Apple unveils recycling robot, now runs on 93 percent renewables
Apple has unveiled a robotic system called ‘Liam’ which can take apart junked iPhones and recover valuable materials for recycling. The move is an attempt to address criticism that Apple’s products are so tightly constructed that their components can be difficult to disassemble, refurbish and reuse. Greenpeace welcomed Apple’s initiative as an example of how the company is committed to keeping more products out of landfills, but questioned how much of an impact the robot would have on overall iPhone recycling volumes. The environmental group urged Apple to build more products using recycled metals and to make its devices easier to deconstruct. Apple also provided a wider update on its responsibility initiatives at an event on Monday where it unveiled a new line of iPhones. After Apple CEO Tim Cook opened with a defence of the company’s position in its battle with the FBI over encryption, Apple’s VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Issues, Lisa Jackson, took to the stage to announce that 93 percent of Apple’s facilities now run on renewable energy, including 100 percent in the US, China, and 21 other countries. (Reuters; The Verge)
Statoil reveals plans for offshore wind energy storage system
Energy giant Statoil hopes its new ‘Batwind’ energy storage system could help revolutionise the offshore wind energy market. The company announced yesterday that its new storage system is specifically designed to support offshore wind farms, after confirming a Memorandum of Understanding in support of a pilot project which was signed in Edinburgh last week between Statoil, the Scottish Government, the Offshore Renewable EnergyCatapult and Scottish Enterprise. The pilot project will be at the world’s first planned floating wind farm off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. “Statoil has a strong position in offshore wind,” said Stephen Bull, Statoil’s senior vice president for offshore wind. “By developing innovative battery storage solutions, we can improve the value of wind energy for both Statoil and customers”. (Business Green)
Supply Chain
New map launched on company concessions in Indonesia
Environmental group Greenpeace has launched a new land use map for Indonesia in an attempt to combat deforestation and forest fires. The new mapping tool offers a comprehensive look at company concession maps, peatland boundaries and species habitats in Indonesia. Hundreds of fire hotspots have flared up in the archipelago nation in recent weeks, and the online tool lets the public track whether the fires are on palm oil, logging, wood fibre or coal mining concessions, and identify the companies who own the land. Users can also check if the land in question is forest or peatland, or home to endangered tigers and orangutans. Identifying the company on whose land the fires are occurring is an important first step to holding companies accountable, as last year’s haze crisis has shown. Not only did the Indonesian government arrest several people linked to colleagues responsible for the burning, but Singapore Environment Council also led a consumer boycott against Indonesian firm Asia Pulp and Paper, which was found to have many hotspots on its concessions. (Eco-business)
Environment
Report: Coal plants use as much water as 1 billion people
Coal power plants use enough water to supply the needs of 1 billion people, and this figure will almost double if all the world’s planned power plants come online. The research released by Greenpeace on World Water Day found that 44% of current plants, and 45% of planned coal power plants, were in areas of water stress. About a quarter of the proposed new coal plants were planned in regions that were already running a freshwater deficit areas that Greenpeace put on a “red list”. That figure was largely driven by China, where most of the world’s coal is used and almost half of the proposed coal fleet was in red-list areas. India and Turkey were next, each with 13% of planned coal power stations set to be in red-list areas. The report found that although coal mining used a significant amount of water, the majority from the sector came from energy production, which used 84% of the water. (Guardian)
Eat less meat to avoid dangerous global warming, scientists say
In three decades, emissions related to agriculture and food production are likely to account for about half of the world’s available “carbon budget” according to research led by Oxford Martin School. The study finds that a widespread adoption of vegetarian diet would cut food-related emissions by 63% and make people healthier too. Adhering to health guidelines on meat consumption could cut global food-related emissions by nearly a third by 2050, the study found, while widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet would bring down emissions by 63%. Such steps would also save lives, argued Dr Marco Springmann, lead author of the study. “Imbalanced diets, such as diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in red and processed meat, are responsible for the greatest health burden globally and in most regions,” he said. Intensive livestock-rearing is a major cause of greenhouse gases. Non-intensive rearing of livestock, could be “an interesting proposal” that would allow meat-eating at lower levels with less environmental harm, said Springmann. (Guardian)
Image source: Princess Amalia Wind Farm in the North Sea by Ad Meskens / CC BY-SA 3.0
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