bring its greenhouse emissions in 2008-2012 down to 21 percent below 1990 levels. In comparison to the 2009 crisis year when emissions rose again slightly by 2.7 percent owing to economic recovery, 2010 emissions nevertheless remained about 4 percent below those of the previous crisis year 2008. Emissions of carbon dioxide in 2010, with a share of 87.4 percent, were the main source of all greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of which can be traced to the combustion of fossil fuels whose consumption rose slightly as the economy recovered. In contrast, there was an above average decline in other greenhouse gases.

Marine species of January 2010 in the International Year of Biodiversity is the Molgula pedunculata.

In the context of the International Year of Biodiversity, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research intends to introduce a "Marine species of the Month" during 2010, as proxy for different and specific research topics of the Institute. The species of the Month will epitomize various aspects of climate change and its impact on the ocean as a habitat, as is seen for example in the decrease of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, or the warming and acidification of the oceans. Other topics addressed will be related to changes in species composition in coastal waters, e.g. the invasion of new species into the North Sea and the consequences.

The United Nation General Assembly adopted Resolution 61/203 on 20 December 2006 proclaiming 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with the objective of stopping the loss of biodiversity, highlighting successes in conserving it and creating awareness of the fact that human welfare depends on biological diversity.

Animal of the Year: European Badger or Eurasian badger (Meles meles)

The Smooth newt or Common newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) was nominated to the Amphibian of the Year 2010 by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde e.V. (DGHT).

German Mollusc of the Year 2010 is the Two lipped door snail (Alinda biplicata).