Washington Insiders' New Firm
Consults on Contracts in Iraq
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A group of businessmen linked by their close ties to President Bush, his family and his administration have set up a consulting firm to advise companies that want to do business in Iraq, including those seeking
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pieces of taxpayer-financed reconstruction projects. The firm, New Bridge Strategies, is headed by Joe M. Allbaugh, Mr. Bush's campaign manager in 2000 and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency until March. Other directors include Edward M. Rogers Jr., vice chairman, and Lanny Griffith, lobbyists who were assistants to the first President George Bush and now have close ties to the White House. full story
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Greenpeace for Kyoto Protocol
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Activists of the international ecological organization Greenpeace held an action in Moscow urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to take measures for the promptest ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by
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Russia. On the Moscow River in front of the World Trade Center where the 2003 World Climate Change Conference opened on Monday, Greenpeace members on two boats and a number of swimmers unfolded banners saying “President Putin! The earth needs Kyoto Protocol”. full story
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Most Senators Push Renewable Fuel In Bill
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Fifty-three senators, including eight Republicans, urged on Monday that a compromise energy bill require electric utilities to produce a minimum amount of their power from renewable fuels such as solar panels
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or wind turbines. In a letter, the senators protested a decision by House and Senate Republicans involved in the energy negotiations to leave the renewable fuels requirement out of a final energy package. full story
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U.S. Agriculture, Food Supply Face
Major Dangers from Global Warming
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Falling crop production resulting from extreme weather events, diseases and pest infestations increasingly will be fueled by global warming and create an uncertain future for U.S. agricultural production and the
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nation's food supplies, according to leading experts gathered here today at a Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment briefing, made possible by the Civil Society Institute, the Energy Foundation and the National Environmental Trust. full story
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Putin Refuses to Say if Russia
will Ratify Kyoto Protocol
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Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, fuelled concern about the future of the world climate change treaty yesterday when he refused to say whether Russia would ratify it. Disregarding pleas from the UN and
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several European leaders, the President spurned the opportunity to announce his support for the Kyoto protocol at the opening of a climate change conference in Moscow. full story
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Anti-GM Lobby Gains Ground in Europe
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The future of GM crops in Europe has been in the balance for some time, but that balance is now tilted more in favour of the anti-GM lobby following the results of a government-sponsored consultation process last
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week. The consultation showed a British public overwhelmingly opposed to genetically modified (GM) crops. That finding is now set to have major implications for a European Union (EU) policy on these crops, officials and activists say. full story
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Wildlife Protection Bill Takes Flight
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Farmers will be paid to take care of some of Scotland's most important landscapes and wildlife under new legislation. The Nature Conservation Bill aims to look after sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) as well as
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giving all plants and creatures extra protection from activities like building development. full story
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Grant to Add Wildlife Habitat
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With the help of a $2 million federal grant, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday announced it will buy 20 acres of wildlife habitat on a bluff overlooking the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The 3,000-
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acre refuge, south of Tacoma, was established in 1974 for the protection of migratory birds, fish and wildlife habitat. full story
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2 Private Firms to Review Status,
of Owl, Murrelet
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected two private consulting firms to help determine whether the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet should keep their federal protection as threatened species.
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The Sustainable Ecosystems Institute of Portland will review and evaluate information about the northern spotted owl, while EDAW Inc. of San Francisco will review and evaluate the marbled murrelet, the agency said. full story
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The World’s Water Crisis
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At the recent G8 summit in Evian, France, delegates met to discuss, among other issues, how to provide safe drinking water to the 1.5 billion of the world’s citizens who live without it. Everyone within the
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summit gates enjoyed the free and plentiful bottled mineral water. “It’s obscene,” says one journalist who attended the conference, held near the source of one of the world’s most famous bottled water brands. “How can they not see that holding the summit in this place and talking about water in Africa is tasteless. It’s beyond comprehension.” full story
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Pacific Islanders Feel Brunt
of Climate Change
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Pacific island nations are feeling the brunt of climate change in the shape of Increasingly frequent and intense storms the United Nations has been told. President of the Federated States of Micronesia Joseph J
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Urusemal has told the 58th session of the UN General Assembly the world cannot afford to lose the war against climate change. full story
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Climate Change: The Big Emitters
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The future of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change is largely in the hands of the world's biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. BBC News Online looks at how much they emit, what are they doing about it
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and where they stand on Kyoto. The US emits more, absolutely and per head, than any
other country... full story
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'Nemo' Mania Poses Threat to Clownfish
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They're orange, stripy and about 10cm long - and thousands of children are going to want one for Christmas. But while the clownfish, the star of Disney's latest blockbuster Finding Nemo, is about to find itself
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well and truly in the mainstream, environmentalists are already issuing warnings that the film will result in unprecedented numbers of the species being killed. full story
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Government Examines
Chemical-Reporting Rules
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The government is studying ways to ease requirements for industry to report the toxic chemicals they put into the environment. Each year, the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory offers a
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snapshot of the nation's pollution -- billions of pounds of chemicals, such as copper and zinc compounds, hydrochloric acid and lead released by hard-rock mining companies, coal-burning power plants and other industrial facilities full story
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Putin: No decision on Kyoto
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday the Russian government was studying the ratification of the Kyoto protocol on global warming but gave no indication of when the country might give its approval.
