The New Deforestation Rules are scheduled to come into effect on December 31 of this year for large Venezuelan cocoa and coffee producers.

This was stated by María Madrid, International Relations Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment, who added that Venezuelan companies will have to comply with the country’s laws regarding not only trade but also environmental and human rights matters.

The new deforestation regulations for the import of coffee and cocoa from Venezuela were presented on Tuesday, April 21, by the UN delegation in the South American country to producers, exporters, traders, and merchants.

Madrid emphasized that “the regulations were developed after analyzing the products that have the greatest impact on deforestation, including beef, soy, timber, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and palm oil, as well as their derivatives.”

M.Pino

Source: elnacional

(Reference image source: ALEXANDRE LALLEMAND on Unsplash)

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As technology advances, devices are replaced by more efficient ones with more functions. Recycling this electronic waste responsibly is a great challenge at a global level.

It is not unusual to see old cell phone batteries and other electronic or electrical devices in common waste containers. Digital toys, kitchen appliances, among others, are also observed, which should not be outdoors, in contact with water, or in the sun because their components could combust and generate a moderate explosion.

The responsible management of electronic waste results in human and animal health, in addition to the conservation of the environment.

In 2024, there have been advances worldwide thanks to information campaigns to communities on how to manage this waste. There are companies that are responsible for receiving old smartphones and batteries or other components such as cables and chargers. Others receive burned-out light bulbs, appliances that no longer work, so that they are not thrown into containers for paper, cardboard, glass or organic waste.

An invaluable trend has to do with the eco-friendly design of devices, so that from their conception their impact on the environment and the life of the user is considered. With eco-friendly design, manufacturers adopt measures “that facilitate the disassembly and recovery of components, thus promoting recycling and reuse.”

Of course, in large factories the processes are automated, incorporating the use of AI and robotics, “maximizing the recovery of valuable materials and reducing dependence on human labor.”

The concept of the circular economy plays a leading role in this issue by being applied efficiently in campaigns to promote “the repair, reconditioning and recovery of materials” to reduce the amount of waste.

Education and promoting digital awareness are undoubtedly key in this process, as is providing communities with the necessary resources so that they can participate actively and responsibly in recycling their electronic devices.

M.Pino

Source: raeeandalucia

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The governments of Venezuela and Colombia signed an agreement on October 3 to strengthen cooperation in border matters, specifically in aspects such as security, economy and environment between San Cristóbal and Cúcuta.

The challenges in these issues led to the signing of said agreement, aimed at deepening bilateral relations, “consolidating an integration zone that will benefit more than two million inhabitants.”

The governor of the state of Táchira, Freddy Bernal, whose capital is San Cristóbal, highlighted the creation of a “Great Binational Economic Border Zone that has the support of the Venezuelan Government” and that aims to “overcome difficulties and promote tourism, mobility and security.”

Jorge Enrique Acevedo, mayor of Cúcuta, highlighted the “economic interdependence between both cities, emphasizing the need to protect the region from possible national political tensions between Caracas and Bogotá.”

In an interview with a local media outlet, the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Milton Rengifo, said that the border cities will also work to overcome common problems.

Rengifo mentioned the issue of the impact of Cúcuta’s wastewater that affects Venezuela, emphasizing the need for a treatment plant. He also mentioned “the crisis caused by the landfill in San Cristóbal, which has repercussions on air quality in Cúcuta. The improvement of mobility is also part of the agreement, with initiatives such as the temporary circulation permit for vehicles from both countries.”

Representatives from San Cristóbal and Cúcuta hope that with the signing of the agreement, “economic, tourism and security cooperation will be achieved, providing a solid framework for integration in the border region.”

M.Pino

Source: spanish.news.cn

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The transition towards the circular economy is one of the objectives of China and the European Union, regions that have decided to reinforce their efforts in this area with a memorandum of understanding.

A joint roadmap will allow China and the EU to delve into the treatment of plastics, “the value chains of batteries and remanufacturing,” according to the Community Executive in a statement.

