Environment News

China premier: economic environment 'complicated'

2010-07-05T20:33:00.000+03:00

BEIJING — China's economic health still faces threats from the halting global recovery, but Beijing has no plans to make major changes to its economic policies, Premier Wen Jiabao said in a report posted on the central government's website Sunday.

China rebounded quickly from the global crisis on the strength of massive stimulus spending and record bank lending. But Communist leaders, who expect Europe's debt crisis to hurt demand for Chinese goods, say the recovery is still vulnerable to a downturn in trade.

"Right now our economic situation is good, but the domestic and international economic environment is very complicated," Wen was quoted as saying in the report.

China must "work to promote stable and relatively fast domestic economic growth, restructure the economy and manage inflation expectations to ensure the government's goals for 2010 are met."

Imagination Creates Ford's Most Engaging Experiential Environment to Date at the 2010 North American International Auto Show

2010-01-14T23:03:00.000+02:00

DETROIT, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagination, the global brand communications agency, has created an unprecedented array of hands-on, virtual, and digital experiences to greet visitors to the expansive Ford environment at the North American International Auto Show when it opens to the public on Saturday, January 16.

Visitors who opt to enjoy all of the experiences at the Ford exhibit will find they can spend over three hours learning about the company's outstanding range of vehicles. The experience will continue at home, where visitors can log on to a website to download unique souvenirs they create on the show floor. With the exception of the vehicles, everything visitors see, hear, and experience has been created by Imagination, Ford's global auto show experience partner.

Among the highlights at the show:

* Choreographed assembly line robots will bring Ford's green and innovation stories to life, demonstrating to visitors the precision engineering that ensures Ford EcoBoost engines deliver greater power and consume less gas.
* Visitors can try Ford's "self-parking cars" in person, experiencing how Active Park Assist™ offers faultless parallel parking without a human hand touching the steering wheel.
* The Next-Generation Ford Focus will have its world premiere, and visitors can interact with a range of experiences that demonstrate the new vehicle's outstanding driving dynamics, and animate its techno-talented nature.

DNR chief to lead new state environmental department

2010-01-13T22:18:00.000+02:00

Department of Natural Resources director Rebecca Humphries has been picked to lead the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment — the new department slated to form next week when the DNR and Department of Environmental Quality merge.

The combination of the departments, described as a streamlining measure, was ordered last October in an executive order from Gov. Granholm.

The appointment of Humphries drew praise from environmental groups.

In a statement released before the governor’s formal announcement Chris Kolb, president of the Michigan Environmental Council called Humphries “… a proven leader with a strong commitment to the protection and sound management of the state’s natural resources,” but added, “… the real challenge is to find stable, secure funding sources to ensure that these ‘Pure Michigan’ resources continue to be the foundation of a strong economy and high quality of life.”

In a special report to the Kalamazoo Gazette earlier this week Chris Killian reported that some of the 3,700 workers in these departments are uneasy about the transition which may involve cuts to programs and jobs

Dying for the environment

2010-01-13T09:58:00.000+02:00

The Obama administration has restarted a controversial intelligence program designed to monitor the purported effects of global warming. According to the New York Times, the program operated throughout the Clinton years but was suspended by the George W. Bush administration. It has been restarted recently with backing from senior Obama administration officials, including CIA Director Leon Panetta. Little is known publicly about the program, called MEDEA (Measurements of Earth Data for Environmental Analysis). However, the New York Times portrays it as innocuous.

In an article earlier this month, the Old Grey Lady's readers were assured that the program "has little or no impact on regular intelligence gathering," as it will re-purpose existing "secret information" (mainly satellite photos of the Earth's poles) or make use of underused resources. This information is supposed to help scientists monitor, for example, icebergs floating far away from human reach so they can gauge the impact of climate change. Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences and also a member of MEDEA, was quoted as saying the program is "basically free."

Lebanon’s Environment Inaction May Affect Entire Region

2010-01-11T00:29:00.001+02:00

The year 2009 was bleak for Lebanon’s environmental track record, according to the country’s Daily Star.

Despite the impressive action of IndyACT, Lebanon’s delegation brought little effect at December’s COP 15 climate change summit; they were not able to accomplish much of anything insofar as solving the many serious environmental issues that now plague the country.

These issues include ones like serious forest fires, the destruction of Lebanon’s remaining cedar groves and forests, some of which date back to biblical times; and serious damage to Lebanon’s coastline due to pollution and eroding beaches which could become worse if a planned Dubai-type island project is undertaken Pollution to the country’s fresh water supplies.

