• Young people are fighting for a better climate
    In recent months, each of us feels the effects of the CO-VID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to varying degrees. The virus spread all over the world has caused, among others social and economic losses. Focused on the fight against the crown-virus, we should not, however, forget about other problems the world is facing, such as the progressing climate crisis. It is worth noting the actions of young people representing the Youth Climate Strike (MSK) - an international movement of pupils and students who have been protesting against the passivity of politicians against global warming for two years ...
  • Is this just a drought problem?
    The April issue of Aura published an article by Mr. Cezary J. Tajer "How (not) to counteract the effects of drought?" One should be glad that the group of people who think critically about what is happening with water in Poland is growing. More and more young people feel the need for changes in water management. It is worse to know how to do it. Because I have dealt with water management issues for many years, I have some thoughts [1, 2, 3, 4] and I will try to use them in this article. How it is? Almost everyone knows that the Framework Directive 2000/60 / EU has been operating since 2000. That we would have "good ecological status of waters" by 2015. That the condition of the waters instead of improving - worsens - even less. There is a reason. By decision of the Council of Ministers of December 2018, the department of government administration "Water management" was assigned to the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. A situation arose in which a trace branch of transport has since determined the living conditions of a nation of almost 40 million. To illustrate the harmfulness of this decision, I will use history1. In the 1930s, the Waterways Bureau of the Ministry of Communication was the leading leader in water management. People employed in it had a sense of mission. Remembering how Poland enriched the trade in goods transported by the Vistula, they thought that it was possible to catch up arrears resulting from the partitions and by developing freight shipping the foundation of the country's prosperity would be built. The plans developed in this office predicted that after full expansion, in 1970 waterways would transport 19,100,000. Tonnes of goods, which was to constitute 25% of rail transport. It turned out completely wrong. According to the Central Statistical Office, transport in 1970 amounted to: water - 8.8 million tons, rail - 370 million tons, cars - 862 million tons, pipelines - 15.4 million tons. Water transport as well as horse transport have been completely marginalized.
  • Determinants of private forestry in Poland - today and tomorrow
    The Forest Research Institute (IBL) in Sękocin Old near Warsaw has been implementing a project entitled Private forests - opportunities, problems, solutions since 2019. He received the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment and co-financing of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The aim of the project is to promote the need for organizational, legal and financial changes related to forest management on private land. The article describes the current state of private forests in Poland, with particular emphasis on afforestation and association of forest owners
  • Emission of pollutants from a coal-fired power installation
    The article presents the analysis of pollutants emitted into the air from a hard coal-fired power installation, on the example of the Tychy CHP Plant, currently Manufacturing Plant Tychy. The data contained in the annual environmental reports containing the quantities of pollutants emitted were developed and illustrated. Emitted pollutants were compared with emissions from previous years. The percentage share of emitted pollutants of Tychy CHP Plant in the nationwide emission was calculated. It was found that EC Tychy is not a significant emitter.
  • Złotodeszcz - the beauty of the splendor and rays of the sun in flowers
    The Złotodeszcz, or the ordinary gold cap (Laburnum anagyroides Medik.), Described in a poem by the English poet Francis Thompson (1895), became an inspiration for JRR Tolkien to create laurelin, one of the two mythical Silimarillion trees. Złotokap is a small tree growing up to 10 meters or a tall bush from the bean family. It comes from south-eastern Europe. In our country it is treated as one of the magnificent and beautiful decorative species. However, in Poland it also belongs to the category of dragged and domesticated species. Złotokap occurs locally in Poland on individual sites in forests in the western part of the country, e.g. in the Wielkopolski National Park. This species is also included in the category of archeophytes.
  • Greening after the crisis
    The journalism is full of ideas for organizing a better world that would emerge after the crisis. Environmental economists call for "greening" of economies as a way to make human life more sensible on earth. Indeed, such "greening" could be used, it should not consist only in the elimination of environmentally friendly entities, but in the creation of institutions through which such entities would be encouraged to take care of this environment.
  • Court order of 26 March 2020 on the return of greenhouse gas emission allowances by a Luxembourg air carrier, C – 113/19
    Operative part Articles 20 and 47 and art. 49 paragraph 3 The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union must be interpreted in such a way that they do not prevent the national court from having any possibility of influencing the lump sum penalty provided for in Article 16 clause 3 of Directive 2003/87 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community. Factual Luxaviation is an air carrier with a fleet of 260 aircraft; participates in the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme.
  • Solar collectors (II)
    The first part of the article discusses the construction and principle of operation of flat collectors. The second part presents the construction and principle of operation of vacuum tube collectors. These devices are used to heat water using solar energy. They can be used primarily to heat water in flats, camping, summer houses, sports and recreation facilities, in livestock buildings, feeding rooms, as well as in tanks, swimming pools and process water in small industrial plants. Of the approx. 200,000 m2 of solar collectors installed in Poland in 2019, half were vacuum solar collectors.
  • "One health" - about the importance of nature during a pandemic
    The relationship between human health, animal health protection and environmental condition has been known since antiquity. Today, the global movement "One Health" promotes this approach to protecting human health. Today, zoonoses in the form of dangerous pandemics are not incidental unintentional events, but a consequence of our interference with natural ecosystems. Progressive deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, extraction of fossil fuels, development of infrastructure as well as exploitation of wild species have created an ideal opportunity for the spread of diseases from wildlife to humans. Studies show that maintaining biodiversity can reduce the spread of pathogens. Will the world after the pandemic SAR S-CoV-2 coronavirus properly take care of the environment, limiting the use and contact with wild animals?
  • A man with a mouse
    Historically, it was like that: two of them lived in Oxford - young Tim Henman and older Tim Berners-Lee. Each of them had their ideas, their plans, their hopes. The first was tempted by the court, the second by the physicist. They both dreamed of success. Tim - tennis player, dreamed of winning the oldest and loudest Grand Slam tournament in the world in Wimbledon. Tim - a programmer, wanted to embrace the world with a virtual network of agreement. Henman bounced the ball from morning to night, repeating thousands of websites, bands and volleys. He perfected his crippled backhand. Berners tinkered calmly in the comfort of Oxford laboratories, seeking confirmation of his ideas.
  • Environmental Protection Inspection and nature protection
    Question: What justification - in the presence of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and regional directorates for environmental protection - would the postulate require the Environmental Protection Inspectorate to control compliance with nature protection regulations? Participants of the Krakow conference "It started from the Tatras" Answer: The basic thing is that the act establishing the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and regional directorates for environmental protection and defining their tasks and competences, i.e. the Act of 3 October 2008 on sharing information about environment and its protection, public participation in environmental protection and environmental impact assessments (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 2081) generally does not recognize the management as control bodies. Yes, art. 123 of the Act of 16 April 2004 on nature protection (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 55) grants the regional director of environmental protection certain control competences, but very limited.
  • Medical myths that can kill. Facts that save lives
    The book is a continuation of the popular series "Medical Myths", which has been published for four years and enjoys great popularity. The third volume discussed above includes, among others, myths and facts about milk, primarily fashionable lactose, as well as gluten, butter or alternative food intolerance tests. Katarzyna Świątkowska is a practicing family medicine doctor. She is also the author of books and a widely read blog about health. Using numerous studies and analyzes, he convinces readers how to care for health. First of all, it warns against fashionable and widely advertised pseudo-medical news and argues with the doctor's not always properly understood possibilities and responsibility for patient behavior.

AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - full list