Lake Baikal Article

BOLSHIYE KOTY, Russia (Aug. 10) - The world's oldest, deepest and biggest freshwater lake is growing warmer, dirtier and more crowded.

Lyubov Izmestieva is charting these insidious changes. Marina Rikhvanova is fighting them. And the fate of one of the world's rarest ecosystems, a turquoise jewel set in the vast Siberian taiga, hangs in the balance.

For centuries Lake Baikal has inspired wonder and, more recently, impassioned defenders. With more fresh water than the Great Lakes combined, and home to 1,500 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, Baikal has been called Sacred Sea, Pearl of Siberia, Galapagos of Russia.

But these pristine waters, a mile deep in some places, are threatened by polluting factories, a uranium enrichment facility, timber harvesting, and, increasingly, Earth's warming climate. The struggle has turned nasty, with Rikhvanova, an environmental activist, claiming the authorities even dragooned her own son into a violent attack on her group.

Tourists, most of them newly prosperous Russians, are flocking to the lake, filling the beaches, building vacation dachas and changing the lake's ecology. Resorts are opening. There are more fishermen, hunters and boaters.

The lake's significance goes far beyond Russia's borders; its size and fragility, say environmentalists, makes it a sort of test case for such bodies of fresh water around the world.
"Baikal is the greatest lake in the world. It is a limitless reserve and source for water that all of humanity can drink without any sort of purification," says Izmestieva, a third-generation biologist. "This is a priceless gift for everyone, whether you live in Bolshiye Koty or Florida ... or Kansas."

Shimmering, crystalline waters lap at the hull of the boat named for Izmestieva's scientist grandfather, Mikhail Kozhov, as her colleagues sort plastic jugs and glass bottles and prepare for the day's work.

Lyudmila Ryabenka lowers a plate-sized disc into the rolling waves to measure transparency and quality. Then she winches a cone-shaped net deep into the lake to pull up phytoplankton -- tiny plants that are an essential food source for many fish and shellfish. Later, she and another biologist use a glass cylinder to measure water temperature and collect animal plankton samples.
On the return to the ramshackle village of Bolshiye Koty, Ryabenka says the sampling is sometimes tedious. When the boat pitches or the Siberian winter winds howl, it's even harder. "We say that only romantics do this sort of work."

But every week to 10 days, four seasons a year, for more than 60 years, Izmestiva's family and their colleagues has kept at it.

Izmestiva, 56, the gruff-spoken director of Irkutsk State University's Scientific Research Institute of Biology, is the third generation in her family to do this work. Starting in 1945, her grandfather sailed out onto Baikal's waters -- or trudged out on its ice -- to take samples. When he died, Izmestieva's mother continued the work until her death in 2000. Izmestiva then took over.

Taking the samples became a family ritual, she says. "There's a kind of work that just has to be done whether you like it or not. ... And it's just worked out that we're the ones who have to do it."

The result has been a remarkable trove of data published in the U.S. journal Global Change Biology in an extraordinary paper that concluded Baikal is warming and its food web changing. That echoes other evidence of climate change, including thinning lake ice, arriving later and leaving earlier.

Izmestieva and her colleagues supplement small academic salaries (around $200 a month) consulting for private companies. They store samples in old champagne and vodka bottles. Their work space is the porch of a tired-looking shore-side cabin in Bolshiye Koty.

Now, the university rector wants to rent out the institute's cabins to tourists. That, Izmestieva says, would likely deprive the scientists of a base from which to monitor the lake's changing nature.

"No one will do this if we don't," she says.

Some 20 to 30 million years ago, scientists believe, a rift in the Earth's crust created Baikal's 400-mile-long, sickle-shaped basin.

Today the lake near the Mongolian border, 2,600 miles east of Moscow, contains one-fifth of the world's fresh water, enough to provide Earth's 7 billion people with six cups of water a day for the next 6,000 years.

It's a sprawling outdoor laboratory of biological diversity comparable to the rich fauna of the Galapagos Islands. Geologists come to study the formation of the Asian continent. Biologists probe such mysteries as how a lake 1,000 miles inland became home to the world's only true species of freshwater seals.

Last month two small, manned submarines reached the bottom of the lake with scientists on board to take soil and water samples. The 5,223-foot dive fell just short of setting a world record.

Baikal inspired the Soviet Union's environmental movement in the 1960s, after Izmestieva's grandfather and other scientists spoke out against Nikita Khrushchev's plans to build a pulp and paper factory on its shores.

Today Marina Rikhvanova, who helped found the nonprofit group Baikal Ecological Wave, is still fighting to close the mill, which has created a dead zone miles wide in the lake and may be contaminating the seals.

A few years back her group led protests against a 2,700-mile oil pipeline, part of which would run along the lake's northern shores. The group's books were audited by authorities, its computers seized and its phones tapped -- retaliation, she says, for fighting the pipeline.

In 2006, then President Vladimir Putin ordered the pipeline rerouted, a rare victory for Russian environmentalists that earned Rikhvanova international accolades. This year she won a prestigious, $150,000 award from the U.S.-based Goldman Foundation.

The 47-year-old former scientist says the victory demonstrates Baikal's potency as a symbol.
The lake "is an indicator of whether modern man can curb his appetite and preserve what nature has created," she says, surrounded by shelves of maps, nature guides and scientific papers. "It's a kind of red line for humanity."

Now she's taking on Kremlin plans to build a uranium enrichment facility 60 miles west of the lake, which would produce nuclear fuel. Officials say the project would bring thousands of jobs to this poor region. Environmentalists say it's a grave mistake that would threaten a natural wonder with radiation.

A year ago Rikhvanova helped organize a tent camp protest not far from the site of the proposed facility. Skinhead nationalists attacked the camp and beat the protesters, one fatally.
Rikhvanova's son, Pavel, was among the intruders, although he denies hurting anyone. She alleges that authorities set up her son in an effort to embarrass her organization. Prosecutors officials refused to comment. Pavel remains in custody.

Despite her personal pain, she says, she is not about to give up. Baikal is too important. "When you see results from your work, you want to continue," she says. "You have to persevere."

UN News May 14 Billion Tree Campaign

‘BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN’ BLOSSOMS TO SEVEN TIMES ITS SIZE, UN AGENCY SAYS
New York, May 13 2008 3:00PM
A grassroots campaign to plant trees around the globe has announced that it is raising its target from 1 billion trees to 7 billion trees, the United Nations <" http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=535&ArticleID=5806&l=en">announced today.

The campaign, which is under the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder Professor Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert II of Monaco, also announced today that in 18 months it has seen two billion trees planted, double its original target.

The campaign was launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in 2006 as a response to the threat of global warming.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said today: “Having exceeded every target that has been set for the campaign, we are now calling on individuals, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments to evolve this initiative on to a new and even higher level by the crucial climate change conference in Copenhagen in late 2009.”

Tree planting remains one of the most cost-effective ways to address climate change. Trees and forests play a vital role in regulating the climate since they absorb carbon dioxide. Deforestation, in turn, accounts for over 20% of the carbon dioxide humans generate, rivaling the emissions from other sources.

Trees also play a crucial role in providing a range of products and services to rural and urban populations, including food, timber, fibre, medicines and energy as well as soil fertility, water and biodiversity conservation.

In terms of geographic distribution, Africa is the leading region with over half of all tree plantings. Regional and national governments organized the most massive plantings, with Ethiopia leading the count at 700 million, followed by Turkey (400 million), Mexico (250 million), and Kenya (100 million).

The two billionth tree was put into the ground as part of an agroforestry project carried out by the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP). It has now planted 60 million trees in 35 countries to improve food security.
2008-05-13 00:00:00.000

UN News May 12

UN-BACKED SUMMIT TO SPOTLIGHT PRIVATE SECTOR’S ROLE IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, May 12 2008 4:00PM
The United Nations will take part in a global meeting next year to assess how a new global climate change policy can also address the needs of the business community, it was announced today.

