March pills

Economic losses due to climatic conditions in Europe. The EEA briefing ” Economic losses and fatal accidents from weather and climate events in Europe”

According to the European Environment Agency Briefing, the economic consequences of climate change are huge in Europe. Despite the demands of the European Commission, there are no common methodologies to collect, assess or report economic losses related to the climate. However, the EEA has access to data from private companies that allow an estimate to be made. The report covers the period 1980-2020 and shows that: 1. In absolute terms, the largest economic losses were recorded in Germany, followed by France and then Italy; 2. The highest per capita losses were recorded in Switzerland, Slovenia and France; 3. the highest losses per area were in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. In addition, it found that 85% of the victims were due to abnormal heat waves. In particular, the wave of 2003.

In the latest IPCC report there is greater interest in the social sciences

In the second volume of the sixth IPCC Assessment Report, more attention was paid to the social and economic aspects of the environmental issue than in previous reports. This shows that awareness of the crucial role of the social sciences in the challenge against climate change is being consolidated. In this perspective, the repercussions that phenomena, such as colonization or inequality, have on the climate of our planet and the observation of the development of urban centers take on particular importance. United Nations approves environmental agreement to tackle plastic pollution.

An agreement was approved to address the problem of plastic pollution

The United Nations Environment Assembly of 175 countries met in Nairobi on 2 March 2022. – The measure won The measure is binding by 2024 and takes into account the entire life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal. – UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen has compared the agreement to an insurance policy for this and future generations, which would allow us to live with plastic without being convicted. – Inside the Milano Green Forum Museum there are two artists and activists who deal with this theme from a creative point of view: Benjamin Von Wong, Lady Be and Aurora Robson.

There is increased attention to air quality following the Russian-Ukrainian war

Italian environmental agencies have intensified monitoring of levels of radioactivity in the air, following the events of war in Ukraine. The Russian attacks threatened some of the nuclear facilities in Ukraine: the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the active Zaporizhya nuclear power plant. So far the attacks have been circumscribed and the surveys on the Italian territory have not revealed critical issues.

The role of indigenous peoples in the climate issue

Indigenous peoples have long been considered mere victims of climate change, but in the last period it has become necessary to consider them an active part. The latest IPCC report saw, for the first time, the participation of indigenous contributors, since they understood the value of the contribution they can make to the global challenge through their knowledge. Over time, these communities have been forced to develop new methods of adaptation to cope with changes in the environment. Rodion Sulyandziga, of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, said: “We must unite all our efforts. We can bring indigenous knowledge to the table not only about prevention, but also about new technologies”.

Management of chemical contamination of the environment

During the UN’s work on 2 March in Nairobi, alongside the agreement on plastics, discussions were held on the implementation and regulation of waste management and chemical pollution. Reference is made to a study published in “Environmental Science & Technology”, in which chemical pollution is considered as the release into nature of “new entities” and suggests the presence of a quantity of new substances already beyond the limits. One possible resolution envisages the introduction of a global panel for the control of hazardous substances.

In the near future we will increasingly see climate migration

As emerged from the report of the IPCC more and more people are forced to move away from their home place due to environmental disasters and extreme climatic phenomena. An estimated 25 to 1 billion people could be in the same situation by 2050. Most of the movements are centripetal, that is, they take place from the suburbs to the city centre and are caused by extreme heat, drought, storms and floods.

A new European Council proposal to strengthen battery use legislation

A series of rules have been proposed to improve the regulation of the use of batteries and the disposal of used batteries. In particular, there has been talk of introducing a “passport” of batteries in order to be able to know the characteristics and the environmental impact. In addition, reference was made to the obligation to produce new batteries from recycled materials and to the reinforcement of collection targets for used batteries. The ultimate aim is to contribute to the decarbonisation of the territory.

A study detects the presence of microplastics in human blood

Research has been conducted in the Netherlands which seems to suggest the possible presence of microplastics in human blood. The study, published in the journal Environment International, is based on the data collected from the blood analysis of 22 anonymous people in which traces of Pet (polyethylene terephthalate) were mainly found. This is the first data collected on the subject and it will be necessary to deepen the research to understand in depth the extent of the phenomenon and its real danger.