20 years after the Rio Earth Summit, and shortly before this year’s Rio +20 meeting of leaders a report has shown that the worlds environment is getting worse. It has confirmed a huge 30% decline in wildlife across the globe since 1970.

The Living Planet Report has been compiled by the WWF and uses data from more than 9,000 animal populations across the globe. The diversity of animals and plants has been hit the hardest, affecting the basis of such resources as clean water.

Increasing population, urbanization, migration to cities, increased energy use, soaring carbon dioxide emissions and many other factors have all contributed to the squeeze on the planets resources.

The latest Living Planet report has estimated grim figures for the future. It says that global demand for resources has doubled since 1996 and it now takes 1.5 years to regenerate the renewable resources which are used in one year. The report predicts that by 2030 the current demand on resources will require the equivalent of two planets to supply.

It also states that many of the changes have accelerated over the past decade, despite numerous summits and meetings over this time designed to slow this change. For example, Carbon emissions have increased 40% in the past twenty years, with two thirds of it happening over the last ten.

Looking to the future, one of the major points is sustainable population growth. Although the global population hit 7 billion in 2011, the population growth rate has dropped, from 1.65% to 1.2% since 1992, which is a step in the right direction to decrease our impact on the planet.

When most people think of a businesses priorities, environmental awareness would traditionally be at the bottom. Constantly increasing pressure from government legislation and charity groups have forced businesses to be more environmentally aware, from the disposal of their everyday waste to energy consumption.

Recycling helps cut our resource usage drastically

The number and type of items that can be recycled is always increasing, as is the ease of recycling for the everyday user. These factors encourage people to conserve resources and help slow the damage we cause to the planet.

Conservation and environmental awareness is a hot topic and people are increasingly aware of their impact on the planet. Recycling has been increasing rapidly over many years now, with numerous items now made partly or wholly from recycled products. Sourcing products from more local areas has also increased as people try to do their bit to help the environment from the bottom up.

Businesses big and small can take advantage of these changes in trends by producing products which are more considerate of the environment and take advantage of peoples moral convictions. This is not always possible for every business, but even gestures of good intent and incentives within businesses can be publicised in a positive manner to help you.

Recycled pencils made from old newpapers

A good way to promote your company and it’s morals is to produce environmentally friendly promotional items. Companies that deal in promotional gifts offer wide ranges of products to suit all tastes, from recycled pens to re-usable bags which can come in handy in many ways. These types of product are often made from recycled materials which have been collected in large quantities, such as rubber from tyres or paper from magazines. Some items utilise otherwise wasteful material and turn them into functional items, helping reduce waste products. Others can simply be more efficient versions of everyday objects, such as wind-up torches, radios and solar powered items.

Many cities suffer problems with smog, a factor in global dimming.

Everyone has heard of global warming (Whether you agree with it or not is an argument for another time), but not many people will have heard of global dimming.

When the suns energy reaches the earth, it can often get reflected or absorbed, changing the climate of certain areas. Pollution such as aerosols, car fumes and other human activities are thought to be the main cause of this phenomenon.

The amount of sunlight affected by this varies over the globe, being higher in the northern hemisphere than the southern. There are many factors thought to contribute to this; including the earths natural atmospheric changes and variations in the suns energy. These factors have probably been increased by the affect of mankind on the planet, as the data over the past 50 years backs up.

This could create problems in the future, but for now it is something that should be monitored and taken into consideration when global warming patterns are looked at. There is a full article here with more information.

Nowadays, there seems to be an endless torrent of news coming through for and against renewable energy. It is a very contentious issue with polarised views economically, politically, culturally and geographically. Obviously there are massive variations with all these factors contributing to differences of opinion. Wind turbines are one of the most talked about, and controversial, issues in energy production, seconded only by nuclear power.

Wind turbine use is still hotly debated

In the UK, wind turbines have been a part of our countryside for many years, with the first on land wind farm being built in 1991. The growth has been rapid since then, increasing energy output 6 fold in only the last 5 years. There are always new wind farms being proposed and built, with England and wales largest onshore wind farm being announced recently, which will power an estimated 206,000 homes a year once completed.