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Russia's approval is vital for the 1997 pact to enter into force after a U.S. pullout in 2001. Russia has often said that it plans to ratify the protocol but has attached strings, including guarantees of economic benefits. full story
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Pollution Rules Outweigh Costs: Study
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The White House office in charge of reviewing federal regulations has reported that the benefits of some major environmental rules appear to exceed the costs by several times and that the net benefits may be
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even larger than previously acknowledged. In its annual review of the costs and benefits of regulations, the Office of Management and Budget examined a sampling of major rules and found that the total benefits -- to the extent they can be measured -- were at least triple the costs. full story
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GM Crops Could be New 'Green' Fuel
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Biotechnology firms are pressing to be allowed to grow GM crops across more than a million acres of Britain to provide "green'' fuel for cars, as ministers become increasingly wary about licensing them for food, The
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Independent on Sunday can reveal. GM wheat, sugar beet and oilseed rape could be converted into substitutes for petrol and diesel. The plan is being pitched as an environmentally friendly move that will help the battle against global warming. But environmentalists say it will avoid few of the main hazards associated with the technology. full story
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Sabah to Keep 60%
of State Land as Forest
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The state government is committed to its pledge of ensuring that at least 60% of the state’s land area will remain under forest cover, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said. He said this quantum would ensure
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that the state’s forests would continue to contribute to Sabah’s economic and environmental well-being. full story
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Russia Holds Key to
Global Warming Progress
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There were scant signs Moscow would save the Kyoto protocol on curbing global warming as it prepared to host a climate conference from Monday. Russia now holds a veto over the protocol,
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but has delayed approving the 1997 pact that many see as a step towards curbing gases from fossil fuels blamed for rising temperatures that may already be triggering more heatwaves, tornadoes and droughts. full story
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Common Dreams Editorial: Ashcroft
is a False Patriot
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The American people are turning against the USA Patriot Act, and against the man who put it in place, Attorney General John Ashcroft. There is a dawning recognition on the part of Americans that no one
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exploited the sorrows and fears stirred by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon more aggressively than Ashcroft. full story
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Pull Together ... Protesters Vow
to Root out GM Crops
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Professors, clergymen, politicians and professionals have signed a pledge to pull up any genetically modified crops that may be grown commercially in Britain, according to a new national group that is hoping
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to get 10,000 people to register their strong disapproval to the government. Buoyed by the 5 to 1 public rejection of the crops recorded in this week's national debate results, Oxford-based group Greengloves said it was hoping to get people to pledge to non-violently pull up the crops or to financially support others who do. full story
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Report: New Yorkers Unhappy
with EPA Air Quality Info
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Most New Yorkers responding to a government survey didn't believe and were dissatisfied with the air quality information that the Environmental Protection Agency provided the public after the World
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Trade Center collapse, according to the agency's inspector general. Most people surveyed "wanted more information regarding outdoor and indoor air quality, wanted this information in a more timely manner and did not believe the information they received," EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley concluded Friday. full story
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Will Break To Wal-Mart Really Pay?
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Let me make sure I understand this correctly: Here in Colorado, a state that largely deplores welfare, affordable housing assistance and other entitlement programs, the city of Denver wants to give $10 million
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in welfare benefits to Wal- Mart? To give you some perspective, in fiscal year 2001, the state of Colorado spent $94.4 million on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare). This $10 million gift to Wal-Mart would be just one of many similar deals that corporations in the state receive every year. full story
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Automakers Showcase Latest
Eco-Friendly Car Technology
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General Motors Corp. calls it the Hy-wire: a car that puts fuel-cell technology in a futuristic body. It lacks foot pedals and a traditional steering wheel. It scoots along on a skateboard-like chassis containing
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everything that runs the car, including hydrogen fuel cells that power an electric motor. The driver controls the Hy-wire by twisting handgrips to accelerate, squeezing them to brake and tilting them to steer. full story
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Congress Defunds Controversial
'Total Information' Program
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Privacy and civil-rights groups have hailed Congress' decision to effectively kill a controversial Pentagon program to construct a powerful computerized surveillance system that critics feared would lead
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to unprecedented spying into the private lives of U.S. citizens. The program, whose name was changed from "Total Information Awareness" to "Terrorist Information Awareness after an initial outcry late last year, was the brainchild of ret. Admiral John Poindexter.. full story
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Oil Slick Puts Marine Resources at Risk
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Pakistan’s rich marine resources are at risk as the sea food web, the key ingredient for survival of fish, is perishing following over 27,000 tonne oil-spill by a grounded ship on July 27 this year, disclosed an official
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report available with The Nation. The first ever preliminary official investigation into the major pollution incident was carried out by the 21-member committee constituted by federal government. full story
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Premiums up? Blame Global Warming
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At this week's launch of a major report scrutinising the impact of corporate sustainability on a company's earnings IAG chief executive Michael Hawker set out in no uncertain terms how small
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changes in the weather directly affect the cost of insurance premiums. Over the past 140 years, the cost and frequency of insurance claims have been steadily rising in line with global temperatures, Mr Hawker said. A 1 to 2.2 degrees celsius rise in temperatures can have a significant impact on the ferocity of natural disasters. full story
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Brazil Agrees to Grow GM Crops
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Brazil, the last big country to resist GM crops, dashed the hopes of environmentalists yesterday and gave in to pressure from the US and its own big farmers to allow them to be grown for at least a year.
