A coalition of environmental and health NGOs warned the European Parliament today that hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) of shale gas, shale oil, and coal bed methane represent an dangerous experiment on the environment and human health.

Shale gas in Europe

The warning comes following a draft report on shale gas published on the 11th of April by MEP Boguslaw Sonik for the parliamentary committee working on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. The draft, which promotes the expansion of shale gas developments in Europe, will be presented in front of the ENVI Committee tomorrow. It will influence Europe’s position on shale gas, potentially steering Europe’s energy policy in completely the wrong direction.The report ignores the risks and negative impacts of fracking, while presenting overly optimistic industry interests.

Antoine Simon, shale gas campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: “Europe must not fall into the shale gas trap – it threatens the health of local communities, the environment, locks Europe into fossil fuel dependency, and undermines renewable energy developments.”

“European politicians must resist industry rhetoric and take account of the very real dangers of shale gas. Member states must suspend ongoing activities, and ban new projects – we must put a stop to this socially and environmentally damaging technology before it spreads across Europe.”

Exploiting shale gas, shale oil and coal bed methane in Europe will increase greenhouse gas emissions and ensure fossil fuel dependency at the expense of renewable energy or cheaper and safer policies to save energy. Additionally, loopholes in European legislation allow companies to remain secretive about chemicals used during fracking, making it impossible to assess the environmental and health risks.

Lisette van Vliet, Senior policy officer for Health and Environment Alliance said: “Getting natural gas from shale is a mark of desperate addiction to fossil fuels and threatens our public health by polluting the environment. Toxic chemicals used in fracking can contaminate groundwater, and subsequently drinking water, and fracking worsens our air quality. We call on Parliament to take a strong stand, and not to feed this addiction!”

Geert De Cock, policy officer for Food and Water Europe said: “Detailed analysis of how European water legislation covers, or fails to cover, the impacts of fracking on the water quality, is dangerously absent.”

“Fracking for shale gas has led to thousands of water contamination cases in the US – leaks, spills, blowouts, and improper treatment of wastewater – yet Europe is turning a blind eye. We must take heed, and suspend all ongoing shale gas developments in Europe”.

Civil society calls on member states to suspend ongoing activities, to abrogate permits, and to place a ban on any new projects, and urges the European Parliament not to promote further development of shale gas.

The world’s water supply is being strained by climate change and the growing food, energy and sanitary needs of a fast-growing population, according to a United Nations study that calls for a radical rethink of policies to manage competing claims.

Skawa River Flood, Poland

“Freshwater is not being used sustainably,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement. “Accurate information remains disparate, and management is fragmented … the future is increasingly uncertain and risks are set to deepen.”

It says that demand from agriculture, which already sucks up around 70 percent of freshwater used globally, is likely to rise by at least 19 percent by 2050 as the world’s population swells an estimated 2 billion people to 9 billion. Farmers will need to grow 70 percent more food by that time
as rising living standards mean individuals demand more food, and meat in particular.

The report will be debated at the World Water Forum in Marseille.

A “silent revolution” has taken place underground, the report warns, as the amount of water sucked from below the surface has tripled in the past 50 years, removing a buffer against drought.  And just as demand increases, supply in many regions is likely to shrink because of changed rainfall patterns, greater droughts, melting glaciers and altered river flows, it says.

“Climate change will drastically affect food production in South Asia and Southern Africa between now and 2030,” the report says. “By 2070, water stress will also be felt in central  and southern Europe.”

Asia is home to 60 percent of the world’s population but only around a third of water resources, it points out.  A separate water study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released last week forecast world water demand would rise by 55 percent by 2050, with more than 40 percent of the global population likely to live in water basins facing water stress.

The report says with limited supply, policymakers will have to better manage the competing demands of farmers, energy producers and humans demanding drinking water and sanitation.  “The lack of interaction between the diverse communities of users, decision makers and isolated water managers has caused serious degradation of the water resource,” it says.  The World Health Organisation said last week the U.N. target to raise the proportion of people with access to safe drinking water by 2015 had actually been reached at the end of 2010.

