May ES Newsletter

Hello everyone, and welcome to the May edition of Easysustainability's newsletter, a monthly recap of the most influential news and information in the sustainability world.

For those who don't know yet, Easysustainability is a project that aims to promote sustainability and related topics in every area of our society. We believe that climate change news should be more direct, accessible, and easily understandable; we have decided to do this in various ways, like the publication of a sustainability bible for youth and students, which will be available soon, webinars, and this newsletter. In this second edition of the newsletter, we will cover what impressed us the most during the last month regarding sustainability news.

Thank you for choosing EasySustainability, and enjoy your reading!

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1)???Unveiling Europe's Water Crisis: Navigating Droughts, Floods, and the Urgent Need for Local Solutions

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In Europe, climate change is manifesting itself as a water crisis. For example, Spain is experiencing catastrophic droughts and heat waves, while other countries are encountering more floods and storms.

Recently, the Spanish government held a meeting about the disastrous impact of the drought devastating the country. In the past few years, Spain has experienced a severe water shortage for longer than other European counties. However, Europe will go through a more ominous and warmer summer drought than that of 2022, already its worst in the last 70 years.

At this moment, the current drought is not an isolated problem anymore and our governments should realize that droughts affect a growing number of European countries Nevertheless, the main problem is not water scarcity but rather the impossibility of accessing clean water. For example, in Spain, many private wells are being drilled and exploited to maintain lifestyle choices. However, to challenge and change the current water system, it is essential for our leaders not to tackle the problem at a general level. Governments need to keep in mind the differences in each country, what water resources are available, and how they can be managed, cleaned, and accessed locally.?

One thing is inevitable: while leaders work on local solutions to prevent water droughts, individuals will have to accept that they will partly lose the free, cheap access to water they currently enjoy in our societies.

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-????????“If We Want to Solve It, Europe’s Water Crisis Should Be Treated at the Local Level.” Euronews, May 15, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/2023/05/15/if-we-want-to-solve-it-europes-water-crisis-should-be-treated-at-the-local-level.

-???????United Nations. “Water – at the Center of the Climate Crisis | United Nations,” n.d. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/water.

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2)???Eurovision Takes the Lead: Sustainable Innovations and Environmental Responsibility in the Spotlight

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The Eurovision Song Contest, often referred to as Eurovision or by its initials “ESC”, is an international song competition organized yearly by the European Broadcasting Union. The contest, which took place in the Liverpool Arena on the 13th of May, introduced a novelty this year: single-use plastic has been banned in the Eurovision fan zone. Vendors and sellers at the Eurovision Village, which hosted around 15,000 people, decided not to use single-use plastic and only employed recyclable materials. However, it does not end here: water stations were placed everywhere so spectators could use their refillable bottles instead of buying new plastic bottles; all waste was recycled off-site daily; bars handed out containers obtained from plant-based polymer.

The decisions made at Eurovision Village are part of a larger sustainability project. The city of Liverpool, which hosted the contest on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, has devised an ambitious plan to tackle climate change, which led to cleaner air and more trees. This year, sustainable alternatives are part of this strategy and the city of Liverpool is the first European municipality to monitor the sustainability of the event.

Liverpool’s example should inspire other cities to incorporate or adopt sustainable behaviours in events enjoyed by the public. These innovations can lead to a better understanding of environmental issues in the long run, and will hopefully bolster the fight against climate change.

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-???????Council, Liverpool City. “Action on Climate Change.” Liverpool City Council, n.d. https://liverpool.gov.uk/communities-and-safety/action-on-climate-change/#:~:text=Progress%20so%20far&text=It%20is%20estimated%20Liverpool%20has,help%20700%20households%20across%20Liverpool.

-???????BBC News. “Eurovision 2023: Single-Use Plastic Banned in Liverpool Fan Zone.” BBC News, May 10, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jpdlzzeqwo.

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3)???Facing the Heat: Tackling the Double Impact of Climate Change on Cities

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As climate change keeps getting worse, one of the most alarming issues is the gradual temperature increase. However, cities are especially vulnerable to the dangers of global warming. Big cities can be subject to twice as much temperature increase compared to other areas, slowly becoming ovens and pressure cookers. The United Nations has stated that more than half of the world's population lives in big cities; the increasing heat will impact city dwellers the most, particularly elderly, children and people living in poverty. Cities present multiple "danger factors," such as the number of cars releasing Co2 or little to no access to nature, which accumulate and create an ideal environment for rising temperatures.

However, at this point, we could ask ourselves what people and governments could do to tackle cities' incremental increase in temperatures. Harriet Bulkeley, a professor at Durhan University and the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University, presents a few options. For example, she suggests painting cities' asphalt and roofs white as a way to lower heat absorption. In another instance, she proposes to add more "ponds of nature" within cities and to reduce the number of cars. Professor Bulkeley is only one of the many professionals who recognized the need to tackle climate change and make cities more livable, despite the continuous temperature growth, without leaving behind the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

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-??????Euronews. “Climate Change: Cities Can Be Subjected to Twice as Much Temperature Increase so What Can Be Done?” Euronews, May 4, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/05/04/climate-change-cities-can-be-subjected-to-twice-as-much-temperature-increase-so-what-can-b.

