Written by
Bellinda Bartolucci, ClientEarth
Alexandros Kassapis, Youth and Environment Europe
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It’s 2023 and exposure to toxic pollution is the norm in Europe.
Across the bloc, people are living in the shadow of industrial complexes that are still polluting illegally, eroding their health, and claiming lives.
This is a rights issue. An estimated 10% or more of Europe’s cancer burden is suspected to relate to pollution exposure, while EU premature deaths related to excessive levels of air pollution chart in the hundreds of thousands each year –
including minors, whose small bodies register big and lasting pollution impacts.
It’s hardly the futuristic picture we’d hoped for.
EU decision-makers are on the cusp of finalising the update of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). It governs the emissions of over 50,000 installations, including steelworks, chemicals and plastics facilities, coal plants and factory farms all over Europe – and it needs to be the most powerful tool to protect people that it can possibly be.
But on the contrary – the draft law looks set to blow over in the wind. From strong beginnings, we’re left with a nearly empty shell as far as people’s rights are concerned.
So what do our lawmakers need to do?
On your doorstep – what does industrial pollution
look like in Europe?
Pollution exposure is not just about isolated incidents – the reality is more insidious. From ‘forever chemicals’ to heavy metals, there are dramatic cases of chronic industrial pollution across Europe. Their impacts are startling reminders that industrial operations can cause severe illness and kill, in 21st century Europe.
There are ample examples of European workers and local residents – particularly children – being impacted by industrial pollution. A 5-year-old has died in Taranto, Italy, from a brain tumour – metal and dust particles from the local steel plant (Italy’s largest) were found in his brain. The local waters can’t be used to raise mussels because of iron dust levels.
Those living near antiquated coal plants in Bulgaria and Poland complain of stinging eyes and report respiratory ill-health. Towns near coal complexes in Bulgaria have been blanketed with air pollution for years – coal regions in the country chart the EU’s highest levels of sulphur dioxide pollution. But the government gave one of the local plants ongoing permission to pollute far above EU limits.
The above cases were from facilities operating within the law. So it goes without saying that, at least in cases of illegal pollution, anyone suffering from its impacts should be able to go to court and stand a chance of receiving compensation for the damage – no?
They pollute, you pay – why we need a real route to justice
If a facility is polluting beyond the limits allowed by the law, people suffering from health issues due to this illegal pollution must be able to access the courts for compensation. But the legal set-up right now makes it very difficult for anyone to hold Member States or industries to account.
The European Commission has acknowledged this injustice and the new IED was supposed to fix this. The law included a new compensation right for victims of illegal pollution. But throughout the process, the real substance of this right has been systematically dismantled over the course of the negotiations – by now, it risks becoming an in-name-only gesture, which contains no actual avenue for people to access their rights.
With the current wording, negotiators have given the chop to the possibility of NGOs standing for sick people in class actions – vital given that in extreme cases, claimants have passed away before they could complete their actions. The law also relieves authorities of all legal responsibility for failing to enforce laws and therefore enabling health damages.
People across Europe have been pushing for their rights to be reflected in the law. But pressure has been too strong and conflicting information has emerged throughout the process to derail positive lawmaking. This has got in the way of what this law is for: keeping people safe.
Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) have written to EU representatives to urge them to “prioritise health over illegal pollution” and adopt a real, functional compensation right. Along with a host of legal and consumer organisations, we highlighted that an inadequate law would fail people’s fundamental rights – the European Court of Human Rights has confirmed that harmful industrial pollution can give rise to individual compensation.
A turning point for victims of illegal industrial pollution – will lawmakers deliver?
An effective compensation right already exists in competition, data protection, anti-discrimination and consumer laws. It works for all parties involved and it ups compliance from the outset. Why should health be protected less? Contrary to industry claims, none of these types of rules have ever led to excessive litigation. In the case of the IED, only illegal polluters are exposed to the risk of litigation. Companies adhering to the rules have no reason to worry – and will actually benefit from a level playing field across the EU.
There is no justification for failing to apply it in the IED for victims of illegal pollution. This is a no-brainer.
An IED based on justice goes far beyond environmental action – it is about helping victims on the ground. This is a major opportunity to bring back justice and finally offer protection for citizens across Europe. Missing it would be a statement by EU lawmakers that lawbreakers have officially taken precedence over people’s rights.
Brussels should take a deep breath and consider this before they give the IED their final seal of approval.
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Health first: The IED cannot deprive pollution victims of their rights
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The EneRail | Podcast
How is our generation responding to the challenges posed by the energy crisis and the imperative for a green transition?
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The Enerail podcast takes us on a captivating virtual journey across the European Union, examining the energy and climate crisis from different perspectives. In a world where the term “we” can be complex and multifaceted, this immersive podcast introduces us to a diverse range of individuals living through this crisis.
Activists, researchers, and institutional youth representatives are just a few of the voices we encounter along the way. As we delve into the heart of this pressing issue, one burning question guides our exploration: How is our generation responding to the challenges posed by the energy crisis and the imperative for a green transition? This thought-provoking podcast provides a comprehensive and nuanced outlook on the realities, insights, and actions that are shaping our present and future.
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The EneRail | Podcast
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Overcoming the limits of batteries with hydrogen energy storage
Written by
Pietro Attadio
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of YEE.
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The importance of effective storage systems in the transition to renewable energy
A future powered by renewables needs effective storage systems. Unlike fossil fuels, wind and sunlight, two low-carbon energy sources at the centre of the energy transition, have some great limitations: they are intermittent and cannot be stored to be converted into energy later on. A turbine spins only where and when the wind blows, and a solar panel works only under daylight. Learning to work around those limitations can help us abandon fossil fuels faster, which is crucial, given the short time we have left to meet the Paris carbon emission reduction targets. Storage systems can help us overcome these limitations, by offering alternative ways to even out energy supply to the grid and by allowing the electrification of sectors that are not connected to the grid altogether.
