Environment & the New Society
See some images I collected from different corners.
They prove recycling can be more fun than just sorting out the trash in five different bags.
Be creative, look around and think a bit before throwing out stuff.
By some estimates, the ocean’s endless motion packs enough power to meet a quarter of America’s energy needs. But wave energy technology lags well behind wind and solar power, with important technical hurdles still to be overcome.
See here the full article:
America’s First Wave-Produced Power Goes Online in Hawaii (19 September 2016)
By Cathy Bussewitz, Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/wave-produced-electricity-us-online-hawaii-42187915
Developers are still working to come up with the best design. Some buoys capture the up-and-down motion of the waves, while others exploit the side-to-side movement. Industry experts say a machine that uses all the ocean’s movements is most likely to succeed.
Also, the machinery has to be able to withstand powerful storms, the constant pounding of the seas and the corrosive effects of saltwater.
Wave energy technology is at about the same stage as the solar and wind industries were in the 1980s.
it is said the USA are a decade behind Europe. The European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland, for example, has 14 grid-connected berths that have housed dozens of wave and tidal energy devices from around the world over the past 13 years, and Wave Hub in England has several such berths. China, too, has been building and testing dozens of units at sea.
But while the U.S. government and military have put about US$334 million into marine energy research over the past decade, Britain and the rest of Europe have invested more than $1 billion, according to the Marine Energy Council, a trade group.
The U.S. Navy has established a test site in Hawaii, in Kaneohe Bay with hopes the technology can someday be used to produce clean, renewable power for offshore fueling stations for the fleet and provide electricity to coastal communities in fuel-starved places around the world.
Hawaii would seem a natural site for such technology. It is blessed with powerful waves.
Jose Zayas, a director of the Wind and Water Power Technologies Office at the U.S. Energy Department, which helps fund the Hawaii site, said the United States could get 20 to 28% of its energy needs from waves without encroaching on sensitive waters such as marine preserves.
Though small in scale, the test project near Kaneohe Bay represents the vanguard of U.S. wave energy development. It consists of two buoys anchored a half-mile to a mile offshore.
One of them, the Azura, which extends 12 feet above the surface and 50 feet below, converts the waves’ vertical and horizontal movements into up to 18 KW of electricity. The company involved, Northwest Energy Innovations of Portland, Oregon, plans a version that can generate at least 500 KW.
After a boom in China, installing more wind and solar farms than anywhere else, China is reducing the pace of growth in an industry that has helped lower the costs of green energy worldwide.
There is a need to consolidate the industry, clean out the weaklings and improve the grid. Overall China will forge ahead.
See the original and complete article:
China to Slow Green Growth for First Time After Record Boom – 23 September 2016
Installations of new wind and solar farms are expected to drop 11% in 2017 from a record high in 2016.
China’s electricity demand is stagnating along with a pause in the nation’s economic expansion. The government has started re-calibrating subsidies for the business, a move that’s likely to hit the industry’s leading manufacturers, Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. and Trina Solar Ltd.
China has been the single largest developer of the technology for eight years. Its demand for panels and turbines has pushed manufacturers to build factories throughout Asia, and the scale of its projects helped bring down the cost of electricity from low-polluting sources everywhere.
China’s wind and solar capacity will grow 41.8 GW in 2017, down from a record 46.9 GW in 2016.
I also believe that In the long run, there is no question where China is headed: China is committed to a low-carbon future.
Based largely in China, the solar manufacturing industry, has been opening new factories in Asia and elsewhere. Now the market is bracing for a glut, pressuring companies to cut prices and often leading to a merciless cut-out-the-weakest.
China needs to digest the wind and solar plants and connect those properly to the grid. A large percentage of the generated power is lost as the grid cannot or does not want to absorb it.
There is a new trend few have noticed in China: the government is now heavily promoting both wind and especially solar farms that are able to deliver 24/24 with storage capacities. That will be the technology of the future. I know some manufacturers of thermal solar who are doing brisk business as they deliver solar plants with storage, producing power in a more grid-friendly way.