Mountaintop mining causing irreparable harm to environment: Scientists

2010-01-09T11:19:00.000+02:00

New York, January 8 -- With the growing amount of evidence regarding the threats being posed to the environment by mountaintop mining, environmentalists have urged that the activity should be halted immediately.

In a paper presented in the journal Science, group of scientists headed by Margaret Palmer, a University of Maryland researcher, has stated that mountaintop mining is doing irreparable harm to the environment.

Mountaintop coal mining, common in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of the nation, is a form of mining where mountains peaks are removed to access the coal seams below them.

The process involves stripping off forests from top of the mountain. The top is then blasted with explosives to remove up to 400 vertical feet (120 m) of mountain to expose underlying coal seams.

The excess rock and soil is dumped in what is called "holler fills" or "valley fills”.

Hazardous impacts of mountaintop mining
Strengthening the previous studies done in this area, the scientists have stated that the impact of mountaintop mining on the environment and humans is “strong and irrefutable".

Obama environment officials to visit Fla.

2010-01-07T23:35:00.000+02:00

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Officials from the Obama Administration plan a visit to Florida this week for events related to ongoing Everglades restoration.

Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Sam Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others, will attend a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a crucial restoration project in South Florida.

Sutley is then set to speak Friday at the 25th Everglades Coalition Conference in Palm Beach Gardens.

The four-day conference begins Thursday, and will focus on discussion of critical issues related to Everglades restoration.

The state and federal government are entrenched in a decades-long plan to help restore more natural flow and clean polluted water throughout the ecosystem.

Presidential Proclamation -- 40th Anniversary of the National Environmental Policy Act

2010-01-05T21:47:00.000+02:00

Forty years ago, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law with overwhelming bipartisan support, ushering in a new era of environmental awareness and citizen participation in government. NEPA elevated the role of environmental considerations in proposed Federal agency actions, and it remains the cornerstone of our Nation's modern environmental protections. On this anniversary, we celebrate this milestone in our Nation's rich history of conservation, and we renew our commitment to preserve our environment for the next generation.

NEPA was enacted to "prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man." It established concrete objectives for Federal agencies to enforce these principles, while emphasizing public involvement to give all Americans a role in protecting our environment. It also created the Council on Environmental Quality to lead our Government's conservation efforts and serve as the President's environmental advisor.

No compromise on environment

2010-01-03T21:39:00.000+02:00

Dhaka, Jan 3 (bdnews24.com)--Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government will not compromise over conservation of the environment, warning real estate developers in particular against unplanned construction in the capital.

Speaking at the inauguration of International Conference on Bangladesh Environment 2010 on Sunday, Hasina warned that the government would not approve any more housing projects in the capital that violated the relevant environmental laws.

"We must protect the land, water bodies and rivers from the land-grabbers. The government will not accept such violations any more."

She said not a single [housing] plan would be approved if it did not include a water body, despite threats to one of her cabinet members.

"The minister is in a tight spot for that decision. Some people are even threatening him. But some things cannot be bought by money."

She said the government would remain steadfast in its resolve and not a single housing project would be approved without the requirements.

New York City Awarded $9.9 Million for 16 Environment Protection Fund

2009-12-31T10:19:00.000+02:00

New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez today announced $23.8 million in funding from the state Environmental Protection Fund's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for 90 projects across New York. These awards cover a variety of planning, design and construction projects that focus on economic, community, environmental and recreational improvements, reinforcing Governor Paterson's commitment to improving both local economies and the environment.

Governor David A. Paterson said, "A vibrant waterfront is a key element of a successful coastal, riverside or lakeside community. These awards will help cities, towns and villages expand public access to our state's numerous bodies of water and protect the environment, while also boosting tourism and economic development opportunities."

Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez said, "The Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program allows us to fund all aspects of planning, design and construction, and I am excited that the Department, through EPF, will be helping 90 communities see their visions for community revitalization come to fruition. Thanks to Governor Paterson's strong leadership and his commitment to the Environmental Protection Fund, we are continuing to build our partnership with local governments across the State. The Department of State is pleased to play a part in fulfilling the Governor's vision of strong local economies and healthy environments along New York's waterfronts."

