The environment in the news
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- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Dawn (Pakistan): Roads, flyovers playing havoc with environment, court told
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Star (SA): Looking out for the environment
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- UNEP - New Move to Develop Global Standards for Measuring Energy Use in Buildings
- Brasil - Aumenta consumo de productos orgánicos
- Nicaragua - Energías renovables en Nicaragua: las oportunidades por desplegar
- Cuba - Mayor ave en Cuba casi triplica población en reserva ecológica
- Brasil - Lanzan tapa de envase con materia prima de fuente renovable
_________________________________________________________________ Walesonline (UK): Environment Minister signs up for Keep Wales Tidy campaign 2 August 2011 Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths, made a pledge to personally do more towards a sustainable Wales. He was at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham and made a pledge for Keep Wales Tidy's 'I Will for Wales' campaign, by committing to using a bag for life when shopping and not to flush inappropriate items down the toilet. ‘I Will for Wales’ asks the people of Wales to make a resolution that will help care for their local area and make it a cleaner, safer and tidier place to live, by making small lifestyle changes that collectively will have a huge impact on the environment. Supporters can choose from ten simple pledges, which range from promising to dispose of cigarette butts responsibly, to using a bag for life when shopping. Chief Executive for Keep Wales Tidy, Lesley Jones, said: "The Minister's support for 'I Will for Wales' is a great privilege to Keep Wales Tidy. "We firmly believe that if we all make a few lifestyle changes and take better care of our local environment they will be much better places to live and by making a pledge, the Minister will lead the way for the people of Wales." Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Angola Press (Angola): Strategic plan on environment gives priority to training, sensitization 2 August 2011 The Strategic Plan for Environmental Management, for the 2012/2017 period, will give priority to training and sensitisation of the citizens, as well as the protection and conservation of natural resources. This comes on a document accessed by ANGOP this Tuesday, issued at the Third Consultative Council of the Environment Ministry, taking place in Luena, eastern Moxico Province. The Strategic Plan also comprises the protection of biodiversity, through the preservation of the echo-systems. According to the document, the plan will be implemented in six phases, with a view to laying the general strategic bases to promote in society the compromise with co-participation in the responsibility for the results from the environmental policy. The same plan is also intended to guarantee the execution of the government’s strategic sectoral policies, particularly the measures on management and ordering, productive sector and civil society, thus broadening the participation of society in general. The meeting is to end this Tuesday with the analysis and discussion on the assessment reports of 2010 and the first semester of 2011, as well as touch on the information relating to the National Fair on Environmental Technologies and the National Week on Environment, among other topics. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Dawn (Pakistan): Roads, flyovers playing havoc with environment, court told 2 August 2011 The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday put on notice the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and provincial ministry of environment in a writ petition challenging some mega projects in the provincial capital terming it environmentally unsafe. A two-member bench comprising Justice Shahjehan Khan Yousafzai and Justice Nisar Hussain Shah issued the notices after preliminary hearing of the petition filed by the Citizens for Clean Environment (CCE), a group of civil society organisations. The petitioner stated that the ongoing developmental projects of road widening and flyovers on the University Road and G.T. Road were taking a toll on the remaining few old trees and green belts in Peshawar. The CCE comprises of Kalash Environmental Protection Society, Frontier Heritage Trust, Sarhad Conservation Network, Gandhara Hindko Board, De Laas Gul and Institute of Architects of Pakistan. Advocate Syed Haziq Ali Shah appeared for the petitioner and requested the bench to stop work on these projects till final disposal of the writ petition. He contended that the government had not conducted the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these mega projects which was in violation of section 12 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997. He contended that the government had to submit a preliminary environmental review of the reasonably foreseeable qualitative and quantitative impacts on the environment of a proposed project to determine whether it was likely to cause an adverse environmental effect. Mr Shah contended that for the last over five months the post of chairperson of the environmental protection tribunal had been lying vacant since the then incumbent, Mussarat Hilali, was made the federal ombudsperson over sexual harassment. He added that the petitioner would have approached that tribunal, but as it was presently non-functional, therefore the present petition was filed. The respondents in the petition are the ministry of local government through its secretary, provincial ministry of environment through its secretary, the Peshawar Development Authority through its director general and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Agency through its director general. The petitioner stated that the local government minister never got tired of talking about Rs8 billion development projects including road widening and flyovers in Peshawar district but in fact such projects threatened the physical and mental welfare of the citizens as these deprive them of green belts and trees sustaining a healthy environment. The CCE said a huge USAID fund meant for the uplift of historical gardens was being misused owing to lack of professional advice. It is stated that the government had totally forgotten that Peshawar had over 3,000 year old heritage and they were committing a crime by disfiguring and ruining its aesthetic and historic identity. It is added that these projects would also affect the centuries old City Wall, which was a heritage of the inhabitants of the city.