The grid problems experienced in China are also becoming an issue in some European countries.
See here some interesting tables from Bloomberg:
Once again, those who criticize China on its generation modes should have a better look.
In my book Toxic Capitalism I talk about them, an initiative I love because it exactly promotes my point: to be a better consumer, waste less and help the environment. It started in Holland.
They are public events where people in the neighborhood get together, typically once a month, to repair your stuff. Another aspect: people connect socially in their neighborhood!
That can be about anything, like mending socks, giving the coach a second life, getting your toaster back to life and so on.
In one years the number of Repair Cafes has grown from around hundred to now 225, they pop up everywhere. Presently there are 135 in Flanders and 90 in Brussels and Wallonia.
Interesting to see the details in the original article, like the fact 20% of the visitors become “repairmen” themselves.
I have my own repair station in my Beijing home…
See here the article in Dutch:
http://weekend.knack.be/lifestyle/radar/repair-cafes-zitten-in-de-lift/article-normal-755853.html
Repair Cafés hebben de wind in de zeilen in België. Op één jaar tijd is hun aantal verdubbeld, van een honderdtal eind 2015 naar 225 nu.
Na het succes van het eerste Repair Café in Antwerpen, duiken overal in Brussel en Vlaanderen nieuwe Repair Cafés op.
Repair Cafés zijn gratis, voor iedereen toegankelijke bijeenkomsten, waarbij buurtgenoten elkaar, over het algemeen één keer per maand, helpen bij het herstellen van allerhande voorwerpen.
Volgens de statistieken wordt 70% van de voorwerpen die in een Repair Café worden binnengebracht, hersteld. Bij 15% is een nieuw stuk nodig, en 15% belandt in centra waar de voorwerpen uit mekaar worden gehaald. Twintig procent van de bezoekers van een Repair Café wordt zelf hersteller.
Here the focus of food waste is on the USA but I see this still being a problem in other Western countries.
When visiting the U.S. and Europe I often witness how consumers simply buy too much, stuff it in the fridge, use a little and then shamelessly throw away because it is “past date”. Or they prepare the food and throw away many parts that could be used. The excuse is, too old, cheap anyway (it was in promotion!), and “what’s your problem?”
I am shocked because the way I was brought up is “to never waste food”.
However the problem is more serious because before the food really arrives at the consumer, mountains were wasted due to poor storage, the fickle attitude of the big chains, the whole system.
Happily we see a trend where some shops now sell separately the “ugly produce”, or find a channel to unload the unused or “too old” produce (e.g. to charity or recycling).
The issue is also discussed in my book Toxic Capitalism.
See the full article here, dated 13 July 2016, highly recommended:
The Guardian article
Some main lines:
– Americans throw away almost as much food as they eat because of a “cult of perfection”, deepening hunger and poverty, and inflicting a heavy toll on the environment. Vast quantities of fresh produce grown in the US are left in the field to rot, fed to livestock or hauled directly from the field to landfill, because of unrealistic and unyielding cosmetic standards.
– Food waste is often described as a “farm-to-fork” problem. By one government tally, about 60m tons of produce worth about $160bn, is wasted by retailers and consumers every year – one third of all foodstuffs.
– Scarred vegetables regularly abandoned in the field to save the expense and labor involved in harvest. Or left to rot in a warehouse because of minor blemishes that do not necessarily affect freshness or quality. When added to the retail waste, it takes the amount of food lost close to half of all produce grown, experts say.
– Some supermarket chains and industry groups in the US are pioneering ugly produce sections and actively campaigning to reduce such losses. But a number of producers and distributors claimed that some retailing giants were still using their power to reject produce on the basis of some ideal of perfection, and sometimes because of market conditions.
The China Daily article: “China sets pace for green energy” gives a better image of what China is doing. Dated 11 July 2016.
China Daily article
See here the main points:
China has cut coal consumption by 1.57 billion metric tons from 2010 to 2015 to reduce carbon emissions by 3.6 billion tons. And it has shown a commitment to green energy by becoming the largest country with renewable power capacity in 2015.
