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Canada's increased military presence in the Arctic poses environmental dangers 2007-08-22 12:30:00 The Canadian Forces mounted four operations in the Arctic
this year, one more than in 2006, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently promised to build a deep-sea port and military training centre to bolster Canada
's claim over the region. Russia recently made its own move to assert its sovereignty over the top of the world by placing a flag beneath the North Pole. The federal government has carefully documented its stepped-up Arctic presence with official photographs on the National Defence website showing soldiers firing ammunition rounds.
Read more:poses
, environmental
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bali this December 2007-08-19 18:58:00 As an energy exporter and a carbon-intensive economy, Australia can play a decisive role in the international response to climate change. The Government's pillars might at first look superficially impressive. But when we examine the substance, it becomes clear that the five pillars don't actually hold up much weight. The first pillar, support for progress towards a new global framework, is the Government's most abject failure. This failure began with a negative approach to the original Kyoto Protocol negotiations, which saw it achieve the dubious honour of being one of only three industrialised countries to negotiate an increased target of emissions from the 1990 baseline level.
Read more:Convention
, Climate
, Change
, meeting
, December
$1B cleanup of Alaska bases drags on 2007-08-25 19:46:00 Alaska became a transit hub for weapons and supplies sent to Russia during World War II. In 1942, the Japanese capture of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands also spurred speedy military buildup. During the Cold War, radar and satellite stations sprang up along the northern and western coasts to watch for Soviet air attacks over the North Pole. "Our people welcomed the military, our men enlisted, they helped rescue downed planes and the Department of Defense has not taken into consideration the human health effects of these places," said Vi Waghiyi of the Norton Sound Alaska Project, an arm of the nonprofit Alaska Community Action on Toxics.
Read more:Alaska
, bases
, drags
Environmental impact worrying 2007-08-23 17:21:00 Canadians are suffering more from environment-related health problems. “This year’s report card reinforces the intrinsic link between a healthy environment and a healthy population,” said Dr. Colin McMillan, CMA president.“Physicians are seeing more patients with health problems directly related to environmental factors. The degradation of the environment is resulting in increasing emergency room visits, hospitalizations and even premature deaths,”
Read more:impact
Dolphin species might not be extinct 2007-08-29 18:57:00 The baiji or white flag dolphin survived for millions of years but was declared effectively extinct in December after a fruitless six-week search of its Yangtze River habitat. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that a man in the central province of Anhui saw and shot footage of a "big white animal" in the Yangtze river on Aug. 19. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has confirmed that the animal in the footage was a white flag dolphin, it said.
Read more:Dolphin
, species
Global warming causes increase in tropical rainfall 2007-08-27 20:29:00 Climate change appears to be resulting in higher levels of rainfall in the tropics, reports NASA. Using a 27-year-long global record of rainfall from satellite and ground-based instruments -- the longest and most complete data record available -- scientists found that the rainiest years in the tropics between 1979 and 2005 have mostly occurred since 2001. The rainiest year was 2005, followed by 2004, 1998, 2003 and 2002. The researchers said 2006 may tie 2005 as the rainiest year since 1979.
Read more:Global
, causes
Pope leads environment festival 2007-09-02 16:42:00 Pope Benedict XVI participated in the eco-friendly festival on the day designated by the Vatican as "Save Creation Day". The leader of the Catholic community called for decisive action to halt damage to the environment and urged the preservation of natural resources such as water. In his homily, he said: "Before it is too late, we need to make courageous choices that will recreate a strong alliance between man and Earth.""We need a decisive 'yes' to care for creation and a strong commitment to reverse those trends that risk making the situation of decay irreversible," he added.
Indonesia seeks ways to save Sumatran elephants, tigers from extinction 2007-08-31 17:39:00 "There is a very real danger that Sumatranelephants
(and tigers) could become extinct in our lifetime if we don't come to agreement at this workshop," said Christy Williams of the World Wildlife Fund. Satellite images show that 8 million hectares of Sumatra island's remaining lowland tropical forest - the animals' primary habitat - were lost to development from 1990 to 2000, conservationists say. They estimate that there are only 2,400 to 2,800 Sumatran elephants left in the world, and no more than 400 tigers.
Read more:Indonesia
, extinction
Country UN climate talks 2007-09-25 16:07:00 The United Nations billed Monday's meeting as the largest ever gathering of world leaders on the topic of global warming. In that respect, it was indeed symbolic. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon sought to create a sense of mission by saying that the world's response to climate change will "define us, our era and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations". At the same time, nobody expected anything concrete in the way of treaty negotiations. Although the event included four simultaneous sessions on adaptation, mitigation, technology and financing, its primary purpose was to engage world leaders and increase political support for action on global warming. Did the United States play a role?
Read more:Country
Goal is global consensus on greenhouse gases 2007-09-23 05:41:00 We in the United States — and we as global citizens — live in what is, in many respects, a golden moment. Economic growth is globally strong, and, if security threats can be contained, this expansion, with some ups and downs, can be sustained.Strong growth means increased use of energy at a pace that can strain the capacity to supply what is needed at a reasonable price. This highlights two urgent questions: how to use energy without producing excess greenhouse
gases that create disruptive conditions on a global scale; and how to reduce the threat to national security from excess dependence on oil.
