Latest news with #Alterra
The National
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
UAE-led operation sees 94 people arrested for environmental crimes in Amazon Basin
The UAE has led a major international crackdown on environmental crimes in the Amazon Basin, resulting in 94 arrests and the seizure of more than $64 million worth of assets. The 14-day effort was called Operation Green Shield, a multinational probe co-ordinated by the Emirates with Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said authorities in the Amazon dismantled criminal networks accused of destroying protected ecosystems and shut down 350 criminal operations. The arrests were carried out under the UAE's Law Enforcement for Climate programme, which was launched at Cop28 in Dubai in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Climate leader It comes as part of the Emirates' wider push on climate action. In May, the UAE issued its climate law to establish a legal framework for climate resilience and greenhouse gas emissions accountability. And in June, leading figures gathered in the UAE to sound the alarm ahead of the next major round of UN climate talks at Cop30, in Brazil, set to take place in November. Majid Al Suwaidi, chief of climate investment vehicle Alterra, warned that the talks are up against 'significant challenges'. 'To date, only 15 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been submitted,' Mr Al Suwaidi said. While the original deadline was February, a revised cut off in September is now the last window to submit updated pledges before Cop30 opens in Belem, Brazil, in November. Both Brazil and the UAE laid out robust NDCs ahead of the initial February deadline. History made At Cop28 in Dubai, held in November and December 2023, the historic UAE Consensus was agreed. The agreement calls for 'transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner … so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science'. President Sheikh Mohamed said the conference provided 'significant results' and vowed to push ahead in search of a 'more sustainable future for our planet'. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also hailed the success of the conference. 'The conference has set new standards in climate action and solidified the UAE's position as a key player in building a sustainable future for the planet,' he said. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President, said it was a 'historic agreement' but was only as good as its 'implementation'. 'We are what we do, not what we say,' he said. 'We must take the steps necessary to turn this agreement into tangible action.'
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Curious about what happens at Akron's Alterra recycling plant? We took a look inside
An Akron plastic recycling operation that has stirred neighbors' concerns about potential health effects wants residents to know the company is committed to safety — and it won't budge from that even if the bar is lowered for its environmental responsibility. Alterra Energy President Jeremy DeBenedictis said the Ellet plant would maintain its current standards even as President Donald Trump's administration and Republican lawmakers dismantle federal and state environmental protections. DeBenedictis said his company encourages industrywide, fair, fact-based, transparent regulation, "so that's why we're helping to educate people on how to set up those rules for this type of industry." "We live here," he said, "half of our company lives in the Greater Akron community, and we work here, too. We're going to do what we believe is the best thing, and if it's better than what the (Environmental Protection Agency) says in some cases then we'll do that. But we want to make sure we're keeping the community safe and keeping our employees safe. We believe in the thresholds the EPA has set. If for some reason it was a threshold that was lower, we would stick with where we're at right now." Steve Gross, Alterra's general counsel, said the company has a business incentive to operate conscientiously. Setting a high standard, he said, makes it harder for competitors and gives Alterra the advantage. The facility at 1200 E. Waterloo Road converts hard-to-recycle plastics — chip bags and bottle caps, for example — into synthetic oil through a process called pyrolysis. Then, Alterra sells it to third parties who makes new products including chemicals, waxes and lubricants, DeBenedictis said. He views it as a way to solve the problem of plastic pollution. "Let's not count on landfilling as a Band-Aid," DeBenedictis said, "let's actually solve the problem." "Every barrel that we make here of product replaces a barrel that someone would have had to extract from the ground, so it replaces a fossil barrel," he said, explaining that the factory, operating 24/7, produces 275 barrels per day. A majority of plastic packaging — 98%, he said — is created with oil extracted from the earth. While governments might be retreating from sustainability initiatives, it's people, he said, who ultimately make policy using their wallets and their vote, and there's significant demand from multiple generations to stay the course. "I talk to my kids, and that's the next generation of leaders, and they see what's happening," DeBenedictis said. "They see all the stuff going to the landfill, and they want us to reuse materials as much as we can." How does the process work? Some people have accused the facility of being a plastic