Ελλάδα: θα κληθούμε να πληρώνουμε καθημερινά 34.000 ευρώ ανά χωματερή!

Έκλεισαν μόνο οι 50 από τις 270 παράνομες χωματερές - Αγώνας δρόμου για να αποφύγουμε τα τσουχτερά πρόστιμα...

Κι' όμως! Την ώρα που η χώρα προσπαθεί να εξοικονομήσει οικονομικούς πόρους κόβοντας μισθούς και συντάξεις, την ώρα που τα ταμεία είναι άδεια και οι μισθωτοί έχουν σφίξει το ζωνάρι όσο ποτέ, οι αρμόδιοι αδιαφορούν! Σε τέτοιο βαθμό, που είναι πολύ πιθανό η χώρα μας να πληρώνει πρόστιμα, που θα ξεπερνούν καθημερινά τα 9εκ.€!

Η Ε.Ε. είχε καταδικάσει τη χώρα μας για τις παράνομες χωματερές το 2005. Σε περίπτωση δεύτερης καταδίκης θα κληθούμε να πληρώνουμε καθημερινά 34.000 ευρώ ανά χωματερή! Δηλαδή 9,1εκ.€! Αυτό διότι από τις 320 χωματερές έχουν κλείσει μόνο οι 50, με αποτέλεσμα να παραμένουν εν ενεργεία 270, σύμφωνα με τον υφυπουργό εσωτερικών Γιώργο Ντόλιο.

Οι ρυθμοί χελώνας είναι πολύ δύσκολο να ανατραπούν από τη στιγμή που δεν υπάρχουν εναλλακτικές λύσεις. Στο κόκκινο είναι η περιφέρεια Πελοποννήσου και χαρακτηριστικό είναι το αλαλούμ που έγινε πρόσφατα με την χωματερή της Καλαμάτας, η οποία ενώ υπήρχε δικαστική απόφαση για να κλείσει, τελικά ξανάνοιξε μετά τους λόφους από σκουπίδια που σχηματίστηκαν.

Geo-engineering and sea-level rise over the 21st century

August 24, 2010

New national centre covers marine science from the coast to the deep ocean

News Story Quotation

Quote Text: 

Substituting geo-engineering for greenhouse emission control would be to burden future generations with enormous risk

Quote Author: 

Svetlana Jevrejeva

Quote Date: 

August 24, 2010

Scientific findings by international research group of scientists from England, China and Denmark just published suggest that sea level will likely be 30-70 centimetres higher by 2100 than at the start of the century even if all but the most aggressive geo-engineering schemes are undertaken to mitigate the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are stringently controlled.