Likewise, joint action is oriented towards the global challenge represented by the circular economy, with “important changes in all countries of the world”, according to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius.

In his opinion, the roadmap will allow progress towards the creation of new opportunities for “more sustainable production and consumption.”

Both blocks will meet in May to hold a workshop on the circular economy and plastics. And the rest of the year there will be other meetings to address the battery and remanufacturing value chains.

M.Pino

Source: swissinfo

(Reference image source: Unsplash+, in collaboration with Getty Images)

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In a powerful legal action, the New York State Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against soft drink and snack giant PepsiCo, accusing it of polluting the Buffalo River with its disposable plastic packaging. The indictment alleges that these containers pose a threat to public health and that the company has misled the public about its efforts to remove them.

According to the complaint, the vast majority of plastics collected annually on the banks of the Buffalo River, located in the northwest of the state, are bottles, caps and snack wrappers that decompose forming microplastics, with PepsiCo being the most prevalent brand, far surpassing to others.

In an investigation carried out by the authority in 2022 on the types of plastic found in 13 points of the Buffalo River and its slope, more than 2,600 objects with recognizable marks were identified, 73% being plastic. Of the total, 17% were PepsiCo products (328), compared to 5.7% for McDonald’s (109) and 4.2% for Hershey (80).

The Prosecutor’s Office argues that the company is responsible for a “public harm” against the residents of Buffalo and its surroundings, given that microplastics have been detected both in the town’s drinking water supply from Lake Erie, near the mouth , as in the fish of both waters.

Accusation of increase in the use of plastics against PepsiCo

In addition to pollution, the Prosecutor’s Office accuses PepsiCo of appearing to make progress in reducing the use of non-recycled or virgin plastics in its packaging, when in reality it has increased its use in the last four years, experiencing an increase of 11% in 2022 alone. , according to the authority, attributing the figure directly to the company.

In response, the Prosecutor’s Office seeks compensation for damages, urges the company to stop and remedy the pollution, and demands measures to reduce the amount of plastic packaging in the Buffalo River, as well as the inclusion of “appropriate” notices on the packaging.

“All New Yorkers have a basic right to clean water, but PepsiCo’s irresponsible packaging and marketing endangers Buffalo’s water supply, environment and public health,” U.S. Attorney Letitia James said in the statement.

K. Tovar

Source: Bancaynegocios

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The findings, published in Environmental Science & Technology, indicate that current efforts to preserve and restore the health of the great reef off Australia’s east coast may require a new perspective.

Dr Douglas Tait of Southern Cross University, who is leading the study, said in a statement: “Submarine groundwater discharge exceeds inputs from rivers as a source of nutrients for the Great Barrier Reef.”

Submarine groundwater discharge is any water released into the ocean below the waterline from various sources, including underground aquifers and the seabed.

The research team collected data from marine transects, rivers and coastal boreholes in an area from south of Rockhampton to north of Cairns. Using radio isotopes allowed scientists to track how many nutrients are transported from soil and shelf sediments through invisible flows of groundwater.

Southern Cross professor Damien Maher said the team’s work showed groundwater discharge was 10 to 15 times greater than river inputs, something that had previously gone unaccounted for.

“Groundwater discharge accounted for approximately one-third of the new nitrogen and two-thirds of the phosphorus inputs, indicating that almost twice as much nitrogen enters the reef from groundwater compared to river waters,” said the Professor Maher.

Until now, most efforts to mitigate the impact of nutrients on the reef have focused on the outflow of river systems.

Lead author Dr Douglas Tait said: “Nutrients are essential for supporting the incredible biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef. However, too many nutrients can lead to harmful problems such as harmful algal blooms and marine diseases fish”, which have been increasing on the reef over the last few decades.

“Our study highlights the need for a strategic shift in management approaches aimed at safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef from the effects of excess nutrients.”

