ESG Radio Newsletter 12^th November 2020

Good day to all. A few issues to share with you in today’s newsletter. As the difficult 2020 year draws to a close it nevertheless includes two more DPC dates that include new development projects in Gibraltar. Now more than ever the public can see the process and level of discussion that takes place at these meetings being screened live. We urge you to tune in – the sessions are long but the agenda is published at dpc.gi a week beforehand and you can tune in for the more important projects. Dates for next mtgs are the 19^th November and 17^th December starting at usual time of 9.30am. Mobile masts will feature and more positively the GRA rollout of real-time radio signal monitoring units.

The ESG has relied upon the European Commission many a time in our 20 year history. While far from perfect it nevertheless has provided mechanisms to take up cross border environmental issues which have been extremely impacting on the entire bay region and its citizens. It is with concern that we face an uncertain future regarding this lack of redress and we hope other mechanisms will be put in place that will act as independent watchdogs both here and in the UK  – watchdogs but with teeth clearly. More on this over the next few weeks.

Covid has shattered lives everywhere both in health, economic and social terms and it is not over yet. We know also that Climate Change demands urgent action and so it is positive to hear that with a different President at the helm in the USA (tho all but confirmed), that they will once again support the Paris Climate agreement and give this the weight it needs. Boris Johnson has been in the press recently also giving support for action on the importation of goods from disappearing forests around the world and the need to take responsibility for this. We have always believed that change needs to happen at every tier – policy – business – community. We must all take on these big issues in our own way as David Attenborough so eruditely put it recently in his phenomenal A Life on the Planet documentary.

This leads us to the traffic conundrum brought about by a series of measures taken by Government to make meaningful change on Line Wall road to reduce traffic levels. The ESG had welcomed the announcement when made as many cities around the world, in full lockdown, once again started walking, cycling and breathing cleaner air. There is no question in our minds that change on our roads is essential. Traffic numbers and vehicle ownership alone demands some controls and limits – we only have so much road space. Additionally we are in a window of opportunity to trial out measures because mass tourism, something our community has embraced with all the good and bad that entails, is absent at present – but with the hopeful departure of Covid – will return again. It would be a real plus for our community to have introduced further road calming measures, studied and implemented the visionary and well researched STTPP, before we return to the mayhem on our roads from multiple flights, cruise liners, and associated road traffic. We will be publishing our own ideas on this shortly.

It will take technology, investment and personal effort but we think our community can and should work towards this.

Finally – check out the online OTWO magazine that carries a special article on the history of our Clean up Campaign in Gibraltar – also visit esg-gib.net for more information on the general issues we follow and lobby on.

The ESG reiterates its support for Governments objective to find the best ways possible of reducing fossil fuelled transport from congested areas on our roads to bring about calmer and healthier environments.

While acknowledging the difficulties presented by the schemes trialed so far, we would not like to see the momentum sparked by the Covid opportunity fail entirely. 

We urge the team tasked with reviewing data gathered these past few months to find workable proposals soon aimed at calming our roads and cleaning our air space. With the overriding goal being to ensure that traffic and transport follows a necessary response to Climate Change, not all changes can be voluntary, though there should be discussion, incentives, controls and holistic measures applied, to ensure a successful and lasting change on our roads to all our benefit.

The OTWO Magazine November edition carries a lengthy article on the history of our Clean ups since 2005 right up to our more recent event in September. It shows the journey of our litter and waste issues and where we are today, which is rightfully much improved, with expectations for more!!

Visit link : https://joom.ag/gHfC Pages 47 through to 67. 

OTWO selected visuals from our website archives but you can find many more images on www.esg-gib.net/flickr – especially on team participation, going back quite a few years!

Please check out and share.

The purpose behind the Gib wide clean ups, of raising awareness, community engagement and pressing for ever improving standards, continues every September together with the Global action  – made possible by the Gibraltar community.

We are very proud and grateful to all volunteers and supporters over the years and for helping make Gibraltar a safer and cleaner environment! Here’s to CUTW 2021 and to a wider scale Clean up Campaign, restricted this year due to Covid Rules.

THANKS TO ALL FROM 2005 to 2020!!

ESG – Organisers of Clean up the World Gibraltar since 2005

In early September, we talked about the upcoming Clean up the World with some caution and trepidation as to whether we could pull off another Gibraltar wide clean up. Well! Very pleased to announce that Gibraltar did it again with the help of over 200 volunteers resulting in 12 truckloads of waste taken to various refuse sites!! 18 teams tackled 14 separate sites. Well done to all for helping our environment and raising awareness on issues regarding litter and waste in our community.

