• EU countries must step up efforts to reduce air pollution
    Most EU Member States will not be able to reduce air pollution and its effects on the health of inhabitants by 2030, according to the first report of the European Commission on Member States' action programs in the field of air pollution control. The report was published on June 26 this year. points out that the implementation of European legislation in this area needs to be significantly improved and that Member States must step up their efforts in all sectors.
  • Biopolymer films based on furcelleran - an innovative solution in the food industry
    Due to the increasing problem of residual waste, it is necessary to find an alternative to plastics. Biopolymer films based on proteins and polysaccharides are an interesting replacement for plastic. However, there are still problems that need to be overcome in order for biopolymer films to completely replace plastic materials. Currently, research is being carried out to improve the performance parameters, i.e. mechanical strength, gas permeability and water barrier properties.
  • Proven and innovative physical solutions in plant protection
    The use of chemical plant protection products is increasingly associated with numerous limitations. They result, among others, from from the introduction of the concept of sustainable agriculture or the integration of methods in the control of pests, which primarily aim to protect the environment and human health. One solution is to use various non-chemical methods, including many proven and innovative physical solutions. The more known and used are: temperature, radiation, light, controlled atmosphere, special packaging, pressure, various sounds. The newer and innovative solutions that give very good results include the use of ozone and plasma. These are quick and effective physical factors for the control of pests responsible for diseases of cultivated and ornamental plants, and they do not leave any residues in the environment and plant raw materials.
  • Bee products in health care and human nutrition supplementation
    In the face of threats posed by the development of civilization, the interest in the use of bee products in health care and human nutrition supplementation is growing, as they are associated with the ecology and natural environment from which they come. Collected and produced by bees, they act as stimulants for the proper functioning of the body and are a valuable supplement to the human diet. Bee honey is one of the most valuable foods. It is a rich source of bioactive compounds, most of which have strong antioxidant and bacteriostatic properties, used in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Other bee products, such as pollen, royal jelly or propolis, are also very valuable pro-health preparations used in supplementation of human nutrition.
  • Fires in the Biebrza National Park (April 2020)
    The article briefly describes the specificity of the natural environment and the advantages of the Biebrza National Park (BbPN). Then, the report on the formation of peat bogs and forest fires in the BbNN on April 12-26, 2020, their spread, and the course of the rescue and firefighting operation are presented. On the basis of materials on BbPN, selected ecological effects of April fires were discussed. In addition, suggestions were made on the possibilities of preventing fires in peatlands and forests.
  • Judgment of the Court of 23 April 2020 on the authorization of the spring hunting of birds in Finland, C- 217/19
  • The "My Water" program has started
    Even 5,000 PLN subsidies for home installations that retain rainwater or snowmelt can be obtained in the new program "Moja Woda". This is another initiative of the Ministry of Climate and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, which will spend PLN 100 million on mitigating the effects of drought in Poland. From 1 July this year. provincial environmental protection funds accept applications from owners of single-family houses. - The "Moja Woda" program will finance as much as 20,000. home retention installations.
  • Environmental protection in China
    The ecological situation in China is of general interest because it is a huge country and very important from the point of view of climate protection. But at the same time - due to the relatively early stage of economic development - he is preoccupied with other problems. The pilot phase of carbon trading has been an important factor in environmental policy making for two reasons. First, it has led to a greater interest in environmental issues. Secondly, it highlighted the need for the Chinese government to come up with constructive proposals to protect the global climate.
  • Rila National Park
    Rila is the highest mountain range in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula. It covers 240,000 hectares, which is an area four times larger than the Tatra Mountains. The Musała peak (2,925 m) towers over the huge massif of these mountains, closed between the valleys: Samokowska, Dolnobanska, Razłożka, Simitlijska, Błagoewgradska, Koczerinowska and Dupniszka. It is bordered by the neighboring mountains by high faults and valleys - Awramowa with the Rhodope Mountains, and Predel with Pirin. The Rila massif is divided into four parts. Geographical characteristics of Rila Rila is built mainly of coarse-grained granite. Metamorphic rocks in the form of gneisses are also present between them. During the glaciation, the snow boundary was lowered, reaching 2,200 m. From this height, ice tongues descended to 1,200 m, creating wide channel (funnel) valleys. There are all kinds of glacial forms in Rila. However, the most noticeable depressions ending with rock thresholds. Most of the postglacial boilers have a northern exposure. As a result of erosion and glacial activity, 140 permanent and 30 seasonal lakes were formed in the high parts. They are located in groups, mainly in deep cauldrons.