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After a day of protests, Greenpeace Brazil, the Brazilian Green party and non-governmentel groups announced that they would seek to get the decision overturned in the courts. full story
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Proposed Forest Plan Caps a Well
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Environmental groups scored a major victory over commercial loggers this year when Pennsylvania's conservation agency unveiled a new forest plan that prohibits timber harvesting in the
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state's most fragile forest areas. But the state House of Representatives is, for the moment, standing in the way of a second victory, a constraint that would prevent the installation of new natural gas wells throughout the rest of the 2.1-million-acre forest system. full story
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British Public Rejects GM Technology
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The title of the debate was "GM Nation?" But that is precisely what the British do not want their country to be, according to the official report from the national consultation on GM crops and food presented to the
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Government yesterday. The unprecedented test of public opinion, involving 675 public meetings and more than 36,000 written responses over six weeks this summer, revealed a deep hostility towards GM technology across the population.
full story
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State Forests Backs
Carbon Trading Scheme
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NSW State Forests is defending its carbon trading program after claims from a wildlife consultant that the region would be better off preserving old growth forests on private land. A $172 million program with Europe's
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ST-Micro electronics will see 12 million trees established in plantations around Taree, Port Macquarie, Wauchope and Grafton on the state's north coast. full story
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Protect Europe's Last Old-Growth Forests
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Leading scientists from 18 European countries today highlight the urgent need to preserve the last old-growth forests all over Europe and call on the EU to in particular assist accession countries to protect their
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forest treasures. They also call for a European Protected Area Fund to provide long term financial support to protected areas. full story
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Environmental Safeguards on Drilling
in Wildlife Refuges is Spotty
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Amid a new push to open an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil companies, a congressional report said Tuesday the government's track record in protecting refuges where oil and gas are already being pumped is spotty
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and needs to be strengthened. The General Accounting Office (GAO) said oil and gas have been developed in one-fourth of the 575 refuges across the country. In some the environmental impact has been negligible, but at others there have been "large scale spills" and adverse impact on wildlife and the ecology, the report said.
full story
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The Hunt for Weapons of Mass
Destruction Yields - Nothing
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An intensive six-month search of Iraq for weapons of mass destruction has failed to discover a single trace of an illegal arsenal, according to accounts of a report circulating in Washington and London. The interim report,
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compiled by the CIA-led Iraq Survey Group (ISG) of 1,400 weapons experts and support staff, will instead focus on Saddam Hussein's capacity and intentions to build banned weapons. full story
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Scientists See Antarctic Vortex
as Drought Maker
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Australia may be facing a permanent drought because of an accelerating vortex of winds whipping around the Antarctic that threatens to disrupt rainfall, scientists said on Tuesday. Spinning faster and tighter, the 100-
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mile (160 km) -an-hour jetstream is pulling climate bands south and dragging rain from Australia into the Southern Ocean, they say. They attribute the phenomenon to global warming and loss of the ozone layer over Antarctica. full story
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Tourism Trashes Ecological Hotspots
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Ecotourism is touted as a boon to the environment; poor locals working as guides and hoteliers will no longer exploit natural resources for survival. But tourists leave a lot more than footprints, according to a study
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announced at the fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa. In just 10 years, world tourism rates have skyrocketed 200 to 500 percent. Now Conservation International and the United Nations Environment Program report that rubberneckers bring with them long-term ecological devastation. full story
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Environmentalists Attack EPA's
Farm-Pollution Plan
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Environmentalists accused the Bush administration Wednesday of putting industry ahead of environment in two new proposals. The Sierra Club released documents showing that the Environmental Protection Agency
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wants to negotiate a deal with giant "factory farms" that violate air-pollution laws. And an administration task force recommended the government skip stringent environmental impact assessments for some construction and other projects that affect the environment. Environmentalists say streamlining the review process would make protecting the environment more difficult. full story
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Forty Wildlife Species, Orchids
Seized at Market
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Kuching: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation seized 40 live protected wildlife and 46 clusters of protected wild orchids over the weekend. The wildlife, which included long-tailed macaques, pheasants, mousedeer,
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an otter and an eagle, were seized at a market in the border town of Serikin under the state’s Wildlife Protection Ordinance. Offenders are liable to be fined RM10,000 or jailed up to a year or both. full story
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Kyrgyzstan: Focus on
Deforestation in South
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Plant pests, diseases and the cutting of trees is badly affecting walnut-fruit forests in southern Kyrgyzstan, leading to deforestation in one of Central Asia's most beautiful areas, local scientists and environmental
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activists warn. According to the Volkswagen Foundation, a German-based non-profit organization following the issue, the region's globally unique walnut-fruit forests, characterised by remarkably high biodiversity, now faced a critical impasse. full story
