ECOSITE ACCREDITATION OF NORTH MOLE POWER STATION

ESG Press Release

24^th February 2017

The ESG understands that our new power station will be a huge improvement on power generation for Gibraltar and will be welcomed by a very patient community. We also welcome the fact that the project has been planned to minimise its effect on the surrounding sea, and to minimise noise and light pollution during its construction phase.

Nevertheless the ESG believes it is essential that the impact that industry has on the environment is independently assessed and monitored and we continue to correspond and meet with Government officials to ensure that this level of transparency and best available technology are implemented in the new project for its operational stage.

In this context the self – awarding of an Ecosite status on the construction of the Power Station by Bouygues is not meaningful to the ESG who urge the company to obtain independent accreditation of their efforts to give these real credibility.

ESG Radio Newsletter 23^rd February 2017 –

Keyword – Primary Microplastics IUCN

Hi- in today’s newsletter we look at the health of our seas, at 2017 Clean up the World and more.

To begin with there has welcome global media focus on the impact plastics are having on our oceans and consequently on marine life and the food chain.

The issue of poorly managed plastic waste is a universally accepted environmental problem now entering crisis stage. The ESG is most concerned about this issue and established CUTW in 2005 to bring these matters closer to the local community, especially as we are essentially an island nation and must therefore effectively manage our own waste to the highest standards. This continues with plans for CUTW 2017 now getting underway.

Microbeads in cosmetics and other ordinary products are also being looked at more widely as their impact is believed to be considerable. However, in a report published only yesterday by the IUCN, that’s the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it states that tiny plastic particles washed off products such as synthetic clothes and car tyres could be contributing up to 30% of the “plastic soup” polluting the world’s oceans – and, in many developed countries- are a bigger source of marine pollution than plastic waste.

The report is evidence-based research carried out by the Global Marine Programme in 7 geographical regions looking into the main source of primary microplastics in the world’s oceans. Primary microplastics are plastics that enter the oceans in the form of small particles, as opposed to plastic waste that degrades in the water and come from car tyres, synthetic textiles, marine coatings, road markings, personal care products, plastic pellets and city dust.

This report presents worrying findings but clearly very useful in directing urgent and necessary changes in how we live our day-to-day lives, the products we use and how these are made.

For the full report google IUCN Primary Microplastics Report and you will see it there.

What we can do is drive less, buy natural fabrics over synthetic and use environmentally friendly detergents and cosmetics. We must also take care of our own plastic rubbish and the ESG continues to lobby for CUTW aims and objectives that form part of the campaign -with a dedicated press release going out on this shortly. CUTW 2017 invites teams to now register for the main September clean up. There are plans for workshops and the familiar awareness raising parade so please get in touch at esg@gibtelecom.net to sign up.

Well done to the Nautilus Project for their recent beach clean up. It’s a familiar sight to us as we regularly remove marine debris from our shores and welcome every effort to help clean up the seas.

Please visit our website for more information on other issues at www.esg-gib.net – there’s dockyard noise pollution, the upcoming Spanish protest on 28^th February against Refinery pollution and much more. Thanks for listening.

This week’s newsletter should lead with an update on the on-going work we have recently undertaken against the shocking levels of pollution affecting the Bay area caused by the CEPSA Oil Refinery particularly on 29th January. This is not a new issue for the ESG – it being one of the key or core campaigns we embarked on soon after we formed in the early 2000’s. We have therefore built up a considerable case of technical and campaign data on this industrial facility that has formed the basis for numerous complaints sent to Brussels, directly, with the assistance of the international law firm Hassan’s, and with the support of MEPs, from 2006 onwards.

Pollution emissions at this plant have improved to what they were, say, five years ago and much can be attributed to the persistent campaigning by NGOs on both sides of the border. It is surprising to us that many seem unaware of the efforts made by Spanish groups in fighting for environmental issues in the Bay and surrounding area. They certainly do and visits to either the Agaden or Verdemar Facebook page or websites will easily inform on the sustained campaigning carried out by them.

Indeed the latest round of heavy pollution has seen us take immediate steps in lodging a detailed and evidence based complaint with the appropriate directorate in Brussels, and has also seen the Spanish NGO Verdemar, now organising a protest to take place in Algeciras on the 28^th February. They will be calling upon their Spanish authorities to better enforce environmental and safety regulations at industries like CEPSA, citing spikes in polluting incidences recently by CEPSA and Acerinox and raising concerns about the impacts these will be having on the health of local populations residing close to the industries as well as throughout the Bay.

Verdemar has circulated a poster which advises that the march will start at 12.00 midday from Salida Parque M^a Cristina and will end at the subdelegacion del gobierno where demands for greater enforcement of environmental regulations will be made by the protesters.

The ESG would like to take this chance to welcome the fact that the Gibraltar Government has felt able, on this occasion to take the unprecedented step of also lodging a formal complaint with Brussels, in fact supported by the whole of the Gibraltar Parliament– we commend their action and hope it helps achieves the desired outcome of continued improvement at the refinery and acceleration in the implementation of the 2008 audit. We await a response from the European Commission and are monitoring the situation very closely.

Another area of interest and concern to the ESG is bathing water quality in Gibraltar, in particular with reference to Western Beach, since 2010. A diversion of a dodgy storm drain led to untold levels of sewage contamination affect this popular beach followed by complaints, protests etc. You can see the consistent pattern of pollution displayed very clearly on the newly launched Environmental Agency website. Historic and current data is there and provides environmentalists, students and anyone wanting to check the health of our waters before swimming with a clear and easy to use resource. Visit environmental agency gi for more info.

Watch out for the next DPC meeting – that’s the development and planning commission meeting publicly on the 22^nd February. There may be a number of significant proposals coming up, details of which can be found at egov.gi under Town Planning. Please contact us for more info on anything you have heard today: Email at esg@gibtelecom.net. Thanks for listening.