Tag: Environment

Does a Food Sharing Economy Benefit the Environment?

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According to researchers it depends on how the saved money is spent.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University explored the true benefit of the so-called “digital food sharing economy”: when people advertise and pass on surplus food items to others instead of throwing them away. Is this indeed an environmentally friendly practice that saves resources and significantly reduces harm to the environment? The researchers focused on the effectiveness of food sharing according to three environmental indicators: water depletion, land use, and global warming. They found that a significant proportion of the benefit to the environment is offset when the money saved is then used for purposes that have a negative environmental impact.

 

“While there is nothing new about sharing food, digitalization has lowered transaction costs substantially, allowing food to be shared not only within social circles of family and friends but also with absolute strangers.” Dr. Tamar Makov

 

Sharing Food Got Cheaper

The study was led by Tamar Meshulam, under the guidance of Dr. Vered Blass of the Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences at the Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Tamar Makov of Ben-Gurion University, and in collaboration with Dr. David Font-Vivanco, an expert on “rebound effect.” The article won the award for the “Best Article” at the PLATE (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) conference and was published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology.

“Food waste is a critical environmental problem,” explains Tamar Meshulam: “We all throw away food, from the farmer in the field to the consumer at home. In total, about a third of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted. This wasted food is responsible for roughly 10% of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions, and the land area used to grow food that is then wasted is equal in size to the vast territory of Canada! That’s why it is so important to look for ways to reduce food waste and examine their potential contribution to mitigating climate change.”

According to Dr. Tamar Makov, “Internet platforms for sharing food are gaining popularity all over the world and are seen as a natural solution that can help tackle both food waste and food insecurity at the same time. While there is nothing new about sharing food, digitalization has lowered transaction costs substantially, allowing food to be shared not only within social circles of family and friends but also with absolute strangers.”

 

“Is it possible that at least some of the money saved is then spent on carbon intensive products and services that negate the benefit of sharing? (…) In this study, we sought to examine this troubling issue in depth.” Dr. Vered Blass

 

From left to right: Dr. Vered Blass (Tel Aviv University) and Dr. Tamar Makov (Ben-Gurion University)

Where Does the Money Go?

“At the same time, sharing platforms as well as other digitally enabled food waste reduction platforms (e.g., too good to go) can save users a lot of money, which raises the question of what do people typically do with such savings? Considering what people do with the money they save via sharing platforms is critical for evaluating environmental impacts,” notes Makov.

Dr. Vered Blass adds: “Is it possible that at least some of the money saved is then spent on carbon intensive products and services that negate the benefit of sharing?” She offers an example to illustrate: “Let’s say that for one month a young couple lives only on food they obtained for free through a sharing platform, and then they decide to use the money they saved to fly abroad. In such a case, it’s obvious that the plane they will be flying in creates pollution that harms the environment more than all the benefits of sharing. In this study, we sought to examine this troubling issue in depth.”

 

“As long as our savings are measured in money, and the money is used for additional expenses, the rebound effect will erode our ability to reduce environmental burdens through greater efficiency.” The research team

 

“Rebound Effect” Detected

The researchers chose to focus on the app OLIO, an international peer-to-peer food-sharing platform, and specifically on its activity in the United Kingdom between the years 2017 and 2019.

Combining models from the fields of industrial ecology, economics, and data science, they measured the benefits of sharing food using three environmental indicators: global warming, the depletion of water sources, and land use. To understand how OLIO users spend their savings they used statistical data published by the UK Office for National Statistics on household spending by consumption purpose to as COICOP (classification of individual consumption according to purpose).

“The location in which the food-sharing took place allowed us to assign each collecting user to their UK income percentile,” shares Meshulam. “We found that about 60% of the app’s users belong to the bottom five deciles, while about 40% of the shares were carried out by the top five deciles. We also found that the second and tenth deciles made up a relatively large number of shares, so we chose to focus on them, along with data on the general population – what they spend their money on, and what the significance of these consumption habits is regarding the savings made possible by sharing.”

The researchers performed a variety of statistical analyses, which yielded fascinating findings. In many cases, there was a considerable gap, or “rebound effect” between the expected environmental benefit and the benefit that was attained.

This rebound effect changed depending on the population and the environmental impact category. Tamar Meshulam cites several examples: For the general population, 68% of the benefit was offset in the global warming category, about 35% was offset in the water depletion category, and about 40% was offset in the land use category. Furthermore, in households that used half of their savings on food, the rebound effect in all categories increased to 80-95%.

The researchers sum up: “The conclusion from our research is that the actual environmental benefits from efficiency improvements often fall short of expectations. This is because the infrastructures supporting human activities are still carbon intensive. As long as our savings are measured in money, and the money is used for additional expenses, the rebound effect will erode our ability to reduce environmental burdens through greater efficiency.”

The researchers also examined what the results would have been if the sharing had been conducted in 2011 (these results are not included in this article). A comparison with the findings of 2019 shows a significant improvement. The explanation for this is that in recent years, Britain has made great efforts to switch to renewable energies, and the impact of this is evident in the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. The bottom line? The researchers conclude that “as our findings demonstrate, we need to combine a transition to green infrastructure with green consumerism. Each of these individually will not achieve the desired and critical impact needed for humanity and the planet.”

Featured image: Volunteers receive groceries for the elderly in Bat Yam, Israel during the coronavirus before the feast of Pesach (April 7, 2020) (Photo Credit: TAU)

Light Pollution is Killing Desert Rodents

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New study shows that artificial light at night can be harmful to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health.

