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Twenty-Two Environmental Wins in 2022 So Far
We've witnessed various environmental victories at almost the halfway point of 2022. Not all wins have to be world-changing; every little step counts, and we believe in the driving force of focusing on the positives. In this article, we will cover good environmental and sustainability news, including examples of environmental policies and sustainable innovations around the globe. Here is a little recap of what has been achieved environmentally in 2022 - so far- in twenty-two stories.
Sustainable Innovations
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Bricks are made of recycled plastic.
Materials engineer Nzambi Matee took a step toward solving the global problem of plastic waste by turning it into bricks. Matee's factory, Gjenge Makers, uses plastic waste that other factories can no longer recycle to create bricks stronger and lighter than concrete.
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Solar-powered bikers to bust illegal wildlife poachers in South Africa.
It was almost impossible for the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) patrol team to spot poaching hotspots by car, so the team was using off-road motorbikes. However, these motorbikes run on fuel which makes them expensive, and their loud engines alert illegal poachers miles away. SAWC solves these two issues by teaming up with Swedish company CAKE and starting using solar-powered bikes to bust illicit poachers. This way, SAWC's patrol teamwork works more effectively, and also, the low cost of solar bikes allows SAWC to extend the team.
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Night solar panels: Harvesting electricity from the night sky.
Solar energy is one of the greatest renewable energy sources on the earth. However, its dependency on the sun has always been an issue. Scientists at the University of California Davis have resolved the issue in 2020 by discovering night solar panels. While these panels have given us hope to harvest electricity from the night sky back then, research conducted this year confirms that we can produce enough energy to charge a mobile phone by using these night solar panels.
Environmental Policies and Initiatives
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The UN agrees on the plastic pollution treaty.
The United Nations (UN) has approved a plan to create the world's first-ever global plastic pollution treaty. The treaty will aim to end the scourge of plastic pollution and is planned to be developed over the next two years. It is expected to have a considerable impact on businesses and economies and bring an end to single-use plastic packaging by addressing the entire lifecycle of plastic, including production, design, and disposal.
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Panama's new laws recognize the rights of nature.
Panama has brought in a new law recognizing nature's "right to exist, persist and regenerate its life cycles." With the legislation which will come into force in 2023, the rights of nature can now be defended in Panama's court system in the same way legal rights to people, corporations, and governments do.
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The European Commission has granted over €1 billion to large-scale innovative projects to reduce carbon emissions.
The European Commission ("the Commission") has funded 7 large-scale projects intending to reduce more than 76 Mt of CO2eq during the first 10 years of operation. To reach its goal, the Commission has supported highly innovative technology projects whose processes or products are sufficiently mature and offer significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Solar energy will be mandatory in all of Europe's public buildings by 2029.
The European Union (EU) plans to accelerate a large-scale rollout of solar energy and rebuild Europe's solar manufacturing industry. As a part of the accelerated plan, the EU uses funding and launch support programs as initiatives for installing solar energy in all suitable public buildings by 2025. The installation of solar panels on new public and commercial buildings and new residential buildings will become mandatory by 2029.
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The UK introduced the Plastic Packaging Tax.
UK's Plastic Packaging Tax ("PPT") has been taken into effect in April 2022. PPT applies to plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. It is expected to diminish the use of virgin plastic and a projected 40% increase in the use of recycled plastic over 2022-2023 compared to current levels.
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Mexico has given a start to a green circular economy.
2022 has marked Mexico's General Circular Economy Law's first year, which aims to reduce virgin materials and reuse, recycle, and redesign waste. While encouraging secondary raw materials and by-products in production, the law also promotes a sustainable supply chain and ecological consumption habits.
Sustainable Practices
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The world's first 'net-zero' operation has been performed.
Doctors at Solihull Hospital in the West Midlands performed the world's first 'net-zero' operation. The doctors who carried out a five-hour bowel cancer surgery applied some changes to keep the surgery carbon neutral by offsetting the emissions. Some of the changes are:
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surgeons cycling and running to work rather than driving
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planted three trees on the hospital grounds
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wearing reusable scrubs to alter the way anesthesia was administered.
