What the Law Says: Public vs. Private Trash

The legality of dumpster diving hinges on one key factor: location.

• Public Property: In general, once trash is placed on the curb for collection, it’s considered abandoned. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in California v. Greenwood (1988) that police can legally search trash without a warrant. That ruling indirectly supports dumpster diving in public spaces.
• Private Property: Things change drastically if a dumpster is on private property (e.g., behind a store, inside a fenced area). In these cases, diving could lead to trespassing or theft charges, especially if signs are posted or the dumpster is locked.

State-by-State Dumpster Diving Laws (Updated 2025)

Here’s a quick breakdown of how laws vary by state:

Pro Tip: Use apps like Trashwiki, Freegan.info, and iOverlander to check your city’s laws and find safe spots.

Why People Dive

People dive for free stuff like food, clothes, or gadgets. It saves money. Some want to cut waste, like environmentalists. Stores throw out good items, like bruised fruit or returned electronics. Divers find treasures others miss. The EPA says 140 million tons of trash go to U.S. landfills each year. Much of it can be used. Diving helps reduce waste and meets needs.

Risks to Watch

Laws aren’t the only worry. Dumpsters can be dangerous. Broken glass or bad food can hurt you. Wear gloves and strong shoes. Use tools like grabbers to stay safe. Privacy rules matter too. Don’t take papers with personal details, like bank records. That can cause trouble. Police often focus on trespassing, so stick to public bins to avoid problems.

Dive Safely and Legally

Know the rules to stay legal. Public bins, like those in alleys, are often fine if no signs ban diving. Private property, like store lots, can lead to trouble without permission. Ask the owner first. Dive in daylight to avoid suspicion. Wear bright clothes and carry a light to show you’re not sneaking. If police come, stay calm, explain what you’re doing, and leave if asked.

Is It Right to Dive?

Some say diving is good because it cuts waste. Others think it’s rude, especially on private land. Businesses may not like it for safety reasons, but some don’t mind if you’re quiet. A few stores even leave good items out for divers. Be respectful. Clean up, don’t make a mess, and only take what you need. This keeps diving possible.

Communities & Culture: The Rise of the Divers

Dumpster diving is no longer fringe. It’s a movement:

• Reddit’s r/DumpsterDiving has over 200,000 members sharing tips, photos, and legal insights.
• Local Dive Teams often coordinate pickups for shelters or food pantries.
• Freeganism (living off waste) is gaining traction in eco-conscious cities like Portland and Austin.

“I save about $400/month by diving behind bakeries and electronics stores,” shares Reddit user @GroceryGuerilla.

Spotlight: In Minneapolis, the “Zero Waste Divers” hold weekly meetups to exchange salvaged goods and teach safety tips.

Tips for New Divers

New to diving? Check spots first. Grocery stores and bakeries have great finds. Look after stores close but before trash pickup. Bring a friend for safety. Use a strong bag to carry items. Clean everything well before using it. Check local laws on city websites or forums. Call the police non-emergency line if you’re not sure. Take photos to track your dives, but don’t share private details online.

Helping the Environment

Diving is good for the planet. The EPA says 30% of landfill trash can be reused. Divers save food, clothes, and gadgets from landfills. This cuts harmful gases and saves resources. Some turn old items into art or sell electronics. Businesses save money with less trash. Cities like Seattle support diving to reduce waste.

Handling Problems

You might face store workers or locals. Be polite and leave if asked. Keep a copy of local laws, but it may not help. Police can be tough, citing trespassing on private land. Say you’re taking thrown-out items, not stealing, and follow orders. Ask businesses for permission or dive quietly to avoid trouble.

The Future of Diving

More people dive as costs rise and waste worries grow. Cities like Austin might make diving legal in public spots to cut landfill use. Others make stricter rules for safety. Apps help divers find pickup times, and social media shares tips. But more diving means more attention. Stay informed and respectful to keep diving alive.

Conspectus of Biomedical Waste Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has broachedumpteen pervasive challenges on multiple fronts- health, environment and economy. Although the economy is restoring to an extent but an exponential escalation in the biomedical waste generation has posed severe persisting health hazards and environmental threats. The untreated and improperly managed biomedical waste comprising of personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks, face shields, gloves, plastic coverall, head cover, hazmat suit, shoe covers, syringes and miscellaneous medical equipment used by the patients and  healthcare workers has the potential of spreading various types of infections.[1] Due to dearth of resources, under-reporting of cases, lack of awareness, poor segregation and flawed biomedical waste management system, India has continued to face severe consequences during the pandemic.[2]Since March 2020, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued periodic guidelines under the

Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016 and analyzed them to ensure that COVID-19 detritus is collected with uttermost care and transported to “biomedical waste treatment and disposal facilities”, precisely contrived to handle biohazardous waste from health camps, hospitals, morgues, clinical and pathological labs, and other medical activities and establishments. The Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016 entail the healthcare facilities to follow a color-coded segregation structure for waste disposal and hand it within 48 hours over to treatment facilities. Earlier, the nation had ten divergent classes of waste for segregation which was later condensed into four categories for facile segregation. Infected or potentially contaminated waste is tabbed as yellow, ostensibly recyclable and non-infected fall in the red category, sharp and small metallic items are categorized under white bracket whilst waste comprising of glass is segregated into the blue category.