ROLAC MEDIA UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS Tuesday, 2nd August 2011
UNEP - New Move to Develop Global Standards for Measuring Energy Use in Buildings 20-08-2011 Efforts to establish international standards for measuring energy use in buildings have received a boost, after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) decided to consider an innovative tool developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to gauge energy consumption and CO₂ emissions in homes and offices across the world. The Common Carbon Metric (CCM) - developed by UNEP's Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative - could form the basis for a new international standard for measuring the environmental performance of existing buildings. The ISO - the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards, covering 162 countries - will develop relevant methods. The Common Carbon Metric is intended to create a uniform system for defining the climate impact of buildings through a consistent protocol, which can, in turn, help develop international baselines for use by architects, designers and the construction industry. Today, the building sector is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions with about one third of global energy use taking place in offices and homes. Moreover, building-related CO₂ emissions are set to rise from 8.6 billion tones in 2004 to 11.1 billion tones in 2020. "At UNEP we believe there is great potential for the building sector to contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," said Sylvie Lemmet, Director of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. "Development of the Common Carbon Metric and the ISO's decision to consider it as an international standard are important steps to remove the barriers to unlock this potential and provide a path to more energy efficiency in the building sector." Developing new standards for buildings can help governments plan more effectively towards achieving national targets on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. The Common Carbon Metric can also support the formulation of carbon credit schemes and other emission reduction mechanisms. The CCM is specifically designed to measure energy use when a building is operational. In other words, it is not applied to the construction phase. However, given that the day-to-day use of buildings accounts for 80%to 90% of their total energy consumption, the Common Carbon Metric deals with the period in a building's lifespan where the greatest amount of emissions are produced. First launched during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, UNEP's Common Carbon Metric measures both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions equivalent in buildings per metre squared or per occupant over the course of one year. It contains two approaches: a "top-down" model, which takes measurements from a collection of buildings or a "bottom-up" model, which is applied to an individual building. After initial tests by the UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative in 2010, the Common Carbon Metric was further refined and a second phase of testing has started recently, with preliminary results to be presented in October. The CCM is intended for worldwide use, including developing countries, where limitations on data collection and infrastructure may not support current methods for measuring energy use and emission levels during the entire life cycle of a building. Professor Tomonari Yashiro, Professor at the Institute of Industrial Sciences of the University of Tokyo, proposed the CCM to the International Organization for Standardization, and serves as convener of the working group that will prepare the draft standard. "Sustainability-related standardization is one of the most significant issues in current ISO strategies," Yashiro said. "There exist serious and urgent needs to establish international consensus on globally applicable common method of measuring operational energy use in existing buildings and to report the associated greenhouse gas emissions from such operations. I hope the standardization by ISO will facilitate diffusion of CCM to many areas of business." The proposal to use CCM as the basis for new international standards for buildings will be put on the agenda of ISO members within a year. If appropriate, new draft international standards will then be prepared on energy consumption and CO₂ emissions which, when finalized, could be adopted within three years. Brasil - Aumenta consumo de productos orgánicos 01-08-2011 El consumo de alimentos orgánicos crece entre 20 y 30 por ciento al año en Brasil, según el Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario (MDA). La siembra de esos alimentos se hace principalmente en la agricultura familiar, que suministra 70 por ciento de lo que comen los brasileños. "Además de demostrar un comportamiento más consciente de los consumidores, los datos son económicamente positivos", dijo a Tierramérica el coordinador de Agroecología del Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Abastecimiento, Rogério Dias. "El cultivo de orgánicos no necesita insumos, como fertilizantes y agrotóxicos, usados en la agricultura tradicional e importados en su mayor parte", agregó. Su expansión se debe también a incentivos del MDA, que impulsa proyectos de asistencia técnica y líneas de crédito para la agricultura familiar orgánica. “Enseñamos la producción