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Monday, June 12, 2006
Canadian Firm in Pact on Pollution
In a landmark cross-border pollution case, a Canadian mining company agreed yesterday to pay millions of dollars to assess whether pollution it dumped into the Columbia River damaged wildlife and public health in Washington state.
Profusion of Oysters on Shoreline Rocks Offers Scientists Hope
Virginia scientists have discovered millions of native oysters thriving along shorelines in a section of the lower Chesapeake Bay once thought uninhabitable for them, a discovery that could shift efforts to revive the bay's ailing oyster stocks.
The dense colonies of oysters analyzed this year in Virginia Beach's Lynnhaven River suggest that, with the right habitat, the native species can once again thrive -- cleaning the bay's water and sustaining annual harvests, according to a report to be released this month by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Rich nations failing to cut greenhouse gas
Few of the 33 governments who submitted figures to the UN Climate Secretariat in Bonn will cut emissions from power plants, factories and cars by 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Of the Kyoto backers, 17 of 30 industrialised countries were exceeding their targets by just over 300 million tonnes in 2004. The other 13 were ahead by more than 600 million tonnes - highlighting what some analysts say was a flaw in the pact, giving over-generous targets to former communist states.
Friday, December 09, 2005
State Looks to Lead Pollution Fight
As diplomats from 189 nations meet here this week to discuss the world's response to global warming, California is unveiling a new set of initiatives to control greenhouse gases that would put it in the forefront of a burgeoning campaign by state and local officials to begin regulating the root causes of climate change. "We can't control what the national government is doing, but we can control what California is doing," said Alan Lloyd, the state's environmental protection secretary, who is leading a California delegation in Montreal. "We are big enough to effect change, and we are still looked upon as a leader on these issues due to our decades of work on air pollution."
Superkids: A special report on children's health
A growing number of authors, nutritionists and even celebrity pediatricians say parents can use a combination of diet, vitamins and supplements to supercharge their children's immune systems. The result: a generation of children more able to ward off bugs, and more likely to turn into healthy adults.
Pacific islanders move to escape global warming
Rising seas have forced 100 people on a Pacific island to move to higher ground in what may be the first example of a village formally displaced because of modern global warming.
In Peru, a poisoned town, a driven man
Mr. Farrell, 47, has spent the last several years of his ministry working with families in the poverty-stricken city of LaOroya, where 35,000 residents nestle deep in the central Andes. The massive metallurgical complex owned by St. Louis-based Doe Run is the biggest employer and the biggest source of pollution in the community, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. A study conducted by Doe Run and the Ministry of Health a year ago showed that virtually all of the children tested in La Oroya had lead poisoning.
Yosemite Fauna on the Up and Up
Scientists studying Yosemite National Park's bountiful wildlife have found that several animal species have moved to higher altitudes, an uphill migration possibly spawned by the grinding effects of global warming on one of the nation's most protected wildernesses.
Climate Official's Work Is Questioned
A Feb. 6, 2001, fax sent to the White House by oil giant Exxon Mobil proposed involving Watson more closely in international climate negotiations. Activists such as Annie Petsonk, international counsel for Environmental Defense, say they are concerned that the memo means Watson is too closely allied to oil companies to conduct good-faith climate negotiations with foreign countries.
Aust 'may sign' son-of-Kyoto
Australia would sign onto a future global regime to reduce greenhouse gas emissions provided such a deal was comprehensive and included the majority of greenhouse gas emitting nations, Environment Minister Ian Campbell said today.
By shutting down ocean currents, global warming could actually cool things off
Even in the dead of winter, long stretches of subzero temperatures are pretty rare in London. It may come as a surprise, therefore, to learn that the capital of Britain lies nearly 400 miles farther north than Montreal--or that Paris is farther from the equator than Fargo, N.D. The relatively balmy climate of much of Western Europe suggests that many countries in that region should lie well south of where they actually are, and that's all thanks to the Gulf Stream, a gigantic river of tropical water that flows up and across the Atlantic, warming the waters that lap figuratively against Europe's western shores. Turn it off, and the region's temperatures could plunge disastrously.
War on climate change targets flatulent cows
British scientists are fighting climate change by reducing the harmful greenhouse gases produced by flatulent cows.
Students sick of allergies in Garden City
At least one in every two school students suffer from allergies and 16% suffer from asthma, thanks to pollution, says environment report card prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Development.