However the figure was contested by French charity Solidarites International, which said 1.9 billion people remained without safe drinking water, not the 783 million estimated by the United Nations.  The charity is among groups planning to challenge official messages at the Forum, with some associations holding an alternative event in Marseille.

Attempts to contain the fire on the platform in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20th 2010| Photo: EPA

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was one of the most publicised environmental disasters in history. Now, the European Union is planning to adopt new rules on offshore drilling for oil and gas in order to prevent such a disaster from occurring in European waters. However, European oil companies have managed to influence the decision and reduced the extent of the new regulations.

Gunther Oettinger, Commissioner for Energy, announced on Oct. 13th that new safety and environmental rules will be implemented to cover all offshore platforms in Europe. He stated: “Safety is non negotiable. We have to make sure that a disaster similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico will never happen in European waters. This is why we propose that best practices already existing in Europe will become the standard throughout the European Union.” The new rules could become a definite proposal for legislation as early as next year, and the European Parliament has already stated its support for the idea.

The new regulations would cover three aspects of offshore drilling: prevention, response, and financial liability. Any new permits issued for the activity will have to be issued after an investigation into the capability of the company in question to meet EU standards, which will be standardised across the Union. In addition to this, a permit will be granted only to companies who use the best available technology, ensuring the highest safety standards. The EU will also impose supervision by independent experts in addition to the already existing national authorities.

In the case of a disaster, the company operating the offshore platform will have to clean up the environmental damage within a zone of 307 km (200 nautical miles) off the European coast, which is an extension of the current 22 km (12 nautical miles). The European Maritime Safety Agency will oversee the application and execution of these rules. Also, the company responsible would have to pay financial compensation.

However, the new rules have been dulled down in favour of big oil companies. The initial idea behind the EU regulations was that it would cover all European-based companies and their world-wide operations. However, on Oct. 27th it was announced that they would only cover offshore drilling in Europe. This has led activists to point out that oil companies already use the best equipment when operating in Europe, while disasters and oil spills tend to occur in operations in developing countries. Two examples are the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and several oil spills in Nigeria (which actually caused more damage than the one in the Gulf) for which Shell is partially responsible. The new EU directive on the matter would therefore enforce double standards – one for Europe and one for the rest of the world.

Furthermore, the UK government has spoken out against the new regulatory measures. They have stated that they already have very robust regulations on offshore drilling and the proposal for European standards would actually reduce the UKs regulatory regime while placing unnecessary strain on British industry. These issues could put into question the adoption of the directive.

On the whole, European-wide regulations on offshore drilling are an admirable cause. However, the fact remains that an imposition of these measures on all operations by European companies would have been a greater victory for the environment. International organisations such as Greenpeace are calling for similar initiatives on the international level and, with EU support, they might even come into existence.

Laszlo Keki reporting.

For two days (24-26 March 2011.) as and inspiring and significant part of the Hungarian Presidency’s programme, Gödöllő Royal Palace was hosting an informal meeting of EU Environment Ministers.

Together with Fotis (from Greece) and Raul (from Romania) we visited the Presidency Headquarters in Gödöllö and keeping you posted about all interesting and important happenings.

(The Gödöllö Hungary EU Presidency venue is a really nice blend of Hungary’s brilliant historical and art heritages and the inspiring modernism and high tech of todays. Everything is convenient well arranged and efficient. So congratulations and thanks for the organizers especially for the protocol staff of Foreign Affairs who were very kind and helpful during our visit.)

“We need an integrated approach, for the future of water resources in Europe, the various Union policies must be coordinated for the protection of water. The Hungarian Presidency aims to facilitate the adoption of a closing document (conclusions), on the sustainable utilisation of water, by the Environment Council, which is due to take place in June.”

Friday morning the environmental ministers took a short bicycle tour to Academy of Sciences from the hotels.

After it they were transferred by bus to the Riding Arena of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő where they had a working lunch.

The topics of the first day were: The place and role of water in EU policy and Future of European water stocks.

“Preparations by the Commission to issue in accordance with the Water Framework Directive a comprehensive policy report under the title “Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources”, in 2012 lent currency to the debate of the Ministers.”