incinerator. However, DeBenedictis said, incinerating plastic would leave nothing behind for Alterra to sell. On a guided tour, Bobby VerBrugge, Alterra's operations director, explained the process. Converting plastic waste back into oil is achieved through pyrolysis. First, Alterra purchases shredded plastic. Then, the shredded plastic, called feedstock, goes into an extruder where it's melted into a "Laffy Taffy consistency," said VerBrugge. Then, it's vaporized in an airless reactor to keep it from combusting. VerBrugge said the "Laffy Taffy" is converted by the reactor into a liquid, and then a gas. The more of the gas that's collected and condensed, he said, the more Alterra can sell. According to an EPA draft permit, unusable gases created during the process are sent to what's called a vapor combustor unit (VCU) "for control of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants" which is required to destroy at least 98% of unusable gases created during the process. The permit allows the facility to emit a certain number of pollutants annually: 35.2 tons of nitrogen oxides, 34.7 tons of volatile organic compounds, 13.44 tons of carbon monoxide and less than 10 tons of sulfur dioxide and particulate. DeBenedictis said Alterra's VCU destroys 99.6% of those unusable gases, "which puts us well, well below all the thresholds the EPA has in our air permit." Permit renewal hearing draws criticism Alterra is in the process of renewing a permit that will allow its continued operation, and "ensures we continue to meet strict environmental regulations," said company spokesman Omar Terrie. "The way the process works," DeBenedictis said, "is that we've been operating with a valid air permit since 2015. In 2017, it was up for renewal; we renewed it and it was good for five years, which means you have to renew it again in five years." For the past two-and-a-half years, he said, Alterra has been in the midst of the renewal process. He said the new permit under consideration contains additional regulations, recordkeeping/reporting requirements and operational restrictions. Dina Pierce, spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said via email the permit also reduces the facility's feed capacity from 6,250 pounds per hour to 5,000. "In 2017, the company applied for and was granted a permit modification to increase its feed capacity to 6,250 pounds per hour," Pierce said. "The company, however, failed to implement the change within the stipulated 18-month time frame. As a result, the company's current maximum feed rate remains at 5,000 pounds per hour." "We monitor monthly, we report semiannually (to the EPA) those monthly records," VerBrugge said. Alterra received significant resistance from residents at a May 28 hearing, who told the Ohio EPA they doubt the company can operate in a way that's responsible to the community, criticizing the plant's proximity to a Head Start and densely packed neighborhoods, and said they believe granting the permit will allow Alterra to release more pollutants into the air, making people sick. Some reported headaches after marching near the facility, and cited increased asthma rates in the area. The volume of comments prompted the Ohio EPA to extend the public comment deadline, which closed June 18. DeBenedictis said the facility hasn't leaked in the two years it's been fully operational. Nor has it failed a stack test — a measurement, VerBrugge said, of what's emanating from the company's vapor combustion unit conducted, said DeBenedictis, by an independent third party and observed firsthand by the EPA. "Imagine I put a probe in the exhaust of your car," DeBenedictis said. The data collected, he explained, is used to "help with the modeling for the plant's renewal." If people in the surrounding areas are being made sick by the company, why are the people who work there unaffected, he asked, pointing out that he'd been diagnosed with asthma at a young age. "We're closest to the actual process, the daily routine," he said, adding that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cleared the plant as a safe place to work. Angela Sot, Alterra's marketing and community relations manager, said the company is "somewhat of an unknown, and there's definitely some misconceptions out there," between what industry in the region has done before and what Alterra is doing now. Sot invited some of the groups opposed to Alterra's operations in to take a tour, but she said they've declined for unknown reasons. DeBenedictis said Alterra is minuscule compared to other area plants, some of which have been operating for decades — so small, in fact, that the air permit isn't federally enforceable. "As Angela said, there's a history over the last hundred years of industrialization in the area," he said, "and there's also misinformation out there on the social channels because we're like the hot topic right now," pointing out that there are area organizations opposing the polymer and petroleum industry, two groups Alterra seeks to connect. Pierce of the Ohio EPA said via email the agency will now review every submitted comment, responding to them in writing. "The time to complete this can vary depending on the number of comments and the complexities they might include," said Pierce. "After the written responses are ready, and any needed changes are made to the draft permit, a decision will be made on whether a final permit will be issued." Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@ or 330-541-9413.
