Plastic Pictures and Green Metallurgy: Economics Digest No. 27

An ecological disaster occurred in Kamchatka, the Tasmanian devils returned to Australia, and the Tretyakov Gallery opened an exhibition of objects made from recycled plastic

Topic of the week: water pollution and death of animals in Kamchatka

The environmental disaster in Kamchatka became known at the end of September. The first to notice this were surfers who train on the Khalaktyrsky beach of the Avacha Bay. After swimming, their eyes swelled and reddened, nausea appeared, and the temperature rose. Local residents also noted similar symptoms, according to them, they appeared in early September. Eyewitnesses also noticed that at that time military exercises were taking place on the Khalaktyrsky beach and in the water area. Dead marine animals are found all over the coast.

Scientists from the Kronotsky Reserve and the Pacific Institute of Geography reported that 95% of benthos, living organisms that live on the ocean floor, died in Avacha Bay. The number of crabs, shrimps and big fish has decreased markedly. According to researchers, most of the animals that feed on benthos will also die in the future. At the same time, experts did not see any changes in the state of birds and inhabitants of the coast.

On October 7, the Investigative Committee opened two criminal cases – under Part 2 of Art. 247 and part 2 of Art. 252 (violation of the rules for handling environmentally hazardous substances and pollution of the marine environment).

Versions of what happened

• Oil spill. The TASS agency, citing a source, wrote that the cause of the environmental disaster in Kamchatka could be a leak from a commercial tanker. Water samples from the coast of Khalaktyrsky beach showed that it was 4 times higher than the permissible content of oil products and 2,5 times – phenol. However, environmentalists do not consider this version to be the main one.

According to Aleksey Knizhnikov, head of the program for environmental responsibility of the business of the Wildlife Fund (WWF) in our country, the oil spill leads to the death of animals on the surface of the water, while the inhabitants of the seabed died in Kamchatka. In addition, satellite data showed only small oil pollution, which could not lead to such large-scale consequences.

• natural factors. Academician Andrei Adrianov suggestedthat the cause of the disaster could be algae that release toxins. However, these hazardous substances usually act only in the upper layers of the water and do not affect on the life of bottom organisms. Scientists also are considering the possibility that volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, which released acids into the ocean, caused the death of animals.
• Pollution with highly toxic substances. Many environmentalists consider this version a priority. In particular, it is about pesticidesburied at the Kozelsky landfill, or fuelused by the military. To test these hypotheses, new research and the help of defense departments are needed.

Prospects

Scientists estimate the timing of the restoration of the ecology of the Avacha Bay in different ways. So, Doctor of Biological Sciences Vladimir Rakov believes that the water area will be cleared in at least ten years. But if pollution is not stopped, it will take much longer. Robert Nigmatulin, scientific director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, gives a more optimistic forecast. He believes that it will take only about a year to restore the ecology.

Week numbers

In Europe, Generation Z (people born between 2000 and 2009) are willing to pay for sustainable products on 50%more than normal.

Source: Vogue Business

By 2030, the capacity of batteries for storing energy from renewable sources (RES) will grow by 30%a year.

Source: Wood Mackenzie

Article of the week: what technologies will make the industry more environmentally friendly

Heavy industries are responsible for 21% of CO emissions₂ in the world and consume 40% of all energy. Most of the greenhouse gases are emitted due to the fact that such plants need to maintain a high temperature during operation. In addition, the production of steel, iron and ammonia itself also leads to the formation of carbon dioxide. Decarbonization will cost heavy industries dearly, but not investing in the environment will make them uncompetitive if importing countries impose carbon taxes. Here are some methods to help factories reduce emissions.

Site of the Week: WWF Educational Platform

The World Wildlife Fund in our country has launched an online educational platform for schoolchildren and students, where you can find lectures on climate change. The training courses were developed by specialists from our country and Germany. Experts considered the problem of global warming from different angles: environmental, economic and social. This approach will help to better understand how much people depend on the environment.

Exhibition: “Fantastic Plastic”

The Tretyakov Gallery has opened the Fantastic Plastic exhibition, all exhibits of which are made from recycled materials. 40 designers from our country and foreign countries will show their works. At the exhibition you can see toys, interior items, clothes and paintings. The exhibition will be open until January 21, 2021.

Development of the Week: Waste Sorting Neural Network

Scientists from the Novosibirsk Institute of Thermal Physics. Kutateladze SB RAS presented a digital algorithm that automatically sorts plastic waste. The neural network correctly determines fractions in 95% of cases. Artificial intelligence works in conjunction with an industrial robot: first, the algorithm analyzes the container, and then “tells” the machine which container to put it in. The neural network was trained on tens of thousands of photographs of household waste and plastic items. For commercial use, the system will need to be retrained to effectively sort waste in each region of the country, because the composition of the waste in them is different.

Event of the week: Tasmanian devils are back in Australia

Australian conservation organization Aussie Ark has released 26 Tasmanian devils into the wild. These marsupial predators disappeared from the mainland about 3 thousand years ago and are now found only on the island of Tasmania. European colonists gave them such a name for their wild disposition and loud sounds that they make at night. This species is classified as endangered: now only 25 thousand animals live in Tasmania, although 30 years ago there were 150 thousand of them. The main cause of death is a disease that struck marsupial predators.

Now the Tasmanian devils will live in the Barrington Tops National Park, located near Sydney. First, animal rights activists released 15 animals, and when they were convinced that they were accustomed to the area, they released 11 more Tasmanian devils. Actors Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth helped open the animal cages. In the future, Aussie Ark will release 40 more marsupial predators to the mainland.

Facebook post by user watch

One line

• A waste processing plant will be built near Gatchina.
• Honda will stop supplying Formula 1 engines to focus on carbon-neutral projects.
• The UK has banned cotton swabs and plastic straws.
• The Italian company Enel will build a green hydrogen plant in Chile.
• American retailer Nordstrom accepts cosmetic packaging for recycling.
• China has opened the world’s second largest solar power plant.
• Toyota and Hino will sell hydrogen-powered trucks in North America.
• In Belgium, the BeHydro hybrid engine was introduced, which runs on hydrogen and diesel fuel. It will help reduce emissions by 85%.
• The UK is investing $207 million in offshore wind power.

What to listen

Release of The Abstract podcast on how different foods affect the climate and human health. In the first part of the episode, the podcast hosts talk about the dangers of ultra-processed foods like candy bars and instant noodles. In the second part, they talk about the ecological footprint of different foods and advise on how to change the diet to help the planet.

What to read

Bloomberg longread about oil giant Exxon. In 2020, the company promised to cut its carbon footprint and invest more in green technologies. However, a leak of internal documents showed that Exxon plans to increase oil production until 2025, which is why COXNUMX emissions₂ will grow by 17%.

What to see

Ecologist Georgy Kavanosyan’s report on volunteering in the All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature. He took water and air samples near ponds in Moscow, analyzed them using artificial intelligence equipment, and found out why ducks die in ponds.

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