More and more satellites are being sent to space. Most of them move in what is known as low Earth orbit, about 1,000 kilometres from Earth.

One of the reasons for this increase is the growth in the uses of satellites, the more traditional ones such as meteorological or military, can now also be used to provide internet to remote places.

“The space race is growing and growing,” Gisela Süss of the European Space Agency (ESA) told Euronews.

According to ESA data, there are some 12,500 satellites in Earth orbit. “Now, for example, we have constellations being launched into space from the United States, and it is increasingly becoming a business as well,” she said at the European Space Forum, held on 24-25 June in Brussels.

This has made it increasingly ‘interesting’ for private companies to send satellites into space, says Süss. She refers, for example, to projects such as SpaceX’s Starlink or Amazon’s Kuiper. Starlink currently has around 6,000 devices in orbit in various constellations, while Kuiper expects to add around 2,300 when the project is deployed.

More and more junk in orbit

The problem comes when the machines stop working, break down or collide with an object. In the past, satellites were unprotected against this type of incident, partly because it was difficult to modify their route, but now companies are seeking to minimise risks.

“All our satellites will have active propulsion systems, which means we will be able to manoeuvre them to avoid any collisions,” explains Jordi Casanova, from Amazon’s Kuiper Project.

In addition, the satellites will have “a specific type of shield so that, in the event of a small collision, the satellite elements will be protected”.

This is one of the measures to alleviate a problem that the European Space Agency believes threatens our future in space. Right now, there are some 2,700 devices in orbit that no longer work.

Added to this is space debris, made up of parts of old satellites or other materials created by humans and launched into space. ESA monitors some 35,000 pieces of debris, although it is estimated that there are millions of fragments measuring less than ten centimetres. These pieces orbit at high speed and can collide with and damage other devices.

To prevent their proliferation, the agency has launched its Zero Waste Charter. “The aim of this charter is to move towards zero by 2030,” says Süss, although the plan is “non-binding”. ESA also has measures in place to de-orbit satellites that no longer work, such as a robot that captures them.

Towards a new European Space Law

Several MEPs and experts have so far defined space as “the Wild West”. But years ago, the European Commission set out to regulate what happens beyond the Earth.

The need was born to create space legislation in what the European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton called a “true single market”.

Several EU countries, such as Germany and France, already have space laws, but Brussels will present the first European Space Law in the coming months.

The proposed law was scheduled to be presented this spring, but its presentation has been delayed.

According to the European Commission, the proposal will take into account three pillars, including the security of satellite navigation, the protection of EU infrastructures against cyber-attacks and the development of the European space sector as a “major enabler of services”.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark will tax livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs from 2030, the first country in the world to do so as it targets a major source of methane emissions, one of the most potent gases contributing to global warming.

The aim is to reduce Danish greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030, said Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus.

As of 2030, Danish livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030. The tax will increase to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035. However, because of an income tax deduction of 60%, the actual cost per ton will start at 120 kroner ($17.3) and increase to 300 kroner by 2035.

Although carbon dioxide typically gets more attention for its role in climate change, methane traps about 87 times more heat on a 20-year timescale, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Levels of methane, which is emitted from sources including landfills, oil and natural gas systems and livestock, have increased particularly quickly since 2020. Livestock account for about 32% of human-caused methane emissions, says the U.N. Environment Program.

“We will take a big step closer in becoming climate neutral in 2045,” Bruus said, adding Denmark “will be the first country in the world to introduce a real CO2 tax on agriculture” and hoped other countries would follow suit.

New Zealand had passed a similar law due to take effect in 2025. However, the legislation was removed from the statute book on Wednesday after hefty criticism from farmers and a change of government at the 2023 election from a center-left ruling bloc to a center-right one. New Zealand said it would exclude agriculture from its emissions trading scheme in favor of exploring other ways to reduce methane.

In Denmark, the deal was reached late Monday between the center-right government and representatives of farmers, the industry, unions, among others, and presented Tuesday.

Denmark’s move comes after months of protests by farmers across Europe against climate change mitigation measures and regulations that they say are driving them to bankruptcy.

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, the largest nature conservation and environmental organization in Denmark, described the tax agreement as “a historic compromise.”

“We have succeeded in landing a compromise on a CO2 tax, which lays the groundwork for a restructured food industry -– also on the other side of 2030,” its head Maria Reumert Gjerding said after the talks in which they took part.

A typical Danish cow produces 6 metric tons (6.6 tons) of CO2 equivalent per year. Denmark, which is a large dairy and pork exporter, also will tax pigs although cows produce far higher emissions than pigs.

The tax is to be approved in the 179-seat Folketing, or parliament, but the bill is expected to pass after the broad-based consensus.

According to Statistic Denmark, there were as of June 30, 2022, 1,484,377 cows in the Scandinavian country, a slight drop compared to the previous year.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

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Associated Press writer Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s trial in Russia on espionage charges is starting Wednesday behind closed doors in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in March 2023 in Yekaterinburg on espionage charges, with Russian authorities alleging he was gathering secret information for the CIA, a claim he, his employer and the U.S. government deny.

“Evan Gershkovich is facing a false and baseless charge. … The Russian regime’s smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting and based on calculated and transparent lies. Journalism is not a crime,” Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and chief editor Emma Tucker said after his trial date was announced. “We had hoped to avoid this moment and now expect the U.S. government to redouble efforts to get Evan released.”

He is the first known Western journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.

WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH SET TO BEGIN ESPIONAGE TRIAL ON JUNE 26

The journalist appeared in the courtroom Wednesday morning in a glass cage, with his head shaven, according to The Associated Press.

Gershkovich’s appeals seeking his release have thus far been rejected.

“Evan has displayed remarkable resilience and strength in the face of this grim situation,” U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy said on the anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest.

If convicted, which is expected, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants and prosecutors can appeal sentences that they believe to be light. Prosecutors can even appeal acquittals.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said Gershkovich is accused of gathering secret information on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant that produces and repairs military equipment about 90 miles north of Yekaterinburg.

If convicted, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Another American detained in Russia, American corporate security executive Paul Whelan, was arrested in Moscow for espionage in 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence.

Gershkovich’s arrest came about a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed laws that drew concerns about journalism in the country, criminalizing criticism of the war against Ukraine and statements viewed by officials as discrediting the military. 

Foreign journalists largely left the country after the laws passed. Many gradually moved back in subsequent months, but concerns still remained about whether Russian authorities would take action against them.

Several Western reporters have been forced to leave following Gershkovich’s arrest because Russia would not renew their visas.

WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH ORDERED TO STAND TRIAL IN RUSSIA ON CHARGE OF ‘GATHERING SECRET INFORMATION’

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted from the Lefortovsky court in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Following Gershkovich’s arrest, many feared Russia was targeting Americans amid tensions with the U.S.

Russia has suggested a prisoner exchange for Gershkovich could potentially happen in the future, but such a swap is not possible until a verdict is reached in his case. Putin has floated the idea that he might be interested in freeing Vadim Krasikov, a Russian imprisoned in Germany for the assassination of a Chechen rebel leader.

In 2022, Russia and the U.S. worked out a swap that released WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was serving a 9 1/2-year sentence for cannabis possession in Russia, in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as “the Merchant of Death.”

The Biden administration would likely be sensitive when negotiating a swap for Gershkovich, not wanting to appear to be giving away too much after intense criticism of trading Bout for Griner.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.