- The EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy
Tjisse Stelpstra, minister of the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands, member of the EU's Environment, Climate Change and Energy Commission, is preparing the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions on the EU's circular economy action plan, published by the European Commission in March this year. This plan will be adopted during the plenary session on October 12-14 this year. The circular economy is of great importance in the fight against global warming. It is also the main pillar of the European Green Deal, the EU's growth strategy that aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. - Evening primrose - a plant with valuable pro-health and healing properties
In the soil and climatic conditions of Poland, two species of evening primrose are the most important - Oenothera paradoxa Hudziok and Oenothera biennis L., which occur naturally or are grown on special purpose plantations. Their chemical composition of seeds is similar, they are particularly rich in valuable ingredients with pro-health properties, such as oil containing unsaturated fatty acids - linolenic (LA) and unique β-linolenic (GLA), tocopherols, polyphenols and tannins. GLA and LA acids are important in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, such as cardiovascular, neurological, skin, and diabetes. Their protective effect in the course of bacterial and viral infections and their consequences is also important. Due to its properties, evening primrose should permanently appear in our daily diet, especially nowadays in people who are ill or struggled with COVID-19. - Trees and investments
The article deals with the problem of collisions between trees and investments. The most important legal articles on this subject are cited. Methods of securing trees during the investment were presented. In a situation where it is not possible to preserve the trees, the landowner is obliged to make replacement plantings, which are controlled after three years. It was also noted that the application is not always fully prepared. - The problem of removing hazardous materials from the Baltic Sea in the light of game theory
The audit of the Supreme Audit Office in 2016-2019 regarding the prevention of threats resulting from the deposition of hazardous materials on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, i.e. poisonous warfare agents, products of their decay, fuels and petroleum products from shipwrecks, showed insufficient and ineffective actions of the administrators - maritime administration (Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation and directors of maritime offices) and environmental protection administration (Minister of the Environment and Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection). These authorities indicated that it was impossible to take action due to the lack of powers, resources or knowledge, and shifted mutual responsibility for the implementation of tasks in this area. NIK decided that the explanations were unacceptable and assessed the ministers negatively. In the light of game theory, these omissions appear to be specific non-cooperation strategies chosen by "players", but they turn out to be wrong, as only cooperation, not free riding, gives the right solution. The article presents the author's private view based on the results of the Supreme Audit Office's audit and game theory. - Subsidizing "electricians"
Electric cars are widely considered an ecological solution. This belief is based on the lack of an exhaust pipe from which pollutants would be emitted. However, the actual impact of "electricians" on the environment depends on the origin of the electricity used to charge them. It also depends on what kind of transport work the electric car replaces. Since it contributes to the increase in transport performance, its positive impact on the environment is doubtful. Nevertheless, "electrics" are readily subsidized, which calls into question the rationality of the policy that sanctions it. - Judgment of the Court of 2 July 2020 on the protection of the habitats of the European hamster in Vienna, C– 477/19
Operative part of Article 12 (1) 1 lit. d) Council Directive 92/43 / EEC of 21 May 1992 on the protection of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora must be interpreted as meaning that the concept of "resting areas" referred to in that provision also includes resting areas which are no longer occupied by one of the protected species of animals referred to in point (a). (a) of Annex IV to that directive, such as Cricetus cricetus (European hamster), provided that there is a sufficiently high probability that the species will return to those sites, which should be checked by the referring court. Facts The construction developer has started works related to the construction of a building in the area where the European hamster had its habitat. The owner of the land, who was aware of the situation, informed the developer about it, who had commissioned an environmental expert prior to the commencement of works. - Solar heating installations
In the next article on heating water with solar energy in a solar installation, I will present some technical solutions of these installations. In the following sections, I will discuss some other types of solar installations and the devices that they install. - Summer with the scent of the American tulip tree, a pioneer in the dendroflora of Europe
The American tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera L. comes from the eastern parts of North America. It is one of the first species of North American trees brought to Europe, as it reached our continent as early as 1663. It was brought by John Tradescant, court gardener of King Charles I of England. Historical sources mention several specimens of this species, growing in 1688 in London gardens Fulham Palace. Tulip tree belongs to the magnolia family and is a component of the oak-tulip forests growing in the Atlantic part of North America. This species occurs in nature in river valleys, on wet mountain slopes, it is mainly an admixture in the stands of deciduous and mixed forests, although sometimes it also forms pure stands. - Pill…
Mrs. Zuzanna reaches sixty. She is the caretaker. Sometimes, in the elevator, he likes to talk to people. Also about your health. Incredibly, the only pills she took in the last dozen or so years were forced by the flu. Home remedies and vitamin C were helpful. She says that a long walk was good for the headache, and she chased away the creeps in the cross with tapping carpets. He knows well that these are archaic recipes, but they can be effective. Most people, however, prefer more "civilized" ways. So he loves to use various types of preparations, including those from TV commercials. Pharmacies attract with an increasing offer of various medical products - paralets, dietary supplements, micronutrients and vitamins. - The charming beauty of the microworld in the "Żabnik Valley" nature reserve
On the border of the Śląskie and Małopolskie provinces, on the Jaworznickie Hills, in the eastern part of Jaworzno, in the Ciężkowice district, there is a nature reserve whose name "Żabnik Valley" comes from the natural depression of the river that flows through it. The river meandering has built a bed and the floodplain is now naturally lowered. The Żabnik stream belongs to the 1st class in terms of purity in the Silesian Voivodeship (a phenomenon on the scale of the voivodeship), and slowly flowing through the narrow valley creates charming meanders and backwaters. - Stopping deforestation is not enough, we need reforestation
Ending deforestation and reforestation offer great opportunities to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it. These actions should become a priority. However, only mature forests can effectively fulfill this role. Naturally forested land stores 40 times more carbon than plantations and six times more than agroforestry. We have little time to implement the plan for reforestation of the planet, as the potential for afforestation is rapidly shrinking as global warming progresses. - Calmanic grasslands
Question: On what legal basis can a permit be obtained for the removal of several hundred trees in a forest owned by the commune, covered by a simplified forest management plan, in order to implement a project of active protection of calendic grasslands? Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia in Katowice Answer: According to the information presented to me, calamine grasslands occurring in post-industrial areas, characterized by a high content of heavy metals, are a valuable natural creation deserving active protection. The realization of this idea requires the removal of several hundred trees to reveal the sun. In accordance with the assumption adopted when preparing the columns for the "Paragraph and the Environment", I do not deal with the substantive assessment of the questions addressed to me, because I am not competent to do so. I only deal with legal issues, assuming that the natural arguments have been presented fairly. - Technological curiosities from the world
Orange Peels Make Batteries Scientists at the Singapore University of Technology have developed a novel method of recovering valuable metals from used lotion batteries. All using fruit peels. Orange peel was used to demonstrate the possibility of the solution, the effectiveness of which was the highest. At the same time, little waste is left after the recovery of valuable metals. Scientists say this conversion of waste into resources will reduce both organic and electronic waste, allowing existing resources to be used in the long term. With around 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste and 50 million tonnes of electronic waste produced each year, this is a highly anticipated solution. Typically, to melt metals, spent batteries are heated to more than 500oC, releasing toxic gases.
AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list