The National
12-06-2025
- Business
- The National
World watches as national climate goals loom over Cop30
Leading figures have sounded the alarm as they gathered in the UAE ahead of the next major round of UN climate talks at Cop30, in Brazil. Speaking at an event in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Majid Al Suwaidi, chief of climate investment vehicle, Alterra, warned that the talks are up against 'significant challenges'. 'To date, only 15 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been submitted,' Mr Al Suwaidi said. While the original deadline was February, a revised cut off in September is now the last window to submit updated pledges before Cop30 opens in Belem, Brazil, in November. Both Brazil and the UAE laid out robust NDCs ahead of the initial February deadline. 'Ambition and finance go hand in hand,' Mr Al Suwaidi added. 'The world will be watching closely to see whether these NDCs rise to the level of ambition that we truly need.' Mr Al Suwaidi, a seasoned climate negotiator and Cop28 director general, praised Brazil's leadership skill, noting the country's track record of inclusive dialogue and its symbolic role as steward of the Amazon. 'I have great confidence in the Brazilian residency, their diplomatic skills have been evident throughout the climate negotiations, and was on full display during their successful G20 presidency last year.' EU's NDC's on track to meet new deadline Discussions at Cop30 are expected to focus on whether national climate plans will collectively keep humanity on track to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, as well as on the mobilisation of $1.3 trillion in climate finance hammered in at climate talks at Cop29. At Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Marina Silva, Brazil's Minister of Environment, described it as the finance Cop but claimed Cop30 would be the Cop of NDCs. Climate activists hope more can be achieved in Brazil than in Baku. EU ambassador to the UAE, Lucie Berger, confirmed to The National that the bloc is on track to submit its updated contribution by September, but noted that all 27 member states must align through democratic processes. Ms Berger pointed to Cop28 in Dubai as a turning point, where global agreement was reached on transitioning away from fossil fuels and tripling renewable energy capacity. 'We've shown that coalition-building around shared causes works,' she said. 'Now we need to bring that same spirit to Cop30.' Ms Berger also highlighted the Amazon as a fitting host for the summit's 30th milestone. 'We need to see measurable, inclusive progress on nature, biodiversity, and deforestation,' she said. On the ground, she added that the EU and the UAE are looking to co-operate on clean energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as explore co-operation on carbon trading and pricing. 'I think we're currently looking for more strategic partners and the UAE comes naturally to mind,' she said. What is at stake? For Pacific nations on the front lines of climate disruption, firm national and financial commitments cannot come soon enough. Fiji's ambassador to the UAE, Siddiq Koya, warned that time is running out for communities facing rising seas, worsening storms and crop loss. 'This is the last batch of NDCs that matter,' he said. 'For the Pacific, 1.5°C is not a policy preference – it's a red line for survival.' He stressed the need for finance systems that are accessible and tailored to vulnerable nations' needs. 'We are delivering, but we cannot deliver alone,' he said, mentioning loss of coral reefs, forced relocations and unsustainable rebuilding cycles. Christoph Klarmann, Chargé dÁffaires of the German embassy, echoed those concerns. Recounting a recent landslide in the Swill Village of Blatten caused by glacial melt, he warned: 'Climate change is not just a climate emergency. It is actually a human emergency. The consequences affect water, food, health, security and ultimately peace.' Germany, he added, remains committed to its net zero target by 2045, and views the UAE's new climate law and corporate decarbonisation requirements as positive progress.