A new study from Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology tested the impact of prolonged low-intensity light pollution on two species of desert rodents: the diurnal golden spiny mouse, and the nocturnal common spiny mouse. The findings were highly disturbing: on two different occasions, entire colonies exposed to ALAN (Artificial Light At Night) died within days, and reproduction also decreased significantly compared to control groups. According to the researchers, the results show clearly for the first time that light pollution can be extremely harmful to these species, and suggest they may be harmful to ecosystems, biodiversity, and even human health.

 

“According to latest studies, about 80% of the world’s human population is exposed to ALAN, and the area affected by light pollution grows annually by 2-6%. In a small and overcrowded state like Israel, very few places remain free of light pollution.” Hagar Vardi-Naim

 

Humans Changed the Rules

The study was led by Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor, Chief Scientist of Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, and PhD student Hagar Vardi-Naim, both from TAU’s School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.  The paper was published in Scientific Reports.

“We have been studying these closely related rodent species for years.  They both live in Israel’s rocky deserts: the golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus) is diurnal [active during the day], and the common spiny mouse (A. cahirinus) in nocturnal [active during the night],” explains Prof. Kronfeld-Schor. “The two species share the same natural habitat but use it at different times to avoid competition. By comparing closely related species that differ in activity times, we gain new insights into the biological clock and its importance to the health of both animals and humans.”

Hagar Vardi-Naim notes that, “in most species studied to date, including humans, the biological clock is synchronized by light. This mechanism evolved over millions of years in response to the daily and annual cycles of sunlight – day and night and their varying lengths that correspond to the change of seasons. Different species developed activity patterns that correspond to these changes in light intensity and daylength and developed anatomical, physiological and behavioral adaptations suitable for day or night activity and seasonality.”

“However, over the last decades, humans have changed the rules by inventing and extensively using artificial light, which generates light pollution. According to latest studies, about 80% of the world’s human population is exposed to ALAN, and the area affected by light pollution grows annually by 2-6%. In a small and overcrowded state like Israel, very few places remain free of light pollution. In our study, we closely monitored the long-term effects of ALAN on individuals and populations under semi-natural conditions.”

 

“We had seen no preliminary signs (…) We assume that exposure to ALAN had impaired the animals’ immune response, leaving them with no protection against some unidentified pathogen [organism causing disease to its host].” Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor

 

 

Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor

Dramatic Turn of Events

In the study, the researchers placed 96 spiny mice, males and females in equal numbers, in eight spacious outdoor enclosures at TAU’s Zoological Research Garden. The enclosures simulated living conditions in the wild: all animals were exposed to natural environmental conditions, including the natural light/dark cycle, ambient temperatures, humidity, and precipitation. Each enclosure contained shelters, nesting materials and access to sufficient amounts of food. The experimental enclosures were exposed to low-intensity ALAN (like a streetlamp in urban areas) of different wavelengths (colors) for 10 months: two enclosures were exposed to cold white light, two to warm white (yellowish) light, and two to blue light, while two of the enclosures remained dark at night and served as controls. All animals were marked to enable accurate monitoring of changes in behavior and physical condition. The experiment was conducted twice in two successive years.

“The average life expectancy of spiny mice is 4-5 years, and our original plan was to monitor the effects of ALAN on the same colonies, measuring the effects on reproductive output, wellbeing and longevity,” says Prof. Kronfeld-Schor. “But the dramatic results thwarted our plans: on two unrelated occasions, in two different enclosures exposed to white light, all animals died within several days. We had seen no preliminary signs, and autopsies at TAU’s Faculty of Medicine and the Kimron Veterinary Institute in Beit Dagan revealed no abnormal findings in the dead spiny mice. We assume that exposure to ALAN had impaired the animals’ immune response, leaving them with no protection against some unidentified pathogen. No abnormal mortality was recorded in any of the other enclosures, and as far as we are aware, no similar event has ever been documented by researchers before.”

 

“Our findings show that light pollution, especially cold white and blue light, increases mortality and disrupts reproduction, and thus may be detrimental to the fitness and survival of species in the wild. This adverse effect can have far-reaching consequences at the current wide distribution of light pollution.” Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor

 

Disrupted Reproduction

Other findings also indicated that exposure to ALAN disrupts the reproductive success of spiny mice: “In the wild both species of spiny mice breed mainly during summer, when temperatures are high, and the newborn pups are most likely to survive,” shares Hagar Vardi-Naim. “Artificial light, however, seemed to confuse the animals. The common spiny mice began to breed year-round but produced a lower number of pups per year. Pups born during winter are not expected to survive in nature, which would further reduce the species’ reproductive success in the wild.”

“The reproduction of golden spiny mice was affected in a different way: colonies exposed to ALAN continued to breed in the summer, but the number of young was reduced by half compared to the control group, which continued to thrive and breed normally. These findings are in accordance with the fact that in seasonal long day breeders the cue for reproduction is day length.”

Additional tests revealed that exposure to ALAN caused physiological and hormonal changes – most significantly in the level of cortisol, an important stress hormone involved in the regulation and operation of many physiological pathways, including the regulation of the immune system. Lab tests indicated that exposure to blue light increased cortisol levels of golden spiny mice, while white light reduced cortisol levels of golden spiny mice males in winter.

“Our findings show that light pollution, especially cold white and blue light, increases mortality and disrupts reproduction, and thus may be detrimental to the fitness and survival of species in the wild. This adverse effect can have far-reaching consequences at the current wide distribution of light pollution. Our clear results are an important step toward understanding the impact of light pollution on biodiversity and will help us promote science-based policies, specifically with regard to the use of artificial light in both built and open areas. In future studies we plan to investigate what caused the extensive deaths in the enclosures exposed to ALAN, focusing on the effect of light pollution exposure on the immune system,” concludes Prof. Kronfeld Schor.