-??????“Medewerkers - Universiteit Utrecht,” n.d. https://www.uu.nl/staff/HABulkeley.

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4)????Addressing the Looming Threat: 3D-Printed Fish to Combat the Risk of Empty Oceans

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One of the many consequences of climate change relates to the continued decline in biodiversity and marine life in the oceans. Overfishing, water pollution, and human intervention are exhausting species diversity, running the risk that our oceans will be empty and aquatic life will be destroyed in future. Nonetheless, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), people worldwide are consuming fish and seafood more than ever, guaranteeing that the world’s oceans will be virtually empty by 2048, as a study undertaken by Dalhousie University anticipates.

However, Stakeholder Foods, an Israel-based biotech company, and a Singaporean cellular agriculture start-up, Umami Meats are getting close to finding a solution. The two companies are developing the first lab-grown fish fillet using 3D printing techniques. Endangered species cells, such as those of grouper and eel, are currently being utilized in the cultivation of muscle and fat. The grown tissues are then integrate into a specialized "bio-ink," allowing the printing of substantial, finger-length fillets with a white appearance. The final product resembles the taste of traditional fish, especially when cooked.

Although lab-grown fish fillets could be an promising tool make up for dwindling fish populations, it is an extremely expensive process and not much research has been completed thus far. Nonetheless, lab-grown fish products could be a great alternative to regular fish products, helping to tackle climate change and biodiversity deterioration.

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-???????Min, Roselyne. “Our Oceans Could Be Empty by 2048. This Start-up Is 3D Printing Fish to Meet Growing Seafood Demand.” Euronews, May 8, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/08/our-oceans-could-be-empty-by-2048-this-start-up-is-3d-printing-fish-to-meet-growing-seafoo.

-???????news24. “WATCH | This Start-up Is 3D Printing Fish to Meet Growing Seafood Demand.” News24, May 10, 2023. https://www.news24.com/news24/tech-and-trends/watch-this-start-up-is-3d-printing-fish-to-meet-growing-seafood-demand-20230510#:~:text=Steakholder%20Foods%2C%20an%20Israel-based,fillet%20using%203D%20printing%20techniques.&text=%22We%27ve%20started%20to%203D,that%20is%20unique%20for%20fish.

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5) Microplastic pollution keeps getting worse. Filtration could be a fix

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In our modern societies, most people and governments have acknowledged the significant issue of environmental destruction; more specifically, microplastics have become a major problem. The Plastic Soup Foundation has recently found that, since 2005, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of plastic particles in the sea, with 171 trillion microplastic particles discovered in the ocean only in 2019. Interestingly, microfibres from synthetic textiles are considered one of the principal causes of microplastic pollution. Artificial fabrics are usually covered in chemical dyes and finishes, which affect their biodegradability, with more than half a million tonnes of microplastics released into the oceans.

Besides their origin or where they have been found, microplastics are highly dangerous and pervasive in the environment and the human body.

Concerned with the current situation, a group of NGOs and researchers delivered a whitepaper to the European Commission, due to be published on 17 May. The whitepaper advocates for the need for filters in new washing machines as an effective, near-term answer for slowing down the discharge of microplastics in the environment. The document also addresses the need for better clothing materials which won't be shed in the surrounding nature. However, the whitepaper is incredibly meaningful, as it tackles the issues of overproduction and overconsumption and preaches the need for a shift towards a stable circular economy.

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-???????Redaktion. “EU: Washing Machines Filters to Tackle Microplastic,” April 27, 2023. https://www.textiletechnology.net/fibers/trendreports/eu-whitepaper-challenges-commission-to-tackle-microplastic-pollution-33929.

-???????Spek, Harmen. “It Is Estimated That 171 Trillion Microplastic Particles Float in the Ocean.” Plastic Soup Foundation, March 27, 2023. https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2023/03/it-is-estimated-that-171-trillion-microplastic-particles-float-in-the-ocean/.

-???????Euronews. “Microplastic Pollution Keeps Getting Worse. Filtration Could Be a Fix.” Euronews, April 24, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/24/microplastics-pollution-keeps-getting-worse-filtration-could-be-a-fix.

-???????microplasticsolutions.org. “Microplasticsolutions.Org,” n.d. https://www.microplasticsolutions.org/.

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Thank you for reading this far, and we hope you have enjoyed the May edition of Easysustainability's newsletter. If you have any questions or feedback, we would be happy to assist you and hear your opinion!

For now, that is all; see you next month!

The Easysustainibility team.

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Written by Aurora D’Auria