“The Ministers concluded that extreme weather situations trigger extreme hydrologic phenomena (such as floods, inland water and droughts) more frequently. We must be ready for these situations, with green solutions, as opposed to investments in infrastructure. We need a paradigm shift: We must understand, that floods constitute part of nature’s way, it is not protection against them that we need, rather co-existence with floods, the ministers stressed.”

After the quite long afternoon working session there was a signing ceremony of a five sides Declaration for estabilishment of the Mura-Drava-Duna Biosphere Reserve.

“The Environment Council, the Ministers of five countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, on the establishment of a cross-border biosphere reserve, in the presence of members of the Council, who remained in the meeting room. The reserve will be established on the banks of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers, in the territory of five countries. Three of the participating countries are EU Member States (Austria, Slovenia, and Hungary). One is a candidate for membership (Croatia), and one is a non-EU country (Serbia). In Hungary, there are five, the biosphere reserves, but this will be the first protected area that crosses state borders. According to the declaration, the five countries will set up a coordination body of fifteen members (with three representatives for each country), in order to define the steps necessary for the establishment of the biosphere reserve.”

In the evening a Presidency press conference was held also in the Gödöllő Press Centre.

(Commissioner Potocnik‘s empty table. But we understand as we knew he was bit sick and tired.)

“On behalf of the Commission Director General of DG Environment Karl-Friedrich Falkenberg (Director of EU Environment Protection Agency) spoke highly of the exchange of ideas in Gödöllő, as the meeting was the first discussion of the comprehensive policy blueprint drafted by the Commission.”

Karl-Friedrich Falkenberg at Gödöllő from Mr. Laszlo Keki on Vimeo.

Second day topics were: Climate Change in international context and Roadmap to a low-carbon economy in Europe by 2050.

Commissioner Connie and Minister Fellegi

“The meeting has been the first opportunity for an exchange of ideas, and lends currency to the issue that the commitment period prescribed by the Kyoto Protocol on climate protection, expires on 31 December 2012.

In Gödöllő, the 27 Member States all considered it important, that the EU be able to speak with a single voice in the international climate change conference, which will take place in Durban, South Africa at the end of 2011, stated Tamás Fellegi, Minister for National Development, the meeting chair. EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, highlighted at the press conference that it had been difficult with Kyoto, but would be even more difficult without it; therefore, its commitment must be preserved, because several years of negotiations went into its acceptance.

There have been intensive negotiations for years, on how to proceed, but no agreements have been reached. In the exchange of ideas, the 27 Member States agreed that a legally binding agreement for all major carbon dioxide emitters is necessary; however, an international treaty to be concluded by the end of 2012, is not a realistic option. Therefore, even if some kind of post-Kyoto Protocol agreement is developed, there will still be a period of a few years between its obligations and any future ones.

In a working lunch, ministers discussed the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050; adopted by the Commission on 8 March 2011. The document presents cost-efficient methods for the EU, to reduce its carbon emission by 80-95 percent in 2050, compared to 1990 levels. On the way towards the long-term objective, the Roadmap prescribes a reduction of 40 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2040, compared to 1990.”

www.eu2011.hu

Sofiyska Voda

“Sofiyska Voda” is the company which administers water and sanitation for the Bulgarian capital – Sofia. Now, the company has announced that it wants to join in on a project for producing renewable energy from its existent infrastructure. Placing electricity generators inside the pipes which deliver water to the homes of Sofia’s 1.7 million inhabitants is an innovation with broad consequences.

The idea of producing electricity from the pipes that deliver water to our homes is not a new one. In Sofia, it was first pioneered in 1998, when the project was not accepted by the capital city’s municipality because of the costs. Yet, in 2003, the plan was re-born, and the search for investors was initiated through public procurement contracts. Since then, numerous ecological and land-ownership investigations have been completed, and plans to construct six such installations are now well underway. It only seems logical that the company administering the water pipelines be included.

