The Economic Perspective 9/12/2025

The Latest Trending Economic, Environmental and Infrastructure News Curated for You by The Balmoral Group

The Balmoral Group provides practical, professional and precise Economics, Data Analytics, and Engineering Consulting services and is part of a globally integrated team.

Happy Friday! 

Welcome Back! This week AWRA Florida Young Professional’s Lunch and Learn on Thursday, co-hosted by TBG’s Cortney Cortez & Karin Teuffer of Kimley-Horn, featured a technical tour of the Water Conserv II Distribution Facility. The Water Conserv II Distribution Center is the largest reuse project of its kind and reclaims water to support agriculture, environmental restoration, and groundwater replenishment. The tour featured seeing the facility's Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs) in action; RIBs are used for recharging the Floridan aquifer. Joining Cortney were our Engineering Interns, Ruby Joaquin and Lizzie Harms. TBG is an annual sponsor of AWRA and TBG’s President, Valerie Seidel, is Past President of AWRA Florida. Read more about the event and facility here and here.

This week's articles we are highlighting local news here in Florida including a new liquid nitrogen facility in Central Florida, and a part of the Wildlife Corridor that has been preserved in Polk County.

Additionally, we have articles covering global news. In our second article listed we cover the ongoing plastics crisis and its impact on health and the environment. Our third article discusses how a significant portion of land around the world is no longer within the bounds of "functional biosphere integrity".

We also have articles covering agricultural issues facing the country and our data visualization covers water supply issues in Kazakhstan. 

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested. If you’d like to view previous editions please click here, or to subscribe please click here!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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Liquid Nitrogen Generation Solar Facility Coming to Florida at Tiny Footprint

Lakeland Electric has teamed with Tennessee-based American Independent Power to build a liquid nitrogen generation facility in Central Florida. The pilot project will use solar heat combined with liquid nitrogen to generate electricity. This method uses a much smaller solar footprint than traditional photovoltaic solar, taking up only a half-acre area at the Socrum Substation compared to the 20-30 acres of land usage at traditional 5 megawatt solar plants. Lakeland Electric is contracted to purchase the power generated from the facility at a rate of $44.00/MWh, with maximum annual production expected to be 43,800 MWh. Commercial operation is scheduled to begin in September 2026. Read more here.

Plastics 'Crisis' is Costing $1.5 Trillion in Global Deaths and Injuries, Report Says

Plastic production is on course to triple by 2060, and less than 10% of it is recycled. An estimated 8,000 megatons of plastic now pollute the planet. This plastic, released into the environment, is causing significant harm to humans and the environment. Low-income populations, in particular, are at risk by this pollution, but all populations have been affected. Micro-plastics have been found in breast milk and brain tissue, oceans and rivers, and many other places. Infants are at risk of suffering from miscarriages, physical malformations, reduced cognitive function, and diabetes, all attributed to micro-plastic pollution in the body. For adults, cancer, strokes, and cardiovascular disease remain concerns. These medical and environmental costs will push up to $1.5 Trillion globally. Read more here and here.

Majority of Earth's Land Now Outside "Functional Biosphere Integrity"

A recent study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Vienna’s BOKU University reveals that about 60% of the world’s land is currently outside the local safe zone of “functional biosphere integrity,” with 38% falling into the high-risk territory. The research maps how plants’ ability to regulate key Earth systems, such as carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles, has been degraded due to human activity. By assessing regionally detailed data over time using the LPJmL global biosphere model, the study highlights how growing demands for land use, including for food, bioenergy, and raw materials, are pushing ecosystems past thresholds needed for environmental stability. Read more here and here

Essential Polk County Wildlife Corridor Preserved

A 2,300-acre property in Polk County, Florida, known as Eagle Haven Ranch, has been permanently preserved as part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, safeguarding over four miles of Lake Kissimmee shoreline and vital habitat for nearly 200 species, including bald eagles and the endangered Florida scrub-jay; once at risk of development into a luxury golf resort and hotel, the land was purchased by philanthropist Arnie Bellini and secured through a $9 million conservation effort by Conservation Florida, ensuring its long-term protection while also supporting military readiness goals within the Avon Park Sentinel Landscape. To see more, visit here.

EPA Withdraws Proposed Rule for More Stringent Water Pollution Guidelines at Slaughterhouses

The U.S. EPA has withdrawn a January 2024 proposed rule that would have reduced discharge of nutrients and pollutants from meat packing plants and slaughterhouses. The EPA has withdrawn the rule in a stated effort to prioritize the nation’s food supply and keep food prices down. Nutrients and pollutants released by these plants include nitrogen, phosphorus, oil, grease, biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids and chlorides. Environmental groups have stated the EPA has made the wrong move here as meat packing plants have the highest levels of phosphorus discharge of all industrial categories. These pollutants can contaminate water quality and environmental health as well as human health and increase drinking water treatment costs. This pollution often forces local communities to pick up the costs of cleaning this up, and in the event they cannot significant damage can be done to them. Read more here.

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Data Visualization of the Week

Running Dry: Kazakhstan's Water Crisis, Explained with Data

What is happening in Kazakhstan may feel far off, but similar issues are happening across the world and here at home. On the other side of the World, Kazakhstan is currently dealing with a water crisis as it has lost 21% of its per capita water availability since 1999. Much of this is caused by a 30% reduction in Glacier mass in the region, and heavy demand from agriculture. Additionally, these already drying up rivers cross international borders meaning that access to these waters have become a political issue between countries. The Ili and Irtysh rivers originate in China, and the Syr Darya flows through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The Colorado River is still under serious threat of being unable to keep up with demand, glacier retreat is having a global impact on water supplies, agricultural demands continue to constrain already constrained supplies. Read more here.