Environmental concerns

[eve]

ETC report that in a breathtaking display of political interference, the Canadian govt has blocked entry of Africa's chief negotiator for the Cartagena (biosafety) Protocol. He was scheduled to attend UN meetings beginning next week in Montreal. The Protocol is the UN treaty that governs the international movement of genetically modified (GM) organisms.

Dr Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, the Ethiopian government's chief scientist and its representative to the Montreal-based UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had his passport returned without the requested Canadian visa yesterday, without explanation.

The renowned scientist submitted his passport to the Canadian embassy on May 5 and had planned to fly to Oslo, Norway for inter-regional negotiations prior to attending the Montreal meetings that begin on May 25. Because his passport was returned only May 17, Dr Tewolde was forced to miss the Oslo meeting.

Since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, Dr Tewolde has been one of the most well known leaders among African diplomats addressing environmental issues.
But during the negotiations on a UN treaty on crop genetic resources adopted in Rome last year, Dr Tewolde spoke on behalf of all developing countries in demanding the right of farmers to save and exchange seeds and in opposing "life patenting" (intellectual property over biological products and processes). In negotiations that led to the Cartagena Protocol, the Ethiopian clashed with his Canadian counterparts, demanding higher standards to prevent GM contamination. At UN meetings in Montreal and around the world, Dr Tewolde has spoken passionately against Terminator technology (gm seed rendered sterile at harvest time, forcing farmers to buy new seeds each growing season).

The Ethiopian scientist had made it known that he would be coming to
Montreal next week to press for the labeling of gm seeds and food products and for companies and governments to accept liability when their seeds lead to GM contamination. Canada has so far failed to ratify the UN biosafety protocol and is known to be opposed to compulsory GM labeling and liability.

"Dr Tewolde is one of the most respected scientists in his field," said Pat Mooney, Executive Director of ETC Group in Ottawa, "If the Canadian govt can't make sure Dr Tewolde has his visa for the opening of the meetings, Canada does not deserve to host the Convention on Biological Diversity." ETC Group is a Canadian-based international civil society organization with observer status in the UN.

Dr Tewolde is the recipient of a number of awards and honors for his work in defending biodiversity and the environment. In particular, he received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize).

For further information:

Eric Darier, Campaigner, Greenpeace, Montreal (514) 933-0021 x 15; mobile (514) 605-6497
Pat Mooney, Exec Director, ETC Group (613) 241-2267; mobile (613) 2610688
Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Ban Terminator Campaign, (613) 241 2267
______________________________________________
ETC Group mailing list
http://lists.etcgroup.org/mailman/listinfo/etcgroup

[Kevster]

Brazil arrests civil servants in crackdown on Amazon logging trade
By David Usborne in New York

04 June 2005

The authorities in Brazil were hailing their latest attempt to bring an end to illegal logging of the Amazon rain forest after police arrested 89 people, of whom nearly half were civil servants in the government agency specifically charged with protecting it.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=643946

[Kevster]

Steve Bell cartoon....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1503594,00.html

[feline01]

I'll post a link to a study once I have the okay from the researcher but I read yesterday that the tremendous increase of multiple births in western countries but not be soley due to the increase in use of IVF (in-vitro fertilization). It appears that bovine growth hormones, which is given to cows to increase milk production, effects a particular hormone in humans that is an indicator in the likelihood of conceiving multiples.

[Kevster]

'US gives way on carbon pollution

Gaby Hinsliff, Ned Temko, Mark Townsend
Sunday July 3, 2005
The Observer

A historic deal on climate change which would see the US sign up to cut greenhouse gas emissions was last night emerging after a day of frantic negotiations ahead of the G8 summit.
The draft text hammered out by officials meeting in London is expected to pledge the world's richest countries to wean themselves off fossil fuels - not just to save the planet, but to prevent a worldwide energy crisis.'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1520204,00.html

[eve]

Extract from the latest Vegano newsletter:
“If you follow corn back to the fields where it grows, you will find an 80 million acre monoculture that consumes more chemical herbicide and fertilizer than any other crop. Keep going and you can trace the nitrogen runoff from that crop all the way down the Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico, where it has created (if that is the right word) a 12,000 square mile ‘dead-zone.’ But you can go farther still, and follow the fertilizer needed to grow that corn all the way to the oil fields of the Persian Gulf…Assuming [a steer] continues to eat 25 pounds of corn a day and reaches a weight of 1,259 pounds, he will have consumed in his lifetime roughly 284 gallons of oil. We have succeeded in industrializing the beef calf, transforming what was once a solar-powered ruminant into the very last thing we need: another fossil-fuel machine.”
(New York Times Magazine “Power Steer” by Michael Pollan, 31/3/2002)
Dedicated to Helping You Avoid Animal Ingredients

More specific tips and techniques about Veggie Living are included on my Veggie 'Free Info' Page - available at: http://www.vegano.com.au/vegan_free_info.php
Rebecca

[Cryospark]

Awesome findings
On the radio a personality which I can't pull into mind right now said
The particles sent into the atmosphere that cause global warming at the same time have a blanketing effect, in a sense balancing out the warming effect but slowing becoming worse.