China Fires Environment Agency Chief Over Handling of Toxic Spill
In a rare public admission of failure, China's Communist government fired the country's environmental protection chief Friday, saying his agency underestimated the impact of a massive chemical spill and mishandled the response to a disaster that poisoned the water supply of millions of people.
Arctic peoples seek U.N. help to slow warming
Alarmed by a rapid thaw of Arctic ice, indigenous peoples want a 189-nation conference in Canada to step up protection of their hunting cultures. This year, a hummingbird was spotted on an Alaskan island for the first time in memory. New insect-borne parasites killed 70 reindeer in Norway and seals native to California coasts were seen in the far north Pacific.
Kosovo Roma to quit toxic UN camp
Hundreds of Roma (Gypsy) people who have spent six years in a makeshift Kosovan camp contaminated with lead are to be relocated and built new homes. Levels of lead poisoning among Roma in camps at Zitkovac, Kablare and Cesmin Luq are currently classed as an "acute medical emergency" by US medical authorities.
Thousands of Firms Could Stop Reporting Emissions
Thousands of companies throughout the nation, including many in the Los Angeles region, would no longer have to provide the public with details of toxic chemicals they release into the environment under a Bush administration proposal to streamline the nation's environmental right-to-know law.
Phthalate Linked to Lupus in Mice
No one knows to what degree genetics or environmental agents cause lupus, an autoimmune disorder that affects the skin, joints, and internal organs including the kidneys. However, researchers at Indiana State University may have strengthened the environmental evidence by discovering that phthalates trigger lupus antibodies in a mouse model. Phthalates are found in adhesives, cosmetics, fragrances, vinyl flooring, polyvinyl chloride pipe, and certain toys and medical supplies.
Clean diesel arrives at pumps
Oil company BP is currently rolling out its new low sulphur diesel throughout South Africa, as part of a R6 billion global programme to ensure that its greener fuels are available worldwide. Its Cleaner Diesel fuel, which was officially launched at a briefing in KwaZulu-Natal, is said to be not only better for the environment, but has additives which improve engine combustion and provide anti-corrosion and anti-wear protection for engines.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Chinese city digs wells as pollution taints water
With temperatures dipping to minus 10, this frigid northeastern Chinese city was digging 100 new wells yesterday after shutting down its water system to protect its 3.8 million residents from toxic benzene spewed into a river by a chemical factory explosion.
Environment Hurt by Canada's Oil Sands Boom
The rush to develop Canada's vast oil sands resources has hampered the country's ability meet commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and shortchanged the public purse.
River heading for disaster
The Ontario government is passing the buck instead of making sure the Saugeen River near Walkerton, Ont., doesn't end up contaminated with sewage sludge.
Baby milk scare widens in Europe
Swiss-based food giant Nestle has ordered the recall of baby milk from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy after tests suggested chemical contamination.
Global Warming Already Harming Europe
Global warming is making life more dangerous for people across Europe and even starting to hurt businesses, necessitating urgent action from the European Union.
EU Presses US on Gas Emissions and Global Warming
The European Union ramped up pressure on the United States on Tuesday to do more to control greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change, saying US reliance on new technology was not working.
Philippines Toughening Air Pollution Standards
The Philippines is revising its air quality standards to put it on par with most of its Southeast Asian neighbours, adopting stricter controls to clean its air and bring down health costs.
Enviro groups doubt province's intentions
As Quebec gets ready for a major United Nations meeting on climate change, some environmental groups say they no longer have faith in the province's environmental rhetoric. Greenpeace, Équiterre and other groups say Quebec has no credible action plan to meet its commitment under the Kyoto Accord, to cut greenhouse gasses. One just has to look at public transportation, says Steven Guilbeault of Greenpeace. Cars and trucks account for nearly 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and smog-related illnesses are on the rise, he says.
Modern products may affect boys' hormones
Chemicals found in products ranging from plastics to cosmetics may subtly reduce testosterone production in newborn boys, a new study has found.
Warming May Cause Widespread Water Shortages
Even as the ice caps melt, global warming threatens to leave a billion people high and dry, says a team of U.S. climate scientists.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Millions face glacier catastrophe
Nawa Jigtar was working in the village of Ghat, in Nepal, when the sound of crashing sent him rushing out of his home. He emerged to see his herd of cattle being swept away by a wall of water.
China's Remote Villages Portend A Tough Fight Against Bird Flu
Chickens ranged freely down the single mud lane of Wu Yuegou village, pecking at stray seeds and scattering with excited clucks when the dogs came barking. Nobody knows of any plans to vaccinate them against bird flu, their owners said, despite the clarion calls in Beijing for a nationwide campaign to check the feared disease.