sin agrotóxicos e insumos químicos y ofrecemos condiciones financieras para que (los productores) cumplan”, acotó Dias. Antigua & Barbuda - Antigua and Barbuda becomes the first Caribbean island country to sign the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization 01-08-2011 Antigua and Barbuda has become the forty-first signatory of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing and the first Caribbean island country to signal its intent to ratify. H.E. John W. Ashe, Ambassador to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda, said: “As the forty-first signatory of the Nagoya Protocol, Antigua and Barbuda wishes to join with the other countries who have already done so in signalling the importance it attaches to the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, and its willingness to work with all others in creating incentives to conserve biodiversity at all levels, sustainably use its components, and further enhance the contribution of biodiversity to sustainable development and human well-being.” “The Nagoya Protocol is a critical tool for sustainable development of island Parties and Parties with islands,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity. “Biodiversity loss is particularly acute in island ecosystems such as those found on Antigua and Barbuda. About half of all recorded extinctions in human history happened on islands. As island nations depend critically on biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services, the Nagoya Protocol offers additional means to finance the sustainable use of the unique genetic resources of islands. This is why we welcome this first Caribbean signatory and, given Antigua and Barbuda’s leadership role in the Convention, in the Alliance of Small Island States, and the Group of 77, we look forward to more signatures from this region, as well as the rest of the world.” The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the Convention: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. The Protocol was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and will enter into force 90 days after receipt of the fiftieth instrument of ratification. Genetic resources, whether from plant, animal or micro-organisms, are used for various purposes, ranging from basic research to the development of products. Users of genetic resources include research institutes, universities and private companies operating in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, horticulture, cosmetics and biotechnology. Benefits derived from genetic resources may include the sharing of the results of research and development carried out on genetic resources, the transfer of technologies that make use of those resources, participation in biotechnological research activities, or monetary benefits arising from the commercialization of products based on genetic resources, such as pharmaceuticals. Nicaragua - Energías renovables en Nicaragua: las oportunidades por desplegar 02-08-2011 Managua (PL) Sin recursos petroleros propios, Nicaragua basa actualmente la mayor parte de la generación eléctrica en plantas consumidoras de hidrocarburos, una situación nada favorable ni en términos económicos ni ambientales, según la visión del gobierno. En días recientes el Ministro de Energía y Minas, Emilio Rappaccioli, reiteró que el Ejecutivo, encabezado por el Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), busca independizarse de la generación con petróleo que asciende a un 67 por ciento. Pese a sus importantes reservas naturales, este territorio centroamericano aprovecha hoy apenas un seis por ciento del potencial en energías renovables, como las hidráulica, geotérmica, eólica, solar y las provenientes de la biomasa. Para 2017 el Estado se propone que al menos el 90 por ciento de la producción de electricidad provenga de esos abundantes recursos y con ello disponer de excedentes exportables a las naciones vecinas. A juicio de Rappaccioli, existen amplias oportunidades de inversión para "aquellos que están dispuestos a asumir este reto", incluidos consorcios y otras instituciones extranjeras. Los proyectos con fuentes renovables, previstos de 2012 a 2016, aportarán otros 650 MegaWatt (MW)de capacidad y demandarán erogaciones por unos dos mil 600 millones de dólares, indicó el funcionario. Según estimados del Ministerio de Energía y Minas, sólo el proyecto eólico La Fe, San Martín, en la capital nicaragüense, disminuirá la importación de unos 228 mil barriles de fuel oil que representaría un ahorro equivalente a 21 millones de dólares. La obra, que dispondrá de 22 aerogeneradores, se halla en fase inicial tras la construcción de las bases para sostener tres equipos y la ejecución de ocho kilómetros de caminos de acceso. Su inversión total, notificó el Ministerio, llegará a 116 millones de dólares, lo que incluye la participación de inversionistas privados y de la banca nacional. Una vez concluida representará un significativo aporte al empeño por transformar la matriz energética junto a otras obras como las de Tumarín, Eolo, El Hoyo Monte Galán, Casita San Cristóbal y San Jacinto Tizate, entre otras, indicó el organismo. "Es una energía limpia y barata que permitirá reducir los costos de la factura petrolera y el costo de generación energética, beneficiando al país y a los usuarios", apreció Rappacciolli. Para los expertos, las mayores posibilidades de éxito están en el empleo de los recursos hídricos por la gran cantidad