https://sil2.e-infinitum.com/ en https://sil2.e-infinitum.com/how-should-scotland-manage-its-scrap-steel-environmental-assessment <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">How Should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?’ The environmental assessment.</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-or-creator field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Primary Author or Creator</div> <div class="field__item">Charlotte Stamper</div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="/user/18" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Stephen Richard</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Wed, 10/27/2021 - 10:56</span> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-author-s-creato field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Additional Author(s) / Creators</div> <div class="field__item">Zero Waste Scotland</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-date-published field--type-datetime field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Date Published</div> <div class="field__item"><time datetime="2021-10-25T12:00:00Z" class="datetime">Mon, 10/25/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Category</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/85" hreflang="en">Environment</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-type field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Type of Resource</div> <div class="field__item">Policy Paper</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-length field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)</div> <div class="field__item">12pp</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Fast Facts</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Zero Waste Scotland’s analysts detail the ‘clear and obvious’ environmental benefits of using Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology, powered by Scotland’s low-carbon electricity grid, to remanufacture scrap steel in Scotland. </p></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-precis field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">More details</div> <div class="field__item"><p>The advantages include:</p> <ul> <li>Savings of 60 percent in carbon emissions currently incurred. Today, we export scrap steel to other countries in a process which takes 1.6 tonnes of greenhouse gases to produce one tonne of steel, whereas moving to EAF-based steel production in Scotland would reduce this to 0.64 tonnes;</li> <li>Creating highly skilled green jobs in Scotland, and;</li> <li>Embedding resilience in meeting Scotland’s steel needs now and in the future by reducing our reliance on overseas imports.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Dr Charlotte Stamper, Partner for Energy Infrastructure at Zero Waste Scotland and co-author of the report, said:</strong></p> <p>“Our findings show that Scotland exports almost 820,000 tonnes of scrap steel per year for remelting in other countries. In many of those places, they still use methods which require large amounts of coal and the addition of virgin iron ore to operate – and this carries a high carbon cost.</p> <p>“If Scotland were to instead invest in modern Electric Arc Furnace technology, we could operate these using 100% scrap and power them using Scotland’s low carbon electricity rather than coal. We would also no longer export valuable materials, strengthening Scotland’s resilience by securing domestic steel supply chains are in place to keep Scotland’s economy running in times of global material shortages.</p> <p>“This move makes sense as part of the underpinning of Scotland’s transition towards a circular economy. By switching to a Scottish-based EAF technology for steel production, we would save 790,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, which is more than 1% of Scotland’s annual global footprint.</p> <p>“Whilst the establishment of this industry would also bring economic and social benefits, this paper looks first at the environmental case, which is clear and obvious. Simply put, the opportunity is there for the taking.”</p> <p>Zero Waste Scotland’s analysis also highlights that Scotland currently has one of the lowest carbon electricity grids in the world. This advantage means that if Scotland delivered on EAF-operated steel production it would be some of the greenest steel in the world.</p></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-resource-url field--type-link field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Resource Address (URL)</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/ZWS1731%20Steel%20report%20V5%20FINAL.pdf">https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/ZWS1731%20Steel%20repo…</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/351" hreflang="en">Steel</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/371" hreflang="en">Environmental impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/161" hreflang="en">Carbon emissions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/630" hreflang="en">Recycling</a></div> </div> </div> <div id="field-language-display"> <fieldset class="js-form-item js-form-type-item form-type-item js-form-item- form-item- form-group"> <label>Language</label> English </fieldset> </div> Wed, 27 Oct 2021 09:56:50 +0000 Stephen Richard 100 at https://sil2.e-infinitum.com https://sil2.e-infinitum.com/economics-shale-gas-extraction <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The Economics of Shale Gas Extraction</span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-or-creator field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Primary Author or Creator</div> <div class="field__item">Craig Dalzell</div> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span lang="" about="/user/18" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Stephen Richard</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Tue, 09/14/2021 - 09:15</span> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-author-s-creato field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Additional Author(s) / Creators</div> <div class="field__item">Common Weal</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-alternative-published-date field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Alternative Published Date</div> <div class="field__item">April 2016</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Category</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/80" hreflang="en">Energy</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-type field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Type of Resource</div> <div class="field__item">Assessment report</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Fast Facts</div> <div class="field__item"><p> </p> <p>The potential environmental impacts of shale oil and gas extraction (SGE) by means of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) have been well explored by various groups concerned by this newly prominent technology but rather less well known by campaigners and activists are the economic impacts.</p> <p>This report looks at key questions regarding the economic structure and impact of the SGE industry and the findings are detailed.</p></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-precis field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">More details</div> <div class="field__item"><p>― The SGE market in the US and, so far, in the UK is dominated by larger companies occupying the most profitable licences. There is little scope for community owned or small company development to occupy a significant market share.</p> <p>― Individual wells become largely non-productive within a few years of development which, due to market demand for constant production, forces companies to continue drilling new wells in new locations at a rapid pace.</p> <p>― The low recoverable volumes and high capital and running costs of wells may render profit margins comparatively small and extremely sensitive to oil and gas pricing. There appears to be little scope for economic development of SGE in the UK until and unless wholesale prices return to historic highs and even then significant subsidy may be required.</p> <p>― Communities are likely to be significantly adversely impacted by nearby SGE fields. The concentrated pattern of land ownership and comparatively weak situation of local government renders communities vulnerable to being unable to capture wealth generated by nearby wells whereas the burden of environmental degradation or even simply the threat of such degradation can lead to community stress and negative economic effects.</p> <p>― The jobs created by SGE appear to be short-lived and highly mobile. The job demographic of the planning, drilling and production phases are each relatively exclusive meaning that they will move to the next site more rapidly than the wells themselves do. This creates the risk of a “Boom-Bust” effect in communities.</p> <p>― Shale oil and gas is considered a relatively poor source of fuel due to high extraction costs. The UK’s reserves are also likely to have an insignificant impact on global markets and hence a negligible impact on end-user prices.</p> <p>― Significant externalities have been identified in the form of environmental degradation due to methane leaks. The costs to mitigate these may exceed the lifetime revenues generated by the well which produced them. Further, the UK has a poor record in terms of ensuring adequate decommissioning and restoration bonds which may lead to further public funding being required after the SGE companies have left an area.</p></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-resource-url field--type-link field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Resource Address (URL)</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-Economics-of-Shale-Gas-Extraction.pdf">https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-Economics-of-Shale-Gas-E…</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-keywords field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/695" hreflang="en">Shale</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/511" hreflang="en">Fracking</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/371" hreflang="en">Environmental impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/697" hreflang="en">Methane</a></div> </div> </div> <div id="field-language-display"> <fieldset class="js-form-item js-form-type-item form-type-item js-form-item- form-item- form-group"> <label>Language</label> English </fieldset> </div> Tue, 14 Sep 2021 08:15:44 +0000 Stephen Richard 329 at https://sil2.e-infinitum.com