Read more:consensus
Africa: UN Environment Bid 2007-09-18 05:03:00 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) have launched a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) bazaar website.The CDM bazaar is a web portal designed to facilitate exchange of information among buyers, sellers and service providers engaged in the Kyoto protocol clean development mechanism.
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Tories propose new 'green taxes' to protect the environment 2007-09-13 15:09:00 A higher tax on domestic flights and a moratorium on airport expansions are among some of the key proposals a Conservative policy group announced Thursday as part of the political party's commitment to fighting climate change. Tory leader David Cameron had commissioned the Quality of Life Policy Group to develop ideas to back up his much-trumpeted pledge of protecting the environment. The report's recommendations are not binding but the co-authors John Gummer and Zac Goldsmith believe the suggestions -- such as a "showroom tax" for less fuel efficient cars while smaller and 'cleaner' vehicles would get tax relief -- will help transform Britain into a "world leader on green growth".
Read more:Tories
, propose
Global Environment 2007-09-10 20:18:00 SEPTEMBER 11 BERLIN- Energy and environment ministers from 20 countries continue "G8-Gleneagles-Dialogue" to discuss state of U.N. climate talks ahead of December conference in Bali (final day). News conference.
Read more:Environment
, Global
Renewable energy creation could alter Severn estuary ecology 2007-09-07 16:23:00 The issue was raised by the government as it applied to the European Union (EU) for special conservation status for three estuaries - the Severn, Dee and Humber.Joan Ruddock, biodiversity minister, said: "In submitting these sites the government has demonstrated its commitment to the protection and restoration of the UK's richly diverse, and internationally important, wildlife habitats. "We will work towards ensuring that our environmental protection agenda and our aim to develop renewable sources of power are complementary."
Read more:Renewable
China names negotiator for climate talks 2007-09-04 17:22:00 Beijing - China
named a senior envoy on Tuesday to handle tough climate change negotiations it fears will cramp economic growth as the country faces pressure to slow rising greenhouse gas emissions. Former ambassador to Tanzania Yu Qingtai will represent his country in complex negotiations over how the world will address global warming caused by carbon dioxide and other gases from farms, factories and vehicles.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said "special representative" Yu's experience in Africa, the United Nations and international talks would help him present the nation's case.
Acid rain damage could take decades to repair 2007-09-28 16:33:00 Acid rain's legacy for Britain's waterways is far more serious than previously thought and will take decades to repair, research suggests. A study of rivers and streams in Scotland and Wales has shown that environmental damage caused by the acidic downpours of the 1970s and 80s is ongoing, despite a massive reduction in industrial emissions.It may take 30 years until Ph levels in upland waterways and surrounding soils return to normal, researchers from Cardiff University have said.
Greenpeace Urges Indonesia to Stop Forest Destruction 2007-10-10 07:33:00 Indonesia must stop the destruction of its rainforests and commit to a moratorium on conversion of peat swamp forests into farmland, Greenpeace
said on Tuesday.Indonesia had the fastest pace of deforestation in the world between 2000-2005, destroying an area of forest the size of 300 soccer pitches every hour, according to the environment group. The Greenpeace appeal came ahead of a UN climate change summit in December, where participants from 189 countries are expected to gather in Bali to discuss a new deal to fight global warming. The existing pact, the Kyoto Protocol, runs out in 2012.
Read more:Indonesia
, Forest
, Destruction
Climate change disaster is upon us, warns UN 2007-10-05 19:47:00 A record number of floods, droughts and storms around the world this year amount to a climate change "mega disaster", the United Nation's emergency relief coordinator, Sir John Holmes, has warned. Sir John, a British diplomat who is also known as the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said dire predictions about the impact of global warming on humanity were already coming true. "We are seeing the effects of climate change. Any year can be a freak but the pattern looks pretty clear to be honest. That's why we're trying ... to say, of course you've got to deal with mitigation of emissions, but this is here and now, this is with us already," he said.
Read more:Climate
, warns
, Climate change
New global warning on climate change 2007-10-02 11:09:00 Average temperatures will rise 1C by 2030 and could increase as much as 5C in Australia by 2070 if global greenhouse emissions are not cut drastically. A major report by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology, released yesterday, warns marine ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef, could be damaged beyond repair if temperatures rise more than 3C and alpine ecosystems are at risk from increasing temperatures. The Climate Change in Australia report concedes a 1C temperature rise is inevitable but human activity will dictate increases beyond 2030. Under a low emissions scenario, in which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are stabilised, temperatures may increase 2.5C by 2070.
Read more:warning
The climate is right for Al Gore's Nobel Prize 2007-10-14 17:34:00 Compared to the U.S. presidency, it might feel like a consolation prize.But take a bow, Al Gore. You have every right to bust your buttons over this shiny new Nobel
.I know a thing or two about prizes. Like almost anyone who's worked in the news business for 15 minutes or more, I've won an armload of them. Hardly any are worth the brass, glass, crystal or wood they're made of.
