Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation News

Learn more about the issues presented in our films
Show Filters

What kind of diner are you? 6 types of diners who avoid plant-based meat dishes

When diners were asked why they don’t order plant-based meat dishes, it turns out they have many different reasons.

mavo/ShutterstockImagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that choice, you decide to order a traditional meat or vegetable dish. That’s a common decision. The Australian plant-based meat industry has grown significantly in recent years and has been projected to become a A$3 billion industry by 2030. Yet most consumers still hesitate to order a plant-based meat dish in restaurants. In our new study, we asked 647 Australians why they don’t order plant-based meat dishes when dining out. It turns out not everyone shares the same reasons. We found six types of diner who avoided these dishes. The 6 types of diner Type 1: environmentally conscious, plant-based meat eater The environmentally conscious plant-based meat eater doesn’t have any issues with meat alternatives. In fact, they enjoy experimenting with plant-based meat products at home. They have their favourite brands but also dislike certain products. To avoid eating a product they don’t like, they prefer ordering traditional vegetable dishes when dining out. They are more concerned about protecting the planet than their own health. Type 2: health-conscious, plant-based meat supporter Type 2 is similar to type 1, except type 2 diners care about being fit and healthy. They prefer to “just eat the vegetables they use to make the fake meat”, as one study participant told us, because they think meat alternatives contain too much sodium, soy, fat, sugar and genetically modified ingredients. Type 3: curious plant-based meat avoider The curious plant-based meat avoider typically orders a meat dish and occasionally a vegetable option. They sit on the fence when it comes to plant-based meat. While they are curious to try it, they aren’t familiar with it and don’t want to risk disappointment. As a type 3 diner told us: If I were offered a sample, I would be more inclined to try it but […] the risk of it being disappointing doesn’t justify the cost. Type 4: sceptical plant-based meat avoider Like the curious plant-based meat avoider, type 4 diners order more meat than vegetable dishes. They believe meat alternatives are unhealthy because “reading the back of plant-based meat packages will typically reveal a plethora of chemicals”. They don’t trust the technology used to create plant-based meat. They also do not support the idea of mimicking meat with plants and giving these products names similar to animal meat such as burger or steak. Type 5: indifferent meat lover The indifferent meat lover doesn’t have any issues with plant-based meat. Yet they wouldn’t consider ordering a plant-based meat dish. Eating meat is an integral part of their restaurant experience and they “wouldn’t know how you’d mimic meat sliding off a bone”. Although most of their family and friends also order meat dishes, they have no problem with restaurants offering meat alternatives if they are clearly labelled and don’t limit meat options. They believe eating meat is natural, summed up by one who said: There is a nutritional requirement for animal meat inherent in humans. Type 6: critical meat lover The critical meat lover dislikes everything about plant-based meat. They don’t understand why anyone would replace meat with a plant-based alternative, nor why it is important. Several times I have eaten this garbage […] and thoroughly regretted it. Why does this matter? As David Attenborough says: “We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters.” Occasionally ordering a plant-based meal instead of a meat dish can greatly reduce the environmental footprint of the global food system. Animal agriculture accounts for 56% of food-related greenhouse gas emissions but produces only 18% of calories and 37% of protein. Plant-based alternatives to chicken, pork and beef emit, on average, 43%, 63% and 93% less greenhouse gas emissions. This means a family of four ordering plant-based meat burgers instead of beef patties saves carbon emissions equal to driving from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. 5 ways restaurants can promote plant-based meat dishes Restaurants are the perfect tasting ground to introduce diners (especially curious and sceptical plant-based meat avoiders) to meat alternatives. Here are five simple things restaurants can do to promote plant-based meat dishes: hand out free samples to reduce the fear of disappointment serve plant-based meat by default to break meat-ordering habits, as a Brisbane pub has done describe plant-based meat with indulgent words and avoid using unappealing language, such as the word vegan provide health information to overcome the belief that meat alternatives are unhealthier than meat, which is often not true integrate plant-based meat dishes into the full menu rather than listing them in a separate vegetarian section. David Fechner received funding from ProVeg International to conduct this study (Project number July2022-0000001199). Bettina Grün received funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) to conduct this study (Project DOI:10.55776/I4367). Sara Dolnicar receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Agriculture
Animals
Chemicals

California increases water allocation after wet winter, but fish protections limit pumping

California has increased water allocations to 40% of full allotments from the State Water Project. Officials say environmental regulations have limited pumping.