“Rising sea levels caused by global warming are likely to affect around 150 million people living in low-lying coastal areas, including some of the world’s largest cities,” explained Dr Svetlana Jevrejeva of the National Oceanography Centre.
Most scientists agree that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions contribute greatly to global warming, and that these emissions need to be controlled if damaging future impacts such as sea-level rise are to be averted. But if we fail to do so, is there a ‘Plan B’?
Scientists have proposed ways of ‘geo-engineering’ the Earth system to tackle global warming, thereby reducing its impact on both the main contributors of sea level rise: thermal expansion of ocean water and melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Jevrejeva and her colleagues have modelled sea level over the 21stcentury under various geo-engineering schemes and carbon dioxide emission scenarios.
“We used 300 years of tide gauge measurements to reconstruct how sea level responded historically to changes in the amount of heat reaching the Earth from the Sun, the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, and past human activities,” said Jevrejeva. “We then used this information to simulate sea level under geo-engineering schemes over the next 100 years.”
Changes in temperature predicted to result from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide or geo-engineering are large compared with those caused by volcanism over the last 100,000 years or by changes in the amount of the Sun’s energy reaching the Earth over the last 8000 years.
“Natural sea-level variationscaused byextreme events such as severe volcanic eruptions over the past several thousand years were generally much smaller than those caused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions or predicted under effective geo-engineering schemes,” said Jevrejeva.
The researcher’s simulations show that injections of sulfur dioxide particles into the upper atmosphere, equivalent to a major volcanic eruption such as that of Mt Pinatubo every 18 months, would reduce temperature and delay sea-level rise by 40-80 years. Maintaining such an aerosol cloak could keep sea level close to what it was in 1990.
However, use of sulfur dioxide injection would be costly and also risky because its effects on ecosystems and the climate system are poorly understood.
“We simply do not know how the Earth system would deal with such large-scale geo-engineering action,” said Jevrejeva.
Large mirrors orbiting the Earth could deflect more of the Sun’s energy back out to space, reducing temperatures and help control sea level, but the logistics and engineering challenges of such a scheme are daunting.
The researchers argue that perhaps the least risky and most desirable way of limiting sea-level rise is bioenergy with carbon storage (BECS). Biofuel crops could be grown on a large-scale, and carbon dioxide released during their combustion or fermentation could be captured, and the carbon stored as biochar in the soil or in geological storage sites.
BECS has some advantages over chemical capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which requires an energy source, although both approaches could eventually reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to pre-industrial level according to the new simulations.
“Substituting geo-engineering for greenhouse emission control would be to burden future generations with enormous risk,” said Jevrejeva.
The researchers are John Moore (BeijingNormal University), Svetlana Jevrejeva (National Oceanography Centre), and Aslak Grinsted (Copenhagen University).

Publication: 

Moore, J. C., Jevrejeva, S. & Grinsted, A. Efficacy of geoengineering to limit 21st century sea level rise. PNAS  (Published online before print August 23, 2010, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1008153107).

Glaciers Retreating in Asia

Could Impact Water Supplies for Millions and Cause Flood Conditions
Released: 8/25/2010 10:33:00 AM
Contact Information: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication, 119 National Center, Reston, VA 20192
Many of Asia’s glaciers are retreating as a result of climate change.
This retreat impacts water supplies to millions of people, increases the likelihood of outburst floods that threaten life and property in nearby areas, and contributes to sea-level rise.
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with 39 international scientists, published a report on the status of glaciers throughout all of Asia, including Russia, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
“Of particular interest are the Himalaya, where glacier behavior impacts the quality of life of tens of millions of people,” said USGS scientist Jane Ferrigno. “Glaciers in the Himalaya are a major source of fresh water and supply meltwater to all of the rivers in northern India.”
As glaciers become smaller, water runoff decreases, which is especially important during the dry season when other water sources are limited. Climate change also brings warmer temperatures and earlier water runoff from glaciers, and this combined with spring and summer rains can result in flood conditions. The overall glacier retreat and additional melt can increase the amount of water dammed in the vicinity of a glacier, and the added pressure enhances the likelihood of disastrous outburst flooding.
While most glaciers in Asia are in recession, some glaciers have been found to advance. Some of the advancing glaciers are surge-type glaciers, which move forward more rapidly than average in a short period of time. The reason for this is being studied by glaciologists, and is likely due to unique and local condition
Glacier studies in each area started at different times depending on accessibility of glaciers and scientific interest. For example, the earliest description of glaciers in China was in 630 A.D., while studies in the Caucasus area of Russia began in the mid 1800s and modern studies in Nepal started in the 1950s.
The time period for retreat also differs among each glacier. In Bhutan, 66 glaciers have decreased 8.1 percent over the last 30 years.  Rapid changes in the Himalaya is shown in India by the 12 percent retreat of Chhota Shigri Glacier during the last 13 years, as well as retreat of the Gangotri Glacier since 1780, with 12 percent shrinkage of the main stem in the last 16 years.
Glaciers in Russia and in the four republics once part of the Former Soviet Union have the largest area of glaciers in Asia, covering 30,478 square miles, which is about the size of South Carolina. The glaciers of China have the second largest area of glaciers in Asia, covering 22,944 square miles, which is about twice the size of Massachusetts. In Afghanistan, the more than 3,000 small mountain glaciers that occur in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountains provide vital water resources to the region.
“This report was a collaboration between U.S. and foreign authors, the most knowledgeable glaciologists for each geographic region covered,” said USGS scientist Richard S. Williams, Jr. “The USGS published historical and modern data authored by local experts. Some analyses of past climate conditions were conducted by studying ice cores from high-mountain areas of Asia.”
This report is the 9th in the series of 11 volumes to be published as the USGS Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. You can view other publications in this series online.
“The Glaciers of Asia” volume is available online.