Plastic Additives Harm Corals’ Reproductive Processes

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Tel Aviv University researchers examined four chemical additives that are used in consumer products, including food packaging, toys, medical devices, and adhesives.

A new study by Tel Aviv University and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat examined the effect of plastic additives on the reproductive process and larvae development of corals and other organisms commonly found in the coral reef of Eilat.

Plastic additives are chemicals that are added to plastic products during manufacturing, and many of them are known to be endocrine disrupting compounds. The current study shows that these chemicals can have species-specific effects that may damage the population structure and biodiversity of coral reefs.

The study was led by Ph.D. student Gal Vered of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat and Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Noa Shenkar of Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology in the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History. The study was published in the prestigious journal Environmental Pollution.

The researchers focused on four organisms: a stony coral, a soft coral, a fire coral, and a solitary ascidian. These organisms play an important role in the ecology of tropical coral reefs, and damage to their reproduction and development may affect the structure of the reef community.

In addition, the researchers examined four chemical additives that are widely used in plastic products, and which have been found in seawater in tropical areas inhabited by coral reefs. Two of these were phthalate chemicals, which are used to soften and increase the flexibility of different types of plastic and can be found in a wide variety of consumer products such as food packaging, toys, medical devices, and adhesives. The others were 4-nonylphenol a stabilizer used in plastic packaging and as an additive in cleaning agents, and bisphenol A found in polycarbonate plastic that is used for food and beverage packaging, baby bottles, boxes, and more. The European Chemicals Agency has classified bisphenol A as a substance that may cause damage to human fertility, based on evidence found in laboratory animals.

 

“To better understand the impact of plastic additives on this endangered ecosystem, we suggest developing better methods for measuring the actual concentrations within the tissues of the organisms to produce relevant risk assessments.” Prof. Noa Shenkar

 

Selective Effect on Different Species

“Plastic additives are chemical additives that are incorporated into plastic products during the manufacturing process,” explains Gal Vered. “These substances reach marine environments through plastic waste and wastewater. Some of them are known to activate or suppress hormonal processes and can therefore disrupt biological systems. However, their effects on organisms in coral reefs have hardly been studied.”

“The structure of the coral reef population depends on the success of the reproduction, development and settlement of corals and other reef organisms. Interference with their hormonal systems may affect the chances of success of these processes, and an uneven effect on the different species may lead to a change in the community’s structure and damage to the entire system.”

The researchers conducted a series of exposure experiments in which the effects of the plastic additives were tested at environmentally relevant concentrations in seawater, and at higher laboratory concentrations. The parameters measured were fertilization, larvae development, larvae survival, and larvae settlement and metamorphoses.

The environmentally relevant concentration of 4-nonylphenol was found to inhibit larvae settlement in the soft coral, while a high concentration of the same compound damaged the fertilization, development, and settlement of all the studied organisms. The higher laboratory concentration of one of the studied phthalate chemicals damaged the settlement only of the stony coral larvae, and not of the other organisms’ reproductive products. These findings add to the accumulating evidence that plastic pollution has a selective effect on different species.

According to Prof. Shenkar, their findings “demonstrate plastic additives’ negative and selective effects on the development and reproduction of coral reef organisms. The environmentally relevant concentrations used in our experiments were concentrations found in seawater; alarmingly, some had deleterious effects on organisms’ reproduction. Nevertheless, concentration within organisms’ tissues may reach higher levels as these compounds can potentially bioaccumulate.”

“To better understand the impact of plastic additives on this endangered ecosystem, we suggest developing better methods for measuring the actual concentrations within the tissues of the organisms to produce relevant risk assessments.”

 

“Most of the coral reefs in the world are found in developing countries where the human population is expanding rapidly, and waste management is lacking. Steps towards preventing plastic waste from reaching the environment include proper local waste management that reduces transportation of waste, and sustainable consumption of products regulated for additives.” Gal Vered

 

The Importance of Proper Waste Management

“Climate change, ocean acidification, and ongoing anthropogenic stressors place coral reefs at existential risk,” says Gal Vered. Furthermore, she notes that, “most of the coral reefs in the world are found in developing countries where the human population is expanding rapidly, and waste management is lacking. Steps towards preventing plastic waste from reaching the environment include proper local waste management that reduces transportation of waste, and sustainable consumption of products regulated for additives.”

“We emphasize the importance of proper waste management that will reduce the presence of plastic waste from reaching the marine environment, as well as the need for methods to measure the concentration of chemicals inside the bodies of organisms, in order to assess the possible risk to their reproductive and developmental processes,” the researchers conclude.

Featured image: Prof. Noa Shenkar (photo: Hadas Zion)

TAU Students Continue to Work on Solving the Water Crisis in Northern Tanzania

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The delegation “Africa Group, Engineers Without Borders Israel – Tel Aviv” went to Tanzania during the country’s worst droughts in history

Tel Aviv University students from The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences recently returned from the Babati district in northern Tanzania,  where they worked to supply safe drinking water to the local rural population. The students are part of a team of 20 volunteers from various fields and degree levels, called “Africa Group, Engineers Without Borders Israel – Tel Aviv”.

The solution TAU students bring to Tanzania’s water shortage problem is simple and sustainable: through hefty use of the roofs of the regional schools, water can be stored in low-cost rainwater harvesting containers to meet the needs of the children throughout the dry season. The team uses several simple filters and chlorine tablets for storage.

