your *free* dose of liz :: kosovo

snow day

Today has a feeling a bit like a snow day, when schools and roads are closed. Only the schools aren't closed, nor are the roads blocked by snow. The streets are quite, and many roads are shut due to Ahtisaari's visit. I went to a special lunch with War Child Holland and World Child, and we toasted the future of Kosovo. People drank wine and some managed to really tie one on.

Later we had a workshop about strategy: what it is, why it's important to have one, and how we will go about developing one for World Child. We start next Tuesday. It's something that everyone is taking pretty seriously because with War Child stopping its funding at the end of the year, their jobs depend on it.

In other news, I've been invited to go to a local elementary school next week to talk about environmental issues. I believe the kids are 12-14 and have been learning English in the school as well so have a decent enough vocabulary to understand the basics. Words I plan to teach them if they don't already know are: ecosystem, interdependence, social responsibility and  personal footprint. Now, if only I had some puppets and model airplanes to capture their imaginations...it ain't easy being green...

Update: World Bank Funding

An unconfirmed source has told me that in reality the World Bank has invested more than 60 million in projects related to the Lignite plant.... All the more money they coulda invested in solar!

What the World Bank Shoulda Done with their 8.5 Million

What do you give to a region with no real resources that is rifled by pollution, unemployment and generators to fill the gaps in inconsistent and insufficient energy? You guessed it, a brand new, 8.5 million dollar Lignite Power Plant!

I'm no expert, but at first glance this seems like a tremendously short-sighted solution to the enviro-socio-cultural crisis in the Kosovo region. Sure, the power plant as envisioned by the less than visionary decision makers at the World Bank will give a greater population more reliable energy in the future, but what about the environmental and public health as a result?

Imagine that the World Bank invested in renewable energy sources rather than the dirty energy coming from coal. First of all, the sky would clear up. People would not only be in a better mood, but also in better health. As a result of this, they would feel more hopeful and more energized to create alternate means of economy. The World Bank could make Kosovo the first region in Europe to be run solely on renewables, stimulating a growth in eco-tourism, biological farming and renewable manufacturing (think: solar panel factories, wind energy compounds, etc) In 20 years, the region could not only boast the best public health record in Europe, but be self-sufficient with the eco-tourist and outdoor sports market and sales from their solar panels. This in turn would generate jobs to drop the sky-rocketing unemployment rate, enable short-sighted organizations like the World Bank to focus on other problems, like poor water quality. Oh wait, the water would be cleaner as a result of the lack of Lignite deposits into the atmosphere.

Think about it. What's not to lose?

don't drink the water

When I first arrived, I questioned whether or not the water here in Kosovo was save to drink. As a general rule whenever I go to a developing country, I start out very cautious and then over time I relax my self-inflicted rules. (I remember when I first arrived in India I wouldn't even brush my teeth with the water the first night!!)

After about a week with X's expert opinion at hand, I started boiling water for tea from the tap and ordering coffees at restaurants. Now, a few weeks later, I am starting to learn more about what is actually in this water that they use in all the restaurants, that we bathe in and cook with. Suffice it to say, I've gone back to using bottled water for hot drinks and everything but bathing.

I don't have all the details (yet), but it's safe to claim the water is loaded up with lead and other toxic materials. A Swiss water management company seems to be working towards improvements, however, and insider who was privy to the UNMIK water reports said very clearly while boiling pasta with bottled water, don't drink the water. 

L - I - G - N - I - T - E (my post on coal)

To tell you the truth, I never thought much about coal before working at Greenpeace. But after a short workshop on the topic with my Chinese colleagues, I began to understand why it is truly a dirty four letter word.

These days, living in Pristina has brought coal again into my awareness, by way of my nostrils and lungs. Not just any coal, but Lignite, the youngest and softest of four types of coal. But let's back up a minute, shall we? What is coal, anyway?

Coal is a fossil fuel derived from plant material that was buried millions of years ago, when lush vegetation grew in warm swampy areas that covered much of the earth. Plants and trees absorbed the rays of the sun - used in photosynthesis - which was stored in the leaves and tissues. As the vegetation died, it fell into the swamps. As the amount of material accumulated in the presence of the water, it began to form a spongy, brown material which we know as peat moss - the same stuff you find in the the Netherlands near Geithoorn smelling of sulfur.  Over time, geologic forces buried the peat bogs - sometimes hundreds of feet deep - where they were compacted by the pressure of the soil and rock on top of them. Coal was formed from the buried peat, and the greater the pressure under which the coal was formed, the harder the coal that was produced.

Lignite coal has a low energy content, and is only used when  higher grades of coal are not available or affordable. In general, coal is toxic, dirty, and a leading cause of global warming, not to mention disease.

Take a look at this case study, or I urge you to read my summary based on a 500 megawatt coal plant (the KEK Lignite plant in Kosovo has two locations, one at 800 megawatts, the other at 678 megawatts, so you can triple the damaging side effects of the below data :

• A 500 megawatt plant produces 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours per year, enough power for a city of about 140,000. It burns 1,430,000 tons of coal, and uses 2.2 billion gallons of water and 146,000 tons of limestone, and expelling:
  
• 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, the main cause of acid rain damagin forests, lakes and buildings
• 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide, a major cause of smog and acid rain
•  3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas and leading cause of global warming
• 500 tons of small particulates, causing lung damage
• 220 tons of hydrocarbons, causing smog
• 720 tons of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas and cause of global warming
• 120,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge, comprised of toxic metals like lead and mercury
•  225 pounds of arsenic, 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium and other heavy toxi metals, contaminating lakes and fish, that are eaten by humans. Mercury is a proven cause of bone cancer, birth defects and brain damage.
•  Trace elements of uranium - radioactive emissions from coal combustion are greater than those from nuclear production.

 Again, for Kosovo you can multiply these damaging numbers by 3. I seriously recommend looking into where your energy is coming from and making the switch to a renewable energy source as soon as possible if you're able. And unless you know the area is safe, limit your intake of fish, it could prove to be deadly.