Strike by security staff at most major German airports cancels hundreds of flights

Associated Press
Thu, February 1, 2024 





Germany Airport Strike
Gangways on the apron of the airport are empty in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. A union has called on security staff at most of Germany’s major airports to stage a one-day strike on Thursday as it steps up pressure on employers in a pay dispute. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — Security workers at most of Germany's major airports walked off the job Thursday in a one-day strike to step up pressure in a pay dispute, prompting widespread flight cancellations.

The ver.di union, which announced the walkout on Tuesday afternoon, called on workers to strike at 11 airports: Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Hannover, Dresden, Bremen and Erfurt.

Airports in Bavaria — including Munich, the country's second-busiest — were not affected.


All departures for the day from Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart were canceled before the strike started. About four-fifths of flights in Cologne and one-third in Duesseldorf also were canceled.

In Frankfurt, the operator of Germany's busiest airport said security checkpoints outside the transit area would remain closed. It advised passengers planning to start their journeys there not to come to the airport. However, there were connections for transferring passengers; Lufthansa planned to operate much of its planned schedule, including intercontinental flights.

Airport operator group ADV estimated that about 1,100 flights in total would be canceled or delayed, affected some 200,000 passengers, German news agency dpa reported.

Three rounds of labor negotiations have failed to produce a pay agreement for some 25,000 security workers. Ver.di is seeking a raise of 2.80 euros per hour ($3.03) for all employees and calling for bonuses for overtime work to kick in from the first extra hour.

An employers’ association says it offered a 4% raise this year and 3% next year, as well as concessions on when overtime bonuses kick in. The talks are due to resume on Feb. 6.

Short “warning strikes” are a common tactic in German contract negotiations. In a separate dispute, ver.di has called for strikes Friday on local public transportation systems in much of the country.

A bitter dispute over working hours and pay resulted in full-scale strikes last month that affected Germany's passenger trains. The GDL union, which represents many of the country's train drivers, on Monday ended a five-day strike earlier than originally planned after agreeing to resume talks with the state-owned main railway operator, Deutsche Bahn.

Germany strikes: Local transport at a standstill with Hamburg airport also affected

Ruth Wright
Fri, February 2, 2024 

Germany strikes: Local transport at a standstill with Hamburg airport also affected


Local buses, trams and subway trains are cancelled in 80 cities across Germany today, as well as disrpution at Hamburg airport.

Off the back of a strike that downed planes yesterday, transport employees walked off the job in the country's third transport-related strike in two weeks.

Travellers will be impacted in different ways, depending on which city they are in.

In Berlin, workers with the local transport authority walked off the job until 10 am. In Hamburg, Cologne, Hannover and elsewhere, the strike was to last all day. Bavaria, where there are no negotiations at present, was the only region not affected.
Hamburg airport warns passengers to check before travelling to the airport

Hamburg airport announced: "The trade union Ver.di is calling for a full-day warning strike by ground handling services on Friday, 02.02.24. Passengers are asked to keep up to date with their flight status and to contact their airline, as possible disruptions cannot be ruled out."

The service providers Groundstars, Stars and Cats are affected. According to Ver.di, their employees are responsible for loading and unloading the aircraft, providing technical equipment, baggage handling, aircraft de-icing, and cleaning aircrafts’ interiors.

Verdi hopes the strike will emphasise the demands of the approximately 900 ground handling employees working at Hamburg airport. These include an inflation compensation bonus of €3,000 and an increase in wages.

Why is the strike happening?

The Ver.di service workers' union called for a “warning strike,” a common tactic in German contract negotiations, on Monday. Its deputy chair, Christine Behle, said that “the time has now come to exert more pressure on employers” as talks on new pay contracts for about 90,000 people employed by over 130 local transport operators have failed to make progress.

The dispute centres on demands for better working conditions, such as a shorter working week and extra compensation days for shift and night work.

Coinciding contract negotiations in the rail, airport and local transport sectors have made for a frustrating few weeks for German travellers and commuters.

The German railway system is involved in a separate dispute that centres on a train drivers' union's demand for a shorter working week.

