The Environment Chronicle

Notable environmental events between 2013 and 2013 Deselect

  1. In September 2013 a bulk carrier is using the North West Passage as a transit trade lane, when transporting coal from Vancouver in Canada to the port of Pori in Finland via the Arctic Sea. The vessel left Vancouver on 6 September 2013, loaded with metallurgical coal and arrived at its destination in Pori, Finland, on 29 September 2013.

  2. On 5 September 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency announced settlements with Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. and Shell Offshore, Inc. for violations of their Clean Air Act permits for arctic oil and gas exploration drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, off the North Slope of Alaska. Based on EPA’s inspections and Shell’s excess emission reports, EPA documented numerous air permit violations for Shell’s Discoverer and Kulluk drill ship fleets, during the approximately two months the vessels operated during the 2012 drilling season. In today’s settlements, Shell has agreed to pay a $710,000 penalty for violations of the Discoverer air permit and a $390,000 penalty for violations of the Kulluk air permit.

  3. A team of researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany and Yale University (USA) has presented the most comprehensive description and characterization so far of bioclimatic and physical characteristics of the world’s islands. Islands make up only five percent of the land surface of the Earth, but they are home to a disproportionately high number of plant and animal species and provide ecosystem functions and services to more than 500 million people. However, a quantitative description of the ecological conditions on islands had been lacking so far. The study published on 3 September 2013, in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences now closes this gap. The researchers investigated almost 18,000 marine islands with areas greater than one square kilometer. They also compiled ecologically important climate data and precise information about physical factors such as area, distance to the next continent and the proportion of landmass in the surroundings of each island. The researchers employed modern statistical approaches to describe, classify and map the islands based on differences in their environments. This allows the identification of islands with similar environmental settings and will facilitate further island biogeographical studies and biodiversity conservation.

  4. On 3 September 2013, Northeast German power utility WEMAG and renewables-integration specialists Younicos started construction of a battery park for the balancing of short-term power fluctuations in Schwerin, Germany.

  5. On 30 August 2013 researchers at UBA moved into their new offices in 'Haus 2019' in Berlin-Marienfelde after 20 months of construction. It is the Federal Government's first zero-energy building. The goal for the model green building, which will provide a workplace for 31 people, is particularly ambitious: it is a zero-energy house which will cover its entire energy needs by itself. Energy consumption will be closely monitored. "In one year's time we will know if we have achieved our ambitious aim of showing a balanced energy budget as a result of the use of renewable energy sources and high standards in building and technology," said UBA President Jochen Flasbarth at the opening ceremony. The name 'Haus 2019' refers to the EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings. The Directive lays down the requirements for ‘nearly zero-energy buildings’. This standard will already apply for public institutions as of 2019; as of 2021 for all other buildings.

  6. A joint study from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released on 28 August 2013 found that a fracking fluid spill in Kentucky in 2007 likely caused the widespread death of several types of fish.

  7. Ocean acidification could change the ecosystems of our seas even by the end of this century. Biologists at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), have therefore assessed the extent of this ominous change for the first time. In a study they compiled and analysed all available data on the reaction of marine animals to ocean acidification. The scientists found that whilst the majority of animal species investigated are affected by ocean acidification, the respective impacts are very specific. The AWI-researchers presented their results as an Online Publication on 25 August 2013 in Nature Climate Change. The study of the biologists from the Alfred Wegener Institute was conducted in the framework of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is intended to provide an overview of the current level of scientific knowledge on ocean acidification.

  8. On 24 August 2013 Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise today entered the Northern Sea Route (NSR) off Russia’s coastline to protest against Arctic oil drilling, in defiance of Russian authorities who this week refused the ship permission to enter the area.

  9. On 24 August 2013, the Waldschlösschen Bridge was inaugurated with street festivities in Dresden. The first regular traffic crossed it on 26 August 2013.

  10. French Energy services company Technip said on 23 August 2013, it would work on the installation of the world's deepest underwater gas pipeline for Shell, planned for the Gulf of Mexico. The field is located in the Walker Ridge area in the US Gulf of Mexico, at a water depth of approximately 2,900 meters (9,500 feet).