Rails Carry a Growing Risk
A Union Pacific train hauling 28 cars of hazardous materials was headed north from the Colton switching yard when the crew felt the lead engine jerk and shudder to a stop. Behind them, two tank cars of deadly pressurized liquid chlorine and 12 other cars had jumped the tracks and now lay twisted and dented in the evening darkness. Residents a few hundred feet away were barely aware of the sudden danger facing their west San Bernardino neighborhood.
Scientists link coffee to stillbirth
Pregnant women who drink more than three cups of coffee a day are at a significantly higher risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, a study warns.
Symbols play role at U.N. climate change gathering
How will you be able to tell there's a big environmental conference in Montreal next weekend? The city will smell like a giant chip truck, for one.
Volcanic ash pollutes Comoros drinking water
Nearly 120,000 people on the main island of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean have been left without safe drinking water after last week's eruption of the Mount Karthala volcano.
Russia braces for toxic spill
Russia's emergency agency said Monday it was mounting a quick response to a toxic chemical spill flowing downriver from China that is expected to reach Russia's far-eastern regions early next month. The Emergency Situations Ministry said the benzene spill from the November 13 chemical plant explosion in Jilin could affect 70 Russian cities and villages with a total of over 1 million residents along the Amur river, including Khabarovsk, a city of 580,000.
Harbin river clean-up ‘will take years’
As the residents of Harbin gingerly switched on their water taps yesterday, environmental experts warned that it could take a number of years to get rid of the toxic chemicals that spilled into the city’s main river.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
A cautionary picture of water supplies as Earth warms
Mountain snows and alpine glaciers represent key reservoirs of fresh water for some 1.6 billion people worldwide. In 50 years, however, a warming planet is likely to disrupt many of these sources, leaving millions of people scrambling for additional supplies.
EU Commission Backs Chemical Bill Compromise
Landmark new rules aimed at protecting Europeans from dangerous chemicals moved closer to reality on Tuesday after the EU Commission backed changes that would simplify testing requirements for many substances.
Global warming could mean end of coastal life as we know it
A warmed and swollen Atlantic Ocean could swallow 1 to 3 percent of New Jersey by the end of the century, according to a new Princeton University study billed as the first comprehensive look at what global warming could do to the Jersey Shore. It could devastate life on the coast, bringing 100-year floods every five years, spoil drinking water as far upriver as Philadelphia and squeeze out dozens of animal species.
Panel Ranks Risks of Common Phthalate
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most widely used plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride products in the world. It is also used in lubricants, perfumes, hairsprays, cosmetics, construction materials, floorings, paints, toys, and medical devices. But the safety of DEHP has been under a cloud for a decade, and the latest analysis of health effects studies expresses some serious concerns about how the compound is used.
Tainted polio vaccine found used outside U.S. until '80s
Contamination of oral polio vaccine with a monkey virus called SV40 was far more widespread than had been believed, new research shows, exposing hundreds of millions more people to a virus some scientists believe has been linked to cancer.
Taiwan Says Finds Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Strain
Taiwan found a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu, H7N3, in droppings left by a migratory bird and is carrying out tests to see if the virus has spread to nearby poultry farms.
Big British plans for bio-diesel in New Zealand
The company that created the world's largest biodiesel plant, is investigating building a biodiesel refinery in New Zealand.
The heat is on
Global warming is opening up the vast Arctic; now, Canada is trying to assert its claim over the land and protect its resources.
Cuba, China sign agreement to improve environment font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
Cuba and China signed a memorandum of understanding in Havana Friday to enhance their exchanges and cooperation in environmental protection.
Cuba, China sign agreement to improve environment font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
Cuba and China signed a memorandum of understanding in Havana Friday to enhance their exchanges and cooperation in environmental protection.
Sewage Altering Fish
Male fish with female characteristics have been discovered in ocean waters off Los Angeles and Orange counties, raising concerns that treated sewage released offshore contains hormone-disrupting compounds that are deforming the sex organs of marine life.
Australia pioneers energy from hot rocks
Generating electricity using the heat of ancient rocks buried deep below the red sands of the Australian outback? Spurred by high commodity prices and a drive to reduce Australia's reliance on coal, several companies are looking to harness hot rock temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius (570 Fahrenheit) to unleash green energy.