An appreciable fragment of the waste at the treatment facilities that comes in blue and red bags or in white containers is channelized for recycling after sterilization. A small amount of waste, especially pathological and laboratory waste that comes packed in yellow bags is sent for incineration. Although the healthcare institutions follow the protocol pertaining to COVID-19 waste disposal but there is no such segregation rule in place for the home quarantine centers.

Waste processing and treatment has an intense reliance on segregation of dross into multitudinous categories (biodegradable, recycling, bio-hazard, etc.). The ultimate disposal of trash is also a big obstacle provided the lack of planning of land-fills sites. Initially, these sites were lay aside from the cities to prune deleterious effects to inhabitants. Nevertheless, with the augmentation of cities, these sites now fall within city perimeters, thereby, exposing the inhabitants to health menaces and other environmental threats. Policymakers, researchers and practitioners have long-lauded digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence for material recognition or smart waste containers and robotic automation, as fundamental enablers to more efficient and effective waste management.

Smart Waste Management: PWC& AWCS

Smart Waste Management can succor us in combating against the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize the infection risk and contribute public health. A pneumatic waste collection system (PWC) or automatic waste collection system (AWCS) is a sustainable and smart management system alternate to conventional waste collection panaceas which thoroughlyforgoes manual handling and contact with trash, which is beneficial for the city, public and the environment. The rudimental constituents of any AWCS involve the depositing of waste bags into a bin or inlet door (generally called waste loading station) which are then carried with vacuum and airflow through a pipe network to a waste transfer station where trash is an introduce in radically sealed containers.

The AWCS is operated by a control system and is accessible24/7/365. MariMatic Oy has set upPneumatic Waste Collection 4.0 and is endowing waste loading stations with absolutely touchless automated opening/closing doors wherein no human touch with the waste disposal points is involved. With PWC 4.0 there is no any additional contact between a dropped trash bag until it reaches the final destination, i.e., sorting or recycling plant thereby it ensures the safety for the waste workers. Although PWC 4.0 cannot knock out the pandemic but as a smart waste management solution, it can certainly assist in the fight and minimize the risk of exposure to the virus.[3]

COVID-19 Biomedical Waste Tracking App

Back in May 2020, CPCB launched an application, i.e., COVID-19 Biomedical Waste Management (BWM App) to traceprecarious COVID-19 bio-medical waste. COVID19BWM is a software app for monitoring the generation, collection and disposal of COVID-19 bio-medical debris, engendered at numerous health care facilities, isolation wards, quarantine centers, COVID-19 sample collection centers, testing labs and urban local bodies involved in performing the duties of waste collection from homecare units and home quarantine centers. It permits exchange of information between several stakeholders involved.[4]The application can track the life cycle of debris right from collection, segregation and transportation to incineration by geo-tagging every process and submitting details on a common platform wherein all waste generators, transporters and those handling treatment facilities will be asked to register themselves.[5]Based on the report submitted by the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, the Apex Court passed an order in July 2020 which made reporting via BWM App obligatory. Nonetheless, very few have registered themselves on the app till now, and even fewer are reporting on a frequent basis.[6] 

Smart Waste Bins

Biocrux India has established a collection contraption for COVID-19 rubbish. The Internet of Things (IoT) enabled large Smart Bin comes with three automatically modulated mouths that open and close by touch screen directives and waste type selection. The receptacles with capacities of 420 litres, 200 litres and 220 litres are designated for sanitizer bottles, face masks and PPE kits/flexibles respectively. The motorized gate unfastens and fastens ensuring no dumping or spilling, the IoT based connect with each machine tracks its usage with login and password. In few instances, smart waste bins have interactive screens to assist the users to manage their trash better and thereby making them more mindful of their detritus. When the receptacle is full, the sensor on the machine apprises the central clearance system so that a specialized biomedical waste pick up van can address to the contents. The smart bin is appropriate for collection of COVID rubbish in corporate offices, housing societies, hotels, commercial markets and for Smart Cities.[7]

Internet of Things (IoT) driven waste management

The conventional waste management process commences with waste being precipitated by inhabitants in towns and discarded in bins at the point of creation. At a preordained timetable, municipal department trucks accumulate the waste and transport it to the recycling centers. The conventional mode of manually monitoring the garbage in bins is a time-consuming process that not only requires more time, human labor and money but also poses safety concerns for the waste workers which can be obliterated with existing technology. The IoT- driven waste management solutions executed in Smart Cities usually comprise of endpoint devices (sensors), gateways, cloud platforms, and mobile and web applications. Smart Waste Management System is purposive to be developed to trounce the waste collection issues in smart city as it provides timely garbage collection and ensures augmentation in overall productivity and cleanness. IoT succor cities truncate frequency of bin collections, cut carbon emissions, and grossly diminish waste management costs.[8]