With runoff from this year’s snow and rain boosting the levels of California’s reservoirs, state water managers on Tuesday announced plans to increase deliveries of supplies from the State Water Project to 40% of full allotments, up from 30% last month.The increased allocation, which had been widely expected, means that suppliers serving 27 million Californians, as well as some farming areas, will have substantially more water available to use and store this year. But the Department of Water Resources also said officials have had to limit pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta this year because of environmental protections for native fish.Although this year has brought average wet conditions, the agency said its ability to move water south through the system of aqueducts and reservoirs has been “impacted by the presence of threatened and endangered fish species” near the state’s pumping facilities in the south delta.“The presence of these fish species has triggered state and federal regulations that significantly reduce the pumping from the Delta into the California Aqueduct,” John Yarbrough, acting deputy director of the State Water Project, said in a notice outlining the increased allocation. Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science. That has limited the state’s ability to move water south to San Luis Reservoir, which stands at 72% of capacity — a level that is 86% of average for this time of year.The reduced pumping is expected to continue into late spring, Yarbrough said. State officials then expect to increase pumping significantly this summer, once conditions allow for it under the pumping facilities’ permits.Environmental and fishing groups have criticized a recent rise in the estimated numbers of fish that have died at the pumping facilities in the delta, and have demanded that state and federal agencies take steps to limit the losses of threatened steelhead trout and endangered winter-run chinook salmon.The massive pumps that draw water into the State Water Project and the federally managed Central Valley Project are strong enough that they can reverse the flow in parts of the south delta.The losses of fish are estimated based on how many fish are collected at a state facility near the pumps and trucked to nearby areas of the delta, where they are released. The calculations attempt to account for fish that are caught by predators and those that are killed when they are sucked into pumps.State water managers said they are taking various steps to limit the losses of fish. They said pumping has been reduced this month to minimal levels in order to comply with spring flow requirements.The Department of Water Resources said the increased allocation was based on the latest snowpack and runoff data. The snowpack measures 99% of average for this time of year, and the amount of runoff is projected to be above average.The state’s reservoirs rose dramatically in 2023, which brought one of the wettest winters on record, and this year’s storms have again boosted reservoir levels.Lake Oroville, the state’s second largest reservoir, is now at 94% of capacity and is projected to completely fill next month.The water that is pumped from the delta and flows south into the California Aqueduct provides a significant portion of Southern California’s supplies.With the increased allocation, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will be able to meet the region’s water demands this year and will have surplus water to put into storage, said Adel Hagekhalil, the MWD’s general manager.That will build on the record 3.4 million acre-feet of water that the district has banked in various reservoirs and underground storage areas. The MWD’s added supplies amount to about 200,000 acre-feet, enough to supply roughly 600,000 typical households for a year.“We will make every effort to store as much water as possible in every storage account available, for use during the next dry year,” Hagekhalil said.He urged Southern Californians to keep up their efforts to save water.“The more efficient we all are during these wet years, the more water we can keep in storage for use during the next inevitable drought to provide reliable water supplies,” he said.The final water allocation still could change in May or June as state water managers reassess conditions.The restrictions on pumping this year have coincided with the ongoing debate over the efforts of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to advance the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, a 45-mile tunnel that would transport water beneath the delta.Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources, said the limitations on pumping this year underscore “the challenges of moving water in wet periods with the current pumping infrastructure in the south Delta.”“We had both record low pumping for a wet year and high fish salvage at the pumps,” Nemeth said in a press release. “We need to be moving water when it’s wet so that we can ease conditions for people and fish when dry conditions return.”She said in a wet year like this, the proposed tunnel would allow the state to move more water during high flows “in a manner safer for fish.”Her department estimated that if the Delta tunnel had been in place this winter, the State Water Project would have been able to capture an additional 909,000 acre-feet of water, enough to supply roughly 3 million households for a year.The State Water Contractors, an association of 27 public agencies that purchase the water, reiterated its support for moving forward with the Delta Conveyance Project.“Water deliveries should be far higher in a good water year like we’ve had,” said Jennifer Pierre, the association’s general manager. “Today’s modest allocation highlights just how difficult it is to operate within current regulatory constraints and with infrastructure in need of modernization. Even in a good water year, moving water effectively and efficiently under the current regime is difficult.”Newsom has called the Delta Conveyance Project a central piece of his administration’s strategy for making the state’s water-delivery system more resilient to the effects of climate change.Opponents are trying to block the project in the courts. Environmental groups, fishing advocates, tribal leaders and local agencies have said the Delta Conveyance Project would harm the delta’s ecosystem and have also raised other concerns.In one of the latest court cases, four environmental groups and the Central Delta Water Agency are seeking to challenge the state’s reliance on decades-old water rights permits for the project. They’ve argued that the State Water Resources Control Board has wrongly given preferential treatment to the state, which is seeking to use water rights that were originally filed in 1955 and 1972.Lawyer Osha Meserve, who represents the Central Delta Water Agency, said the state water board is letting the Department of Water Resources “cut in line ahead of thousands of other water rights holders” — and ahead of flows that are necessary to keep the delta and its fish healthy.

