October 28, 2019
The focus needs to be on making the way
The focus needs to be on making the way we live more sustainable by questioning
our overly consumerist lifestyles that are at the root China plastic bottle machine
Manufacturers of major challenges such as climate change, rather than a
narrower focus on sustainable consumer choices, such as buying our takeaway
coffee in a reusable cup. Consumers drive markets and consumer choices will
therefore create change in the industry.
And failure to do so could lead to
massive systemic impacts to the Earth’s capacity to support life – particularly
the human race. Climate change and biodiversity loss are also considered core
planetary boundaries meaning if they are exceeded for a prolonged time, they can
shift the planet into new, less hospitable, stable states. Studies on the
toxicity effects, especially to humans are often overplayed..*The article was
originally published by The Conversation Global Perspectives. This includes
longer-term and more effective solutions to the plastic problem but also
extending to more radical large-scale initiatives to reduce consumption,
decarbonise economies and move beyond materialism as the basis for our
well-being.
Yes, we know plastic can entangle birds, fish and marine mammals,
which can starve after filling their stomachs with plastics and yet there are no
conclusive studies on population level effects of plastic pollution.This is not
to distract from the fact that some significant steps have been taken to help
the planet environmentally by reducing plastic waste.Here's how our obsession
with plastic pollution is distracting our attention from bigger environmental
challenges. But it is important not to forget the need for large-scale systemic
changes needed internationally to tackle all environmental concerns. Research
shows for example, that plastic is not as great a threat to oceans as climate
change or over-fishing.But by making these small changes, plastic still appears
to be an issue we can address. These changes could start to happen within the
current century.Alternative products can often have different but equally severe
environmental problems.
These "clear and present dangers†of climate change and
biodiversity loss could undermine the capacity of our planet to support over
seven billion people, with the loss of homes, food sources and livelihoods. And
the benefits of these small-scale consumer driven changes are often minor. In
2009, the concept of planetary boundaries was introduced by the Stockholm
Resilience Centre, to indicate safe operating limits for the Earth from a number
of environmental threats. It could lead to major disruptions of our ways of
life, by making many areas uninhabitable due increased temperatures and rising
sea levels. But what if all of this just provides a convenient distraction from
some of the more serious environmental issues?
In our new article in the journal
Marine Policy we argue plastic pollution or more accurately the response of
governments and industry to addressing plastic pollution provides a "convenient
truth†that distracts from addressing the real environmental threats such as
climate change.Single use plastics are now high on the agenda, with many people
trying to do their bit to reduce usage. Partly fuelled by the success of the
BBC’s ‘Blue Planet II’ series, people are more aware than ever before about the
dangers to wildlife caused by plastic pollution, as well as the impact it can
have on human health, with industries promising money to tackle the issue.
Much
of the news focused on what individuals could do to reduce their carbon
footprint, although some articles did also indicate the need for collective
action. Take, for example, energy-efficient light bulbs – in practice, using
these has been shown to have very little effect on a person’s overall carbon
footprint. Climate change and biodiversity loss are also considered core
planetary boundaries meaning if they are exceeded for a prolonged time, they can
shift the planet into new, less hospitable, stable states.Three boundaries were
found to have exceeded: biodiversity loss, nitrogen flows and climate change. We
must reform the way we live rather than tweak the choices we make.
Despite many
scientists’ misgivings about the project and its recent failed attempts to
collect plastic the project is still attractive to many as it allows us to
tackle the issue without having to make any major lifestyle changes. Now is not
the time to be distracted by the convenient truth of plastic pollution, as the
relatively minor threats this poses are eclipsed by the global systemic threats
of climate change. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay) UK: By now, most of us have
heard that the use of plastics is a big issue for the environment.
But this is
not the case. The Ocean Cleanup of plastic pollution, which aims to sieve
plastic out of the sea, is a classic example.5ËšC.In October last year the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a report detailing
drastic action needed to limit global warming to 1.There is a narrow window of
opportunity to address the critical challenge of, in particular, climate
change.
That’s not to say plastic pollution isn’t a problem, rather there are
much bigger problems facing the world we live in, specifically climate
change.Despite the importance of this message, environmental news has been
dominated by the issues of plastic pollution. So it’s not surprising that so
many people think ocean plastics are the most serious environmental threat to
the planet.Taking a stand against plastic, by carrying reusable coffee cups, or
eating in restaurant chains where only paper straws are provided, is the classic
neo-liberal response
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October 24, 2019
The consumption of plastics in the state
Though the production of plastics by licensed manufacturers has considerably
gone down, he says, banned plastic is still being produced extensively by
unwarranted manufactures.Writer-activist Nityanand Jayaram also believes that
plastic products are back in circulation, courtesy lax implementation and
enforcement of the ban. Notably, when the ban was first introduced, the
government had announced its decision to support women’s co-operatives,
entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups working on plastic
replacements.â€According to the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Second Amendment) Act,
2019 penalties for ‘storage, supply, transport, sale and distribution of
use-and-throw plastics’ was fixed at `25,000, 50,000 and 1,00,000 for first,
second and third-time offences respectively.