The World Business Summit on Climate Change, which will take place next May in Copenhagen, Denmark, seeks to ensure that the successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol will provide the right incentives to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Along with the <" http://www.unglobalcompact.org/">UN Global Compact – the world body’s voluntary corporate citizen initiative – the gathering will be convened by the Copenhagen Climate Council, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

Organizers expect hundreds of top executives, government officials, leading experts and heads of civil society to attend to assess how the private sector can play a role in addressing global warming through innovative business approaches, new joint ventures and the development of low-carbon technologies.

The World Business Summit is expected to produce recommendations to be forwarded onto world leaders negotiating a successor pact to the <" http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php">Kyoto Protocol, expiring in 2012. Those talks are scheduled to wrap up at a key UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<" http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) in December 2009, also to take place in Copenhagen.
2008-05-12 00:00:00.000

THOUSANDS GATHER FOR MEETING ON UN-BACKED TREATY ON BIOSAFETY
New York, May 12 2008 8:00PM
More than 3000 participants from 147 countries have assembled in Bonn, the former German capital, for the start of a week-long <" http://www.cbd.int/mop4/">meeting on how to improve their commitments to ensuring the safe use of modern biotechnology as outlined under a United Nations-backed treaty.

The fourth meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, itself a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, began today in Bonn, according to a <"http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2008/pr-2008-05-12-mop-en.pdf">news release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The agency said that one of the priorities of this week’s meeting will be to try to reach agreement on international rules on liability and redress for potential damages caused by the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs), often known as genetically modified organisms.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention, urged the delegates at the meeting to “seize the moment” and reach agreement.

“You are mandated to fulfil the requirement, set out in Article 27 in 2000, when the Protocol was signed,” he said. “In doing this, you will ensure the effective implementation of the Protocol.”

Participants at the conference in Bonn will also discuss other issues, including finding ways to finance the continued work of the Protocol and assessing the socio-economic impact that LMOs have on biodiversity.
2008-05-12 00:00:00.000

News From The Grist.org

4/29 Start Your EnginesFeds set fuel-economy benchmarks for automakers
Federal regulators last week proposed benchmarks for automakers to hit on their way to reaching a fuel-economy requirement of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Auto fleets will have to average 27.8 mpg by 2011 and 31.6 mpg by 2015 -- a more aggressive timetable than was required by Congress. That's 35.7 mpg for passenger cars in 2015 (new cars averaged 31.3 mpg last year) and 28.6 mpg for light trucks (new trucks averaged 23.1 mpg last year). The proposed standards were timed to coincide with Earth Day, and came one day after the average price of gasoline in the U.S. topped $3.50 a gallon for the first time. Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers spokesfolks said the numbers will "stretch the industry to innovate" and that "automakers are prepared to meet that challenge." Environmentalists were set to applaud the surprisingly ambitious targets before reading more closely: included in the 417-page proposal was the statement that the even stricter tailpipe-emissions laws favored by California and 17 other states are "an obstacle to the accomplishment" of the feds' proposed regulations and are "expressly and impliedly preempted" by federal law.
see also, in Gristmill: Governors rally against dirty Bush car

Interference and Loathing in Washington, D.C. Over 800 EPA scientists report political interference in their work, survey says
More than 800 U.S. EPA scientists reported some form of political interference in their work in the last five years, according to a survey of EPA staff by the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS sent out some 5,500 questionnaires to EPA scientists and received some 1,580 responses; over half the respondents asserted they had experienced political meddling of one kind or another in their work. Those most likely to report interference worked in offices involved in writing regulations or conducting risk assessments. Industry groups and the White House Office of Management and Budget were cited repeatedly by the EPA scientists as sources of pressure. Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter to EPA head Stephen Johnson last week warning of an upcoming hearing on the UCS survey results. "These survey results suggest a pattern of ignoring and manipulating science in EPA's decision making," Waxman wrote

Mountain pine beetles fueling climate change via tree deaths
Ravenous populations of mountain pine beetles in Canada's forests are contributing significantly to climate change through killing off large numbers of trees, according to a study in the journal Nature. So far, the beetles have killed trees in over 50,000 square miles of forests in western Canada, and hundreds of thousands of square miles in the western United States. "When trees are killed, they no longer are able to take carbon from the atmosphere. Then when dead trees start to decompose, that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," said study coauthor Werner Kurz. The study estimates that by 2020, beetle-killed trees in Canada could release some 270 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. "This is the kind of feedback we're all very worried about in the carbon cycle -- a warming planet leading to, in this case, an insect outbreak that increases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can increase warming," said Andy Jacobson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Congress investigating industry's role in bisphenol-A health studies
Democrats in Congress are investigating the chemical industry's influence in regulating the chemical bisphenol A, which is widely used in many plastic products and the lining of food cans. Over the years, plenty of evidence has surfaced that bisphenol A can potentially harm human health as it can mimic the effects of estrogen and has been shown to affect the health of lab animals even at very low doses; BPA has also been linked to breast and prostate cancer. However, the U.S. EPA and the Food and Drug Administration have insisted on BPA's safety, due largely to industry studies that conclude the chemical poses little risk, despite over 100 non-industry studies to the contrary. One focus of the congressional investigation will be the role played by a for-hire private firm specializing in defending products from legal and regulatory action. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who is leading the investigation, said the group's tactics "raise serious questions about whether science is for sale at these consulting groups, and the effect this faulty science might have on the public health."

At Lung Last Smog can kill, says report
Short-term exposure to smog is clearly linked to premature deaths, a National Academy of Sciences report has concluded. Some Bush administration officials have claimed that the link between ground-level ozone and health is, well, hazy: when the U.S. EPA was determining acceptable air standards for ozone last month, officials in the Office of Management and Budget claimed there was "considerable uncertainty" of a link. But the NAS declared that such arguments should be given "little or no weight," and that agencies should assume that smog can kill when formulating future regulations.

Drawing on Experience
Architect R.K. Stewart on building the future of sustainable design
If breathless media reports are to be believed, green building is sweeping the nation. But how much are architecture students, real-estate lenders, and communities really latching on to the trend, and where will it go from here? Sarah van Schagen talked with former American Institute of Architects prez R.K. Stewart to find out.

Me, worry? Most Americans don't believe global warming will pose a threat to them.by Maywa Montenegro
Virtual water is the new carbon footprint. Calculate how much water your lifestyle requires.by Sarah van Schagen
Rationing food in the land of plenty? It's happening, reports The New York Sun.by Tom Philpott
Power to the people. Neighbors help neighbors get power from the sun.by Erik Hoffner
Generate energy locally; recycle whenever possible. A Pollan-esque energy objective in six words ... and then some.by Sean Casten
Please, sir, I want some GMOs. Worldwide resistance to GMOs dwindles as food bills rise.by Tom Philpott
Sticker shock! What's causing the sudden run-up in food prices?by Tom Philpott
Thinking outside the cereal box. Thoughts on the farm bill and the skyrocketing cost of food.by Alan Hunt
What are GMOs good for, again? Study: transgenic soy brings lower yields than conventional.by Tom Philpott

4/23
Down to the Last Drop Nalgene, Wal-Mart back away from BPA

Bottle manufacturer Nalgene will stop using plastic containing bisphenol A in response to concerns from the National Toxicology Program and the Canadian health department that the chemical probably shouldn't be sucked on by kids. Nalgene says it still believes its clear, hard plastic bottles "are safe for their intended use" but says it's responding to customers who "indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives." Wal-Mart also announced it would pull all baby bottles made with BPA from its shelves by early next year.

Cries on the Prize Chevron throws hissy fit that anti-Chevron activists received award
Chevron is throwing a hissy fit over the Goldman Environmental Prize awarded to two Ecuadorian activists who want the oil company to clean up pollution in the Amazon rain forest. Texaco, which was acquired by Chevron in 2001, dumped 18.5 billion gallons of petrochemical waste in the Amazon between 1972 and 1992. Lawyer Pablo Fajardo and community organizer Luis Yanza won the Goldman Prize for spearheading a lawsuit against Chevron, saying it should be responsible for cleanup. But Chevron claims that a $40 million cleanup by Texaco in 1992 was sufficient. Chevron says through spokesfolks that the Goldman Foundation was "misled," that Fajardo and Yanza are "nothing but con men," and that "the only thing green they are interested in is money." The Goldman Foundation says its awards are thoroughly researched and fact-checked, and it continues to commend Yanza and Fajardo for taking on Big Oil.