You seen when the particles take control the poisons will be all that we breathe, the warmth is not the least of our troubles. We are looking at becoming venus.

[eve]

Britain, France and Germany called today's meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and warned Iran if it resumed nuclear-related activities it would breach an agreement to suspend activities during negotiations with the EU, and risk referral to the Security Council.

But an analyst with the independent nuclear think-tank Basic (British American Security Information Council) said the European strategy was flawed and risked being counter-productive. Although US pressure at today's meeting could lead to Iran being referred to the Security Council, a Basic analyst, Paul Ingram, said that China, which holds a veto, was unlikely to back sanctions against Iran, which has become a major trading partner.

"It's a non-credible threat. Such policies are inherently dangerous because they invite people to call your bluff," Mr Ingram said.

Iran has also taken care to keep the IAEA on board, by reopening the Isfahan site in the presence of UN inspectors. The Iranians, who have the sympathy of other non-nuclear states on the 35-nation IAEA board, insist they have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

[adam antichrist]

Scientist finds use for waste plastic (http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1435510.htm)

Just watching the ABC catalyst prgram and saw this story. The scientist has learned that coke, one of the materials used to harden steel during the fabrication process; can be replaced by plastic from drink bottles etc. This supplies carbon to the process instead of using coke, which is a mineral (think it's related to coal?) and means less damage to the environemnt through mining as well as using up what would end up as landfill.

Thumbs up!!!

[andesuma]

That Aluminum/Alzhiemer's link made me think of all of the articles I have read about Mercury poisoning and Alzhiemer's, and one alittle more recent involving Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease(human form of Mad Cow disease):
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/GregerCJDkills.cfm


"The most frequent misdiagnosis of CJD among the elderly is Alzheimer's disease.[55] Neither CJD nor Alzheimer's can be conclusively diagnosed without a brain biopsy,[56] and the symptoms and pathology of both diseases overlap. There can be spongy changes in Alzheimer's, for example, and senile Alzheimer's plaques in CJD.[57] Stanley Prusiner, the scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of prions, speculates that Alzheimer's may even turn out to be a prion disease as well.[58] In younger victims, CJD is more often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis or as a severe viral infection.[59]"

[eve]

The US Fish & Wildlife Service announced last week that it is cutting the amount of land set aside for California’s threatened tiger salamander by nearly half, citing as unacceptable the expense of keeping the 184,000 acres in question off limits to development. The disputed land--which has been designated as critical habitat for the eight-inch-long yellow and black amphibian--is in some of the country’s fastest growing areas in California’s Central Valley, as well as east of San Francisco.

This latest decision by the federal government does not surprise environmentalists, who are bracing for an all-out assault on laws protecting endangered species. Congressional Republicans, White House insiders and conservative federal judges have all expressed interest in gutting the 30-year-old US Endangered Species Act because they say it protects unimportant species at the expense of economic development.

[Kiran]

Talking of environment, I remember something that George W said. Pretty funny. I have also posted this in the jokes thread

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
...Governor George W. Bush

[adam antichrist]

Alternative fuel made from recycled materials:

I heard on the radio this morning some guy in Germany invented a fuel from dead cats. Apparantly this is unture, this story from cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/14/germany.catfuel.reut/) :

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- A German inventor said he has developed a method to produce crude oil products from waste that he believes can be an answer to the soaring costs of fuel, but denied a German newspaper story implying he also used dead cats.

Christian Koch, an inventor and patent holder of the "KDV 500" that he said produces high quality fuel, said he can transform waste products such as paper, rubbish and plastic materials into fuel.

But Koch, 55, said there was no truth to stories published in Bild newspaper on Tuesday and Wednesday that suggested he used dead cats as part of the mix for his organic diesel fuel.

"I use paper, plastics, textiles and rubbish," Koch told Reuters.