On being asked about the inflow of
plastic from other states, he says that special squads will be formed to curb
this menace and warns of stringent action against repeat offenders. Ms Deepthi,
a teacher and resident of Mylapore, says that though the public is aware of the
ill-effects of plastic usage, the prices of cloth bags and other substitutes
prompt them to buy plastic, which comes at a relatively lower cost.. He points
out that this is currently not being followed in the state. However, officials
believe that with a nationwide initiative on eliminating plastic, the movement
to ‘curb the deadly menace of plastic pollution’ will now gain momentum."If the
ban had been effective, we should have seen an alternate economy (built on
plastic alternatives) thriving.
Echoing similar sentiments, a senior food safety
official says that more than 50 per cent of restaurants in the city follow the
‘no-plastic’ rule. Nityanand alleges that these plans too have not been pursued.
Prakash, commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, tells us a different story.
He says that while big shops and eatery joints have visibly switched to
bio-plastic, cloth and paper bags authorised by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control
Board (TNPCB), it is the small shops and vendors that are now posing a problem.
"The design of the ban on paper is also far more advanced compared to its
counterparts, nationally and globally,†she says. The Plastic Waste Management
(PWM) Rules 2016 mandates MNCs to collect back the plastic waste being generated
by their brand items, by themselves or assign some party to do so.
And nearly
over eight months since the Tamil Nadu Government announced a blanket ban on
non-biodegradable and single-use plastics (SUP), plastic commodities are slowly
making a comeback in the city — this time, however, sourced from the
neighbouring states and some elusive dealers. There has been no remarkable
change in this number,†he claims. In a laudable move, the government had
released a descriptive list of 12 eco-friendly alternatives to plastic,
including cloth bags, glass containers, paper plates and cups, banana leaves and
areca nut plates at the time of the ban. "Till date, we have seized five and a
half tonnes of plastic from the city restaurants,†he adds."One kilogram of
single-use plastic, which was earlier priced at `100, is now reportedly being
sold at `150 by some. In the far left corner is the takeaway counter and on its
shelves lie a hundred plastic cups and boxes, neatly stacked one on top of
another. A lorry containing five tonnes of banned plastic was also reportedly
seized by the officials a month back.Several MNCs still sell their products
wrapped in SUPs and the government is doing nothing about it. Reportedly, tons
of plastic is transported every day from other states and fake products dubbed
as ’recyclable’ plastic is also in circulation.â€Considering the economic
setbacks of the small–scale traders, we restrain from going steadfast on them,â€
he adds.
The consumption of plastics in the state stood at 10 lakh tonnes per
year earlier.However, G. The government has also not announced plans so far to
create an alternative livelihood for those affected by the ban,†he alleges. Now
tell me, which one will the public purchase?†he asks. Sankaran, president,
Tamil Nadu-Pondicherry Plastics Manufacturers Association. CHENNAI: It’s eight
am on a Tuesday morning and this popular restaurant at Adyar is already abuzz
with activity as a long queue forms for tables wholesale
blow molding machine and waiters run around taking and delivering orders.
The livelihood of thousands of workers and small traders were hit and illegal
dealers are thriving, but the ban forced many upscale shops and eateries to
switched look for other alternatives.†Biodegradable plastics cost `450 per
kilogram whereas the normal plastic costs `100.The present ban has not only
crippled the livelihood of thousands of workers but has also created a thriving
market for numerous illegal dealers, alleges G. Clearly, this is not the
case.Another reason this ban might not have had the desired impact is the high
price of the alternatives.
Mr Satyapura Shekar, director of Urban Governance,
Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, also believes that the Tamil Nadu
government has taken a hardline stand on the issue and points out that unlike
states like Mahara-shtra, which rolled back the ban within a few months of its
implementation, the plastic ban is still being enforced in the state. "The shops
will be shut down and sealed if found guilty,†he warns, adding that an illegal
plastic manufacturing unit at Ambattur was recently sealed in a joint operation
conducted by the TNPCB and Chennai Corporation.With the civic body busy
preparing Chennai for the monsoon ‘deluge’, the frequency of raids has notably
come down, which might be another reason for the resurgence of plastic. While he
admits that there are a few cases of lacunae, the ban has largely been
successful, he says. Bio-degradable plastics or green plastic is also not a
solution, he asserts. He notes that though the ban was in effect for the first
few months, the failure on the civic body’s part to conduct regular spot checks
has resulted in plastic commodities slowly creeping back into the
market.Writer-activist Nityanand Jayaram also believes that plastic products are
back in circulation, courtesy lax implementation and enforcement of the ban. "We
have seized over 300 tonnes of plastic until now and `75 lakh to `80 lakh fine
has been collected
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October 16, 2019
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October 09, 2019
The San Francisco startup is part of a wave of automation
As a teenager working for his dad’s construction business, Noah Ready-Campbell
dreamed that robots could take over the dirty, tedious parts of his job, such as
digging and leveling soil for building projects. "As machines do some of the
work that people used to do, the people have to migrate and transition to other
forms of work, which means lots of retraining.