Environmental group faults global dam projects
New dams intended to provide cheaper power and support irrigation systems are destroying important water sources and causing economic disruption, a leading environmental group said in a report released today. The report by the World Wide Fund for Nature noted that dams can destroy wetlands, which hold water like sponges and cannot be replicated by man-made storage facilities.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Spills from hurricanes staining the coast
Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters unleashed 1 million gallons of oil from one of the massive storage tanks at Murphy Oil's nearby refinery. The spill spread over 1 square mile and stained 1,700 homes, making it one of the largest environmental spills to occur in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The National Response Center shows that the two storms caused at least 595 spills, incidents that released untold amounts of oil, natural gas and other chemicals into the air, onto land and into the water.
South African woman in quest to wipe out green aliens
Carstens, a retired history and English teacher, is the advance guard of a growing movement to control the spread of non-indigenous plants in South Africa.
Bird flu 'out of control' in Chinese province
The Chinese government says the spread of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in one of its provinces is not under control and has warned of a potential disaster there. There have been three fresh outbreaks of the avian virus in the north-eastern province of Liaoning in 24 hours, and a new suspected human infection. And the Middle East has now seen its first definite case of H5N1 bird flu. The authorities in Kuwait have confirmed that a migratory flamingo found on a beach died of the lethal strain.
Mexican Villagers Homeless and Scared after Hurricane
Thousands of Mexican villagers whose homes were wrecked by Hurricane Stan's flooding and landslides last month are clawing through the mud to rebuild on the same perilous mountainsides.
Bird Flu Causes Immune "Storm"
Scientists in Hong Kong say they may have helped explain why the H5N1 bird flu virus kills so many healthy young adults -- it apparently causes a "storm" of immune system chemicals that overwhelms the patient.
Global Warming Moved Plants Northward
An increase in the planet's temperature 55 million years ago prompted major shifts in plant distribution, researchers reported Thursday. A study of plant fossils from the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming shows the arrival of plants from warm southern areas, displacing those that had been growing there previously.
Arctic countries meet on threat of global warming
A group of countries which fringe the Arctic waters of the Barents Sea gathered in Norway on Thursday and heard that they must go beyond the UN's Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Australia Miner in Philippine Cyanide Leak Probe
Australia-listed Lafayette Mining Ltd. said on Thursday it was cooperating with environmental agencies after halting operations at its mine in the Philippines following two cyanide spills in less than a month.
China unlikely to sign on to Kyoto emissions cuts
China is unlikely to commit to cutting emissions in the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol, fearing it would retard economic growth, but analysts say the government is waking up to the threat of climate change. China, now the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States, recently unveiled a five-year economic plan that stresses sustainable rather than breakneck growth, an acknowledgment of the environmental and social costs of its economic success.
Nigeria: Problems Persist in Oil-Rich Delta 10 Years After Activist's Death
Ten years after the execution in Nigeria of writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa, his non-violent campaign has been replaced by an armed protest against oil companies operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta that claims hundreds of lives each year.
Singapore beats water woes, exports water skills
Singapore, which is turning to desalination and waste-water technology to wean itself off water imports from neighboring Malaysia, is now using its expertise to win a bigger slice of the $600 billion global water business.
China Battles 'Fire Dragons' Guzzling Precious Coal
Often smouldering in coal seams on or just below the surface, they have shaped the landscape of remote western Xinjiang province for millennia. Now the government wants to extinguish the fires which are damaging a fragile environment and wasting resources in a rapidly developing country which relies on coal for about three-quarters of its energy.
EU Lawmakers Reach Compromise on Chemicals Bill
European Parliament leaders agreed a compromise on a major chemicals bill known as REACH, they said on Wednesday, paving the way for a key vote next week despite the incoming German government's bid to derail it.
Clean energy soon indispensable as oil runs low
As fuel consumption continues to rise around the world despite high oil prices and a growing fear of a shortage of the "black gold", experts at an international conference in Stockholm said Wednesday that clean energy would soon be indispensable. On Monday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that world energy demand will grow by 50 percent by 2030, adding in a report that two thirds of total demand would come from developing countries.
Olympics - Italy Plans Carbon-Neutral Green Winter Olympics
This winter's Olympic games in Turin, Italy will be the most environmentally friendly ever, the organisers said on Wednesday, vowing it would have no net impact on climate change.
A hunger eating up the world
China's insatiable demand for proteins is deforesting the Amazon. A smoky haze blurs the frontier between the world's mightiest forest and its biggest threat: the humble soya bean. The four-month burning season in the Amazon is when the giant trees felled to make space for crops are slowly reduced to ashes. Even after being slashed and burned, the trunks of the tauari and maçaranduba are so huge that their embers glow on and off for more than two years. Some are left to burn where they stand, creating giant pillars of charcoal stretching 30 metres into the sky.
