Tag Archive for: environment

Eco-innovation at the heart of Europe

Written by: Lidia Slawinska

Written by: Lidia Slawinska – Digital Communications Manager Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

There is little doubt that innovation is today’s “big thing”. The fast advancement of technologies, the increasing digitalisation taking place across all industries, and the ever-more encompassing dual lives that individuals lead in the physical and digital stratospheres have accelerated innovative progress. At the same time, the world has also began to recognise the importance of sustainability in the protection of our planet and began to plan for alternatives that would help us maintain our current global operations and life-styles whilst diminishing the pejorative impact that they have had on our earth since the Industrial era began.

These two concepts have recently given rise to a new idea – that of “eco-innovation”. In this Blue Innovation article we will look at how the European Union has embraced this concept in efforts to measure and map the progress of its member states in innovative methods to work to achieve the sustainability targets it has set itself for the coming decades.

What is “Eco-Innovation” exactly?

The term, which first appeared in 1996 in a book written by Claude Fussler and Peter James “Driving Eco-Innovation,” can be understood as a general approach to foster environmentally friendly progress in modern societies. At its core are specific efforts made by the parties that aim to reduce the environmental harm done in their societies – be it through ideas, products, societal behaviours, or industrial or operational processes. It is key to the European Union’s Green Deal and towards promoting and ensuring green growth in the 21st century.

The “Eco-Innovation Index”

The European Commission’s Eco-Innovation Plan was first adopted in 2011. In the plan, the Commission defined the term as “any innovation that makes progress towards the goal of sustainable development by reducing impacts on the environment, increasing resilience to environmental pressures or using natural resources more efficiently and responsibly” (Source: Decision N° 1639/2006/EC establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme – accessed online on 10th Dec 2021). Over the first decade of its existence the Commission created a system to measure the innovative progress of its partners through the Eco-Innovation Index. The subsequent system, which includes the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard alongside the Index, captures the varying aspects of the member states’ eco-innovations by measuring 16 different indicators that are grouped into 5 categories:

  • Eco-innovation inputs (this includes government environmental energy investments and outlays, total number of R&D personnel, etc.)
  • Eco-innovation activities (this includes number of ISO 14001 certificates, the implementation of sustainable products among small to medium-sized enterprises, etc.)
  • Eco-innovation outputs (this includes sustainability-related patents, academic publications and media coverage, etc.)
  • Resource efficiency (this includes material, water and energy productivity, the intensity of GHG emissions, etc.)
  • Socio-economic outcomes (this includes export of products from sustainable industries, % of employment in environmental protection, etc.)

By collating the results, the experts working on the Eco-Innovation Index can identify the successes and drawbacks that some member states have had on their journeys towards green growth.

The purpose of this tool is not to shame or identify what countries may be failing in their efforts, but rather to provide a neutral and analytical view on the overall environmental, societal and economic situation in the EU member states.

A decade of progress

Since record-keeping began under this programme, the overall performance of the EU member states in eco-innovation steadily improved. Looking at the summaries of the results reported on the EU’s Eco-Innovation website, it can be seen that most improvements were seen in:

  • Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, especially when looking at energy productivity and efficiency
  • An increase in public awareness brought by intensified media coverage of topics that focused on eco-innovative processes and developments
  • An increase in investments in R&D research, which in certain states came from both public and private sources.

From the data it is evident that not all countries have had similar successes in advancing their environmental achievements over the past decade. The EU’s tool allows us to take an analytical look across all countries to monitor their developments and perhaps identify the drawbacks and bottlenecks that may be hindering further progress. Every year the organisation issues a new report with a list of leaders, average performers and countries that are catching up – and this list has slightly fluctuated year by year depending on that countries’ policies and advances. In 2021 the “Eco-Innovation Leaders” – the top 5 highest scoring member states – were Luxembourg, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Sweden.

The Eco-Innovation Index is not a solution to Europe’s green growth agenda – rather it serves more as an diagnostic tool that allows both the EU and national governments to identify potential areas of growth in order to evolve and innovate further. If you are interested, head to the Eco-Innovation website and have a look at the evolution of the Index’s performance in the 27 member states for yourself: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/indicators/index_en

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Container terminal at the Port of Long Beach

Zero Emissions future – the case of the Port of Long Beach

Written by Lidia Slawinska

Written by: Lidia Slawinska, Digital Communications

A net-zero operating terminal is a milestone that most ports around the globe are working towards – as it would mark a significant step towards sustainability. This summer, one port has achieved this remarkable step and begun operating a container terminal that is equipped with nearly all electric and zero-emissions equipment. Already news sources are reporting it as one of the most technologically advanced cargo terminals globally. We are, of course, talking about the Port of Long Beach – and the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor (in California, USA) – and we wanted to take a look at it in this #DidYouKnow article.

A decade in the making

The port begun work on the project in May 2011, with an initial estimated cost of $1.5bln. The project was divided in three distinct phases. The first phase was completed in 2016, after which 151 acres opened for business. The next year the terminal was expanded to reach 191 acres, and the final phase of the project ended in July 2021. The Container Terminal now boasts with 300 acres in size, has a completed container yard, a modern administration buiding and an on-dock rail yard to allow for intermodal traffic. The concrete wharf can also receive and process three massive ships at once, with fourteen gantry cranes able to service the shoreline.

The terminal is expected to expand through the North Gate Expansion by 2025, adding an additional 3 acres to the already impressive surface area of the facility.

Net zero emissions

It is doubtlessly difficult for ports to make sure that their operations are carbon neutral – and in line with the global environmental agencies recommendations for the protection of our climate. How did the Port of Long Beach achieve its net zero emissions?