Local transport in Germany hit by walkouts in a dispute over working conditions

Associated Press
Fri, February 2, 2024



Germany Public Transport Strike

(AP Photo/Michael Probst)


BERLIN (AP) — Local buses, trams and subway trains were canceled in much of Germany on Friday as transport employees walked off the job in the country's third transport-related strike in two weeks.

The Ver.di service workers' union called for a “warning strike,” a common tactic in German contract negotiations, on Monday. Its deputy chair, Christine Behle, said that “the time has now come to exert more pressure on employers” as talks on new pay contracts for about 90,000 people employed by over 130 local transport operators have failed to make progress.

The exact demands and the length of Friday's walkouts varied from place to place. In Berlin, workers with the local transport authority walked off the job until 10 a.m.; in Hamburg, Cologne, Hannover and elsewhere, the strike was to last all day. Bavaria, where there are no negotiations at present, was the only region not affected.

The dispute centers on demands for better working conditions, such as a shorter working week and extra compensation days for shift and night work.

Coinciding contract negotiations in the rail, airport and local transport sectors have made for a frustrating few weeks for German travers and commuters.

The German railway system is involved in a separate dispute that centers on a train drivers' union's demand for a shorter working week.

In an unrelated dispute that centers on pay demands, Ver.di on Thursday called security workers at most of Germany’s major airports out on a one-day strike that prompted widespread flight cancellations.


Ground staff strike at Hamburg airport begins over wage dispute
DPA
Thu, February 1, 2024 

A view of the deserted Hauptbahnhof Nord subway station due to a warning strike. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Rabea Gruber/dpa


A day after a one day strike by aviation security staff at many German airports, another strike has come into force at Hamburg Airport.

The Verdi union had called on ground handling staff to stop work from 3:00 am (0200 GMT) to 11:59 pm on Friday. According to the airport, the consequences for passengers should be limited.

Initially, five departures and three arrivals were cancelled in the morning, according to the airport's website. The majority of these were flights to and from Helsinki and Munich, the statement said.

Hamburg Airport had originally planned 135 departures and 132 arrivals with over 37,000 passengers for Friday.

At the airport, employees of the service providers Groundstars, Stars and Cats have been called out on strike.

According to the union, they are responsible for loading and unloading aircraft, providing technical equipment, pushing back aircraft, baggage handling, de-icing aircraft and cleaning the interiors of aircraft.

With the strike, Verdi wants to push for the demands of around 900 employees. These include an inflation compensation bonus of €3,000 and a wage increase of €200 plus a 5.5 % payrise with retroactive effect from January 1. The next negotiation date is scheduled for February 19.

A sign reading "Warning strike" hangs at a BVG bus depot in Müllerstrasse. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa

A view of a closed subway station due to a warning strike. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa


Hundreds of flights cancelled amid strikes at 11 German airports

DPA
Thu, February 1, 2024

Strikers stand in front of Berlin Brandenburg Airport BER, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christophe Gateau/dpa


Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in Germany on Thursday amid a one-day strike by aviation security workers at 11 airports across the country.

The strike forced the closure of security checkpoints at all 11 affected airports, meaning no travellers could enter the airport and board flights.

But the impact of the strike on flight operations, which began in the early hours of Thursday at most of the airports, varied widely.

The airports hit by the strike are Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Hanover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden.

At Germany's busiest airport hub in Frankfurt, for instance, about 310 flights had been cancelled as of Thursday morning out of a schedule of 1,120 flights.

Lufthansa, which is based in Frankfurt, announced plans to continue flying a nearly full schedule for arriving and connecting passengers, although no travellers could begin their journey in Frankfurt due to the security strike.

In Berlin, all departures and many arrivals were cancelled and the terminal on Thursday morning appeared deserted. In Dusseldorf, around a third of take-offs and landings were cancelled, and in nearby Cologne - where the strikes began late on Wednesday evening - virtually all air traffic had ceased.

Other airports, such as Lufthansa's secondary hub in Munich, are not impacted by the strike and were operating on largely normal flight schedules.

