http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/ Vast Environmental Sustainability News and Information from http://www.EcoEarth.Info/: An Information Gateway Empowering the Movement for Environmental Sustainability EcoEarth.Info a project of Ecological Internet, Inc. info@ecologicalinternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry) http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/images/eilogo85.gif http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/ Inter Press Service: Environmentalists are expressing discontent over recently introduced legislation regarding the U.S.'s exporting of electronic waste, or "e-waste". The new legislation was introduced on Thursday with the title of "To restrict certain exports of electronic waste". Proponents of the bill say that it provides "safeguards" against the export of toxic e-waste to developing nations. E-waste has been a rapidly growing problem over the past decade, as people are increasingly discarding ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46959 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128393 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST waste electronic | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Danielle Kurtzleben) BBC: Medieval fishermen first took to the open seas in about AD1,000 as a result of a sharp decline in large freshwater fish, scientists have suggested. They say the decline was probably the result of rising population and pollution levels. The study forms part of a series that examines the impact of humans on life beneath the waves throughout history. The findings will be presented at a Census of Marine Life (CoML) conference in Canada, which begins on Tuesday. "Fish ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8058351.stm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128392 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST ocean fishing history | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: Mark Kinver) The Hill: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is leading a group of lawmakers on a trip to China this week to press for global cooperation on efforts to stem climate change. Pelosi said before her trip that decisions need to be made now to help prevent global warming. "The urgency of the global climate crisis requires that critical choices be made now that are bold and based on the clearest understanding of how to achieve our goals of preserving the planet and protecting the health of ... http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/pelosi-to-china-kicking-off-recess-codels-2009-05-24.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128391 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate diplomacy China United States | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (The Hill: Walter Alarkon) East African: Despite its contribution to climate change, agriculture has been relegated to the backseat in global warming negotiations, and farmers are not considered an important link in the fight against effects of greenhouse gas emissions. US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a global farm policy think-tank, says that unless this thinking changes, the war against greenhouse gas emissions is unlikely to be won. Currently, countries are preparing for the ... http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/602552/-/r32mdxz/-/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128389 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate farmers talks | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (East African: Catherine Riungu) Agence France-Presse: Former US vice president turned climate campaigner Al Gore warned business and political leaders Sunday that the world was running out of time to reach a deal on how to fight global warming. "It's time to act now... We have to do it this year, not next year," Gore told the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen. "The clock is ticking because Mother Nature does not do bailouts," he said. "To save the future, we have everything we need except the political ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090524/sc_afp/unclimatetalksdenmark http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128387 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate warning act now Gore | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: Slim Allagui) Christian Science Monitor: Would the high-speed rail network proposed by President Obama boost the nation's economy, cool the climate, and bring US transportation into the 21st century? Or is it a boondoggle waiting to happen? Kyle Spolski has few doubts. Preparing to board the gleaming steel Acela, the nation's only high-speed train service, the business executive calculates his Boston-to-New York travel costs. Time: about 3-1/2 hours. Cost: $124. Taxi fare: $0. Airport hassle: none. "I used to ... http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/05/18/high-hopes-for-high-speed/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128386 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST transportation rail high speed | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Christian Science Monitor: Mark Clayton) Palm Beach Post: Automakers say they won't have to overhaul their technology or flood the U.S. with tiny cars buyers may not want under President Barack Obama's standards for fuel economy and greenhouse-gas emissions. Even as they face more than $21 billion in annual costs to meet the new standards by 2016, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. will benefit from a single national system, rather than a patchwork of state rules, and an approach that allows them to tweak the fuel efficiency for each ... http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/business/epaper/2009/05/24/sunbiz_obamaautomakers_0524.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=6 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128385 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST automobile fuel size shrink | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Palm Beach Post: John Hughes and Alex Ortolani) Green Left Weekly: Two protesters abseiled from the front of parliament house on May 13 in a dramatic protest against the federal government's policies on climate change. The two activists unfurled a banner reading "Carbon budget blowout" across the parliament house facade. A further nine protesters were ejected from the parliament house foyer. Two of the protesters interrupted Treasurer Wayne Swan's post budget speech to denounce the government's failure to deliver a climate-friendly budget. The ... http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/796/40971 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128384 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon budget | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Green Left Weekly: Simon Butler) Agence France-Presse: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday made an impassioned plea for a "cleaner, greener" world economy as he urged business leaders meeting in Copenhagen to back a new, global warming pact. "Today, I want to challenge you. I want to see you in the vanguard of an unprecedented effort to retool the global economy into one that is cleaner, greener and more sustainable," the UN secretary general said in opening remarks to hundreds of business leaders in the Danish capital. "With your ... http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/090524121717.vi49ptvq.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128383 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate deal business | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Associated Press: Climate-change heavyweights U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and Nobel prize winner Al Gore urged more than 500 business leaders on Sunday to lend their corporate muscle to reaching a global deal on reducing greenhouse gases. The CEOs of PepsiCo, Nestle, BP and other of the world's major businesses began meeting in Copenhagen, where politicians will gather in December to negotiate a new U.N.-brokered climate treaty. Despite the global financial crisis, both Ban and Gore said there was no ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090524/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_denmark_climate_conference http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128382 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate bill politics business | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: John Heilprin) Agence France-Presse: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime critic of Beijing's rule over Tibet and its rights record, arrived in China on Sunday for a trip focused on energy and climate change. US embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson confirmed Pelosi had arrived in Shanghai but could not say who the top US official was going to meet in the country's financial hub. Pelosi is scheduled to attend a clean energy forum in Beijing on Tuesday along with Senator John Kerry, the ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090524/pl_afp/chinausclimaterightscongresslead http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128381 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate talks diplomacy China United States | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) BBC: Chile has enjoyed one of the most dynamic economies in Latin America in recent years, largely based on a booming export sector. But new studies by Chilean scientists suggest climate change could pose huge challenges for the country. The scientists say their models show projected temperature increases of at least 1C to 1.5C and a drop in rainfall of at least 10 to 15% in the next 40 years. These changes could have a particular impact on agriculture in Chile's central ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8058080.stm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128379 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate water agriculture | South/Central America/Caribbean | Chile info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: James Painter) Agence France-Presse: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime critic of China's rule over Tibet and its rights record, was to arrive in Shanghai Sunday for a trip focused on energy and climate change. Pelosi was expected in the Chinese financial hub mid-afternoon, Susan Stevenson, a spokeswoman at the US embassy in Beijing, told AFP, but she was unaware of who the top US official was going to meet. Pelosi was also scheduled to attend a clean energy forum in Beijing Tuesday along ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090524/pl_afp/chinausclimaterightscongress http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128376 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate diplomacy China United States | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Agence France-Presse: Business leaders, academics and politicians are set to meet in the Danish capital Copenhagen Sunday to explore how industry can help fight against global warming. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and former US vice-president turned climate campaigner Al Gore will be among the delegates attending the World Business Summit on Climate Change. Gore is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the conference at 1200 ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090524/bs_afp/unclimatemeetdenmark http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128374 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate deal business leaders | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) New York Times: Erin Axelrod, who graduated from Barnard College last week with an urban studies degree, will not be fighting over the bathroom with her five roommates on the Upper West Side this summer. Instead she will be living in a tent, using an outdoor composting toilet and harvesting vegetables on an organic farm near Petaluma, Calif. As the sole intern at a boutique dairy in upstate New York, Gina Runfola, an English and creative writing student, has traded poetry books for sheep. And ... http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128373 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128373 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST organic movement | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Kim Severson) Times (UK): GIVE up lamb roasts and save the planet. Government advisers are developing menus to combat climate change by cutting out "high carbon' food such as meat from sheep, whose burping poses a serious threat to the environment. Out will go kebabs, greenhouse tomatoes and alcohol. Instead, diners will be encouraged to consume more potatoes and seasonal vegetables, as well as pork and chicken, which generate fewer carbon emissions. "Changing our lifestyles, including our diets, is ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6350237.ece http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128372 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST greenhouse gas meat | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): Jonathan Leake) Times (UK): SHAI AGASSI travelled halfway round the world to change a battery last week. He flew from his home in San Francisco to watch a platform scuttle along a set of metal rails, stop at an electric car, remove the vehicle's old battery and replace it with a new one. As the metallic ballet played out, Agassi beamed. It seemed a long way to travel for so little, but what happened in Yokohama was the culmination of a five-year ambition that might change the way we think about our cars and much ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6349906.ece http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128371 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST automobile battery | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): John Arlidge) Times of Malta: US President Barack Obama should draw inspiration from Europe and make stronger commitments to combat global warming, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said last week. Sarkozy called for more US action as lawmakers in Washington began debating legislation aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants. "It's a great opportunity for us to have President Obama and we must help him succeed because the United States is the world's top economy," Sarkozy ... http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090524/environment/us-expected-to-lead-efforts-on-climate-change http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128370 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate leadership Obama | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times of Malta: none given) Telegraph: A note was left on the windscreens of each of the "gas-guzzling" vehicles, accusing the owners of contributing to global warming and "increasing the chances of road deaths". The large four-wheel drive vehicles, which consume considerably more fuel than regular cars, were originally intended for use by farmers on rough terrain in the countryside. But they have become popular with middle-class families living in cities and are used for school runs and shopping trips. Tyres ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5370392/Eco-group-slashes-the-tyres-on-100-Chelsea-tractors.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128369 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST automobile Chelsea tractors | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: none given) St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Even amid the economic storm clouds, Eric Swillinger sees rays of sunlight. Swillinger is a partner in Missouri Solar Living LLC, a St. Louis-area solar installer he co-founded in 2006. The company, run from his Olivette home, generates about $500,000 of revenue a year. But Swillinger thinks sales could triple in 2010 as interest in renewable energy grows and new policies put solar technology within reach of more people. "We're setting our goals high because of the incentives ... http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/925465C8FBFEB55E862575BF0003452C?OpenDocument http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128368 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST solar power forecast | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Jeffrey Tomich) Dallas Morning News: The Obama administration's push to shift the country toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels puts the Texas economy in the crosshairs. Hopeful Texas Democrats and entrepreneurs say the change would open opportunities for the state's energy industry, while cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet. But even as Texas installs more wind power than any other state and boosts incentives for solar energy, fossil fuels reign. "If the construct is to ... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-obamaenergy_24bus.ART.State.Edition2.50cd1e1.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128367 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST fossil fuel industry renewable Obama | | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Dallas Morning News: Elizabeth Souder and Dave Michaels) Calgary Herald: Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he's"comfortable" with the new U.S. position on climate change, while stressing it's important that the massive oilsands resource in northern Alberta be developed. On Thursday, a key U. S. congressional panel embraced President Barack Obama's plan to create a new, market-driven system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The bill aims to cut American emissions of heat-trapping gases by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 per cent by ... http://www.calgaryherald.com/Business/Evolving%20climate%20policy%20seen%20threat%20Canada/1623742/story.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128366 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate policy United States Canada | North America | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Calgary Herald: Renata D'Aliesio) Atlanta Journal-Constitution: This March, Gov. Sonny Perdue traveled to a tree farm near Macon to endorse a new environmental program in the state. Called Keeping Forests in Forests, the program plans to offer 700,000 Georgia electric co-op members -- about half of them in metro Atlanta -- a chance to offset their "carbon footprints" for an extra $5 to $25 on their power bills each month. THE PLAYERS * Power4Georgians is a coalition of electric co-ops planning a new coal-fired power plant in Middle ... http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2009/05/24/tree_saving_plan.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128365 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon tree offset | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Margaret Newkirk) Associated Press: No one's particularly pleased with the Obama administration's early approach to regulating the U.S. coal industry. The industry and big coal-producing states are worried about stricter reviews of Appalachian surface mining permits by the Environmental Protection Agency. They say those reviews have contributed to a lengthy backlog. They're also apprehensive about efforts to eliminate a pro-mining rule adopted by the Bush administration. That's atop broader concerns about ... http://wvgazette.com/News/200905230166 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128364 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST coal mining | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Oregonian: Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy has placed two wind-testing towers in the expansive Pueblo Mountains of Harney County, part of the vanguard of wind power development on Oregon's public lands. FIELDS -- Anchored among clumps of sage and purplish lupine, the guy wires of a solitary weather tower thrum with wind heading in a hurry toward Idaho and Nevada. "They say that in the summer it shouts, but in the winter it screams," Elon Hasson said of the wind on southeast Oregon's Pueblo ... http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/05/chase_for_wind_power_turns_to.