What about China?

QU: What are the environmental impacts of the many BBQ’s held throughout the summer? 

Summer? What summer? Thank goodness that autumn has arrived and we no longer have to live with the disappointment of grey and drizzling days. Roll on frosty mornings and ripening orchards… Sorry, I digress, despite the highest rainfall since records began this summer many people still stoically pulled their trusty bbqs from the back of the garage to enjoy their traditional if slightly soggy, carbonized sausages. 

During the summer at the slightest hint of a dry evening people all over the country flocked to the shops to buy the necessary bbq paraphernalia; meat, salads, charcoal, fire lighters, dousing liquids, throw-away one-time-use barbeques and more. And why not – it’s a chance to invite the neighbours over to admire your garden while you fumigate theirs. As we race to sear the salmonella from the chicken before the last rays of sunshine fade the environmental impact rarely crosses our minds. Perhaps it should; when you add up all the BBQ’s taking place across the globe the effect is greater than you might think. 

Let’s start with the actual cooking device; throwaway bbqs are a total waste of material and an extra burden on already overtaxed rubbish disposal systems – you wouldn’t buy throwaway saucepans would you? 

But permanent bbqs are expensive I hear you cry. Indeed they are – or can be. Cheap bbqs made in Asia are increasingly popular but the air freight makes them an environmental no-no. Have you ever tried to buy a bbq made in the UK? I have and it’s a bit of a challenge, the closest manufacturer I could find was in Germany, which is better than China in terms of “bbq miles” but not ideal. The best thing is to make your own. 

Take the grill out of our oven and place it over a base built of bricks. The base can stay till the next use and the grill returns to it’s rightful place at the end of the feast. You can even take your grill camping with you and build an impromptu BBQ on the beach with the help of a few large stones. 

Now that’s sorted let’s consider your fuel. To get that smoky bbq taste most people opt for charcoal – this might be good for flavour but not it’s not so good for forests: 97 percent of the grilling charcoal consumed in Britain comes from non-sustainable forests. 

On top of that, briquettes, which are the most popular form of grilling charcoal, are often doused in petroleum solvents. 

“Charcoal grills and lighter fluid contribute to ground-level ozone, which is produced when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic chemicals [VOCs] combine in hot weather conditions.” says Ana Gomez, of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. (source) Not only is it bad for our respiratory system, it also irritates the eyes is generally unpleasant for anyone in the area. 

You can buy British charcoal that’s made from properly managed native woodland, it’s more expensive but well worth it. Eco-charcoal is available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, B&Q and some Co-Op stores (source) . Or give give the forests a break and use natural gas instead, though as natural gas is tricky to extract it is more expensive to buy. 

You could avoid emissions altogether by using a solar stove, though you’d have to be really lucky with the weather! It cooks slower but as it’s flameless it also eliminates the carcinogens formed when meats are grilled or broiled at extremely high temperatures or when fat from meat, fish, or poultry drips onto hot coals and deposits back onto the food via smoke. 

Which brings me nicely onto the subject of what’s cooking on your grill. A report by Friends of the Earth highlights the deforestation of the rainforests for intensive production of palm oil and soy, which is used in the chicken, beef burgers, and veggie burgers.

So, in short, build your own bbq, choose your fuel wisely, keep processed meats off the menu and, weather permitting, you can still enjoy your annual bbq. 

Bethan

Qu: Would it be possible to put waste, i.e. bio-degradable rubbish and sewage into an air-tight container, let it produce methane gas, siphon it off to cook with and power gas-fired central heating, filter off the water, and be left with compost to put on gardens?

Yes – very possible, in fact it’s already being done. It’s called Anaerobic Digestion and the process is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and organic wastes. Anaerobic digestion can reduce the emission of harmful landfill gases into the atmosphere and is a renewable energy source because the process produces a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas suitable for energy production. Also, as the question suggests, the nutrient-rich solids left after digestion can be used as fertiliser.