The Road Safety Programme (2011-2020) in detail

Commission has adopted an ambitious Road Safety Programme which aims to cut road deaths in Europe in half in the next decade. The programme sets out a mix of initiatives, at European and national level, focussing on improving vehicle safety, the safety of infrastructure and road users' behaviour.
Key figures:

• Road Safety is a major societal issue. In 2009, more than 35,000 people died on the roads of the European Union, i.e. the equivalent of a medium town.
• For every death on Europe's roads there are an estimated four permanently disabling injuries such as damage to the brain or spinal cord, 10 serious injuries and 40 minor injuries.
• The estimated economic cost to society is 130 Billion Euro a year. 

The Road Safety Programme (2011-2020) in detail
There are Seven Strategic Objectives
1. Improved Safety Measures for Vehicles
Much work has already been done in the period 2001-2010 with regard to "passive" safety devices for vehicles such as seatbelts and airbags. Between 2011-2020 a range of new "active safety" measures will come into force for safety equipment including:

• Mandatory electronic stability control (for cars, buses and trucks to reduce the risk of destabilising or rolling)
• Mandatory lane departure warning systems (for trucks and buses)
• Mandatory automatic emergency braking systems (for trucks and buses)
• Mandatory seat belt reminders (cars and trucks)
• Mandatory speed limiters for light commercial vehicles/vans (already in place for trucks)
• For electric vehicles, the Commission will bring forward a package of concrete measures setting technical standards for safety.
• The Commission will examine the possibility of extending the implementation of advanced Driver Assistance Systems, such as anti- collision warnings by retrofitting them to commercial and or private vehicles
• Since 2003, EU legislation has been strengthened to reduce injury risk for vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, cyclists e.g. through mandating energy absorbing car fronts and, blind spot mirrors. Further technical actions in this area will need to be examined.

Safety of vehicles on the road – roadworthiness tests

• The Commission will strengthen EU legislation on roadworthiness tests with a view to establishing mutual recognition of roadworthiness inspections so checks in one Member State will be recognised in another.

2. Building safer road infrastructure

• European funds will only be granted to infrastructure compliant with road safety and tunnel safety Directives. This is already the case for TEN-T funding, the Commission wants to extend it as a general principle for any EU funding, for example cohesion funding.
• Examine extending the principles of existing EU legislation on infrastructure safety management to rural roads of Member States. This legislation requires that safety requirements be taken into account the planning process, pre-design and design stage when infrastructure is being developed. It also requires safety audits for infrastructure, identification of black spots and inspections. Extending these principles to rural roads could be done on the basis of exchange of best practice by Member States.

3. Boost Smart Technology

• The Commission will propose new technical specifications, under the ITS Directive (Intelligent Transport Systems Directive) so that data and information can be easily exchanged between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure (for example to enable real time information on speed limits, on traffic flows, congestion, pedestrian recognition.)
• The Commission will accelerate the deployment of e-call as well as examine its extension to motorcyclists, heavy duty trucks and buses.

4. Strengthening education and training for road users
The road user is the first link in the safety chain and the one most prone to error. Whatever the technical measures in place, the effectiveness of road safety policy depends ultimately on users' behaviour. Education, training, and enforcement are essential.
The Commission will work with Member States to develop a common education and training road safety strategy. At EU level this will include, as a priority, strengthening the quality of the licensing and training system, notably by widening the EU Driving Licence Directive, to establish:

• Minimum criteria for driving instructors
• The integration of accompanied driving/apprenticeship in the pre-licensing period (i.e establishing with minimum age, experience and conditions for countries which chose to use this system).
• Examining the possibility to introduce probation periods after the driving test (where tighter controls apply for newly licensed drivers)
• Examine the possibility of introducing eco-driving into theoretical and practical tests for safer, clean driving.