de ríos y lagos. No en balde, entre los planes más prometedores de la administración sandinista se halla la central hidroeléctrica de Tumarín, que estará ubicada en la Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (RAAS) y contará, cuando esté terminada en 2014, con una capacidad de 255 MW de generación. El portal electrónico del gobernante FSLN (El 19 Digital) dio cuenta en estos días de otro importante objetivo en progreso: incrementar la cobertura del servicio energético del 65 al 85 por ciento, en beneficio de 1,7 millones de personas. Además, recientemente el gobierno destinó 117 millones de dólares aportados por la Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (ALBA) al subsidio de la tarifa eléctrica de miles de hogares nicaragüenses, frente al encarecimiento de los hidrocarburos en el mercado internacional. En enero de 2007, cuando el presidente Daniel Ortega inició su actual mandato, Nicaragua contaba con una capacidad eléctrica instalada de 780 MW, causante de frecuentes interrupciones por déficit de generación para satisfacer la demanda. Mientras, la cobertura de la red de distribución apenas cubría el 50 por ciento del territorio nacional, según confirman estadísticas oficiales. Cuba - Mayor ave en Cuba casi triplica población en reserva ecológica 02-08-2011 La Habana (PL) La grulla, la mayor ave de Cuba, casi triplicó su población de un año a otro al totalizar 204 ejemplares en la reserva ecológica de Los Indios, en el municipio especial de la Isla de la Juventud. Fidel Quiala, técnico del programa de protección del pájaro, dijo que el año pasado había solo 60 grullas. Todo ese crecimiento, explicó, se dio a pesar de que los incendios forestales afectaron tres de sus nidos en la reserva de cinco mil 395 hectáreas, destacó un reporte de la Agencia de Información Nacional. Entre las medidas para su preservación figuran el seguimiento de los nidos, la medición de los huevos y el conteo de los pichones, aseguró Quiala al lamentar que la época de reproducción del ave coincide con los fuegos en áreas boscosas. La grulla también se encuentra en las sabanas estériles de las provincias de Pinar del Río (en occidente), Ciego de Ávila y Camagüey (ambas en el centro) y el mayor humedal del Caribe situado en la Ciénaga de Zapata. Con el propósito de elevar los conocimientos y la simpatía de las personas se realiza desde 1995 en la Isla de la Juventud el Festival "Ama a la Grulla y a la Cotorra Cubana". Brasil - Lanzan tapa de envase con materia prima de fuente renovable 01-08-2011 Nestlé Brasil, en asociación con Tetra Pak y Braskem, acaba de lanzar envases con tapa de polietileno hecha a partir de derivados de la caña de azúcar, que es una fuente renovable. Con esta iniciativa, las leches UHT Ninho, Ninho Levinho, Ninho Baixa Lactose y Molico pasan a adoptar tapas producidas con la nueva tecnología a partir de agosto. El nuevo polietileno desarrollado por Braskem es producido a partir de derivados de la caña, que posteriormente es transformado en plástico para la producción de las tapas. El proceso contribuye a la reducción global de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, ya que el cultivo de la caña de azúcar utilizada para la fabricación absorbe gas carbónico de la atmósfera. El lanzamiento representa un marco en la utilización de polietileno hecho a partir de materias primas renovables en la industria de alimentos y de envases de bebidas. Con el uso de las nuevas tapas, Nestlé estimula la conciencia ambiental al proporcionar a los consumidores un producto que utiliza fuentes renovables en la fabricación de su envase. «Se trata de una iniciativa innovadora que agrega aún más valor a nuestros productos. Nuestra participación en ese proyecto está totalmente alineada a la plataforma mundial de responsabilidad social de Nestlé, denominada Creación de Valor Compartido», afirma Ivan Zurita, presidente de Nestlé Brasil. El concepto se fundamenta en la premisa de que, para el éxito de los negocios a largo plazo, tan importante como generar valor para los accionistas es generar valor para la sociedad en que la empresa está insertada. Dentro de ese modelo, la empresa establece acuerdos con institutos, fundaciones empresariales, gobiernos, ONGs y empresas privadas como Tetra Pak y Braskem, sea para realizar sus propios proyectos como para apoyar las iniciativas de los asociados. La opción por utilizar recursos renovables refleja el compromiso de Tetra Pak con el medio ambiente y las futuras generaciones. Actualmente, todo papel utilizado en la fabricación de los envases acartonados en Brasil es proveniente de forestas manejadas de acuerdo con los principios de manejo forestal responsable, con certificación del FSC (Forest Stewardhip Council). Según Paulo Nigro, presidente de Tetra Pak Brasil la utilización de polietileno de caña de azúcar es un importante paso más en la búsqueda de nuestro objetivo de ofrecer un envase 100% renovable. «Con la innovación, Tetra Pak refuerza el compromiso con sus clientes y la sociedad de trabajar por un planeta más saludable y sustentable», completa el ejecutivo. «Participar de esa iniciativa al lado de empresas que son líderes globales en sus sectores de actividad es muy importante para Braskem, la mayor productora mundial de biopolímeros y plenamente comprometida con sus asociados en la responsabilidad de la promoción de la sustentabilidad», afirma Carlos Fadigas, presidente de Braskem. 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