Dr Tait said that, unlike river flow, nutrients in groundwater could be stored for decades underground before being released into coastal waters, meaning research and strategies to protect the reef needed to be long-term.

Source: dpa

(Referential image source: Luka Peternel, Europa Press / dpa)

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To provide selfless support in service actions for the benefit of Venezuelan society, some of which have a worldwide effect, Bancamiga has a team of volunteers made up of 85 collaborators from different units of the organization.

The President of the Board of Directors of Bancamiga Banco Universal, Carmelo De Grazia, stated that these are people who take a break from their work day or commit hours of their weekend to support community or environmental activities that are promoted by his spirit of service.

A statement from the financial institution reports that, last Saturday, August 12, about twenty volunteers participated in the reforestation day of Parque del Este in the city of Caracas, an initiative that seeks to enhance the majesty of this space, through the restoration of some areas of this important place.

That day, the volunteers joined bank employees and staff from the Ministry of People’s Power for Ecosocialism (Minec) and the National Institute of Parks (Inparques) to promote a project that contemplates replacing, in the area of ​​Gran 8 and its adjacencies, a total of 135 native trees such as chaguaramos, date palms, fan palms, samanes, araguaneyes, linnets, apamates, among other varieties, in keeping with the original design of the Brazilian architect Roberto Burle Marx.

De Grazia hopes that this spirit of solidarity will continue to grow and that more and more employees will join the Bancamiga Corporate Volunteer Service

“The effort of both the volunteers and the collaborators who decided to support the planting of trees showed Bancamiga’s spirit of cooperation and leadership, and strengthened teamwork skills. Everyone’s participation guaranteed the success of the day”, said De Grazia.

Based on their interests and preferences and the needs of the bank, the volunteers have been organized to offer their efforts in the lines of action that Bancamiga advances in terms of social responsibility: environment, education, sports, recreation and culture.

On that same day of reforestation in the Parque del Este, the volunteers wore their corporate chemise.

With information from Bancamiga

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A strategic alliance between Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Portugal, with the Association of Independent Energy Marketers (ACIE), from Spain, aims to “promote actions aimed at promoting commercialization in the region.”

Among the main objectives of this agreement is to achieve a solid balance in the region between public policies and the interests of end users, “in the context of the energy transition.”

The consumer and his interests are the main focus of all the principles enunciated in the document of this agreement. “The fulfillment of the objectives of the energy policy must be in favor of the interests of the final consumers. We support with the same force the actions in favor of the mitigation of climate change and access to competitive prices and conditions”, the document indicates.

The organizations Acie, Abraceel (Brazil), ACE (Mexico), Acce (Colombia), Acen (Chile) and Acemel (Portugal), together with ACIE (Spain), participate in this alliance. All have declared their commitment to “promote effective competition in the energy markets, in order to enable the delivery of flexible services according to the needs of each end user.”

Access to competitive prices by consumers will be achieved through the implementation of a common energy market in the physical coupling areas, with the participation of the different market agents.

M.Pino

Source: elperiodicodelaenergia

(Reference image source: Matthew Henry, Unsplash)

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Lenovo has reached a milestone in its effort to advance the circular economy and move toward its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

From January 2019 to December 2021 Lenovo used more than 18,750 tons of recycled plastic in the manufacture of its ThinkVision monitors, which has led it to exceed the figure of 61.5 million monitors with recycled materials offered for sale in everyone.

At the beginning of 2023 it was the first manufacturer of PCs and smartphones, as well as one of the first 139 companies in the world, with a goal of net-zero emissions validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and continues to work towards that in its new product lines, such as the ThinkCentre neo family of monitors, have the lowest possible carbon footprint.

“As a global technology leader, Lenovo has been committed to reducing its emissions for more than a decade,” said Yuanqing Yang, Lenovo’s president, who pledged to continue advancing in this regard. To achieve this, Lenovo focuses on making the entire life cycle of its devices more sustainable, from manufacturing or packaging to distribution and recycling.

