strategies – Quit Playing Games (With Our Earth)

April 7, 2022Jo Ee Kwek No Comments

Skyglow or skyfall? Shining a light on light pollution impacts at the Olympic Games (2)

Light pollution is perceived by many countries to be a happy problem. Much like how the invention of the light bulb was viewed as a breakthrough in modern technology, the flooding of bright lights amidst a dark sky is applauded as a milestone in economic development. Yet, things are rapidly changing amidst the emergence of long-term ecological impacts associated with artificial light overuse.

So, how does light pollution harm wildlife? The answer lies in the occurrence of skyglow, a phenomenon where artificial light projected into the sky is reflected by atmospheric matter, creating a bright halo (Ngarambe, Lim and Kim, 2018). As skyglow creates the illusion of a daytime-like sky, it can disrupt the migratory and feeding patterns of many wildlife species, particularly birds and bats as they are drawn to light (Chepesiuk, 2009). More worryingly, skyglow does not only affect wildlife in the immediate region where light pollution is produced, but can spread to nearly 64 kilometres away. This reinforces the growing severity of light pollution, and the pressing need to regulate it at the Olympic Games where artificial light use is widespread.

The occurrence of skyglow has significantly altered the migratory patterns of nocturnal birds, leading to high frequencies of collisions into light-emitting skyscrapers (Masterson, 2018)

While studies on the impact of Olympic light pollution on wildlife behaviour are limited as such behaviour is shaped by many environmental factors, it remains fair to argue that the Olympic Games have adverse ecological impacts. Shortly after the extravagant 2012 London Olympic Games were held, the protected Myotis lucifugus and Eptesicus fuscus bat species faced drastic population declines between 41 to 96% (Stone, Harris and Jones, 2015). This was attributed to the bats’ increased exposure to artificial light, which caused them to abandon their roosts and face predation (Stone, Harris and Jones, 2015). Similarly, the Turdus merula species of birds in England showed no signs of reproductive activity after being exposed to nighttime light, as they were under chronic stress (Dominoni, Quetting and Partecke, 2013). Therefore, while other factors such as noise and temperature could also have contributed to such phenomena, the role of sky glow — and the rapid increase in brightly-lit breeding grounds — is undeniable.

This does not mean that all hope is lost for wildlife and we will see skyfall, however. Certain host countries, such as China, have taken steps to mitigate light pollution at the Olympic Games. At the recent 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, nighttime construction work near the biodiversity-rich Yanqing area was restricted to prevent illumination of natural habitats (Beijing 2022, n.d.). While such measures appear insignificant, they nonetheless help in reducing ecological damage caused by light pollution, and this constitutes a crucial first step in protecting wildlife species. More importantly, the intangible nature of light pollution makes it challenging to quantify the (potentially horrifying) extent of impacts, which reinforces the need to curb light pollution — and its associated impacts — as much as possible.

References

Beijing 2022. (n.d.). Beijing 2022 Pre-Games Sustainability Report [Press release]. https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Beijing-2022/Sustainability/Beijing-2022-Pre-Games-Sustainability-Report.pdf

Chepesiuk, R. (2009). Missing the dark: health effects of light pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(1). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.117-a20

Dominoni, D. M., Quetting, M., & Partecke, J. (2013). Long-term effects of chronic light pollution on seasonal functions of European blackbirds (Turdus merula). PLoS One, 8(12), e85069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085069

Masterson, A. (2018). Birds yearn for the bright lights of cities [Online image]. Cosmos Magazine. https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/birds/birds-yearn-for-the-bright-lights-of-cities/

Ngarambe, J., Lim, H. S., & Kim, G. (2018). Light pollution: is there an environmental Kuznets curve?. Sustainable cities and society, 42, 337-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.07.018

Stone, E. L., Harris, S., & Jones, G. (2015). Impacts of artificial lighting on bats: a review of challenges and solutions. Mammalian Biology, 80(3), 213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2015.02.004

March 31, 2022Jo Ee Kwek No Comments

Can strategies mitigating harmful algal blooms (HABs) be implemented everywhere?