The IoT- enabled COVID waste collection and transportation can bring in remarkable benefits in the gross application of waste management solutions. Deployment of smart bins, tracing of trash pickup trucks and also the sanitation workers, route optimization for trucks, cross-checking of garbage weight etc. can constructively address the challenges of enforcement and transparency. Correspondingly, IoT- enabled sensors can also track the amount of alternative fuel generated from the processed waste. IoT- enabled solutions can also succor in sorting out waste at the time of waste generation, thereby bringing in notable value to the rest of the lifecycle phases.[9]

Using Artificial Intelligence to sort and segregate waste

The use of AI applications like machine vision can succor automated systems differentiate between different types of debris. They can then categorize it more constructively and lay out insights into areas’ disposal practices. Corporations can then ensure they are reprocessing all they can and eschew environmentally perilous bloomers.[10]

Conclusion:

Globally, almost all nations are pivoting efforts towards coherent modes of biomedical waste management, with a specific emphasis on parlous waste management. The fundamental principle of good biomedical waste practice is based on the notion of 3Rs, namely, reduce, recycle, and reuse. The numerous modes of biomedical waste disposal, according to their desirability, are preclude, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, treat, and lastly dispose. The diverse technologies for biomedical waste disposal are categorized into four groups: thermal, chemical, irradiative and biological processes.[11]The sustainable and safe management of biomedical waste is both a legal and social responsibility of everyone financing and supporting healthcare activities. The waste management workers, chiefly those in waste collection must be guarded by any potential infection by the waste streams. Therefore, there is a need to intensify awareness amongst the general public to enforce segregation at source and incorporate smart waste management techniques.

[1] DRISHTI IAS, https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-biomedical-waste-management-during-covid-pandemic (last visited Aug. 11, 2021).

[2]Chand & Shastry, Updates on biomedical waste management during COVID-19: The Indian scenario, 11 CEGH 1,1, (2021).

[3] BEE SMART CITY, https://hub.beesmart.city/en/solutions/covid-19-and-rethinking-smart-waste-management (last visited Aug. 12, 2021).

[4] CPCB, https://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/Projects/Bio-Medical-Waste/V1_COVID-19_BMW_Tracking_App.pdf (last visited Aug. 12, 2021).

[5] Anonymous, App to track ‘hazardous’ COVID-19 bio-medical waste, THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (May. 9, 2020, 08:05 AM), https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2020/may/09/app-to-track-hazardous-covid-19-bio-medical-waste-2140997.html

[6] DOWN TO EARTH, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/covid-19-will-place-india-s-biomedical-waste-management-under-terrible-strain-77714 (last visited Aug. 11, 2021).

[7] Preeti Mehra, Deliver us from COVID-19 waste, THE HINDU BUSINESSS LINE (June. 2, 2020), https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/clean-tech/deliver-us-from-covid-19-waste/article31729204.ece

[8] SOFTEQ, https://www.softeq.com/blog/how-smart-cities-are-leveraging-iot-for-waste-management (last visited Aug. 12, 2021).

[9] DQINDIA, https://www.dqindia.com/iot-enabled-smart-city-helps-tackle-problem-solid-waste-management-india/(last visited Aug. 12, 2021).

[10] HPG Consulting, https://www.hpgconsulting.com/blog/application-of-digital-technology-in-waste-management/(last visited Aug. 12, 2021).

[11] Priya Datta & Jagdish Chander, Biomedical Waste Management in India: Critical Appraisal, 10 J LAB PHYSICIANS (2018)

Earlier the value of a building depended on its location and the features it offered. However, as sustainable construction is gaining importance, many cities are now set to change the rules of the game in commercial real estate. Buildings that are energy efficient are now being rewarded with high energy grades and displayed publicly which is changing how tenants look at the value of the building. Inefficient properties are not only facing high penalties but are being neglected as tenants prefer building that is efficient.

In New York City, the Climate Mobilization Act was designed to cut down carbon emissions dramatically. This Act will not only apply high penalties for building with high carbon emissions but also negatively impact the energy grades of the building. This in turn, makes such inefficient properties less competitive in the market.

Let us take a look at the factors that affect the value of a building.

Local Law 33 – Importance of Building Energy Upgrades

An energy grade is assigned to each building based on its ENERGY STAR score under Local Law 33. The law neither demands a minimum grade, nor applies any penalties for lower grades. LL33 was created to address the issue of enabling the general public with the building performance. You only need to submit the energy consumption report depending on which the grade is calculated.

A low grade negatively affects the value of your building due to the following reasons –

• A building with a low grade leads to higher energy bills, which will divert tenants to a similar building with a higher grade.
• Higher utility bills and eventual penalties with LL97 will make selling a building with low grade a challenge.
• A low grade can hurt the corporate image of the building. Hiding the grade is not allowed under LL33.