In this article, I want to look at one of those systems: hydrogen. More specifically, I want to explore how we can store energy using this material, and see in what ways it can help us overcome some of the limitations of the more commonly used Lithium Ion Batteries (LIB). To do so, I will provide you with an accessible explanation of how hydrogen energy storage works. I will also show that LIBs have three main downsides that hydrogen storage can help mitigate: high impact of raw materials, low gravimetric energy density and limited long-term and high-capacity storage capabilities.
My goal here is not to advocate for the complete abandoning of LIBs, rather, I want to show how in some cases having an alternative can help us achieve the decarbonization of our economy faster.
How can electricity be stored in hydrogen?
Let’s start with the basics. How do you generate electricity with hydrogen? It’s pretty simple. Hydrogen atoms flow through a “fuel cell”, which splits their electrons from their protons and nucleus. The electrons then leave the fuel cell and run through a circuit, powering whatever device they are connected to. The end of the circuit is connected back to the fuel cell, where the electron re-joins the proton and nucleus from which it was split. The hydrogen cell is thus re-formed and, reacting with oxygen in the air, it transforms into water vapour. Of course, this is an oversimplification, for a more accurate, but still very accessible, explanation of the process, I redirect you to this video from Alex Dainis, PhD. Just to be clear, this is not a nuclear reaction, as we are not splitting the nucleus itself.
The next question is where do we get hydrogen from? Due to its highly reactive nature, hydrogen is often bonded to other materials. Thus, we need to extract it from other molecules before we can convert it into energy. There are different ways you can do this. The key things to keep in mind are two. Firstly, these processes take a lot of energy. Secondly, the energy source you use determines the name we give to the final product, together with its carbon footprint. Some examples of carbon-intensive production methods are steam methane reforming and gasification. The output of these processes will be called grey or blue hydrogen (in the second case, a carbon capture mechanism is used to limit emissions).
Another method to produce hydrogen is electrolysis. With the same fuel cell we mentioned before, you can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, through a process that is exactly symmetrical to what we have described two paragraphs above. To do this, you need electricity. If that is produced from renewable sources you have green hydrogen, which is low carbon.
Now, the round-trip efficiency of green hydrogen is less than one, meaning that the energy you get from it is less than the one you used to produce it. This means that, whenever possible, it is more efficient to use a renewable energy source directly, without hydrogen as an intermediary. Whenever that is not possible, however, one can produce hydrogen as a way to store and transport energy. First, clean electricity is used to perform electrolysis. Then the resulting hydrogen is reconverted back into water when and where electricity is needed. Through this process, hydrogen can be used as a stock of electricity that can be displaced in space and time to better match our energy demands.
Obstacles to decarbonizing the economy using batteries
As you know, batteries can also be used to store and transport energy. Some of their limitations, however, pose important obstacles to our ability to fully decarbonize our economy. Hydrogen can help us overcome those obstacles.
High impact of raw materials
Firstly, the raw materials required to manufacture LIBs pose environmental, social and geopolitical challenges that become more and more pressing as the scale of production of this technology increases. Lithium and cobalt are two materials used in LIBs. Lithium mining, on the one hand, has a water footprint of more than 2000 liters per kilogram extracted. The practice has also been linked with “declining vegetation, hotter daytime temperatures and increasing drought conditions in national reserve areas”. Cobalt mines, on the other hand, are notoriously infamous for the terrible working conditions of their workers. At the same time, both materials are to be found in only a couple of regions throughout the world. This creates perverse incentives to adopt hoarding strategies, which artificially push up the price of these resources. Such a high level of concentration also decreases the resilience of the supply chain to unforeseeable external shocks, decreasing the long-term reliability of the industry as a whole.
Hydrogen, like lithium, can be used to store energy, however, unlike lithium, it is not a rare material and can be extracted with carbon-neutral technologies. Consequently, replacing some of the current and future demand for batteries with hydrogen-based solutions can reduce our consumption of these materials, and with that the challenges that they come with. This can also diversify the energy storage supply chain, increasing its ability to withstand exogenous shocks. Hydrogen systems also do not use cobalt.
Of course, this is only a part of the solution, the issues I have highlighted above need to be addressed independently of the fact that we introduce hydrogen in the equation. Nonetheless, this technology can help us reduce the scale of the problem. With this, it should also be noted that, while hydrogen is not a rare material, iridium and platinum (two materials often used in fuel cells) are. These materials come with their own environmental problems, which further proves that technical diversification is only part of the solution. The social and environmental patterns of exploitation behind mining need to be addressed, regardless. That, however, is a broader conversation that pertains to our economy as a whole.
Low gravimetric energy density
Secondly, the low energy density of LIB makes them unsuitable as an alternative to fossil fuels in some applications. The aviation industry is an example of this issue. The table below shows the energy density of different materials, i.e., the amount of Megajoules stored in one kilogram of material ( = gravimetric density) and the amount of Megajoules in one litre of material ( = volumetric density).
| Material | Gravimetric energy density* | Volumetric energy density | Energy efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jet A1 (kerosene) |
43.3 MJ/Kg |
||
|
Hydrogen |
142 MJ/Kg |
||
|
LIBs |
0.5 MJ/Kg
|
|
As you can see, compared to Jet A-1 (a common aviation fuel), a LIB providing the same amount of energy as an airplane’s fuel tank would be 86 times as heavy. Emily Pickrell, Energy Scholar at the University of Houston estimates that “if a jumbo jet were to use today’s batteries, 1.2 million pounds of batteries would be required just to generate the power of the jet engine it would be replacing. This weight would effectively need an additional eight jet planes just to carry that weight!”.