Zawya
03-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UAE climate fund Altérra backs Absolute Energy in Italy renewables project
Alterra, one of the world's biggest private climate funds has made its second direct investment in Europe through Italian renewable energy firm Absolute Energy and plans more deals ahead, its chief executive told Reuters. The fund, set up in 2023 by the United Arab Emirates with $30 billion, has so far invested $6.5 billion, mostly through climate and transition funds run by leading global investment firms BlackRock, Brookfield, and TPG. The deal for Absolute Energy will have the fund investing $50 million in direct equity from its Acceleration Fund alongside U.S. infrastructure firm I Squared Capital. The investment will help accelerate the development of an initial 1.4 gigawatts in solar and battery storage across Italy. Until now, Alterra had only directly invested in two companies - $100 million each in Indian renewables platform Evren and French renewables company Neoen- but it now plans to scale up, Majid Al Suwaidi said. "We are now transitioning from the first phase of the development of Alterra into a new phase in our work," he said. "This is our third co-investment so far in rapid succession... it's really charting a new path for us." Absolute Energy's initial project is expected to reduce climate-damaging emissions by up to 380,000 tons a year and it has a broader development plan of 6 GW, Alterra said. Set up at the UAE-hosted COP28 climate talks, Alterra, which now has a team of 14, aims to mobilise $250 billion globally by 2030 to help accelerate the energy transition. Al Suwaidi said finding deals which fit its mandate had been "more challenging" than expected and that it was looking at smaller deals of $50 million or more in the areas of industrial decarbonisation, climate technology, sustainability and renewable energy "to get things going". "We're becoming smarter about what we want from a deal and clearer about what we are looking for," he said. Alterra said for every dollar invested by its Acceleration and Transformation funds it has so-far attracted $8 and $4, respectively, from other investors. (Reporting by Simon Jessop and Virginia Furness Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
Reuters
03-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UAE climate fund Altérra backs Absolute Energy in Italy renewables project
LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) - Alterra, one of the world's biggest private climate funds has made its second direct investment in Europe through Italian renewable energy firm Absolute Energy and plans more deals ahead, its chief executive told Reuters. The fund, set up in 2023 by the United Arab Emirates with $30 billion, has so far invested $6.5 billion, mostly through climate and transition funds run by leading global investment firms BlackRock (BLK.N), opens new tab, Brookfield ( opens new tab, and TPG (TPG.O), opens new tab. The deal for Absolute Energy will have the fund investing $50 million in direct equity from its Acceleration Fund alongside U.S. infrastructure firm I Squared Capital. The investment will help accelerate the development of an initial 1.4 gigawatts in solar and battery storage across Italy. Until now, Alterra had only directly invested in two companies - $100 million each in Indian renewables platform Evren and French renewables company Neoen- but it now plans to scale up, Majid Al Suwaidi said. "We are now transitioning from the first phase of the development of Alterra into a new phase in our work," he said. "This is our third co-investment so far in rapid succession... it's really charting a new path for us." Absolute Energy's initial project is expected to reduce climate-damaging emissions by up to 380,000 tons a year and it has a broader development plan of 6 GW, Alterra said. Set up at the UAE-hosted COP28 climate talks, Alterra, which now has a team of 14, aims to mobilise $250 billion globally by 2030 to help accelerate the energy transition. Al Suwaidi said finding deals which fit its mandate had been "more challenging" than expected and that it was looking at smaller deals of $50 million or more in the areas of industrial decarbonisation, climate technology, sustainability and renewable energy "to get things going". "We're becoming smarter about what we want from a deal and clearer about what we are looking for," he said. Alterra said for every dollar invested by its Acceleration and Transformation funds it has so-far attracted $8 and $4, respectively, from other investors.