In simple words, the general public is becoming smarter and a home that is efficient or working to become greener will be preferred over inefficient ones.

The building energy grades are updated every year. There are a total of 6 grades depending on the score –

How Local Law 97 Can Reduce Property Value

Local Law 97 applies emission limits for building over 25,000 sq. ft. based on their area and occupancy classification. The limit will be applicable from 2024 which will affect around 20% of all buildings under the law. An annual penalty of $268 per metric ton of CO2-e will be applicable crossing the emissions limit.

If a building is subject to higher penalties under Local Law 97, there are high chances that tenants will be locked into a high-rent contract. Identifying which buildings will be subject to higher penalties is easy as the building grade in LL33 is publicly displayed. Thus, a building with Grade D can expect higher vacancies, while a building with a higher Grade will be high in demand.

More stringent limits will be applicable in 2030, and reducing emissions below 2030 limits will be a major technical challenge for inefficient buildings. This means now is the best time for building owners to turn their buildings into energy-efficient one.

Conclusion

A good location and useful attractive features will no longer be enough to compete in the highly competitive NYC real estate market. Investing in energy efficiency is an excellent opportunity while there is no pressure from the Local Laws. To identify the optimal energy efficiency measures, a professional energy audit is the best starting point. This enables better investment decisions to maximize energy savings.

If there’s one thing that has been a frequent topic throughout this current election cycle, it’s that of environmental policy. The current sitting president has been accused of (and admitted to) not believing in climate change.

However, there are many reasons why President Trump and others angling for political office should embrace a positive environmental policy. These policies impact every area of people’s lives from their business to their families. Proper environmental policies are essential to a bright and happy future for all Americans.

Want to learn more about how the environment and politics intersect, and why we should all be invested? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.

Personal Health and Safety

Whether we like it or not, we all rely on Mother Earth to live healthy and happy lives. Failing to provide proper care for the environment can damage the very resources we need to survive.

That includes clean drinking water, heat and renewable energies, and healthy air quality. It isn’t all about the prevention of future problems, it also is about opening up current spaces to improvement, and increasing access to clean air and water in areas where they aren’t as readily available.

It should go without saying that access to clean air and water are essential to the continuation of human life. Ensuring access for future generations should be a major concern for all.

Economic Benefits

Taking care of the environment isn’t just about ensuring a healthy life for future generations. There are many immediate economic benefits as well.

For example: with proper environmental policies in place, water that is currently dirty and unusable can be turned into clean water safe for drinking, fishing, and recreation. This can boost the local economy, introducing new life into various industries such as tourism.

There are many environmentally-minded organizations that are attempting to be bi-partisan and focus on pro-business policies. You can look at the Climate Leadership Council LinkedIn to see an example of this kind of work in action.

Fight Global Warming

It’s been proven by numerous scientists that the earth’s climate is changing as a result of humankind’s actions. Continued desecration of the environment will only speed up this change, creating a wealth of potential issues for modern civilization.

The increased severity of hurricanes and wildfires around the world are just some of the early evidence of what could become even more frequent and terrible in the coming years.

Enacting proper environmental policies can help to fight back against these changes to the climate. They can fight global warming and ensure a safer tomorrow for people in the U.S. and around the world.

Enacting Proper Environmental Policy

The reality, whether we like it or not, is that environmental policy has a direct impact on all other areas of modern human life. The above areas are just a few examples of how environmental politics impact other aspects of life.

Need more information? Keep scrolling our blog for more.

Our environment as it exists today has monumental issues, and positive action/solutions to effectively engage the problem is called Environmental Education. This helps individuals to develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions. Environmental education creates awareness about critical thinking and enhances their own problem-solving and decision-making skills.

The components of environmental education are:

• Sensitivity and awareness about the environment and its various challenges
• Comprehension of the problems posed
• Concern and motivation for the situation, its improvement and upkeep
• Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges.

Global warming, acid rain, and other polluting activities in which we engage are major hiccups that are affecting our environment adversely. Environmental education and protection including the conservation of natural resources are crucial for the benefit of both the environment and humans.

Future strategy

People who are environmentally educated and understand the earth’s ability to sustain human and other life take measures and are involved in their community to help maintain our natural resources so that people can create and enjoy a high-quality life for themselves and future generations.