So why isn’t this process used everywhere? Anaerobic digesters require a high level of technical expertise to maintain as careful control of the digestion temperature, pH, quality of input and loading rates is crucial. Because of these complexities, despite being recognised by United Nations Development Programme as one of the most useful decentralised sources of energy supply and being less expensive to run than large powerplants, anaerobic digesters are not widely used in industry. (source)

Anaerobic Bioreactors, a type of landfill, can also transform decomposing material into an energy source. By removing oxygen and pumping lechtate (water which has collected waste products from the decomposing matter) and other liquids around the bioreactor the waste produces methane, which can be collected and used instead of fossil fuels. (source)

Perhaps the most exciting and accessible use of the anaerobic production of methane from plant waste is the ‘pyrolysis unit’ – invented for domestic use in India by Ravi Kumar. A family collects waste plants, dries then and puts them into the unit’s circular casing. This casing is sealed to stop oxygen combining with CO2. A small fire is started in the central void; this heats up the plants and causes them to emit gases through small holes in the casing. The gases ignite and burn for long enough to cook dinner (about an hour). Then, brilliantly, the remaining charcoal can be raked out and used as fertiliser – what’s more the soil’s subsequent ability to lock in carbon dioxide also increases. (James Bruges – What About China?- p19)

Hope that helps, 

Bethan

Qu: What’s your stance on energy saving light bulbs? I’ve heard several reports that they contain mercury and can be dangerous.

The media had a field day at the end of last year with some serious scaremongering regarding the dangers of energy-saving bulbs (CFL’s).

It all began when The Daily Mail picked up on a report by the Environment agency calling for a public awareness campaign to explain that the packaging of energy-efficient lighting contains small amounts of potentially toxic mercury and should therefore be disposed of with care.

The Mail ran a typically hysterical piece headlined “An energy saving bulb has gone – evacuate the room now!”

The general thrust of the article being, ‘energy-saving light bulbs are so dangerous that everyone must leave the room for at least 15 minutes if one falls to the floor and breaks.’

This is, of course, an exaggeration of the facts. Toxicologist Dr. David Ray, from the University of Nottingham, told the BBC that 6-8mg of mercury is present in a typical low-energy bulb. A pretty small amount considering thermometers, which we happily stick in our mouths, contain about 3 grams of the stuff.

Dr. Ray concludes that a smashed bulb causes little danger – but warns that this increases proportionately to consistent exposure and greater numbers of smashed bulbs. DEFRA also played down the threat to health, saying; ‘No amount of mercury is good for you, but the very small amount contained in a single modern CFL is unlikely to cause any harm, even if the lamp should be broken,’

(It’s also worth noting that strip lighting has always contained mercury – yet no-one seems to be complaining about that!)

The Mail went on to finger energy-saving bulbs as a potential source of cancer following a report by British Association of Dermatologists (BAD).

In this next distortion of the facts they claim that the ‘new’ lights (they’ve actually been around for over 30 years) “can trigger migraines, as well as dizziness, loss of focus and discomfort.” However the article goes on to say that these symptoms would only affect people already suffering from certain conditions (like epilepsy and photosensitivity). Dr Colin Holden from B.A.D. explains that people suffering from photosensitive skin conditions should be allowed to continue to use daylight (tungsten) bulbs to prevent “photosensitive eruptions ranging from disabling eczema-like reactions, to light sensitivities that can lead to skin cancer.”

Fine, those with a medical condition would obviously be prescribed the old bulbs, but that shouldn’t stop everyone else switching to CFL’s.

The real concern, the one that started this debate in the first place, is the environmental impact of disposing of the energy-saving bulbs. The Environment Agency’s call for a public information campaign acknowledges a need for greater awareness before tungsten bulbs are completely phased out. Careful disposal of the energy-saving bulbs will prevent the mercury content being released into the atmosphere. Thankfully more and more places now provide the facilities for you to drop off your used bulbs to be disposed of safely, including council refuse tips and some bulb retailers (Ikea, DIY stores etc.) and this service will become more widespread as CLF bulbs become more popular.

Besides, it’s reported that, even if everyone just threw their CFL light bulbs into the main rubbish to go to landfill, the amount of mercury entering the environment would still be less than that which currently enters the environment as a result of the production of the electricity needed to power all the traditional lightbulbs. Besides, CFL bulbs last far longer than traditional ones so there will be far less of them to throw away (source). So, no excuses, off you pop to the shops to buy your new bulbs…

Bethan

One of the key issues at the recent G8 summit was the global increase in the cost of food. As discussed previously, the rising price of staple foods has been linked to the increased cost of oil, which has caused land previously used for food crops to be turned over to crops for bio-fuels.

At the summit in Japan, the World Bank President Robert Zoellick highlighted the growing food shortage and urged the US and ‘rich countries’ in the EU to reform their bio-fuels policies and concentrate on food production. All well and good but it’s hard to believe all this talk is going do much to curb the rate at which your weekly shopping bill is creeping up, especially considering the frequency of missed G8 targets.