Hair Bleach May Trigger Asthma
Hair stylists can develop occupational asthma and rhinitis (chronic runny nose) from exposure to chemicals called persulphate salts in hair bleaching agents.
Farmers are "Tomorrow's Sheiks" Due to Biofuel
Demand in Germany for biofuel is soaring due to high oil prices and farmers stand to reap windfall profits from grain sold for energy use.
Man faces trial for sending chemical weapon ingredient from Md.
A Dutch businessman is facing trial for shipping a chemical from Baltimore to Iraq, where Gulf War veterans say they were exposed to chemical weapons made from the ingredient.
European doctors urge strong chemical rules
Europe’s leading medical associations on Tuesday called for a strict European Union legal framework for chemicals, arguing that bending to industry demands and watering down a proposed chemicals bill would further increase the incidence of cancer on the continent.
Pollution Turns Yellow Sea Into Dead Sea
China’s rapid industrialization and increases in city population, paired with reckless shore development projects, have sent a great deal of contaminants to the Yellow Sea by rivers, streams, and air, turning it into a dead sea, devoid of self-purification capabilities. The water quality near the shores of China is close to a Grade 3, which is the grade of water used for industrial purposes. The number of red tides last year has increased to 96, compared to 22 in 1998.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Town evacuated as floodwaters hit three states
Residents in the western NSW town of Eugowra were being evacuated last night - the first time an entire town has been cleared since the Nyngan floods of 1990 - as wild storms lashed three states. A one-in-100-years flood wreaked havoc across Adelaide, inundating houses, causing landslides and uprooting trees between the Barossa Valley and the city.
Toxic dust is poisoning us, say sick workers
South Africa - Dust from toxic soil at a large building site is allegedly leaving employees nearby riddled with aches, pains and sickness. But the developers, Heartland Properties, at the giant AECI site say their dust is not to blame. Explosives and chemical products have been manufactured on the site between the Strand and Somerset West for the past 100 years - and various toxins have seeped deep into the soil over time. It is contaminated with traces of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and copper.
Unholy mess in holy river
Even as many go to the Ganga to cleanse their sins, the river itself is in urgent need of some cleansing from the domestic and industrial waste that has been indiscriminately dumped into it over the years. The figures are telling. About 310 tanneries located in the Jajmau area of Kanpur and 21 tanneries in Unnao dump their solid wastes and chemical effluents into the Ganga.
Toxins in sea worry officials
Officials in Hawai'i and Washington, D.C., are demanding information from the Department of Defense on more than 8,000 tons of chemical weapons that were dumped off O'ahu at the end of World War II and may still be there. The weapons and bulk chemical containers include the lethal toxins hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride and the blistering agents mustard and lewisite.
Millions of Indians eat toxic metals on silver-decorated sweets
Millions of Indians inadvertently eat toxic and carcinogenic metals in the form of thin silver foil traditionally used to garnish sweets and betel leaf, study results say. The silver foil, easily available in Indian markets, contains residues of carcinogenic nickel, lead, chromium and cadmium.
U.S. environmentalists urge Canadians to lead
U.S. environmentalists are calling on Canada to take the lead in negotiating an international climate treaty that goes beyond the Kyoto Protocol without waiting for White House participation. Members of 18 U.S. groups joined Canadian colleagues to press Prime Minister Paul Martin to take a personal role in a major UN climate conference this month in Montreal.
The Pakistan quake: Why 10,000 schools collapsed
Experts say systemic corruption in government construction projects is directly responsible for the devastating losses among northern Pakistan's next generation.
China pledges to double reliance on renewable energy by 2020
China, the world's second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, announced plans yesterday to more than double its reliance on renewable energy by 2020, which could make it a leading player in the wind, solar and hydropower industries.
Hair dye ingredient banned over fears it's a carcinogen
A key ingredient in products used by men to disguise their grey hair has been banned by Health Canada because it is suspected of being a carcinogen and reproductive toxin. Companies that make progressive hair dyes, such as Grecian Formula 16 -- made famous in Canada by hockey great Maurice "Rocket" Richard -- must remove lead acetate or reformulate the products by the end of next year.
Global energy meet agrees roadmap on renewables
Environment officials from around the world agreed in Beijing on Tuesday to work to increase reliance on renewable sources of energy, underscoring a commitment to renewables after oil prices hit record highs.
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