1. A robust future strategy would include developing a curriculum that would bring about a useful, productive, responsible, and environmentally literate 21st-century citizens. For the same, we need to demolish the walls between academic disciplines and other areas of environmental study to allow for integration.
2. The curriculum needs to be developed in such a way that a lifelong sustainable process is created for creative problem-solving skills, scientific and social literacy, ethical awareness and sensitivity for the relationship between humans and the environment. Therefore, education can act as a pivotal point in protecting the environment.
3. Diverse communities can be educated about how they could save the environment by imparting knowledge on how to protect the environment. This needs to be executed at an individual, organizational and societal levels that is helpful to both the environment and humans.
4. Proper aids are required to educate and resolve the main environmental problems like acid rain, ozone depletion, climate changes, global warming, etc. These aids include the use of audio-visual programs, seminars, training programs, environmental awareness campaign, etc.
5. The awareness about the environment needs to be taught from a very early stage. Even as a toddler and with the beginning of the formal education, this awareness about saving Mother Earth and environment need to be formally introduced at the school levels itself.
6. Of course, parents and homes are a child’s first educators. Early education about nurturing and protecting the environment, avoiding polluting agents and using biodegradables should be considered as part of the societal curriculum. Conducting environmental awareness program in schools and societies will help people to become aware of environmental issues and take actions accordingly.
7. Armed with appropriate ecological knowledge, children from the earliest ages learn to be good stewards of our environment. Environmental education teaches kids to be better-informed members of their community.
8. Supporting sustainable change requires supporting systems change. For best preparations, schools need to make sure their students spend their time not just learning information but learning how to think. Building bridges with the real world need to start at the workplace.

9Future strategy and informed decisions are always based upon the Government policies as they give the right tangent to the initiative of both the individuals and communities.

10. People and Nature can thrive together when there is a combination of smarter decisions, stronger communities, and daily actions that improve the well being of the planet.
11. Along with partners, societies and schools can systematically stitch together and elevate the work currently in place in the field of environmental education. As a result, over time, there is improved ecological literacy across the globe.
12. Environment education sticks for a lifetime as against traditional classroom learning. Additionally, it fuels interest in science and sparks curiosity making kids better learners in all subjects including math and the language arts.
13. Environment education is also at the center of improving health and wellness, as outdoor activities improve children’s mental and physical health, boost self-esteem, leadership and character and enhances social justice by levelling the playing field across genders and ethnicities.
14. Individuals can be future focused on the right path to save the environment by forming the power of critical judgment. Any algorithm, formula or rule cannot resolve the matter as the power of delivery of judgement cannot ask for reasons for our choices. This is the sole reserve of the individual.

Conclusion

By individual and cooperative actions environmentally literate citizens will help in creating an ecologically and economically sustainable environment. Proper environment education holds the key to play a pivotal role in saving the environment for posterity. Education increases our awareness of ecological issues that take place in everyday life.

Contributor Bio – The blog is presented by Sharda University. Sharda University is one of the largest universities in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) offering 216 varied programmes.

Income inequality has long been a growing concern, with a range that has only continued to expand in the last 30 years. While many claim to have an idea of what income inequality looks like, studies show that citizens perceive the range of inequality as significantly less vast than it actually is. Stagnant wages have left the middle class behind, and income inequality is as high as it was going into the great depression.

There are several socioeconomic issues that contribute to income imbalance, and as this disparity continues to grow among the working class, the populations on the lower end of the wage spectrum are left in a very vulnerable position. Hikes in utility costs and the impact of environmental disasters are much more difficult to handle for families in lower income brackets who don’t have the expendable funds for damage control. For this reason, environmental justice must be sought by groups that have the resources to do so.

Vulnerable Communities

Social workers advocate to provide resources and sound environments for susceptible communities by focusing on their needs. According to social worker Jennifer Pierce, “…it is irresponsible and unethical to try and effect change without listening, observing and enlisting those who can help us the most.” When searching for solutions to environmental disasters that primarily affect vulnerable communities, it’s important to reach out and try to implement change.

No one expects legislators to control the weather. What people do ask for, however, are emergency plans, funds, and resources. Natural and man-made disasters can cause unexpected damage on a massive scale that can take absolutely everything away from families and communities. In these instances, it’s crucial to be prepared.

There are different insurances offered for people living in areas where these kinds of disasters are more common or likely, but families living in poverty don’t always get the luxury of these safeguards. When families have to choose between feeding their families or paying insurance for a storm that may or may not happen, they choose the immediate need — that’s really their only choice. Similarly, man-made disasters are even more difficult to prepare for.

Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is a tragedy that has happened on many occasions — such as when oil is spilled into rivers and coasts — and causes long term consequences for susceptible communities as well as wildlife. Although these accidents are not intentional, fossil fuel companies must be held accountable for their actions that affect low income communities most and should be responsible for providing relief.

These accidents are motivation behind protests of pipelines and oil companies, who have lost the trust of the general public in containing spills and not contaminating their land and water. Having left these environmentally unsound energy sources in the past, protesters insist on incorporating more renewable energy sources into their lives instead.

While the investment for renewable energy is expensive initially, it saves costs over time and has several additional benefits to consider. Investing in renewable energy has the potential to benefit public health, as well as decrease our carbon footprint.

Renewable Energy

Apart from improving public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there are additional benefits to renewable energy, such as lowering utility costs and providing individual energy independence. Diversifying our energy supplies gives the public the opportunity to use energy from natural resources that are reliable and will decrease our dependence on energy from foreign sources.

One way to ease the burden of high energy costs in low income areas is by installing microgrids. Microgrids are growing in popularity due to their many advantages, such as lower energy costs and their ability to work independent from the grid that powers entire cities — which means they can provide energy during large scale power outages. Investment prices for microgrids are still high but will lower as their distribution becomes more common.

