Don’t be afraid to ask for tap water, says London’s mayor
February 20, 2008
Posted in Lifestyle
London mayor Ken Livingstone has urged British people to ask for tap water in restaurants rather than bottled mineral water, AFP reports. “People should be encouraged to ask, and feel confident they can ask in restaurants for tap water, rather than have to pay through the nose for bottled water,” Livingstone said.
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update: Nuclear documentary hearing
February 19, 2008
Posted in Green News
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission hearing scheduled for February 20 on the airing of the documentary Uranium Road on M-Net’s Carte Blanche show has been cancelled because a settlement has been reached between the complainants and M-Net.
Documentary upsets SA’s nuclear industry
February 19, 2008
Posted in Green News
The South African nuclear industry has lodged a complaint with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) over the screening on M-Net’s Carte Blanche of a documentary about the country’s nuclear industry. Earthlife Africa says that it is concerned that this is an attempt by the nuclear lobby to silence any dissenting voices. The hearing is set for tomorrow (February 20) at the BCC’s offices in Johannesburg and it is open to the public.
Investors pledge billions for clean technologies
February 18, 2008
Posted in Business
Forty-nine leading US and European institutional investors have pledged to collectively invest $10-billion in clean technologies and energy efficiency over the next two years, and incorporate “green standards” into their investment decisions.
The institutional investors – which together manage more than $1.75-trillion in assets – released a climate change action plan last week at an Investor Summit on Climate Risk hosted in New York by the United Nations Foundation and the Ceres investor coalition.
They want the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to insist that companies listed in New York and elsewhere disclose their exposure to climate change risk. And they want Wall Street analysts, rating agencies and investment banks to analyse and report on the potential impacts of long-term carbon costs, in the range of $20 to $40 per metric ton of CO2, particularly on carbon-intensive investments such as new coal-fired power plants and coal-to-liquid projects, Ceres said in a statement.
They also called on the US Congress to introduce a mandatory national policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% below 1990 levels by 2050.
“Our goal is to transform the world economy into one that is clean, green and sustainable,” said California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, one of the signatories, who serves on the board of pension funds that collectively manage more than $500-billion in assets.
Via :: The Guardian
Namibia plans nuclear power plant
February 18, 2008
Posted in Green News
South Africa’s uranium-rich neighbour wants to build a nuclear power station in the next 10 years, AFP reports. This is a response to South Africa’s electricity crisis, which has affected the entire region. Namibia wants an independent power supply. Joseph Iita, permanent secretary of the ministry of mines and energy told AFP that “The political position is already there, we are working with the Americans, the French and the South Africans.”
Via :: Energy Daily
Bud watching
February 18, 2008
Posted in Green News
Citizen scientists across the US are enthusiastically helping researchers get a more detailed picture of how the changing climate is affecting the environment. Through Project Budburst, ordinary people are keeping track of trees and flowers in their neighbourhoods, recording when they come into bud, grow leaves, start to flower and disperse their seeds. Then they submit their observations online, where they can also view maps of these events across the United States.
“Project BudBurst is designed to help both adults and children understand the changing relationship among climate, seasons, and plants, while giving the participants the tools to communicate their observations to others,” the project’s co-ordinator says.
An example of how things have already changed can be seen in Japan, where cherry trees apparently now bloom four days earlier than in the 1950s.
Via:: Environment News Service
Surgery restores golden eagle’s sight
February 18, 2008
Posted in Conservation
A cataract has been removed from the eye of a golden eagle in a procedure performed by surgeons from the University of Glasgow’s Small Animal Hospital.
The bird badly damaged its eyesight after it flew into electricity cables and it is believed the shock caused a cataract to develop, the university reports.
Putting birds under general anaesthetic is considered very risky as the shock often kills them, it adds. But it was decided that without sight, the bird’s future was bleak.
The eagle, who has been named Electra, now lives in a Scottish sanctuary.
Via :: Science Daily
Map shows damage people have done to the oceans
February 17, 2008
Posted in Green News
A new map showing the state of the planet’s oceans should set alarm bells ringing all over the world. It shows that human activity has left almost no part of any of the oceans untouched and ecosystems have been severely compromised in more than 40 percent of the world’s waters.
Hundreds of experts created the map, which was published in the February 15 issue of Science by combining data on 17 different human impacts to oceans, including fishing, coastal development, fertilizer runoff and pollution from shipping traffic.
Areas of concern are reportedly coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests in estuaries, seamounts, rocky reefs and continental shelves.
The North Sea, South and East China Seas, Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Bering Sea, the Eastern Coast of North America and much of the western Pacific are the most affected by human influence, according to a report in Science Daily. Southern Africa’s oceans appear to show only limited impacts.
Via :: Science Daily
World’s biggest wind turbine
February 17, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy
This huge wind turbine, being installed in Emden, Germany, by Enercon, is expected to produce around 7MW (20 million kilowatt hours a year), which is apparently enough to power 5,000 four-person households in Europe. Its rotor blades are 126 metres long and its hub height is 135 metres.
As a comparison, the four turbines at South Africa’s Darling Wind Farm will generate 1.3MW each, an annual total of 13.2 million kilowatt hours.
Via :: Metaefficient
On top of the world
February 16, 2008
Posted in Conservation
Ever wondered what the view would be like from the top of Mount Everest? Wonder no more, because Nasa has thoughtfully made available online a panoramic picture taken from the summit of the highest mountain on Earth. It’s spectacular. Find it at Astronomy pic of the day
