Weekly review
Poll
Concern about gaps in the skills and knowledge of our pupils is voiced quite widely from time to time. Unfortunately, only when someone from outside Latvia has concluded as much. Why is that?
There is a political tendency to be busy, to invest, to make promises, but not to think about the results
If you have little knowledge yourself, you do not even know how or what you do not know...
A smart society is not always desirable or welcome
Many interests swirl around education. A "good result" is rarely mentioned among them
9-15 July
Events
We would like to remind you once again that you first need to select trees in Latvia, so that one of them can then be chosen for the European competition. There is still time - we invite you to think about it yourself and encourage your friends, relatives, neighbours, and the neighbours' friends and relatives.
Münchhausen returns!
On hunting
On decisions
The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday approved the Territorial Just Transition Plan, which provides for the phasing out of peat usage in energy production by 2030. As the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) points out, this issue concerns Latvia's commitment to achieving the strategic goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
but
Neither the European Commission regulation establishing the Just Transition Fund (JTF) nor Latvia's National Energy and Climate Plan obliges the state to shut down the energy peat sector, yet VARAM is prepared to do so for the sake of obtaining one-off funding, justifying this step with informal comments from the European Commission. It is in Latvia's national interest to decline the EUR 184 million in JTF funding, which is less than the amount paid in direct taxes by the peat industry over ten years, without even assessing the significant impact of the industry on other sectors of the economy. The Latvian Peat Association believes that such a ban is unacceptable, as it would destroy an economic sector that is significant for energy independence and security.
adding that
Neither the European Commission regulation establishing the Just Transition Fund (JTF) nor Latvia's National Energy and Climate Plan obliges the state to shut down the energy peat sector, but VARAM plans to do so for the sake of obtaining one-off funding.
On earlier decisions
Meanwhile
There is a shortage of approximately 10% of fuel on the world market. Excessive demand for firewood covers the whole of Europe, from the Baltic states to Great Britain. Firewood is becoming the "new oil".
at the same time
The Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) highlights two arguments as to why its availability must be improved – Latvia no longer imports wood chips from Belarus, and their price has risen rapidly
however...
The article (Re:Check) is still full of mystical, unfounded, and plucked-from-thin-air figures. I suppose I will have to donate a few hours of my time to tear this nonsense apart paragraph by paragraph. Stay tuned!
On what is happening and what has happened
Liepāja will be provided with fuel chips this winter. Local government leaders discussed preparations for the upcoming heating season and the availability of wood chips with the Minister of Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards and Jānis Lapiņš, a board member of JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM).
db.lv · valsts sevi nav pieradijusi ka labs krizes parvaldnieks 5083…
We rely on each other, on the ruling power, on the fact that people will do their jobs with integrity, but we must understand that this does not always happen. In my opinion, the root of the problem in our country is quite old, and the situation is worsening by the minute. We have neglected our children and have not organised the education system; we have driven teachers to strikes, which means that the everyday lives of working people will become complicated again. That is the biggest problem - the state has put its greatest value – its children – on the back burner.
We rely on each other, on the ruling power, on the fact that people will do their jobs with integrity, but we must understand that this does not always happen. In my opinion, the root of the problem in our country is quite old, and the situation is worsening by the minute. We have neglected our children and have not organised the education system; we have driven teachers to strikes, which means that the everyday lives of working people will become complicated again. That is the biggest problem - the state has put its greatest value – its children – on the back burner.
Latvia and Jelgava were chosen as the location for the factory because the moderate weather conditions in the region are favourable for growing peas, ensuring a high yield of good quality protein. Furthermore, we have very competitive production costs – both for local and regional raw material suppliers. Jelgava has an advantageous geographical location, as the factory is able to attract raw materials grown in the region within a 300-kilometre radius.
Being one of the most outstanding forest ecologists on that side of the Iron Curtain where Latvia was located, he could not achieve the adaptation of the USSR standard forest ecosystem classification to the terminology of Latvian forest typology. Instead of a clear and functional concept of a forest ecosystem type or, for short, a forest type, the concept of a growth condition type was used for many years, unnecessarily weaving into it the external environment, i.e., the growth conditions of various forest ecosystem components. However, the finding expressed in K. Bušs' 1981 monograph "Forest Ecology and Typology" – that the clumsy term 'forest growth condition type' adopted during the USSR era had already taken root in Latvia and it was too late to change it – did not prove to be long-lasting.
In order to understand how much and in what way to reduce emissions, we must first understand what volume of carbon dioxide is emitted in Latvia by agricultural land and its cultivation methods. Researchers at the Faculty of Environment and Civil Engineering of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU) are conducting such studies.
The memorandum signed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) and LLU focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation, rational land use, territorial development, circular economy, public safety, electronic governance, information and communication technologies, as well as the field of open data.
While planning forest management, LVM planner Emīls Elksnītis spotted a large nest in an aspen tree in the Balvi district of LVM's North Latgale region. Upon inspecting the nest, three young black storks were found inside.
So, the most optimistic plans for the repair of the Brasa Bridge have not come to pass....