But we’re not as helpless as we imagine, the average consumer might not be able to dictate how farmers use their land but we can make sensible choices when it comes to dinner time. You’d think, with the increased prices, that people would be making an effort to make each meal count, but a recent survey estimates the average UK household throws away £8 of leftovers a week and each year in the UK as a whole wastes 4 million tonnes of food. People are spending about 9% of their income on food, with poorer households forking out up to 15% of theirs on staple foods such as milk, eggs and bread – foods that have been hit hardest by price increases in recent months.

This week Gordon Brown urged Britons to stop wasting food and to avoid making unnecessary purchases. But it’s not just the consumers who need to change their habits, the government might be more successful in reducing waste if they tackled supermarkets directly. The Liberal Democrats environment spokesman Steve Webb, blamed the governments “cosy” relationship with supermarkets for their failure to change policies which make it harder for householders to avoid food waste: “They refuse to stock small portions, which are essential for the growing number of one-person households, and offer too many buy-one-get-one-free deals on perishable goods.” Supermarkets also account for a large percentage of waste and throw away large quantities of edible food through poor stock management.

So, what can you do? Try planning your evening meals for the week and using up tins you’ve shoved to the back of the cupboard. Making extra in the evening means you take care of lunch the next day too – and this saves on energy, as you won’t be turning the cooker on again. Cooking for more people always works out more economically so offer to cook for your flatmates or friends and get them to return the favour another night. You can also try avoiding supermarkets; they might seem cheaper at first but in the long term it means smaller shops can’t survive or have to put their prices up further. If you do have to go to the supermarket write a list and stick to it – don’t be tempted by offers which will leave you with a fridge full of out of date food.

Bethan

Q: “Does leaving electric switches on with nothing plugged in waste any electricity?”

Another question about energy use in the home… The short answer is no; no electricity is being used because there is nothing completing the circuit in an empty socket – just as a lamp plugged in and switched off uses no energy.

It’s a different matter when switch is left on and there is an appliance on standby plugged into it. Research from the Energy Saving Trust found that 75% of people in the UK waste energy on a daily basis by leaving appliances on permanent standby and leaving chargeable appliances plugged in. Even leaving your phone charger plugged in, or any plug with an LED indicator, uses energy.

The same research tells us that one in seven people believe that turning appliances off uses more energy than leaving them on standby – wrong! If you’re one of them start turning things off – it’s always the best option.

As always I’d love to hear your comments, questions or alternative answers…

Bethan

We’ve all been there haven’t we… one minute you think the fuel crisis is set to be solved by the use of bio-fuels and the next someone’s telling you that using land to grow them is leading to a global food shortage.

Or, thinking it’s still okay to take that mini-break so long as you offset the C02 from your flight until a well-meaning soul tells you it’s all a load of ‘green wash’ intended to make you feel better while lightening your wallet. Who do you believe?

If you feel confused you are not alone; it’s becoming harder and harder to get a clear picture of the situation. The problem is that so much time and money is being invested in researching climate change and developing new ‘green’ technologies that there seems to be a new theory everyday. More and more it’s big businesses, with dubious motives, who fund the research so it’s easy to be cynical about the statistics they provide. The media doesn’t help either; end-of the-world sells, and news channels seem set on terrifying us with predictions of impending doom on Earth.

None of this very empowering, in fact it’s tempting to stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening. Unfortunately it is happening and it really is up to us as individuals to take responsibility for our actions. If we wait around for the government to take action we could be here for some time – their priority is keeping the economy growing in the short term not investing in long-term climate change solutions. Unless individuals make their voices heard politicians will continue to make policies informed by corporate lobbyists. Rather than being a horrible chore it should have you leaping for joy – the future is in your hands! You have the power to make a difference.

Bethan

Ask a climate change question…

Welcome to the all about what about china Blog…

What about China? is the latest in Alastair Sawday’s Fragile Earth series, it answers all those awkward questions about climate change that you’re afraid to ask and lays to rest the speculations and misconceptions that are bandied around amongst even the most well meaning individuals.

The book is laid out in a series of questions with jargon-free answers provided by a panel of experts from The Soil Association, WasteWatch, Ecover, The Centre for Alternative Technology, James Bruges (author of the Little and Big Earth Book) and Alastair Sawdays.

Topics covered include climate, recycling, energy, travel and food and this blog is your chance to ask even more questions, discuss any issues raised in the book, keep abreast of relevant current related news articles and lots more…

I’m looking forward to hearing your questions and finding out the answers…

Bethan
  
Ask a climate change question…