An estimated 147 GW of renewable power capacity was added worldwide in 2015, the largest annual increase ever, the annual Global Status Report on Renewables 2016 said.
Among the global players, China has been especially active. It leads the list of 148 countries covered in the report, with the largest renewable power capacity by 2015, according to the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy.
With the increasing investment on solar, wind and hydropower, China will see a larger growth of nonfossil fuels, “with a high possibility to exceed the set targets of 15% by 2020,” said Li Junfeng of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.
Nonfossil fuels accounted for 12% of China’s primary energy mix in 2015, growing from 7.4% in 2005, and it’s expected to account for 20% by 2030, said Xie Zhenhua, China’s chief climate negotiator and former deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission.
“In 2015, China saw its GDP hit 67.7 trillion yuan ($10.1 trillion), 148% above 2005, but the carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP has been reduced by 38% compared with 2005; China is committed to reducing carbon intensity 60-65% by 2030, and aims to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions earlier than the deadline of 2030”, Xie said.
The number of cars is increasing in China. Figures published in July 2016: In China the total number of cars now 184 million, with 135 million private cars. Driving license total 296 million. Beijing: 5.44 million cars.
Rumors go around of more traffic restrictions in Beijing as well as road fees to enter the center of the city (“congestion fees”). Another much more controversial plan – being carried out – is to simply lower the city population by making life difficult and expensive for migrants. In my opinion, unsustainable as it is chasing away all the people providing services.
China Daily on 3 September 2016 published the following data on Beijing, see:
Some of the figures:
– 2015 population 21.71 million
– 2015 registered vehicles: 5.62 million (notice, as usual, the difference with the figure above!)
– metro lines: 2015 554 Km – 2020 1,000 Km
– evolution of PM2.5 and “good air days”
In July China Daily also published the sources of PM2.5 in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei:
That is in line with my assessment that pollution in Beijing is roughly: one third cars / one third local industry / one third coming from the outside.
Coordination between areas has grown into a major issue in the fight against air pollution, especially in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Beijing has set an air pollution reduction target for PM2.5 at 60 micrograms per cubic meter by 2017. The city averaged 80.9 micrograms in 2015, suggesting the target will be hard to reach.
See the full article here:
12 July 2016 – Lots of bad air blows in from elsewhere
China Daily article
Beijing now has 68,000 public bicycles, and some new models. The city has also launched an app to provide real-time location data, nearby rental stations, number of available bikes etc. The rental bikes were launched in 2012 and I see more and more on the road.
A bit sad to see this extreme brand of Buddhism, an otherwise peaceful teaching. Unfortunately since trhe article came out little or no progress has been made to stem the virulent actions by some, like in Myanmar against some Muslim minorities.
The darker side of Buddhism, by Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo, 30 May 2015
BBC article
Some excerpts:
The principle of non-violence is central to Buddhist teachings, but in Sri Lanka some Buddhist monks are being accused of stirring up hostility towards other faiths and ethnic minorities. Their hard line is causing increasing concern.
The firebrand strain of Buddhism is not new to Sri Lanka. A key Buddhist revivalist figure of the early 20th Century, Anagarika Dharmapala, was less than complimentary about non-Sinhalese people. He held that the “Aryan Sinhalese” had made the island into Paradise which was then destroyed by Christianity and polytheism. He targeted Muslims saying they had “by Shylockian methods” thrived at the expense of the “sons of the soil”.
Since 2012, the Buddhist Power Force (BBS)has embraced direct action, following the example of other like-minded groups. It raided Muslim-owned slaughter-houses claiming, incorrectly, that they were breaking the law. Members demonstrated outside a law college alleging, again incorrectly, that exam results were being distorted in favor of Muslims.
Moderate Buddhists have also been targeted by hardline ones.
Another country where fierce Buddhism has recently made headlines is Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. A Buddhist faction there, the 969 movement, is known for strident anti-Muslim campaigns that have triggered widespread violence.
See: Myanmar mob burns down mosque, 2 July 2016
BBC article
A mob has burned down a mosque in northern Myanmar in the second attack of its kind in just over a week.
