Key words:- Power Station and BAT, CUTW litter, Renewable Energy, Traffic & Transport, Port Activity, Acerinox fire, Real-time monitoring, Dogs and Planning

 Welcome to our first 2017 newsletter. We would like to wish all a healthy and positive year ahead.

2017 will see the ESG move to new premises that will help develop outreach projects and engage with members and the public more directly. A membership drive will follow and we hope those interested in a more active role in helping the environment will respond.

We are focusing at present on issues such as the Power station and use of best technology, as well as CUTW littering and waste, together with the development of widespread use of renewable energy. Traffic & Transport is also in our sights and we hope that as well as implementing common sense measures for interim improvements, that a long-term and time lined plan will be set up to bring about real change in the way our community mobilises. These and other issues are contained in a 2017 updated ESG Wish List that forms the basis of our lobbying efforts this year.

Also in this list is for all Port activity, including Dockyard and Rook area, to be run with least environmental impact on our community and environment. This includes air and noise pollution. We receive calls from affected citizens often enough to know these impacts continue and are difficult to pin down. We therefore insist that it is up to those carrying out industrial activity to do so following highest standards and using best available technology. Regulations must also be policed effectively if they are going to achieve standards they are designed to maintain. This way our economy does not suffer but neither does our health and quality of life.

Just a few days ago we witnessed a heavy trail of black voluminous smoke emerge from the Acerinox steel smelting plant. Prevalent winds swept this across the campo area towards Gibraltar. It was an alarming sight made worse by an absence of any official statement by the company of the origin or cause of this fire. It is clear that such a large chemical industrial base as exists in the hinterland will always be the ultimate threat and heaviest impact to the Bays environment and we shall monitor and continue our efforts with colleagues across the border to rein these industries in.

We shall also focus on seeing real-time monitoring set up in the Northwest of Gibraltar. This could assist in capturing pollution levels more effectively from local and cross border sources, in what is a densely populated zone

A word on littering issues– many will know of our annual Clean up event that engages wide spread support to highlight and clean worse affected nature spots around the Rock. This amazing effort fuels our determination the rest of the year in pressing for necessary measures such as extra facilities and increased monitoring, cleaning and policing, to be put in place. We aim for a cleaner Gibraltar in 2017 and a homeland we can all enjoy and be truly proud of. Thanks to all who are working hard on these matters year round.

We acknowledge the efforts made by the authorities in controlling wanton use of fireworks this year. We have had mixed feedback from the public and are taking this up with those concerned.

The increased presence of dogs in our community has created a number of issues. From the need for open space for exercise to policing and maintaining these areas, that are, after all, shared communal spaces. It is becoming a significant issue that requires serious management and monitoring. It is always the few that wreck a relaxed approach for the many, but given the numbers involved there really is no choice. Again, as with littering, prevention of dumping of dog faeces, supported by policing and increased maintenance must follow. We wish the DNA programme luck in helping bring these issues under control.

For those interested in planning matters note down the next DPC mtg is on the 24^th January. These meetings are open to the public and all applications are published online: just google egov.gi and go to Town Planning.     For more info on anything you have heard please email us at: esg@gibtelecom.net

thanks for listening (reading!)

ESG has received concerns once again from the public about the widespread and extensive release of highly impacting fireworks at New Years Eve.

People in estates, especially, are most affected with noise amplification within patio areas, as well as associated prolonged bouts of smoke filled air. The elderly, the young and pets always suffer, and it is a real shame that in a small community such as ours, a fairer solution isn’t found to suit all.

 The law, as it stands, actually forbids the wanton use and release of fireworks in public places, but this is not being applied and infringements of the law are actually being condoned.

The ESG calls on the authorities, who it recognises as having taken some steps to reduce the spread of illegal fireworks, to now control where the public can release these for their own enjoyment.

Regrettably, the alternative, which is full compliance with the law, and a complete ban on street fireworks, is not being endorsed by the authorities, from the responses we have had recently.