Consequently, replacing jet fuel with an equivalently powerful battery would make the plane too heavy to fly. Hydrogen, on the other hand, is more energy-dense than both LIBs and Jet A-1. Thus, it can provide the same amount of energy at a much lower weight.
Hydrogen’s energy density makes it a much better match for the electrification of the aviation industry than batteries. There are, however, some limitations to the potential of this gas. If we look at its volumetric energy density, a hydrogen tank would take 4 times as much space as a Jet A-1 providing equivalent energy. And this is assuming we are able to keep the gas in its liquid form at -252.8°C. Together with this, to this day the round-trip efficiency of hydrogen systems is still much lower than that of batteries. Finally, hydrogen aircraft are still in the early stages of development, meaning that we still need to wait for the large-scale commercial adoption of these vehicles.
Limited long-term and high-capacity storage capabilities
Finally, LIBs are less efficient at storing higher quantities of energy for longer periods of time than hydrogen systems. In some applications, we need this longer-term storage capacity. One case is that of intermittent energy storage.
As I said before, renewables’ energy supply cannot be adjusted to the specific demands of consumers and producers at any given moment. To address this, storage devices allow us to stock up energy in moments of excess supply, in order to release it back into the grid in periods of excess demand. Intermittency, however, is a multidimensional phenomenon that has a short-run and long-run component: fluctuations in supply can be intraday or seasonal. Looking at solar energy makes it easier to understand both. As the sun shines only during the daytime, at night panels will not produce any electricity. That is intra-day intermittency. At the same time, during summer days are longer, and, in many climates, less cloudy. Thus, output will be higher during June, July and August than it will during winter (as shown by the table below). This is what we call seasonality.
LIBs are more effective at smoothing intraday fluctuations. Battery storage facilities are cheaper to install, but more expensive to scale up, making them more suited for smaller capacity applications. Their higher round trip efficiency (look at the table above) also means that less energy is wasted in the process. Due to their higher rate of self-discharge, however, they cannot store electricity for prolonged periods of time, making them useless when it comes to seasonal intermittency. At the same time, hydrogen is better suited to supply that higher capacity, long term storage facility needed to smooth out seasonal fluctuations. On the one hand, hydrogen deposits show increasing returns to scale. They can be more costly than batteries to set up, but doubling capacity less than doubles the cost. This makes the technology better suited for higher capacity stockage. On the other, hydrogen has a lower rate of self-discharge, meaning that it can store energy for longer. These two characteristics make this technology a useful tool to smooth out seasonality, even when we account for its lower round trip efficiency (being able to store something is better than being able to store nothing).
To conclude, we can see that hydrogen can help overcome three important limitations of LIBs: high impact of raw materials, low gravimetric energy density and limited long-term and high-capacity storage capabilities. Nonetheless, the analysis also shows that hydrogen technology is still in its earlier stages of development. Consequently, important challenges need to be overcome before this technology can be deployed at scale. If used together, batteries and hydrogen will have a central role in facilitating the energy transition.
I would like to thank Tuur Knevels, who provided some crucial support in the drafting of this article. He is a passionate young engineer who has been active in the hydrogen and automotive industry for the past 3 years and is currently completing his degree in Aerospace Engineering whilst working as a freelance fuel cell systems engineer. We met back in July during the in-person training we organised as part of the AmPower Project. Of course, any potential incoherence in this analysis is solely attributable to me.
- Hydrogen or batteries for grid storage? A net energy analysis
- The future of energy: batteries vs. hydrogen
- Hydrogen: the future of electricity storage?
- Hydrogen Production: Natural Gas Reforming | Department of Energy
- Carbonomics – Re-Imagining Europe’s Energy System | Goldman Sachs
- Carbonomics – Re-Imagining Europe’s Energy System | Goldman Sachs
- Hydrogen Production: Natural Gas Reforming | Department of Energy
- Hydrogen Production: Natural Gas Reforming | Department of Energy
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1203083/composition-of-lithium-ion-batteries/
- China’s Rare Earths ‘Slump’ A Sign Of Domestic ‘Hoarding’ For EV Batteries
- Green hydrogen: How can it help stop climate change? – DW – 02/06/2023
- Grey, blue, green – the many colours of hydrogen explained | World Economic Forum
- Episode 6: Masters of Risk-Jennifer Reynolds | S&P Global Market Intelligence
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01735-z
- The Environmental Impact of Lithium Batteries – IER
- https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aae9b1
- Lithium mining and its water impact: More complex than previously thought?
- https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/parts-fuel-cell
- Lithium batteries’ big unanswered question – BBC Future
- https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248
- Child labour toxic leaks : the price we could pay for a greener future
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/fuel-cell/Types-of-fuel-cells
- This is what’s keeping electric planes from taking off | MIT Technology Review
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/electric-planes-aviation-future-innovation/
- Hydrogen in aviation: how close is it? | Airbus
- We won’t have electric planes until battery tech improves
- Time To Clean The Skies, Electric Planes Have Arrived
- Energy Density of some Combustibles | The Geography of Transport Systems
- https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-storage
- Dutch group targets hydrogen-fuelled commercial flight in 2028
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Green Hydrogen=Green Flag
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YEE is seeking a Social Media Coordinator to
- manage our social media channels
- analyse and improve social media strategy
YEE is excited to announce the opening of a part-time Social Media Coordinator position, requiring 8 hours per week, with a compensation of 12 EUR/hour.