With many countries using wind power to count towards tough targets for reducing CO2 emissions, they are the easiest and best technology available now, without the need for long running research. In Australia there has been recent uproar about increased numbers of wind farms. The media has caused a small scale panic over the safety of wind farms. Nature groups have complained about the number of birds being killed by wind farms, which is insignificant compared to the amount killed by power lines, cars and other factors which are in use now. Issues over health have also been raised over the use of wind farms. If they caused adverse health effects then there would have been a pandemic across Europe, where large numbers have been in use for many years.

In China, wind turbine energy has grown at a fast rate, producing around twenty times as much energy as the country did 5 years ago. This has been required to keep up with the county’s increased population and economic growth. They have had problems though, infrastructure for power lines and the often rural areas where they are situated can create problems for installation and repair.

An example of a traditional fossil fuel power station

In the USA, energy production and consumption is a hot political topic, especially now during the run up to presidential elections. As the population is polarised on most issues, for and against arguments, issues can be used as huge vote gaining policies. A recent article has dug into the politics behind wind farms and found that there is a large network of people and organisations working to stall the building of wind farms. There are numerous reasons behind this; keeping the US’s fossil fuel industry going, undermine the strength of current political powers, bolster the more conservative sectors and many other issues. With this worrying information and America’s power in the global economy, there is a severe need for other countries to lead the way and force Americans into acting responsibly. Using issues that affect the whole world is no way to run one country’s political campaign.

With most countries trying hard to meet lowered CO2 emission targets, there looks to be hope for future generations, but blocks in the path of progress will ultimately damage everyone and have ramifications long into the future.

Usage of nuclear energy is a hotly debated issue.

Nuclear energy is always a hot topic for environmentalist and often gives massively polarised views on the topic. Many prominent economists and politicians are keen to push the positives of nuclear energy, with the negatives pushed as hard by those opposed. Deciding which is right, pro or anti-nuclear, will always be a personal issue and can be a vote winner in some areas.

Respected economist Jeffrey Sachs said on Thursday that the expansion of nuclear energy will be required to combat climate change. He stated that nuclear energy was needed because it provides a low carbon source of power, whilst renewable energies were not making up enough of the worlds energy supplies and new technologies are not progressing fast enough.

“We won’t meet the carbon targets if nuclear is taken off the table” He said.

He also mentioned how fossil fuels are cheap enough to stop people choosing low carbon choices. Unless there were incentives to choose lower carbon choices in favour of fossil fuels, then fossil fuels will continue to be used.

A prime recent example of people turning away from nuclear energy is Japan. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the country has turned off all but one of its nuclear power plants (54 in all) with the final one being closed this coming Saturday.

Japan is having to move from nuclear energies to others, such as this natural gas plant.

These reactors being shut down (at least temporarily) have had a massive effect on Japan’s energy usage. Before the disaster, nuclear power in Japan supplied a third of the country’s electricity. Habits have been forcibly changed due to this decrease in electricity, with changes in working hours to spread usage and decreased use of air conditioning and other services.

The world response to the Fukushima disaster has being polarized too. Germany is going ahead with a drastic policy reversal by shutting all of its nuclear reactors down by 2022, whilst country’s such as the UK are continuing to push nuclear energy.

There are many factors for and against the continuation of nuclear power, which will no doubt be a vote winner in the near future. Whilst the example of Japan is an extreme one, with many differences from the UK; socially, geographically and financially, the debate is sure to rage on for many years to come.

New figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that solar panels have fallen by almost 90% since the Government cut subsidies on solar panel installation by half.

The Government lost a high profile legal case in the high court and is highly controversial. The figures further bolster the argument that the government cut the subsidies too fast and too soon at the risk of endangering thousands of jobs. Ministers have defended themselves, saying the scheme was inherited from the previous government was poorly set up.

There has been a marked slow down in the installation of solar panels, which will hopefully turn around.

The scheme previously paid 43pence per Kilowatt hour of energy supplied and has now been cut down to 21p/kWh. In the three weeks since this came into force, the average energy added is 2.4MW from solar power – down 87% from the weekly average of the previous year of 18MW.

Greg Baker, the Conservative minister responsible for the solar subsidy scheme, said the changes aim to stop the “solar booms” and busts. He said “The whole point of the reforms is to bring in a much greater degree of certainty and predictability.” He also set an ambitious target of 22GW solar capacity installed in the UK by 2020, despite the downturn in figures.