  11. How does climate change affect the formation of ice in the Arctic marginal seas? How do the changes affect the ecosystem? And what are the large-scale consequences for the entire Arctic region and Europe eventually? These are the questions German and Russian scientists are trying to answer during an expedition to the Laptev Sea, East Siberia, which started on 22. August 2013. It is the first expedition to the Russian Arctic as part of a new German-Russian joint project, coordinated at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, and supported through Russian and German funding for three years at around 7 million euros.

  12. On 21 August 2013, the Russian government denied permission for the Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise to enter the Northern Sea Route (NSR), despite the ship having fulfilled all the requirements for such an entry. Greenpeace International claims the decision is an attempt to prevent it from exposing the activities of Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. Multiple vessels contracted by Rosneft and US partner ExxonMobil are conducting seismic testing and geological work in the Kara Sea in preparation for offshore Arctic drilling.

  13. On 20 August 2013, the European Commission adopted a package of measures to address the continued unsustainable fishing of herring by the Faroe Islands. The measures include the ban of imports of herring and mackerel from the Atlanto-Scandian stocks that has been caught under the control of the Faroe Islands as well as fishery products containing or made of such fish. The measures also include restrictions on the use of EU ports by vessels fishing for the herring and mackerel stocks under the control of the Faroe Islands. This means that some Faroese vessels will not be allowed to dock in EU ports, except in cases of emergency. The Atlanto-Scandian herring stock was until 2013 managed jointly by Norway, Russia, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the EU through an agreed long-term management plan and pre-established shares of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC). However, in 2013 the Faroe Islands unilaterally decided to break out of this agreement and established an autonomous quota which more than trebled their previously agreed share.

  14. On 20 August 2013, Ecuador's President Raffael Correa canceled Germany's special programme for the Yasuní biosphere reserve. President Correa said his government would unilaterally terminate the environmental agreement with Germany, following German criticism Ecuador's decision to exploit oil in the Yasuni National Park. The German gov­ern­ment had agreed with Ecuador in 2012 on an extensive programme of support. The aim of the programme is to preserve the bio­di­ver­sity and the forests in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, and to empower the indigenous popu­la­tion living there.

  15. Twelve Dongria villages have voted against Vedanta's plan to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills during consultations ordered by India’s Supreme Court in April 2013, because their religious, cultural and social rights would be jeopardized if mining were to go ahead.

  16. On 14 August 2013, a White House official confirmed to the Washington Post that installation of solar panels began this week on the White House roof. The plan to use solar energy was first revealed in October 2010, but was not put into effect until now.

  17. On 13 August 2013 the research ship MYA II was handed over to science at the Alfred Wegner Institute at a ceremony in List on Sylt. Ten percent of the 4.5 million euro development and construction costs for the MYA II were met by the State of Schleswig-Holstein, and 90 percent from federal funds. The research vessel is extremely modern and ideally equipped for coastal research. It has a particulate filter as well as a waste gas purification system, which removes nitrogen oxide (NOx) from engine exhaust fumes. Moreover an environmentally friendly ship coating was used and an impressed current system was installed to prevent corrosion on the hull as a substitute for toxic zinc anodes. Neither wastewater nor oily bilge water from the engine room get into the sea, but are disposed of in port. The “Blue Angel” eco label for the environmentally friendly ship design was revealed during the celebration on 13 August 2013.

  18. The world's biggest river research expedition started on the Danube on 13 August 2013. The Joint Danube Survey 3 (JDS3) catalyzed international cooperation from all 14 of the main Danube Basin countries and the European Commission. For six weeks between 13 August and 26 September, the JDS3 ships traveled 2,375 km downstream the Danube River, through 10 countries, to the Danube Delta. The JDS3 was coordinated by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). An international Core Team of 20 scientists was responsible for sampling, sample processing, on-board analyses and all survey activities. The Joint Danube Survey 3 was officially launched by the State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, and the Bavarian Minister of the Environment in Regensburg on 14 August 2014.