The coordinator will be responsible for managing social media posts, collaborating with the Communications team, analysing metrics and trends, and providing reports and recommendations.
Candidates must have a working proficiency in English, an EU work permit, and be under the age of 35.
Application deadline: 3rd December 2023
Your responsibilities
- formulating and organising posts across all our social media platforms
- improving our social media strategy in collaboration with the Communications team
- analysing social media metrics and trends, and regularly reporting insights and suggestions for improvement
- assisting with any communications-related deliverables from the project designated to this profile
Requirements
- Working proficiency in English
- EU work permit
- Eligible applicants must be younger than 35 years of age
- Be aligned with YEE's core values and mission
The ideal profile
- Has previous experience in social media management
- Is familiar with an international working environment, but is also comfortable with being part of a small team
- Undertakes responsibilities and carries out tasks independently
- Has a creative approach and can come up with innovative solutions
- Is motivated to interact in an international environment with different organisations, institutions, and individuals
- Is able to work remotely and collaborate with the team under this regime
Social Media Coordinator | Part-time Opportunity
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When youth takes states to court | Handbook
This handbook provides important information on the hearing and the potential impact of the Court on climate action in Europe.
On the 27th of September, the Duarte Agostinho et al case will be heard at the European Court of Human Rights. This will be the third of a series of climate lawsuits brought in front of the Court, after Klimaseniorinnen, and Câreme, which were heard this Summer. The case involves youth from 11 to 24 years old. This will be an excellent opportunity for youth all around Europe to make the voices of the youngest generations heard! We have prepared this handbook to highlight the most important things to keep in mind when following the hearing, including the potential role of the Court in enhancing climate action in Europe.
This handbook covers:
When youth takes states to court | Handbook
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Climate Justice Needs An Intersectional Approach | Tookit
This toolkit invites you to embark on an inspiring journey where inclusivity and empowerment become the driving forces behind climate action.
Our Intersectionality Toolkit offers a comprehensive guide to understanding and integrating intersectionality into climate action. It provides a framework to navigate the interconnected web of social identities, power dynamics, and environmental impacts. Through a combination of research-based insights, practical tools, and case studies, this toolkit empowers users to approach climate activism, policy-making, and community engagement through an inclusive and justice-centered lens.
This toolkit covers a wide range of topics, including:
Climate Justice Needs An Intersectional Approach | Toolkit
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In the beginning, I was all alone
Vika Hovsepyan from Yeghvard, Armenia is passionate about creating positive change in her community. She began by initiating a recycling campaign at her school and now is involved in educational projects related to the environment. Her work is motivated by seeing the positive results and the support of others. Vika’s future goal is to collect and recycle clothes to help those in need.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who’s Vika?
I am Vika Hovsepyan from Yeghvard, which is a small town near the capital of Yerevan in Armenia. I’m 19. Since high school, I’ve tried to be active in my community and create something positive for others who have fewer opportunities or need help. I have been doing different kinds of activities in my community for more than five years now.
What is your work and how did it all start?
Around me, there were some problems which were visible and I couldn’t sit and just see what was happening near me. Everything started when I decided to create a little campaign at school involving some others who were interested. The aim was to collect paper and plastic waste and transfer it to a recycling center every three months. The reimbursement from our recycled items would be invested in the school to be used to buy some new plants, as well as for the school garden and sorting bins for waste or whatever else was needed. This became a tradition in a very short time.
I just wanted to share my ideas with the students and teachers. I started to collect all the papers because the school was full of paper and there isn’t one day that paper isn’t used. I started to collect it and then I made a small pocket where I put them away, and the students saw my steps and they followed me. This is when the project became larger.
I started on a very large scale. Students and teachers became part of this project and they supported me and encouraged me. I got support and I became very motivated, even more motivated than at the beginning. I continued with new encouragement and new motivation.
I graduated two years ago but this tradition still goes on. After that I started to participate in environmental projects to deepen my knowledge about environmental topics and my behavior has changed a lot. New eco-friendly practices were formed in my everyday life. I started to use eco bags and water bottles and now I can’t imagine my life without these steps.
What projects do you work on at the moment?
I’m part of the educational projects at Yeghvard NGO, where I’m a member and a volunteer. They organize educational projects for youth about the environment. I organise seminars and trainings for youth with fewer opportunities. There are also times when I am the participant and I strive to deepen my knowledge to be able to share it with others.
What does your work mean to you?
My work is very important for me because I started the project at school and I like seeing the good results and the happy faces of people and their reactions and support. That gives me a lot of motivation to continue what I’m doing. My vision is for people to become more careful and more caring because nature is in danger.
What’s next for you?
I want to continue my work by collecting clothes. Every year I collect clothes from people and just give them to those who have fewer opportunities and need them. In a few months, I will start and collect clothes that I will recycle. I want to open a second-hand store or engage people who have fewer opportunities than I had.
If you could send a message to other young people, what would it be?
“Whatever you do, do it for a positive result and do it with all your heart.”
This is the key to success.
It is very easy if you are motivated and want to bring change. There are only a few things you need to do. Have an aim, motivation for any situation and a strong will. This is the key because if you are not motivated if you don’t want to see a good result, if you don’t want to see happy faces, support, and change around you, nothing will change. You are the change. You will become the change and people will follow you.
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Introducing Vika | Showcasing the Unheard
Vika Hovsepyan from Yeghvard, Armenia is passionate about creating positive change in her community. She began by initiating a recycling campaign at her school and now is involved in educational projects related to the environment. Her work is motivated by seeing the positive results and the support of others. Vika’s future goal is to collect and recycle clothes to help those in need.