Water
Climate
Science

Biden administration faces pressure to pick a side on plastics

Environmental and industry groups are competing to win support for their pollution solutions.

Environmental and industry groups are competing to win support for their pollution solutions.

Pollution

Good for your health and the environment: Why we should be eating oily fish

"Fish plays an important role in [multiples diets], providing flavor as well as nutritional value"

A range of economic, nutritional, religious and ideological factors influence our diets. The key, however, lies in finding a balance that cares for both our health and that of the planet. The traditional Mediterranean and Atlantic diets are two options that meet these requirements. Fish plays an important role in both, providing flavor as well as nutritional value. Globally, annual per capita fish consumption has almost doubled over the last 50 years, from 10.75kg in 1970 to 20.03kg in 2021. It has grown exponentially in China, where the average person ate 4.58kg in 1970, and 39.87kg in 2021, and has also grown significantly in the EU, where annual consumption has increased by 40%, from 16.58kg to 23.44kg in the same period. Oily fish is defined as fish with a proportion of fat higher than 5-6% of their muscle mass: sardines, longfin tuna, mackerel and horse mackerel are some the most well known examples. Oily fish has been part of many countries' cultural heritage throughout history. In Spain, for example, sardines are integral to the San Juan festivities in June, while the coastal fishing season for longfin tuna is also traditionally followed due to the seasonal migration of fish in search of nutrient-rich waters and suitable temperatures for breeding and feeding.   Oily fish as part of a healthy diet On a nutritional level, oily fish stands out thanks to three important components: Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which can help to protect against cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. Peptides – protein molecules made up of two or more amino acids – which have various health benefits such as preventing or treating conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. High vitamin content (notably vitamins A, D and E) and other micronutrients such as magnesium, selenium and iodine. The benefits of this combination of nutrients have been demonstrated by the GALIAT (Galician Atlantic Diet) project, led by the Santiago de Compostela University Hospital. The project consists of a series of clinical trials to determine the effects of the traditional Atlantic diet on the general population. The results show a reduction in metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.   Sustainable fishing practices The fishing season for sardines, mackerel and horse mackerel runs, with varying intensity, from May to October. Plankton – which these fish eat – is more plentiful at this time of year, giving the fish a higher fat content and a better flavour. The most common method used to catch oily fish is known as "seine" fishing, one of the most environmentally friendly fishing techniques in use today: It produces little to no bycatch (the unwanted part of the catch that is not kept and is thrown back into the sea). Because this technique involves surrounding a shoal of fish with a net in order to catch them, it carefully targets the desired catch, meaning it does not trap or harm other species, thus helping to protect biodiversity. Taking every stage of production into account, its overall carbon footprint is one of the lowest among all sources of dietary protein. Horse mackerel fishing, for example, produces an average footprint equivalent to 550g of CO2 per 100g of protein, while sardines produce 646g of CO2 per 100g protein. This puts oily fish on a par with dairy products, vegetables and legumes, and lower than most fruits and meat.   Oily fish and traditional cooking Fish consumption is part and parcel of the evolution of Homo sapiens. For hundreds of thousands of years our species has incorporated it as a staple food, and its preparation has been perfected throughout history. Oily fish lends itself to a multitude of uses in the kitchen, from simple grilling or griddling to more elaborate dishes like tataki or papillote. One advantage of oily fish is that it is easy to clean and bone, meaning it can be included in children's diets. Given such a wide range of uses, along with its nutritional benefits and low environmental impact, this type of fish should be making regular appearances on our plates. Gumersindo Feijoo Costa, Catedrático de Ingeniería Química. Centro Singular CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Health
Food
Water