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Greenhouse Gases Linked
to Acidic Oceans
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Greenhouse gases may be acidifying the oceans as well as changing the climate, researchers have found. They warned that if carbon dioxide emissions continued unabated seas may turn more acidic than they
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have been for 300 million years. This could prove a serious threat to marine life. Many marine organisms, such as corals, are highly sensitive to acidity changes. full story
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Zoo Testing DNA of Mystery Apes
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Scientists hope DNA analysis will reveal the origins of large, mysterious apes discovered in the heart of Africa. “If this ends up being a new species of ape, that would be amazing. The apes, which stand 5 to
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6 feet tall (1.5 to 2 meters) and have feet nearly 14 inches (36 centimeters) long, were first documented last year by Atlanta primatologist Shelly Williams in a forest in the northern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They have bodies similar to those of gorillas, but generally the facial characteristics of a chimpanzee. Williams said the animals sleep on the ground at night like gorillas, but eat a fruit-rich diet like chimpanzees.
full story
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New Memorandum of Understanding Will Help Ease Human-Tiger Conflict
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The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) farmers and the management of the FELDA Jerangau Barat oil palm estate will promote
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better livestock management in order to mitigate human-tiger conflict in the area. The conflict arises when tigers prey on cattle that are farmed within oil palm plantations. full story
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Green Revolution Bites Back at Coke
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It takes a lot to bring Coca-Cola and Pepsi together. But last month in an ususual if not unique event, the Indian CEOs of the cut-throat rivals got together on a public platform in New Delhi to show solidarity. This was
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within hours of the release of a laboratory analysis showing objectionable levels of chemical pesticides in 12 of their major soft drink brands.
full story
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New Rules Put in Place to
Regulate Sale of Pesticides
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The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has started the implementation of strict new guidelines on the import and sale of pesticides. Engineer Abdullah Mohammed Al Ameeri, director of
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the Agriculture Prevention and Guidance Department at the ministry, said the import and sale of pesticides would be regulated through the enforcement of these guidelines to ensure pesticides arriving in the country are safe and in compliance with standards set by the ministry.
full story
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NJ Seeks Millions In
Pollution Damage Claims
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The state has notified more than 80 companies that it wants them to pay millions of dollars for polluting rivers and other natural sites in the Garden State. New Jersey has more than 12,000 contaminated sites, and may
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file for natural-resource damages related to thousands of them as the program gears up, state officials said. full story
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Feitsui Reservoir's Water
Quality is Deteriorating
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The quality of water in the Feitsui Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to 4 million people in the greater Taipei area, has shown signs of deterioration, the Environmental Protection Ad-ministration (EPA) said
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in a report released on Monday. The EPA said the TSI of the water in the reservoir has risen from 40.9 in 1993 to 46.3 in recent years. The TSI is an index widely used to measure water quality. The quality of water is considered good if its TSI is 40 or less. Water with a TSI of 50 or more is considered contaminated. full story
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Public Remains Suspicious of
GM Crops, Says Report
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Environmental groups today welcomed the results of a public consultation that found most people cautious, suspicious or outright hostile to GM crops. The nationwide "GM Nation?" debate, backed by the
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government and carried out by an independent steering board, found a widespread unease about GM, little support for early commercialisation of GM crops, and a general mistrust of the government on the GM issue. full story
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Southern California Suffers Worst
Smog Season in Five Years
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Southern California is enduring its worst smog season since 1998, as the previously steady gains in the fight to clean up the nation's dirtiest air taper off, air quality officials said. The high levels of ozone are in large
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part due to unusually hot and stagnant summer weather, which has kept pollution trapped in the Los Angeles basin where it can build up to unhealthy levels. full story
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Annan Challenges U.S. Doctrine
of Preventive Action
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Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned President Bush that his doctrine of preemptive military intervention posed a fundamental challenge to the United Nations and could lead to a global free-for-all. In a speech
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to be delivered shortly before Bush addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Annan declared that the Iraq crisis had brought the United Nations to a "fork in the road" as decisive as 1945 when the world body was founded. full story
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Slaughter of Great Whales Leads
to Marine Life Decimation
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The wildlife of the north Pacific has been devastated by a remarkable 50-year chain reaction set off by commercial whaling, scientists claimed yesterday. Numbers of sea lions, sea otters and several species
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of seals have crashed in recent years, because of the mass slaughter of more than 500,000 whales in the Pacific between 1949 and 1969, the researchers believe. full story
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Largest Ice Shelf Breaks up
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The largest ice shelf in the Arctic, a solid feature for 3,000 years, has broken up, scientists in the United States and Canada said on Monday. They said the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, on the north coast of Ellesmere Island