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128363 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST wind power public lands | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Oregonian: Matthew Preusch) New Scientist: COME 2030, electronic gadgets will gobble three times as much electricity as they do today, requiring 280 gigawatts of new generating capacity, unless we do something about it. A new study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that devices from cellphones to personal computers consume 15 per cent of all household power, and that figure is climbing rapidly. Energy consumption could, however, be reined in using existing technologies. "If we were to use the most ... http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227095.800-powerhungry-gadgets-must-learn-to-diet.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128362 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST energy efficiency gadgets | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (New Scientist: none given) New Scientist: The world is abuzz with climate change "" in more ways than one. Swelling waves and rising sea levels can be detected in the way the planet "hums", says an oceanographer. Peter Bromirski, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, says that seismic listening stations provide a long-term record of how the amount of energy reaching the world's shores is changing with climate change. Most geologists who study seismology try to eliminate ... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17177-earths-hum-may-reveal-stormier-climate.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128360 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change extreme weather | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (New Scientist: Catherine Brahic) LA Times: A series of unusual spring dust storms has left the snowcapped mountains of western Colorado stained brown and red, even a bit pink. The dust is speeding up the runoff to rivers that supply millions of people with water and raising fears of an increasingly arid West. Twelve dust storms barreled into the southern Rockies from the deserts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico so far this year. In contrast, four storms hit the mountains all year long in 2003. Eight occurred in each of the last ... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pink-snow24-2009may24,0,1077488.story http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128359 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate dust snowmelt | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (LA Times: Nicholas Riccardi) Journal-Sentinel: Scientists and property owners say they are worried about the long-term effects of a prolonged drought on fishing and water quality in northern Wisconsin as they've watched some lakes drop to their lowest point in 70 years. As people flock to the north this weekend, drought conditions also are evident in tinder-dry forests that experienced a surge in fires last week. Many lakefront property owners are being forced to push out docks and motor around new shallows as water levels ... http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/45924602.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128358 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate drought lakes | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Journal-Sentinel: Lee Bergquist) Guardian: Britain's addiction to power-hungry gadgets could raise electricity bills by £100 per year for every household and hamper progress in meeting the country's greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to experts. The proliferation of plasma televisions, high-end PCs and mobile phones is causing energy consumption to soar. These devices currently account for 25% of the electricity used by UK households and projections by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) show this will rise to around 45% ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/24/gadgets-appliances-climate-change-emissions-targets http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128357 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST energy conservation electric bills | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Alok Jha) CBS: WildEarth Guardian Environmental groups and agencies are pushing for Colorado coal mines to reduce greenhouse gases by capturing the methane released during mining. Environmental officials are proposing that the mines capture methane released during coal mining so that it's burned off or used as fuel. Federal data project that mines in western Colorado will release as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere every year as 1 1/2 coal-burning power plants. "We are looking ... http://cbs4denver.com/local/Coal.Mines.Reduce.2.1017763.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128356 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST coal greenhouse gas methane mining | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (CBS: none given) Guardian: US energy secretary Steven Chu will fly to Europe this week to begin talks that will be crucial in the global battle against climate change. The 61-year-old physicist will hold key discussions with energy ministers from the G8 nations in Rome before travelling to London to take part in a debate with Nobel prize winners on global warming. The arrival of Chu, himself a physics Nobel laureate, comes as the scientist-turned-politician finds himself attacked by environmentalists over ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/24/steven-chu-environmentalist-anger http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128355 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate energy politics Chu | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Merica's New Green Guru Sparks Anger Over Climate Change U-turns) New York Times: In seven years of overseeing every root and blade of grass on the grounds at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., Matt Shaffer has built a reputation on innovation and conservation. An early advocate of course playability over aesthetics, he long lived by the maxim "the drier, the better." But when a stifling heat wave threatened the club's greens before the 2005 United States Amateur Championship – a record 17th U.S.G.A. championship at Merion – Shaffer turned to his old boss, Paul ... http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128354 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128354 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST water land golf courses | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Larry Dorman) New York Times: Bruce Robertson, a private detective, had little to go on. Two gunshot victims, one soon to be dead, both found in the Big Sur wilderness. The victims had brown eyes, ruddy faces and nine-foot wingspans. Ordinarily Mr. Robertson, of Los Angeles, hunts down philandering husbands and ferrets out insurance violators. But his skills are being tested in this latest mystery: the shootings of two endangered California condors. "It's a tough case," said Mr. Robertson, 58. "The shooter ... http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128353 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128353 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST birds condors | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: none given) Associated Press: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was heading to China Saturday after a quick stop in Alaska that included a discussion with Native representatives over the effects of global warming. Pelosi, D-Calif., was traveling to China with a congressional delegation of four Democrats and one Republican, all members of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Pelosi staffers said the intent of the trip is to "focus on opportunities that will help create clean, ... http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_ak_pelosi_china.html?source=mypi http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128350 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate diplomacy | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Reuters: Turkey has boosted the flow of the Euphrates river passing through its dams upstream of Iraq to help farmers cope with a drought after Iraqi complaints, but it is still not enough, a top Iraqi lawmaker said on Saturday. Iraq is mostly desert and its inhabitable areas are slaked by the Tigris, which comes down from Turkey, the Euphrates, also from Turkey but passing through Syria, and a network of smaller rivers from Iran, some of which feed the Tigris. Iraq accuses Turkey, and ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54M0XG20090523?