Along this path, it also has partners such as Microsoft, which has announced significant improvements at the sustainability level in Windows 11 Pro, with tools that help move towards new hybrid work models, reducing the impact on the carbon footprint. Hardware and software go hand in hand to make meetings more efficient, with tools such as Microsoft Teams, or carrying out changes in the default power settings for sleep mode and screen off, among other new features.

Lenovo’s most efficient monitors

The new line of monitors is an example of Lenovo’s efforts in this regard. A total of 21 of the company’s monitors have the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient certification, which highlights those products that represent the best innovations of the year in terms of energy savings and environmental protection.

These devices have, among other technologies, an integrated intelligent engine that dynamically detects the power consumption of compatible USB devices and intuitively allocates power between the different connections of the monitor based on the use made of them, achieving savings of up to 7 % energy thanks to this process.

They also incorporate two types of sensors: one for ambient light, which reduces the brightness of the screen depending on the light in the environment, and another for motion detection, which allows the screen to be turned on or off automatically depending on whether the user is present or not, achieving between them a saving of 64 % of energy consumption.

Microsoft has also made progress in its efforts to achieve more efficient PC performance. In this sense, when the devices are plugged in, turned on, connected to the Internet and regional carbon intensity data is available, Windows Update schedules installations at specific times of the day, moving excess energy consumption to the moment in which energy production proceeds from a higher proportion of renewable sources.

Less volatile organic compounds in the paint

Another aspect that Lenovo pays attention to is painting. The company’s efforts to use less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ThinkVision monitors have saved 600 million cubic meters of clean air per year and reduced 120 kilograms of VOCs/year.

The paint can be harmful and polluting due to these gases, which contain chemical substances. A 27-inch monitor contains about 64 mg of VOCs if it is made of paint. Therefore, most ThinkVision monitors are now manufactured without added paint, effectively reducing the emission of these gases into the atmosphere.

“Sustainability is not necessarily a finish line, but rather a continuous process of improvement. Therefore, the company seeks to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and logistics through continuous optimization of design, choice of materials, processing and the life cycle,” they explain from the company. The design of removable and flexible packaging, for example, makes transport more efficient: “Less weight means less CO2 emissions in the transport process.”

Like Lenovo, Microsoft has taken this effort to save energy to all its products and services, incorporating other tools, such as the ‘Sustainability Calculator’, which allows its customers to know carbon emissions with complete transparency resulting from the storage and management of data in the cloud.

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Lenovo, Europa Press / dpa)

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A class of plastics used in the aerospace and electronics industries can be chemically broken down into their most basic elements and reformed into the same material countless times.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder, who publish the advance in the journal Nature Chemistry, highlight that this is an important step in the development of fully recyclable and repairable network polymers, a material that is especially difficult to recycle, since it is designed to maintain its shape and integrity in extreme heat and other adverse conditions. The study documents how this type of plastic can be broken down and remade in perpetuity, without sacrificing its desired physical properties.

“We are thinking about different ways to break chemical bonds,” said Wei Zhang, lead author of the study and director of the department of chemistry. “Our chemical methods can help create new technologies and new materials, as well as be used to help solve the current crisis of plastic materials”.

Their results also suggest that reviewing the chemical structures of other plastic materials could lead to similar discoveries about how to completely break and rebuild their chemical bonds, enabling the circular production of more plastic materials in our everyday lives.

Conventional recycling methods mechanically break down polymer powders, burn them, or use bacterial enzymes to dissolve them. The goal is to end up with smaller pieces that can be used for something else, like shoes made from recycled tires or clothes made from recycled plastic water bottles. It is no longer the same material, but it does not end up in a landfill or in the ocean.

What Zhang and his colleagues have achieved is to reverse a chemical approach and discover that they can both break and form new chemical bonds in a polymer of special performance.

This breakthrough in closed-loop plastics recycling draws inspiration from the natural world, as plants, animals and humans are now part of a global circular recycling system, he adds.

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Source: dpa

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