Pet Scan Cats and dogs contaminated with chemicals, says study
Fido and Fluffy are contaminated with higher levels of toxic chemicals than humans are, according to a report from the Environmental Working Group. In a test of the blood and urine of dozens of cats and dogs, researchers found 48 industrial chemicals. The contamination likely comes from such actions as gnawing on plastic toys, sleeping on fire-retardant-covered furniture, frolicking on pesticide-laden lawns, eating potentially mercury-laden pet food, and, of course, all that licking. Researchers point to a recent uptick in animal cancers and hyperthyroidism. "Our animals are trying to tell us something here," says EWG's Bill Walker. Something besides, "Feed me, play with me, I gotta pee, feed me," that is.

Faint Nicholas Nicholas Stern says climate change worse than he thought
Nicholas Stern, the British economist known for a major report in which he declared that combating climate change would cost less than ignoring it, has announced that he was wrong -- about how bad the problem is. "We badly underestimated the degree of damages and the risks of climate change" in the Oct. 2006 report, he speechified last week. "All of the links in the chain are on average worse than we thought a couple of years ago." Thawing permafrost is releasing methane, oceans are acidifying faster than expected, and carbon sinks are becoming less effective, said Stern. He urged nations to come up with a stringent global climate treaty taking food production into account, and reiterated that the world should aim to produce zero-carbon electricity by 2050 (he backs carbon sequestration, nuclear power, and renewable energy). "This is about buying down risk," Stern said. "Starting now, that means it requires at least 1 percent of world GDP. That is small relative to a planetary catastrophe."

On His Pope-box Pope preaches environmental protection to United Nations
After gallivanting around Washington, D.C., Pope Benedict XVI traveled to New York Friday to make an address to the United Nations General Assembly. In a speech largely focused on human rights, the pope also made note of the world's plentiful other problems, including "the protection of the environment, of resources, and of the climate." Our environmental, security, development, and inequality issues "require from the international community that it act on a common basis," the pope said. He also had papal thoughts on religion-infused science. "[I]nternational action to preserve the environment and to protect various forms of life on earth must not only guarantee a rational use of technology and science, but must also rediscover the authentic image of creation," he said. "This never requires a choice to be made between science and ethics: rather it is a question of adopting a scientific method that is truly respectful of ethical imperatives

10 Green Gadgets Eco-conscious gizmos for the enviro to lust after
Dedicated enviros shun consumption, and for good reason. But some consumer items aren't all bad, and might even (gasp!) be good, particularly if they replace more harmful products or encourage greener living. We've rounded up 10 gadgets that a loyal greenie can covet in good conscience -- check 'em out.

350 Sense McKibben kicks off 350.org, a new international grassroots climate campaign
Bill McKibben -- author, activist, and the mastermind behind last year's nationwide Step It Up marches -- has a new climate-change-fightin' venture, 350.org. The aim is to stamp 350 into the minds of everyone on Earth, and McKibben wants you to help. The number 350 is the parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere that we must aim for if we want to keep the planet relatively safe and sane, according to climate scientist James Hansen and others. Read about how surfers, tarps, and church bells are already getting the message out.

Am I Blue? Adam Werbach calls for a new movement of a billion consumers
In 2004, former Sierra Club President Adam Werbach made by a splash by asking, "Is environmentalism dead?" Now he's back with a new provocative idea he's calling the "birth of blue." Werbach -- who's been working recently to help Wal-Mart employees adopt more sustainable lifestyles -- is calling for a new "blue" movement of a billion consumers buying greener products and making other positive changes in their daily lives. Is he on the right track? Read his speech and tell us what you think.

We'll Always Have Paris. Meeting of major economies ends with little progress.
New and improved ecological footprint calculator from Redefining Progress.by David Roberts
The best technology to protect the earth. Concentrated solar thermal power: a core climate solution.by Joseph Romm
An additional note on additionality. Carbon projects 'under attack' as U.N. clamps down.by Adam Stein
Oil hysteria. Let's rebuild our national rail network instead of repealing the gas tax.by Jon Rynn
Paint by number. Seattle artist illustrates statistics on waste, health, and consumption.by Adam Browning
Lapel-pin patriotism vs. protecting this country against its greatest threat. True patriots would fight global warming.by Joseph Romm
Who's cashing in on the high price of food? With food riots raging in dozens of countries, let's open the books on the finances of Big Ag.by Anna Lappe
School-lunch crunch. Higher food prices mean crappier cafeteria fare for kids.by Tom Philpott

Lights Out For Earth Hour 3/29

This Saturday, a global "lights out" event called Earth Hour is being held to call for immediate action on climate change. Nearly 200 cities and millions of people worldwide are expected to participate by turning off home and building lights from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm local time.

Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Phoenix are hosting city-wide events, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Niagara Falls, the Sears Tower and Wrigley Field will turn off nonessential lights for the hour.

Our friends at the World Wildlife Fund, who are organizing this event, expect it to be "among the largest global calls for climate change action ever."

As always, thank you for all you do to make progress.

Alan and the CAPAF Advocacy Team

If you aren't already on our action alert list, click here to get on it.

Don't forget to register to vote! If you aren't registered already, click here now!

Plant Based Meals

Can Peanut Butter and Jelly Save the World?
From Larry West,
Your Guide to Environmental Issues.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Eating plant-based meals conserves natural resources and slows global warming

Looking for small ways to make a big difference for the environment? Why not start by making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?
As members of the PB&J Campaign(no, I’m not kidding) like to say, “You don’t have to change your whole diet to change the world. Just start with lunch.”

Eating a plant-based lunch (such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bean burrito, vegetarian chili, or a hearty salad) instead of an animal-based lunch (such as a hamburger, a tuna or grilled cheese sandwich, fish and chips, or chicken nuggets) will save water, preserve land and slow global warming.

How Eating a PB&J Sandwich Slows Global Warming
Every time you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or other plant-based meal instead of an animal-based lunch, such as a hamburger, you save the equivalent of almost 3.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, including 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide.

That’s about 40 percent of the carbon you would save by driving a hybrid vehicle for the day instead of a standard sedan.
How Eating a PB&J Sandwich Saves Water
Growing plants for food takes a lot less water than raising animals. As a result, every time you substitute a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or some other plant-based meal for an animal-based meal such as a hamburger, you save about 280 gallons of water. Eat three PB&J sandwiches a month instead of animal-based meals and you can save as much water as you would by switching to a low-flow showerhead.

How Eating a PB&J Sandwich Saves Land
Raising animals for food takes a lot of space. For example, animal products require 6 to 17 times as much land as soy to produce the same amount of protein. Eating a plant-based lunch like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of a hamburger, ham sandwich, or another animal-based meal saves anywhere from 12 to 50 square feet of land from deforestation, overgrazing, and pesticide and fertilizer pollution.

How Eating One PB&J Sandwich Helps the Environment
By eating lower on the food chain—plants instead of animals—you also consume fewer resources. Why? Because, basically, everything you eat comes from plants. You either eat plants directly—in the form of fruits, vegetables and plant products such as peanut butter—or indirectly after animals have converted plants into meat, milk, eggs, butter and cheese.

The problem is that animals are not very efficient as living food factories that convert plants into food for humans. Animals use most of the plants they eat to produce the energy they need to walk around and keep breathing. To stay alive long enough to become part of your lunch or dinner menu, every cow, pig and chicken has to eat much more protein, carbohydrates and other nutrients than it will yield once the ax finally falls. As a result, it takes several pounds of plants to produce one pound of beef, pork, chicken, eggs or milk.

Inevitably, that means it also takes a lot more land, water and fuel to produce one pound of meat, milk or eggs than it does to produce one pound of edible plants. Not only do the animals need food, water and room to roam, but growing the plants to feed the animals that will, in turn, become food for you requires even more land and water as well as fuel for farm machinery and irrigation pumps.

To help provide some context, the PB&J Campaign says the water required to produce the beef in one hamburger could grow enough peanuts for 17 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And the land required to put that same beef patty on your bun could produce enough peanuts for 19 PB&J lunches.