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in Canada's Nunavut territory, broke into two main parts, themselves cut through with fissures. A freshwater lake drained into the sea, the researchers reported. full story
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More Work Needed to Protect
Rivers from Pollution
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Scientists have found some of the most important rivers in England and Wales need more protection from pollution. The warning comes from the Environment Agency which says that in England and Wales nearly
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20% of rivers designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest - the UK's top conservation status - are failing to achieve top water quality classifications. full story
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Oil Spills Major Cause of Beach Pollution
|
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Experts are concerned over increasing oil pollution in the Gulf region, which according to an international study constitutes 30 percent of the world’s oil pollution. According to a report released
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recently by marine emergency body MEMAC, most of the incidents of oil pollution in the Gulf region are due to oil spills. It cites Saudi Arabian beaches as the most polluted in the region, where approximately 11 million barrels of oil pollute the beaches and surrounding environment. full story
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Call for SA Wind Farm Strategy
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The South Australian Government is being urged to produce a strategy to develop the wind energy industry. Limestone Coast Regional Development Board chief executive Grant King says a signal needs to be
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sent to key players that South Australia is serious about wind energy. He says he has raised the issue with the regional development and energy ministers after a recent overseas study tour on behalf of his south-east South Australian organisation. full story
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Ecosystem Decline Tied to Whaling
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Commercial whaling half a century ago may have triggered the collapse of one of Earth's richest ocean ecosystems, setting in motion a chain reaction that has harmed sea mammals and kelp forests in the
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North Pacific and Bering Sea, according to a scientific study published Monday. Scientists for years have been debating the cause of massive and abrupt ecological changes surrounding Alaska's Aleutian Islands, where the Pacific meets the Bering Sea. full story
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US Cover-up of Research
on Climate Change Revealed
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White House officials have undermined their own government scientists' research into climate change to play down the impact of global warming. The disclosure will anger environment campaigners
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who claim that efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions are being sabotaged because of President George W. Bush's links to the oil industry. E-mails and internal government documents show that officials have sought to edit or remove research warning that the problem is serious. They have enlisted the help of conservative lobby groups funded by the oil industry to attack US government scientists if they produce work seen as accepting too readily that pollution is an issue. full story
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America Puts Iraq Up for Sale
|
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Iraq was in effect put up for sale yesterday when the American-appointed administration announced it was opening up all sectors of the economy to foreign investors in a desperate attempt to deliver much-
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needed reconstruction against a daily backdrop of kidnappings, looting and violent death. In an unexpected move unveiled at the meeting in Dubai of the Group of Seven rich nations, the Iraqi Governing Council announced sweeping reforms to allow total foreign ownership without the need for prior approval. full story
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Mink Hunt after Fur Farm Raid
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Thousands of minks are being hunted in Finland after they were released from their cages by unidentified intruders, according to farmers and officials. No group has yet claimed responsibility for freeing the animals
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-- used to make fur coats -- from the farm near the town of Kokkola, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Helsinki, and police said Monday they had no suspects. full story
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Oil Spill Now Poses Ecological Disaster
|
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More than three million mangrove seedlings along Tsunza Bay in Mombasa are under danger of drying up after being covered by an oil spill. And the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has instituted investigations
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to establish the source of the mysterious spill. Residents of Tsunza told the East African Standard that they woke up on Wednesday to find their beach totally covered with crude oil that was yesterday still floating on the sea water. full story
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Europe Calls the Tune
as GM Gets the Green Light
|
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Ministers are poised to approve the commercial growing of genetically-modified crops in Britain, it emerged last night. The government is to back new European Union rules banning GM-free zones and allowing
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the "co-existence" of GM crops with conventional crops, according to leaked confidential letters between cabinet ministers. The move will infuriate environmental campaigners, but it will also quash the Scottish Executive’s hopes of imposing GM-free zones north of the Border amid fears that the "Frankenstein" organisms could contaminate conventional crops. full story
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Hole in Ozone Layer Bigger
|
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This year's giant-sized ozone hole has put paid to any hopes of a slowdown in the annual thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica. The ozone hole that began forming last month is bigger than last year's,
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reaching 27 million sq km in the second week of this month. But scientists do not yet know whether it will break the record set in 2000, when the hole reached 28 million sq km, four times the size of Australia. full story
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Smoke Kills
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Microscopic particles of pollution from the exhaust pipes of vehicles and industry smoke stacks are taking a major toll on the health of people here. A new study links nearly 600 deaths and a US$3.66 billion
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(S$6.43 billion) bill to the problem over a single year. These ultra-fine particles of dust, soot and smoke are known by the technical name PM10, which stands for microns which are particulate matter 10 - about one-seventh the diameter of a strand of human hair - and smaller. full story