Renewable energy comes in many forms: wind turbines, solar power, geothermal energy, etc. These resources can help balance climbing utility costs, as well as be a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional power sources. Being conscious of rising income inequality and integrating environmentally sound practices into our communities will save our vulnerable populations as well as our planet.

Renewable resources are becoming a more practical option through advancements like microgrids, which can help store energy. While fossil fuel companies discourage this transition, it’s important to see past the period of growing pains and to recognize that these companies have their own best interest in mind and should be held accountable for the harm they cause. By putting money into the right projects, we can help create a safer planet for everyone.

Despite last year’s historic signing of the Paris Climate Agreement, surprisingly little attention was paid to environmental issues on the international stage. There is a feeling amongst many environmentalists that the international community hasn’t just been slow to respond to the threat posed by climate change; it has been reluctant to do so. Scientists have been warning of anthropological climate change and the devastating impact it could have on life across much of the globe for some time, but it is only in the last few years that the effects have become undeniable to the leaders of the world’s worst polluters. Western nations continue to experience more frequent extreme weather events while many island nations throughout the Pacific have seen rising sea levels encroach upon what little space they have. Many are now facing the prospect of their home country becoming uninhabitable within their lifetimes.

Instability

Even relatively modest environmental changes can have dramatic effects on political stability, both locally and globally. The UN estimates that some 26 million people have been displaced every year since 2008 due to natural disasters. Even if the Paris Agreement is successfully implemented by all of its signatory states, most scientists believe that the Earth will still experience some dramatic localized climate change. It only takes a modest change in local environmental conditions to wreak havoc with agriculture and crop production. This, in turn, can lead to famine and instability, which creates refugees.

Refugees

Where natural disasters occur local people will be displaced. Where the number of displaced people is significant, refugee crises can emerge. These not only affect the country where the disaster occurred but can also put great strain on neighboring countries who suddenly find they have to cope with a massive population influx.

Even when people are initially displaced by non-natural disasters, for example, the civil war in Syria, environmental effects can exacerbate the crisis. In the years leading up to the outbreak of the civil war, Syria experienced its worst drought ever. The effects of this drought, combined with poor administrative decisions and unsustainable agricultural practices, caused massive internal displacement, which was a significant factor in the political unrest that followed.

Understanding the political consequences of destabilizing climate change falls under the purview of political science. Many leading universities now offer online political science masters. An online masters in political science will provide excellent preparation for anyone hoping to build a career in geopolitical analysis.

Agriculture

Across the globe, there are major powers that are dependent on other nations to assist them in producing enough food to feed their populations. This over-reliance on particular areas of the globe to maintain agricultural output means that even a localized drought or crop infestation could have far reaching consequences for a number of countries.

Environmental issues affect everyone, regardless of where they live or their social or economic status. It is more important than ever that global leaders do more to encourage the population to take the danger posed by climate change seriously.

The problem for the President is that as well as this plays with his core demographic, there is more at stake than America falling behind in climate responsibility. New industries are developing rapidly around green technology, something European businesses have cottoned onto. Silicon Valley may cover some of the creative deficit when it comes to keeping the US competitive, but the world’s wealthiest nation could miss out on a major industrial revolution.

Image courtesy of the UNFCCC, via Flickr

The business of greentech

European figureheads like Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron have responded bluntly to Trump’s decision. Macron was particularly bold, making a pointed speech that called for France and its allies to ‘Make the planet great again’. Along with the pair’s firm handshake when they met on Trump’s European tour, this approach has played well with the French public.

In most cases the defence of the Paris agreement speaks to the genuine challenges posed by climate change, and an honest attempt to mitigate the future damage it could cause across the globe. However, the sudden change of rhetoric from nations such as China and Russia also hints at another side to the story: that greentech is about to be big business.

For China, investment in renewable energy and other green technologies is the perfect fillip to its growing global presence. The government has pledged a colossal £292 billion of investment in global renewable power projects over the next three years, and they show every sign of delivering. This acts as both a tremendous PR move and an effort to get a leg up on the competition. Contributing this amount to so many countries, particularly developing nations, could be advantageous both to the government and the country’s future business interests.

In Europe, what can’t be achieved through direct investment is being achieved through policy. A number of nations have now independently laid out timelines for phasing out petrol and diesel automobiles. France plans to end sales by 2040, while the Netherlands has touted an even more optimistic date of 2025. Even Germany, where more petrol and diesel cars are produced than anywhere else, is apparently keen on a 2030 deadline.

Clean companies

On the face of it this would seem self-destructive. As mentioned, Europe – and particularly France and Germany – has an enormous output of petrol and diesel vehicles. But what’s important, and perhaps even more surprising, is that manufacturers are following suit. Volvo recently announced that they would only sell electric or hybrid cars by 2025, while French company Renault-Nissan has committed significant resources to electric vehicles, claiming around 15% of the nascent European market.