Throughout the year, when TAU volunteers are in Israel and busy with their studies, they still find time to manage all the different aspects of the project, including its fundraising and marketing needs as well as the systems’ construction and implementation. This time around, the students were in Tanzania while the country experienced a severe drought, which resulted in a water crisis and severe hunger.

“During the expedition, we preserved and upgraded our water systems, which at this point provide water to 5,000 children in six schools. We also conducted several pilots for water purification systems; cultivated relationships with organizations that operate in the Babati district; and delivered an extensive educational program on water and sanitation issues together with our local partners. We also visited the area’s new water laboratory (together with the local water authorities). The new lab will be carrying out water tests for us, including in new areas where we are looking to operate in,” say delegation members Aviv Avinoam, Yaeli Benovich, Dan Komiserchick, Sharon Berkovich and Offir Inbar.

 

Children who get to drink clean water and participate in an extensive educational program on water and sanitation issues

 

A New Meteorological Station and Empowering School Management

According to Dan Komiserchick, more accurate meteorological data is needed in the Babati district. The team, therefore, together with the local community, installed the first automatic meteorological station in the region, which will be helpful for the planning of future water systems. The station measures parameters such as rain, wind, humidity, and temperature, and the information gathered is transmitted to the water authorities and local farmers and organizations.

One of the highlights of the delegation was organizing a first-of-its-kind executive seminar for all school principals in Babati. “Investing time and resources in training and empowering school principals is critical for the success of the project, as the school principals are very involved in all aspects of the operation of the water purification systems,” explains Aviv Avinoam. “The main topics discussed were maintenance of the systems; insights and suggestions for improvements; educating the students about water safety and training the teachers. The discussions were very enlightening and productive, and it was decided (in agreement with the regional director of education) that the seminar will be held on an annual basis going forward.”

“We also expanded the existing educational program by collaborating with local organizations and creating instructive content on topics like ‘How is rain created?’, ‘Seasons of the year’, ‘How to build water systems’, ‘What pollutants are present in water?’ and more.”

 

Principals’ Seminar, October 2022

No Room for White Elephants

The team is also conducting a comprehensive academic study to examine the impact of the water systems on the local communities throughout the years, in terms of health, nutrition, entrepreneurship, and more.

The research is led by Yaeli Benovich, who is writing a thesis on the subject with the guidance of Prof. Dror Avisar, Head of the Water Research Center at Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Shira Bookchin from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who researches interdisciplinary aspects of sustainability in the developing world.

As part of the research, hundreds of students and educators answered questionnaires aiming to ensure that the activities of Engineers Without Borders are not causing any harm, and making sure that the water project does, in fact, benefit the community. The research adds a professional and academic dimension to the ongoing project and examines the impact of the systems in a broad perspective.

“Visiting the schools and building the water purification systems is only half of the job,” emphasizes Yaeli Benovich. “A lot of projects initiated in Africa quickly turn into so-called ‘white elephants.’ Typically, some foreign organization arrives, pours some money out and leaves the country. Shortly thereafter, the project is abandoned and terminated. We seek to avoid such a situation, by involving the local authorities and the communities as part of the planning and construction of the systems already from an early stage. We are very clear from the start that the local community is responsible for the project.”

Over the years, the Engineers Without Borders delegations have conducted dozens of meetings with the local authorities, including village leaders, heads of the districts and members of parliament. Additionally, they’ve cultivated a close relationship with the local water authorities.

“We signed a contract this year, a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which clearly outlines the role each party has for the success of the project. This contract guides our cooperation with the local representatives,” explains Yael. “The document lists all the responsibilities of our team, as well as those of the local authorities and community – before, during and following the construction of any water purification system. Introducing these written agreements has had a very positive impacted on the contributions by the local authorities and community. There’s no doubt that this is the right way to work. It is a necessary step that will help the community to maintain the project over the years.”

Members of the delegation during a tour of the new water laboratory of Babati district

Offir Inbar shares that in this type of projects, the team’s presence on the ground is critical: “It is only when you physically present and meet with people face to face that you fully understand the situation, the people involved, the challenges at play and in what direction one should be heading.”

“It is hard to bridge various gaps over Zoom conversations or messages. Close relationships are formed by sitting down and talking together at eye level. When you sit down and talk everything seems much simpler – opportunities emerge, you meet with organizations and key people who may lead you to form new connections. It is the only way to fully grasp the challenges facing the local community. Sometimes the challenges on ground are different from what we imagine from afar.”

 

Close relationships are formed by sitting down and talking together at eye level. An educational activity with school children on the importance of hygiene

Help Ensure the Supply of Water to an Additional 1,000 Children

The drought that hit Africa during the past nine months has emphasized the importance of creating a variety of water solutions. “On our next expedition to Tanzania, planned for April 2023, we will install two new water purification systems to provide clean water to a thousand more children,” says Sharon Berkovich.

“One of the systems will be based on rainwater and the other on the use of filters. The filter system will provide a solution for areas where groundwater or surface water sources exist, but where these are contaminated by bacteria that harm the health of the local community.”

The project is funded mainly by donations from Tel Aviv University, private companies and individual businessmen, philanthropic foundations, and the Embassy of Israel in Kenya. A significant fundraising operation is currently taking place for the upcoming expeditions.

Featured image: Local women collecting water from a polluted water source, drying up in Tanzania

Will COP27 Change the World Order?

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Our researchers went to Egypt for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference and returned with new insights.

The annual international climate conference held on November 6-20 was attended by world leaders, climate researchers and key officials from all over the world. On the agenda for this year’s summit was the implementation of decisions made at last year’s event, including the design of a global emissions trading program and provision of “loss and damage” funding to vulnerable countries hit hard by the climate crisis. Tel Aviv University researchers participated in several events held at the Israel Pavilion. They presented their groundbreaking research in various fields, aiming to provide practical solutions to the crisis facing our world.

