Plastic Usage Ban in France

Well if you don't know, then this is it!

France has also become the first country to ban the usage of plastic plates and cutlery.

France has started to take measures to slowly get rid of those plastic cups, plates, spoons, forks, knives and food containers, with the exceptions to this rule being, biodegradable or compost-material plastic.

As part of the new Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, a new law which also made the usage of plastic bags illegal in department and grocery markets very recently. Although, some countries such as the US, already outlawed plastic bags, France’s new no-plastic rule seems to be gaining momentum.

Those behind making this law a reality say that this is a follow-up on last year’s conference held in Paris regarding curbing global warming and enabling a recycled economy, from product design to waste disposal to recycling and repeat.

Besides the obvious knowledge about plastic and the environment, which is that plastic is not biodegradable, hence turning into smaller particles which then threaten wildlife, especially in oceans, as animals do not know that plastic cannot be consumed. More often than not, it has harmed and even killed these poor creatures.

Moreover, gallons of oil are being used every year to produce these plastic utensils, bags and the like, which environmental specialists have warned is a major player in climate change.

French President, François Hollande said that the plastic ban is a piece in a much larger puzzle, which is to make France a global role-model by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, allowing for the usage of new energy models with renewable energy substitutes.

The first step to the plastic ban would be the usage and distribution of plastic cutlery in fast-food places including beverage cups from vending machines. However, there are some that still frown upon this movement, such as Brussels, that sees this new law as something that is going against the European Union legislation on free movement of goods and defending the rights of manufacturers.

Beyond the brainchild behind escargot, making their trademark with navy and white striped tops and berets, or even being bold about women not having to shave, France has become the first country to ban the usage of plastic plates and cutlery.

Yes, France has started to take measures to slowly get rid of those plastic cups, plates, spoons, forks, knives and food containers, with the exceptions to this rule being, biodegradable or compost-material plastic.

As part of the new Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, a new law which also made the usage of plastic bags illegal in department and grocery markets very recently. Although, some countries such as the US, already outlawed plastic bags, France’s new no-plastic rule seems to be gaining momentum.

Those behind making this law a reality say that this is a follow-up on last year’s conference held in Paris regarding curbing global warming and enabling a recycled economy, from product design to waste disposal to recycling and repeat.

Besides the obvious knowledge about plastic and the environment, which is that plastic is not biodegradable, hence turning into smaller particles which then threaten wildlife, especially in oceans, as animals do not know that plastic cannot be consumed. More often than not, it has harmed and even killed these poor creatures.

Moreover, gallons of oil are being used every year to produce these plastic utensils, bags and the like, which environmental specialists have warned is a major player in climate change.

French President, François Hollande said that the plastic ban is a piece in a much larger puzzle, which is to make France a global role-model by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, allowing for the usage of new energy models with renewable energy substitutes.

The first step to the plastic ban would be the usage and distribution of plastic cutlery in fast-food places including beverage cups from vending machines.

However, there are some that still frown upon this movement, such as Brussels, that sees this new law as something that is going against the European Union legislation on free movement of goods and defending the rights of manufacturers.

One such example is Eamonn Bates, the secretary general of Pack2Go Europe, which is a company based in Brussels. He said he will challenge France’s no-plastic law based on infringement of the European Commission laws and will be representing those in favor of using plastic utensils in Europe.

On the flip side, those in favor of the law want an earlier introduction to France, maybe even by 2017. However, the French Environment Minister, Ségolène Royal, said this would not do because, it will be at the cost of those in the low-income bracket of the society, who depend on plastic utensil usage.

Therefore, the ban will be in effect as of 2020.

Considering the rate at which Earth is deteriorating, it is a wonder if anything can be salvaged with France’s movement alone, or if this law will prove to be redundant by 2020, if the environment has reached its threshold and become irreparable, by then.

Story Credit : CureJoy App

GHANA NEEDS $22.6 BILLION TO IMPLEMENT CLIMATE ACTIONS

Ghana needs $22.6 billion in investments from domestic and international public and private sources to finance its climate mitigation and adaptation actions.

The country's 31 programme of actions will drive the strategic focus of a “10-year post-2020 enhanced climate action plan” that would be developed after the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris.

This is contained in Ghana’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) submitted on September 23, 2015 to the UNFCCC, ahead of the deadline.
An INDC is a government's proposed 'contribution' to the UNFCCC as to what it will do about climate change.

COP 21 CLIMATE CHANGE

The Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC invited parties to communicate to the secretariat their INDCs well in advance of the Paris climate summit in December 2015 “in a manner that facilitates the clarity, transparency and understanding of the INDCs.
As at October 1, there were 108 submitted INDCs on the UNFCCC website, including that of Ghana.

Ghana's INDC is anchored on the medium-term development agenda (Ghana Shared Growth Development Agenda II – GSGDA 2), National Climate Change Policy and the Low Carbon Development Strategy, as well as the anticipated 40-year long-term development and the universal sustainable development goals.