Nevertheless, estate bans should be in place and carefully supervised public areas set up for regulated use.

The group does not want to stop people from enjoying New Years, but rather, to enable more people to celebrate this special time in relative peace and comfort.

Keywords:  Brexit, Port impacts, CEPSA pollution?, New Power Station and BAT, DPC and Litter Committee

This week has seen some interesting environmental developments, which we shall go into briefly here.

Firstly, just to say that we continue to follow European and American developments defining policy changes which could impact the environment. We should be having a second meeting soon with the Ministry for the Environment and GONHS on Brexit implications, which we are working on behind the scenes and with our cross border colleagues too.

In our last broadcast we mentioned we were in discussions with the Port about air pollution from shipping and we continue to monitor this very closely. We continue to call for a power connection facility to be in place to service all vessels berthed in our harbour to reduce quayside pollution by allowing them to shut down their engines while in port.

There have been concerns raised this week about what appears to be significant pollution at the CEPSA Refinery complex and associated industry. We all know these chemical industries pollute as a by-product of their activity. What we have been able to verify through our contacts, is that what we are seeing is the thermal contrast from these regular and hot emissions and a cold and wet atmosphere, thus creating a threatening looking landscape which has understandably raised alarm bells. It has to be said that Refinery Flaring is of particular concern to us and this has not been happening at present. A quick look online however will show Verdemar, Ecologistas en Acción posting recent episodes of flaring, which results in the burning off, of toxic chemicals, on a number of occasions in early November. We shall be holding a cross border meeting before the end of year to review all such issues, which affect bay communities and which shall be taken up in formal complaints in Brussels.

Now that equipment and infrastructure for the new Power Station has started to arrive we have once again taken up the question of BAT (best available technology) and emission control with GibElec and Govt calling for updates on the technologies proposed as per their commitment on this over a year ago. More on this soon.

DPC (the Development and Planning Commission) met this week and held a lengthy, close to 4hour session, on many different applications. There was unanimous refusal on the Camp Bay project, which we are pleased about believing that public lands should not be privatised. The Development Plan also stipulates that any development on public beaches must be sensitive and focus on leisure and tourism.

Make a note in your diary that the last DPC meeting of the year will take place on the 16^th of December.

Finally, The Litter Committee will also have an end of year meeting in December and we shall be submitting various reports on findings from our Gibraltar wide Clean up Campaign.

Thanks for listening and as usual, any more information can be found on our website at: esg-gib.net

The Nautilus Project, a local entity, recently launched an online petition calling upon the Government to ban plastic bags in Gibraltar.

You can find the petition here: 

https://www.change.org/p/gibraltar-government-ban-plastic-bags-and-microbeads-save-our-oceans-and-keep-the-sea-plastic-free

ESG Radio Newsletter 10^th November 2016

The Presidential American elections have sent seismic waves throughout many of the world’s communities. For obvious and varied reasons.

From an environmental point of view, it seems the battle has only got harder. With Brexit implications under the microscope we already face an indeterminate, yet major challenge to ensure that Gibraltar’s environmental regulations continue to be held to the highest possible standards. We shall continue to focus on these issues.

However, the Trump victory threatens a possible peel back of the USA’s recent endorsement and participation in the Climate Change Paris agreement, one of the more robust to have emerged from these meetings over the years. Caroline Lucas and Al Gore have spoken out about how people have to have faith that science and evidence based rationale for reducing carbon emissions, will now be very hard to dismiss or ignore, even for someone like Trump – yet we all know the Republican Party has always denied the threat of climate change – and will likely now try and overturn their commitment and fan their coal and other fossil fuel industry – It’s frightening, and very sad that major steps could be repealed this way. Still, Gore and Lucas believe people power and determination can help stall such action – lets hope the American people rally round their environmental leaders and fight to remain in the global response to climate change –