We asked them to share their contributions and takeaways from the event. 

 

“The enthusiasm for outer space is so great that we forget that by launching many satellites, up to hundreds every year, we pollute space and the effect can be fatal in the future.” Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor

 

Monitoring Climate Change from Space

Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor from the Department of Geography at the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences is a world leading expert in hyperspectral (remote) sensing, a method of imaging the earth’s surface. He participated in a session on how space technologies can contribute to climate action. In the session, organized by the Israel Space Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ben-Dor demonstrated innovative applications such as a quantitative monitoring of methane emissions; quantitative assessment of soil erosions following extreme rainfall; and the assessment of vegetation and risk of forest fires given extreme temperature increase.

Ben-Dor gives more details: “Dust constitutes a major problem in several respects: air pollution and breathing problems; migration of dust and with it, bacteria; its lowering of the intensity of radiation; its effect on plants (reducing their photosynthesis), and more. In addition, weather changes impact the risk of forest fires, so it is necessary to monitor this potential to prepare for fires long before they occur. We participate in projects run by foreign space agencies such as NASA [America’s civil space program] and ESA [European Space Agency], in order to monitor atmospheric dust from soil undergoing climatic decay, as well as changes in the organic carbon content in the world’s soils, which is an important component of the global balance of atmospheric carbon.”

His conclusions from the summit? That space can be used to monitor climate change and the phenomena that occur as a result, but with limited liability.

“The enthusiasm for outer space is so great that we forget that by launching many satellites, up to hundreds every year, we pollute space and the effect can be fatal in the future,” he warns. “Space gets filled up with human waste, and humanity must take into account not only the pollution of the earth’s surface, but also of space. Therefore, there should be regulation for planned launches, a sort of ‘launch treaty’ agreed upon by all countries, and priority should be given to launching satellites with a large capacity instead of a large number of satellites with little (but complementary) capacity.”

Ben-Dor returned from the conference with mixed feelings. “The event,” he says, “was good for ‘letting off steam’ between scientists and getting an idea of what is being done in tangential or other environmental fields. New collaborations were created, but it happened at the individual level and not in an organized way. The event was, in my opinion, one big political show of heads of state.”

 

Monitoring the Earth’s climate from space. Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor

 

“I was very hopeful that together we will be able to reach a solution and stop global warming. Some will say that this is a naive position, but if we don’t believe there’s a chance to succeed, then what’s the point of participating?” Meital Peleg Mizrahi

 

“Shocking and Unsettling”

Meital Peleg Mizrahi, is a PhD candidate from TAU’s Department of Public Policy at the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences and a researcher of consumerism, sustainable fashion and environmental justice. She also presented at the conference, discussing a path to promote green employment and a just transition to a low-carbon economy. 

“To be honest, participating at the climate conference was shocking and unsettling,” shares Peleg Mizrahi. “I arrived skeptical, but at the same time I was very hopeful that together we will be able to reach a solution and stop global warming. Some will say that this is a naive position, but if we don’t believe there’s a chance to succeed, then what’s the point of participating?”

According to her, the conference played out more like a business-academic conference than humanity’s greatest effort to fight the climate crisis. As a result, hardly any concrete achievements were made. “This is a very depressing situation, which puts a lot of personal responsibility on us, as researchers and as members of the public.”

“My main conclusion from Sharm El-Sheikh is that the solution won’t come from the governments of the world. The responsibility lies with us.”  

 

Taking responsibility and promoting sustainable consumerism. Meital Peleg Mizrahi

 

“If we all act responsibly, we can change this world for the better.” Prof. Hadas Mamane

 

“We Can Change This World for the Better”

Prof. Hadas Mamane, Head of the Environmental Engineering Program at the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, presented on the SoLED project, which aims to make safe drinking water available all over the world. The project offers a groundbreaking off-grid water disinfection device, designed for infrastructure-limited areas such as developing countries and deserts. It is designed to provide maximum disinfection at a low cost, and minimal human intervention is required for installment and operations purposes. 

“At the conference, I had the opportunity to meet very interesting people, and listen to discussions that are not standard in terms of professional conferences,” says Mamane. “These included discussions on the climate crisis and women; how students can share their research through media; and  the effects of the climate on environmental conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and between Israel and Jordan.”

“Although I have criticisms – a lot has already been said about ‘greenwashing’ [a critical term that describes the creation of an environmentally conscious public image to supposedly conceal harmful actions] in the context of Coca Cola as supporting sponsor to COP27 – I remain optimistic and think that if we all act responsibly, we can change this world for the better.”

Featured image: Israel’s pavilion at the COP27 conference. From left: Prof. Marcelo Sternberg; Prof. Hadas Mamane; Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg and Prof. Colin Price

Mobilizing for Efficient Climate Action

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Tel Aviv University leads Israeli collaboration with international research organization, IIASA.

For efficient climate action – aiming to reduce human footprints, enhancing the resilience of natural and socioeconomic systems and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – individual, organizations and countries must be mobilized for concerted efforts.  

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, is an international research institute that advances systems analysis and applies its research methods to identify policy solutions for exactly these types of issues.

Five years ago, Israel joined the organization as a member, and recently the government approved the renewal of membership for another five years.

TAU Hosts IIASA’s 50th Anniversary

The organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and on November 28-9, Tel Aviv University has the great honor of hosting the organization’s entire management in a big event in which all the heads of the universities in Israel will participate – and the public is invited to join. 

