The Guardian reported that the Port of Newcastle, Australia, the world's largest coal export port, announced today (7th) that it will be powered by 100% renewable energy. Meanwhile, coal-fired power generation in Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) fell to its lowest level in the last quarter of 2021. Newcastle plans to reduce coal's share of revenue to 50% by 2030. While coal exports still average 165 million tons per year, the port has already established a decarbonization plan for 2040 and aims to increase revenue from non-coal businesses, reducing coal's share of total revenue to 50% by 2030. The measures announced today are part of these transformation plans. The port has signed a large-scale retail power purchase agreement with Iberdrola, the operator of the Bodangora wind farm in New South Wales. Newcastle CEO Craig Carmody stated that the title of world's largest coal export port is "not as appealing as it used to be" and that changes are necessary to stem losses and avoid closure. "I'd rather do it now, while we still control our own destiny and while we still have revenue, rather than wait until revenue collapses and no one wants to lend us money," Carmody said. "Our port makes 84 cents a ton shipping coal, but we make $6 to $8 a ton shipping all sorts of other products. It's pretty clear where to spend the money." To make the transition, the Port of Newcastle has replaced 97% of its vehicles with electric vehicles.

Scientists warn that paint may be one of the most common microplastics in the ocean, but the threat to marine life is being ignored. Toxic paint chips could harm large numbers of marine life in fragile ecosystems, a study shows. Survey finds: Paint chips are second only to microplastic fibers in the sea, according to new research published in the journal Science of the Total Environment by the University of Plymouth and the Marine Biological Association. , researchers conducted surveys in the North Atlantic and found that every cubic meter of seawater contained an average of 0.01 paint chips. They found that this material is second only to microplastic fibers in abundance in the sea. Each cubic meter of seawater contains about 0.16 pieces of microplastic fibers. Chemical analysis of the paint samples found significant amounts of copper, lead and iron, which may pose additional threats to the many species in the ocean and sea that feed on such debris. Ships and oil rigs are coated with paint to protect them from corrosion, but these coatings can peel off and kill marine life. A 2015 study estimated that there were 15 to 51 trillion microplastic particles in the ocean, a number that has continued to rise since then. According to the World Conservation Union (WWF), at least 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Large pieces of plastic can suffocate and stagnate wildlife

Scrap wood can also be turned into stunning charcoal flower pots. After a year of research and development, the domestic industry player Muxue Master developed a flower pot with charcoal medium and processed waste wood into beautiful flower pots. The research team of the Forestry Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture further pointed out that in the future, the fallen wood after typhoons can be processed into charcoal potted plants, which can also purify indoor air and turn decay into magic. The woodworking experts use waste wood to develop "charcoal and potted plants", each texture is unique. Wind-downed wood caused by typhoons, or dead branches from pruned street trees, often become waste, increasing the burden on incinerators. There was a drought at the beginning of this year, and a mountain of waste wood piled up in a scrap yard in Tainan, accidentally causing a fire that lasted for several days before it was extinguished. In the past, most of this waste wood could only be planed into sawdust, crushed and processed for use. Nowadays, this waste wood has a new purpose. value. The Forestry Laboratory of the Council of Agriculture cooperated with domestic industries, and the manufacturer "Wooden Master" processed and burned large-scale wood into charcoal, and further designed "charcoal and potted plants". The Forestry Laboratory has further demonstrated that charcoal potted plants can help improve indoor air quality. Lin Zhenrong, leader of the forest utilization group of the Forestry Research Institute, said that large-scale charcoal has health benefits such as humidity control, moisture prevention, deodorization and purification, and the production of negative ions. When charcoal is carbonized at high temperatures, it will transform from a hydrophobic surface to a hydrophilic surface. Different from ordinary barbecue charcoal, which is fired at about 200°C to 400°C, charcoal and potted charcoal must be carbonized at 800°C, "which will increase the hardness and durability of the finished charcoal." Forest Utilization Group Associate researcher Tu Sanxian further explained that the process of charcoal activation can also make charcoal produce

The world's first and largest carbon capture and conversion plant "Orca" was opened in Iceland on the 8th. The plant, built by Swiss start-up Climeworks AG, aims to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on the planet and is a milestone in the direct carbon capture industry. Permanent storage Orca plant will capture 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year Climeworks has built 16 installations across Europe, but Orca is the only one that permanently captures and stores CO2 rather than recycling it. According to Climeworks, the plant has the capacity to capture 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which will be stored safely and permanently using a chemical process developed by Icelandic academic and industrial partner Carbfix. In this process, carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere is mixed with water and pumped deep underground, where it undergoes a natural mineralization process in less than two years before turning into stone. While the Orca plant can only capture a fraction of the world's estimated 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, Climeworks believes there is an opportunity to expand carbon removal capacity to one million tons within a decade. Orca passed verification by the independent third party DNV in mid-June 2021 and is the first verified direct atmospheric carbon capture and storage service. A recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that the world may experience more frequent extreme weather events in the coming years due to global warming, which experts believe will significantly reduce greenhouse gas levels.