Read more:Nobel Prize
UN climate chief urges action on global warming 2007-10-19 12:38:00 TOKYO (AFP) — The head of the UN climate panel that shared the Nobel Peace Prize last week said Thursday there was still time for the world to turn around the global warming trend as he visited Japan for talks.Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told a press conference the Nobel prize committee's decision showed it believed climate change was a threat to world peace."This clearly indicates that they are aware of the fact that if we don't do something about the problem, peace and stability can be threatened," said the Indian scientist.
Ecology fines port on light-rail project 2007-10-24 11:44:00 The state Department of Ecology
has fined the Port of Seattle and two contractors $20,000 for water quality violations at Sea-Tac International Airport.Ecology found that the port, which operates the airport, and the contractors allowed four releases of muddy stormwater from Sea-Tac north expressway project into storm systems that drain to Gilliam Creek and Des Moines Creek.The violations occurred in November and December 2006, and January and August this year.
Read more:fines
, light
Fires may have long-term consequences for California's landscape 2007-10-27 16:38:00 The wind-driven infernos that are scarring vast swaths of Southern California
's landscape may leave more than just a temporary path of destruction when they are finally extinguished.Because they have struck some regions still trying to recover from recent burns, the wildfires could leave a legacy of environmental devastation that will be evident for years to come. Some of it may never be reversed.Scientists say the changes could be profound, especially in areas that have been scorched multiple times in recent years.
Read more:consequences
New eco-friendly cemetery opens 2007-11-01 12:25:00 The first environmentally-friendly woodland burial site has been consecrated in the Forth Valley.The new £40,000 cemetery in Killearn, in rural Stirling, will have 700 lairs and will not feature headstones.Only coffins made of biodegradable material like cardboard and wicker will be used for burials.
Global warming hurts 2007-11-05 01:38:00 There is now “visible and unequivocal” evidence of the impacts of climate change, and consensus that human activities have been decisive in this change: global average temperatures have risen by about 0.7°C since 1906.A best estimate for this century’s rise is expected to be between a further 1.8°C and 2°C. Some scientists believe a 2°C increase in the global mean temperature above pre-industrial levels is a threshold beyond which the threat of major and irreversible damage becomes more plausible.
Read more:Global
China needs to double ecology protection efforts in Three Gorges Reservoir area 2007-11-10 14:10:00 Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan has urged the governments of Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province to double
efforts in treating geological disasters and protecting the ecology in the Three
Gorges Reservoir
area. He was speaking during a field survey on the construction, operation and management of the world's largest water conservancy project launched in 1993 involving a budget investment of 180 billion yuan (22.5 billion U.S. dollars). Claiming the project had brought benefits in flood prevention, power generation and shipping, Zeng said all enterprises participating in the project should beware of production accidents, improve production safety and produce local ecology.
Read more:China
Climate Panel Debates Warming Document 2007-11-15 02:26:00 VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — A U.N. climate change conference argued over words and phrases Wednesday in drafting a scientific report that will guide governments for years to come on their global warming policies.One dispute involving the U.S. delegation centered on whether human activity could lead to "abrupt or irreversible" effects on the Earth's climate, said participants in the meeting.
Read more:Climate
, Panel
Plastic carrier bags should be restricted for clean environment 2007-11-20 02:01:00 BEIJING, Nov. 19 -- We find the trail of plastic "flags" lining our main railroads embarrassing. We hate to see plastic bags flying in our face on windy days, or those permanently stuck on tree branches. Disposable plastic carrier
bags we take home from shopping trips are a main source of such "white pollution". An obvious solution to it, therefore, is to reduce our use of such environmentally harmful packaging. This is both reasonable and simple.
Read more:Plastic
Mexico Funds Will Protect Butterflies 2007-11-26 12:49:00 President Felipe Calderon unveiled a sweeping plan Sunday to curb logging and protect millions of monarch butterflies that migrate to the mountains of central Mexico
each winter, covering trees and bushes and attracting visitors from around the world.The plan will put $4.6 million toward additional equipment and advertising for the existing Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, covering a 124,000-acre swathe of trees and mountains that for thousands of years has served as the winter nesting ground to millions of orange- and black-winged monarch butterflies.
Read more:Funds
, Protect
, Will Protect
Arab business leaders vow to preserve ecology 2007-12-01 10:33:00 ABU DHABI – Arab business leaders have promised to take positive action against environmental damage at a conference held here yesterday.The Arab Corporate Environmental Responsibility Summit, attended by business leaders from the region, environmentalists and United Nations experts, concluded with a declaration on corporate environmental responsibility and cleaner production.“Being aware of the magnitude of environmental challenges facing the Arab region and the world, realising that low-carbon will be the economy of the future and recognising that taking the environment fully into account is key to achieving sustainable development,” the business leaders said in the declaration and resolved to take concrete steps in preserving and conserving the environment.
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