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128349 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST water dam scarcity | Middle East | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Muhanad Mohammed) Press Trust of India: A United Nations-backed initiative has been launched aimed at halting the destruction of the habitat of the East African mountain range gorilla, threatening the extinction of humans' close relative, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced. The 2009 Year of the Gorilla (YoG) partnership is supporting a project enabling local residents in areas endangered by increasing demands for fuel -- not least the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- to buy ... http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/008200905231012.htm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128348 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST gorilla habitats | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Press Trust of India: none given) Australia: KEVIN Rudd's bid to get his emissions trading scheme through parliament this year could be frustrated after the Greens and the Senate independents said they would consider a Coalition option to delay a vote on the laws until after crucial global talks in Copenhagen in December. The Coalition, which could finalise its position at a partyroom meeting on Tuesday, is considering agreeing with the Government on the emission reduction targets Australia could sign up to under a new ... http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25524934-11949,00.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128347 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon market politics | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Australia: Lenore Taylor) Telegraph: Emergency services estimated that 21,500 people were isolated by the flooding, which has caused widespread evacuations from the Gold Coast in Queensland to the northern rivers region of New South Wales (NSW). One man, aged 70, died when his car was swamped by raging torrents that swept through the NSW town of Coffs Harbour, 340 miles north of Sydney, overnight. The discovery of his body in the floodwaters brought the death toll from the storms, which were the worst to hit ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/5372689/Australias-east-coast-a-disaster-zone-after-severe-floods.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128346 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate flood disaster | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Bonnie Malkin) Post-Standard: Nine companies want to build renewable energy projects in Syracuse and Onondaga County that would be powered by wind, solar, biomass, fuel cells and even sewage sludge. The companies submitted their proposals to a joint city-county team that is looking into sources of cheap, alternative energy that could power government offices, schools, libraries and other municipal buildings. Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll - visiting Washington, D.C., this week for a climate leadership summit ... http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1243069138219630.xml&coll=1 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128345 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Post-Standard: Mark Weiner) Sacramento Bee: In the summer heat, Rockney Compton's spring-fed koi pond doubles as a swimming hole for his three kids, and in the spring it is a water bowl for his dogs. The pond is a centerpiece for an almost postcard-worthy vista of green, tree-lined hills near Round Mountain, a quiet stretch of Northern California's Shasta County. What keeps this landscape shy of perfect are the high-voltage power lines that cut through Compton's property, built in the 1960s to funnel electricity from ... http://www.sacbee.com/702/story/1873629.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128344 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST renewable energy transmission lines | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Sacramento Bee: ED Fletcher) Lexington Herald-Tribune: Robert Wyler was tooling along the interstate near Lexington on Thursday afternoon in his '86 Honda Civic with manual transmission, his speedometer pointing to 60, doing his part to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign oil. The windows were rolled up for aerodynamics. The air conditioner didn't work, but Wyler wouldn't have been running it if it did. Approaching Newtown Pike, he turned the ignition switch off (which you shouldn't try with an automatic). Without touching ... http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/805488.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128341 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST automobile hypermilers | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Lexington Herald-Tribune: Andy Mead) Great Lakes Echo: Although hybrids may be the most talked-about vehicle technology, good old-fashioned diesel is quietly making its own resurgence, according to a new study by a multinational marketing research firm based in Michigan. "The hybrid electric vehicles continue to get the most attention. They're the ones consumers are most familiar with, and they're already on the road," said Bryan Krulikowski, vice president of Farmington Hills-based Morpace Inc. But personal vehicles with diesel ... http://greatlakesecho.org/2009/05/20/interest-in-diesel-vehicles-quietly-growing/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128338 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST automobile diesel | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Great Lakes Echo: Thomas J. Morissey) Christian Science Monitor: New climate-energy legislation approved by a key congressional committee marks what some are calling the most significant tipping point in US energy policy in 30 years, thrusting the economy toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. The American Climate and Energy Act of 2009 (ACES) bill, approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday evening, is the second major step this week by US political leaders to boost energy efficiency and curb global climate ... http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/22/sweeping-climate-energy-bill-clears-first-big-hurdle-in-congress/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128337 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate energy bill Congress | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Christian Science Monitor: Mark Clayton) Los Angeles Times: Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire sidestepped her Legislature's refusal to adopt a cap-and-trade program to limit greenhouse gases, signing an executive order Thursday to achieve similar reductions by ratcheting back coal-fired electricity and automobile emissions. "I wanted cap-and-trade. I didn't get it," said Gregoire, a Democrat, whose order directs government agencies to expand public transit and other programs to meet auto emissions goals, and to reach agreement with the state's ... http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-global-warming22-2009may22,0,6413414.story?track=rss http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128335 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate emissions state leadership | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Los Angeles Times: Kim Murphy) Asian News International: A new study has determined that it's now possible to hear the rise of global warming, in the form of more larger and more intense storms, which are signs of climate change. For decades, seismologists have been filtering out the sounds of massive, storm-driven ocean waves crashing into coastlines. The pesky noise was getting in the way of earthquake detection. According to a report in National Geographic News, but now, some experts are electronically filtering out the quakes, ... http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Global-Warming/Now-you-can-hear-global-warming-/articleshow/4565858.cms http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128333 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate ocean extreme storm | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Asian News International: none given) Scienceline: A ghostly procession of ten volunteers clad in orange safety vests and cellophane-covered headlamps shuffles down the middle of a lonely wooded road in northwestern New Jersey, each staring intently at their feet. It's a damp March night and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. These hardy workers are looking for frogs and salamanders to count. They're waiting for the amphibians to cross the road on their way from the wooded uplands where they winter to the marshy ... http://scienceline.org/2009/05/22/konkel-bio-amphibians-decline/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128332 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST amphibian road kill | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Scienceline: Lindsey Konkel) AlterNet: NOTE: Unexpectedly, Rep. Bono Mack (R-CA) voted "yes" -- and the bill passed 33-25! She later said, ""While I still have significant concerns about this bill, particularly with regard to its cost and its failure to recognize innovative technologies like advanced nuclear energy, I believe this is the right direction for our district, for our nation and for our future.' UPDATE: Al Gore's statement is at the end. The New York Times labels Waxman-Markey "the most ambitious energy and ... http://www.alternet.org/environment/140197/clean_energy_bill_survives:_political_realists_rejoice,_climate_science_realists_demand_more/ http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128331 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate politics clean energy | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (AlterNet: Joseph Romm) Reuters: U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Friday he wants OPEC to carry out an oil production policy that will help keep oil and gasoline prices stable "as much as possible." When Chu travels to Rome this weekend to meet with energy ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries, he will have an opportunity to speak with energy representatives from Saudi Arabia who will also attend the G8 summit ahead of OPEC's May 28 meeting in Vienna. "Sudden drops and sudden ... http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_3_MOLT/idUSTRE54L61620090522 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128329 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST oil price stabiize | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Tom Doggett) Bloomberg: Environmental group members and representatives of the world's biggest greenhouse-gas emitters were on edge when they first sat down at the same table, John Mimikakis says. "There were definitely a number of tense moments," said Mimikakis, a senior policy manager for the Environmental Defense Fund, based in New York. "We were eyeing each other suspiciously." The alliance that grew out of those first meetings three years ago, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, shaped the ... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=atMB.vwThfvM http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128326 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate legislaton industry support | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomberg: Daniel Whitten) Bloomberg: The climate-change legislation that cleared a committee of the U.S. House yesterday would set an effective price floor for carbon-dioxide permits of $10 each, according to an emissions trading group. The legislation that passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee would establish a "cap-and-trade" program in which the federal government would sell 15 percent of the permits at auction. In 2012, the first year of the program, the reserve price would be $10 a permit. This would ... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aRkJfzL.ET5E http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128325 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon price floor | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomberg: Simon Lomax) Washington Post: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square in 1991 in support of pro-democracy protesters, has never been shy about speaking her mind about human rights in China. But on Sunday, she arrived here to talk about a less sensitive topic: climate change. At a briefing in Washington just before leaving for her week-long trip, Pelosi declined to say whether she planned to discuss human rights with her hosts. Instead, she said the focus of her visit would be ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/23/AR2009052301089.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128323 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change global diplomacy | | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Washington Post: Ariana Eunjung Cha and Paul Kane) Times (UK): Darren Renshall can't help himself. As he approaches a spigot amid the din coming from a maze of pipes, he smiles, pulls the lever and out slops a pile of foul-smelling black sludge. The odour is revolting. But the engineer doesn't seem to care. He is clearly excited about the muck, which is piling up like a mound of mashed potato on the floor. It is what makes this power station, in Widnes on the Mersey, like no other. Instead of using coal or gas to generate electricity, this plant ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6349944.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=3392178 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128322 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST biomass energy recycling | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): none given) ScienceDaily: Christian Koeberl, head of the Department of Lithospheric Studies at the University of Vienna (Austria), has recently returned from an expedition to Arctic Siberia. He is one of the principal investigators of a drilling project at the El'gygytgyn meteorite impact crater that is coordinated by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and that was recently concluded. The main goals of the project are to obtain, from analyses of the drill cores, new information ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522081425.htm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128321 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST Arctic climate history | Arctic/Antarctic | info@ecologicalinternet.org (ScienceDaily: none given) ScienceDaily: Studies of climate evolution and the ecology of past-times are often hampered by lost information -- lost variables needed to complete the picture have been long thought untraceable but scientists have created a formula which will fill in the gaps of our knowledge and will help predict the future. A novel method of reconstructing missing data will shed new light on how and why our climate moved us on from ice ages to warmer periods as researchers will be able to calculate lost ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522081349.htm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128320 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate past future history | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (ScienceDaily: none given) EurActiv: China upped pressure on industrialised nations to cut emissions 40% below their 1990 levels by 2020 and dedicate part of their GDP to help developing as part of a new global climate pact to be agreed in Copenhagen later this year. Background: Next December in Copenhagen, the global community must decide upon a new international climate agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012 (see EurActiv LinksDossier on 'Global options for tackling climate ... http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/china-raises-pressure-climate-change/article-182582?Ref=RSS http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128317 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change political pressure | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (EurActiv: none given) ClimateBiz: Funny thing about the biofuels business. Roughly 200 companies are pursuing the perfect biofuel -- as cheap as fossil fuels, adaptable to today's infrastructure, low-carbon, sustainable and no threat to the food supply or to tropical forests. But even cutting-edge startups that say they have the puzzle just about solved can't raise the money they need to get into commercial production. "Everyone wants to be the first to finance the second plant," says Arnold Klann, the CEO of biofuels ... http://www.climatebiz.com/blog/2009/05/22/in-search-perfect-biofuel-and-financing http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128316 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST biofuel market finance | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (ClimateBiz: Marc Gunther) Inter Press Service: Thousands of visitors are drawn every year to Argentina's southern Patagonia wilderness region to fish in glacial lakes and crystal clear streams and rivers. But the trout and salmon that they have come to find are not native species, and pose a threat to local biodiversity. "Despite our recommendations, trout continue to be introduced into lakes and rivers in Patagonia, and we have seen in the latest bird counts that the decline in some aquatic species has been catastrophic," ... http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46955 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128315 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST fish exotic | South/Central America/Caribbean | Argentina info@ecologicalinternet.org (Inter Press Service: Marcela Valente) Wall Street Journal: Addressing climate change is a particularly difficult challenge for commercial aviation. While technologies like batteries work for cars, they don't work for airplanes that require powerful propulsion systems. The good news is that there are things we can do to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of commercial planes -- and we're well on our way. At Boeing, we're tackling carbon emissions on three fronts. First, we are working to make each new generation of airplane ... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124303177241948493.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128314 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change aviation jet efficiency | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Wall Street Journal: Scott Carson) Agence France-Presse: Japan on Saturday pledged 50 billion yen (528 million dollars) in aid to small Pacific islands over the next three years to help them with clean energy projects and to cope with climate change. Japan Prime Minister Taro Aso announced the financial assistance, an increase of more than 10 percent from its pledge announced three years ago, at the closing of the fifth Pacific Leaders Meeting in northern Japan. "Pacific leaders are worried about rising sea levels," Aso told a news ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090523/sc_afp/pacificjapansummitdiplomacyclimate http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128312 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate aid Pacific islands | East/South-East Asia | Japan info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: Giff Johnson) New York Times: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY rules that take effect on Jan. 1, 2010, are part of a gradual shift to a new class of refrigerants for window units, central air-conditioning systems, heat pumps and the chillers used to cool large residential and office buildings. Some heating and cooling companies are suggesting replacing old equipment now to accommodate the new refrigerants, and some utilities are offering rebates. But there is nothing in the regulations to compel getting rid of an ... http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128311 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128311 24 May 2009 11:00:00 PST air conditioning climate | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: Irwin Arieff) Associated Press: Gov. Mark Parkinson signed a renewable energy bill Friday that he had demanded from legislators as part of an agreement allowing a new coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas. The new law says wind farms and other renewable sources must provide 20 percent of public utilities' electricity by 2020. It also has provisions to encourage conservation and consumers' use of small wind or solar generators for their household power needs. The changes take effect Thursday. Parkinson ... http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/05/22/ap6458290.