  • Flow cells (redox flow cell)
    In the article I discussed the issues related to the storage of electricity in flow batteries. The methods of storing energy are an important element of any electric energy system. Professor Piotr Tomczyk from the Department of Sustainable Energy Development at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels AG H in the study entitled "Energy Storage" [8] states, inter alia "Energy storage is slowly becoming a reality". Points out that the purpose of electricity storage is, inter alia, to improve the efficiency of energy production; better efficiency in the management of production and transmission systems; improving the quality of energy; better use of renewable energy sources. It will be possible to achieve this by using various types of energy storage - including flow accumulators.
  • Hawthorn known and appreciated in antiquity, not only in phytotherapy
    There is one and only one left, the brazen where the wild today hawthorn and blackthorn blossom like a memory, what the Peace remembers ... A quiet village, which I adored with all my heart in song ... Leopold Staff
  • "Jasne" nature reserve - the pearl of the land of Iława
    The article presents the "Jasne" nature reserve, valuable in terms of nature, education and tourism, located in the western part of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Particular attention was paid to the natural values of the lakes Ja-sne and Luba, as well as the forest educational trail and the nearby Czarne Lake.
  • EU biodiversity strategy. Will it work this time?
    An important moment in the implementation of the biodiversity strategy was the signing of the Convention on it at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Unfortunately, successive actions of the international community and the European Union in this field have not brought about satisfactory results. In 2020, the European Commission presented a strategy for biodiversity until 2030. An extremely ambitious plan, assuming, inter alia, effectively protecting nature in at least 30% of land areas and 30% of marine ecosystems in the European Union. The strategy underlines the great importance of nature conservation for the EU economy. According to scientists who proposed the Global Covenant for Nature in 2019, only protecting 30% of lands and oceans by 2030 and 50% by 2050 gives humanity a chance to survive.
  • Heart ecology
    “My guardian devil chased me to the garden from morning. It was quiet and very green. I made myself a coffee, turned on the tape recorder, and sat comfortably with a bundle of papers and a pen. Of course, I started with my beloved Bach, who always "sets" me the right proportions of the world. I am invariably amazed - still the first amazement at the brilliant perversity of nature. Over the consistency of shapes and their repetitions, over the duplication - or rather the multiplication of flowers, seeds, fruit. Where everything has been repeated, unchanging and durable for thousands of years. Cosmos in harmony of sounds, smells and colors ”. This is how the poet Ewa Zelenay comes to life. Otherwise my neighbor - gets up irritated. He confessed to me that he caught himself in "sacrilege."
  • Environmental Protection Inspection and natural persons
    Question: Can the Inspection of Environmental Protection control compliance with environmental protection requirements by natural persons who do not conduct business activity? Participants of the IOŚ training in Zielona Góra Answer: The legal problem arose against the background of Art. 2 clause 1 of the Act of July 20, 1991 on the Environmental Protection Inspection (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1355, as amended), which includes the inspection of entities using the environment in the scope of, inter alia, compliance with environmental regulations. The point is that, using the concept of entities using the environment, the Inspection Act refers directly to the provisions of the Act of 27 April 2001 - Environmental Protection Law (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1396, as amended).
  • Technological curiosities from the world
    Seawater fuel Chemists from the University of Rochester and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Marine Research have unveiled a novel catalyst that can effectively and efficiently convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide. Catalysts made of molybdenum carbide with the addition of potassium are used to convert seawater into marine fuel. Scientists boast that this is the first example of the use of such a catalyst on an industrial scale. However, the road to success was long and required a lot of experimentation and pilot programs. If naval ships could produce fuel from seawater during their voyage, they could operate longer in critical regions of the world. Except for a few aircraft carriers and nuclear powered submarines, most units have to run on fuel supplied by tankers. Not only is this troublesome during high sea states, it also makes tankers a potential target of attack.
  • Bulgaria above sea level - Review
    You cannot climb the peaks alone - there must be people, promoters, guides and supporters. The book is informative and reminiscent, in many places personal. Literature is cited in the text and after each chapter. It is a summary of several years of expeditions to the Bulgarian mountains organized after many years of break. The text includes quotations which constitute a specific credo of the author's life so far. Piotr Siwek is a graduate of the Horticulture and Viticulture of the University of Agriculture in Plovdiv, with a postdoctoral degree from the University of Agriculture in Krakow in the field of Horticulture. The author introduces himself as a lover of Bulgarian nature, culture and history. Thanks to frequent visits to this part of Europe, he acquires, updates and documents knowledge about the Bulgarian mountains and the people who live there.

AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list