Is it possible to transform a cemetery into a solar power plant? | Environmental Speaker

Hello everyone, this is the 7th issue of the Environmental Trumpet column. In this column, you can see different topics such as climate, pollution, energy, agriculture, etc., and learn about the recent changes in our environment and what good and bad news there are.

In this issue, we have collected the following environmental research and news worth reading:

1. New environmental protection idea: transforming cemeteries into solar power plants

2. Due to global warming, the Arctic may become "ice-free" within a decade

3. The polar plastic problem is becoming more serious. 97% of Antarctic seabirds were found to have ingested microplastics

4. The list of "plastic chemicals" is released! More than 4,000 chemicals are harmful to humans and the environment

5. Climate change exacerbates the spread of tropical diseases

6. Due to the weather, music festivals began to pursue low carbon emissions

Cemetery solar power generation

In a small town in France, plans are underway to install solar canopies over cemeteries .

This plan is not a fantasy, but was designed and planned after consulting local people. The solar canopy will not only solve the drainage problem of the cemetery, but also provide convenience for residents to use electricity. In the designed architectural model, the canopy will be translucent to allow light to shine on the ground; at the same time, the project will also use a special solar panel as a material, which is expected to provide 1.3 megawatts (MW) of electricity for more than 1,000 people to enjoy for free.

Solar panels will cover the roof of the 5,000 square meter cemetery | St Joachim township

France has never built such a large-scale shared power facility in the past. This will also be the first local power project to connect at least 1,000 households. At present, about 420 residents of the town have considered joining the project, and they only need to pay 5 euros to enjoy the electricity generated. In order to reasonably distribute electricity, the project also plans to use algorithms to provide each household with a corresponding free quota . It is estimated that a family can save 150 to 259 euros in electricity bills each year.

Arctic ice-free

Scientists believe that the Arctic becoming ice-free is an inevitable outcome, but accurate model calculations are still needed to determine when it will become ice-free in the future. An article recently published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment suggests that the Arctic may have its first "ice-free" summer in the next 10 years .

When the sea ice area is less than 1 million square kilometers, the ocean is called "ice-free". In recent years, the Arctic Ocean sea ice area has been as small as about 3.3 million square kilometers in September. The research team predicts that as time goes by, the Arctic may be ice-free for the first time in September between 2020 and 2030 .

The Arctic becoming ice-free is an inevitable outcome | Pixabay

Researchers speculate that greenhouse gas emissions should be the main reason for the disappearance of sea ice . Due to global warming, the area covered by ice and snow has decreased, and the ocean has absorbed more sunlight and heat, which has intensified the melting of ice in the Arctic. As sea ice disappears, many Arctic animals that rely on sea ice for survival will face huge challenges. Ocean warming may also lead to the invasion of foreign fish and affect the polar ecosystem. For human communities, the disappearance of sea ice will also weaken the ability of coastal areas to resist waves and accelerate coastal erosion. Therefore, in order to slow the disappearance of sea ice, global carbon emissions levels need to continue to decline.

Antarctic seabirds ingesting microplastics

The health risks posed by microplastics are no longer news in recent years. These plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm are highly mobile and have been found in the ocean, air and other environments, and the polar regions are a major disaster area for microplastic pollution. Recently, an article published in Frontiers in Marine Science found that in the Arctic, about 90% of seabirds have ingested microplastic particles; in the Antarctic, this number reached a staggering 97%.

Researchers found up to 36 microplastic particles in one seabird's body. Ingestion of plastic particles may cause seabirds to suffer from intestinal obstruction, biological poisoning and other diseases, and even be life-threatening. Further investigations found that microplastics were also found in the food sources of some polar animals (such as krill), which means that the microplastic problem may have risen to the level of the food chain, which will sound the alarm for the global ecology.

a) The amount of microplastics found in each sample type, b) each plastic type, c) the polymer type of microplastic particles, and d) the type of plastic ingested by each bird species. The red and yellow lines represent Arctic and Antarctic seabird species, respectively | Taurozzi and Scalici 2024.