Workers take part in a waring strike at Frankfurt airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Jörg Halisch/dpa

An airport employee walks through the closed and deserted security checkpoint at Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christian Charisius/dpa

A display at the entrance to the closed and deserted security checkpoint at Hamburg Airport reads "Gate closed" in various languages, at Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christian Charisius/dpa

Two passengers who were originally due to fly from Stuttgart to Mexico, but whose flight was canceled due to the strike, sit on a bench in a terminal at Stuttgart Airport. Marijan Murat/dpa

Passengers stand in front of the check-in counter area at Cologne Bonn Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Striking airport security workers hold a banner reading "More pay? With security" at Cologne Bonn Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Strikers and union representatives stick posters with the words "Warning strike!" on the windows at Terminal 2 of Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Bodo Marks/dpa

Travelers lie sleeping on the floor at Frankfurt Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Andreas Arnold/dpa
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Shifts in lake carbon dynamics on the Qingzang Plateau — from predominant carbon sources to emerging carbon sinks

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EURASIA ACADEMIC PUBLISHING GROUP

A new study shows that annual carbon emissions from lakes in the Qingzang Plateau (QZP) — a vast elevated plateau at the intersection of Central, South, and East Asia — have declined, with some lakes shifting from carbon sources between 1970-2000 to carbon sinks between 2000-2020, a finding that has implications for estimates of global warming and climate change relative to China overall.

 

The study was published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, and offers insights into the timing and degree of shifting in the annual CO2 flux for lakes in the QZP region.

 

The authors found that the QZP lake systems have generally acted as a carbon source from 1970–2000, with an annual CO2 exchange flux of 2.04 ± 0.37 Tg C yr−1. From 2000 to 2020, some freshwater and saltwater lakes shifted from acting as a carbon source to a small carbon sink, while the annual CO2 exchange flux of QZP lakes has decreased to 1.34 ± 0.50 Tg C yr−1.

 

Before 2000, the average temperature on the QZP from 1970 to 2000 was lower, aquatic plant and phytoplankton rates were relatively low, and the effect of respiration on C emissions was more pronounced. After 2000, the annual average temperature on the QZP showed a rising trend. At the same time, the CO2 absorbed through photosynthesis exceeded the CO2 released through respiration, while pCO2 at the water-air interface decreased, and waterbodies increasingly become less saturated, all of which are conducive for CO2 entering waterbodies.

 

On the QZP, most lakes are located above an altitude of 3000 m, with low levels of eutrophication. Phytoplankton and aquatic macrophytes are very sensitive to the availability of light, and a slight reduction in solar radiation will also slow respiration processes and gradually decrease CO2 emissions. In addition, solar radiation is crucial in carbon emissions during lake ice melting. When the lake ice begins to melt in the spring, the circulation (flipping) of the water column caused by convection causes a significant outflow of CO2. In recent decades, the annual solar radiation on the QZP has generally declined, which will weaken the convection in the water body and thus reduce CO2 emissions.

 

Since the turn of the 21st century, the expansion rate in the lake area has accelerated due to increased precipitation and glacial meltwater, providing a broader living space for aquatic plants and phytoplankton growth. Due to increased river runoff, QZP lakes have received more nutrient inputs, increasing aquatic plant and phytoplankton biomass. This lake area expansion has also decreased lake salinity levels, reducing aquatic plant and phytoplankton toxicity stress. Moreover, aquatic plants and phytoplankton have absorbed more CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, which has increased carbon fixation.

 

These factors have collectively contributed to a decrease in QZP lake carbon emissions over the past five decades. This trend suggests that QZP lakes might assume an increasingly significant role in both regional and global carbon cycles in the context of ongoing global climate change.

 

JOURNAL

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2024.100389 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Decadal shifts in Qingzang Plateau lake carbon dynamics (1970–2020): From predominant carbon sources to emerging sinks

 

Sedimentary records of contaminant inputs in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EURASIA ACADEMIC PUBLISHING GROUP

Although contaminant levels in Arctic environments are often lower than those in temperate locations close to cities and industrial areas, contaminant studies in the Arctic remain important due to the potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification through food webs to top consumers and humans. Regions important for traditional food harvesting are a priority for monitoring.

 

Contaminants primarily reach the Arctic through long-range atmospheric and oceanic transport, but local sources within the Arctic, including legacy sources and new sources associated with commercial and industrial development, also contribute to the levels observed in the environment.

 

A major population centre in the Canadian Arctic that has seen increased human activity during recent decades is the City of Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Iqaluit is located at the head of Frobisher Bay, an area where Inuit continue to harvest country food.