The world conservation congress (world conservation congress) hosted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the most influential organization in the world, passed a resolution in Marseille on the 10th, calling for the 80% Amazon region and 30% The Earth's surface, including land and sea, is designated as a "protected area" to halt and reverse the loss of wild species. IUCN does not formulate global policies, but its recommendations have been the basis for United Nations treaties and conventions. They will help set the agenda for the upcoming UN Summit on Food Systems, Biodiversity and Climate Change. Save the Amazon COICA, a coalition of organizations representing more than 2 million indigenous people in South American countries, proposed a temporary motion at the conference calling for 4/5 of the Amazon basin to be designated as a protected area by 2025, and received overwhelming support. "Indigenous people are here to defend our homeland and at the same time defend the planet. This initiative is the first step." Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal, general coordinator of COICA and leader of the Curripaco people in Venezuela explain. Over the past 20 years, the Amazon has lost about 10,000 square kilometers each year to deforestation, much of it through deliberate fires to clear land for commercial agriculture or grazing. Scientists warn that such damage coupled with gas

On July 21 this year, Indonesia, the world's eighth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, submitted an updated version of its national climate commitment to the United Nations, announcing that it would achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 (or earlier). However, NGOs also pointed out that Indonesia’s emission reduction commitment is to maintain the same target as in 2016. It is not ambitious enough and will not be able to achieve the Paris Agreement. Submitting its first long-term strategy to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, NGO praised Indonesia for taking the right direction. Although the report submitted by Indonesia added new adaptation and resilience improvement goals, and also proposed new goals for specific sectors, the most critical emission reduction goal remained the same as in 2016. Commitment: Before 2030, greenhouse gas emissions under the unconditional scenario will be reduced by 29% compared with the business-as-usual scenario; or with sufficient international financial support, the emission reduction target will be achieved by 41%. In addition to updating its climate commitments, Indonesia has also submitted the country's first Long-Term Strategy for Low Carbon and Climate Resilience, announcing that it will peak emissions in 2030 and will reach a peak in 2060 or earlier. , to achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, until March this year, Indonesian government officials still stated that net-zero carbon emissions would be achieved by 2070. This time, the officially submitted goal is at least ten years ahead of schedule. Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said at the end of July that he was optimistic that Indonesia would have the means to do so in May.

Plastic pollution continues to pose a threat to society. After you drink your coffee, what happens to your plastic coffee cup? How much does it cost? How does it affect the environment – land, sea and biodiversity? Humans produce more than 200 million tons of plastic waste every year, equivalent to 523 trillion straws. A new report commissioned by Dahlberg Consultants from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows that the plastic produced in 2019 alone The lifetime social, environmental and economic costs alone amount to $3.7 trillion, exceeding the GDP of India. Unless we take action, the real social cost of producing plastic in 2040 will be double what it was in 2019. At this moment, humans produce more than 200 million tons of plastic waste every year, equivalent to about 523 trillion plastic straws. If all these straws were connected, they could circle the earth about 2.8 million times. Nearly half of the waste is not properly managed, but is burned open, dumped directly or leaked into the environment. More than 11 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. The report titled "Plastics: Social, Environmental and Economic Costs" shows that throughout the life cycle of plastics, 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases are produced every year, which is more than the annual emissions of aviation and shipping combined. These greenhouse gas emissions are exacerbating the negative effects of climate change, such as shrinking glaciers, floods and more severe droughts, leading to crop death and incurring huge costs for governments and society. Poorly managed plastic waste could threaten the ocean’s ability to act as a carbon sink, further exacerbating the climate crisis

"The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)" Mark Carney, the United Nations special envoy for climate finance and former governor of the Bank of England, announced that there are currently more than 450 financial institutions in the world with total assets of US$130 trillion. The institution participates in the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), promising that all its assets will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and also announced that it will mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars to help the global economy move towards this goal. Clean energy transition. The Alliance’s net zero commitment means that climate change will be a key consideration in major financial decisions over the next decade. However, some experts point out that if these financial institutions continue to invest in fossil fuels in the next decade, they may undermine the importance of the above-mentioned net zero commitments. US$10.5 billion energy transition fund. Several public welfare foundations and international development banks announced today (3rd) the establishment of a US$10.5 billion fund to help emerging economies transition to renewable energy. It has raised US$1.5 billion from the Rockefeller Foundation, the IKEA Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund, as well as US$9 billion from international development banks such as the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). On the other hand, human beings and the earth as a whole