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Government to Lift Ban on GM Crops
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The Government plans to back an EU ruling to allow the commercial growing of genetically modified crops, according to reports. A leaked exchange of ministerial letters demonstrates that ministers will
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support move in Brussels to ban GM-free zones and allow the "co-existence" of GM with conventional crops. full story
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New Twist in Meander Dam Battle
Appeals Against Project Loom
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The Australian Democrats and the Tasmanian Conservation Trust are considering legal appeals against the Federal Government's approval of the Meander Dam, which was announced on Friday. Democrats
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leader Andrew Bartlett has announced the party's intention to pursue legal advice, despite the Democrats' relative silence on the dam throughout the drawn-out approvals process. full story
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Scientists Race to Bank
Endangered Plant Species
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Deep in the lush English countryside south of London a group of scientists is racing against time to save from extinction as many of the world's endangered plants as they can. Already the botanists at the
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Millennium Seed Bank near the sleepy town of Ardingly some 35 miles south of London have squirreled away some 300 million seeds from nearly 8,000 species of plant and trees from around the world. full story
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White House is Ambushed by Criticism
from America's Military Community
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George Bush probably owes his presidency to the absentee military voters who nudged his tally in Florida decisively past Al Gore's. But now, with Iraq in chaos and the reasons for going to war there mired
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in controversy, an increasingly disgruntled military poses perhaps the gravest immediate threat to his political future, just one year before the presidential elections. From Vietnam veterans to fresh young recruits, from seasoned officers to anxious mothers worried about their sons' safety on the streets of Baghdad and Fallujah, the military community is growing ever more vocal in its opposition to the White House. full story
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Ecological Disaster Looms
if Russia Sells Forests
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A plan by the Kremlin which would allow Moscow to sell off the 843 million hectares of Russia's forests to private logging companies has raised fears of an ecological disaster. Forest makes up 70 percent of Russia's
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territory and spans 12 time zones. It is known as Europe's lungs and is second only to the Amazon in the amount of carbon dioxide it absorbs, and is home to many rare species. full story
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Pollution Battle Lines Drawn up
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Authorities in Bahrain have drawn up an environment hit list, which identifies the main priorities for tackling pollution in the country. Environmental Affairs has come up with a report that lists the main areas
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of concern with regard to sea, air and land pollution. It highlights land reclamation and dredging, car emissions and town planning as the key areas which have to be addressed in each category, according to Environmental Affairs acting director-general Dr Adel Al Zayani. full story
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Forestry-tourism Agreement Just
'Propaganda': Tas Greens
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The Tasmanian Greens say they are sceptical about a cooperative agreement between Forestry Tasmania and the Tourism Council. Stakeholders from the two industries yesterday signed a Tourism and
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Forestry Protocol Agreement, which will establish guidelines for working through problems which effect both industries. Common problems include the visible signs of logging, regeneration burns and the use of 1080 poison. But Tasmanian Greens Leader Peg Putt says the policy is nothing more than a propaganda stunt and will achieve very little. full story
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Chen Says Environmental
Protection a Top Priority
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Environmental protection is a top priority if we do not want to cause irremediable damage on our way to pursue a society characterized by high technology, President Chen Shui-bian said yesterday.
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Accompanied by Environmental Protection Administrator (EPA) Hau Lung-bin and Administrative Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin, more than 40 student and teacher representatives involved in environmental protection were received by Chen. full story
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Flushed Away
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Crowning the Earth and stretching across Russia and Canada, is a wide expanse of forest that comprises the largest ecosystem in the world - the Boreal forest. This northern treasure is a unique mixture of conifers and
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deciduous trees interspersed with lush wetlands, rushing rivers and calm, clear lakes. Unfortunately, it's disappearing into disposable consumer products. What is this pristine forest being turned into? Mainly paper products like tissues and toilet paper. Yes - one of the world's last great ecosystems is being flushed down the toilet.
full story
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African Lion Population Declining
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Research has revealed the lion population of Africa has undergone a dramatic decline over the past 20-years. A report in the New Scientist magazine says there are just 23,000 lions left on the continent, down
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from around 200,000 in the 1980s. The BBC reports, the results of this study by scientists from the University of California are dramatic. With lion numbers plummeting, biologist Rosie Woodruff is warning wildlife parks are not the answer. full story
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Judges Charge Police
Involved in Genoa Violence
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On Monday September 15 prosecutors sent notices to 73 police informing them that investigations against them had been closed. The investigations were part of a two-year inquiry into the events that took
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place in the Diaz and Pascoli schools and in the Bolzaneto police barracks during the G8 summit. The Diaz raid ended with almost all of the 93 activists inside the school being injured. 30 police from the Diaz and Pascoli school operations have been charged, the other 43 charges relate to Bolzaneto barracks. full story
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Leavitt for Head of EPA?