  19. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is working on a satellite-based system for substantially improving ship navigation in ice-affected waters. The Earth observation satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X provide the high-resolution images needed to make this possible. Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) – the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research based in Bremerhaven – are currently on their way to Antarctica on board the research vessel 'Polarstern' to test the practicality of this technique.

  20. On 29 July 2013, Nepal’s government announced its tiger population has increased by 63 percent since the last survey in 2009—putting the number of tigers at an estimated 198 with a range between 163-235. The first-ever joint tiger survey between Nepal and India in the transboundary Terai Arc Landscape began in January. In Nepal, this massive wildlife survey included over 260 trained staff, camera traps covering 1,870 square miles of tiger habitat and 7,699 tiger images. This was funded by WWF UK, WWF Australia, WWF US, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the Hariyo Ban Program (funded by USAID), and US Fish and Wildlife Service. WWF also played a major role from planning and implementation to the final data analysis.

  21. The European Investment Bank has adopted new guidelines to reinforce support for investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy grids. The EIB will introduce a new Emissions Performance Standard to be applied to all fossil fuel generation projects to screen out investments whose carbon emissions exceed a threshold level. This threshold reflects existing EU and national commitments to limit carbon emissions. The board agreed that the Emissions Performance Standard would be kept under review and that more restrictive commitments could be considered in the future.

  22. A shipment of 130 tonnes of fin whale meat from whales killed four years ago has been sent back to Iceland and got unloaded in Reykjavik on 21 July 2013. On 5 July 2013 the whale meat arrived at the harbour of Hamburg on the cargo ship, Cosco Pride. Greenpeace activists met the ship at the federal state boundary waving protest banners. They escorted the ship on its way to the harbour, then informed the administrative bodies.

  23. On 16 July 2013, a Commission proposal to restrict the use of Fipronil, an insecticide which has recently been identified as posing an acute risk to Europe’s honey bee population, was backed by Member State experts meeting today in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. This proposal follows a scientific risk assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that was published on 27 May 2013 which identified that seeds treated with pesticides containing Fipronil pose an acute risk to Europe’s honey bee population. The measures: Restrict the crops where Fipronil can be used as a seed treatment; Authorisations may be granted for the treatment of seeds that will only be sown in greenhouses. However, this exception does not apply to leeks, shallots, onions and brassica vegetables (such as Brussel sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli), where treated seeds can also be sown in the field, as the harvest of these crops takes place before flowering; The treatment of maize and sunflower seeds will no longer be authorised; Foresee that the Commission will initiate a review of the restrictions within 2 years. The restriction will apply from 31 December 2013.

  24. On 11 Juli 2013, six Greenpeace activists climbed Europe's tallest building in a protest against oil and gas drilling the Arctic. A statement from Greenpeace said the action was part of their campaign against oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and that the activists carried out a safety assessment beforehand. The women were able to access the Shard from the roof of nearby London Bridge station, after months of planning and training. The campaigners said they chose the Shard because of its proximity to oil company Shell's three London offices. Greenpeace are streaming live video of the attempt from a camera worn by one of the climbers.

  25. On 11 July 2013, the European Parliament Environment Committee voted on legislation to limit the quantities of 'food based' biofuels in renewable energy transport targets for Europe.

  26. On 11 July 2013, the European Commission adopted a proposal to strengthen inspections on waste shipments through an amendment of the Waste Shipment Regulation. The Commission proposed stronger legislation on national inspections of waste shipments to ensure that all Member States have similar levels of control. Around 25 % of waste shipments sent from the EU to developing countries in Africa and Asia are thought to contravene international regulations. When it arrives, that waste is often dumped or mismanaged, causing serious negative impacts on human health and the environment.