How You and Your Diet Can Make a Difference
Basically, this all comes down to your power as a consumer. Every time you choose a hamburger, omelet or grilled cheese sandwich over a plant-based meal, you’re telling your local restaurants and supermarkets to buy more meat, eggs and dairy products. By choosing more plant-based meals, you’re asking for less meat and a more efficient use of resources. Either way, your unspoken but unmistakable messages are received by your local merchants and conveyed to wholesalers and farmers.

Want to do more? Share this information with your friends, coworkers and family members and urge them to take action. Urge your school or office cafeteria, or the local restaurants you frequent, to offer more plant-based dishes. Organize a weekly PB&J lunch (or other plant-based meals) at work, home or school and calculate the positive environmental contribution you’ve made.

A Special Word About Seafood
Often, when people start thinking about reducing their meat consumption, their thoughts turn to seafood. Unfortunately, if your goal in consuming fewer meat-based meals is to eat more efficiently, reduce your carbon footprint, and free up more resources, then seafood is no better option than beef, chicken or pork.

All seafood arrives on your dinner plate from one of two sources: it’s either caught by commercial fishing boats or raised on fish farms. About half of the seafood we eat is wild-caught, but commercial fishing creates a lot of greenhouse gas emissions because fishing boats use a lot of fuel.

There are also other environmental problems with wild-caught seafood. First, 69 percent of the world’s major fish species are endangered and in decline, according to estimates by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Second, many commercial fishing methods do a lot of environmental harm. For example, trawling scrapes up everything in its path, turning delicate marine ecosystems into undersea deserts, while long-line fishing results in a tremendous amount of bycatch, fish that are hooked unintentionally and discarded in pursuit of the target species.

Aquaculture, or fish farming, poses many of the same problems as the process of farming other animals for food. If farmed fish and shellfish eat grain and soy, then raising them commercially is as inefficient as fattening cattle or hogs. If the farmed fish eat fish meal, which is made from wild- caught fish, then they contribute indirectly to the environmental problems caused by commercial fishing: greenhouse gas emissions, over-fishing, bycatch, and environmental degradation.

The next time you go grocery shopping or order a meal in a restaurant, don't think exclusively about flavor and price. Give some thought as well to the long-term environmental effects of the food you choose to eat. It makes a difference.

Sources:

Global warming statistics: The global warming calculations are based on information from “Diet, Energy, and Global Warming,” by Gidon Eshel and Pamela A. Martin of the University of Chicago.
Water statistics: The water figures are based on information in “Water Footprint of Nations,” a report by the 2004 UNESCO Institute for Water Education.
Land statistics: The land statistics are based on information from the “Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices,” by Lucas Reijnders and Sam Soret, which appeared in a 2003 supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and on the protein output per acre for soy and peanuts reported in the 1996 edition of Food, Energy, and Society, edited by Pimentel and Pimentel.

International News Articles

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10/26 Live Earth Carbon Foot Print Report
Updated 12/20- Greentech E News
12/12 Alliance For Climate Protection News
12/20 - updated UN Summit Notes
Updated 12/20 Wilderness Society Newsletter
7/6 Live Earth Concerts, Project and Pledge

UN Summit Notes

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to: http://radio.un.org/
12/17/07
NEW REPORT TRACES UN GLOBAL COMPACT ACTIVITIES IN NEARLY 90 COUNTRIESNew York, Dec 17 2007 7:00PMThe United Nations http://www.unglobalcompact.org/NewsAndEvents/news_archives/2007_12_17.html
Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative, today launched its first-ever report on its country-level activities in nearly 90 nations.

The “Local Network Report” provides an overview of the activities of Global Compact Local Networks (GCLNs), which further the progress of companies engaged in the Compact and help them implement its principles.

For example, the study highlighted a series of lunch meetings in Trinidad and Tobago to provide a forum for business leaders to meet regularly to discuss corporate citizenship.

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, a directory profiling 70 national and international companies which are part of the GCLN has been created to provide the public with information on these organizations’ activities.

In the past two years alone, the number of GCLNs has doubled and now there are initiatives emerging or already in existence in nearly 90 countries. Recent launches have occurred in the Republic of Korea, Côte d’Ivoire, Viet Nam, the Dominican Republic, Turkey and the United States, among others.

The Global Compact was launched in 2000 with 47 companies, and as of this month, has grown to more than 5,000 participants – among them trade unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and some 3,600 businesses – in over 100 countries. They have all pledged to observe 10 universal principles pertaining to human rights, labour rights, the environment and combating corruption.
2007-12-17 00:00:00.000 ___________________


PRIVATE SECTOR SHOULD LEAD FIGHT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, BAN KI-MOON SAYS
New York, Oct 11 2007 5:00PM
The private sector should take the lead on tackling the challenges posed by climate change, from investing in clean new technologies to encouraging countries and industries to make the necessary adaptations to change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told business leaders in Washington today.

Speaking to the United States Chamber of Commerce this afternoon, Mr. Ban said the role played by US businesses would prove particularly vital given their financial resources and historic leadership in technological innovation.

“We can promote economic growth, spur development and respond to climate change – this is not an either/or proposition,” he said. “Your ability to determine investment flows gives you great influence over the pace of innovation, technological change and adaptation.”

The Secretary-General called on business leaders to develop “innovative market mechanisms” as a means of combating climate change, particularly the perils raised by greenhouse gas emissions.

“I hope you will approach the carbon market as a major economic opening, one that has tripled in size $30 billion in just the past year alone. An expanded and improved carbon market is an essential part of the solution.” The carbon market is a mechanism allowing companies to trade emissions credits in order to ensure that mandated caps are met.

Climate change is also the focus of two other speeches that Mr. Ban is giving during his two-day visit to Washington that ends tomorrow.

Tonight he is expected to tell the National Association of Evangelicals that tackling climate change and global warming is a “moral imperative and a defining issue of our era.”

Mr. Ban will warn that the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide are in jeopardy from climate change.

“Without a strong global effort against global warming, we will fail in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the implicit human right to economic justice and development,” he said, referring to a set of antipoverty targets which leaders at a 2000 UN summit said should be reached by 2015.

The Secretary-General is also due to address the staff of the US Peace Corps tomorrow before returning to UN Headquarters in New York.
2007-10-11 00:00:00.000

CLIMATE CHANGE THE FOCUS OF SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TRIP TO WASHINGTON
New York, Oct 10 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will head tomorrow to Washington for meetings that will focus on the perils of climate change and the importance of achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

United Nations spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters that the Secretary-General will meet with chief executive officers at the United States Chamber of Commerce to discuss climate change issues.

The same subject will be on the agenda when Mr. Ban gives the keynote address later tomorrow to an event organized by the National Association of Evangelicals.

He is also expected to discuss the need to meet the MDGs, which world leaders agreed at a UN summit in 2000 to strive to achieve by 2015.

Ms. Montas said that on Friday the Secretary-General will meet with members of the US Peace Corps before returning to UN Headquarters in New York.
2007-10-10 00:00:00.000

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES NEED HELP TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE, OFFICIALS TELL UN
New York, Oct 3 2007 3:00PM
Senior officials from a number of developing countries today called for greater international cooperation to help the world’s poor and vulnerable States respond to climate change – the central focus of this year’s annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.

Marco Hausiku, the Foreign Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/namibia-en.pdf Namibia, said climate change is a global issue with serious implications for economic growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of global anti-poverty targets toward the year 2015.

“The international community has to live up to its commitment to provide resources to developing countries to adapt to the effect of climate change,” he told the Assembly. “By the same token, compulsory targets must be set for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”

He called for a greater sense of urgency and international action. “Namibia is not happy with the rate at which investments are made in the development of renewable and clean energy sources,” he said. “I would like to call upon the private sector to join hands with governments to develop and apply technologies that can mitigate climate change.”

Seyoum Mesfin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/ethiopia-en.pdf Ethiopia, said Africa is “exceptionally” vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “So many of us live on the margins that the smallest difference in climate can mean the difference between sufficiency and famine, survival and death,” he said.