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128309 23 May 2009 11:00:00 PST renewable energy coal state legislation | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: John Hanna) Agence France-Presse: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she will visit China next week but declined to say if she will press Beijing on human rights ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Pelosi, who will be the most senior US official to travel to China since President Barack Obama took office, has taken a hard line on Beijing's rights record in years past but ignored shouted questions on the subject. "The purpose of the trip is to follow up on meetings we've had ... http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gjpO11lVtu7sOjV-sO-uk3MNEH3w http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128308 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate diplomacy | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: Olivier Knox) Guardian: The decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow was a mistake, according to one of the government's most senior advisers on the economics of climate change. Lord Stern said if the decision had been properly considered in light of the UK's ­climate targets, he thought it would not have been granted. Speaking at the Guardian Hay festival , Stern said: "You cannot have a carbon policy which is quite tough and ambitious and then take a decision like that [Heathrow] which could be ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/22/lord-stern-heathrow-third-runway http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128306 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate Heathrow runway | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Alok Jha,) Greenwire: Further development of Alberta's famous oil sands will be neither the climate disaster that activists fear nor the energy security panacea that proponents suggest it is, the Council on Foreign Relations concludes in a new report. The reality of the oil sands in the international energy and climate picture suggests both the United States and Canada would be wise to develop climate policy in tandem, or at least link whatever independent cap-and-trade programs for greenhouse gases each ... http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=canada-tar-sands-oil-global-climate http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128303 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST tar sands destroy climate | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Greenwire: Athanial Gronewold) redOrbit: The US biofuel industry is voicing opposition against a provision developed by environmental regulators that would hold it responsible for greenhouse gas emissions from crops overseas. The EPA has proposed a plan to compare the levels of greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels to those generated from petroleum. The proposal would include the effects of land clearing required to cultivate crops for alternative fuels in its comparison. The provision would be damaging to the ... http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1693932/ethanol_industry_reps_concerned_by_landuse_provisions/index.html?source=r_science http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128302 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST ethanol land indirect effects | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (redOrbit: none given) Telegraph: One pair of cyclists will travel through North America, the land of the gas guzzler, while another team of two will cycle down South America, where virgin rainforest have been cleared for cattle ranches. The aim is to show how different areas of the world are contributing to greenhouse emissions in an ongoing video blog and 13-part documentary television series called Going South. But the ground-breaking expedition is also in search for solutions to climate change. Twenty-six ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5370596/Epic-cycle-ride-to-search-for-solutions-to-climate-change-throughout-the-Americas.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128300 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST transportation bicycle | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Telegraph: Louise Gray) Reuters: The United States will try to persuade rich and poor countries to share the burden of fighting climate change next week, with a big U.S. pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions likely to help mend ties. Washington will hold talks among major economies, including China, the European Union, Russia, India and Japan, in Paris on May 25 and 26 to search for common ground on issues such as how to cut fossil fuel use and promote clean technologies. "The United States (wants) tough ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54L3DX20090522?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128294 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate politics rich poor nations | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Alister Doyle and Gerard Wynn) Australian: THE Rudd Government's emissions trading scheme will cost 23,510 mining jobs over the next decade - almost half of them in Queensland - according to new modelling released as parliament prepares to decide the fate of the controversial climate change legislation. Treasury modelling for the Government found the ETS would have only a small net effect on total employment over a decade, but did not identify winners and losers in the economic upheaval as jobs were shed in some industries and ... http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25520171-11949,00.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128292 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate policy jobs | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Australian: Lenore Taylor) Standard: WATER flows across the south-west could plummet in coming years, drying up rivers and lakes and robbing the region of some of its popular fishing spots. While the region is renowned for its reliable rainfall, a State Government water research committee has revealed a grim future unless major action is undertaken. The group released a draft report which predicts how the south-west's water ways will cope under different climate change scenarios. The Lake Corangamite basin ... http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/climate-change-report-paints-grim-picture-for-region/1519823.aspx http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128291 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate water regional impacts | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Standard: Jared Lynch) Reuters: U.S.-run talks on strategies for major nations to fight climate change may stop short of setting firm new targets and dates, such as 2050 goals for greenhouse gas emissions, Washington's top climate envoy said on Thursday. Todd Stern said Washington wanted major economies including China, the European Union and Russia to seek more common ground on issues such as green technology, finance and emissions cuts at talks in Paris on May 25-26. The talks are the second among major ... http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE54K5RE20090521?sp=true http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128290 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate emissions goals | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Alister Doyle) Reuters: Daishin Investment Trust Management, which runs a climate change fund that invests in companies engaged in disaster relief, plans a new commodities fund this year to capitalize on the effects of global warming. Yong-Jin Kim, who manages Daishin's $20 million Global Climate Change fund, likes makers of fire trucks, rescue gadgets and satellite systems as governments tighten disaster relief procedures amid a changing global climate. He cited Smit International, which provides ... http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE54K30820090521 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128289 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate fund investing | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Leonora Walet) Politico: California Rep. Henry Waxman has spent most of the year catering to the concerns of other Democrats on his Energy and Commerce Committee. Now it's everyone else's turn. Waxman won a long-sought legislative victory Thursday night with committee approval of his sweeping climate-change bill. But the nimble chairman still has to get over some rocky terrain before the bill -- or one like it -- ever becomes law. In the House, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel is ... http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22836.