This page is a form of site executive summary. It gives the conclusion of each essay.

Sustainability

Sustainability is still an ill-defined word and should be used with discretion and a knowledge of its long-term, "cradle-to-grave" sense. Wind farms are often cited as an example of sustainable energy generation. They are certainly renewable energy generators, but has anyone really determined that they are sustainable? Think "cradle-to-grave"!

This essay may be contrary to popular thinking, which is probably too shallow. I make no apologies for this.

Climate Change

Cyprus can make a contribution to reducing its GHG emissions, even below 1990 levels, but it will require a strong will and sacrifices from its population. The means of doing so are outlined in a number of the other essays on this web site. It will depend on a mix of improved public transport, changes in fuel types, especially for electricity generation, renewable energy sources and, above all, the will to do so by the people.

Ozone Depletion

With care, the effects of ozone-depletion will not be too bad in Cyprus. On the other hand, a mechanism for the disposal and safe destruction of ODSs does not reliably exist and should be implemented as soon as possible, with qualified and conscientious personnel for the maintenance.

Cars

It would be possible to reduce car-engendered pollution in Cyprus, including carbon dioxide emissions, very significantly. This would require a three-pronged approach involving public transport, low-consumption cars (especially hybrids) and public awareness to allow them to use their cars more efficiently. More incentives are required to further these aims and particularly to discourage "gas-guzzlers".

Hydrogen

Hydrogen may seem to offer a good solution in the long term, as a combustible fuel or for fuel cells, but there remain many technical and economic problems to be resolved before it can be considered as a viable substitute for fossil fuels. In the Cyprus context (and this also applies to many other countries), the most environmentally-friendly way of generating hydrogen would be via electrolysis with power coming from a nuclear fission plant, which would also provide the energy for desalinating sea water for the electrolysis.

Electricity

Future electricity supplies in Cyprus are a thorny problem that cannot be resolved by half-measures. All parties, including the public, must take the bull by the horns. Conservation is important, as are renewable supplies, where these are feasible. Demand will foreseeably rise to over twice the current peak requirements within a decade, probably sooner. Decisions must be made as to how this will be done, even if they are unpopular.

Renewable energy

In the context of Cyprus, the only potentially large scale variable renewable energy source is the solar photovoltaic panel. A typical 3 kW installation costs about £12,000 and would produce electricity (not counting subsidies) to the tune of about £175/year, based on the present cost of fossil-fired electricity. It is clear that the price of the installation would have to fall by 80% before it became economically viable. With the proposed subsidies, the payback period falls to between 8 and 10 years, which is just acceptable. Notwithstanding, the full 20 percent of peak demand is a long way off. The only major potential constant renewable energy source, capable of supplying up to 10 per cent of our needs, would be by waste incineration. I strongly urge that this be implemented, not just for electricity supply but also as a logical means of introducing waste discipline. A small contribution to any future natural-gas electricity generation may be made by composting farm animal excrement, the residues being a valuable natural fertiliser.

Waste

Cyprus has a long and painful way, both for the country and the individual, before it can pretend to even approach the standards that are in force in the EU and other Western countries. It will require a radical change of mindset before many persons realise that waste is a serious matter. I forecast that this will become a serious bone of contention between the country and Brussels, unless important changes take place rapidly. It has a long way to go before the roadsides and countryside meet Singaporean norms of cleanliness - maybe we should have the Singapore police controlling littering (and driving!).

Tourism

The tourist industry, as it is today, is not environmentally sustainable and must shrink to become so. In order to maintain the economy, this means that a different class of tourist must be attracted. Good, honest, service must be promoted, in preference to the exploitation of mass tourism, with a better spread of tourists throughout the year. Quality, rather than quantity, should be the keyword.

Houses

New houses in Cyprus can be made much more energy-efficient at relatively little extra cost. No matter how heating and air-conditioning is done, this reduction of energy requirements translates into reduced running costs and reduced pollution. It is essential to remember that increased energy usage engenders increased pollution, even if that pollution comes from the stack of a power station hundreds of kilometres away.

Where feasible, additional insulation can be added to existing houses, especially when going through major redecoration.

A major problem exists with modern window construction. The aluminium frames, surrounds and runners, as well as aluminium doors, are major causes of heat transmission between the inside and outside of many houses. Without doubt, these extruded profiles are excellent in every other way, but they probably cause 20 per cent or more of the total losses from heating and cooling and thus an equivalent amount of emitted pollution. It is suggested that some better form of window frame be developed that would reduce these losses.

Architects and building contractors, heating and sanitary engineers, as well as others involved with house construction, should voluntarily suggest to their clients the benefits in building houses with proper thought to reducing energy and water requirements. In the meanwhile, general building standards can be improved while awaiting the mandatory implementation of better means to achieve these results.

Water

This past winter (2004), it looks as if all the dams will be filled to 100 per cent capacity, for the first time, ever. The 2005 winter, while not over at the time of writing, has not been nearly as wet and the dams are not full in early March. However, despite three successive very wet winters and one moderately wet one, the water tables have still not reached normal levels in many places. Water is still being wasted in a completely anarchic way because users will not take the responsibility for their actions.

Unfortunately, there is now too much complacency and no measures have been taken to ensure that there will be sufficient water in the event of another drought, similar to the one we had in the second half of the 1990s. This will happen, sooner or later, and Cyprus will be as unprepared as ever; water rationing will become inevitable again and agriculture will be unable to cope. At least two more 40-50 kilotonne/day desalination plants are required to avoid this happening. Construction should begin now.

Sequestration

There is no possibility of being able to sequester sufficient carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that would make any significant impact on the amount that man is adding annually, let alone capturing the amounts that have accumulated over the past century or so. As an approximation, it is probable that any possible action that could be undertaken would fall short of the needs by many orders of magnitude. It would require a total of about 200 Gt of carbon to be sequestered to restore the atmosphere to 1850 levels of carbon loading.

Wildlife

The wildlife in Cyprus is in a precarious position, as the concrete jungles expand. The utmost care is needed to protect the unique nature of the island. Measures are urgently needed to educate the population, to restrict the use of agricultural chemicals to a strict minimum, the ambelopoulia-trapping ban must be strictly enforced, hunting licences should be restricted to proven competent persons only and poaching fiercely suppressed. Above all, as has been done in many countries, lead shot should be withdrawn from sale and replaced by steel shot, which simply rusts in nature (lead pellets can remain intact for many years).

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