While acknowledging that this global challenge requires a global response, he cautioned that “the need for speedy economic development in countries such as Ethiopia, and in Africa, as a whole should not be compromised in the interest of reversing a dangerous climatic situation for the creation of which we have no responsibility.”

Through effective international cooperation, it should be possible to ensure that the development process in countries such as Ethiopia will be environmentally friendly. Toward that end, he welcomed a proposal put forward by Brazil to convene in 2012 a new UN conference on environment and development.

Also urging a global partnership against climate change, the Foreign Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/suriname-eng.pdf Suriname, Lygia Kraag-Keteldijk, pointed out that the countries least able to respond will be the hardest-hit. “The effects of climate change will be felt in all parts of the world,” she said, “however the impact will be worse in small and vulnerable States.”

For Suriname, a low-lying coastal country, sea-level rise could be “catastrophic,” she said. In response, the Government has designated a large part of its land mass as a World Heritage Site monitored by the UN Educational Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), she added.

She said all countries must work for a common solution. “We call on the international community and development partners to increase their efforts and to continue their technical and financial support to developing countries to safeguard the world environment for current and future generations.”

Philip Sealy, Permanent Representative of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/trinidadandtobago-eng.pdf Trinidad and Tobago, said it was important that any decisions or timetable for emission reductions be implemented as soon as practicable.

“The world is already committed to an increase 1.14 degrees Celsius by the end of the next two decades” as a result of emissions from fossil fuel use and deforestation, Mr. Sealy said, adding that a strategy is needed to ensure that the long-term temperature increase is no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Concerns about climate change were also taken up by representatives of industrialized countries during the high-level debate today, with http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/newzealand-eng.pdf New Zealand’s Permanent Representative Rosemary Banks calling for a “road map” to emerge during the global summit on the issue in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

“The road map will need to include all relevant pieces of the climate change puzzle,” Ms. Banks said, calling for all economies to be placed on “low-carbon pathways over time. Market mechanisms will have a significant role to play. Individual countries will face different challenges. Different national circumstances must be taken into account.”
2007-10-03 00:00:00.000

PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS SPOTLIGHT PERILS OF CLIMATE CHANGE DURING ADDRESSES TO UN
New York, Oct 1 2007 10:00PM
Developing countries must be allowed to make voluntary commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions under any new global agreement to deal with the effects of climate change, the Deputy Prime Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/tuvalu-eng.pdf Tuvalu told the General Assembly today.

Tavau Teii, who is also his country’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister, said the international summit being held in Bali, Indonesia, in December, “will be very important” in determining how and whether the world can respond successfully to the impact of global warming.

Any agreement emerging from the Bali summit should reconfirm the importance of the Kyoto Protocol concerning greenhouse gas emissions and encourage States Parties to make new and substantial emissions reductions, he said at the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.

Mr. Teii said newly industrialized countries and States with economies in transition should be encouraged to take on pledges to reduce their emissions.

A new negotiation process under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) should also be agreed, he said, to set up a legal agreement allowing developing countries to make voluntary commitments to reduce their emissions.

“Under this arrangement we envisage that developing countries will be able to take voluntary commitments to reduce emissions from the energy, transport and forest sectors. These commitments would be linked to appropriate incentive mechanisms.”

Mr. Teii also said it was important that any reductions in emissions from deforestation should not come at the expense of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/vanuatu-eng.pdf Vanuatu’s Foreign Minister George Andre Wells said a rapid reduction in gas emissions must take place within the next 10 to 15 years.

“It is a reality that, if it is not addressed urgently, will have irreversible effects on the agriculture and tourism sectors which constitute the core pillars of development of many of our island economies.”

Mr. Wells said the effect of climate change – such as rising sea levels – on agriculture production, water quality and infrastructure development was of critical importance to his nation.

“For many small island States and least developed countries (LDCs) meeting the challenges of climate change will only add additional stress to their financial, human and institutional capacities.”

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/mongolia-en.pdf Mongolia’s Foreign Minister Enkhbold Nyamaa told the high-level debate that climate change was already having an impact on nations large and small, coastal and landlocked – like his own.

Desertification has become rampant in Mongolia, he said, with pastures supporting the semi-nomadic lifestyle of many locals dwindling and becoming more fragile.

Extreme weather conditions have also become more common in recent years, particularly droughts and the phenomenon known as “dzud,” a cold winter with heavy snowfalls.

Any agreements that succeeds or supplants the Kyoto Protocol “should be flexible and diverse, taking into consideration circumstances in each country,” Mr. Nyamaa stressed.

“It must include all the major emitters and achieve compatibility between environmental protection and economic growth by utilizing advances in technologies to the greatest extent possible.”
2007-10-01 00:00:00.000

ISLAND NATIONS TELL UN POWERFUL STATES MUST SHOW LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Sep 28 2007 4:00PM
The greatest burden in the global fight against climate change should be borne by the world’s powerful countries, which are also often the leading producers of greenhouse gas emissions, the leaders of several island nations told the General Assembly today.

Addressing the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, the representatives also called on affluent nations to increase their level of spending towards an adaptation fund to help the most vulnerable States adjust their economies and infrastructure to cope with the impact of global warming.

“Obviously we have failed badly as custodians of the planet and its future,” http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/samoa-eng.pdf Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi said, adding it was imperative that a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions be devised “that is effective, binding, capable of swift implementation and universally owned and respected by the 192 UN Member States.”

Mr. Malielegaoi called on “those Member States of our Organization in position of world leadership to lead the charge in finding and implementing solutions.”

Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/barbuda-en.pdf Antigua and Barbuda, said the collective response to climate change “represents a monumental test of the political will and courage of humanity in general, but especially of the political leaders of the most powerful countries.”

He also urged greater spending on the adaptation fund, noting that small island States were among the most vulnerable in the world – to natural disasters as much as climate change.

“Because of our size and the nature of our primary economic activity, the infrastructure of an entire country can be destroyed by, for example, the passage of a single hurricane,” he said.

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/marshallislands-en.pdf Marshall Islands’ President Kessai H. Note echoed the call for increased spending to help small and poor nations adapt.

“While we are committed to playing our part, strong leadership is required by the major industrialized countries,” the President of the Pacific island nation said.

Mr. Note called on the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases to ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately, warning that his country faced dire consequences unless urgent action was taken.

“I find no pride in having coined the term ‘ecological refugee’ – it is my deepest hope that no one – and certainly no one in the Marshall Islands, will have to bear that title,” he added.

Stephenson King, Prime Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/saintlucia-en.pdf Saint Lucia, said it was important to work within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when devising solutions.

Mr. King stressed “that the large producers of greenhouse gases must bear the responsibility for the damage being caused to the global environment, and in particular to the vulnerable countries whose sustainability and very existence are increasingly threatened by their actions.”
2007-09-28 00:00:00.000

PACIFIC NATIONS SPOTLIGHT IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE DURING UN ASSEMBLY DEBATE
New York, Sep 27 2007 8:00PM
The representatives of four Pacific Ocean nations today used their addresses to the General Assembly to warn the world’s affluent countries to make sure they do not shirk their responsibilities in the global fight against climate change.

Speakers from Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate that their landscapes – with long coastlines exposed to rising sea levels – leave them in the front line of the global warming battle.

Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/papuanewguinea-en.pdf Papua New Guinea, said “we are very concerned to see certain industrialized nations attempting to avoid responsibility for their own carbon emissions and shifting the focus to developing nations.

“Only after industrialized nations take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions will the pathway become clear for lasting solutions. However, as developing countries we are willing to contribute equitably towards a sustainable future.”

The Prime Minister outlined a series of measures he said must be in place in the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is due to expire in 2012.

Those measures include a new global framework dedicated to reducing emissions from deforestation and land degradation, the scaling up of funding for developing countries as they adapt their industries to the impact of climate change, and commitments by wealthy nations to more aggressively cut their emissions.

Micronesia’s President Emanuel Mori said any global response to the various threats posed by climate change should feature the “provision of adequate and additional financing by the developed countries to the most vulnerable to assist us in coping with our adaptation and mitigation requirements.”