Environmental think tank E3G released a report this month stating that after the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the number of new coal-fired power plants around the world dropped sharply, and 44 countries agreed to terminate new construction plans, ushering in a glimmer of hope for the end of highly polluting coal burning. One week after the report was released, yesterday (21st) at the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China "will stop building new coal-fired power plants overseas" - China alone holds the largest number of coal-fired power plants under construction around the world. capacity of the 53%. Research: Global plans for new coal-fired power plants have plummeted and more than half are owned by China. According to the Guardian, a report released by E3G pointed out that after the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the capacity of new coal-fired power plants planned to be built around the world dropped significantly by 76%. 44 of these countries will no longer build new coal-fired power plants. Dave Jones, who works for the climate think tank "Ember", said, "It was only five years ago that many new coal-fired power plants were being planned and built. Now most of them have either officially announced the suspension of the plans, or the plans have been suspended, and the plans are not very serious. It may restart again." Chris Littlecott, deputy director of E3G, said that the coal economy "has become increasingly uncompetitive compared with renewable energy, and the risk of becoming a stranded asset has become higher." The report pointed out that the world's more than Half of the coal-fired power plant projects are owned by China. Therefore, if China and six countries including India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Bangladesh can terminate related projects, the number of coal-fired power plants planned to be built around the world will be reduced by approximately 90%. High carbon

Taiwanese technology brand ASUS announced yesterday (4th) that it has joined the global RE100 initiative and committed to operating 100% in Taiwan using renewable energy in 2030, and its global operating bases will follow suit in 2035. In addition, ASUS also reiterated its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% in 2030 compared with 2013. ASUS, one of the five major laptop brands, has joined RE100 to fully switch to green electricity by 2035. The global climate crisis is severe. "Carbon neutrality" has become a keyword for sustainable development of enterprises. Energy conservation and the use of green energy are the two major means for enterprises to reduce carbon emissions. ASUS announced in April this year that it would target the use of renewable energy in 100% operations in Taiwan in 2030. Yesterday, it announced that it would join the global RE100 initiative and promised to use renewable energy in global operations of 100% in 2035. RE100 is an international initiative launched by the Climate Group and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in 2014. It invites large global companies to commit to using 100% through investment, construction, purchase of green power or green power certificates. Renewable energy, the world's five major laptop brands (Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer) have all joined the ranks of RE100. ASUS is the 12th company in Taiwan to join RE100. ASUS Chairman Shi Chongtang pointed out that extreme climate not only affects the human living environment, but also tests the resilience of corporate operations. "These challenges also bring opportunities for innovation, which can be converted into strategies to enhance corporate competitiveness." ASUS will implement independent energy-saving plans to reveal Purchase green electricity and renewable energy by signing

The British Guardian reported that the greenhouse gas emission commitments made at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow have the opportunity to limit global temperature rise to below 2°C. This is the first time that the world has come so close to the Paris Agreement goal. COP26 Chairman: The global carbon emissions halving target by 2030 is still lacking. Research from the University of Melbourne in Australia found that the plans of India, the world's third largest emitter, have a significant impact on global warming predictions. If the commitments made by India and other countries at the conference are implemented, warming could be about 1.9°C above pre-industrial levels, below the 2°C limit but above the 1.5°C target in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. However, Miliban, the shadow business secretary of the British Labor Party and who participated in the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009, warned that there is still a lot of work to be done. Miliban told the Guardian: "Any progress is a good thing, but we need to be very careful about these empty and vague goals that are set 30 years or more out. For example, Australia targets net zero by 2050, but its 2030 plan will actually lead to 4°C warming. This decade is decisive and there is a reason why we need to halve emissions within ten years so that we can maintain the urgency, clarity and concreteness needed to move towards 1.5°C. We cannot allow political leaders to change their goals." COP26 Chairman Alok Sharma said that the new commitments are important progress, but this COP still needs a lot of effort to achieve the 1.5°C goal. Sharma said,