Like everyone, we shall be watching closely to see quite how seismic the promised policy changes may be. Also highly recommend you watch a recently released film by Leonardo de Caprio on Climate Change called Before the Flood– fascinating and frightening, inspiring and compelling – a must watch for anyone wanting to learn more about this critical issue facing humanity and the living environment. Go to Youtube and search the title. Timely release of this National Geographic documentary coincided with election day in America hoping to inform and influence public opinion. Given the result, lets hope the film will continue to inform and educate and strengthen public opinion and ensures that the USA continues its current support in the global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

A recent meeting with the Port Authority allowed us to present concerns of quayside pollution and impact, highlighting reports from residents on the frontline along the west flank of Gibraltar. Gibraltar has held an international bunkering convention this week hoping to develop this business further locally. With fuel business already on the rise and impacting on the quality of life of many residents, we shall continue to press for best available technology to be regulated into all port practices including vapour recovery and onshore power connection. Portside communities elsewhere in the world are also suffering the consequences of rising commercial and leisure shipping activity causing associated air and noise pollution, and, are demanding similar regulations. We shall continue to press for these here in Gibraltar also.

The ESG faces a busy period coming with talks, awards, and the publication of a number of reports.

Our website is also facing an upgrade and will soon display our campaigns and information in a much more user-friendly manner.

If you haven’t yet signed the ban the plastic bag petition, being run by the Nautilus project, you can still find it online at change.org. Link is also posted on our website. Of course plastic bags is one type of waste that threatens wildlife particularly at sea, but is one that can be replaced with biodegradable equivalents, and preferably reusable bags. Both the ESG and GONHS have campaigned on this before and have publicly supported this current petition also.

Finally, just to say you can catch up with our news and press releases if you visit our website, which is esg-gib.net, you can also email us at esg@gibtelecom.net for more information.

Thanks for listening.

ESG supports “ban on plastic bags” Petition

The ESG supports the recently launched online petition calling on the Gibraltar Government to ban the use of plastic bags. This would help reduce their presence in marine ecosystems and is therefore a very positive step.

The ESG has campaigned for a litter free Gibraltar for over 12 years condemning the senseless and continued presence of harmful waste in our green and coastal areas.

The Clean up the World Campaign, very much a flagship project of the group, engages hundreds of volunteers each year, to clean up littered sites, spreading awareness and reversing some of the damage caused by litter build up in various hotspots around the Rock.

The now familiar, “Mountain of Rubbish,” produced from this years efforts, highlights ongoing, deep rooted issues in our community that must be tackled, and our work continues to see this happen.

The current petition on plastic bags resonates strongly with the aims of our Clean up Campaign and we hope the ban will be introduced soon.

 ESG Radio Newsletter 27^th October 2016

 Brexit is dominating our lives in ways that few issues have done before and worryingly creating further and frustrating delays in all spheres of society. It also raises questions on how we can ensure environmental standards are protected and adhered to going forward.

Locally we are concerned that the progress made in recent years on projects such as the new sewage treatment plant will not be blown off course because of Brexit. Another major area is our renewable energy programme, and the need for investment and political will to convert to reality all research undertaken so far by Govt.

Earlier this month we met with the Minister for the Environment and his team together with the GONHS, to review the potential Brexit impacts on the environment. It is an important platform for us, as NGOs, and the Ministry dedicated to the protection of the environment, to share and hold such discussions, and bring to the table, the critical areas of concern that are under threat by an EU exit from each party’s perspective.

We hope to be able to contribute to these discussions in areas of local pollution and health, but particularly in the case of the major chemical plants and Oil Refinery in the bay. This where the ESG, supported by Hassan’s Law firm and various MEPs, has sought redress from the EU on environmental breaches for the past 14 years! It is now going to be an even harder challenge, of that there is no doubt.

Revisiting the Clean up for a moment – just to advise all volunteers that photographs depicting your great efforts over the clean up weekend can be found on our website, available via the Flickr link on the home page that we shall mention at the end of this broadcast. Also you will all be contacted soon as certificates of participation are being drawn up and will be handed out at a special ceremony. A report on the Clean Up, its success and on-going issues will be completed soon and also submitted to authorities and posted on our website. This will include un-tackled areas, bins and more.