Introducing Iusip | Showcasing the Unheard
Iusip, a 23-year-old from Georgia, is currently studying Management Engineering in Poland. He has been involved in the NGO field for three years, establishing his own NGO at the age of 19. Through his organisation, he provided opportunities and assistance to numerous individuals and facilitated participation in projects in Europe.
Introducing Rimaz | Showcasing the Unheard
Rimaz is a 19-year-old university student from Syria, currently living in Istanbul, Turkey. Rimaz is passionate about environmental issues, particularly the impact of acid rain. She has created a project to educate students on this issue, which involves treating plants with acid rain, sun, and normal rain to demonstrate the effects on plant life. Rimaz believes in the importance of young people being actively engaged in shaping a sustainable future and is motivated by her small efforts contributing to a better future.
Introducing Ia | Showcasing the Unheard
Ia is a young activist from Georgia who is passionate about environmental protection and social justice. For Ia, activism means empowering others and making small contributions to bring about positive change. She aims to engage more diverse groups in her activities and encourages everyone to believe in themselves and their ability to become a positive change-maker.
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Meet Piotr Czerniejewski, a Polish Youth and Climate Activist who is actively involved in the Just Transition process of his local area and has been promoting the inclusion of young people.
We need to make climate education a reality | Emilia Rygielska
Emilia is a 17 years-old activist and climate educator from Poland. In the following article, she talks about her experience with teaching kids about the climate crisis and why she thinks that politicians stand in the way of change.
Introducing Vika | Showcasing the Unheard
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Please apply via the form before September 6th 23h59 CEST.
What is expected of a Liaison Officer?
The Liaison Officer is a volunteer position of one year term (October 2023 – October 2024). All liaison volunteers will report to and be supported by the YEE Advocacy staff (Volunteers Coordinator, Advocacy Coordinator and Project Leads) and the External Relations Officer. While committed to specific and diverse tasks, the volunteer liaison officers will effectively make a team – the Advocacy Working Group – intended to support each other and work with the staff.
The average time commitment is between 7-10 hours a week, including meetings every two weeks with the External Relations Officer, Volunteers Coordinator, Advocacy Coordinator and Project Leads.
Some of the work tasks expected involve strengthening communication and advocacy with some of our partner organisations as well as creating projects and campaigns of their own.
Who are we looking for?
The Liaison Officer should:
- be between 18 and 30 years old;
- be available around 7-10 hours per week;
- have a strong interest in advocacy and in promoting sustainable policy and green goals;
- be passionate in helping strengthen the voice of youth in European decision making.
- have strong written and verbal communication skills and a good level of English (the working language of YEE is English so you should be able to clearly express yourself both orally and in writing);
- have basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, Google Drive,..);
- have a good team spirit and be able to be part of a brand-new team;
- be organised and meet deadlines;
- be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values
- be willing to gain leadership and communications skills
What are the benefits of being a Liaison Officer?
What you can gain from this experience:
- Valuable on-hand insights of working for the largest European network of youth-led environmental NGOs;
- In depth knowledge of the organisation and institutions relevant to your liaison position;
- Access to a network of motivated young green activists and professionals;
- Transferable skills such as time management, organisational skills, strong communication skills and more;
- Boost your CV!
- have basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, Google Drive,..);
- have a good team spirit and be able to be part of a brand-new team;
- be organised and meet deadlines;
- be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values
- be willing to gain leadership and communications skills
Open Positions for the period: October 2023-October 2024
Liaison Officer on Environmental Law
The aim of the Environmental Law Liaison Officer is to help YEE’s work on environmental law and litigation topics and the work on the Aarhus Convention. This person would work closely with the Volunteers Coordinator, the Project Lead and the Project Assistant on environmental law on the Legal Seeds 3 project; and with other Liaison Officers when legal topics are involved, such as with the Oceans and Biodiversity portfolios. The Env. Law Liaison Officer will also work with others on targeted campaigns (e.g. #restorenature) and advocacy initiatives at international and EU level.
A lot of the work would be linked to making environmental law accessible for young people through writing; familiarising with the Aarhus Convention processes and strengthening YEE position there; helping creating partnerships with youth and non youth organisations active in environmental law matters and learning the basics of fundraising. Finally, the volunteer will explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the achievement of more stringent legal targets and actions envisaged by the EU Green Deal.
The main topics covered by the environmental law portfolio include the EU Green Deal and its implementation (National Energy & Climate Plans and the FF55); climate litigation; the Aarhus Convention; the Nature Restoration Law and the Right to a Healthy Environment. However, your ideas and interests are of course welcome!
The main tasks will include:
- Help our members to engage with our work on environmental law, through liaising and working on our relationship with Member Organisations and partner organisations;
- Help work with the Project Lead and Project Assistant on Environmental Law on content creation, such as articles and webinars;
- Support YEE work on the Aarhus Convention processes;
- Contribute to the general YEE advocacy strategy, such as through participating on behalf of YEE to legal campaigns and external events
Liaison Officer on Ocean Conservation
In the context of the Ocean Conservation portfolio, the Liaison Officer will engage with and consolidate relationships with ocean-related international advocacy campaigns, such as within the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC). They will be able to engage in the dissemination of knowledge to a wide audience, while also getting involved in international collaboration and promotion of youth participation in the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Instrument adopted under the UNCLOS framework. They can, in this context and in the context of other potential issues and international processes, seek active collaboration with existing partners like GYBN and NYBN Oceans group. Exploring involvement in other ocean- and water-related processes and issues is of course a possibility and is open to the Liaison Officer’s expertise, interest, and capacity.