Much Worse Than You Thought
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Leavitt looked as surprised at the news of his nomination, which must be approved by the senate, as Dan Quayle did when got the call from George Bush the first. After all, Governor Leavitt has never shown
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much interest in the EPA, outside of battling to keep its regulatory arms from stifling the smokestacks of Utah's polluters. full story
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Scientific Treatment of Beach Soil Begins
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Scientists at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) have started treating land layer across the slick-hit coastline of the city with oil degrading bacteria , expecting a positive result to emerge in six to
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eight weeks. Initially the PAEC would apply procedures of bioremediation already developed at its National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, for reclamation of oil-contaminated sand in the 1.7-km-long and 30-metre-wide defined area between Village Restaurant and Kinara Restaurant,
they said. full story
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Anti-pollution Drive Begins in Earnest Against City Vehicles
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Dirty diesel vehicles were banned from city streets as of yesterday in a campaign to improve air quality in Bangkok. Public transport drivers were stopped for exhaust emission checks on Somdet Phrachao
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Taksin road in Thon Buri to see if their vehicles' emissions met the 50% opacity standard. full story
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Indian Ocean Coral Faces Extinction
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Coral in some parts of the world will be wiped out within 20 years, according to new research by scientists in the UK. Writing in the journal Nature, they say that coral in the Indian Ocean and south-east Asia
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is especially vulnerable to rising sea temperatures. In 1998 a particularly strong El Nino phenomenon warmed the waters of the Indian Ocean and south-east Asia by several degrees Celsius. That killed around 90% of the coral in the region. full story
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Antarctic Vortex Sends Drought Spiralling
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An alarming interaction between ozone depletion and global warming may explain why Australia's southern cities and farms have lost 20% of their rainfall in the last 30 years. "It really is a revolution in the climate sciences",
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said Dr David Jones, chief analyst of the National Climate Centre at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne. "We can't just look at natural variability or greenhouse climate change in isolation - we also have to factor in ozone."
full story
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Proud Predator in Decline
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The lion population of Africa has fallen to about 23,000. This is roughly the human headcount of Woodbridge, Suffolk, or the number of seats at Barnsley football club's stadium. About 20 years ago lions
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numbered more than 200,000. Populations of all African predators are plummeting, says a report in New Scientist today. Wild dogs once roamed most of Africa south of the Sahara. There may be only 3,000 to 5,000 left now, in a fraction of their former range. Cheetahs, which once prowled from southern Africa to western Asia, are down to perhaps 15,000. full story
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Bipartisan Bill Allows States
to Reject Clean Air Rollbacks
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Today Environmental Defense praised bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) giving states the right to choose whether to adopt the Bush
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administration's recently finalized exemptions to the Clean Air Act's "new source review" program. The exemptions, which would weaken long-standing clean air safeguards, have come under widespread criticism by states, public health organizations and environmental groups. full story
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Revolutionary Technologies Called Vital
to Reducing Greenhouse Gases
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U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham says revolutionary technologies that actually transform the way the world produces and consumes energy are needed to reduce heat-trapping greenhouse gas
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emissions. In remarks delivered September 17 at the American Academy in Berlin, Abraham said that dramatic greenhouse gas reductions will either come at the expense of economic growth and improved living standards or breakthrough energy technologies "that change the game entirely" will allow emissions to be reduced.
full story
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China to Ban Ozone-harming Chemical
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Production and use of methyl bromide will be greatly reduced in China by 2005, a national plan released yesterday states. By then, the use and production of methyl bromide in China will be reduced by
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20 per cent compared to the average levels used between 1995 and 1998, according to the document. Methyl bromide, a pesticide that can effectively eliminate pests in soils, is also used to fumigate items such as building materials. full story
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Blix Attacks 'Spin and Hype'
of Iraq Weapon Claims
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Former U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix on Thursday attacked the "spin and hype" behind U.S. and British allegations of banned Iraqi weapons used to justify war against Saddam Hussein. Blix compared
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London and Washington to medieval witch-hunters, saying they convinced themselves on the basis of evidence which was later discredited, including forged documents about alleged attempts to buy uranium for nuclear weapons. full story
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New Green Corridor Creates
Brazilian "Super-park"
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Brazilian authorities said on Tuesday they were creating a "conservation corridor" linking 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of pristine wilderness. The decision was
hailed by environmentalists. The
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governor of the northern state of Amapa, Waldez Goes, unveiled plans for the corridor linking 12 protected areas at the 5th World Parks Congress being held in Durban, South Africa. The move, creating a megapark including the world's largest protected patch of tropical rain forest and covering 70 percent of the state, is seen as a huge victory for green groups, who feared the area could fall under the logger's axe. full story
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Elephant Population in Asia Dwindling
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Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka -- In this tropical island nation where 19 million people share space with about 3,000 wild elephants, forests are dwindling and the huge beasts are entering villages to forage in garbage dumps