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128288 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate bill politics Democrats | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Politico: Lisa Lerer and Patrick O'connor) ClimateWire: Three key House Democratic committee chairmen signaled yesterday that they too want to take a swing at the sweeping global warming package that Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is trying to pass out of committee this week. Offering perhaps the biggest road block to a floor debate, Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) told reporters that he plans to put President Obama's health care reform agenda ahead of Waxman's global warming bill. "We have to deal ... http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128287 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128287 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate politics House Democrats | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (ClimateWire: Darren Samuelsohn,) KTUU: Increasing global temperatures are causing pollen and some insects to be more prevalent in Alaska, according to a new study. Dr. Jeffrey Demain noticed an increase in the number of patients he treated for insect stings and bites. He looked into it with a team of doctors and in conjunction with Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska. "When you start seeing changes in those patterns the question is why," Demain said. "It seems that ... http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10407599 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128286 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST global warming health allergies | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (KTUU: Ashton Goodell) Idaho Statesman: Even supporters of a resolution urging Idaho Power to reduce greenhouse gases were surprised when shareholders approved it with a 52 percent majority Thursday at the company's annual meeting. The resolution asked Idaho Power to adopt specific goals -- by Sept. 30 -- for reducing the gases that scientists say contribute to climate change. No matter how the company responds, electric rates are expected to rise. The shareholder advocacy group As you Sow and the green ... http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/777839.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128285 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate electricity bills | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Idaho Statesman: Rocky Barker) Reuters: China's boom of coal-fired power plants is likely to slow after next year as excess capacity and then expanding renewable and nuclear energy sources kick in, a senior energy policy analyst said in an interview. Jiang Kejun, of China's state-run Energy Research Institute, told Reuters the forecast slowing also reflected longer-term shifts in the country's energy use, as industrial growth slows while transport and household energy consumption expand. "After 2010, the coal [power] ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8520665 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128284 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST coal growth | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Chris Buckley) Edmonton Journal: A system of carbon dioxide offsets pioneered in Alberta for farmers may soon be a key part of the rapidly emerging cap-and-trade business. That business aims to reduce overall emissions and will have a major impact on the coal-fired electrical power plants and oil industry in the province. With the start of new global climate talks in December in Copenhagen to replace the Kyoto Protocol by 2012, the rush is on. The United States expects to have a cap-and-trade law in ... http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Technology/Alberta%20leader%20climate%20change/1618564/story.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128283 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate carbon offset | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Edmonton Journal: none given) Reuters: Australia's forestry firms are poised for major growth from emissions trading plans that could give the sector a multi-million dollar boost when it becomes the first to kick off a nationwide scheme to cut carbon pollution. Big polluters such as power generators and smelters are keen to hedge future emissions liabilities, and forestry firms, as one of their best options, are already pulling investment ahead of the sector's inclusion in emissions trading from July 1, ... http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINTRE54L1D820090522?sp=true http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128281 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST carbon plan forestry | Pacific/Oceania | Australia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: David Fogarty) Bloomberg: The European Union may have to scale back its goals to reduce global-warming emissions after a less- ambitious plan won initial approval in U.S. Congress. The 27-nation bloc has asked all industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gases an average 30 percent over 30 years. The first U.S. legislation ever to cap emissions, which passed a committee vote yesterday, calls for a 5 percent cut by American industry in the period. The gap poses a potential conflict when global talks on a ... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aACte9HS5us8&refer=europe http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128278 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate plan global accord | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomberg: Jonathan Stearns and Alex Morales) Associated Press: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2009/05/22/carbon0522.html http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128277 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST coal plant carbon test | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Reuters: A rise in concentrations of a powerful greenhouse gas over the Arctic after a decade of stability is stirring worries about a possible thaw of vast stores trapped in permafrost, experts said. Levels of methane in the atmosphere rose 0.6 percent in 2008, according to preliminary data from the Zeppelin station on a remote island in the Norwegian Arctic, after a similar 0.6 percent gain in 2007, Norwegian officials said. The 2007 rise outpaced a global rise in methane of 0.34 ... http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE54L34W20090522 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128273 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST Arctic permafrost thaw | Arctic/Antarctic | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Alister Doyle) Ecoworldly: A new study, which researchers have called "the most exhaustive end-to-end analysis of climate change impacts yet performed", predicts that global warming could be twice as bad as previous estimates had suggested. Published this month in the Journal of Climate, the MIT-based research found a 90% probability that worldwide surface temperatures will rise at least 9 degrees by 2100. Pulling from a variety of data sources back in 2007, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ... http://www.reuters.com/article/mnCarbonEmissions/idUS148975034620090522 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128272 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST global heating extreme temperature | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Ecoworldly: none given) New Scientist: In oceans around the world, heat-resistant algae are offering the prospect of a colourful future for corals. The reef-forming animals are upgrading their symbiotic algae so that they can survive the bleaching that occurs in waters warming under climate change. "The most exciting thing was discovering live, healthy corals on reefs already as hot as the ocean is likely to get 100 years from now," says Stephen Palumbi of Stanford University. Corals have a symbiotic relationship ... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17182-corals-upgrade-algae-to-beat-the-heat.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=climate-change http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128271 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate coral algae | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (New Scientist: Catherine Brahic) Voice of America: US Capitol, Washington DCA key U.S. congressional panel has approved a landmark bill aimed at combating climate change, days after Democratic lawmakers reached a compromise on the measure. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill Thursday by a 33-25 vote, split largely along party lines, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing. A key part of the bill calls for a so-called cap-and-trade system that would allow businesses to buy permits to emit ... http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-22-voa17.cfm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128270 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change legislation House approve | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Voice of America: none given) National Public Radio: Thursday night, a committee in the House of Representatives passed an ambitious climate bill -- a big step toward having a law that controls greenhouse gases. At the heart of the bill is a mechanism called cap-and-trade. It's a careful mix of government mandate and free-market economy. How successful it will be is a matter of some debate. Cap-and-trade is one of those wonky terms that have permeated the world of Washington, D.C. Part of its mystique is that a lot of people don't know ... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104436991&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128269 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate bill House vote | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (National Public Radio: Richard Harris) Guardian: Wales today laid out radical plans to make it one of the most energy- and resource-efficient countries in the world within a generation. The government development plans, which are legally binding, are far in advance of anything planned for England or Scotland and would see it become energy self-sufficient in using renewable electricity within 20 years and reduce waste to zero by 2050. The proposals would make Wales one of only three countries in the world legally bound to ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/22/wales-energy-efficient-plans http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128268 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST renewable energy self-sufficiency | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: John Vidal) BBC: The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing. Climate change appears to be a major cause of the loss. The revelation comes from an analysis of data collected over 60 years by forest ecologists. They say one worrying aspect of the decline is that it is happening within one of most protected forests within the US, suggesting that even more large trees may be dying off elsewhere. James Lutz and Jerry Franklin ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8063000/8063392.stm http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128267 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate trees death | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (BBC: none given) Reuters: Hospitals and their emergency vehicles, which are major polluters, must join the fight against climate change, the World Health Organization said on Friday. "The health sector can contribute a lot to reduce the carbon footprint because the health sector in many countries is the second most important user and energy consumption is very high," Maria Neira, director of the WHO's department of public health and environment, told a news briefing. The amount of energy produced by ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54L47G20090522?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128266 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change health hospitals | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Agence France-Presse: Japanese Premier Taro Aso welcomed the leaders of a clutch of small Pacific islands Friday for a meeting expected to generate fresh aid for clean energy and coping with climate change. Aso was also expected to provide details of increased aid for "human security" projects in the region, including the provision of water-related assistance, at the fifth Pacific Leaders Meeting in northern Japan. "As a partner with Pacific island countries and sharing the Pacific Ocean we will do ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090522/wl_asia_afp/pacificjapansummitdiplomacyclimate http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128265 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change diplomacy Pacific islands Japan | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: Giff Johnson) Reuters: A delegation of U.S. lawmakers led by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit China in coming days to discuss international efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Pelosi, a Democrat, said Friday that a bipartisan group of House members will be on the trip. However she did not provide details. "It is the purpose of the trip to follow up on meetings that we have had here with representatives of China's government on the subjects of climate change and ... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54L4KZ20090522?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128264 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate international politics | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Guardian: Banning flimsy plastic bags has been dismissed as a drop in the ocean when it comes to dealing with the world's environment problems, but multiplied on a China scale, it appears to have made a big difference. A new report suggests restrictions on bag usage in the world's most populous nation have saved the equivalent of 1.6 million tonnes of oil, in the year since it was introduced. Just ahead of the first anniversary of the ban, the China Chain Store and Franchise Association ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/22/china-plastic-bags-ban-success http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128263 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST plastic bags save oil | East/South-East Asia | China info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Jonathan Watts) KUOW: A federal hearing on climate change wrapped up last night (Thursday) in downtown Seattle. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected comments from more than 150 people on its proposal to regulate greenhouse gasses. The effort could lead to federal regulation of carbon dioxide and other climate--warming gasses. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire kicked off a long day of public testimony. Next, a parade of environmentalists, business leaders, public officials, farmers and ... http://kuow.org/program.php?id=17610 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128261 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change EPA hearing | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (KUOW: none given) National Public Radio: Food shortages have doomed civilizations for millennia. Lester Brown, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute, argues that environmental degradation could lead to devastating food shortages today, despite advanced farm technology and genetically engineered crops. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104447721&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128260 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST farm shortages | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (National Public Radio: none given) National Public Radio: Many ornamental plants common to American yards are exotic species that local bugs haven't evolved to munch on. In his book Bringing Nature Home, entomologist Doug Tallamy encourages gardeners to invite bugs, birds and other wildlife back by planting native species. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104447716&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128259 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST garden plants native | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (National Public Radio: none given) National Public Radio: Concrete may be responsible for as much as five percent of the global carbon footprint, taking into account the energy required to make it and the CO2 emitted by the kilning process. But a new study by engineer Liv Haselbach finds that concrete may also be an important CO2 sink. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104447705&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128258 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST global warming concrete | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (National Public Radio: none given) Agence France-Presse: Business leaders, scientists and politicians will meet in Copenhagen on Sunday to explore how industry can play a key role in fighting global warming. The World Business Summit on Climate Change aims to find a way to strike an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases as the world is faces its deepest economic crisis for decades. "The importance of businesses' contributions to a climate agreement makes this a supremely important opportunity, said Danish Climate and Energy Minister ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090522/sc_afp/denmarkeuunclimateenvironmentbusiness http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128257 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate Copenhagen lobbying | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Reuters: President Barack Obama's fight against global warming got a huge boost on Thursday when a key congressional panel embraced his plan to create a new, market-driven system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, with a mostly partisan vote of 33-25, embraced Obama's "cap and trade" climate change initiative -- one of the president's top legislative priorities this year along with healthcare reform. Representative Henry ... http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/05/22/house_panel_approves_climate_change_bill/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128256 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST climate change bill House panel | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Tom Doggett and Richard Cowan) EurActiv: Emissions offsets will play an important role in any future global climate deal, but it will be necessary to scale up the climate efforts and move from projects to programmes, Joëlle Chassard , who manages the World Bank's carbon finance unit, told EurActiv in an interview. What role do you think emissions offsets in developing countries will play in the new climate agreement, set to be negotiated in Copenhagen in December? We expect that international offsets will continue to ... http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/world-bank-offsets-play-role-post-kyoto/article-182486?Ref=RSS http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128254 21 May 2009 11:00:00 PST post Kyoto offsets | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (EurActiv: none given) Bloomberg: A House committee passed a climate- change measure that would create a cap-and-trade system to control greenhouse-gas emissions, the most comprehensive effort yet by the U.S. to tackle global warming. The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday approved the bill 33-25, with one Republican joining all but four Democrats in support. It now faces review in as many as eight House committees. During this week's committee debate on the bill, Democrats largely stuck together ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20090522/pl_bloomberg/ag7k5jw6enw http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=128253 22 May 2009 11:00:00 PST cap trade | | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomberg: Daniel Whitten and Simon Lomax)