As pointed out on Tuesday by Carol Flint, the shadow energy and climate change minister, the target would take 169 years to reach at the current rate. The rate will probably rise in this time, but the difference between 8 and 169 years is quite a large one, leading to a pessimistic outlook. With the government and opposition being vocal on the matter, the figure may be reached, but will need increased motivation for the green energy market to come to fruition.

Paul Barwell, Chief Executive of the Solar Trade Association, said “We’ve seen drops in installation with every policy adjustment, but we expect this one will take a bit more time to pick up.” He said the reason the take up would take longer this time is the new requirement that homes must be reasonably energy-efficient before being entitled to solar panel subsidies – which is currently met by half of homes.

“Many householders are aware that government has slashed subsidies,” Barwell added. “The challenge for us is to make householders aware that’s partly because industry has slashed costs, and partly because solar is so popular. There is no doubt that financially, solar remains a great prospect for UK homeowners so there is no good reason why the UK market should stagnate.”

Whilst all sides agree that the subsidies had to be cut, due to the costs of solar paneling continuing to drop, the speed and scale of the cut has been dramatic, causing uproar.

Recent headlines about drought in the UK have been starkly contrasted with this week’s flood warnings and severe weather. Over the last 2 years, below average rainfall has continued, leading to a recent hosepipe ban.

Flooding in Tewkesbury April the 30th

This may seem ridiculous with flood warnings across the country and even tragic events, with a man drowning whilst fording a swollen river in Hampshire. Even with the wet April weather, there have been warnings that more will be needed for our reservoirs to last over the summer.

Last night (30^th April) the Met Office said that an average of 121.8mm of rain had fallen across the UK in the past 30 days, being the highest amount recorded since records began in 1910. For comparison, the average for April is just under 70mm. This seems even stranger after March, being the third warmest and fifth driest on record.

There are flood warnings across England, with the only area without them in the North West and the Met Office have forecast another wet week, giving little respite.

Flooding in York after the Ouse burst it's banks.

The floods are directly linked to the drought conditions that we have been suffering from recently. As soil dries out it becomes hard and compacts, making the rainwater unable to permeate it easily, making the rainwater simply run off. Whilst some water does get soaked up and makes it to reservoirs, more prolonged periods of lighter rain are needed to let the ground regain its moisture.

Polly Chancellor, national drought co-ordinator for the Environment Agency, said: “We’ve had a lot of rain this past week, which is a welcome boost for farmers and gardeners, and has delayed the need for water companies to apply for further drought permits.

“But with the dry soils, most of this rain is either soaked up or, worse still, runs off quickly, causing flooding, as we have seen in some areas this week.”

For the North of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the outlook is brighter, but with better weather, the problem of drought still remains. With rainfall during hotter periods of weather, more water gets evaporated compared to during the winter months: So for supplies to be restored there would need to be a great deal more than during winter.

It is impossible to tell if summer will be dry or a wash out, but as the past few months have shown, either way will have its own problems.

Driving economically can save you money and help the environment.

Everyone needs to travel, short or long distances, but how do you make your journeys greener? Public transport is a great option, but not always practical for peoples schedules. As most people drive, getting the most (or the least CO2) out of your car is important. Electric cars and more economical models are getting more popular and have a larger range of models, but buying a new car is not always an option.

Here are a few tips for driving more economically that everyone can use:

• When driving in high gears at around 50-60 miles per hour, your emissions are at their lowest. On the other hand, driving below 15 miles per hour creates the most pollution.
• Using a higher gear and changing up to them quickly reduces emission output. Although changing too soon is not great for the engine. Every car is different, but listening to the engine is a good way of telling when to change gear.
• Maintaining your car and ensuring it is functioning properly can greatly decrease emissions. Inflating tyres, changing oil, maintaining coolant levels and new brake pads are just a few things that can improve performance and lower emissions.
• Using Air Conditioning causes your engine to rev higher, creating more emissions and using more fuel. To see the effects of this, try turning on your A/C when parked and you will see the revs rise.
• In heavy traffic it is easy to get heavy footed. When you are rolling along, see if you can get into another gear instead of pushing 1^st. In long queues and standing traffic, turn off your engine. Most modern cars are economical on start up, so it will save in the long run.
• Try not to get stressed. A few second of aggressive driving can cause the equivalent of 30 minutes of normal driving emissions.
• Cooling your car down is important, if you can park in shade rather than in sunlight, you will help the engine cool, reducing usage costs.
• Car sharing is a great option for work and school runs. Whilst not always do-able, it could half usage of your car and emissions.
• Carrying extra weight around may seem like a necessity, but it can affect the performance more than you would think. It could be similar to driving around with extra passengers.
• Alternative fuels may seem like a big step, but more and more people are doing it. With a small outlay to modify the car you can create big savings