 

Research led by Meaghan C. Bartley of the Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS) at the University of Manitoba, and published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, found evidence of impacts from both local source and long-range transport in the marine sediment of Frobisher Bay,  Nunavut, via seven dated sediment cores collected from sites near Koojesse Inlet (close to Iqaluit), and inner and outer Frobisher Bay. Contaminants detected included total mercury (THg), major and trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFASs). These findings show that pollution effects leave a long legacy in the environment and include both local and long-range effects.

 

Sediments collected 1.8 km away from Iqaluit, in the Koojesse Inlet, received inputs of THg, PAHs, PCBs, and PFASs primarily originating from activities in and around Iqaluit. Records of THg in sediment suggest that although concentrations were not different from other areas of the Arctic, inputs were connected to local civilian and military activities (e.g., thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs, electrical switches), and were potentially moved from the terrestrial to coastal environment by local activities such as construction.

 

A peak in PCB concentrations was concurrent with military site presence from the 1950-60s, and congener composition in the sediment resembled that of the industrial PCB mixture Aroclor 1260. PCB contamination associated with the historic civilian and military activity in Iqaluit continues to represent a source of PCBs to coastal sediments, albeit reduced from a factor of at least 4X from its peak in the ∼1960s.

 

PAH concentrations increased in recent sediments and exhibited a pyrogenic signature, likely reflecting increased fossil fuel burning for transportation (ships and airplanes), heating and electricity associated with the rapid population growth of Iqaluit in recent decades, northern development, and waste burning.

 

The dominant PFASs observed close to Iqaluit were associated with airport and military activities. This core exhibited a peak in PFOS and PFDS, which may be explained by legacy aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) usage. Fluorotelomer carboxylic acids (FTCAs) increased closer to the surface, which could be from the phase out of PFOS formulations of AFFF towards fluorotelomer chemistry.

 

This study provides evidence for the importance of both long-range contaminant sources and local inputs in Arctic environments. These results highlight that even after the clean-up of legacy military sites, there remains an impact on the environment for many decades. As human activities escalate in the Arctic, comprehensive investigations into contaminant levels and prospective ecological ramifications hold paramount importance for evaluating risks within regions of significance for traditional food harvesting.

 

Journal

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

 

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2023.100313

 

Article Title

Sedimentary records of contaminant inputs in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut

 

Article Publication Date

10 October 2023

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100313 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Sedimentary records of contaminant inputs in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut

 

Smarter eco-cities, AI and AIoT, and environmental sustainability

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EURASIA ACADEMIC PUBLISHING GROUP

Smarter eco-cities, characterized by their advanced technological landscape, are at the forefront of ushering in a new era of environmental sustainability. These intelligent urban environments leverage cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) solutions to address and mitigate environmental challenges. The integration of AIoT technologies enables these cities to harness real-time data, optimize resource utilization, and implement innovative approaches for ecological conservation and resilience. In doing so, they contribute significantly to the creation of more sustainable and resilient urban ecosystems, fostering a harmonious balance between technological advancement and environmental well-being. As we explore the realm of smarter eco-cities, several questions emerge:

What foundational elements define the emergence of smarter eco-cities, and how do they intertwine?

What factors serve as the key enablers and drivers propelling the evolution of smarter eco-cities?

What constitute the primary AI and AIoT solutions that can be leveraged in shaping the development of smarter eco-cities? What challenges and barriers arise in implementing AI and AIoT solutions for the development of smarter eco-cities?

 

In a recent systematic review published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, invaluable insights and novel perspectives are presented. These findings serve as a crucial resource for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, providing them with the necessary knowledge to advance the integration of eco-urbanism and AI- and AIoT-driven urbanism.

 

Since the mid-2010s, the gradual influence of data-driven technologies and solutions in smart cities has been reshaping the dynamics of eco-cities. This transformation aligns with a smarter approach to environmental sustainability, characterized by the integration of core eco-city domains with those of smart cities.

 

This trajectory is expected to persist as the technologies and solutions of smart cities, including AI, IoT, and Big Data, advance and seamlessly integrate with sustainable technologies and strategies. This integration enables the development of innovative approaches, showcasing the capability to address increasingly complex challenges. Consequently, the continual advancement in AI and AIoT applications contributes to the ongoing evolution of smart eco-cities, making them even more intelligent in their commitment to achieving environmental sustainability.