The technology behind the idea is rather simple. Small hydro-power stations are placed in strategic places where pressure in the pipes is reduced artificially because it is too high (e.g. due to gravity). These stations would not only regulate the pressure, but also produce renewable energy. It sounds like a win-for-all situation, and even the biggest skeptics have noted that only in very extreme situations the negative side would be to stop the delivery of water to the most distant suburbs. Taking the big picture into account, it is a risk worth taking.

Nevertheless, the citizens of Bulgaria’s capital should not expect hydro-power stations sprouting in the middle of their city. These installations will be constructed in the suburban areas, especially in the foot of the mountain above the city – Vitosha.

In a city where electricity consumption peaks at 2,000 MW per hour, the question of how much could these hydro installations contribute to the share of renewable energy in the city comes up. In total, the six electricity-generating stations are expected to contribute 6 MW per hour. Some would say that this is a small share, but the significance of the project is still quite large.

The final cost of all these plants is projected to be 15 million Euro (initially, it was 9 million Euro, but due to delays, it has increased). It seems a small price to pay for diversifying the capital’s energy mix through renewable energy stations that can be constructed in a short amount of time.

CEZ Electro

The link of these hydro-power stations to the grid of the city depends on the local energy distribution company – CEZ Electro. So far, the company has commented that there have been no negotiations with them about including these installations into the grid, but this is expected to happen soon since construction will be commenced as soon as the public procurement procedure in completed. Furthermore, Sofia’s municipality has estimated that 1.5 million Euro per annum is a realistic estimate of CEZ Electro’s profit from these installations. This is certainly an incentive which will draw in investors.

Such small-scale renewable energy projects, using innovative technology and natural resources are the type of ideas needed in a city with high electricity consumption. Yet, it is only possible due to the unique circumstances, such as Sofia’s location. Whether this idea can be used by other cities depends on a range of conditions and requires thorough investigation.

Human impact on world’s rivers threatens the water security of almost 5 billion people, and the survival of thousands of aquatic species.

Studies conducted by specialized institutions across the globe show that human interventions  on freshwater cause a dangerous decline on world’s rivers, especially in Europe and The United States. While the developing countries from Africa and Central Asia suffer the most due to water scarceness and security, rich countries produce the worst damages to it.

“What made our jaws drop is that some of the highest threat levels in the world are in the United States and Europe,” asserted Prof Peter McIntyre, one of the lead authors, who began the project as a Smith Fellow at the University of Michigan.

More than 30 of the 47 largest rivers in the world, amongst which we can mention the Nile, Yangtze and the Ganges, showed at least moderate threats to water security, due to excesive human impact. Between 10 000 and 20 000 aquatic wildlife species are at risk or face extinction and world’s rivers are suffering serious biodiversity and water security stress. The least affected rivers are those furthest from populated areas, such as remote parts of the tropics, Siberia and elsewhere in the polar regions.

A report published in the journal Nature produced a map of over twenty different types  of human influences and the way they affect water security and biodiversity. The most important and often encountered of them are the heavy engineering on water systems (dams and reservoirs), excesive irrigation, pollution or the introduction of alien non-native fish.

“With all the protection the EU has in place, it was surprising to see it was a hotspot for biodiversity loss. But for a long time Europeans have altered their landscapes, including the removal of 90% of wetlands and floodplains, which are crucial parts of river ecosystems [...]. We’re spending trillions of US dollars to fix a problem we’ve created in the first place. It’s much cheaper to treat the causes rather than the symptoms, which is what we do in the developed world today”, said Charles Vörösmarty, Professor of the City University of New York, lead author and an expert on global water, reads “The Guardian” newspaper.

Text by Cristina Mircea

Due to this year’s heavy rains, Hidroelectrica envisions record electricity production. The state-owned hydropower company might generate the highest number of KWh for the past 30-40 years, the company’s director Tudor Serban announced.

The director did not specify the exact amount of electricity that Hidroelectrica is to record this year, however the high output will be a certainty consequent of heavy rains.

In the first semester, the company produced 11.4 Terawatts-hour of electricity, up 15% from 9.9 TWh from the similar period a year earlier.

Hidroelectrica is owned by the Ministry of Economy and manages dams, hydropower plants, tailrace channels and underground water galleries.