European Commission President von der Leyen said that by 2027, the EU will invest an additional 4 billion euros ($5 billion) to support low-income and climate-vulnerable countries. Rich countries have pledged to provide $100 billion in climate finance, which is still $20 billion short. The Executive Committee hopes that the United States will follow up before the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) climate negotiations in November this year and strengthen its climate finance contribution. Von der Leyen said that there is still a gap of US$20 billion before rich countries have committed to mobilizing US$100 billion per year by 2020, which needs to be filled quickly. Speaking at the EU Parliament on the 15th, Von der Leyen told lawmakers that major emitters such as the EU and the United States "have special responsibilities towards the least developed and most vulnerable countries." "The EU contributes $25 billion every year, but other countries still have a long way to go in achieving global goals," she said. "Europe is ready to do more, but hopes that the United States and our partners can also step up their efforts." Developing The country has regarded closing this gap as a condition for successful negotiations at the 26th Conference of the Parties. A spokesperson for the European Commission told Climate Home that the 4 billion euros are new funds from the EU budget from 2021 to 2027 and are not additional contributions from member states. U.S. climate finance goals have not yet returned to the right track from the Trump era, said Jennifer Tollmann, senior policy adviser at the think tank E3G. “The EU is already the largest climate finance donor in the world, and this is a powerful move,” she said. happy to see

Abstract: Due to the increasing demand for green materials in emerging applications of biodegradable polymers, polylactic acid (PLA) can overcome its inherent brittleness, poor heat resistance and melt resistance without compromising its significant stiffness and strength. Elasticity has emerged as a special challenge in polymer science. Achieving this without using any expensive reagents/additives and/or complex processing techniques is another key aspect in developing viable alternatives to petrochemical-based plastics for agricultural materials. Keywords: polylactic acid; heat resistance Introduction: One of the most common applications of biodegradable polymers is in the manufacture of agricultural materials. One of the most promising bio-based polyesters is polylactic acid (PLA), a biopolymer chemically synthesized using monomers obtained from agricultural resources such as wheat, corn, and cassava. Polylactic acid can be made from lactic acid or, most commonly, from its cyclic dimer, lactic acid, via ring-opening polymerization. Currently, PLA is one of the most commonly used biodegradable polymers, especially in agricultural materials, due to its availability in the market, low price, and similar mechanical and barrier properties to PET. Green and sustainable biodegradable polymers are major challenges in developing sustainable solutions to global environmental issues through green manufacturing and engineering. In this context, two main challenges related to biodegradable polymer science can be listed as: (i) development and large-scale production of green materials that will be replaced by petrochemical-based plastics, and (ii) high added value Recycling/reuse of raw materials from industrial waste. one party

October 14 is International E-Waste Day, and experts are calling on households, businesses and governments to get more scrapped or unused electronic devices into repair or recycling facilities to recover precious metals and reduce the need to mine new resources. This year's waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) has piled up like a mountain, with an estimated total weight of about 57.4 million tons, which is heavier than the heaviest building on earth, the Great Wall of China. Hidden Treasures Ruediger Kuehr, director and chief of staff of the Sustainable Cycle Project (SCYCLE) of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), said that electronic and electrical components are a kind of "urban mine" with huge the value of. SCYCLE performs and shares comprehensive, practical research to help society reduce the environmental damage caused by the production, use and disposal of electronic and electrical waste. "One ton of discarded mobile phones contains more gold than one ton of gold ore," Dr. Quill asserted. "For example, 1 million mobile phones contain 24 kilograms of gold, 16,000 kilograms of copper, 350 kilograms of silver and 14 kilograms of palladium. These resources can be recycled and returned to the production cycle. If they are not recycled, new materials need to be mined continuously. , thereby endangering the environment.” United Nations University SCYCLE Project High School

The British Independent reported that scientists have developed a new technology for extracting valuable metals from electronic waste. The energy consumption is 1/500 of the existing method, which can reduce the need for mining raw materials and the waste generated will not harm the environment. . "The largest waste has been turned into a treasure." This technology is based on the "flash Joule heating method". Joule thermal flash evaporation is an innovative method that can produce graphene from carbon sources such as wood and plastic. A research team from Rice University in Texas has improved the "Joule thermal flash evaporation method" to recover rhodium, palladium, gold, silver and other substances from waste for reuse. The new technology works by using electric current to rapidly heat waste to 3400K (3124°C), causing the aforementioned metals to evaporate into gas for separation, storage or disposal. The research team stated that "flash evaporation" can remove highly toxic heavy metals remaining in materials, such as chromium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, leaving by-products with extremely low metal content. With more than 40 million tons of electronic waste produced globally every year, this new form of "urban mining" has huge potential, giving technology companies the opportunity to avoid sourcing raw materials from countries and regions with security, corruption and conflict issues. "Here, the largest amounts of waste are turned into treasures," said Professor James Tour of Rice University. "This could reduce the need to mine ore, strip the surface and use large amounts of water in remote and dangerous areas around the world. The treasure of sex...is in our trash cans." Toole said cell phones, etc.