Small island developing States such as http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/micronesia-en.pdf Micronesia have a pressing need for greater access to renewable sources of energy so they can move away from a dependence on fossil fuels, Mr. Mori said.

He stressed that a response to climate change will not be effective unless it is pursued “within the frameworks of the United Nations.”

Ludwig Scotty, President of Nauru, said it was unfair that small island developing States were among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change when they collectively contributed so little to the emission of greenhouse gases.

Although he joined the call for developed nations to do more to help poor nations to adapt, Mr. Scotty also said non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the rest of civil society in poor countries can cooperate more to build up capacity in the fight against climate change.

“Capital investments alone are not sufficient,” he said. “The need is to respond to the climate challenge with technology, skills and knowledge which are required to guide us.”

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/palau-en.pdf Palau’s Vice-President Elias Camsek Chin said the proposed reductions under a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol must be ambitious and quantifiable, rather than a set of general intentions.

Mr. Chin warned of the dire consequences if the world’s countries do not agree soon on an urgent programme of emission reduction.

“We are no longer in total control of our own destinies. When temperatures increase, our corals bleach, the seas rise, and the oceans acidify, threatening to demolish our marine biodiversity, jeopardizing our livelihood, and eventually destroying our identity,” he said.
2007-09-27 00:00:00.000

DEVELOPING STATES NEED HELP COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE, MOZAMBICAN LEADER TELLS UN
New York, Sep 26 2007 6:00PM
Developing countries bear the brunt of climate change and need international assistance to help them mitigate its effects, the President of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/mozambique-en.pdf Mozambique told the United Nations General Assembly today.

Addressing the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Armando Emí Guebuza said increases in extreme weather patterns, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change are “felt more harshly in developing countries” which lack the capacity to properly respond.

“More than ever, and in the face of recurrent and more and more devastating tragedies, there is a need for involvement of all members of the international community in the implementation of global actions enshrined in [international] commitments,” he said.

The Mozambican President praised Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for having convened an unprecedented global gathering on the issue earlier this week, which he said “opens up new prospects for the renewed momentum required so that substantial progress can be made during the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held this December in Bali, Indonesia.”

That meeting will be tasked with hammering out a successor to the Convention’s Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but is set to expire in 2012.

The President of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/zambia-eng.pdf Zambia, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, said his country needs assistance in such areas as scientific research, early warning and rapid response to address the effects of climate change.

“Zambia calls for speedy development and transfer of appropriate technologies to help us cope with the negative impacts of climate change as well as put us on a low-carbon economic growth path,” he said.

For its part, Zambia pledged to reduce emissions from industry and other sources, he said. “We call upon industrialized countries, who have a history of producing these emissions, to take serious steps to reduce them,” he said.

“We believe the situation is now serious and narrow national interests in this matter must be discarded.”

King Mswati III of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/swaziland-en.pdf Swaziland said that while countries like his own had developed “pro-green” policies, there was still a need for access to and transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies, particularly from developed to developing countries.

He called for measures to promote technology cooperation which would not only enable the transfer of crucial technological know-how but also help build up local capacity for the efficient use and further development of the transferred technology.

The Swazi leader also encouraged the private sector, particularly multinational corporations, “to be responsible enough to practice in the developing world the same environmental and waste management principles that they practice in the developed world,” including by not dumping harmful waste materials in developing countries.

Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of <"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/switzerland-fr-eng.pdf">Switzerland, said her country has also felt the effects of climate change. “Glaciers are receding and floods are on the increase,” she said. “As far as my country is concerned, the cost of efforts to save the planet affordable, considering the technology that already exists.”

She pointed out that the international community has come together to address poverty and to promote peace and respect for human rights, but added, “our efforts in relation to environmental challenges have not gone far enough.”

Treaties and other mechanisms to deal with the question are fragmented, she said. “We need therefore to unite in order to identify and implement these objectives so that we may make more economical use of the available resources and energy, and protect the biosphere.”

Toward that end, she called for a significant reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. “We also need to help the countries most affected by these changes, the least developed among them in particular, to develop and implement strategies that will enable them to adapt to the changes, and alleviate the adverse effects on them as much as possible.”
2007-09-26 00:00:00.000


AT UN, MADAGASCAR CALLS FOR ‘ECOLOGICAL PARTNERSHIP’ BETWEEN AFRICA, RICH STATES
New York, Sep 26 2007 7:00PM
Africa and the industrialized world should form an “ecological partnership” in which African States supply clean energy and other natural products and wealthy countries increase their investment in the continent, Madagascar’s President told national leaders gathered at the General Assembly today.

“There is an urgent need for the globalization of responsibility,” Marc Ravalomanana said as he called for new strategies that utilize the international community to help African economies advance more quickly and yet still protect their environment.

During previous addresses to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Mr. Ravalomanana has called for a Marshall Plan for Africa to match the economic assistance programme that the United States brought to Europe after World War II.

Reiterating the need for such a plan, he said today that the ecological partnership would form a crucial element.

“Such a partnership could contribute substantially to finding real solutions to some of the climate problems, through a programme of investment. Other important features would be nature conservation, and the preservation of our biodiversity.

“I am convinced that Africa could be the supplier of clean energy, medicinal and industrial plants, as well as other natural products in the future. The world is bound to need more and more of these.”

The Malagasy President said the possibilities in Africa for producing new, clean forms of energy and reducing the output of carbon dioxide were enormous.

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/madagascar-eng.pdf Madagascar could provide some of the energy needs through the development of hydro energy. And half of Madagascar could be reforested. Our island, called the red island, could once again, be known as the green island.”

International help would be vital to this process, he said, stressing “there is a strong link between the quality of the environment and poverty.”

But he voiced concern at what he said was “the lack of seriousness” at forums such as the General Assembly annual high-level debate.

“A lot of promises are made, but not a lot of promises are kept,” the President said, adding that many donor nations are not even close to meeting their vow of doubling aid to Africa.

“Aid to Africa is as weak as ever. Africa can absorb so much more. And all countries would benefit from this.”
2007-09-26 00:00:00.000


GENERAL ASSEMBLY MECHANISM NEEDED TO DEVISE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE – MALTA
New York, Sep 26 2007 9:00PM
The General Assembly should set up a mechanism to devise a global strategy to deal with climate change that avoids the current fragmentation and pays particularly attention to the needs of small island States, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.

Dr. Gonzi told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate that international institutions and organizations such as the United Nations should tackle the issue of global warming and its repercussions “in a more cohesive and concerted manner,” or future generations would pay the price.

“It is imperative that all actors involved in climate risk reduction take a unified stand on a strategy and action to strengthen the resilience of affected countries in building their ability to face and adapt to the adverse impact of climate change,” he said.

Dr. Gonzi said the General Assembly mechanism should also report on all the activities in the field of climate change over the past 20 years to help in proposing its strategy to deal with the problem.

The Prime Minister also welcomed the efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to build momentum – including by holding a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday – on the issue.

“<"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/malta-en.pdf">Malta looks forward to decisions at the Bali summit next December that will orient and accelerate action within the United Nations framework to obtain agreement on a comprehensive, effective, fair and urgent global strategy to limit climate change and adapt to its impacts.”

The negotiations in Bali, Indonesia, are aimed at hammering out a successor pact to the legally binding Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is set to expire in 2012.

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/poland-eng.pdf - PolandPresident Lech Kaczynski told the Assembly that “the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the greatest challenges facing mankind in the years to come,” although he added that “to be objective, it should be noted at this point that many scientists represent dissenting views” about climate change and recent weather extremes.

Development does not have to be coupled with increased greenhouse gas emissions, he said, calling on wealthy nations to ensure that poorer States can take greater advantage of effective technologies and renewable energy sources.

“There is no doubt that deforestation in the developing countries increases the emissions of greenhouse gases and destroys biodiversity. We must counteract that. We cannot demand slower development of those countries at their expense. We must therefore help them in realistic and tangible ways.”
2007-09-26 00:00:00.000

CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS MUST ALSO TACKLE POVERTY, INDONESIAN LEADER TELLS UN
New York, Sep 25 2007 8:00PM
The solution to the problems posed by climate change must be linked to sustainable development so that the world’s least affluent countries can conquer poverty, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the United Nations General Assembly today.