Evidence of this sea change exists in the technology sector, too. While Silicon Valley and the broader United States still dominate on the global stage, the EU is making major inroads. Paris’ new Station F startup hub is only the latest expansion in a world-leading tech landscape, consisting of a dozen designated tech cities, and a record Consumer Electronics Show delegation.

State investment bank BpiFrance paid out almost 200 million euros last year, and has earmarked another 400 million. It is quickly catching up to the UK, currently Europe’s leading destination for startups, with the economical and diverse Berlin scene close behind. This concentration of talent is important. Germany’s car industry has long been worried about its competitiveness in software, with only a handful of German software companies in the top 100 worldwide.

In French President Emmanuel Macron – a former champion of the La French Tech programme – they may have a significant advocate and ally. France is a particularly strong producer of STEM graduates, and the two countries could prosper with alliances between their industries, startup sectors and universities. Germany’s car industry meanwhile will be keen to catch up with France, where Peugeot, Citroën and Renault currently create the world’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd lowest emission cars.

Power shift

The greatest signal of this shift in business opinion is the energy industry itself. Oil, coal and gas giants, which for decades relied on profits from coal and oil (and reputedly noted the effects of fossil fuels before anyone else), have begun to divest their interests into renewables. Shell, ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco have all made substantial investments in clean energy, battery technology and ‘carbon capture and storage (CCS)’ in the last few years; Shell have created an entirely new, $200 million division for acquisitions and investments, while French firm Total has invested some 2.4 billion euros in clean energy acquisitions, promising a further £500m each year.

With companies like Ford keeping car making jobs in America, President Trump may be convinced that the investment will keep on coming. But ignoring renewables stands not only to dissuade big businesses and stifle innovation; it will impact small businesses too. This is not just an issue for tech startups, who may find it difficult to find business in partisan states.

Renewables in many instances now mean cheaper energy, thanks to the ‘always on’ nature of wind and hydropower.

This is not to mention the public health benefits, another key driver in Europe and China, where pollution has become a more public issue. Cities including Barcelona and Paris have already implemented diesel bans due to pollution warnings from the EU, with London being urged to follow suit. The savings from reduced rates of cancer and respiratory problems would alleviate the burden on all healthcare system, including America’s – perhaps a better alternative to shelving the Affordable Care Act.

For all the political jousting around climate change, renewable energy has developed to the point where it is not only viable, but desirable. Europe has joined with both businesses and citizens in recognising this potential, and setting out a roadmap to better futures for both industry and the environment. It remains to be seen if America can stay competitive in spite of its administration.

Article Contributed by Katya Puyraud:
Former journalist Katya Puyraud is the co-owner of Euro Start Entreprises, specialising in company formation in France and the rest of the EU. Since 2007 Euro Start Entreprises has helped budding digital nomads, entrepreneurs and expanding SMEs to open their companies in over 30 countries worldwide.

There are several different legal aspects that a business needs to stick to, in order to ensure their operations are on the right side of the law. Not only is this to protect the integrity of a company, there are also important safety aspects for staff, stock, surroundings and customers that need to be in place as well.

One such example of these regulations is environmental law; which is something that affects many different industries and sectors. This essentially covers the rulings addressing the potential effects of a business’ activity on our environment, with the intention of reducing or stopping any damage or destruction being caused over air, sea or land.

With this though can come several issues and disagreements – particularly when a business is looking to develop or expand. Here, we take a look at some examples of these conflicts of interest and consider what strategies can be taken to help differing parties come to a resolution.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

As aforementioned, environmental law covers a wide range of different areas, so in more general terms there’s the potential to face challenges in an equally wide number of circumstances. For example:

Business Expansion – if a company wants to grow by either extending its premises, or opening more sites or locations in new places or countries, they may be challenged by local authorities or other companies about:

• The damage to animal habitats
• The additional pollution and emissions caused by the new sites
• The further work needed to provided added utilities in the surrounding areas

Development of Land – property developers or those looking to utilise green space can face backlash from other parties because of:

• Any ownership challenges and land boundary issues
• The effect on the plants and animals in this area
• The possible knock-on damage to surrounding land, air or water areas

Patents – Even looking to develop new technologies or advancements that could potentially help the environment could be challenged because of:

• Similarities shared between the designs of the respective products
• The proposed effectiveness and capabilities of the new technologies
• Other businesses then using this idea before it is fully patented and protected

Helpful Advice

These are just three examples that could turn into expensive legal battles, fines, or negative and damaging press that sees a business losing its reputation and its clients. The simple solution is for a business to conduct thorough planning research in the development stage and address any issues well-before production. For any later challenges, where an advanced understanding of the legal situation is needed, a business should look to hire experts to handle the case and work to efficiently resolve any issues.
To return to a key point, the knock-on effects of a conflict of interests based around environmental law rulings can be incredibly damaging for a business and could lead to major issues financial issues further down the line. With this, taking the above steps or approaches can help avoid such situations from occurring and ensure that a business stays on the right side of these important laws and regulations.