Inspired by a campaign that began 27 years ago, on the other side of the planet, and now sees participation by over 100 countries and some 30 million people worldwide – Gibraltar too supported the campaign for the 16^th year running and dedicated time and effort on Saturday to remove waste from green, coastal, underwater and open water areas – doing our bit in the global fight against this mounting waste problem. Transformations were made to these beautiful areas many of us cherish.

Locally waste collected includes significant amount of takeaway food wrappers, bags, plastics, cans, glass etc..  Even cigarette butt pollution is becoming a real menace here carpeting beaches, parks, pavements and planted areas. Often at sites just a few feet away from appropriate bins! This was well highlighted by one of our teams on social media. Another campaign is urgently needed there.  Our objectives during Clean up is also to tackle logistically challenging sites such as underwater, boat or abseil access only, as well as chronic hotspots which defy the considerable efforts from cleaning companies and agencies.

Generally we move forward pressing for more information to our community on litter and facilities, greater monitoring and fines for repeat offenders and the provision of a modern waste plant to cope with the ever growing amount of rubbish produced by an ever larger and developed and populated Gibraltar.

A report with recommendations will be filed with the Litter Committee and Govt to ensure all issues highlighted are reviewed and improved upon.

The ESG website will soon be publishing a photographic account of our latest Gibraltar wide Clean up including pictures of teams and type and volume of waste found and removed. Links to the report will be provided on FB etc. Thanks to all volunteers, support services and very importantly our CUTW steering team.  Civic Pride does exist and must be fostered and we shall be engaging in a number of campaigns you will soon be hearing more about.

Check out our Flickr site for updates on all our past Clean ups!

The ESG thanks all those who took part in this years ‘Clean up the World’ action over the weekend. This 16^th major clean up comes at a difficult time due to Covid, so a very special well done to the 200 volunteers involved.

18 teams worked hard at 14 sites on Saturday removing harmful waste from our environment. Underwater, coastal, open water, green, communal and revetment hotspots were tackled and saw 12 truckloads of waste head to the dedicated waste tips.

While Gibraltar continues to see improvement in overall cleanliness, petty littering and fly tipping continues to take place and highlights a need for an ongoing review of what must be done to reduce if not eliminate this hazard to our natural environment.

Reports will be filed with information gathered by our teams highlighting the current state at specific areas and the ESG will follow up with relevant authorities and the Litter Committee.

Clean up organisers add that the community spirit displayed during our Clean Ups gives hope that we will get there, but that we must continue to work hard to achieve the cleanest possible Gibraltar we can.

Extra:

-New to Campaign was Dept of Env Drone that captured action at Rosia and Seven Sisters

-Same day lift off of waste at Seven Sisters

-Large turn out of divers – 3 clubs and large representation of Dept of Env Marine Team

-Waste went to different sites so usual single mountain was not achieved, instead we have a number of piles

Special assistance –

Rosia Bay – Led by Dept of Env and GSAC, with DOE Marine and Drone teams, Dive Charters and Diving with Nic

Seven Sisters – Britannia Abseilers and Crane team, Royal Navy Diver Boat access

Support– Britannia, Wildlife Gibraltar, Monteverde site team, Eco Park

ESG CUTW Steering team

Thanks to all teams:

University of Gibraltar,  Rotary Club International,  Laguna & Glacis Youth Clubs,  Europa Walks, GSAC, Dive Charters, Diving with Nic, Dept of Environment Marine and Drone Team, Ofs&Youfra, MH Bland, Trusted Novus, The Nautilus Project, OTWO Mixed team, B Company, Bruzon Team, Britannia, ESG, Helmut Team

This year the ESG has had to keep all publicity and arrangements for the Clean up to a minimum following Covid and Public Health guidelines.

This years poster has therefore been modified to promote awareness about litter and NOT call for volunteers. Our 18 teams (out of our usual 30 teams) were made up from longterm participants. We are so very grateful to all for stepping up to the task of ensuring our natural environment once again benefits from the great community and voluntary clean up effort.

The ESG is very disappointed by the fact that the proposed project for the new elderly care home on Bishop Caruana Road has been passed by the DPC. Although the ESG recognises the need for this kind of provision for the elderly, it does not consider that the proposed building is the best solution.

It considers the project is totally unacceptable for a range of reasons. To begin with the height of the building will significantly diminish the access to light of those other elderly residents living in Bishop Canilla House. This, in our view, must be reviewed.

The ESG expressed a number of concerns at the DPC meeting itself centering on design, need for holistic plan of entire site, and landscaping at ground floor which is a requirement for all developments under the current development plan.

Described as a sustainable project the ESG would like to see how this has been evaluated from the sourcing of materials to transporting of these and a full account of how it will meet highest energy rating, an objective the Gibraltar Government is now seeking from all developments.