"It's an alternative fuel that is friendly for the environment. But it's complete nonsense to suggest dead cats. I've never used cats and would never think of that. At most the odd toad may have jumped in."

Bild on Tuesday wrote a headline: "German inventor can turn cats into fuel -- for a tank he needs 20 cats." The paper on Wednesday followed up with a story entitled: "Can you really make fuel out of cats?"

A spokesman for Bild told Reuters the story was meant to show that cat remains could "in theory" be used to make fuel with Koch's patented method.

The author of the story said Koch had never told him directly that he had used dead cats as the story implied.

The Web site of Koch's firm, "Alphakat GmbH", says his patented "KDV 500" machine can produce what he calls the "bio-diesel" fuel at about 23 euro cents (30 cents) a liter, which is about one-fifth the price at petrol stations now.

"I drive my normal diesel-powered car with this mixture," Koch is quoted saying in Bild, next to a large picture of a kitten. "I have gone 170,000 km (106,000 miles) without a problem."

[strawberry]

hmmm I hate to think of poor dead kitties but helping the environment is always good.
I know we keep talking about it, but here in the states I want so badly for my parents (who are conservative) to agree w/ me. Honestly, I lay awake at night thinking, if this were to happen in Vermont (predominantly white) people would not be dead lying on the streets. UGH I hate our gov. sometimes. I watched some coverage on it the other day (I usually avoid the news b/c it saddens me) and I spent an hr crying in my bed about it. I just want to help those people. I want someone in a high position to stand up and say, this is NOT OK. Sure, GW is saying that now, but I feel as though something could have been done :(

[foxytina_69]

i just watched on the news a bunch of scientists stating that they do believe its global warming that is causing such horrific hurricanes now and that they ARE getting worse because of it. why can humans just come together and stop the green house gas emmisions and make this planet healthy? its falling apart. doesnt anyone see that? mother nature is getting back at humans for ruining her precious planet. stupid humans! and im sick and tired of hearing all the high up people who actually hold weight in what they say with what will happen, that they dont think we are hurting our environment.

[eve]

Bingos: The current issue of New Internationalist (NI), focuses on the Bingos (Big International Non-Govt Organisations) (and in the US 'non-profits'). NI points out that more money is donated to NGOs than ever before, and humanitarian or environment issues are identified in the public mind more with the Bingos than with govt programs.

The world’s worst natural disaster, the tsunami, prompted 80% of Britain’s population to donate, and similarly world-wide. These bingos have become powerful institutions, with revenues running into hundreds of millions, even billions. They employ thousands of staff, and their CEOs receive commensurate remuneration. Harold Decker, President of the American Red Cross took severance pay of over a million dollars. The CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Soc gets an annual salary of over half a million dollars. The number of bingos with UN representation has trebled since 1992, and the proportion of donations that went to the biggest charities rose to 45%, while some smaller NGOs face extinction. In Australia, World Vision accounted for over 40% of all funds raised. The WWF has enormous influence of its own.

As these organisations qualify as charities, and receive govt assistance, there is some significant change to their style. Eg, Oxfam, Britain’s biggest development bingo, tried to align the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign with Tony Blair’s New Labour Govt. The NI article contends that having more money, does not mean it is a bingo that is better for the people or the cause it claims to serve. There are tax gains, investments, etc. NI points out that some bingos, such as Amnesty International does not have charitable status, and is arguably healthier without it.

There are several articles on the bingos in the current NI issue; interesting stuff.

[Kevster]

More good news.

'Man will 'wipe out' rare creatures of the deep
By Severin Carrell
Published: 16 October 2005

The deep ocean is one of the world's last great wildernesses. But not for long. Two kilometres below the surface, scores of rare and exotic species are being wiped out at a dramatic rate.

These unique species include the goblin shark which boasts a unicorn-like horn, prickly sharks with humped backs and glowing eyes, vast single-celled organisms as large as footballs and tripod fish that stand on their fins.

In a letter passed to The Independent on Sunday, Britain's leading marine scientists have warned these species face extinction because of the global growth in deep-sea trawlers fishing for edible species such as the orange roughy, hoki and round-nosed grenadier.'

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/article319997.ece

[Roxy]

I came accross this..........just in time for Halloween. It's kinda cheezy but it makes a point ;) The Climate Mash (http://www.climatemash.org/soe/)

[adam antichrist]

Denmark fisheries authority demands the immediate end to fishing in order to protect endangered species.