The Liaison Officer will regularly communicate with other portfolios, and especially the Biodiversity, Environmental Governance, and Climate Crisis portfolios, fostering collaborative campaigns and initiatives where thematic priorities intersect. Examples of this are the BBNJ Treaty process, as well as the international negotiations towards the adoption of a legally-binding Plastics Treaty under the auspices of UNEP, addressing the Ocean-Climate nexus under the UNFCCC COP process.
At the EU level, the Liaison Officer will represent YEE as supporting organisation to Surfrider Foundation Europe’s Blue-Up 2024 campaign for EU Parliamentary elections. The volunteer will explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the achievement of ocean-related targets and actions envisaged by the EU Green Deal – ranging from the Common Fisheries Policy to the EU Biodiversity Strategy. The LO will also support the implementation of the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy project.
The main tasks will include:
- Contribute to the YEE advocacy strategy, by participating in campaigns, liaising with partners, and representing YEE in external events;
- Create ocean-related content and blog articles to be published by YEE;
- Represent the YEE network in the Youth4Ocean Forum and EU4Ocean Platform, especially by taking active part in the youth-led initiatives carried out by the Youth4Ocean Forum community;
- The LO will also contribute to the implementation of the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy project in accordance with the Oceans Project Lead, supporting the planning of key events and tasks, helping in mapping and liaising with relevant youth networks, initiatives, and youth-led projects in Europe.
Liaison Officer on Sustainable Energy
The Liaison Officer on Sustainable Energy will help to create a stronger basis of Energy knowledge with YEE and to implement and carry out relevant advocacy initiatives and relations on the topic. They will work closely with the Volunteers Coordinator, the Project Lead and the Project Assistant on energy. A great part of the mandate will be to provide support and insights to the Ampower project, the project at YEE dedicated to energy and support the team’s effort to create a knowledge bank on energy transition and the energy crisis.
The Sustainable Energy Liaison Officer would also liaise with other youth and non-youth organisations working on energy-related topics, such as the European Youth Energy Network, the EEB, GCE and CAN-Europe and provide assistance with the teams involvement with UN working groups. The Energy Liaison Officer will also have the possibility to explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the increase of sustainable energy targets in the EU. Personal ideas and insights on how to develop the portfolio are more than welcome!
The main tasks will include:
- Draft articles on several key points necessary to understand the complexity of energy transition and the ins and outs of the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
- Create a weekly news update on energy matters (Showcasing new interesting projects, new technologies relevant to the energy transition, updates on new national, European and International legislations, and other relevant news).
- Help our members to engage with our work on energy, through liaising and working on our relationship with Member Organisations and partner organisations;
- Contribute to the general YEE advocacy strategy, such as through participating on behalf of YEE to energy-related campaigns and external events.
Liaison Officer on Green Finance
We are excited to say that we also opened a position for a Liaison Officer on Green Finance!
The role of the Liaison Officer
The Green Finance Liaison will act as a key contact point between YEE and external stakeholders in regards to all matters pertaining to Green Finance. Additionally, during the first phase of the project the volunteer should search for existing projects or work on green finance carried out by other youth organisations with the purpose of increasing capacity on the project and building a coalition of youth organisations active on the topic.
The liaison officer’s main activity will be to provide desktop research to identify important financial actors involved in green finance, in order to monitor financial flows in relation to climate action and energy transitions, with a particular focus on tracking investment banks and their involvement in sustainable initiatives. In cooperation with the communications team, the Liaison Officer will provide regular updates which will be published on social media and on a dedicated page of YEE’s website.
In parallel, the Liaison Officer should keep track of the main policy discussions in the green finance sector and help YEE identify key stakeholders responsible for national, European and International level policy-making to identify where YEE can advocate for further youth involvement.
Finally, throughout the project, and based on the knowledge gathered, the Liaison Officer will create some educational content destined to be shared with YEE’s network as training material.
The main tasks will include
- In cooperation with the communications team, build a webpage on YEE’s website dedicated to green finance content;
- Identify meetings, networks and coalitions that currently allow for youth participation;
- List key stakeholders in international organisations, NGOs and actors of the private sector that are involved in key green investment processes for coalition building; and help YEE advocate for greater youth inclusion in the sector.
- Engage in desktop research on financial flows in regard to the climate and energy transition.
- Help in content creation for our social media, such as drafting short posts throughout the project destined to educate our young audience on green finance;
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us:
We are looking for Liaison Officers | Volunteering
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-Liaison-Officer-at-YEE.png 540 540 Eva Kloudová https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png Eva Kloudová2023-08-25 06:30:562023-08-25 10:17:49We are looking for Liaison Officers | VolunteeringExploring the biological and ecological importance of Europe’s First Wild River National Park
Written by
Heather Needham
Sophia Ullrich
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The Vjosa River
In the Pindus mountains of Greece, close to the village of Vovousa, you can find the source of the last wild river of Europe – the Aoös/Vjosa river. Flowing northwest in natural meanders, it is joined by the river Voidomatis and eventually enters Albania, where it is again joined by the river Sarantaporos. Continuing its way northwest, passing the cities Përmet, Këlcyre and Tepelenë the river is joined by its Albanian tributaries Drin and Shushicë and finally flows into the Adriatic Sea close to the well-known city Vlorë.
