ecology

Transport Ecology

Every human activity has a minor or major effect on the environment. Railway transport industry also impacts negatively on nature by building railroads and industrial enterprises. The operation of railways and rolling stock lead to great fuel and energy consumption and exhaust fumes from diesel locomotives contain a lot of harmful substances.

Construction and functioning of railways is connected with pollution of natural complexes by emissions, drains and waste which break the balance in ecological systems. However, in comparison with other means of transport railways are more environmentally friendly. Thus, electrified railways can carry large volumes of passengers with essentially no pollution at the train, while diesel-powered trains generate fifteen times less harmful substances than automobiles for the same traffic.

The origin of noise from rail traffic usually comes from the engine of rolling stock, wheel-rail interaction, pantograph-contact wire and aerodynamic effects during the movement of the train.

The most efficient way for the reduction of rail noise is the proper track layout and reduction of noise of the diesel engine. However, if the rail nose cannot be reduced in origin, then the solution is in noise barriers. They should be placed as close as possible to the track and have a height no less than 2 meters. In addition noise barriers should be made of special absorbing materials for additional noise reduction.

The transport sector consumes annually 1/3 of the total energy in the world community. Railways have the lowest unit energy consumption compared to other transport modes. Besides, in electrified railways, energy can come from clean forms such as hydro power stations rather than from oil. People have already assessed the advantage of electrified railways especially now when the oil reserves are becoming exhaustible.

Finally, land occupation is much less for rail transport than for other transport modes and specifically three times less than for road transport. For the purposes of comparison with airplanes, it is important to mention that the high-speed Paris-Lyons line (a distance of 427 km), occupies as much space as the Paris airport at Roissy. Different methods based on new technologies can help people use railway transport in the most efficient way.

Green IT

The world's ICT carbon emissions are thought to be equal to the emissions of the aviation industry. The amount of electricity required to send read and delete all the spam email in the world could power millions of homes instead.

Conversely, using videoconferencing instead of flying to the meeting, can considerably reduce air transport carbon emissions. Allowing computers to run smart buildings, where the heating, cooling, ventilation and lightning are managed as economically as possible is another useful application of digital technologies.

However electronic equipment itself should be as efficient as possible. Data centres use huge amounts of electricity to power chips that generate lots of heat, and more power is needed to cool them down. Data centres could be made greener by being built in locations with lots of sunlight. Thus they could be powered by solar energy. At users level there are initiatives like "Blackle", which highlights that black computer screens and white letters would use less power.

When we come to the end of a product's life we should know how to dispose of tones of computers, screens, mobiles, smartphones and cables each year. European countries have signed the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. The directive places the responsibility and associated costs of disposal onto the manufacturer or the user. The result is that equipment should be designed and made to last longer. When it is thrown away and replaced by the latest models, much of it can be recycled and sent to developing countries where it can be used again.

Ecology and Computers

We are good at recycling old soda cans, but when it comes to old PCs - this work is cut out for us. Over the next three years, 250 million computers are expected to become obsolete, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That is good news for PC manufacturers but bad news for the environment. The problem is that old computers can quickly become harmful. A typical computer monitor, for example, contains between 2 and 4 pounds of lead, which can leach into the groundwater in the landfill.

The technology to recycle PCs exists. Facilities in different countries can reprocess the lead-laden glass in old computer monitors into glass for new ones. Metal extracted from old chips and plastics can be reused too.

However, there is little incentive to do it. Consumers balk at the cost of shipping junked systems to recycling facilities. Manufacturers do not want to take responsibility for disposing of obsolete equipment they sold years ago. It is not surprising then that 85 percent of computers taken out of service last year will be in landfills.

The challenge is not so much how to recycle PCs but how to make PC recycling economically viable. The team of researchers has developed mathematical models that can evaluate recycling facilities, including collection centres, glass-reprocessing plants and smelting facilities. Such models can determine the most efficient way of how to help engineers to figure out the right combination of fees, tax breaks and additional reprocessing facilities.

Mathematical models have long been used to simulate different systems, but the difficulty in simulating PCs recycling is that the data is extremely uncertain. Nevertheless, scientists hope to show some recycling options and to encourage authorities to the opening of local glass-reprocessing facilities. The ultimate goal is to make the system available for any country interested in setting up a recycling program. We hope that such systems will start working in Russia in the near future.

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is an independent, non-governmental environmental organisation which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force solutions for the green and peaceful future. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Greenpeace has 2.8 million supporters worldwide and holds national and regional offices in 45 countries. The executive director of Greenpeace is elected by the board members of Greenpeace International.

Each regional office is led by a regional executive director elected by the regional board of directors. The regional boards also appoint a representative to The Greenpeace International Annual general meeting.

The global organisation receives its income through the individual contributions of estimated 2.8 million financial supporters, as well as from grants from charitable foundations. It does not accept funding from governments or corporations.

Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971.Taking its name from the slogan used during the protests against the United States nuclear testing in late 1969, the Committee came together with the objective of stopping a second underground nuclear bomb test codenamed Cannikin by the United States military beneath the island of Amchitka, Alaska. The first ship expedition was called the Greenpeace I; the second relief expedition was nicknamed the Greenpeace Too! The test was not stopped, but the organisation of the committee laid the groundwork for Greenpeace later activities.

Greenpeace is known for its campaigns to stop atmospheric and underground nuclear testing. In later years, the focus of the organisation turned to other environmental issues, including bottom trawling, global warming, ancient forest destruction, nuclear power, and genetic engineering.

In addition to such methods as lobbying politicians and attendance at international conferences, Greenpeace has a stated methodology of engaging in nonviolent direct actions to attract attention to particular environmental causes.

Throughout the world, ancient forests are in danger. Many of the plants and animals that live in these forests face extinction. And many of the people and cultures who depend on these forests for their way of life are also under threat. Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.

impact

energy consumption

exhaust fumes

environmentally friendly

interaction

reduction

carbon emissions

equipment

green

highlight

recycle

reuse

recover

disposal

obsolete

harmful

lead

groundwater

landfill

reprocess

responsibility

viable

evaluate

determine

encourage

smelting

expose solution worldwide elect board appoint annual objective groundwork issue attract attention under threat

inhabitant

fragile

destruction

greenhouse effect

garbage

acidic

extinct

poisonous

CFC

concerned