 

In response to the pressing need for effective solutions, these technologies are poised to offer novel applications that not only overcome current challenges but also pave the way for sustained improvements. Moreover, a positive feedback loop is anticipated, wherein the more these solutions are implemented, the higher the likelihood of their further adoption. This can be attributed to the amplifying effects of network dynamics, continuous learning, adaptive capabilities, and enhanced coordination, creating a reinforcing cycle of positive impact on environmental sustainability efforts.

 

Nevertheless, the high energy demands associated with AI and AIoT applications, especially when relying on non-renewable energy sources, pose a challenge to the attainment of environmental objectives in smarter eco-cities. On a direct level, the construction of smarter eco-cities involves the implementation of urban operating systems, urban operations centers, and urban dashboards, necessitating substantial amounts of natural resources for the development, installation, and maintenance of AI and AIoT ecosystems. Additionally, the life cycle of IoT and AI, encompassing production, distribution, service, and disposal, generates considerable amounts of e-waste, unsustainable materials, and toxic pollution. Ensuring the sustainable growth of AI, IoT, Big Data technologies, green computing, and eco-friendly design is imperative to address the potential disparities between the environmental aspirations of smarter eco-cities and the opportunities presented by AI and AIoT technologies.

 

AI and AIoT solutions should be carefully implemented in conjunction with sustainable and eco-friendly design principles, energy-efficient policy instruments, and other relevant measures. This collaborative effort is aimed at ensuring that the efficiency gains facilitated by AI and AIoT solutions contribute to the reduction of energy use and carbon footprint.

 

Technical and ethical challenges, encompassing black-box models, bias and fairness, data privacy and security, transparency and accountability, and information asymmetries, must be systematically addressed. It is crucial for smart cities to prioritize initiatives that not only enhance socio-economic equality and foster social inclusion but also adhere to principles of openness and clarity.

 

This study identifies and evaluates critical challenges associated with environmental costs, privacy concerns regarding data collection and usage, cybersecurity risks in interconnected systems, public trust, and social acceptance. Additionally, it highlights challenges such as limited technical expertise and knowledge, the absence of robust regulatory frameworks to ensure responsible deployment of AI and AIoT, and the imperative to ensure the equitable use of AI and AIoT technologies.

 

The comprehensive insights synthesized in this study hold substantial implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers actively involved in the design, management, and planning of smarter eco-cities.

 

Journal

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

 

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2023.100330

 

Article Title

Smarter eco-cities and their leading-edge artificial intelligence of things solutions for environmental sustainability: A comprehensive systematic review

 

Article Publication Date

3 November 2023

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100330 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Smarter eco-cities and their leading-edge artificial intelligence of things solutions for environmental sustainability: A comprehensive systematic review

 

Brexit-induced spatial restrictions reveal alarming increase of fishing fleet’s carbon footprint

Spatial restrictions after Brexit lead to doubling in carbon footprint of Norwegian mackerel fishing flee

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN

 

VIDEO: 

HOW COULD BREXIT LEAD TO A DOUBLING OF THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF NORWAY’S MACKEREL FISHERY? THIS VIDEO EXPLAINS THE FINDINGS OF A NEW STUDY ON FISHERY EMISSIONS AND AREA RESTRICTIONS, PERFORMED BY RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN, RISE (RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN) AND FISKEBÅT.

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CREDIT: ESPEN VIKE (STUDIO VIKE) AND CCO MUSIC: «FINAL THOUGHTS» BY APEX MUSIC (UPPBEAT.IO)

In a study published today in Marine Policy, researchers have unveiled striking evidence that fisheries management decisions such as spatial fisheries restrictions can increase greenhouse gas emissions. The study, conducted by a team of scientists led by postdoctoral researcher Kim Scherrer at the University of Bergen, sheds light on the unforeseen consequences of policy changes on fishing fleets and their carbon footprint.

In the North Atlantic, international agreements often allow fleets to follow the fish across national borders. This allows fishers to catch the fish where it is most efficient. But when the UK left the EU (Brexit), Norway’s mackerel fishing fleet was suddenly excluded from fishing grounds in the UK. Using Brexit as a natural experiment, the researchers used open fisheries data to unravel the consequences for the Norwegian mackerel fishery. The findings reveal an alarming shift in the fishery's performance and carbon emissions due to the changes in fishing practices.