“The conference is celebrating IIASA‘s 50th anniversary and Israel’s decision to extend its membership for five more years,” says Prof. Itai Sened, Dean of TAU’s Faculty of Social Sciences.

“Tel Aviv University is leading Israel’s collaboration with IIASA and will host this conference, showcasing IIASA’s resources and opportunities to Israeli academic staff and students at all universities, as well as ministerial chief scientists’ offices. The event will highlight relevant and potential research projects involving system analysis in various fields of research jointly for Israeli teams and IIASA.”

Prof. Wolfgang Lutz is the Interim Deputy Director General for Science in IIASA and considered the world’s leading demographer. Lutz will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming conference and shares a quick insight on its subject matter: “When it comes to survival, minds matter more than money.”

 

We invite you all to register for the event on November 29, 2022 >>

View full program >>

Featured image: Meeting in Vienna. From left to right: Prof. Wolfgang Lutz, Interim Deputy Director General for Science IIASA; Prof. Itai Sened, IIASA Council member for Israel and Dean of TAU’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Prof. Michael Clegg, IIASA Council Chair (Photo Credit: TAU)

Drones Against Illegal Waste Dumpsites

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Use of drones to map illegal waste dumps could promote recycling and save Israel NIS 200 million.

A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University has mapped illegal construction waste dumps using drones. The researchers attempted to assess the actual amounts of construction waste dumped at unauthorized sites, as well as the contents of the waste piles. Analysis of the data shows that through aerial mapping and use of environmental-economic models developed in the study, it will be possible to recycle a significant amount of the waste, saving the state approximately NIS 200 million.

The study was led by Dr. Vered Blass and doctoral student Adi Mager of the Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University. The study was published in the international journal Remote Sensing.

An Expensive Process

The current situation poses a severe problem for local authorities, who cannot handle the scope of criminal activity, and therefore compelled to remove and treat the environmental hazard on their own expenses.

The moment a local authority identifies an illegal construction waste dump, it takes action to transfer the waste to an authorized site. This involves a complex process including, initially, measuring the amount of waste, collecting, and transporting it to the authorized treatment facility, and then cleaning and rehabilitating the contaminated soil.

This is an expensive process involving significant budgetary spending by municipalities, which usually pass the burden on to the taxpayers.

 

 

“The idea behind the study was to try and adopt the principles of circular economy (CE) that promotes strategies for savings in resources for reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling of materials and products.” Dr. Vered Blass

 

 

Recycling Instead of Landfilling

The alternative? “By integrating existing aerial mapping technologies, with economic-environmental models, we can promote recycling of illegal waste and save public funds,” offers Dr. Blass. “Instead of paying landfill fees and polluting the soil, the waste may be recycled at a lower cost while reducing environmental damage.”

According to Dr. Blass, the study, defined as a pilot, included mapping by drones of four illegal waste dumps located in Northern Israel. The researchers mapped and analyzed a total area of 3600 square meters. They classified and categorized all types of waste separately, manually, to determine their area, volume, and properties.

 

Dr. Vered Blass

 

Finally, the researchers created a profile for each waste site separately. The profile included an economic analysis of the value of the different types of waste found at the site, and the potential environmental savings of recycling compared to landfilling.

“The idea behind the study was to try and adopt the principles of circular economy (CE) that promotes strategies for savings in resources for reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling of materials and products,” explains Dr. Blass. “By using these principles, we sought to save the authorities a lot of money – instead of paying high landfill fees for all the illegal construction waste, which can be recycled.”

 

 

“Our pilot findings showed the advantages of multidisciplinary tools and methodologies in helping to identify potential resources, providing economic data for cleanup proposals, and of course, enabling the monitoring and evaluation of the area after the cleanup, thus saving time and money for the authorities, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the field” Dr. Vered Blass

 

 

Saving Time and Money

According to the researchers, the study provides missing data that may prove useful to the state, local authorities, commercial companies, and contractors, as well as companies that monitor and manage recycled waste and raw materials.

In addition, the researchers touch on the direct correlation between meeting international sustainable development goals (SDG), monitoring, and mapping illegal waste.

“This study will provide local authorities with a better understanding of the quantities and qualities of waste, as well as the costs associated with the necessary cleanups,” says doctoral student Adi Mager. “Moreover, construction waste in open areas occupies valuable real estate. Mapping the area rapidly and efficiently will assist in evacuating the land and preparing it for future uses.”

“Our pilot findings showed the advantages of multidisciplinary tools and methodologies in helping to identify potential resources, providing economic data for cleanup proposals, and of course, enabling the monitoring and evaluation of the area after the cleanup, thus saving time and money for the authorities, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the field,” concludes Dr. Blass. 

Featured image: Illegal construction waste dumps (photo: Adi Mager)

TAU to Switch to Sustainable Electricity within Two Years

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

University becomes first in Israel to unroll plans for ‘green’ campus transformation.

In a first among Israeli universities, Tel Aviv University announced its plans to switch entirely to renewable electricity within two years. The pledge comes following the completion of a comprehensive assessment of campus’ greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect), as part of initial steps in a 10-year plan towards carbon neutrality.

Comprehensive Evaluation

External company EcoTraders conducted the evaluation according to the GHG Protocol – a global standardized framework used to measure greenhouse gas emissions. The comprehensive report includes details on all campus facilities that are owned and operated by the University, including the Broshim and Einstein student dormitories. The carbon footprint of the University’s suppliers was also assessed – from electricity consumption on campus, to transportation and construction inputs, to the food served at conferences and cafeterias.

The report was conducted using the University’s 2019 emissions data as a baseline year reference, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted many activities, resulting in a temporary reduction in emissions.