Poverty trap formed by the ecology of infectious diseases

2009-12-30T21:26:00.001+02:00

While most of the world has enjoyed exponential economic growth, more than one-sixth of the world is today roughly as poor as their ancestors were many generations ago. Widely accepted general explanations for the persistence of such poverty have been elusive and are needed by the international development community. Building on a well-established model of human infectious diseases, we show how formally integrating simple economic and disease ecology models can naturally give rise to poverty traps, where initial economic and epidemiological conditions determine the long-term trajectory of the health and economic development of a society. This poverty trap may therefore be broken by improving health conditions of the population. More generally, we demonstrate that simple human ecological models can help explain broad patterns of modern economic organization.

Ecology, Rayonier closer to cleanup study

2009-12-29T19:10:00.000+02:00

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology and Rayonier Properties have agreed to continue negotiating a legal agreement relating to cleanup at the company's former Port Angeles pulp mill site.

Ecology and Rayonier had hoped to complete the agreement in November. Both sides agreed to extend the process to Jan. 11. The agreed order will cover a study area that includes the 75-acre former mill property and a portion of Port Angeles Harbor. Portions of the Rayonier property and adjacent marine environment are contaminated with PCBs, dioxin, arsenic and other toxins left by the mill's 68 years of operations.

Environmental diplomacy and the Middle East

2009-12-28T00:03:00.000+02:00

As the nations of the world turn more of their attention to the crisis of the earth’s environment, it becomes clear that no nation can address the needs of its environment unilaterally. The Middle East is no exception. With that understanding, in 1996, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies was founded. Located on Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli-Jordanian border, the institute teaches and prepares future Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders to cooperatively solve the region’s environmental challenges. Missing from that equation are Syria and Lebanon. If the region’s shared environment is to be fully addressed, both of these countries must be part of the equation; that equation cannot be completed until Israel is able to sign a peace treaty with both of them. In the dance of peace with Israel’s northern neighbors, Syria must be the first partner.

Present generation must protect ecology

2009-12-26T10:11:00.002+02:00

Speaking on biodiversity and global warming, at Bapuji PU Science College here recently, he said: "It is unfortunate that there is drastic reduction in the flora and fauna because of soil erosion and less rainfall."

"All are duty-bound to conserve and protect biodiversity. This can be ensured by the judicious management of natural resources. The present generation should care for environment in the interests of future generation. There are about 25 hot spots where biodiversity is said to be rich. The Western Ghats and eastern Himalayas are from India," Hegde said. Further, he highlighted the need for the conservation of tigers.

Present generation must protect ecology

2009-12-26T10:11:00.000+02:00

DAVANAGERE: The depletion of biodiversity, besides rapid urbanization and deforestation, has led to the global warming, said Nagesh Hegde,

visiting professor at Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (Bangalore).

Speaking on biodiversity and global warming, at Bapuji PU Science College here recently, he said: "It is unfortunate that there is drastic reduction in the flora and fauna because of soil erosion and less rainfall."

"All are duty-bound to conserve and protect biodiversity. This can be ensured by the judicious management of natural resources. The present generation should care for environment in the interests of future generation. There are about 25 hot spots where biodiversity is said to be rich. The Western Ghats and eastern Himalayas are from India," Hegde said. Further, he highlighted the need for the conservation of tigers.

Editorial: Xmas and environment

2009-12-25T14:01:00.002+02:00

Friday marks another Xmas in our lives on this ephemeral world. The short but momentous life of the Lord Jesus Christ has impacted the cause of history.

No wonder the Yuletide is a time for the celebration of a spiritual man who the scriptures tell us was given to us by his Father to lead us onto the righteous path that is devoid of iniquities.

Unto us a spiritual being, yet in human form, was given whose teachings are supposed to guide and guard us even as we play our part on the world stage.

The life of Jesus Christ is about life in the world and the hereafter. This life is worth emulating by all of us so that as human beings born anew, we shall affect the world we occupy positively.

A victory for the environment

2009-12-12T19:54:00.000+02:00

he mining company based in Tucson, Ariz., emerged Wednesday from four years of bankruptcy reorganization after being purchased by Mexico City-based Grupo Mexico SAB, and will pay for cleanup at 80 polluted sites in 19 states, mostly in the West.

The Coeur d’Alene Work Trust will receive $436 million to perform work selected by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Coeur d’Alene Basin from the Silver Valley to Upriver Dam in Spokane.

“We’ve received the largest recovery of money for environmental cleanup in U.S. history,” said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. “This was certainly a result that no one expected when Asarco went into bankruptcy.”

