Good news with a catch🧐

Plans for LNG-Fracking terminal Wilhelmshaven are stopped!

If you have listened to my podcast episode “LNG-terminals, the EU-Mercosur trade and evasive politicians”

https://anchor.fm/stella573/episodes/LNG-terminals--the-EU-Mercosur-trade-and-evasive-polititians-ev14tv

then you know some things about the LNG terminals in Germany.

Yesterday, I got the great news via mail that the company Uniper has announced that the plans for the LNG-Fracking terminal in Wilhelmshaven are officially discontinued!!

WOHOO!

Instead they want to build an import terminal for green ammonia in order to produce hydrogen as a ‘green’ source of energy production –

which will have to be monitored closely because ammonia is very toxic in itself and Uniper’s plans will have to be presented in detail – showing that they have a well formulated, doable plan for this endeavor.

We’ll see about that – but stopping the construction of the LNG-terminals means a big win!

France's lawmakers have approved the ban on short domestic flights to cut CO2 emissions!

Air routes will be abolished if the same journey can be made by train in under

two-and-a-half hours.

How awesome is that?

Things like these would actually be really easy to enforce and make a huge difference.

I mean here we are, biking and skating instead of driving and taking public transport whenever we can, so it’s great to see that in some places politics are also getting the message and making moves like these!

Nonetheless there is a catch:

because some lawmakers have criticized the bill for its likely impact on

the air travel industry, which is already under intense strain during the global

COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2020, the French government forced Air France to give up domestic routes affected by the bill in return for financial support which of course will be paid with tax money and here the question is:

why don’t small businesses and farmers get reimbursed and supported like that?

But, one thing at a time right?

Starbucks has promised to ditch single-use plastic cups in South Korea by 2025!

They want to introduce a circular cup program and cut their waste that is going to landfill by half until 2030.

This is definitely a great step.

Yet again, we have to stay very critical since they have made promises like:

making their cups 100 % recyclable,

serving 25 % of their drinks in reusable cups until 2015

and investing $10 million to ban plastic straws

and make their cups more recyclable by 2020 –

which has so far not been implemented.

Canada is using satellites to catch illegal fishing ships!

Fishing vessels who are conducting illegal business and are pillaging the oceans around the world,

turn off their location transmitters to avoid being detected.

But now a new satellite technology developed by the Canadian government will hopefully put and end to this.

It is estimated that 26 million tons of fish are caught per illegal fishing every year which represents 30 % of the world’s fishing activities!

So this program could be a key factor to saving our oceans from the decline of fish stock and destruction of eco-systems.

An eco-paper, that can be used as wrapping or gift boxes has been developed by https://beesavingpaper.com/ !

Which can be consumed by bees and acts as an ‘energy drink’ for them.

This packaging can be disposed in nature and will help save some bees.

There are many other ways you can help save our bees from extinction –

who (and in turn us) are in a mighty danger through:

pesticides, infrastructure and pollution.

Look on the internet (you are hopefully searching it with the search engine https://www.ecosia.org/ ) ,

search: how you can help save the bees and which plants/flowers you can plant in your garden/on your balcony

and what other amazing gadgets you can buy to save our pollinators!

Now it is clear that a lot of “positive changes” that huge corporations/governments make come with an catch and an:
Either/or
Instead of
Only if
But

And then there’s the question if promises can be trusted?

So we have to keep a close watch and hold them accountable!

Now one thing I have to say at the end – whenever governments enforce bills that have a positive impact for the environment – some huge million dollar heavy companies will have not gotten their way which means that they will be subsidized and reimbursed

which we are of course paying with our tax money just so they will take a small break from destroying our planet once in a while.

Instead of governments demanding positive change from companies

they let them do and then clean up a tiny speck of their mess once in a while

when – us, the people and environmental organizations – get fed up and want them to take responsibility and stop pushing the environmental crisis further.

Now to end it on a positive note:

There are great, positive things happening all the time and we should remind ourselves to focus on that.

Remind ourselves that we have power and can be key drivers in positive change, continue to demand action and not let the “big guys” get away with everything.

We are watching and standing up for what is right.

We’ve got power and there are many many great people

standing and working united.

Let that sink in and warm your heart a bit✨

Thank you for reading💚

See ya next blog👋🏼

Xx Stella