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environment

Home Tag environment
uk court over climate concerns blocks heathrow expansion.

uk court over climate concerns blocks heathrow expansion.

Feb 27, 2020

above left > aircraft landing at heathrow airport over horses in a nearby field. photo: chris j ratcliffe / getty images

uk walking the talk and the world says bloody good news. ~ DA editor

heathrow airport’s plans to increase capacity of europe’s biggest travel hub by over 50% were stalled when a british court said the government failed to consider its commitment to combat climate change when it approved the project.

“the paris agreement ought to have been taken into account by the secretary of state,” lord justice lindblom wrote thursday, referring to the landmark climate deal in which nearly 200 countries vowed in 2015 to reduce their greenhouse emissions.

last year, the u.k. also became the first of the major group of seven countries to enact a pledge aiming to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 — a pledge that the office of chris grayling, then the secretary of state for transport, failed to keep in mind when crafting the plans in its airports national policy statement.

“that, in our view, is legally fatal to the anps in its present form,” lindblom said.

ultimately, the legal challenge decided thursday succeeded on environmental grounds. plan b, the climate-focused legal charity that brought the claim, cheered the decision as a landmark that “will be hugely influential across the uk and around the world.”

“the message is finally getting through,” the group said in a statement released thursday. “the bell is tolling on the carbon economy loud and clear.”

greta thunberg, the teen climate activist named time magazine‘s person of the year in 2019, also celebrated the decision: “imagine when we all start taking the paris agreement into account,” she tweeted thursday.

“we have not decided, and could not decide, that there will be no third runway at heathrow,” he wrote. “we have not found that a national policy statement supporting this project is necessarily incompatible with the united kingdom’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change under the paris agreement, or with any other policy the government may adopt or international obligation it may undertake.”

still, the plan isn’t exactly dead — a point that justice lindblom himself made clear in the judgment. he said the decision rests on a failure to consider the country’s climate commitments, not a fundamental incompatibility with those commitments.

and heathrow airport holdings has no intention of backing down, saying “the court of appeal dismissed all appeals agains the government – including ‘noise’ and ‘air quality’ – apart from one which is eminently fixable.””

we will appeal to the supreme court on this one issue and are confident that we will be successful. in the meantime we are ready to work with the government to fix the issue that the court has raised.

heathrow has taken a lead in getting the uk aviation sector to commit to a plan to get to net zero emissions by 2050, in line with the paris accord. expanding heathrow, britain’s biggest port and only hub, is essential to achieving the prime minister’s vision of global britain. we will get it done the right way without jeopardizing the plant’s future. let’s get heathrow done. [ npr ]

“airlines, for all intents and purposes, are becoming more fuel efficient. but we’re seeing demand outstrip any of that,” said brandon graver, who led the new study. “the climate challenge for aviation is worse than anyone expected.” [ nyt ]

unregulated carbon pollution from aviation is the fastest-growing source of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change. in fact, if the entire aviation sector were a country, it would be one of the top 10 carbon-polluting nations on the planet. [ wwf ]

landscape architecture firm swa completes buffalo bayou park.

landscape architecture firm swa completes buffalo bayou park.

Oct 13, 2015

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October 2015 will mark the conclusion of construction on the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project, master planned and designed by the Houston studio of SWA, the international landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm. This thoroughly renovated, 160-acre, 2.3-mile public space, sometimes described as “Houston’s Central Park,” not only features beloved destinations old and new, but also deploys a vigorous agenda of urban ecological services and improved pedestrian accessibility. The more extensive Buffalo Bayou remediation project, of which Buffalo Bayou Park is a part, has transformed a polluted urban eyesore into a nationally significant, naturalized amenity for central Houston.

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Buffalo Bayou Park lies just west of downtown Houston, on either side of Buffalo Bayou and between two busy arterials, Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway. The completed park transforms an overlooked space into a city centerpiece. Existing destinations such as Eleanor Tinsley Park and the Wortham Foundation Grove have been re-envisioned, while new features were added, including the Johnny Steele Dog Park, Lost Lake and The Dunlavy event space, The Water Works and Wortham Insurance Visitor Center, and the Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area.