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Zurich to shut down its natural gas network to fight climate change.
As a part of its renewable energy sources policy, Zurich residents have been encouraged to install alternatives to natural gas heating since 2011. And this year, it led Zurich's city-owned utility company to shut down gas supply networks. The current shutdown is expected to be completed in most areas of Zurich in 2024, and 2040 will see the end of natural gas for the city.
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Sweden tackles climate change with its innovative wooden skyscraper.
Tackling climate change with a skyscraper might sound strange; however, Sweden's wooden skyscraper does precisely this. Built using 12,000 cubic meters of wood, this innovative skyscraper is expected to capture the same amount of carbon dioxide as 10,000 forests in its lifetime.
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Tallinn to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050.
After being named European Green Capital for 2023 last year, Tallinn aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. Tallinn's long-term strategy focuses on biodiversity and lowering carbon emissions by making the city more cycle-friendly and creating green spaces for the pollination of insects and other animals.
Environmental Discoveries/Breakthroughs
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Bleached coral reefs can still be a nutrition source for coastal communities.
A recent discovery showed that bleached coral reefs are still rich in nutrients. Even if they won't look as pretty, colorful, and full of life as before, they are still crucial for sea life. This doubles the importance of protecting reefs, either bleached or not, against overfishing and ensuring their sustainability.
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Human urine can be a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Recently, an interesting natural alternative to chemical fertilizers has been found by French researchers. It was discovered that human urine can be used for boosting agricultural production without polluting the environment.
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A new method was discovered to convert biomass into renewable energy.
A new method to turn biomass into renewable energy has been tried with banana peels and concluded successfully by creating renewable energy in milliseconds. The method can also be used with corn cobs, coffee beans, and coconut shells; however, scientists aim to apply the method to industrial waste.
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Scientists have produced electricity by using stored solar energy for 18 years.
The energy system, created in 2017 to store solar energy for up to 18 years, is used for generating electricity for the first time. Scientists emphasize that the discovery would lead us to produce electricity from solar energy regardless of weather, time of day, season, or geographical location in the future.
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Researchers have turned carbon dioxide into clean, sustainable fuels.
The latest research reveals that carbon dioxide can be converted into clean air and sustainable fuels efficiently without unwanted by-products or waste. At the moment, this can be done only in a laboratory setting; however, the next step is to use carbon dioxide straight from the air.
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Artificial intelligence tool to track ecosystem health.
Researchers from the University of Exeter discovered that we could determine the ecosystem's health by listening to its song. Researchers recorded healthy and degraded reefs and used these recordings to assess reef health. Published results showed that the AI tool could learn the "song of the reef" and identify reef health with 92% accuracy.
Climate Change Awareness and Action
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People bought more battery-electric vehicles than diesel vehicles in Europe for the first time.
September 2020 marked the first time new "electrified" vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric cars, outsold diesel vehicles in Europe. This was already good news, but now we have an even better one. In 2022, people bought more battery-powered electric vehicles than diesel cars in Europe for the first time. According to Financial Times, government subsidies and emissions regulations are hugely influential in this shift.
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A US billionaire helped save endangered species of the Andean huemul deer in Patagonia.
US billionaire Douglas Tompkins bought and donated land in Chile and Argentina to help improve the countries' biodiversity in 1990. He also dedicated his fortune to conservation to protect endangered species of the Andean huemul deer, mostly living in Cerro Castillo National Park in Patagonia. Thanks to his vision and awareness, today, The Chilean part of Patagonia National Park has turned into an environmental treasure trove.
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€200 million to create an environmental charity by a lottery winner.
An anonymous lottery winner in Southern France has decided to use all of his lottery payout, €200m EuroMillions, to "protect the living and watch over our future." The money is used for setting up an environmental foundation to boost biodiversity and protect forests.
Tags: sustainable innovations, environmental policies, sustainable practices, environmental discoveries