Of course, these steps cannot be taken all the time by everyone, but as people tend to get set in their ways, especially regarding driving habits, they are important to consider for the environment and your pocket.

The UK and US have combined resources to develop new types of wind turbine, designed to be produced at lower cost and harness more energy than the traditional models in place.

A similar project underway in Norway.

The designs for ‘floating’ offshore wind turbines will hopefully reduce construction costs compared to traditional fixed models, which can be very costly due to the fact they are usually fixed to the sea bed for stability, making them nearly impossible to place in deeper stretches of water.

This was announced ahead of this week’s clean-energy meeting for ministers from 23 countries, taking place in London.

The UK has huge wind resources, accounting for around a third of Europe’s offshore wind potential. New technology is needed to access waters between 60 and 100 metres deep, which is currently too deep to fix, but where wind speeds are consistently higher.

The developments are set to come in-line with an increase in shallower sites planned before 2020, meaning the energy production can increase further into deeper waters.

The technology also has cost cutting costs implications for repairs. Without the need for seabed foundations, the turbines can be repaired in port rather than out at sea.

With wind turbines further out at sea, they will provide energy with minimal impact on our coast.

Energy Secretary Ed Davies said “Britain has more wind turbines installed around its shores than any other country in the world, and our market is rated year after year as the most attractive market among investors. Offshore wind is critical for the UK’s energy future, and there is big interest around the world in what we’re doing.

“The UK and US are both making funding available for this technology, and we’re determined to work together to capitalise on this shared intent.”

A project has been commissioned by the Energy Technology Institute, requiring chosen participants to produce an offshore wind turbine that can produce between 5MW and 7MW by 2016.

Four projects in the US are underway, backed by the department of energy and similar projects are underway in Norway and Portugal.

A report released recently has shown that the UK’s renewable energy industry supports 110,000 jobs and is set to rise to 400,000 by 2020.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) concluded that the industry is worth £12.5 billion per year to the UK’s economy. This was bolstered by the European Commission stating that low-carbon generating and energy efficiency could generate up to 5 million jobs across the EU by 2020.

This follows large support from the public on the use of renewable energy, for its environmental and money saving qualities.

The REA’s report, which is released today, is the first comprehensive analysis of the economic and employment benefits for the UK.

Wind energy will be harnessed to increase jobs and energy output.

“Harnessing our renewables creates employment, and means that rather than spending money on energy imports we can keep it circulating in the UK economy,” said REA chief executive Gaynor Hartnell. “When it comes to the employment, economic and energy challenges we face, the answer is clear – make it renewable, and make it in Britain.”

The UK’s economy grew by just 1.4% between 2009/10 and 2010/11, where as the renewable sector itself grew by 11%, coming as great news in uncertain times. It also helped with increasing exports, contributing just under £1.6bn in 2010/11, with wind technologies being the largest contributor.

The UK’s target is to supply 15% of total energy from renewable sources by 2020. This is a challenging estimate, but with government help and targets on CO2 emissions currently failing, it is a pressing issue.

“Renewable energy not only provides us with clean and secure energy that cuts our reliance on imported fossil fuels – it generates billions of pounds of investment and potentially hundreds and thousands of jobs and is a key growth sector for the UK economy,” said Climate Change Minister Greg Barker.

“The REA’s report sets out plainly the opportunities and challenges in this area. We are determined to seize the momentum and secure maximum benefit for the UK.”

Funding will have to be increased to go about the changes, but if targets are met, it would save the country £60bn less on importing fossil fuels than it would otherwise.

With opinion polls showing public backing for renewables and a recent YouGov survey finding 64% of UK adults back the need for renewables, it looks like good news, economically and environmentally.