As the Norwegian fleet was excluded from UK fishing grounds, the vessels were forced to areas where fishing was less efficient. The catch per fishing trip nearly halved, prompting a doubling in the number of trips per vessel. Consequently, the fuel used per kilo of mackerel more than doubled.

Because of this change, an extra 23 million liters of fuel were needed each year, costing about €18 million more. This also released an extra 72,000 tonnes of CO2 into the air annually. The area restriction thus undid about 15 years of progress in fuel efficiency in Norway's pelagic fisheries.

”This small change in fisheries’ regulations unintentionally caused as much annual CO2 emissions as half a million within-EU return flights,” said Scherrer, emphasizing the necessity of considering emissions in fisheries management. “It is important that governments that have signed the Paris agreement avoid squandering emissions like this”.

The study underscores that policymakers and managers need to consider fuel efficiency trade-offs in marine spatial management, ensuring a balance between conservation efforts, other offshore industries, and reduced carbon footprints.

Spatial restrictions inadvertently doubled the carbon footprint of Norway’s mackerel fishing fleet 

 

As the Norwegian fleet was excluded from UK fishing grounds, the vessels were forced to areas where fishing was less efficient. The catch per fishing trip nearly halved, prompting a doubling in the number of trips per vessel. Consequently, the fuel used per kilo of mackerel caught more than doubled.

CREDIT

Roar Bjånesøy/Norges Sildesalgslag

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JOURNAL

Marine Policy

DOI

10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106014 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Spatial restrictions inadvertently doubled the carbon footprint of Norway’s mackerel fishing fleet

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

30-Jan-2024

COI STATEMENT

Gjert Dingsør is employed at Fiskebåt, an interest group and employers’ organization for the Norwegian ocean-going fishing fleet. GD has helped align the methods and quantification with the practicalities of the mackerel fishery (including temporal development), pointed to openly available data sources, has commented on but not written the manuscript, and has not influenced results or conclusions. The other authors declare no competing interests.

 

Paper: Multistate foodborne illness outbreaks impact restaurant stock price, public perception

The financial impact of foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

 

IMAGE: 

FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAKS SPANNING MULTIPLE STATES BRING SWIFT FINANCIAL LOSSES, INCREASED MEDIA ATTENTION AND A PUBLIC-RELATIONS HIT THAT MAKES SUBSEQUENT SMALLER OUTBREAKS MORE FINANCIALLY DAMAGING, SAYS MARIA KALAITZANDONAKES, A PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND CONSUMER ECONOMICS AT ILLINOIS.

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CREDIT: PHOTO BY FRED ZWICKY

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As demand for food from restaurants soars in the U.S., so does the importance in understanding the impacts of foodborne illness outbreaks. A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert in food marketing and food policy finds that outbreaks spanning multiple states bring swift financial losses, increased media attention and a public-relations hit that makes smaller outbreaks more financially damaging. 

In the U.S., more than 60% of foodborne illness outbreaks occur at restaurants, and the vast majority of those outbreaks are confined to a single state. As these smaller food safety events are announced by local health agencies and media, their impact has been generally not well understood.

When restaurants experience multistate outbreaks – as did the fast-casual chain Chipotle Mexican Grill in 2015 – that can lead to a stock market penalty, substantial negative news media coverage and a discernible change for the worse in how investors and the public view the company’s smaller outbreaks, says Maria Kalaitzandonakes, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois and lead author of the study.

“Foodborne illness outbreaks are somewhat common in the U.S. If you operate a restaurant, it’s difficult to get that risk down to zero. When a restaurant has a single-state outbreak, the public may not even hear about it,” she said. “But if you have what happened at Chipotle – where your brand becomes associated with foodborne illness after a multistate outbreak – that’s when you start to see responses to these single-state outbreaks. Investors start to get rattled, the media pays attention and we see clear impacts from those types of outbreaks.”

The paper, which was published by the journal Agribusiness, was co-written by Maria Teresa Serra Devesa, the T.A. Hieronymus Distinguished Chair in Futures Markets at Illinois, and Brenna Ellison of Purdue University.