First of all – it ensured sufficient on-shore power supply stations on the berths. All of the vessels are now able to shut down the diesel engines while stationed in port and can connect to the local electrical grid.

Secondly, during the construction it was ensured that all of the major structures were built with features that allow them to save both electricity and water, meeting the American Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

In-terminal operations are carried out by automated guided vehicles that rely on transponders in the asphalt to manoeuvre around the containers. These vehicles are battery-operated and are also capable of recharging themselves.

The final aspect of the Californian terminal is the emphasis that has been placed on faster truck turnaround times, which further reduced the port’s emissions.

Intermodality at the forefront

There is no doubt that one of the aspects that port terminals can focus on is to increase their intermodal capacities – as bringing trucks off the roads would significantly lower the GHG emissions produced by their diesel engines. The Port of Long Beach was not an exception, and in its construction has included a intermodal rail yard that includes 70,000ft of tracks. “There are 12 tracks, and each is almost a mile long,” says Thomas Baldwin, director of project management at the port. “There are four storage tracks, and eight working tracks. Five dual cantilevered gantry cranes with room for a sixth. It’s one of most modern railyards ever built, with 1.1 million-TEU capacity ” (August 20th, 2021: ENR). In the near future, the port is also planning to expand its on-dock rail capacity to 35%, acknowledging that one fully stacked train can replace up to seventy-five trucks on the road – further alleviating the pressure on our environment.

Innovating into a clean energy future

Becoming a green port is no small feat. There are many innovative ports in the world that have already incorporated significant changes to their operations to lower their emissions and thus conform with international standards. The Long Beach Container Terminal can certainly be used as an example for other ports to follow, as it shows the signs of being the world’s first “all-electric, zero-emission mega terminal” and “will [help the port] increase [its] throughput, improve air quality and maintain [its] status as a leading gateway for trans-Pacific trade” – as was highlighted by Maria Cordero, the executive director of the port (August 23rd, 2021: Splash 247).

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Earth - Nature shot

Our planet through the camera lens

Eduard Rodés - Director of the Escola Europea Intermodal Transport

Written by: Eduard Rodés, director of the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport

One of the beautiful things about cinema is that the narrative is constructed by responding to the director’s understanding and interpretation of the script. I have recently seen two docufilms that have put the spotlight on the current situation of our planet. The first one is by Sir David Frederick Attenborough (b. 1926). He has recently written and published a book  called “A Life on Our Planet” (2020), which is accompanied by a docufilm starring himself.

In these two works, both complementing each other, he explains that the planet Earth is on the verge of a sixth mass extinction caused by climate change and the savage exploitation of the Earth’s resources. In his subsequent analysis, he observes floods, droughts and an increase in the acidity of the oceans that will make it impracticable for any human activity.

The docufilm estimated that he first major disaster will take place in the Amazon, which by the 2030s will have 75% of its surface area already deforested – an ecological tragedy for the entire southern cone of the American continent. By 2050, the oceans will turn acidic from the carbon dioxide emitted by transport and the automotive industries. Around 2080 Attenborough predicts a new pandemic arising from the difficulty of finding sufficient water and from the barrenness of agricultural fields, which by then would be destroyed by centuries of fertilizer use, leaving them unfertile. In 2100 he predicts that there will be no wildlife left and that existing biota will be limited to that which humans produce exclusively for consumption. The 22nd century will not be better according to this prophetic predictions: with a migratory avalanche from the coast inland caused by sea levels rising and destroying the cities on the coast. This mass exodus will cause a great humanitarian crisis and inequalities to grow. Scarce rainfall will cause droughts and make water the most precious commodity above gold or oil. Agricultural production will be reduced, and fishing will have little to look for in the depths of the seas.

Sir Attenborough knows what he’s talking about. In his 93 years he has visited every continent on the globe, exploring the wild places of our planet and documenting the living world in all its diversity and wonder. Now, for the first time he reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime as a naturalist and the devastating changes he has seen. The narrative is presented through magnificent film production, and the added impressive presence of Attenborough himself is designed to  astonish the audience with the images and the messages shown, while looking for a positive and active reaction to the disaster that is looming. A reaction that sparks the unresolved “time to act” feeling, if there is still time to reverse the situation.

From a completely different standpoint, director Lucian Segura tackles the same problem in his work titled “1.5 Stay Alive” (2015). This is the story of oil and gas exploration in the Caribbean and the role played by Trinidad and Tobago in the world’s quest for “black gold” – oil – a commodity which today shapes our lives, rules our economies and influences our political society. The aim of international climate change policy is to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius. However scientists believe that a temperature rise of just 1.5 degrees could lead to irreversible damage to ecosystems and terrestrial and marine environments. The style of 1.5 Stay Alive is part music video and part factual. In it, popular Caribbean musicians express their experiences with rising seas by composing and performing songs about climate change, and their visions of how to confront it.

Intertwined throughout the film are insights by scientists and local climate experts. The film visits Belize, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Miami and Louisiana. These regions are examples of the areas that will be, and some already are, affected by rising sea levels.

The film takes a closer look at this issue focusing on the Caribbean region. He describes the far-reaching consequences that such warming will have on biodiversity, fish stocks, coastal protection and the survival of Caribbean coral reefs. The documentary also shows how climate change will impact the people who live on the islands and along the Caribbean coastlines and whose living spaces and native lands are on the verge of being lost.

Both docufilms are available online:

You may wonder why I am talking about the planet using this platform and not focusing directly on intermodal transport. The reason is that for some time now I have come to the conclusion that everything is part of the same system. If we cannot understand what the scientists are telling us is happening, we will not understand the urgency of thinking and acting in order to achieve the maximum possible effort on our part to reverse the process and launch the path that will allow us to reverse the situation. We are part of the problem, so together let’s be part of the solution.