5. Better enforcement
Effectiveness of road safety policies largely depends on the intensity of controls and compliance with safety requirements. Enforcement remains a key factor in creating the conditions for a considerable reduction in the number of deaths and injuries. Speeding, drink driving and failure to wear a seatbelt are still considered the three main killers on the road. Measures to strengthen EU wide and national enforcement controls will include:

• The development by Member States of national implementation plans (e.g. targets as regards priority issues and the intensity of controls at national level).
• EU wide awareness campaigns
• For drink driving, penalties should be accompanied by preventative measures. For example, the Commission will consider legislative measures to require mandatory use of alco-locks for specific professional cases, such as school buses, or in the framework of rehabilitation programmes (for professional and non-professional drivers) after drink driving offences.
• The biggest cross-border driving offence is still speeding. The Commission will prioritise the adoption of legally binding measures on the cross border exchange of information in the field of road safety (2008 proposed Directive) to allow for the identification and sanctioning of foreign offenders for seatbelts, speed, alcohol and traffic light offences.

6. Establishing a Road Injuries Target
Reducing the number of injuries will be a key priority action for Europe for the next decade. The Commission will develop the elements of a comprehensive strategy of action concerning road injuries and first aid, including:

• Establishing common definitions of serious and minor injuries to define targets with a view to then establishing common EU wide injuries target to integrate into 2010-2020 Road Safety Guidelines.
• Promote exchange of best practices between Member States on emergency service response to accidents, as well as establishing EU wide data collection and analysis on injuries.
• Examine the added value of developing and installing event data recorders (‘black boxes’), in particular on professional vehicles, to improve technical investigations and analysis of accidents.

7. A new focus on Motorcyclists
The Commission will focus particularly on motorcycles and other "powered two wheelers." (PTW) While other vehicle transport modes have shown significant decreases in fatalities and serious injuries over time, those for PTW riders have exhibited much lower decreases or remained even static.
At European level measures for powered two wheelers will be proposed:

• to introduce a number of functional vehicle safety measures like e.g. mandatory fitting of Advanced Brake Systems, Automatic Headlamp On and updated anti-tampering measures (so speed controls cannot be removed) for certain categories of PTWs
• to develop technical standards on protective equipment such as clothing, and to study the feasibility of equipping motorcycles with an airbag and/or including the airbag in the protective clothing
• to extend EU legislation on road worthiness testing/inspections to motorbikes and other powered two wheelers (which does not exist at the moment)

Road safety action programme 2001-2010
Although the ambitious target set in 2001 to halve the number of fatalities by 2010 has not been completely met, significant progress has been made. For example, the number of fatalities is expected to fall by more than 40% (compared to a 25% drop in the preceding decade). It also brought down the average level of road deaths per one million inhabitants from 113 in 2001 to 69 in 2009 for all current 27 Member States. This is close to the level of the best-performing Member States in 2001 (the UK, Sweden and The Netherlands with respectively 61, 62 and 66 deaths per one million inhabitants). The Road Safety Action Plan (2001-2010) was a strong catalyst for EU and national efforts to improve road safety.

EU anouncement: Renewables - the current status

Background

Renewable energy contributed 10.3% of energy consumption in the EU27 in 2008

In 2008, energy from renewable sources was estimated to have contributed 10.3% of gross final energy consumption in the EU27, compared with 9.7% in 2007 and 8.8% in 2006. The 2009 Directive on renewable energy set individual targets for all Member States, such that the EU will reach a 20% share of total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. These targets take into account the Member States' different starting points, renewable energy potential and economic performance.

