environment

In the month of May, in Italy, over half of the energy demand was produced by renewable sources, marking the highest monthly value ever.This was announced yesterday by Terna, the public company that manages the electricity grid, which certified that last month renewable sources specifically covered 52.5% of Italian electricity demand, over 10% more than the May 2023, in which 42.3% was recorded. The data is only the latest stage of a trend that seems to be emerging very clearly.In fact, in the phase between January and May 2024, the renewable capacity in operation in Italy has view an increase of 3,015 Gigawatts, or 42% more than in the same time frame in 2023. The government's plans for 2024 are to reach 8 Gigawatts.Specifically, in May 2024, compared to the same month of the previous year, there was an increase in hydroelectric (+34.7%), wind (+10.5%) and photovoltaic (+36.3 %).The latter, according to what was reconstructed by Terna, is the result of the increase in operating capaci...

In the United States, five collective actions against the bottled water industry have already been launched in the first months of this year.Citizens, in particular, are accusing producers of a lack of transparency, as they do not report the presence of microplastics in water labels, despite numerous studies having confirmed this presence.Even if the scientific community is still investigating the damage caused by microplastics, the plaintiffs are determined to take the matter to court.The accusation alleges that companies that produce and sell bottled water violated consumer protection regulations labeling their water as “natural”.In reality, it is presumed to contain microplastics, i.e. microscopic and potentially toxic fragments of plastic that are anything but natural. Specifically, disputes involve companies The Wonderful Co., Bluetriton Brands Inc., Danone Waters of America LLC and CG Roxane LLC.The class action against The Wonderful Co., the company producing Fiji bo...

High levels of PFAS were found in the blood of all 36 citizens of Spinetta Marengo - a municipality in the province of Alessandria where Syensqo (formerly Solvay) is located, which ended up at the center of a trial for an environmental disaster - recently subjected to biomonitoring.In fact, in 100% of cases they are present concentrations greater than 2 nanograms per milliliter, a threshold identified as a reference value by the National Academies of Sciences and by the Piedmont Region protocol, beyond which deleterious effects on human health may occur.The 36 citizens are submitted voluntarily to the test, promoted by the associations Ànemo, Greenpeace Italia and the Stop Solvay Committee, in May.The analyses, paid for by the Alexandrians out of their own pockets, were carried out by a laboratory at the German University of Aachen.An alarming fact, given that PFAS are highly persistent substances that can cause multiple, even very serious, health problems. The news was communic...

The hunt for the so-called "critical raw materials", i.e. the elements necessary to assemble batteries and more generally almost any type of technological device, is also starting on European soil.Yesterday the Italian Council of Ministers approved a law decree to join the race.Cobalt, copper, lithium, magnesium, graphite, nickel, silicon, tungsten, titanium and others:there are 34 "critical matters" defined as fundamental for the European and Italian future, of which 17 are considered "strategic".Materials that the government deems necessary to "promote the digital and green transition" of the national industry, and which it now wants search right underground Italian.According to the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso – driving force behind the legislative decree together with the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin – in Italy we have at least 15 critical subjects.Some resear...

In Brazil there is a mission that is the result of collaboration between researchers and indigenous populations and which aims to protect Amazonian primates: this is the Reconecta Project, which was conceived by the biologist and winner of the 2024 Whitley Prize Fernanda Ambra and involves the construction of "bridges" aimed at connecting the crowns of the trees located on both sides of the road that runs through the states of Amazonas and Roraima, thus allowing the fauna local area to cross avoiding the risk of investment, which is in fact one of the main causes of death for primates in the region.Working on the project is «a wealth of knowledge and a wonderful learning experience» according to the biologist, who underlined the importance of involving traditional communities as «they know exactly what is needed to protect the forests». Brazil is facing an environmental dilemma that is anything but indifferent in that it has one of the largest road net...