According to the document,“the proposed measures to achieve the INDC goal will build on existing measures and strategies”.
In all, 20 mitigation and 11 adaptation programme of actions in 7 priority economic sectors are being proposed for implementation in the 10-year period (2020-2030).

The implementation of the actions are expected to help attain low carbon climate resilience through effective adaptation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in the priority sectors: Sustainable land use including food security; Climate proof infrastructure; Equitable social development; Sustainable mass transportation; Sustainable energy security; Sustainable forest management; and Alternative urban waste management.

Ghana's emission reduction goal is to unconditionally lower its GHG emissions by 15% relative to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario emission of 73.95 MtCO2e by 2030.

An additional 30 percent emission reduction is attainable on condition that external support is made available to Ghana to cover the full cost of implementing the mitigation action (finance, technology transfer, capacity building).
With this external support, a total emission reduction of 45% below the BUA emission levels can be achieved by 2030.

The total investment cost for implementing the 20 transformational mitigation actions is $9.81 billion – representing 45% of the total investment. Out of this, Ghana will mobilize $2.02 billion (21% of the total investment cost) to finance the two unconditional INDCs. An additional $7.79 billion will be needed to finance the remaining 18 mitigation actions in order to achieve more ambitious emission reductions in the 10 year period.

The long-term goal of Ghana’s adaptation is to increase climate resilience and decrease vulnerability for enhanced sustainable development.
Ghana will require $12.79 billion for adaptation – $4.21 billion (34%) will be mobilized at the national level, whilst the remaining $8.29 billion is the international contribution Ghana is looking for in order to meet the cost of implementing its adaptation actions.

Adaptation under Ghana’s INDC is informed by: good governance and inter-sectoral coordination; capacity-building, the role of science, technology and innovation; adequate finance from both domestic sources and international cooperation; promoting outreach by informing, communicating and educating the citizenry; and adhering to accountable monitoring and reporting.

Ambitious climate resilient economy
Africa and other developing countries remain vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In Ghana, the agricultural and food economy are already under threat as local farmers reel under the severity of the weather.
Achieving a 2oC global temperature target is ambitious but means for adaptation and mitigation remain critical to the vulnerable.

In preparing and submitting its INDC, Ghana is mindful of its international obligations as a Party to the UNFCCC while simultaneously pursuing a national development agenda that seeks to achieve the long-standing objective of becoming a fully-fledged middle-income economy.

Ghana’s response to the threats posed to this objective by the impacts of climate change has been to pursue coordinated domestic policy actions that in effect seek to develop a policy framework that integrates adaptation, mitigation and other climate related policies within broader development policies and planning.

This is in order to safeguard developmental gains from the impacts of climate change and build a climate resilient economy.
Ghana holds the view that the INDCs should cover mitigation, adaptation, finance technology, capacity building and transparency and agrees with the common position of Africa.

Original story: ghanaweb.com

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A Call Well Made

Professor Samuel Nii Odai, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, has called on businesses to consider the

PROFESSOR SAMUEL NII ODAI

implications of their activities on the environment. He made this call at the launch of this year’s Trade and Technology Fair (TRATECH) organised by the Students Representative Council (SRC).

The fair has the theme “People, Planet and Profit: Embracing Sustainability and Innovation for Business Growth”.
Prof. Nii Odai explained that profit was good but businesses should not only consider profit to the neglect of the environment. This was because a negative attitude towards the environment would affect generations. He made a passionate appeal to businesses to adopt innovative strategies to save the environment.

“As a science and technology university, equipping students with the requisite entrepreneurial skills, it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations do not suffer due to our actions today,” he stated. He therefore commended the students for choosing the theme.

Joseph Baffour, Chairman of the TRATECH Committee, observed that this year’s fair sought to provide employment and capacity-building to exhibitors with good and amazing business ideas. Exhibitors would compete under the SRC Business Development Challenge. Viable businesses that emerge winners would be brought into partnership with the Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI) and the Centre for Business Development.

Items on exhibition include electronics, clothing, drugs, cosmetics, footwear, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, decorative accessories, food, beverages and drinks. There were exhibitions from multimedia, travel and tourism companies and other service providers in the Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI).

Duke Sasu, the SRC President, believes that students’ ideas should be supported and therefore fourteen (14) start-up businesses and ideas of students would be supported with funds.
Apart from the usual college and departmental exhibitions, a significant number of exhibitors were students and alumni entrepreneurs. Wise Technologies, an electronic company owned and funded by some students, exhibited universal modems and power banks. The power banks are power devices for charging smartphones, tablets, cameras, Go Pro, MP3 players among others. The power bank would help students to charge their mobile devices in this time of the power crisis.
Mtrotech is also a student-owned business. They exhibited cane furniture and handmade customized t-shirts made from sea shells, clay, wood and other natural materials.

Some undergraduate students from the KNUST School of Business (KSB) also exhibited Fresh Drinking Yoghurt. The drink known as Lese Fresh Drinking Yoghurt comes in strawberry, mango and orange flavours.  At the KSB stand were assorted bead products such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, among others under the label Queens Pearl.

Story Credit: www.knust.edu.gh