The European Commission has decided to ask Poland to comply with EU environmental legislation in the area of flood prevention and risk management. Poland has failed to inform the Commission about the implementation of this legislation, which was due by November 2009. Poland has two months to inform the Commission of measures taken to comply with the request for information, which takes the form of a ‘reasoned opinion’ under EU infringement procedures. In the absence of a satisfactory response the Commission may refer Poland to the Court of Justice.

Skawa River Flood, Poland

Non-communication of the Floods Directive

Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of flood risks is intended to reduce and manage the risks that floods pose to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity. Floods endanger lives and cause human tragedy as well as heavy economic losses. Floods are natural phenomena but through the right measures their likelihood can be reduced and their impact limited. In addition to social and economic damage, floods can have severe environmental consequences, for example when installations holding quantities of chemicals are inundated or wetland areas destroyed. The coming decades are likely to see a higher flood risk in Europe and potentially greater economic damage.

The Directive requires Member States to carry out a preliminary assessment by 2011 to identify the river basins and associated coastal areas at risk of flooding. Flood risk maps are then to be drawn up for such zones by 2013, with flood risk management plans following two year later, by 2015. The risk maps focus on prevention, protection and preparedness.

Member States had until 26 November 2009 to implement the legislation and inform the Commission. Ensuring prompt and correct implementation of EU legislation by Member States is a priority for the Commission.

For current statistics on infringements in general see:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/implementation_en.htm

More details on water policy: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/index_en.htm

A new report funded by the European Commission makes a strong case for integrating biodiversity into private sector business plans and core activities around the globe. The report reveals considerable recent growth in eco-certified products and services, growing consumer concerns for sustainable production, and shows how biodiversity can provide a substantial business opportunity in a market that could be worth US$ 2-6 trillion by 2050. It makes seven key recommendations for businesses, and calls on accounting professions and financial reporting bodies to develop common standards to assess biodiversity impacts, and develop new tools for this purpose. “TEEB for Business” will form part of the TEEB synthesis report to be launched at a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010.

European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik said: “Despite some local successes, and in spite of a growing awareness of the problem, the global rate of biodiversity loss does not appear to be slowing. But this report shows that businesses can help, and I am heartened to see these tangible examples of companies that are flourishing without damaging the only planet we have.”

TEEB Study Leader Pavan Sukhdev said: “Through the work of TEEB and others, the economic importance of biodiversity and ecosystems is emerging from the invisible into the visible spectrum. It is clear that some companies in some sectors and on some continents are hearing and acting on that message in order to build more sustainable, 21st century businesses.”

Key proposals for businesses

TEEB for business recommends a series of actions to help companies minimise their biodiversity risks and seize the business opportunities ecosystems services create:

• Identify the impacts and dependencies of your business on biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES)
• Assess the business risks and opportunities associated with these impacts and dependencies
• Develop BES information systems, set SMART targets, measure and value performance, and report your results
• Take action to avoid, minimize and mitigate BES risks, including in-kind compensation (‘offsets’) where appropriate
• Grasp emerging BES business opportunities, such as cost-efficiencies, new products and new markets
• Integrate business strategy and actions on BES with wider corporate social responsibility initiatives
• Engage with business peers and stakeholders in government, NGOs and civil society to improve BES guidance and policy.

Biodiversity is good for business

The report finds that while a majority of companies still treat biodiversity superficially in their reports, growing numbers are aware of the potential benefits. Biodiversity and ecosystem services offer opportunities for all business sectors, and their integration can bring significant added value by ensuring the sustainability of supply chains, generating new products, creating and penetrating new markets and attracting new customers.

Policies to manage biodiversity and ecosystem risks can also help to identify new business opportunities, such as reducing input costs through improved resource efficiency, developing and marketing low impact technologies, managing and designing projects to reduce ecological footprints, and providing professional services in risk assessment and management/adaptation.