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for food. The sad state of Sri Lankan elephants is not unique. The elephant population in Asia has fallen from hundreds of thousands at the turn of the 20th century to only 16,000 in 11 countries today, according to the United Nations. full story
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Iraqis' Bitterness is Called Bigger
Threat than Terror
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New intelligence assessments are warning that the United States' most formidable foe in Iraq in the months ahead may be the resentment of ordinary Iraqis increasingly hostile to the American military occupation,
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Defense Department officials said today. "To a lot of Iraqis, we're no longer the guys who threw out Saddam, but the ones who are busting down doors and barging in on their wives and daughters." full story
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Senegal Declares First-ever
Marine Protected Areas
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Senegalese Fisheries Minister Pape Diouf today announced the creation of four marine protected areas in Senegal’s coastal zone, effectively protecting fisheries and biodiversity covering more than 7,500km2. The
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announcement, made near the close of the 5th World Parks Congress underway in Durban, South Africa, represents the first marine protected areas for Senegal. WWF recognized this action as a Gift to the Earth — a globally signi?cant conservation achievement, and an example of environmental leadership which can inspire others. full story
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Drought, Environmental Pollution
Plague Chinese Cities
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China's rapidly growing cities are polluting their water supplies and costing the economy dearly, experts said Tuesday. "Water pollution is an unavoidable problem faced by almost all countries and cities and must be
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solved to achieve sustainable development,'' said Liu Hangui, director of the Urban Committee of China Hydraulic Engineering Society. full story
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Bush Defends his Decision
to Relax Air Pollution Rules
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President George W. Bush toured one of the nation's largest power plants and hailed it as a symbol of how the relaxation of clean air rules would both boost the economy and protect the environment. Bush told cheering
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workers that cumbersome government regulations had prevented the plant from upgrading to more efficient generators for nearly five years. full story
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Cheney Link of Iraq, 9/11 Challenged
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Vice President Dick Cheney, anxious to defend the White House foreign policy amid ongoing violence in Iraq, stunned intelligence analysts and even members of his own administration this week by failing
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to dismiss a widely discredited claim: that Saddam Hussein might have played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks. Evidence of a connection, if any exists, has never been made public. Details that Cheney cited to make the case that the Iraqi dictator had ties to Al Qaeda have been dismissed by the CIA as having no basis, according to analysts and officials. Even before the war in Iraq, most Bush officials did not explicitly state that Iraq had a part in the attack on the United States two years ago. full story
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U.S. EPA is Sued Over Children's
Exposure to Pesticides
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The Environmental Protection Agency was sued by four states and a coalition of conservation, public health, and farmworker groups Monday for failing to protect children from unsafe levels of pesticide
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residue found in food. The plaintiffs, who filed two separate cases in Manhattan federal court, seek court orders forcing the EPA to comply with a 1996 law requiring that the agency set pesticide residue standards 10 times stricter than those considered acceptable for adults. full story
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National Parks have "Achilles' Heel"
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National parks may not protect vulnerable plants and animals in the future as climate change triggers a massive geographic reshuffle that ignores park boundaries. "U.S. National Parks and bioreserves are
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key conservation tools used to protect species and their habitats within the confines of fixed political boundaries," write Burns and colleagues. "This ... may be their Achilles' heel as conservation tools in the face of emerging global-scale environmental problems such as climate change." full story
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Ozone Hole 'Returning with a Vengeance'
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A year after scientists reported a shrinking of the hole in the Ozone layer over Antarctica, recent reports indicate it's "returning with a vengeance." Observations reported at the British Association science
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festival at Salford University last week indicate that the hole is now larger than it's ever been, reports Clive Cookson in London's Financial Times. This comes as a surprise, given last year's report that the hole was smaller than it had been in a decade. full story
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Bush Lauds Eased Pollution Laws Looser Air Rules, Effective, Create Jobs, he Says
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President Bush adopted a new tack Monday in arguing for more lenient pollution regulations, saying the need to create jobs should not take a backseat to protecting the environment. "When we talk about
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environmental policy in this Bush administration, we don't just talk about clean air, we also talk about jobs. We can do both," the president told cheering workers at the Monroe Edison coal-fired power plant, about 40 miles south of Detroit.
full story
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Workweek Causes Climate Fluctuations
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The five-day workweek may be affecting the climate, researchers say. Findings published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicate that daily high and low temperatures
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fluctuate on a weekly cycle in many locales in direct response to human activity, causing scientists to dub it "the weekend" effect. full story
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Kids at High Risk from Ozone Decline
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Two United Nations agencies warned on Tuesday that children are most at risk of developing skin cancers as a result of the long-term decline in the earth’s protective ozone layer. The World Health Organization and the
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U.N. Environmental Program, issued the warning as they launched a global program aimed at alerting schools to the dangers of exposure to the sun. full story
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