We currently have a project that seeks to create a green environment on top of a very tall building in a wind prone location that will also limit space for solar panels, which are envisaged to form part of the plan and its sustainability compliance.

The ESG holds it own views about trading with China but is focusing only on the environmental aspects here. It believes better designs exist, sourced from countries with a better environmental record than China, without such large transport costs involved, to deliver a more suitable and sustainable facility for our elderly.

It believes this project is being rushed and that more questions need to be answered. It will be calling on Government to review this development.

ESG Radio Broadcast 3^rd September 2020

Good day to all. It’s been some time since our last broadcast.

With cooler weather has come greater activity and despite Covid concerns, an air of hopefully greater optimism that together we can eventually overcome the worst of the difficulties and health threats posed by the Covid virus.

On our side we continue to monitor and engage in local, regional and international environmental news and developments despite these being somewhat eclipsed by the Covid headlines. Only this week we were privileged to enjoy a full hour of our worlds unimaginably beautiful nature and her inhabitants, with who else but Sir David Attenborough, as always, leading us to enjoy, respect and wonder at life away from the human species. A reminder of why we need to change and improve our behaviour to ensure we live with other species and not in place of them.

So we look at what we can do here, in Gibraltar, and how we can play our part. This year the global Clean up the World is taking place on the 19^th September. This will be our 16^th Gibraltar wide clean up. We must emphasise that although plans are underway to ensure some action takes place on the day to help our natural environment and raise awareness within our community, updates will be released in the press and volunteers informed directly, closer to the date,  as to how exactly the Clean up can happen following directives issued by Gibraltar’s Contingency team. Our regular teams are starting to sign up already which is great. If you have taken part before and would like to help, please email esg@gibtelecom.net – and we shall keep you posted.

A few bits of information which may interest you: The Dept. of Env has published a Marine Paper calling for feedback – although the deadline is tomorrow, the 4^th Sept, it is nevertheless a very comprehensive and well researched document with analysis and information on our marine environment and more. You can find the link at: https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/environment/marine-strategy . The ESG has supplied the Department with our feedback and concerns regarding waste and litter handling, sewage, shipping, small craft impacts, fishing, and impacts from the large chemical complex in the Campo area.

Tomorrow morning sees an online meeting of the DPC (Development and Planning Commission) – with a number of large projects coming up and a plethora of smaller items. You can follow the meeting live online by going to Town Planning Gibraltar, click on Development and Planning Commission meetings and the link will appear there.

We are mindful of the wider issues surrounding the continuous construction on the Rock regarding facilities, infrastructure, need for new Plan, climate change, etc. and those of you interested in our long-term objectives could visit esg-gib.net for more information on these. Thanks for liste

ESG Press Release re Tuna Fishing from Gibraltar

The ESG has for some years been observing the developments regarding the local fishing of tuna from Gibraltar. 

It supports the views held by both the GONHS and The Nautilus Project that our fundamental objective should be the conservation and protection of this species. It also supports the responsible actions taken both by the Department and Ministry for the Environment in controlling and managing the tuna fishing in practice today. 

Nevertheless, the group would like to see Tuna Fishing banned in Gibraltar as we strive towards the conservation of our habitats and biodiversity especially as we exit Brexit and assume responsibility of the management of our waters. The group believes the Bay and Straits are important ecological zones for resident and migratory species and should therefore receive full protection from both sides of the border.

While arguments rage over hunting from the wild and the issues surrounding the supply of this meat for human consumption, the ESG considers any animal or fish deemed to be endangered by the IUCN should simply cease to be killed for sport while other options such as tag and release, itself not without controversy or lethal implications for these creatures, be fully studied and considered beforehand.

The ESG believes that Gibraltar should be supporting all efforts to conserve the magnificent creatures we are so privileged to enjoy and admire in our seas and pursue a ban on local tuna fishing.”

Real Steps on Pollution & Climate Change

18^th June 2020

Following recent news that the UK was completing 2 full months without burning coal, the ESG strongly welcomes hearing that the Los Barrios Coal Fired Power Station is expected to cease operating at the end of June 2020 due, it is believed, to a number of issues such as reduced demand and failure to comply with ever tighter EU emission standards.

This will bring great dividends to the Bay’s environment given it is a highly polluting and ageing industry.

Officials delivered news to a gathering which included a number of Spanish environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace, and were told that while plans are to replace some of the lost energy production with wind farms, that full surveys would be undertaken by relevant experts, to ensure the least possible impacts on migratory birds.

Overall, extremely positive news for pollution levels in the Bay.

https://www.europasur.es/campo-de-gibraltar/Palo-economia-Campo-Gibraltar-Barrios_0_1473153270.html