Seoul to Host Environmental Summit in 2010

2009-12-08T09:06:00.000+02:00

Korea is set to host the Business for Environment Global Summit (B4E) in conjunction with the Champions of the Earth Award next spring in Seoul to coincide with Earth Day on Apr. 22.

Business leaders from around the world will gather in the Korean capital for the annual meeting aimed at promoting dialogue and business-driven action toward a green global economy, B4E organizers said on Monday.

The 2010 B4E conference will be the first environment-related global summit to follow the UN Climate Change Conference currently being held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Climate change on the back burner?

2009-11-04T15:54:00.000+02:00

Climate change has slipped so far down on the agenda that at least one key committee chairman has suggested it might have to wait until after the 2010 elections.

A number of factors are conspiring against the Senate version of the bill: a Republican boycott on the Environment and Public Works Committee, a new EPA analysis that could take at least five weeks and wide-ranging disagreements among six competing Senate committee leaders who have jurisdiction.

“Some people are talking about not doing it until after the 2010 election,” Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday.

Environment awareness hits the West Coast

2009-09-06T08:26:00.000+03:00

While a day at the beach on the West Coast in September might not appeal to everyone, one hardy group are out everyday of the entire month to bring awareness to the coast's environment.

The team heading up a festival, are making their way from Karamea down to Franz Josep, with one man making the entire 350 kilometres on foot.

"It's about engaging the West Coast communities and providing an invitation to come down and spend a day at the beach, have a whole lot of fun," says Guy Ryan, festival organiser.

In Karamea the community has come out in force to kick start day one.

Court ends Bush-era road-building in forests

2009-08-06T01:47:00.000+03:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration acted illegally when it opened millions of acres (hectares) of U.S. national forests to road-building and logging, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday.

The U.S. Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit effectively reinstated a 2001 rule that bars development in recognized "roadless" areas of national forests, except in Idaho and the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

"The court today confirmed protections for these wild forests and rivers that Americans love and cherish," said Kristen Boyles, a lawyer with Earthjustice, who litigated the case on behalf of 20 environmental groups.

'Training ground' for environment

2009-07-26T16:57:00.000+03:00

"training ground for environmentalism and teaching."

The environment is the focus for GOP candidates

2009-07-15T10:50:00.001+03:00

Republican candidates for East Hampton Town Board this week unveiled their environmental platform, which highlights a series of forward-looking code changes, an environmental summit to be held just after the November elections, the transition of town facilities to green energy and plans to create no-mow areas along the shoulders of the roads that would allow native wildflowers to grow.

GOP Town Supervisor candidate Bill Wilkinson said this week that he hopes to involve community organizations and residents in an immediate debate on the environmental future of the town.

“It’s a brand new concept that’s far overdue,” he said. “It’s timely as well because of what’s happened to the Community Preservation Fund. Our commitment to the environment is a top priority. We need the best minds available to contribute. There are some great minds out here in all different areas. It’s great when you let people speak from their heart.”

Project good for jobs, environment

2009-06-29T22:29:00.000+03:00

The developer of Dover Knolls has extensive successful experiences on similar sites and was recruited into the community back in 2003 because of its reputation. We continue to receive tremendous community support for the redevelopment.We are currently in the public review period for the state Draft Environmental Impact Statement, a 4,000-page report of potential impact of the proposed redevelopment on everything from jobs and schools to noise and greenhouse gases. In addition to two public hearings, our team is meeting with the many involved agencies such as the DOT, the DEC, Department of Health, and Dutchess County Planning. Once the public comment period is closed, the Dover town board, the lead agency for the project, will consider the comments made at the hearings and will produce the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Environmental Health Urges Taxi Drivers to be Alert

2009-06-20T17:11:00.000+03:00

In light of the H1N1 pandemic, the Environment Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Social Development urges taxi drivers to be alert and take the necessary precautions to safe guard their health as well as that of their passengers.

Chief Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Carnel Smith advises taxi drivers and tour bus operators to keep alcohol based hand sanitizers and tissues readily available in their vehicles. Mr. Smith stressed the importance of an alcohol base of at least 60 percent. He explained that “alcohol is a sterilizer, but not all hand sanitizers are alcohol based.”

Taxi or tour bus operators are advised to use the hand sanitizer especially after handling money and to ensure that the sanitizer is made available for use by passengers after they have coughed or sneezed. Tissues should also be provided along with a waste bin for their disposal.