To gauge the effect of foodborne illness outbreaks, the researchers studied eight such occurrences at the ubiquitous fast-casual chain to evaluate the media and stock market responses to both single and multistate outbreaks.

“We chose to study Chipotle because it’s publicly traded and not owned by a parent company, which means we can zero in on the financial impacts of the outbreaks through the change in its stock price,” Kalaitzandonakes said. “We were able to identify the first announcement for each outbreak and get stock price data down to the minute level.”

In their analysis, the researchers found “a fundamental shift” in news media coverage and stock market response to single‐state outbreaks before and after Chipotle’s multistate E. coli outbreaks, according to the paper.

Before Chipotle’s more well-known multistate outbreaks, the company’s single‐state outbreaks earned little public scrutiny and incurred no financial losses for the company – whereas after the multistate food safety events, subsequent single‐state outbreaks resulted in national media coverage and financial losses, Kalaitzandonakes said.

“We’d expect multistate outbreaks to be newsworthy nationally, so the fact that Chipotle’s multistate E. coli outbreaks were highly reported on is intuitive. It is less expected that single-state outbreaks would be of interest to national news,” she said. 

But the results show that media attention for single‐state outbreaks depended on whether they occurred before or after the multistate outbreaks, Kalaitzandonakes said.

“Before, media attention of single-state outbreaks was low, generating only a handful of news stories,” she said. “After, media attention was much higher, generating hundreds of news stories with national audiences.”

Similarly, the researchers found that Chipotle’s multistate outbreaks were associated with declines in stock price returns of more than 5%, resulting in a market capitalization decline of $1.75 million. But the impact of Chipotle’s single‐state outbreaks was more nuanced: Single‐state outbreaks that occurred before the multistate outbreak brought no losses, whereas single‐state outbreaks that occurred after resulted in a 4%-7% reduction in Chipotle’s stock price returns.

“This could be for a variety of reasons – increased media coverage, reduced faith in management, worry about consumers staying away and reducing revenues, and so on,” Kalaitzandonakes said.

The researchers found that the differences in both media coverage and stock market response to single‐state outbreaks before and after Chipotle’s multistate E. coli outbreaks were unrelated to their severity, suggesting that multistate outbreaks changed the calculus for both media and investor perceptions about foodborne illness risk at the chain.

“Before the multistate outbreaks, which generated significant negative national media attention, these single-state outbreaks didn’t really register,” she said. “But single-state outbreaks after the multistate outbreak – investors responded very quickly and negatively, indicating they thought these events were risky.”

The lessons from Chipotle’s case underscore the importance of restaurants investing in outbreak prevention, Kalaitzandonakes said.

“Foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants are most frequently caused by sick workers or poor food handling practices,” she said. “So preventing foodborne illness through enhanced safety measures is a relatively straightforward fix that’s likely to have a high return on investment for both the company and public health.”

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JOURNAL

Agribusiness

DOI

10.1002/agr.21898 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The financial impact of foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants: Chipotle Mexican Grill

 

NRL joins Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ)

Business Announcement

NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

 

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IMAGE: OVERVIEW OF KEY FEATURES THAT WILL INFLUENCE METEOROLOGY DURING THE JANUARY-MARCH SAMPLING PERIOD OF ASIA-AQ. BLACK CIRCLES ARE THE AIRBORNE SAMPLING SITES FOR ASIA-AQ. THE ORANGE BOX INDICATES THE OBSERVING DOMAIN FOR GEMS. THE BACKGROUND SHADED IMAGE IS THE ANNUAL AVERAGE NO2 FROM TROPOMI. THE LOCATION OF EACH ATMOSPHERIC COMPONENT IN THIS DIAGRAM IS AN EXAMPLE AND VARIES IN REALITY. (U.S. NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY)

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CREDIT: U.S. NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

WASHINGTON  –  U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) meteorologists, in partnership with NASA, will join a team of international scientists to participate in the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) experiment beginning on February 2.
 
NRL’s collaborators, David Peterson, Ph.D., meteorologist, Theodore McHardy, Ph.D., American Society for Engineering Education postdoctoral researcher, Nicholas Gapp, Science Applications International Corporation and Lauren Porter, STEM Student Employment Program, will lead critical weather forecasting efforts for the duration of the experiment.
 