Before the renovation, “Hardcore users found their way in, but it was relatively unsafe and mostly underutilized because the area is flanked by big roadways,” said SWA principal Scott McCready. “Our client, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, wanted to broaden the opportunity for the park’s enjoyment. Now anyone can just drop into the park. You might have a child with you, or be elderly; it’s not just for the young and athletic.”

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Connectivity within the park and to surrounding neighborhoods is enhanced with two new pedestrian bridges designed by SWA. These new bridges join the existing pedestrian network, including the Rosemont and Shepherd Drive bridges, to increase connectivity and offer greater mobility within the park to a larger population.

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The landscape strategies developed by SWA in concert with the Harris County Flood Control District provide critical environmental services both within the park and downstream. The design utilizes channel stabilization techniques through enhancement of the bayou’s natural meanders, offering increased resiliency against floodwaters. This method represents a sharp break from the midcentury style of straightening and channelizing the bayou. Landscape-based flood control also preserves the beauty of this culturally significant waterway. Additionally, SWA’s planting strategy reduced mowed turf by half, replacing it with riparian woodlands and naturalized meadows featuring native species. This further stabilizes the landscape, provides habitat, and uses characteristic Texan species to return a sense of place to the city.

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[ buffalo bayou partnership ] created in 1986, is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource.

The Buffalo Bayou Park project is a public-private partnership led by Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the City of Houston through the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the Kinder Foundation. The Kinder Foundation provided catalyst funding of $30 million in 2010, an unprecedented gift to Houston’s park system. Buffalo Bayou Partnership will maintain and operate the park with funding of $2 million per year provided by the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3.

[ harris county flood control district ] provides flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by devising and implementing flood damage reduction plans and maintaining the infrastructure.

[ swa ] is an international landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm established in 1957. SWA has studios in Sausalito, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Shanghai, and the United Arab Emirates. Since its inception, SWA has worked in over 60 countries, and its design-driven projects have garnered more than 800 awards.

vw backs off on diesels in u.s. for 2016.

vw backs off on diesels in u.s. for 2016.

Oct 8, 2015

vw backs off on diesels in u.s. for 2016. withdraws application to sell diesel-powered vehicles in the u.s. via usa today [RK]

how engineers at west virginia university caught vw cheating.

how engineers at west virginia university caught vw cheating.

Sep 22, 2015

how engineers at west virginia university caught vw cheating. the information was out there for more than a year but the auto press missed its significance. via spectrum.ieee.org [RK]

danjiang bridge – asymmetrical bridge for taipei by zaha hadid architects.

danjiang bridge – asymmetrical bridge for taipei by zaha hadid architects.

Aug 14, 2015

Zaha Hadid Architects, working with Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner and Sinotech Engineering Consultants, have won the international competition to design the new Danjiang Bridge in Taipei for the Directorate General of Highways, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Located at the mouth of Tamsui River that flows through the capital Taipei, the Danjiang Bridge is integral to the infrastructure upgrading program of northern Taiwan. The bridge increases connectivity between neighborhoods and reduces through-traffic on local roads within local town centers and from the congested Guandu Bridge upriver. The bridge also improves the northern coast traffic system enhancing accessibility throughout the region with the rapidly expanding Port of Taipei/Taipei Harbor, the region’s busiest shipping port.

The Danjiang Bridge also allows for the extension of Danhai Light Rail Transportation (DHLRT) system over the Tamsui River to connect the town of Bali and the Port/Harbor with Taipei’s public rail network.

The Tamsui River estuary is a natural environment flanked by the urban centers of Tamsui to the East and Bali to the west. The estuary is rapidly growing in popularity with both residents and tourists as a recreational area where people gather each day to watch the sun setting over the Taiwan Strait.

The cable-stayed bridge design minimizes its visual impact by using only one concrete structural mast to support the 920m (3,018 ft) road, rail and pedestrian deck made from steel. The bridge will be the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge.

The mast is designed and engineered to be as slender as possible and positioned to offer the best structural performance, avoid impeding the navigability of the river and also minimize any interference with the views of the sunset from popular viewing points along the river. This single-mast design also minimizes structural elements in the riverbed in accordance with the increased protection programs of the estuary’s ecosystems.