The drone is made by Silicon
Valley-based Kespry, which converts the survey data into Air
compressor Factory detailed 3-D maps and charges an annual subscription fee
for its services. Backed by venture capital, tech startups are developing
robots, drones, software and other technologies to help the construction
industry to boost speed, safety and productivity. "We support anything that
supports the masonry industry.
This becomes a complete game changer for a lot
of the industrial work that’s being accomplished today.The autonomous quadcopter
can survey the entire 90-acre site in 25 minutes.A recent survey by the
Associated General Contractors of America found that 70 percent of construction
firms are having trouble finding skilled workers. "And then the operator does
the more skilled work, where you really need a lot of finesse and
experience."There are lots of things that SAM isn’t capable of doing that you
need skilled bricklayers to do," Kennedy said.Bricklayer Michael Walsh says the
robot lessens the load on his body, but he doesn’t think it will take his job.
We don’t stand in the way of technology. They want a nice, clean job in an
office. "It ain’t going to replace people," Walsh said."I’m very excited about
where autonomous machines could be used in our industry," said Kyle Trew, a
contractor who worked with Built Robotics on the San Jose project.".
Workers at
Berich Masonry in Englewood, Colorado, recently spent several weeks learning how
to operate a bricklaying robot known as SAM."At his company’s mining plant in
Sunol, California, Moy is saving time and money by using a drone to measure the
giant piles of rock and sand his company sells for construction. The startup
also provides drones and mapping services to insurance companies surveying homes
damaged by natural disasters. "Hopefully I can use this as a tool to get an edge
on some of my competitors.
The San Francisco startup is part of a wave of
automation that’s transforming the construction industry, which has lagged
behind other sectors in technological innovation."The idea behind Built Robotics
is to use automation technology make construction safer, faster and cheaper,"
said Ready-Campbell, standing in a dirt lot where a small bulldozer moved mounds
of earth without a human operator."Not only is it safer and faster, but you get
more data, as much as ten to a hundred times more data," said Kespry CEO George
Mathew. Now the former Google engineer is turning that dream into a reality with
Built Robotics, a startup that’s developing technology to allow bulldozers,
excavators and other construction vehicles to operate themselves. Previously,
the company hired a contractor who would take a whole day to measure the piles
with a truck-mounted laser.
Right now I have to tell them ‘no’ because we’re at
capacity," he said."Built Robotics recently used its automated bulldozer —
retrofitted with sensors and autonomous driving technology — to grade the earth
on a construction site in San Jose. The project allows the startup to both test
its technology and generate some revenue. The International Union of Bricklayers
and Allied Craftworkers isn’t too concerned that robots will displace its
members anytime soon, according to policy director Brian Kennedy."The rise of
construction robots comes as the building industry faces a severe labor
shortage. "Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore."At Built Robotics,
Ready-Campbell, the company’s founder and CEO, envisions the future of
construction work as a partnership between humans and smart machines."The robots
basically do the 80 percent of the work, which is more repetitive, more
dangerous, more monotonous," he said.The goal, said company president Todd
Berich, is to use technology to take on more work and keep his existing
customers happy. Working on a scaffold, workers loaded the machine with bricks
and scraped off excess mortar left behind by the robot."We need all of the
robots we can get, plus all of the workers working, in order to have economic
growth," said Michael Chui, a partner at McKinsey Global Institute in San
Francisco. The machine can lay about 3,000 bricks in an eight-hour shift -
several times more than a mason working by hand.
That’s short for Semi-Automated
Mason, a $400,000 machine which is made by Victor, New York-based Construction
Robotics."To get qualified people to handle a loader or a haul truck or even run
a plant, they’re hard to find right now," said Mike Moy, a mining plant manager
at Lehigh Hanson.SAM’s mechanical arm picked up bricks, covered them with mortar
and carefully placed them to form the outside wall of a new elementary
school.Autonomous machines are changing the nature of construction work in an
industry that’s struggling to find enough skilled workers while facing a backlog
of building projects
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