As a result of major undisturbed natural processes, a unique landscape and ecosystem developed over thousands of years along the course of the river, based on different flow velocities and river depths ranging from unvegetated gravel bars to floodplain forests. Local people have found a way to live in harmony with this precious ecosystem, making use of and depending on its natural resources without posing a threat to its further existence. This also allows the continued existence of a vast variety of plant as well as animal species, native to the unique and rare habitats of the river. Flagship species that have been picked up by international media representing the unique flora and fauna are the Egyptian vulture, European eel and the Dalmatian pelican, just to name a few.
Europe’s First Wild River National Park
On march 15, 2023, the precious landscape around the last free-flowing wild river of Europe was announced as the Vjosa Wild River National Park. The protection status corresponds to IUCN’s Protected Area Management Category II, the main objective being the protection of its natural biodiversity and the underlying ecological structures and undisturbed natural processes. The protection and therefore continued existence of the ecosystem also aim at the promotion of education and recreational activities.
The process and fight for the protection of the Vjosa to be declared a protected area or National park started in the year 2014 when the german magazine “Der Spiegel” published an article on the situation of rivers in the Balkan region and their threatened status due to several planned hydropower plants. After the first biodiversity assessment was carried out, underlining the unique nature of the river ecosystem, the matter attracted the attention of the European Parliament which demanded the halt for all construction plans and the control of Albania’s hydropower development. Several international protests followed, a lawsuit was filed in December 2016 to stop the development of a new hydropower project which was decided in favour of the Albanian NGO EcoAlbania. In spite of this development, the Albanian government decided to move ahead with the construction of yet another dam, triggering further protests. In 2018, data gathered by international scientists was published in the form of a study. The campaign picked up speed with yet another study by the Austrian University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, concluding the Vjosa river to be unsuitable for energy production due to its high sediment transport. The international attention was followed by a petition, signed by 776 scientists from 46 countries in the beginning of 2020. Within the same year, the plans for the Kalicaç Dam were brought to a halt by the Albanian Environmental Ministry.
The first official proposal for the creation of a Vjosa National Park was put forward in early 2021 by 20 Albanian Environmental organisations, which was then backed up by a study conducted by the IUCN. In parallel to support by the community of scientists, public attention was further achieved by the release of an explanatory video by Patagonia as well as a significant action on World Water Day 2021 in several European cities.Throughout the year 2021, further gathering of scientific data on the Vjosa tributaries, publicity-boosting actions and the launch of a global petition were the last steps of the campaign, before it was declared a Nature Park in January 2022. However, with the status of a Nature Park not guaranteeing effective protection of the Vjosa and its tributaries and sufficient eco-touristic opportunities for the local people, the Vjosa river was finally declared a Wild River National Park ten months later, in March 2023.
A biodiversity hotspot
The rare and unique geological features of the river give rise to an equally unique diversity in plant and animal species, many of which are globally threatened and some of which are protected. As part of the mediterranean basin, the balkan peninsula is one of the 25 most important world hotspot areas of biodiversity.
In a baseline survey Scientists from all over Europe clearly presented the impact the construction of hydropower plants would have on rare habitats and therefore species, threatening the continued existence of such a unique ecosystem. The absence of fish barriers in the Vjosa, until today, allows for the existence of numerous endangered and endemic fish species that are heavily dependent on the free-flowing nature of rivers, such as the migratory European eel, which is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red list. Based on the variety of different habitats, a number of 18 species were found in the baseline survey, once again underlining the importance of river-connectivity and varying speed of water flow.
Within the group of Macroinvertebrates, which includes different organism groups like molluscs, worms, crustaceans, and insects, a number of 227 aquatic invertebrate taxa were found along the course of the Vjosa, some of which are still to be included in scientific research. While some of the species used to be present throughout Europe, other species like the stonefly Isoperla vjosae have, to date, been found exclusively in the Vjosa.
However, the Vjosa valley is crucial not only for the survival of aquatic species but also provides habitat for birds, of which 257 species have been recorded in the basin, many of which are listed on the Red List of Albanian Flora and Fauna and in the Appendix of the Bern Convention, and some in the Annex of the Convention on Migratory Species. Species like the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) serve as flagship species, once again demonstrating the sensitive and vulnerable nature of this natural ecosystem which, until today, provides habitat for species that would otherwise be on the brink of extinction.
The value of Vjosa as a reference site
Finding a floodplain today that remains untouched by significant human influence has become increasingly challenging. Floodplains are important ecologically, covering 7% of the European continent and accounting for up to 30% of terrestrial Natura 2000 site area in Europe. Alarming studies reveal that 70-80% of floodplain have suffered environmental degradation due to human activities.
Amid this concerning trend, the Vjosa River stands out as a remarkable exception. Baseline surveys have identified the Vjosa River as a reference site due to its exceptional ‘near natural status’, boasting high biodiversity and hosting endangered fauna and flora. Moreover the habitats found along the river possess an international value, making it a unique and valuable ecological system.
What sets the Vjosa River apart is its minimal human influence, a rarity in today’s world. The majority of its tributaries flow freely into the river, with only two of them subject to damming. This makes the Vjosa an invaluable case study for understanding and researching the ecological and morphological conditions of a floodplain. A critical aspect of utilising reference sites like the Vjosa is their utility in assessing human impacts on floodplains such as hydropower projects which pose a significant threat to river ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, the Vjosa serves as blueprint for understanding what a functioning river should look like and highlights the need to preserve and protect this ecosystem for future generations.
How you can get involved in protecting rivers:
- Education: Learn more about important rivers in Europe, the challenges facing European rivers, and the impacts a national designation of a national park would have on biodiversity, society and the economy.
- Volunteer: There are many opportunities to join charities and youth groups to clean litter from rivers, and to participate in hands-on work restoring rivers.
- Participate in citizen science: Support scientists to collect data about rivers such as water quality and biodiversity monitoring. Data is important to understand more about rivers and to support petitions.