  27. A protest by Greenpeace activists in Hamburg harbour on 5 July 2013 called attention to the trans-shipment of fin whale meat by the vessel "Cosco Pride". Ten activists in inflatable boats met the ship in the port of Hamburg Cosco with the banner message: "Stop the trade in whale meat". The containers in question were unloaded for an inspection by customs authorities. Several whale meat consignments from Iceland and Norway have been transited via German harbours to Japan. On 9 July 2013, Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier asked German port operators to refrain on a voluntary basis from allowing the transit of whale meat via their harbours.

  28. On 4 July 2013, DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar officially opened the world’s largest offshore wind farm, London Array, at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, alongside other dignitaries. London Array, the 630MW offshore wind farm located in the Outer Thames Estuary, first started generating power in October 2012. The 175th turbine was bought online in March 2013 and London Array is now celebrating the completion and full operation of the site, which could supply around 500,000 UK homes with electricity each year.

  29. On 3 July 2013, the European Parliament voted to back a European Commission's proposal to backload allowances in the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS).

  30. The latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ shows worrying declines for conifers – the world’s oldest and largest organisms – freshwater shrimps, cone snails and the Yangtze Finless Porpoise. The Santa Cruz Pupfish, a lizard known as the Cape Verde Giant Skink and a species of freshwater shrimp have been declared Extinct. With this update, 4,807 species have been added to The IUCN Red List bringing the total of assessed species to 70,294, of which 20,934 are threatened with extinction.

  31. On 1 July 2013, US President Obama announced a series of new initiatives to combat spiking levels of international poaching and draft a new national plan on wildlife trafficking, an industry that has grown so significantly in recent years that the president now calls it an “international crisis”.

  32. With effect from 1 July 2013 a new pesticide strategy has been implemented in Denmark. The aim is to reduce the use of pesticides, particularly those that have a high impact on the environment and human health. The most important change is the amended tax on pesticides. The tax will increase the cost of pesticides having a high potential impact on health and the environment. The intention is to motivate farmers and other pesticide users to reduce their use and the load of potentially harmful pesticides.

  33. On 30 May 2013, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and WWF launched a joint global call for action and commitment from governments and other institutions to combat the rampant illicit wildlife trafficking scourge that is robbing Africa of precious natural resources and posing a major threat to stability and economies across the continent. During the event the African Development Bank launched the Marrakech Declaration highlighting the out-of-control nature of illicit wildlife trafficking and urging “countries and their citizens to act urgently to fight illicit wildlife trafficking in Africa and across the globe”.

  34. On 27 June 2013, the German Parliament changed German patent law to prohibit patents on plants and animals derived from conventional breeding.

  35. On 1 July 2013, the DESERTEC Foundation announced the termination of its membership with Dii GmbH. This action has been agreed upon by all members of the Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors at an extraordinary board meeting which took place on 27th June 2013. In 2009, Dii GmbH had been founded as a cooperation between many renowned firms and DESERTEC Foundation to create appropriate conditions for the realisation of DESERTEC in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

  36. Sierra de Guadarrama National Park is a National Park in Spain. The law that regulates the recently approved national park was published in the BOE in June 26, 2013. The new National Park has a surface area of almost 34,000 hectares, spread between two autonomous communities: 21,740 in Madrid and 11,924 in Castile and Leon. While the administrative procedures started officially in 2001, the efforts to have the Sierra de Guadarrama’s landscape recognized for its scenic and environmental value started more than a century ago.

  37. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, hold public hearings in the case concerning Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening) from Wednesday 26 June to Tuesday 16 July 2013, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.

  38. On 25 June 2013, President Barack Obama rolled out a major plan at Georgetown University in Washington to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions and using renewable energy.

  39. On 24 June 2013 Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan T.D., welcomed an agreement between the European Parliament and the Council that will give effect to the year 2020 CO2 emissions target for new passenger cars by defining the “modalities” within which the car industry must operate to achieve this target. The new regulation will govern the means by which car manufacturers are allowed to meet the year 2020 target for CO2 emissions (95g/CO2/Km).

  40. On 21 June EU Commissioner Michel Barnier, responsible for the Internal Market and Services, issued a statement on the exclusion of water from the EU Concessions Directive.