From Nature online (http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051017/full/051017-20.html):

Researchers from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, based in Copenhagen, are advising that fishing activities in many regions of the world's oceans be reduced to zero for the sake of endangered fish. These creatures include many food species, such as the orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) and roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris), but also deepwater sharks that are often snared as by-catch, such as the Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepis).


"The only way to do it is to reset the watch," argues Poul Degnbol, chairman of the council's advisory committee on fishery management. "We have to start from a low level and monitor closely. We can only expand when we know what we're doing."

Working out how many fish we can take without causing a population crash is a priority for fisheries researchers, adds Holm. And until we have that knowledge, fishing has to be cut back to more modest levels, he argues.

"We're kidding ourselves if we think we will ever have a perfect knowledge," he says. "But we're balancing on the edge of the cliff, and it would be much wiser for us just to take a few steps back."

[rantipole]

We've had a few thousand years of our spiritual leaders telling us that humanity is the pinnacle of creation and the world is here just for us. That lead us to develop technology that divorced us from our relationship to nature and further exacerbated our over-inflated sense of importance.

It's pretty easy to selfishly consume everything around you when you believe it was put there for you in the first place.

Cheers,
rant

[eve]

An 80-kilometre-long slick of heavily contaminated water has surged down a river into Harbin, one of China's biggest cities, leaving 4 million people without public water services. The slick of the carcinogen, benzene, hit the capital of China's north-eastern Heilongjiang province, in the early hours this morning. The Songhua River was contaminated by a petrochemical plant explosion in neighbouring Jilin province, 380 kilometres upriver from Harbin.

The provincial government only acknowledged the environmental disaster yesterday, following days of rumour mongering that led to panic buying and hoarding of water and food supplies in Harbin. People have crowded the airport and railway stations to leave the area.

China's Xinhua news agency reports the provincial government has told Harbin residents to stay away from the river to avoid possible exposure to airborne contaminants coming off the water. Benzene is an industrial solvent and petrol component, that can cause leukaemia.

Harbin resident Zhou Qicai says there is growing resentment toward provincial neighbour Jilin over the crisis. "A lot of people here blame Jilin for not acting sooner after the explosion," the resident said. "There were at least several days between the explosion and when they issued any warnings for downstream."

Russia's environmental protection agency has also said it is concerned the pollution could affect drinking water supplies in its Khabarovsk region, which the Songhua River enters several hundred kilometres downstream from Harbin.
(AFP/Reuters)

[adam antichrist]

Money for rainforests bid put to UN
November 29, 2005

THE world's 10 rainforest nations, including Papua New Guinea, are asking the United Nations to consider expanding the carbon trading market to reward forest conservation.

"In the rural areas of my nation, where 80 per cent of the people live, the only real options for economic growth often require the destruction of natural forests in order to trade low-value commodities with the industrial powers. I call this eco-colonialism," PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said last week.

"The impacts of global warming are many and serious: sea-level rise … changes in availability of fresh water … and the increasing incidence of extreme events — floods, droughts, and hurricanes — the serious consequences of which are rising to levels which invite comparison with weapons of mass destruction," Lord May (president of Britain's Royal Society) said in an advance copy of the speech he will deliver to the convention (UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change, Montreal).

"The estimated damage inflicted by (hurricane) Katrina is equivalent to 1.7 per cent of US GDP this year, and it is conceivable that the Gulf Coast of the US could be effectively uninhabitable by the end of the century."

Using existing carbon trading prices, some economists have estimated that the rainforest nations stand to gain billions of dollars if they are allowed into the pollution credit market.

The US, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, rejected (Kyoto), while all other major developed nations except Australia signed it. The protocol, which took effect on January 16, lets countries cutting emissions sell "pollution credits" to countries that do not cut them enough. There is no such incentive for rainforests.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/money-for-rainforests-bid-put-to-un/2005/11/28/1133026404005.html

[Kevster]

'California Cows Fail Latest Emissions Test
James Owen
for National Geographic News
August 16, 2005

Standing around chewing the cud, cows don't look especially threatening. But dairy herds in California are the latest livestock to be branded an environmental health risk on account of their flatulent behavior. '

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0816_050816_cowpollution.html

[Kevster]

Just words but quite funny....

'US retreats at climate change talks

'Obstructive' White House stung by criticism of its stance as 157 nations extend the Kyoto agreement

David Adam in Montreal
Sunday December 11, 2005
The Observer

The White House was forced into a U-turn on climate change yesterday after appearing to misjudge critically the international and domestic mood on its efforts to tackle global warming.'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1664657,00.html

[Kevster]

'Humiliation for Bush'

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article332384.ece