In our previous post, we explored the effectiveness of HAB mitigation strategies adopted during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Specifically, we identified the strategies’ lack of focus on anthropogenic water pollution to be problematic, and proposed that Qingdao officials should tighten waste disposal regulations while investing in specialised wastewater treatment.

While these strategies appear foolproof in principle, they may not be effectively implemented in reality. This is especially so across space, where political and socioeconomic contexts vary and influence countries’ abilities to implement these strategies. Firstly, ramping up investments in advanced treatment technologies can be extremely costly, making it a financially unfeasible option in less affluent countries. Modern treatment systems that adopt high-tech processes such as the removal of residual contaminants (specialised treatment) can cost billions of dollars, notwithstanding additional costs of building pipes connecting these systems to areas with pollutive activity (Hill, 2012). Hence, such investments can be a financial burden for developing countries, potentially offsetting the economic returns from Olympic-induced tourism.

Wastewater treatment technologies that focus on specialised treatment are costly for developing countries, influencing their ability to adopt them when managing HAB growth (Wilo, n.d.)

In Qingdao, for example, nearly $100 million was spent on algae clean up at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (Glibert, 2014), on top of its hefty $17.5 billion Olympic budget (Mol, 2010). $100 million in losses was also incurred by Qingdao’s stronghold abalone and sea cucumber industries (Glibert, 2014), which saw record low yields. Therefore, investing in specialised treatment technologies was only likely to threaten Qingdao’s financial position, as Chinese cities did not receive central government funding. Although such investments could arguably reduce algae clearance costs in the long-term, the massive short-term outflow of capital would be too much to handle, potentially requiring countries to obtain loans from supranational organisations. This reinforces the financial unfeasibility of implementing advanced treatment technologies in developing countries.

Secondly, although regulating agricultural-related point sources can help to nip anthropogenic water pollution in the bud, countries might not have the political will to do so. In countries that heavily rely on the agricultural industry for economic growth, the amount of chemical waste produced is positively correlated to the industry’s growth. As such, managing waste disposal is challenging as it would inevitably involve the capping of farming operations and amount of profits earned. In 2011, the sudden accumulation of Ulva algae in the French province of Brittany coincided with the rapid expansion of livestock farming (Smetacek and Zingone, 2013). As the meat industry was integral to Brittany’s economy, local officials argued that HAB formation was inevitable as nutrients were continually released via animal manure (Smetacek and Zingone, 2013). In fact, eutrophication rates surpassed those of manure treatment, meaning that regulating these rates would either involve reducing livestock numbers — an economically unfeasible option — or investing in treatment technology. This illustrates the conflict between economy and environment, where countries might be unwilling to regulate waste disposal for fear of jeopardising growth. Furthermore, the regulation of agricultural practices, as with all policies, takes years to implement (Smetacek and Zingone, 2013). Hence, whether policymakers can maintain political will remains uncertain, amidst more pressing objectives of increasing economic influence through mega-events like the Olympic Games.

Developing countries might not have the political will to regulate waste disposal, as doing so has adverse effects on agricultural growth (Damara Bali Foundation, 2019)

So, does this suggest that HAB formation is a problem that cannot be solved? Certainly not! However, acknowledging the economic obstacles that stand in developing countries’ paths can facilitate the conceptualisation and implementation of context-specific HAB mitigation strategies. More importantly, officials should seek to understand the growth dynamics of various algae species, as only then can they manage HABs in a cost-effective manner.

References

Damara Bali Foundation. (2019). 25 farmers have been trained in compost making made of animal manure & agricultural waste [Online image]. Damara Bali Foundation. https://www.damara-bali.org/25-farmers-have-been-trained-in-compost-making-made-of-animal-manure-agricultural-waste/

Glibert, P. M. (2014). Harmful Algal Blooms in Asia: an insidious and escalating water pollution phenomenon with effects on ecological and human health. ASIANetwork Exchange, 21(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.16995/ane.46

Hill, M. K. (2012). Water Pollution. In M. K. Hill (Ed.), Understanding Environmental Pollution (pp. 236-285). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511840654

Mol, A. P. (2010). Sustainability as global attractor: The greening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Global Networks, 10(4), 510-528. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0374.2010.00289.x