Speaking at the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York, the President said it was important to not lose sight of the fight against poverty when trying to combat climate change.

He said the global summit to be held in Bali, http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/indonesia-en.pdf Indonesia, this December “must yield a new roadmap” that spells out what both the developed and developing world must do “to save humankind and its planet from the looming tragedy of climate change.”

The Bali summit seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

Mr. Yudhoyono said the summit “must produce an outcome and timeline that will be more comprehensive and more ambitious in achieving its practical objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We developing countries must protect our natural resources while using them wisely for development,” he added.

He said he was optimistic that there is now a window of opportunity to strike a global consensus to deal with global warming.

Indonesia also launched a Special Leaders’ Meeting of Tropical Rainforest Countries yesterday and the President said that the participating nations have agreed to strengthen their cooperation so that the forests can be better conserved.

“We also believe that countries that seek to enhance their carbon sinks – through forestation, afforestation, avoided deforestation – should be given incentive and rewarded fairly for doing so.”
2007-09-25 00:00:00.000

CHILE’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR UN MEMBER STATES TO ACT TO STEM CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Sep 25 2007 6:00PM
The President of http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/chile-eng.pdf Chile called for a new global political consensus to deal with climate change, based on a shared but differentiated set of responsibilities and within the framework of the United Nations, during an address to the General Assembly today.

Michelle Bachelet described the impact of climate change on her country, where “the speed with which the glaciers are melting has doubled in the past 10 years.” At the same time, Chile’s southern zones are experiencing a “dangerous depletion of the ozone layer, jeopardizing the health of our citizens.”

The Government has taken steps to mitigate the effects of global warming, she said, calling for stepped-up international action. “There is no time to lose. The effort of consensus that we must make, the effort to enlist the greatest possible support, is comparable only to the effort for peace made on the occasion of the adoption of the San Francisco [UN] Charter six decades ago,” she told the annual high-level debate.

“If we do not act now, the future of all humanity will be endangered,” she warned, arguing for a new “global political consensus to generate collective action capable of solving the problem in accordance with the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility and within the framework of the United Nations.”

While acknowledging that all countries must contribute to this effort, she emphasized that those who “have already polluted and achieved their development” have special responsibilities.

“We ask the developed countries to promise technical and financial assistance to the developing countries that most need help with their efforts to combat climate change.”

She voiced hope for the success of negotiations planned for Bali, Indonesia this December aimed at hammering out a successor pact to the legally binding Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is set to expire in 2012. “We also hope that the developed countries will make greater commitments regarding mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing.”

In addition, she added, developing countries must undertake “additional emissions reduction actions in the framework of a global effort.”
2007-09-25 00:00:00.000

Bad Environmental News

Red Dates are New Articles within the last week
Green Dates are Updated within the last week

11/29 How the US is Reusing Depleted Uranium - Nuclear
11/12 Black Sea Disaster - Petrolium
11/11 Mercury Among Us - Land Destruction
11/10 Chemicals For Vanity - Home Environment
11/8 Concerns About Lead - Home Environment
11/1 TN Town Runs Out of Water - Global Warming, Water Management
10/2 US Coast Guard Not Ready For Expanding Sea Global Warming
9/30 Yellow Frog Extinction - Land Destruction
9/15 Arctic Sea Melts - Global Warming
8/14 A Ubiquitous Chemical - Industry
7/28 Lake Superior Shrinking - Global Warming
7/6 NASA Scientist Predicts Rapid Ice Sheet Melt - Global Warming

Theories On The Environment

10/26 Theory On Drought Monitoring
8/28 Desertification
8/20 Wind Turbines Along Highways - updated 8/29
Genetically Engineered Plants Destroying Bees?
Radio Frequencies and Bees
Global Warming

Carbon Tax Bill

The Dingell Life
Michigan Rep. John Dingell drafts a carbon-tax bill

Michigan Rep. John Dingell (D) has drafted a carbon-tax bill and posted a summary to his website to solicit public feedback. In its current form, Dingell's legislation would phase in over five years a $50-per-ton tax on carbon and a tax of 50 cents per gallon on gasoline and jet fuel (after five years the tax would be indexed to inflation). The bill would also phase out tax deductions for homes over 3,000 square feet. A carbon tax is beloved by economists and other wonks as the most transparent, efficient means of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Voters, however, tend to hate the idea, and thus most politicians do as well. The 81-year-old Dingell, who has served in Congress for 52 years and chairs the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has been accused of pushing "political poison" in order to torpedo other climate bills that include boosts in CAFE standards. He denies it, but then again, he says this: "I'm trying to have everybody understand that this is going to cost and that it's going to have a measure of pain that you're not going to like." The man sure knows how to excite voters!

Also
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/12/20/dingell/

The formidable Democrat from Michigan, now 80, has served 51 years in the House of Representatives -- the second-longest of any congressional career in history. During that time, he played a key role in pushing through many of America's cornerstone environmental laws, including the Wilderness Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the original Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system that has defined America's automotive energy-efficiency strategy since 1975. "I've been a busy little boy," Dingell says in describing his own environmental record.

But despite these achievements, environmentalists are not uniformly overjoyed that Dingell will soon take the helm of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees most energy-related bills. As they see it, his record has a sizeable hitch: as representative for a district that includes suburban Detroit, Dingell is a dogged defender of the U.S. auto industry. Though he helped author CAFE rules 30 years ago, in the midst of the Arab oil embargo, he has since staunchly opposed ratcheting up fuel-economy standards, on the grounds that it could imperil the American economy.

That's why some environmentalists see Dingell as the single biggest roadblock on the path toward meaningful climate policy in the 110th Congress, while others are busy crafting Detroit-friendly climate plans that they hope will win Dingell's support.

Dingell spoke with Grist from his office in Washington, D.C., giving insight into what the climate-policy landscape may -- or may not -- look like over the next two years.

(Opening questions only, not the entire interview)

What major environmental breakthroughs do you see on the horizon for the 110th Congress, in an ideal world?

Oh, you're a smart girl, because that's a nasty question. You know, this is going to be very difficult. There's still harvesting of the ill will that's been sown over the last dozen years. We've got a Republican president, and we've got to bring the Republicans in and establish some cooperation, of which there's been relatively little of late. I'd rather tell you on what we're going to work than tell you what we're going to do, because I don't like to look foolish by having promised something that I don't deliver.

What are your environmental priorities for the 110th Congress, particularly for the Energy and Commerce Committee?

We'll have to see first what is ready, what is ripe, and what is doable. We've got a bunch of things. Proper funding for brownfields and for Superfund, administration of the Clean Air Act and other acts under the jurisdiction of the EPA. We're going to take a look at global warming and see what has to be done there.

Barbara Boxer [incoming chair of the Senate Environment Committee] has said repeatedly that she sees global warming as the single biggest environmental threat on the horizon. Do you agree with her?

I don't agree and I don't disagree. I don't know what the biggest one is. Certainly if there is environmental warming, it is a very major environmental problem and it should be addressed.

So you don't believe the scientific consensus on global warming is established at this point?

This country, this world, the [human] race of which you and I are a part, is great at having consensuses that are in great error. And so I want to get the scientific facts, and find out what the situation is, and find out what is the cure, and find out what is the cure that is acceptable to the country that I represent and serve.

You mentioned in our last conversation that you want to call for climate hearings. Is your hope to get a clearer idea of the science and the potential solutions?

Yes, yes. We need to hold hearings to gather the facts on questions of both science and policy solutions. Let's talk global warming. If you remember, Kyoto was, in an anticipatory fashion, rejected 95 to nothing in the U.S. Senate, on the Byrd-Hagel resolution, which said that the Senate would not ratify any agreement which imposed burdens on the United States which were disproportionate to the burdens that everybody else was going to get. And so Kyoto never got ratified by the Senate. That's a serious matter. So if we're going to deal with this problem, you have to recognize we're not the only people that burn coal, emit carbon dioxide or pollutants of any kind. New Zealand, which has relatively little industry, is an enormous emitter of CO2. They've got a bunch of sheep over there that do it.

The methane.

The methane. So, we are not alone in this problem, and we should not be alone in the solution.