Estimates developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers for “sustainability-related global business opportunities in natural resources (including energy, forestry, food and agriculture, water and metals)” suggest a potential market in the range of US$ 2-6 trillion by 2050 (at constant 2008 prices). About half of this is “additional investments in the energy sector related to reducing carbon emissions”. Markets for biodiversity and ecosystem services are growing, as shown by data compiled by Forest Trends and the Ecosystem Marketplace:

• The certified agricultural products market was valued at over US$ 40 billion in 2008 and is expected to reach up to US$ 210 billion by 2020, and may reach US$ 900 billion by 2050.
• Payments for Ecosystem Services for water-related ecosystem services and watershed management account for only US$5 billion in 2008, but are expected to total more than 30 billion by 2050.

Background

The planet’s natural and nature-based assets – from individual species to ecosystems such as forests, coral reefs, freshwaters and soils – are declining at an alarming rate. Biodiversity loss costs billions to the global economy every year, undermining economies; business prospects and opportunities to combat poverty.

TEEB – The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity – is a project funded by the European Commission and governments including Germany, Norway and the UK, dedicated to building the economic case to assist economies make transformational policy choices and changes in order to address this crisis and bring greater intelligence to the way nature-based assets are managed. TEEB will publish a final synthesis report in advance of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s meeting in Nagoya, Japan later in the year.

Further information:

The TEEB for Business report is available at

http://www.teebweb.org/

The EU Business and Biodiversity Platform:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/business/index_en.html

Croatia and Hungary signed a declaration to establish a Trans-Boundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that will protect their shared biodiversity hotspot along the Mura, Drava and Danube Rivers. This paves the way to create Europe’s largest river protection area.

The ceremony in the presence of the Prime Ministers of Croatia and Hungary, Mrs Jadranka Kosor and Mr Gordon Bajnai, took place in the border city of Barcs, Hungary.

Given the global significance of this agreement, WWF has highlighted the leading role of the Governments of Croatia and Hungary with a “Leaders for a Living Planet” award, handed over by Lifeng Li, Director of WWF Global Freshwater Programme.

“This cross border agreement to protect an area of great natural importance will foster regional cooperation, international understanding and peace keeping 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain”, said James P. Leape, Director General of WWF International. “It is not only a significant advance for the region but can serve as an example of how nature conservation visions can bring countries together.”

With rare large floodplain forests, river islands, gravel banks and oxbows, the new protected area covers a 500 kilometres section of the three rivers and about 630,000 hectares of unique natural and cultural landscapes. The protected area, which has been declared with help of WWF and partner organisations (e.g. Drava League, Green Action and Euronatur) is awaiting UNESCO approval to become a Biosphere Reserve in 2010.

Today’s agreement, which was signed by the Ministers of Croatia and Hungary, Bozo Bizkupic (Minister of Culture) and Imre Szabo (Minister for Environment and Water) has the potential to become the cornerstone for a five-country Biosphere Reserve shared with Austria, Slovenia and Serbia. This would create the world’s first Biosphere reserve, commonly shared by five countries.

“WWF greatly welcomes this step of the governments of Croatia and Hungary as a very important milestone for the conservation of Europe’s natural treasures,” said Gabor Magyar, CEO of WWF Hungary. “This cross-border undertaking between a current and a future EU member is a potent symbol of the proposed unification of Croatia with the European Union,” Andreas Beckmann, Director of WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme added.

The area is home to the highest density of breeding pairs of the White-tailed Eagle in Europe and endangered species such as Little tern, Black stork, otters and sturgeons. It is also an important stepping stone for more than 250,000 migratory waterfowls every year. “The diversity of species in this region is one of Europe’s richest. Such areas can only be topped by the tropical rainforests,” says Arno Mohl, project leader “Mura-Drava-Danube” Biosphere Reserve from WWF Austria.

Moreover, the river ecosystem is vital for the socio-economic well being of the trans-boundary region. It is a major source for good drinking water, for natural flood protection, sustainable forestry, agriculture and fisheries as well as having an important role in promoting eco-tourism, awareness raising and environmental education in the region.

“We encourage Austria, Slovenia and Serbia to join the proposed Biosphere Reserve with Croatia and Hungary to complete this green belt protecting the heart of Europe”, WWF stresses.