Tg Ambiente, edition of 9 July 2024

There is talk of a 'hot' June, a polluted Mediterranean and common recyclers

CLIMATE, COPERNICUS: IT WAS THE WARMEST JUNE ALWAYS

June 2024 was the warmest ever recorded globally, according to data from the European climate program Copernicus. The surface air temperature was 16.66 degrees, 0.67 degrees above the average for the period between 1991 and 2020 for the month of June and 0.14 degrees above the previous maximum set in June 2023. Last year therefore it is the thirteenth warmest month in a row in the Era5 data record for the respective month of the year. The global average temperature of the last 12 months (July 2023-June 2024) is obviously the highest ever recorded. Although unusual, however, a similar streak of monthly records had already occurred in 2015-2016. According to Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the data highlights “an important and continuous change in our climate. Even if this specific series of extreme events will end at some point, we are destined to see new records broken as the climate will continue to warm. This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and oceans.”

WWF: 87% MEDITERRANEAN SEA IS POLLUTED

Celebrating the Mediterranean Sea on the international day dedicated to it – 8 July – also means taking advantage of an anniversary like this to become aware of the threats to which the ‘Mare Nostrum’ is increasingly subjected , and us with him. As reported by the WWF, as many as 87% of the Mediterranean Sea has pollution problems, especially linked to toxic metals, industrial chemicals and plastic waste. Due to pollution not only of the sea but also of fresh water, air and soil, the health of human beings is increasingly put at risk: in the last two decades, deaths caused by modern forms of pollution (atmospheric and toxic chemicals) increased by 66%, reaching 9 million deaths per year. As the WWF reports, in Europe, less than half (44%) of surface water bodies are in good or excellent ecological status, also from a chemical point of view. In Italy, 13% of rivers and 11% of lakes do not reach good status, but 9% and 20% respectively are not yet classified.

ITALY EVER MORE ‘WASTE FREE’, 698 VIRTUOUS MUNICIPALITIES ( +11%)

Italy is increasingly ‘Waste Free’. In 2023, the number of virtuous municipalities in the management of urban waste (which contain the per capita production of undifferentiated waste sent for disposal below 75 kg/inhabitant/year) reached 698 (+11% compared to the last edition); and the citizens served by an efficient waste management service have risen to 4,058,542 (+539,590 inhabitants compared to 2022), representing 6.9% of the total population (last year 6%). These, in a nutshell, are some of the data from the XXXI edition of ‘Comuni Ricicloni’, the Legambiente dossier which photographs and rewards the commitment of Italian municipalities in separate waste collection for correct waste management. Northern Italy confirms itself as the ‘champion’ with 434 virtuous municipalities, but the comeback of the South is unstoppable, recording 231 municipalities (+23.8% compared to 2022). The Center is still at a standstill with 33 municipalities (last year 30). At a regional level, Veneto confirms itself first in the ranking for the number of virtuous municipalities (173), followed by Lombardy (101, +27 compared to the last edition) and Campania (83, +22 compared to the last edition). Sardinia (+18) and Abruzzo (+9) also recorded growth.

PHOTOVOLTAICO, ENEA: NEW MATERIALS AGAINST HUMIDITY AND UV

A team of researchers from the Enea Center in Portici (Naples) has developed innovative materials to protect photovoltaic panels from humidity and ultraviolet rays. “The preliminary tests published on ScienceDirect are very encouraging and also highlight that the durability and resistance to ultraviolet rays of these new encapsulating films can further improve by adding appropriate additives to the formulation”, explained Valeria Fiandra, researcher at the Enea Innovative Devices Laboratory and co-author of study. Encapsulating films are polymeric-plastic materials used to cover and insulate photovoltaic cells from air and humidity; play a key role because they perform crucial tasks such as providing structural integrity, preventing damage to the cells, forming a barrier against humidity and ensuring reliability and durability of the module, protecting it from degradation due to atmospheric agents, light and to oxygen.