70% of world's workers at elevated health risks due to climate change, UN report finds

A new UN report attributes hundreds of thousands deaths to climate change impacts on the world's workforce

More than two out of three workers on Earth are going to experience climate change-related health risks in the near future, according to a recent report from the United Nations. The UN's International Labour Organization (ILO) found that many of the environmental conditions caused by global warming are already negatively impacting workers and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The report listed dangerous environmental conditions such as extreme heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and UV radiation from the Sun. Presently there are roughly 18,970 people who are die every year on the job because of excessive heat, more than 860,000 people who die from exposure to air pollution and nearly 19,000 people who die from non-melanoma skin cancer from exposure to solar radiation. The authors even found that more than 26.2 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease because of workplace heat stress. They conclude that the world's countries will need to revise their labor protection laws to protect the working class. "As climate change hazards evolve and intensify, it will be necessary to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations and guidance," the authors write. "Some worker populations may be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change and could therefore need extra protections." In an official statement accompanying the report, contributor Manal Azzi said that the ILO's conclusions are consistent with its broader mission of upholding human rights. "Working in safe and healthy environments is recognized as one of the ILO’s fundamental principles and rights at work," Azzi said. "We must deliver on that commitment in relation to climate change, just as in every other aspect of work.” 

Climate
Health

EPA Faulted for Wasting Millions, Failing to Prevent Spread of Superfund Site Contamination

The Environmental Protection Agency may have wasted or risked millions of dollars by failing to prevent the spread of contamination hazardous to human health at a Superfund site in Pensacola, Florida, an agency watchdog report found.  An EPA Inspector General’s report released last week said the agency failed to plug existing wells near the Superfund […]

The EPA has spent over $30 million to clean up a Pensacola site contaminated with dioxin, yet has failed to install adequate controls to prevent the spread of tainted groundwater and soil.By Katie SurmaThe Environmental Protection Agency may have wasted or risked millions of dollars by failing to prevent the spread of contamination hazardous to human health at a Superfund site in Pensacola, Florida, an agency watchdog report found. 

Health
Waste

US Family Finds New Life in Costa Rican Blue Zone

CNN published the story of a U.S. family that moved to Costa Rica, and it changed their lives completely. Kema Ward-Hopper and Nicholas Hopper decided to get married in the Central American nation, and years later, they made the decision to permanently relocate. Now, they live in one of Costa Rica’s blue zones, an area […] The post US Family Finds New Life in Costa Rican Blue Zone appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

CNN published the story of a U.S. family that moved to Costa Rica, and it changed their lives completely. Kema Ward-Hopper and Nicholas Hopper decided to get married in the Central American nation, and years later, they made the decision to permanently relocate. Now, they live in one of Costa Rica’s blue zones, an area characterized by longevity, a slow-paced life, and a healthy lifestyle. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before their wedding in 2016. “[I had] started treatment and everything. If you see pictures from my wedding, I didn’t have hair, and I didn’t really look like myself. But I was sick,” she told CNN. When she found herself in Costa Rica, she realized she felt different and felt as good as she had felt after her diagnosis. “That was the first indicator that there was something special about Costa Rica,” she added. Kema Ward-Hopper had to undergo a unilateral mastectomy and a reconstruction surgery. Subsequently, in August 2017, their family home in Houston, Texas, was destroyed by Category 4 Hurricane Harvey. Then, they decided it was time to leave. “We ended up losing our home. So, it just seemed like a lot of bad things [happening] back-to-back,” Ward-Hopper said. They explored different options and ended up choosing Costa Rica, as they were amazed by the country’s health care and education system, as well as the environmental protections. The nation’s proximity to the US was also a factor that weighed in. Back in 2018, they decided to make Pueblo Nuevo, in Nicoya, their new home. They spent some time in the area and loved the feeling of adventure. The family loved the sense of community and how friendly people are. They pointed out the health benefits they’ve experienced and how wonderful it is for their kids to be surrounded by nature. “We have noticed that we feel better when we’re here. Our cardiac health and lung health seem to be better,” she added. The family enjoys the slow-paced life and all the benefits that come with it. While they don’t know if they will remain in Costa Rica forever, they certainly believe “it feels like home” for the moment. The post US Family Finds New Life in Costa Rican Blue Zone appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Education
Health
Nature

Retired UK GP suspended for five months over climate activism

Sarah Benn is first of three GPs facing disciplinary action this year over climate activismA doctor who went to jail following a series of climate protests has been taken off the medical register for five months – and still faces being permanently struck off.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS – the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC – on Tuesday suspended Dr Sarah Benn, having found last week that her fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct. Continue reading...