Last year at the 21^st Conference of Parties (CoP 21) at Paris, several delegates and member states of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) participated in a series of intense and complex negotiations on the issue of climate change mitigation and controlling global temperatures. Several resolutions were passed and many policy recommendations were made in furtherance of these negotiations. However, the grand event was also characterized by significant behind the scenes action taking place in the form of sponsorship led ‘corporate greenwashing’ with some of the world’s biggest polluters infiltrating the conference in subtle ways through sponsorships and lobbying and misusing their influence and extremely deep pockets to further their own private economic interests at the cost of deepening a global crisis. These infamous Big Polluters included the likes of major energy companies such as Engie, Renault and EDF France among others and also large international banks such as BNP Paribas who are infamous for financing the largest coal production projects. These corporations stand to gain from failed negotiations and stand to lose from successful ones. Nevertheless, the former UNFCC Executive Secretary Christina Figueres has openly supported inclusion of polluters in the dialogue to curb emissions in order to foster the development of clean energy technology. However, the inconvenient truth is these polluters have successfully been able to infiltrate the decision making process at the negotiations and perhaps this is the reason behind the absence of any strong binding commitments towards curbing emissions imposed on major polluters. Although some effort has been made in the clean energy sector, fossil fuels still continue to fuel the world’s energy sector. Many have blamed the failure of the UNFCC and prior CoPs on the deep and pervasive influence of the Big Polluters on policy making.

The conspicuous banners and advertisements promulgated by some of the Big Polluters in the run up to the CoP 21 provoked public angst among large groups of environmentalists and policy makers who walked out of the negotiations as it was very evident that the elaborate series of negotiations was a mere eye-wash sponsored by the polluters themselves. Many have rightly opined that “when you are trying to burn the table down, you don’t deserve a seat on it”. Essentially, the problem is that of a conflict of interest and prima facie bias which casts a dark cloud of public skepticism on the integrity of climate change negotiations.

Nemo judex in causa sua is one of the fundamental principles of natural justice which says that nobody should be a judge in his own cause. It is a cardinal rule against any appearance of bias. The legal effect of this rule is that it invalidates the effect of any decision(s) made in derogation to it. If this rule was applied to CoP 21 and earlier CoPs, then by logical extension it would mean that the Big Polluters would be undoubtedly barred from participating in the negotiations in any direct or indirect manner as the outcome of the negotiations directly affect their commercial interests. Hence, they cannot be allowed to be a part of a process which aims to significantly disrupt their business operations. Therefore, allowing polluters to exert their influence over negotiations or climate change policies in any manner would be an utter failure of natural justice.

Public interest demands that climate change negotiations are not contaminated by corporate greenwashing tactics which lobby for subsidies and economic protection for Big Polluters. Hence, the UNFCC should not allow polluters and other parties with vested interests to participate in climate change negotiations.  However, a perusal of UNFCC treaty reveals that there is no legal mechanism to actually prevent the polluters from sponsoring these events. Over the years, various countries such as France have graciously accepted large sponsorships made by Big Polluters to fund these expensive events and supported their participation in the climate change dialogues. Hence, it seems that the decision to allow the participation of and sponsorship by the polluters is left entirely to member states which organize the event.

However, a solution to this dilemma may be found in international law which provides a strong precedent in the form of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty adopted by the World Health Organization in 2003. The FCTC essentially seeks to establish an international framework to protect the present and future generations from the economic, social, environmental and hazardous effects of tobacco exposure in any manner. Article 5 lists the general obligations of the parties to the treaty and includes inter alia the obligation of preventing any commercial or other vested interests of the tobacco industry from interfering with public health policy making in accordance with national laws. This provision enumerated in Article 5.3 has effectively enabled countries to kick Big Tobacco out of the entire WHO negotiation process. The urgent need of the hour is for all UNFCC members to unanimously and expeditiously agree to amend the treaty and include an obligation similar to that provided under Article 5.3 of the FCTC. The amendment should be drafted such that it effectively imposes a blanket ban on any direct and indirect form of participation or involvement of companies and individuals who are responsible for fossil fuel induced emissions in the CoP events and negotiations. The language incorporated in this provision should be wide enough to encompass any kind of participant who has vested economic or commercial interests in the fossil fuel industry such as banks and other financial institutions which facilitate the exploitation of fossil fuels. Although, the history of international treaty negotiations shows that the treaty amendment procedure can be extremely lengthy and complex due to disagreements among member states, the proposed amendment to the UNFCC must be made post haste as the CoP 22 at Marrakech is just around the corner and climate change mitigation policies cannot afford to be sabotaged and diluted by corporate greenwashing anymore.

A crucial point of distinction between the two scenarios is that while the impacts of the influence of Big Tobacco in international negotiations is reversible, the effect of the influence of Big Polluters in international climate change negotiations in 2016 may be catastrophic and irreversible. This is because we as a species are at the eleventh hour of our existence on planet earth and every flawed policy and every ineffective measure pushes us closer and closer towards the brink of an apocalyptic extinction.