- Join environmental organisations:Join as a member or volunteer with an environmental NGO working to restore rivers in Europe such as WWF, European Rivers Network or local river protection groups.
- Advocate for policy change: Write letters, emails or petitions to government officials to advocate for stronger environmental regulations and policies that protect rivers.
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Learn more about the project
I want to see my community from another perspective
Iusip, a 23-year-old from Georgia, is currently studying Management Engineering in Poland. He has been involved in the NGO field for three years, establishing his own NGO at the age of 19. Through his organisation, he provided opportunities and assistance to numerous individuals and facilitated participation in projects in Europe.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who’s Iusip?
I’m 23 years old and from Georgia, but now I’m studying in Poland in the faculty of Management Engineering for my bachelor’s. Until now, I have been involved in the NGO field, and when I was 19 and was studying in Georgia, I established my own NGO with my friends. I have been writing projects, and managing teams for three years, and I got a lot of experience.
How did you first get involved with NGOs?
The first organisation was the “Youth Association DRONI”, which had a lot of local projects and in Europe. I have participated in some of the projects in Turkey and in Georgia. I explored a lot of opportunities for youth, and I saw that as a member of an ethnic minority in my country, my ethnicity is Azerbaijani. Most people don’t know about these opportunities. So we made a Facebook group, volunteer-based, and we were sharing all these opportunities for three years. There were a lot of people that have participated in these projects and used these opportunities.
After that, we established our own organisation where we had our own projects. We even got country labels for projects, and we helped people to go and participate in several projects in Europe.
Where did the idea of creating your own organisation come from?
After becoming a volunteer at one of the biggest organisations here in Georgia, I saw that there are a lot of things that youth can do. You can go to another country, explore the country, meet a lot of new people, and gain a lot of skills at the same time. I said to myself: I have to share this with others as well, they must know and develop themselves. So we started with the Facebook group, and we started sharing these opportunities on a daily basis, they were writing and asking us questions, and we were trying to help them with all the matters.
Then we said okay, let’s make an organisation as well, so we can have our own projects and we can be a sender and host organisation at the same time. And in 2020, we registered and started writing projects, finding donors, and partners for us, and we had a lot of projects during these two years and met a lot of people during this period. Our main target group was youth in Georgia, and especially ethnic minorities, and our aim was to develop and motivate them.
Can you share a bit about one of your projects?
There were several projects, with partners or just by ourselves, but one of the main ones that I remember was ‘ethnohunt’. It was a treasure hunt game for two days, and there were people of different ethnicities. We had training about discrimination and tolerance, and we had a workshop to paint the t-shirts, so you had to paint it according to these topics, like tolerance, and in the next stage, you go outside of the room and play ethnohunt.
Do you think it is harder for minority groups to get recognition and have a space among other activist groups?
Sometimes I feel really lucky because if you are a member of an ethnic minority here, at least you have an advantage in languages. You are in Georgia, so you already know Georgian, you know Azerbaijani, you have Turkish, you study English you already know four languages. Even when I’m going to the projects, there are people from Azerbaijan, Georgia, English English-speaking countries, and I’m able to speak with all of them, even in their own language. There are a lot of opportunities for us as we are people with multiple languages.
But not all people are so lucky, because as you may know, people mostly live in the villages and they don’t have that much opportunity to learn English or learn Georgian. Moreover, the educational conditions are not that good in the regions.
What’s next for you, and what is your ultimate goal?
“My main aim was to see the community from another perspective, to change them, to try to affect them positively.”
There might be a lot of negative things in the community if you start discussing it from the educational, social, or even political side, and I was trying to find people with whom I can discuss science or technology. I believe that with all the things I was trying to do in the NGO sector, people were getting more and more developed in different fields. They may be lawyers or IT guys, but at least they must start doing this and look to the global side and try to gain more and more experience to become something different. And to do that, you need to cross your borders, the borders you have inside, and your complexes. I was trying to work against it, against complexes and stereotypes.
“Even just one project can change a person.”
I had experiences like this here as well. Because they have many competencies, speaking in their own language, speaking in another language, speaking in front of an audience, communicating, and many more skills. And even in 10 days, they were coming back, and they were totally changed. It affects their lives, and their career as well, and from that one individual, you can reach the community level, but step by step, one by one.
What’s your advice for people who want to start getting involved?
My advice would be not to be afraid because I mainly saw situations where they are afraid. Of being alone, afraid of being lost in another city or country, you can find a number of reasons. They just need to step forward. Otherwise, they will not be able to experience it.
I always was the person that would step forward first. My motivation for this was curiosity, I was curious about everything. I was going everywhere trying to explore something new, and they must be curious as well, and they must not be afraid of anything. When you are going somewhere, you have never been, or when you are talking to people you don’t know, you are exploring something new, you are adding some color to your picture. It makes your life and yourself more developed and better. That’s basically what I can advise, according to, of course, my experiences. I’m still 23 years old, and I still have a lot of years to give advice.
What do you want for the future?
Probably at this moment, I would like to have peace. There are a lot of kinds, like not having a war, if you are mentally stable, you don’t have conflicts around you… It can have different levels. I just want to have peace around me, and I would like to see the eyes of people with peace. Here mainly, I see people with tired and not motivated eyes, and I would like to see their eyes with more peace.
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Introducing Iusip | Showcasing the Unheard
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Iusip.png 675 675 YEE https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png YEE2023-08-01 14:56:002023-10-02 15:28:06Introducing Iusip | Showcasing the UnheardOur mission
YEE aims to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe in order to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems and to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making.
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