The researchers also found that the main components of microplastics in the polar regions are polyethylene (PE), in addition to polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). These chemicals mainly come from the decomposition of plastic bags, plastic containers and plastic packaging materials , which flow into the polar regions in the form of fragments through the atmosphere and ocean circulation. In addition, human production activities near the polar regions (such as fishing) have also exacerbated plastic pollution in the polar regions. Currently, dozens of seabird species inhabit the Arctic and Antarctica respectively, and their numbers are decreasing. In order to alleviate the impact of microplastic pollution on polar organisms, researchers call on countries around the world to discuss and strengthen the supervision of microplastics.

Plastic Chemicals

Plastic has caused huge environmental problems, but our understanding of "plastic" is far from enough.

Recently, a research team funded by the Norwegian Research Council compiled a report list of "plastic chemicals", listing more than 16,000 plastic chemicals. These chemicals are found in plastics or are believed to exist in plastic production; at least 4,200 of these plastic chemicals are considered to be persistent, bioaccumulative, migratory and even toxic .

However, among the 16,000 listed plastic chemicals, more than 10,000 chemicals lack relevant hazard data, and more than 9,000 lack public information on which plastics they are used in . Currently, due to the industry's tight blockade of information on these chemicals, there are still many opaque areas in the plastics industry.

Plastic products are everywhere in our lives｜Pixabay

In the past, many scientists believed that most harmful plastic chemicals were no longer used in plastic production; however, the report list points out that the opposite is true - hundreds of harmful chemicals are still present in plastic production lines . What is more worrying is that although nearly 1,000 plastic chemicals are regulated and controlled worldwide, there are still more than 3,600 chemicals that are not regulated. These chemicals should be included in the regulatory list as soon as possible. As the next round of negotiations on the United Nations Global Plastic Pollution Treaty begins, this report list will serve as a powerful material to urge countries and industries to take joint action to improve the regulation of plastic chemicals and move towards a green development path.

Climate change exacerbates tropical disease spread

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that has been limited in the past few centuries, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions such as Southeast Asia and South America. However, in recent years, dengue fever has begun to spread to areas where it was rarely reported in the past , with cases found in the United States, France, and subtropical regions of Africa. In some areas, dengue fever has become a long-term threat to the local area.

Dengue fever is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes (especially Aedes mosquitoes) | Pixabay

The main reasons for the increased spread of dengue fever are climate change and the inconsistency between rapid urbanization and backward infrastructure. Global warming provides favorable conditions for the reproduction of mosquitoes. In some tropical countries, humid weather has further contributed to the proliferation of mosquitoes, which has enabled dengue fever to spread. In some other areas, the rapid urbanization process has led to a large influx of people into urban areas, and the backward health system has been overwhelmed, providing favorable conditions for the reproduction of mosquitoes.

At present, many countries have taken relevant measures to control the development of dengue fever. In addition to conventional insecticide spraying, Brazil has begun to promote the development of dengue fever vaccines. In addition, genetically engineered mosquitoes have also begun to enter people's field of vision. In the face of dengue fever, countries also need to cooperate to find solutions to prevent further outbreaks of the disease.

Music festivals begin to pursue low carbon emissions

Watching a concert in the rain may be a unique memory in the hearts of the audience, but now the weather has become a stumbling block in the preparation of music festivals. Last November, a Brazilian fan died of heat stroke at Taylor Swift's concert tour, which attracted the attention of the entire network; and earlier in June, Louis Tomlinson's concert was hit by hail, causing more than 100 audience members to be hospitalized. In Australia, at least 22 music festivals were canceled or interrupted due to extreme weather between 2022 and 2023 alone.

Live music industry begins to gain more awareness of reducing carbon emissions｜Pixabay

The frequent occurrence of extreme weather events is closely related to the intensification of global climate change; however, in turn, the holding of music festivals has also exacerbated climate change . A British study shows that the live music industry in the UK generates 405,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, mainly from audience travel (43%) and the operation of live music venues (23%). Such a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions has caused the music performance industry to begin to think about its future development direction.

In Australia, some music festivals have banned the use of single-use plastics and called on audiences to recycle to minimize waste generation; some music festivals have also linked up with tree planting activities to offset the carbon emissions caused by their hosting. In the future, extreme weather will continue to occur, and by pursuing low carbon emissions, music festivals are beginning to contribute to green development in their own way.

Author: Xiao Xiaoze

Editor: Mai Mai, Xiao Towel

Title image source: pixabay