In partnership with team members at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), NRL will provide daily briefings for the science and flight planning teams summarizing meteorology, air quality and atmospheric composition forecasts. This information will identify opportunities for data collection, including airborne measurements of many local, remote, persistent, and episodic sources of pollution.
 
“ASIA-AQ is an exciting opportunity to investigate how different climates and weather patterns influence periods of hazardous air quality and reduced visibility in several regions of eastern Asia.” said Dr. Peterson. “Beginning in the Philippines, each phase will last for two weeks then move to South Korea, Malaysia and conclude in Thailand.”
 
The primary goal of ASIA-AQ is to improve understanding of air quality in and around several Asian megacities by evaluating the factors controlling variability in daily air quality. The comprehensive study will involve South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) which measures hourly to provide a new view of air quality conditions from space that both complements and depends upon ground-based monitoring efforts of countries in its field of view. To aid in the validation and interpretation of GEMS observations, a network of ground-based remote sensing instruments (Pandora spectrometers) is being established across the GEMS domain. Pandora spectrometers can provide continuous information on the atmospheric column trace gas amounts of compounds.
 
NASA will contribute two research aircraft to the study, with flights planned over urban and marine environments in five countries in eastern Asia. ASIA-AQ flights will be conducted in full partnership with NRL and local scientists and environmental agencies responsible for air quality monitoring and assessment. These partners will contribute to the design of the flight sampling strategies, participate in the execution of the study, and be involved in the analysis of observations collected.
 
Aircraft observations provide invaluable context to the satellite and ground-based perspectives that are used more routinely to inform air quality models for both forecasting and identification of specific sources of pollution. Satellites and ground monitors focus on only a small subset of relevant atmospheric constituents. For a more complete understanding, detailed atmospheric composition measurements throughout the lower atmosphere are needed to understand how emissions, chemistry and meteorology combine to affect ozone and particulate pollution.
 
 ASIA-AQ will be able to fully harness the combination of multi-perspective observations (satellite, ground, and aircraft) and models to improve understanding of the factors controlling air quality. This calls for an international collaborative effort that includes air quality scientists, government officials, and monitoring agencies working together.
 
“We look forward to working with weather forecasters and air quality scientists in the ASIA-AQ host countries to build collaborations and broaden the impact of our work.” said Peterson.
 
After the deployment, NRL will continue to support the aircraft measurement teams and the atmospheric simulations done by ASIA-AQ scientists by providing information on how ASIA-AQ measurements were influenced by specific weather patterns. NRL will use data collected during ASIA-AQ to evaluate Navy modeling applications in eastern Asia, with the goal of improved forecasts for hazardous visibility conditions that account for potential feedback of airborne pollutants on weather.
 

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil. 

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

 

Reaping agricultural emissions solutions

AI-backed model analyzes cropland ammonia emissions, identifies mitigation strategies

Business Announcement

DOE/OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

 

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ORNL CLIMATE MODELING EXPERTISE CONTRIBUTED TO AN AI-BACKED MODEL THAT ASSESSES GLOBAL EMISSIONS OF AMMONIA FROM CROPLANDS NOW AND IN A WARMER FUTURE, WHILE IDENTIFYING MITIGATION STRATEGIES. THIS MAP HIGHLIGHTS CROPLANDS AROUND THE WORLD.

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CREDIT: CREDIT: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A new computational framework developed in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Jiafu Mao provides a detailed assessment of ammonia emissions from global croplands and identifies practices that could curb release of the gas.

Croplands are the largest single source of atmospheric ammonia, emitted from fields treated with nitrogen fertilizer. Ammonia can harm human health, acidify soil and waterways and contribute to biodiversity loss, food insecurity and climate change. However, the international study found that emissions could be cut by 38% without altering total fertilizer inputs, as detailed in Nature.

Mao helped devise a machine learning approach to improve ammonia emission estimates from wheat, corn and rice fields. The model enabled the identification of local best practices that could mitigate emissions, even in a warming climate.

“This valuable model, backed by artificial intelligence tools, can also fine-tune biogeochemical cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in the Department of Energy’s Earth system model,” Mao said. —Stephanie Seay