Would it not be wise to introduce domestic solutions in the meantime, even if we don't yet have an international agreement?

Is that going to solve the problem? China has an exemption from the Kyoto agreement because it's classified as a developing country. The Indians are, too. In a meeting about the Kyoto agreement, I asked the Chinese, "How long are you going to be a developing country, before we can expect you to participate in cleaning up?" They looked me in the eye and said, "Dingell, we're always going to be developing. We aren't ever going to be a stable, staid, complete society. So we're never going to be covered by it. We're just going to go ahead and burn all the damn coal, emit all the carbon dioxide that we want to emit." And they will very shortly be the biggest emitter in the world. Far bigger than we.

Now you ask, if we were to terminate all of the burning of coal and all of the production of CO2 in this country, and China and India and Europe and everybody else in the developing world keeps going, I don't think you're going to be looking for much in the way of a resolution. This is an international problem.

So you believe the emphasis needs to be on how we're going to rally the world to address climate change, not how we're going to rally ourselves to address it?

Well, we have to do all of the above. We've got to begin to find out what we can do, and how we can do it without destituting the American society. But by the same token, we're going to have to help others to do the same thing and persuade them to be participants in that undertaking. In terms of diplomacy, that's probably one of the single biggest problems this country's got.

But you've got a lot of [Americans] saying, "We're going to solve the problem. We're going to make these cars." Well, we could all be riding around in kiddie cars and we wouldn't solve the problem. And we'd have an awful lot of angry Americans. You're not going to solve [the climate] problem yourself any more than you're going to solve Iraq by yourself.

What's a kiddie car?

Don't you know what a kiddie car is?

No.

It's one of those three-wheel things that kids get when they start out, they sit on and it's got a little handlebar, and they sort of pad around on this little three-wheeled tricycle.

Got it. What type of climate legislation should we be talking about domestically?

If I knew that, I'd be glad to tell you, but I don't. We're going to try to find out what we need to do and proceed in a responsible fashion.

You were one of the authors of legislation establishing CAFE standards in the 1970s, but you've since opposed raising the standards. Do you still oppose raising them?

The law says that the government has the authority to fix fuel efficiency at the maximum technologically feasible [miles-per-gallon] number. It has raised this a little bit, but it's not been able to make any radical changes from the numbers we wrote back in the 1970s. I will probably be asking if there is greater efficiency that can be achieved, and if so, how. We'll also ask how this can all be done without destituting American industry.

Global Warming and National Security

When Coast Guard Adm. Thad W. Allen imagines a melting Arctic, it's not a pretty sight: Cruise ships collide with icebergs. Oil tankers and ore ships run aground. Foreign fishermen sneak into American waters.

Even worse, the nation's top Coast Guard officer fears he may not have the tools to respond to these future crises.

At a time when Russia, Canada, Norway and other Arctic nations are scrambling to stake out turf in the still-frozen north, the United States' two most powerful icebreakers sit at a dock in Seattle, nearing the end of their working lives.

One is manned by a skeleton crew. Both are about 30 years old, and nothing is on the drawing board to replace them.

"We have the responsibility for maritime safety, stewardship and security," Allen said. "But how do you respond up there if you have no presence?"

Allen and others are urging the U.S. government to prepare now for the changes global warming will bring to the Arctic. The nation needs to figure out how to protect American interests, handle disasters and enforce laws in a region that will still be ice-choked much of the year, he said.

"Icebreakers will have an important role to play," Allen said.

A National Research Council panel concluded last year that planning and construction should start immediately on two new icebreakers. "U.S. icebreaking capability is now at risk of being unable to support national interests," the panel warned.

Each of the new ships could cost $750 million or more, experts estimate.

The Arctic ice cap shrank to a record low this summer, opening up the Northwest Passage along Canada's fringe for the first time.

Scientists say the ice is melting much faster than global-warming models predict, with the possibility that the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in summer by 2050.

But the region will remain frozen in winter. And the Arctic's notoriously variable weather also means that entrepreneurs, tourists, fishermen and explorers lured into the area by its beauty and the promise of profit are likely to encounter bad weather and ice year-round.

More people traveling in icy waters translates into more accidents, more oil spills, more security problems -- and more need for powerful icebreakers, says Scott Borgerson, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Coast Guard officer.

"Climate change is giving birth to a new region and allowing for all kinds of access," he said.

"A global chess game"

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates a quarter of the world's untapped oil and gas resources may lie beneath the Arctic Ocean. Oil and mineral companies are already building ice-strengthened tankers.

After a Russian minisubmarine planted a flag on the ocean floor beneath the North Pole this year, the Canadian government announced plans for military bases and a $3 billion fleet of ice-reinforced ships to patrol the Northwest Passage, which the country claims as sovereign territory.

President Bush countered by insisting the passage is an international waterway. Norway asserted its territorial rights, while Denmark, which controls Greenland, appealed for calm.

"We're seeing a global chess game play out in the Arctic as nations position and stake claims for the region's vast, untapped resources," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Brendan McPherson, Allen's press secretary.

If icebreakers are among the chess pieces, the United States is outnumbered.

The nation has three multipurpose icebreakers, all based in Seattle. The aging Polar Sea and Polar Star, both able to ram through 21 feet of ice, have primarily been used to break open a route to U.S. research stations in Antarctica.

The newest member of the fleet is the Healy, an eight-year-old ship capable of continuously breaking through 4-foot-thick ice and designed mainly for Arctic science. A fourth icebreaker is leased by the National Science Foundation exclusively for research in Antarctica.

With a much more extensive Arctic coastline, Russia has 18 icebreakers, seven of them nuclear-powered. Finland has a fleet of seven. Canada has six.

But it's not really a numbers game, says Lawson Brigham, deputy director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and former captain of the Polar Sea.

The United States needs to be able to patrol Alaska's 2,500 miles of Arctic coastline, conduct research in both the Arctic and Antarctic and respond to emergencies. The National Research Council panel concluded that a fleet of three modern icebreakers can do the job.

Arctic research includes underwater mapping, which is key to territorial claims under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Every Arctic nation except the United States has signed the treaty, which gives countries rights to underwater terrain extending from their continental shelves.

The 420-foot Healy is heading back to Seattle now after a two-month mapping voyage in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast.

The lead scientists on the project say their work has already shown that American territory extends at least 350 miles from land -- well beyond the traditional 200-mile limit. In the Chukchi Sea, the U.S. may be able to stake claims even farther out.

But first the United States has to ratify the treaty, something the Coast Guard and many maritime experts have been calling for.

"We have to join the treaty if we want to participate in carving up the Arctic," Borgerson said. "At the moment, we don't even have a seat at the table."

Ships take a pounding

U.S. icebreakers trace their origins to the revenue cutters that policed the new territory of Alaska. During the Cold War, a large fleet serviced military outposts and early-warning radar stations in the Arctic, ground zero for the nuclear faceoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

The 399-foot-long Polar Sea and Polar Star were built in Seattle in the 1970s. The 60,000-horsepower cutters use their contoured bows to ride up on the ice, crush it with their bulk, then push the chunks aside, Brigham said.

"The noise, the vibration -- it's really something."

The ships take a pounding, and maintenance budgets have not kept pace, the National Research Council found. Replacement parts often have to be built from scratch.

The Coast Guard calls the old icebreakers "operationally challenged." Borgerson puts it more bluntly. "They're geriatric. Moribund," he said. "It's just like a car. You can't drive a car for 300,000 miles ... and expect it's going to be in great condition."

The National Science Foundation, the icebreakers' main "client," took control of their budgets a few years ago. In 2006, the foundation temporarily hired a Russian icebreaker to open the route to McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

The ship broke a propeller, and the Polar Star was dispatched from Seattle to assist. Since that mission, the Polar Star has been in "caretaker status," essentially docked to save money. The Polar Sea remains fully staffed and operational.

Even if work started tomorrow on new icebreakers, it would be 10 years before they're ready to launch, said Jacqueline Grebmeier, a University of Tennessee polar researcher who served on the National Research Council panel.

"If people think it's important to have these ships," she said, "some decisions need to be made now."