A doctor who went to jail following a series of climate protests has been taken off the medical register for five months – and still faces being permanently struck off.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS – the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC – on Tuesday suspended Dr Sarah Benn, having found last week that her fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct.Benn was the first of three GPs who face disciplinary tribunals being struck off for climate activism this year. She was referred to the MPTS after being found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a civil injunction at Kingsbury oil terminal as part of a Just Stop Oil campaign. This action led to her spending 32 days in prison.In its decision, the tribunal noted that Benn’s actions did not give rise to concerns about patient safety, and there was evidence that she was an experienced doctor.But it said there had been “no acknowledgement from Dr Benn that what she has done by breaking the law was wrong and no evidence that she has taken steps to remediate her actions”. And it found there was a “strong likelihood of repetition”, after Benn explicitly said she would continue with her actions.Her case will be reviewed shortly before the suspension lapses. “They’ve given me essentially five months to offer apologies and regret and an undertaking to not do it again,” Benn told the Guardian. “But I’ve made my position very clear and really nothing is going to be any different in five months’ time.”“They’ve just kicked the can down the road,” she said.In its presentation to the tribunal last week, the GMC argued that Benn’s actions risked undermining the public’s trust in and respect for the medical profession. Lawyer Faye Rolfe, representing the organisation, said doctors submitted themselves to the rule of law and should uphold an even higher standard than ordinary citizens.Benn contested this, telling the tribunal there was no evidence that she had caused patients to lose trust in her as a doctor or the profession by the wider public. “It’s complex but we could credit the public with some common sense and integrity, and a desire to find the truth.”As part of her evidence, Benn submitted a statement by the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders Michel Forst, who earlier this year condemned the UK’s crackdown on environmental protest.Forst said in his statement that developments over the past few months, including the professional tribunals of medical doctors, suggested the situation was deteriorating. “It is important for me to stress that professional sanctions can definitely be considered as a form of penalisation, persecution or harassment.”Benn, who is now retired, told the tribunal that as a doctor she had a “moral duty to take action”.“The climate emergency is a health emergency; not a potential future one, but here and now. If I know all this and I choose to stay quiet, I am failing in my obligations. I am breaching the guidance in good medical practice to make my patients’ health my first concern.”The tribunal acknowledged Benn’s sincere beliefs and said it respected her right to express them. It also said there was a broad spectrum of views among the general public about climate change, and the pace of action needed, and that there would likely be “considerable sympathy” for her concerns.But it concluded that the “overwhelming majority of the public would not condone breaking the law in the repeated way in which Dr Benn did, especially given the impact, on the final occasion, to the wider public resources involved”.Benn has received support from medical practitioners and doctors’ organisations. Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the British Medical Association council, said there was “no possible public or patient interest” for these kinds of proceedings, while the Doctors’ Association UK said it strongly believed that peaceful protest should not be viewed as condemnable professional misconduct “but as commendable public health advocacy”.During the tribunal, Benn noted that the GMC had recently apologised to gay doctors struck off the medical register because of their sexuality. “In years to come, when events unfold and tipping points tip, and systems unravel, my prediction is that the reputation of those who tried their best to protect patients, the public, and future generations will be enhanced, not reduced,” she said.

Activism
Climate

Dutton’s plan to save Australia with nuclear comes undone when you look between the brushstrokes | Temperature Check

The dystopian picture of renewables painted by the opposition leader is full of inconsistencies, partial truths and misinformationGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition leader, Peter Dutton, has been trying to paint a picture of what life in Australia will be like if it tries to power itself mostly with renewable energy and without his technology of choice: nuclear.Towering turbines offshore will hurt whales, dolphins and the fishing industry, factories will be forced to stop working because there’s not enough electricity and the landscape will be scoured by enough new transmission cables to stretch around the entire Australian coastline.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