OK, moving on to a few more topics – construction of new developments can cause abject misery to those most affected, and actual medical symptoms in a few. There are regulations in place to ensure that these sites are managed rigorously and dust controlled to a minimum, and failure to do this must be reported either to site manager/details should be posted at site hoarding, OR to the Environmental Agency at 200-70620 if there is no info at site. Please do follow up and do not suffer in silence.

We have also attended a meeting this week that looked at issues of quayside pollution and onshore power connection that we hope to see regulated in Gibraltar soon. This could remove air and noise pollution currently affecting frontline residents and we shall continue to press for these facilities to be set up.

Please follow our issues and work by clicking on our website – our Wish List – Core Aims, is posted right on the home page at esg-gib.net and outlines all the areas we follow. You can email us for more information at esg@gibtelecom.net

This past week has seen a number of incidents at the CEPSA Oil Refinery in San Roque that gives rise for concern.

A fire occurred at the plant yesterday, and though quickly extinguished, highlights the risks posed by this industry to both people and the environment in the area.

Although accidents happen, it does not excuse todays prolonged and major flaring episode by the Refinery, which in itself, is poor practice.

Neighbouring residents have been using social media and press statements to expose the company’s excessive and toxic pollution and demonstrate how alarming it is to have their airspace constantly invaded by this.

Local citizens have also been contacting the ESG this week concerned to see the regular polluting activity at the Refinery.

Background chronic emissions produced by the chemical industries located in the Bay are feared to impact heavily on citizens health, with a recent report citing the premature deaths of at least 50 people per year to be linked to one heavily polluting coal fired power station in Los Barrios alone.

The Refinery and all other heavy industry in the Bay must clean up their act and do much more to contain emissions within their fence line.

Public Spaces must not be privatised

Apart from Camp Bay designated a public amenity and leisure area in the Gib Dev Plan, the application to convert the Dolphin Bar Restaurant into an apartment complex with restaurants, should be refused.

It would set a very bad precedent – to concrete further our coastline which shows off Gibraltar’s natural beauty and synergy with Africa – also very popular with tourists and locals and must not be allowed to happen.

The kiosk further along at Camp Bay was refused a second floor on application due to the impact this would have on the open panoramic views we all enjoy. To allow 7 floors at this very popular beach would go against all these measures and values and must be stopped.

Camp Bay is as important to hundreds if not thousands of local families as is, for example, the Caleta, with generation after generation making this their destination of choice every summer and throughout the year, weather permitting. Predictably this application is seeing many objections lodged against it.

The ESG values our quality of life and natural environment and believes that building private apartments in such valued, open public locations is unacceptable and that this application should be refused.

The ESG wishes to highlight the following press release from the Gibraltar Ministry of Health, the Environment, Energy and Climate Change:-

“PRESS RELEASE

No: 581/2016

Date: 18th October 2016

———————————————————————————

Brexit and the Environment

Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Dr John Cortes last week chaired a meeting with NGOs and Department officials to study the impact of Brexit on the environment. Both the Environmental Safety Group (ESG) and the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS) were represented at the meeting.

Discussions dealt with a large range of matters, including the implication of possible eventual non-application of environmental Directives in Gibraltar and the possible effects of difficulties at the border.

It was agreed to keep meeting regularly in order to identify risks to to the environment in more detail and to set out a roadmap to ensure that Brexit does not result in the Gibraltar environment being compromised.

Dr John Cortes commented, “In addition to the single market and freedom of movement, the environment is one of the key elements that the EU has improved throughout the Union. In the same way that Gibraltar has to be prepared to tackle the economic and political effects of Brexit, we must be ready to ensure that our environmental status continues to improve. I am very pleased indeed that the Government’s Department of the Environment and Climate Change, GONHS and the ESG will be working together towards this common aim. This is an example of how all of Gibraltar has to pull together to make a success of any uncertainty that may await.”

end of Press Release