Police are reported to be guarding the village of Hpakant in Kachin state, after failing to stop Buddhist villagers setting the mosque ablaze.
Last week, a group of men destroyed a mosque in central Myanmar in a dispute over its construction.
The latest attack took place on Friday, when a group of villagers stormed the mosque and set it on fire. Reports said they attacked police officers guarding it, and stopped the fire brigade from reaching the site.
Recently I had a Q&A session in Beida on the subject, see:
http://blog.strategy4china.com/2016/09/biking-and-chinese-cultural-conflict/
While the city of Beijing has indeed made some progress, like increasing the amount of bikes for rent, coming out with new models, as well as modestly making better biking lanes, a lot remains to be done.
China Daily explained some of the recent trends:
7 September 2016 – Bicycles on a roll again
China Daily article
The point is that a new wave of consumers choses biking as a new fashion statement, buying expensive models. They want to look “cool” while bikes are mostly regarded as for people who really have little or no money. Explains why the number of bikes seems still to go down but the market size of the industry shows a strong growth.
Companies like Natooke (Iness Brunn and her fixed gear bikes) are the nice symptoms: she has attracted a lot of attention. Others are going the bamboo way. Another custom-made shop I I know is making 40,000 RMB bikes, high-tech alloys.
See here NATOOKE:
Touring Wudaoying Hutong in Beijing
http://www.beijing1980.com/?p=2734
And this article:
can-beijing-become-cyclers-paradise-again
Here a picture of a bike I saw in Sanlitun, I even had to look it up and yes, a Land Rover bike does exist! Could not figure out the model, they are on sale online. Not clear if this one has “assisted pedal power”.
But even “e-scooters”, meaning here the real big ones, are also finding a new niche through their superior power and technology: a bit like the e-version of a Harley Davidson. EVOKE is such a company. Their bike was displayed in our Rotaract Gala evening a few months ago, see:
“Rotaract Gala Event: see what you missed!”
http://www.beijing1980.com/2016/06/26/rotaract-gala-event-see-what-you-missed/
The EVOKE bike:
http://www.beijing1980.com/wp-content/gallery/160625galapicsweb/DSC00229.jpg
The China Daily article:
7 September 2016 – Putting power and pizazz into bikes
China Daily article
Many call for increased use of bikes. Much in line with what I preach is in this China Daily article:
5 July 2016 – A short ride to clean, better life and future
China Daily article
It says:
Beijing is spending about 30 million yuan this year to improve the capital’s sidewalks and bicycle lanes, and keep them free of motor vehicles.
The Beijing municipal government is trying to ease traffic jams by imposing congestion fees on drivers. Since many are opposed to the move, the Beijing authorities should encourage more people to ride bicycles, because it is the best way to reduce the use of cars.
Urban planners in cities like Beijing want to emulate other cities that have admirable biking policies. A survey of the top 20 cities with the best bike systems shows Europe as the leader, with Japan as the runner-up. Beijing and other North China cities didn’t fare well in the rankings, even though China is known as a bicycle-friendly country.
But cities in North China cannot use cold weather as an excuse to turn their back on bikes, because 30 percent of urban Scandinavians ride to work through winter.
And as for me, hot or cold, sun or rain, I am on my bike in Beijing
Some humor is welcome in the often acid comments on tolerance, religion, racism… Sadly enough, some people are also offended by humor…
See here one I like:
Tolerance
I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against another mosque being built in London.
I think it should be the goal of every Englishman to be tolerant.
Thus the Mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.
That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque, thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque.
We could call one of the clubs, which would be gay, “The Turban Cowboy “, and the other a topless bar called “You Mecca Me Hot.”
Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbeque pork restaurant, called “Iraq o’ Ribs.”
Across the street there could be a lingerie store called “Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret “, with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.
Next door to the lingerie shop there would be room for an adult sex toy shop, “Koranal Knowledge”, its name in flashing neon lights, and on the other side a liquor store called “Morehammered.”
All of this would encourage the Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us, so the mosque problem would be solved.