Moving towards Carbon Neutrality

“Tel Aviv University has decided to do its modest part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is crucial for addressing the climate crisis,” says Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University who also chairs TAU’s Green Campus Committee. “We intend to formulate a methodical and detailed 10-year plan, with the goal of attaining carbon neutrality further down the road. Our hope is to inspire other institutions in Israel and around the world to take similar actions, which, in addition, help educate the next generations about this important subject.”

Gady Frank, TAU’s Director-General adds, “We are working to make sure that in two years all the electricity produced on campus will be green. Currently, we have more than 5000 meters of photovoltaic cells, and our goal is to triple their amount on campus rooftops. In addition, we will install storage facilities, which will drastically increase the yield of these solar cells. The rest of the energy would be bought from private suppliers specializing in producing energy solely from green sources.”

 

“We intend to formulate a methodical and detailed 10-year plan, with the goal of attaining carbon neutrality further down the road. Our hope is to inspire other institutions in Israel and around the world to take similar actions.” 

 

Green roof of TAU’s Porter building

Recruiting Experts

About a year ago, the University’s Green Campus Committee, led by President Prof. Ariel Porat and Director-General Gady Frank, appointed a team of academic and administrative experts to create a strategic plan with the goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions on campus by encouraging more efficient use of resources and investing in renewable energy.

The team of experts hired EcoTraders to perform a baseline assessment of the overall carbon footprint of all TAU activities, on and off campus.

The team includes Prof. Marcelo Sternberg, Head of the Expert Team from George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences; Dr. Vered Blass and Dr. Orli Ronen – both of the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Prof. Avi Kribus from the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering; Ofer Lugassi, Deputy Director-General for Engineering and Maintenance; and Alon Sapan, Director of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.

Developing a Practical Plan

“We set out on this mission about a year and a half ago and decided that in order to lead real change on campus, we must conduct a thorough and comprehensive mapping of all of the University’s greenhouse gas emissions,” explains the team of experts. “This is a complex process that required the enlistment of many parties on campus, who agreed for the first time to share with us, and the authors of the report, information that had not been made public until now.”

Now, with the publication of the report’s findings, the expert team is developing a practical plan to reduce TAU campus’ greenhouse gas emissions, to be presented for discussion within the Green Campus Committee and subsequently submitted for approval by the University administration.

It is the first time that an Israeli university has taken this kind of action, and the experts are confident that other universities will follow in TAU’s footsteps.

 

“It is not trivial that the University is investing resources in collecting and analyzing the data – and it is even less trivial that the University is publishing this data – but we are committed to our strategic vision of striving to attain carbon neutrality in the future.”

 

Highlights from Report

According to the report, in 2019, Tel Aviv University was responsible for greenhouse gas emissions amounting to approximately 70,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 93% of which were indirect, with only 7% constituting direct energy-related emissions from the campus, mainly from its air-conditioning systems.

According to the report’s authors, the total indirect emissions are broken down as follows: Electricity consumption on campus (42%); waste production and management (11%); transportation (12%); food and beverage services (7%); construction and building maintenance inputs (4%); fuel and energy for the University’s facilities (4%); procurement (4%); computer and laboratory equipment (3%); other (6%).

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University

Strategic Cuts

Numbers published in 2021 show that Tel Aviv University is responsible for emitting 1.56 tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases per capita per year, compared to Yale University’s 8.2 tons, the University of Melbourne’s 2.7 tons, and the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany’s 0.73 tons.

While the report shows that electricity consumption is the most polluting factor by far on TAU campus, reducing emissions generated from electricity consumption has so far not been an option, as the production method was determined by Israel’s Electric Corporation. However, this has changed. The experts say, “With the opening of the energy market, we plan to consider a transition from electricity suppliers that burn natural gas to suppliers that rely on renewable energy, and to expand the independent production of solar power within the campus.” When it comes to food procurement, the team will assess a variety of possibilities – from reducing the amount of food consumed, to precluding the ordering of meat products for events and kiosks.

The team concludes: “The new report lays down infrastructure that allows us to take a holistic view of the University’s total greenhouse gas emissions and identify the activities that cause the most pollution. This way, we can build comprehensive plans to reduce emissions from these activities in the short, medium, and long term. Moreover, the report will allow us to monitor and inspect the reduction in emissions over time and compare the numbers with the original values. It is not trivial that the University is investing resources in collecting and analyzing the data – and it is even less trivial that the University is publishing this data – but we are committed to our strategic vision of striving to attain carbon neutrality in the future.”

Asper Foundation, TAU Launch Innovative Clean Water Project

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Gift enhances partnership between Tel Aviv University and one of Canada’s largest foundation.

Tel Aviv University together with the Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University (CFTAU) on June 14 inaugurated the Asper Clean Water Fund, established with a $407,000 gift from The Asper Foundation, one of Canada’s largest private foundations. The funds will bolster the work of TAU’s Water Energy (WE) Lab to further develop technology that produces safe drinking water in the developing world. 

Headed by Prof. Hadas Mamane of TAU’s Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, the Lab is among numerous research teams devising solutions to address global water scarcity. Her Lab has developed a patented technology that uses LED lighting and solar energy to disinfect water. The laptop-sized device—called SoLED—operates without any chemicals or electricity to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses from water, making it cheaper and easier to use than existing solutions in remote areas. 

At least 2 billion people around the world use water from contaminated sources. Furthermore, unsafe water is linked to the deaths of an estimated 800 children each day. The issue predominantly affects people in the developing world, where access to clean water resources is often unaffordable or inaccessible. More so, as the impact of climate change increases, water scarcity will affect nearly half the world’s population by 2025, according to expert estimates. 