The Coalition leader, Peter Dutton, has been trying to paint a picture of what life in Australia will be like if it tries to power itself mostly with renewable energy and without his technology of choice: nuclear.Towering turbines offshore will hurt whales, dolphins and the fishing industry, factories will be forced to stop working because there’s not enough electricity and the landscape will be scoured by enough new transmission cables to stretch around the entire Australian coastline.At the same time – so his story goes – only his option to go nuclear will save Australia from falling behind the rest of the world.But Dutton’s dystopian image, with more brushstrokes added in an interview on the ABC’s flagship Insiders program, is a picture of inconsistencies, partial truths and misinformation.Let’s have a look between the brushstrokes.Is it a credible plan?The Coalition has said it wants to put nuclear reactors at the sites of coal-fired power plants, but hasn’t said where, how big the reactors will be, when it wants them built or given an estimate on cost.The Coalition has previously said it would give more details on its plan in time for its response to the Albanese government’s budget next month, but Dutton is now saying it will come “in due course”.Despite this, Dutton claimed in his interview with the ABC’s David Speers that: “I believe that we’re the only party with a credible pathway to net zero by 2050.”OK then.28,000 kilometres?Dutton claimed the government’s plans relied on “28,000km of poles and wires being erected” to connect renewables to the grid – a distance he said was “equal to the whole coastline of Australia”.That’s a catchy soundbite, but where does this number come from?According to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s most recent plan for the development of Australia’s east-coast electricity market, the most likely scenarios to decarbonise the electricity grid would require about 10,000km of additional transmission lines to be built between now and 2050.What about the extra 18,000km? That figure comes in an estimate of what would be needed if Australia chose to become a major exporter of clean hydrogen as well as decarbonising the grid.So about two-thirds of Dutton’s 28,000km is not so much related to decarbonising the electricity grid, but rather to an export industry that may or may not happen, to an as-yet-unknown extent.Turning off power?Dutton claimed: “At the moment, we’re telling businesses who have huge order books to turn down their activity in an afternoon shift because the lights go out on that grid. Now, no other developed country is saying that.”Dutton is suggesting that businesses are being routinely forced to reduce their demand for power. This is simply not true.Dr Dylan McConnell, an energy systems analyst at UNSW, says it’s very rare for businesses to be told by the market operator they are going to have their power interrupted.Such “load shedding” has happened only five times in the last 15 years, he said, typically occurs in extreme conditions such as storms or coal plants going offline, and only a subset of consumers are affected.There are two main formal voluntary schemes in place across the National Electricity Market (everywhere except NT and WA) where major electricity consumers can offer to reduce their demand for electricity at certain times, but businesses are compensated for being part of those schemes. Nobody is telling any of these businesses that they have to do anything.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Afternoon UpdateOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionNeither is it true that no other country is engaging in some sort of process where demand for electricity can be managed.Is Australia really the only developed country engaged in what’s known as demand response? No.The International Energy Agency lists the UK, US, France, Japan and South Korea as having large markets already in place to help their electricity systems balance the supply of electricity with demand.McConnell said: “Demand response is becoming a common and important part of modern electricity systems. This includes countries like France and the US, which have both nuclear and demand response programs.”G20 and nuclearDutton said Australia was the only G20 nation “not signed up to nuclear or currently using it”.According to information from the World Nuclear Association, Australia is one of five G20 nations with no operating nuclear power plants, alongside Indonesia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Turkey.But aside from Italy, Germany and Australia, the rest do have some plans to develop nuclear power in the future. Dutton’s phrase “currently using it” allows him to capture countries like Italy that import electricity from nuclear nations.But what’s also important to note is that among the G20 countries (actually 19 countries) nuclear is mostly playing a marginal role. Nuclear provides more than 5% of its electricity in only seven of those 19 countries.Social licence?Projects would need a “social licence” to go ahead, Dutton said, but there was opposition in western New South Wales where “productive” land was being sold for renewables projects.This is a variation of a previous Dutton speech, where he lamented a supposed “carpeting of Australia’s prime agricultural land with solar and windfarms”.The renewable energy industry’s Clean Energy Council has countered claims like this, saying even if all the country’s coal plants were replaced with solar farms, the amount of space needed would be about 0.027% of agricultural land.The Coalition leader has been to the Hunter coast more than once where offshore windfarms are being planned, telling reporters they were a “travesty” and that they would put whales, dolphins and the fishing and tourism industries “at risk”. He told Speers the turbines would rise “260 metres out of the water”.The Australian government has proposed six "high priority" offshore wind areas. Two - in Gippsland, in Victoria, and the Hunter, in NSW - have been declared. Another four are proposed for the Illawarra coast off Wollongong, north of Tasmania in Bass Strait, in southwest Victoria and in southern Western Australia following consultation periods.Most zones are at least 10km from the coast. The government says creating an offshore wind industry will help the country replace ageing coal-fired power plants and reach net zero emissions by 2050.There has been local opposition in NSW, and the South Australian government asked for the southwest Victorian zone not to cross its border.The creation of an offshore wind zone does not guarantee development would go ahead. It is the first of five regulatory stages. Others include project-specific feasibility and commercial licences and an environmental assessment under national conservation laws. If successful, the first offshore wind farms could be built this decade.There are different views on the role offshore wind could play. It can be a powerful source of renewable energy due to the placement and size of the turbines - at times, more than 300 metres in height - but the technology is significantly more expensive to build than onshore renewable energy. The offshore wind industry has struggled overseas this year, with several projects cancelled and delayed, mainly due to rising construction costs.Dutton told the ABC that Australia should be mindful of the environmental consequences of windfarms – which is, of course, true – but his past statements have sounded more like cheerleading for voices opposed to the plans than an attempt to understand the scale and legitimacy of the concerns, some of which are being stoked by misinformation.Dutton can’t know what impact offshore windfarms will have on fishing or tourism, but is willing in any case to use labels like “travesty”.