These figures are taken from a report issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Highest share of renewables in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Austria and Portugal
The highest share of renewable energy in total consumption in 2008 was found in Sweden (44.4% of renewable energy sources in total consumption), Finland (30.5%), Latvia (29.9%), Austria (28.5%) and Portugal (23.2%), and the lowest in Malta (0.2%), Luxembourg (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.2%), the Netherlands (3.2%) and Belgium (3.3%).
Between 2006 and 2008, nearly all Member States increased their share of renewable energy in total consumption. The largest increases were recorded in Austria (from 24.8% in 2006 to 28.5% in 2008), Estonia (from 16.1% to 19.1%), Romania (from 17.5% to 20.4%), Portugal (from 20.5% to 23.2%) and Slovakia (from 6.2% to 8.4%).

 

Share of renewable energy

(in % of gross final energy consumption)

	2006	2007	2008	2020 target
EU27	8.8	9.7	10.3	20
Belgium	2.7	3.0	3.3	13
Bulgaria	9.3	9.1	9.4	16
Czech Republic	6.4	7.3	7.2	13
Denmark	16.8	18.1	18.8	30
Germany	6.9	9.0	8.9	18
Estonia	16.1	17.1	19.1	25
Ireland	3.0	3.4	3.8	16
Greece	7.2	8.1	8.0	18
Spain	9.1	9.6	10.7	20
France*	9.6	10.2	11.0	23
Italy	5.3	5.2	6.8	17
Cyprus	2.5	3.1	4.1	13
Latvia	31.3	29.7	29.9	40
Lithuania	14.7	14.2	15.3	23
Luxembourg	0.9	2.0	2.1	11
Hungary	5.1	6.0	6.6	13
Malta	0.1	0.2	0.2	10
Netherlands	2.5	3.0	3.2	14
Austria	24.8	26.6	28.5	34
Poland	7.4	7.4	7.9	15
Portugal	20.5	22.2	23.2	31
Romania	17.5	18.7	20.4	24
Slovenia	15.5	15.6	15.1	25
Slovakia	6.2	7.4	8.4	14
Finland	29.2	28.9	30.5	38
Sweden	42.7	44.2	44.4	49
United Kingdom	1.5	1.7	2.2	15

* "France métropolitaine", excluding the four overseas departments (French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion)

More: Eurostat

Guidance on the Sustainable Re-use of Greenfield Soil in Construction'

 Χώμα από κατασκευαστικά έργα
The 'Guidance on the Sustainable Re-use of Greenfield Soil in Construction', was produced by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in partnership with the Construction Employers Federation and other industry stakeholders.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Poots said: "I firmly believe that the pursuit of environmental and economic goals is complimentary. I particularly welcome the joint working between NIEA and the construction industry to produce this guidance which I see as a positive step for Northern Ireland’s environment and economy."
The European Waste Framework Directive classifies surplus soil from construction sites as a waste. This means that its movement must be regulated under waste management controls that cost both time and money. This has contributed to clean soils being dumped illegally or unnecessarily going to landfill.
The new guidance clearly lays down conditions under which uncontaminated, greenfield soil from construction sites can be re-used sustainably without the requirement for environmental regulatory controls.
The Minister continued: "One of the most important aims of my department is landfill diversion. This is not only due to the financial implications of impending EU infraction fines but because it goes against the grain to bury valuable resources in to the ground.



"This guidance provides sensible regulations and solutions that are proportionate and effective yet risk-based. This will ensure what was formerly classified as 'waste' can be re-used sustainably whilst still protecting the environment and human health."
John Armstrong, Managing Director of the CEF commented: "We very much welcome this new guidance. In the past, our members could not understand why clean topsoil or other useful soils could be classified as ‘waste’. This new guidance will help streamline the re-use of soil while still protecting the environment.
"The Federation encourages the industry to move soils responsibly and in accordance with this new guidance in order to demonstrate that we can self-regulate responsibly. This will build confidence with the regulator and prove that this type of ‘lighter-touch’ can work for both the industry and the environment."