Among attendees at the inauguration ceremony at TAU were Gail Asper, President and Trustee of The Asper Foundation; Moses Levy, Executive Director of The Asper Foundation; TAU Vice President for Resource Development Amos Elad; Dean of the Engineering Faculty Prof. Noam Eliaz; and Prof. Mamane together with researchers from her lab. 

“My late parents, Israel and Babs, would be incredibly proud of this endeavor which will make such a positive impact on people’s lives,” said Gail Asper. “The research at Prof. Mamane’s Water-Energy Lab and at Tel Aviv University aligns with our Foundation’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurial spirit and to creating a better world. We are excited to embark on this journey to advance innovative ideas and change lives.” 

The support of The Asper Foundation, a leading force in Jewish and general philanthropy in Israel and Canada, will enable Prof. Mamane and her team to further expand the capabilities of the technology and field-test the device. Their ultimate goal is to produce a scalable version that could be manufactured for mass distribution.  

 

Prof. Hadas Mamane, head of Tel Aviv University’s Water Energy (WE) Lab, with the SoLED device. (Credit: Rafael Ben-Menashe/TAU)

The gift enhances the existing partnership of philanthropic support and collaboration between the Asper Family, based in Winnipeg, and the University. 

Tel Aviv University President Prof. Ariel Porat said: “As Israel’s largest research university, TAU places great importance on creating solutions to global challenges to the environment and society. We are thrilled to welcome The Asper Foundation as a partner and look forward to working with its team.” 

Prof. Mamane, Head of the Water-Energy Lab and Environmental Engineering Program at TAU, explained that her passion for the project stems from her deep-seated desire to help bridge the disparities in affordable clean water access, particularly for vulnerable peoples in rural and low-income communities. Her lab works with interdisciplinary teams from disciplines including Social Sciences, Psychology and Public Policy to determine the most effective ways to incorporate her technology into broader safe water delivery processes. 

“My team and I are delighted and honored by The Asper Foundation’s support,” she said. “This gift will accelerate our efforts to provide underserved populations with access to clean water—a basic human right and an endeavor that stands to save thousands of lives.” 

Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University Chief Executive Officer (Ontario & Western Canada) Stephen Adler added: “CFTAU is proud to be a link between the great Canadian family and Israel’s leading research university. We look forward to seeing the fruits of this research and identifying ways to maximize its impact in Israel, Canada and around the world. We thank The Asper Family Foundation and the Asper Family for their continued support and friendship.” 

The Ultimate Solution to Global Warming?

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Breakthrough TAU discovery may accelerate an industrial transition to sustainable energy.

Hydrogen-powered bicycles and cars have been in serial production for years. In these vehicles, the regular polluting lithium battery has been replaced by a fuel cell that converts hydrogen, a non-polluting fuel, to electricity. Most of today’s hydrogen is, however, still produced from natural gas in a highly polluting process and is therefore referred to as gray hydrogen. Not only is natural gas a non-renewable source of energy, but it also creates carbon dioxide gas when burned, damaging our environment and contributing to global warming.

Enter a new TAU discovery, which may boost the industrial transition from using polluting gray hydrogen to environmentally friendly green hydrogen: Researchers identified a mutant of a known strain of microscopic algae that allows, for the first time, the production of green hydrogen gas via photosynthesis on a scale suited to industrial requirements. Hydrogen gas can thus be produced solely through renewable energy and in a climate-neutral manner, reducing our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions dramatically to stabilize global temperatures. 

Humanity’s transition to the use of green hydrogen may be the ultimate solution to the problem of global warming.

The microscopic algae

Continuous Production Achieved

The study was led by doctoral student Tamar Elman, under the supervision of Prof. Iftach Yacoby from the Renewable Energy Laboratory of The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. The study was recently published in the prestigious journal Cell Reports Physical Science. 

While production of green hydrogen is possible through solar panels wired to devices that perform water breakdown into hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysers), the researchers explain that this is an expensive process, requiring precious metals and distilled water. In nature, hydrogen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis for periods of minutes by micro-algae, unicellular algae found in every water reservoir and even in the soil. For this biological process to become a sustainable source of energy, however, humanity must engineer micro-algae strains that produce hydrogen for days and weeks.

Prof. Yacoby explains that as part of the laboratory tests, the researchers identified a new mutant in microscopic algae that prevents oxygen from accumulating at any lighting intensity, and therefore hypothesized that continuous hydrogen production could be achieved from it. With the help of bioreactor measurements in liter volumes, they were indeed able to prove that hydrogen can be produced continuously for more than 12 days.

According to Prof. Yacoby, the new mutant overcomes two major barriers that have so far hindered continuous production of hydrogen:

  1. Accumulation of oxygen in the process of photosynthesis – As a rule, oxygen poisons the enzyme that produces hydrogen in algae, but in the mutation, increased respiration eliminates the oxygen and allows favorable conditions for continuous hydrogen production.
  1. Loss of energy to competing processes – And this includes carbon dioxide fixation into sugar. This, too, has been solved in the mutant and most of the energy is being channeled for continuous hydrogen production.

To industrialize these results, the research team led by Prof. Yacoby is working on a pilot program of larger volumes and the development of methods that will allow the time of hydrogen harvest to be extended, in order to reduce its cost to competitive levels. “The rate of hydrogen production from the new mutant reaches one-tenth of the possible theoretical rate, and with the help of additional research it is possible to improve it even further,” concludes Prof. Yacoby.

 

Tamar Elman and Prof. Iftach Yacoby in the lab

Featured image: Tamar Elman and the microscopic algae

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