Energy
Technology
Conservation

Extracting Pure Gold: Turning Electronic Waste into Treasure

A fibrous adsorbent selectively recovers high-purity gold from waste. Dramatically reduces the cost and time of the recovery process and enables material to be mass-produced...

Researchers at KIST have developed a fiber-based adsorbent capable of recovering gold from electronic waste with over 99.9% efficiency. Credit: SciTechDaily.com A fibrous adsorbent selectively recovers high-purity gold from waste. Dramatically reduces the cost and time of the recovery process and enables material to be mass-produced and repeatedly recycled.Korea relies on imports for most of its metal resources, and in recent years, due to resource depletion and rising raw material prices, ‘circular resources’ that recycle waste metal resources have emerged.In response, SK hynix has established a mid- to long-term plan to increase the percentage of copper, gold, etc. recovered and reused from waste generated in the semiconductor manufacturing process to more than 30% by 2030, and Samsung Electronics is running a collection program for used mobile phones in cooperation with E-circulation Governance, a non-profit corporation. The global circular economy market is expected to more than double in size from approximately $338 billion in 2022 to approximately $712 billion in 2026. Figure 1. Preparation and physicochemical characteristics of the aminated polyacrylonitrile fibers (PANFs). Representative illustrations of PANF (a) before and after coupling reaction of various alkylamine molecules. Different colors of PANF and amine-laden polymeric fiber (ALPF) represent different functional groups of nitrile and alkylamines. (b) FT-IR spectra of PANF before and after coupling reaction of different alkylamines using diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA), tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), and branched poly(ethyleneimine) (bPEI). (c) XRD patterns of the PANF and aminated PANFs. (d) Stress-strain curves of the PANF and aminated PANFs. (e) Maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of the aminated PANFs for Au(III) ions. Initial concentration (Ci) and pH value of the Au solution were 1000 mg/L and 1, respectively. Credit: Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyBreakthrough in Metal Recovery TechnologyIn this context, a team led by Dr. Jae-Woo Choi of the Water Resource Cycle Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that they have developed a technology that can selectively recover high-purity gold from electrical and electronic waste containing various metals using textile materials.Adsorbents for metal recovery are generally granular in shape to increase adsorption efficiency based on high specific surface area, but they are difficult to control underwater, resulting in low recovery rates and even secondary environmental pollution. On the other hand, fiber-like materials are easy to control underwater and can be made into various shapes through the weaving process, so they have high potential for industrial application. However, due to their thin thickness and low strength, they are easily broken when gold recovery is applied to the support.Figure 2. Au recovery performance of the ALPF. (a) Effect of pH in Au solution on the Au recovery performance of the ALPF. Ci, t, and adsorbent doses were 100 mg/L, 24 h, and 0.5 g/L, respectively. FESEM images of the ALPF surface after Au recovery at pH of (b) 3, (c) 6, (d) 9, and (e) 12, showing the Au(0) particles on the ALPF surface. Scale bar is 1 μm. (f) XRD patterns of the ALPF after Au recovery in the pH range of 2-12. (g-l) FESEM images of the ALPF after Au recovery at Ci of (g) 0.1, (h) 1, (i) 10, (j) 100, (k) 500, and (l) 1000 mg/L for 24 h with stirring at 200 rpm. pH was adjusted to 1. Scale bar is 20 μm. (m-q) FESEM-EDS mapping of the chemical elements distributions for the ALPF after Au recovery at Ci of 1000 mg/L: (m) overlap, (n) carbon, (o) nitrogen, (p) oxygen, and (q) gold. Scale bar is 20 μm. (r) Recovery efficiencies of the ALPF for Au recovery in a low Ci range of 0.1-100 mg/L. (s) Adsorption isotherm test result of the ALPF adsorbent. The experimentally obtained data were fitted by three representative isotherm equations of Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models. (t) Comparison of qm and optimum pH value for the ALPF adsorbent with those of the adsorbents best reported in the literature, classified by the adsorbent size (nano, micro, and milliscale) or shape (particle and fiber). Credit: Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyEnhanced Gold Recovery TechniquesKIST researchers have chemically immobilized alkaline molecules on the surface of polyacrylonitrile (PANF) fibers to improve both molecular gold recovery performance and structural stability. The amine-containing polymer fiber has a dramatically larger surface area, which can improve the adsorption performance of gold ions (Au) in waste by up to 2.5 times (from 576 mg/g to 1,462 mg/g) compared to the team’s previously developed granular gold adsorption material.The developed fibrous adsorbent not only showed a gold recovery efficiency of more than 99.9% in solutions obtained by leaching real CPUs, but also achieved a gold recovery efficiency close to 100% in a wide range of pH 1-4, which includes most waste liquids. It is particularly noteworthy that only gold ions can be recovered with a high purity of over 99.9%, even in the presence of 14 other metal ions coexisting in the solution. Furthermore, the gold recovery rate was maintained at 91% even after 10 uses, demonstrating excellent reusability.Figure 3. Applicability of the ALPF adsorbent for Au recovery processes. (a) Adsorption selectivity of the ALPF for Au(III) in the presence of coexisting metal ions including Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(II), Al(III), Cr(III), Zn(II), Na(I), K(I), Mg(II), and Ca(II). Ci of Au(III) was set to 10 mg/L, and those of other metal ions were set to 10, 100, and 1000 mg/L. Solution pH was adjusted to 1. (b) Purity of the recovered Au(0) by the ALPF. Inset shows an optical microscope image of the recovered Au(0). (c) Repetitive adsorption/desorption test of Au(III) using the ALPF adsorbent. Ci of Au(III) was set to 10 mg/L. Adsorption process was conducted for 24 h. Solution pH was adjusted to 1. Desorption process was conducted for 24 h using 0.5 acidic thiourea solution in 1.0 M HCl. (d) Deconvoluted HRXPS spectra of the ALPF for N 1s, showing the chemical change for amine groups of the ALPF adsorbent during the repetitive adsorption-desorption cycles. (e) Photograph of felts consisting of PANF (top) and ALPF (bottom), indicating that the fibrous adsorbent can be transformed into a desired shape. Scale bar is 2 cm. (f) Effect of the adsorbent shapes on the pressure drop in a column filled with the adsorbents. Each pressure drop in the column filled with the adsorbents was measured according to the volumetric flow rate. Credit: Korea Institute of Science and TechnologyConclusion and Future Prospects“By enabling efficient and eco-friendly metal resource recovery, the fiber-type adsorbent developed by KIST can reduce Korea’s dependence on resource imports and prepare for the risk of rising raw material prices,” said Dr. Jae-Woo Choi. “We plan to expand the scope of future research to selectively recover various target metals in addition to gold, said Dr. Youngkyun Jung.”Reference: “Efficient and selective gold recovery using amine-laden polymeric fibers synthesized by a steric hindrance strategy” by Youngkyun Jung, Su-Jin Yoon, Kyung-Won Jung and Jae-Woo Choi, 12 February 2024, Chemical Engineering Journal.DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.149602

Waste
Chemicals
Science

No Results today.

Our news is updated constantly with the latest environmental stories from around the world. Reset or change your filters to find the most active current topics.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.