CECI and Nippon Engineering Consultants placed second; Aecom Asia and Resources Engineering Services placed third, MAA Group and Cowi placed fourth, with Oriental Consultants with Pacific Engineers & Constructors and Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants and Pacific Consultants with Taiwan Engineering Consultants and Yuang Engineering Consultants placing joint fifth. Well done.


frida kahlo and her plants – indivisible, in life and in art.

frida kahlo and her plants – indivisible, in life and in art.

May 21, 2015

frida kahlo and her plants — indivisible, in life and in art. exhibition a metaphor of her sense of place. via new york times [RK]

scapes "oyster-tecture" project wins 2014 fuller challenge.

scapes "oyster-tecture" project wins 2014 fuller challenge.

Dec 8, 2014

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living breakwaters, a project submitted by scape / landscape architecture pllc based in new york has won the 2014 fuller challenge. the award offered by the the buckminster fuller institute (bfi) is considered “socially responsible design’s highest award”.

“living breakwaters is about dissipating and working with natural energy rather than fighting it. it is on the one hand an engineering and infrastructure-related intervention, but it also has a unique biological function as well. the project team understand that you cannot keep back coastal flooding in the context of climate change, but what you can do is ameliorate the force and impact of 100 and 500 year storm surges to diminish the damage through ecological interventions, while simultaneously catalyzing dialog to nurture future stewards of the built environment,” said bill browning of terrapin bright green, a 2014 senior advisor and jury member.

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besides addressing storm surge issues, “oyster-tecture” will improve coastal resiliency and the restoration of livelihoods traditional to the community of tottenville in staten island. living breakwaters uses natural forces working with nature to create a natural barrier reef. criticism of “eco projects” has been commerce vs. nature, this project regenerates waterfront communities and social systems, while enhancing threatened ecosystems.

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[ now hiring – as of 5 december 2014 ] images © scape

sea chair: into the gyre. studio swine.

sea chair: into the gyre. studio swine.

Oct 2, 2014

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‘There is enough plastic in the sea to circle the world three times’, says Studio Swine. They wish to embark on a voyage into the North Atlantic Gyre with a solar 3D printer, turning ocean plastic into bespoke furniture – made at sea from the sea.

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Studioswine works across many disciplines from interiors to branding. Central to their practice is the notion of research led design as a tool for placemaking in a globalizing world. Swine is founded by Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves. This project will be funded on Friday 10 Oct 2014 1:01 AM CDT on [ kickstarter ]. There’s still seven days to contribute.

wilsonart cre8tivity tour with grace jeffers.

wilsonart cre8tivity tour with grace jeffers.

Sep 17, 2014

date> 18 september 2014 | 6:30p CST
>the lecture is being webcast. [ link ] password: wilsonart

grace jeffers to give closing lecture entitled “Man Made Natural” at the 9-city wilsonart roadshow.

the lecture, which is CEU Accredited, will explore our definitions of nature and what we consider natural. it will examine our ill-informed rejection of man-made material and illustrate how they functionally surpass natural materials. more importantly, she reveals how man-made materials are a vital part of the strategy to protect our environment.

@TheGraceJeffers @Wilsonart #Cre8tivity #ManMadeNatural.

renewables that are not new. solar energy and the electric car.

renewables that are not new. solar energy and the electric car.

Sep 17, 2014

On 6 August 1882 this printing press produced copies of Le Chaleur Solaire (Solar Heat) by Augustin Mouchot, a newspaper that he created in the Tuileries Gardens, Paris, for the festival of L’Union Francaises de la Jeuenesse. It printed 500 copies an hour, using solar thermal technology.

Solar power and the electric car are not new. Designers and engineers, as early as 1870, were creating working prototypes from Cairo to Boston. Over 500 electric cars were registered in Boston in 1902. In Paris in 1870, a solar powered printing press printed over 500 newspapers an hour.

What stopped this innovation? At that time, new technology driven by oil and war. Large ships, planes, and tanks were developed to be powered by oil. According to author David Thorpe, “around 1900 there were three types of powered vehicles on the street, each with a third of the market: steam-powered, electric and gasoline.” In 1900, early champions of the electric car argued that it was safer (gasoline engines at the time risked explosion) cleaner, noiseless, and unlikely to cause environmental problems. Much has changed in the past 100 years, and this storyline has sustained.

renewables-electric-car11900 columbia electric omnibus

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[ how sustainable transport lost 100 years ]

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