Smetacek, V., & Zingone, A. (2013). Green and golden seaweed tides on the rise. Nature, 504(7478), 84-88. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12860

Wilo. (n.d.). Clean water for Qingdao [Online image]. Wilo. https://wilo.com/tw/en/Solutions-Provider/Global-references/Clean-water-for-Qingdao/

March 24, 2022Jo Ee Kwek No Comments

Blooming algae problem caused by water pollution stirs trouble for Olympic teams (2)

How often does one spot a floating carpet of algae at the Olympic Games? That was a question that Qingdao government officials had, when the city’s Olympic sailing venues were struck by unprecedented HAB formation in 2008 — the first such event in the Olympic Games’s 112-year history. The rapid spreading of algal bloom not only posed threats to aquatic species by releasing toxic hydrogen sulphide during decomposition (Glibert, 2014), but also disrupted sailing training and test events. As such, this warranted the implementation of large-scale mitigation strategies, which unfortunately proved ineffective as they overlooked the root cause of HAB growth — anthropogenic water pollution.

The strategies adopted by Qingdao officials were primarily focused on clearing existing traces of algal bloom, given their priority to reduce event disruptions and maintain their image as a competent host city. As reported by Hu and He (2008), the immediate measure taken was to dispatch manpower to dredge the waters, with nearly 10000 locals and 1000 vessels being roped in. Following this massive clean-up exercise, where over 700000 tons of algae were collected (Hu and He, 2008) and $100 million of losses was incurred (Glibert, 2014), officials deployed containment booms to protect sailing areas against HAB infestation. Approximately 24 kilometres of containment booms, which refer to floating barriers typically used to contain oil spills, were used (Hu and He, 2008).

Massive numbers of vessels — and even bulldozers — were deployed to dredge the algae-infested waters in Qingdao’s sailing venues (Cohen, 2008)

However, these measures turned out ineffective, with traces of algal bloom reemerging shortly after affected areas had been weeded (Cohen, 2008). While clean-up and containment strategies were admittedly necessary as HAB growth was disrupting the running of the Olympic Games, they failed to address the central role of water pollution in facilitating such growth. As mentioned previously, HABs develop when surplus nitrate and phosphorus from fertilisers or organic waste lead to nutrient excesses crucial for HAB formation (Hill, 2012). This shows that HAB formation in Qingdao was not the result of algae invasion from offshore areas as officials had suggested (Leliaert et al., 2008), but rather, the localised dumping of waste. These findings are supported by Leliaert et al. (2008), who argue that HABs in Qingdao were triggered by eutrophication — the process where water bodies continually receive nutrient input and eventually disappear (Hill, 2012).

Hence, it was unsurprising that officials’ mitigation strategies failed as point sources were not regulated, resulting in high HAB growth rates of 21.9% daily (Smetacek and Zingone, 2013). Specifically, officials could have advised farmers against dumping chemical waste into tributaries (Smetacek and Zingone, 2013) while investing in wastewater treatment infrastructure. By undertaking specialised treatment (Figure 1), where excess nitrate and phosphorus are thoroughly filtered out (they are only partially removed during primary treatment), eutrophication could have been prevented alongside HAB growth. Manpower could also have been significantly cut back on, bringing major cost savings for officials while making the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a more financially sustainable one.

Figure 1: Wastewater treatment process (Hill, 2012)

References

Cohen, C. (2008, July 3). China’s blooming algae problem that’s swamping the Olympics. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031444/Chinas-blooming-algae-problem-thats-swamping-Olympics.html

Hill, M. K. (2012). Water Pollution. In M. K. Hill (Ed.), Understanding Environmental Pollution (pp. 236-285). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511840654

Hu, C., & He, M. X. (2008). Origin and offshore extent of floating algae in Olympic sailing area. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 89(33), 302-303. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008eo330002

Leliaert, F., Malta, E. J., Engelen, A. H., Mineur, F., & De Clerck, O. (2008). Quindao algal bloom culprit identified. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56(9), 1516-1516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.08.004

Smetacek, V., & Zingone, A. (2013). Green and golden seaweed tides on the rise. Nature, 504(7478), 84-88. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12860