Contents
- Theme of the week: “The Great Green Wall”
- Initiative of the week: “Green Deal for our country”
- Case of the week: French startup recycles medical masks
- Photo of the week
- Week number
- Guide: how to be a responsible traveler
- Study of the week
- One line
- Useful Services: Five Green Lifestyle Apps
- What to see
- What to read
- What to listen
Theme of the week: “The Great Green Wall”
In 1978, China began a large-scale landscaping project known as the Green Wall of China. His task is to protect the northern territories of the country from sandstorms from the Gobi desert, which destroy cities and destroy crops. As part of the project, the country’s government plans to plant trees on an area of 2050 million hectares by 35, approximately the size of Germany.
In the 40 years that this program has been going on, 66 billion trees have been planted in China, due to which the desert area has begun to shrink. Nevertheless, the “Green Wall of China” has its shortcomings, primarily related to high expectations. The officials responsible for the project wanted to show the results of their work to the authorities as soon as possible and ordered that all available areas be planted with fast-growing poplars. Forests in which only one type of tree grows are very unstable in terms of ecology, so they easily become victims of pests. By the mid-1990s, most of the poplars had died due to the Asian longhorn beetle, a small beetle that feeds on soft wood. Transport containers were made from diseased trees, on which the barbel “arrived” in Europe, where they are still fighting with it.
After that, desert areas began to be planted with mixed forests, and local farmers were also involved in the project. They receive a monetary reward if at least 65% of the trees survive three years after planting. In general, the initiatives of the Chinese government have increased the area of forest cover in the country up to 22%. Some scientists believe that the reduction in logging played a big role in this. There is another problem: mainly imported tree species are used in landscaping, which need more water than local plants. Because of this, the number of semi-desert territories in China is increasing. But the government of the country is confident in the success of the Green Wall of China and even plans to develop similar projects on the territory of the states participating in the One Belt, One Road initiative. Their “green walls” are also planted in Africa and India. But it is important to remember that such programs will help mitigate the negative effects of desertification only if they are properly planned. Otherwise, they will create new environmental problems.
Initiative of the week: “Green Deal for our country”
Greenpeace and RANEPA experts have developed a program for the “green” development of the economy of our country until 2050. The key goal of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030% from 40 levels by 1990, and to make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Thanks to the “green transition”, the government of our country will be able to create new jobs and technological industries, as well as contribute to solving climate problems. This will make the country’s economy more attractive to investors and competitive.
To achieve the main goal, the experts suggested:
- by 2050, increase the share of renewable energy sources in all sectors of the economy up to 100%;
- by 2030, reduce the amount of solid household waste per inhabitant of the country by 30%, and by 2050 – by 60%;
- recycle at least 80% of waste by 2050;
- make programs to protect forests and extinguish forest fires more effective.
Not all experts accepted the proposal with enthusiasm. Georgy Safonov, director of the HSE Center for Environmental Economics and Natural Resources, believes that green initiatives are developing poorly in our country because business is not interested in them. The situation can only be changed by the loss of income in world markets, for example, due to duties on the carbon footprint of products. If implemented, the tax would cost businesses €6 billion to €50,6 billion by 2030, according to KPMG, an audit firm. For comparison: the volume of Russian exports in 2019 amounted to $189 billion (about €161 billion).
Case of the week: French startup recycles medical masks
The French use 50 million disposable masks every week, which end up in landfills and pollute the environment. Startup Plaxtil used to recycle textiles before the pandemic, and now it has decided to apply its technology to cope with a new environmental challenge.
The company has installed special containers in the city of Chatellerault in the west of the country, in which residents can donate used protective equipment. Then the employees take the masks and leave them in a warehouse for 15 days, where no one touches them. After quarantine, protective equipment is crushed, disinfected with ultraviolet light and mixed with a special activating agent that holds the crushed plastic together into a solid mass. This material is then used to make visors and protective screens, mask straps and storage containers.
Photo of the week
Wildfire smoke has turned the sky orange in San Francisco, and photos of the city now look more like scenes from the movie Blade Runner 2049.
Week number
Due to global warming in countries with a hot climate, there is less food and clean water, and natural disasters occur more often. According to experts, by 2050 on the planet over 1 billion people will have to leave their homes and become climate refugees.
Source: Institute for Economics and Peace
Guide: how to be a responsible traveler
Study of the week
Global warming is the main security threat for residents of developed countries
Experts from the Pew Research Center found out what scares residents of 14 countries the most. In 70% of cases, respondents named climate change, 69% of respondents consider the spread of infectious diseases to be the main threat, another 66% are afraid of terrorism.
Against the background of the pandemic, residents of the United States, Great Britain, Japan and South Korea considered new diseases to be the main threat. Most Canadians, as well as respondents from several European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) believe that global warming poses the greatest danger to them. In Australia and Denmark, cyberattacks are number one.
One line
- McDonald’s in the US has launched a project to reuse coffee cups.
- By 2030, Google will power all of its data centers with renewable energy.
- Pringles will make chip packaging more sustainable.
- The UK sells dangerous pesticides to poor countries that are banned in the EU.
- British Petroleum is investing $1,1 billion in offshore wind power.
- The unmanned Mayflower ship will sail across the Atlantic and collect data on the ocean and marine life.
- The Russian company Efko will start producing semi-finished products from vegetable meat.
Useful Services: Five Green Lifestyle Apps
What to see
British naturalist and TV presenter David Attenborough’s documentary Extinction: The Facts. The picture tells about animal species that may soon disappear due to ill-conceived human activities. So, despite all the programs to protect them, there are only two white rhinos left on the planet. But even in a film like this, there is hope. David Attenborough is confident that if people act, they can save endangered species. A vivid example of this is the conservationists from Rwanda, who have restored the population of rare mountain gorillas.
What to read
Longread of the Republic edition about how top managers from large companies in Silicon Valley support green initiatives around the world. You’ll learn about Oceankind, a company that promotes carbon capture projects. The journalist of the publication Andrey Sorokin also told why scientists and environmentalists are wary of programs funded by the heads of technology corporations.
What to listen
Science Rules podcast episode! with Bill Nye, in which actress Jane Fonda spoke about why she is promoting the climate agenda, how the coronavirus pandemic has changed her attitude towards eco-activism, and why it is ordinary people who can draw the attention of governments to the problem of global warming.
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