The environment in the news wenesday, 19 March 2008
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- Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Science Daily: Making Protected Areas Pay Biodiversity Dividends
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- Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ AFP: Japan to hold climate, Africa summits at G8: minister
- Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Xinhua: G20 climate-change meeting concludes without concrete agreement
- Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Reuters: EU says targets needed to fight climate change
- Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ International Herlad Tribune: Poor are sidelined on climate change solutions
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- Science Daily: Pollution Visible From East Asia To North America In New Satellite Image
- Back to Menu =============================================================== ROA MEDIA UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS
- Nigeria: Alao Warns Against Further Degradation
- Nigeria: FG Disburses N1bn for Evacuating Typha Grass in Wetland Areas
- Uganda: Storm Wreaks Havoc in Kayunga
- Kenya: Court Orders Habitat Report on Sugar Project
- South Africa: Committee Pragmatic On Burning Issue
- Namibia: Britain Gives Big for Flood Relief
________________________________________________________________________ AFP: Park manager arrested over gorilla deaths: govt 10 hours ago GOMA, DRCongo (AFP) — A senior manager at a world heritage African wildlife park was arrested Tuesday as an investigation into the killing of 10 rare mountain gorillas gathered pace, a government minister said. Honore Mashagiro, a member of the Congolese nature conservation institute, was arrested in Goma, Nord-Kivu, Environment Minister Felicite Kalume told AFP. He is accused of "orchestrating" the killing of the animals, in the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2007. Another two of them are missing. Another institute member, who requested anonymity, said six foresters would also be questioned over the coming days on suspicion of having trapped and killed the animals in the site on Mashagiro's orders. Local environment experts told AFP that "profound internal disagreements" within the conservation institute could lie behind the massacre. "Some sector heads are involved in the trafficking of makala," said one. Makala is a coal-like mineral illegally extracted from the forests these professional bodies are meant to protect. The same source suggested that the gorillas could have been killed to create a diversion from this illicit trade -- or even to throw suspicion heat on rival park workers. Alexandre Wathaut, the head of the institute, told AFP that the "fight against makala trafficking" from within the park had been "seriously stepped up" since late-2007. He also acknowledged the existence of internal rivalries within the park's management. The latest development is a departure from previous killings of the gorillas, when suspicion has fallen on local rebel forces. Fierce fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between government troops and forces loyal to a renegade ex-general has in the past been blamed for the slaughter of the rare animals. A charity complained last year that fighting there between the leader of Tutsi forces, Laurent Nkunda and government troops meant rangers were having difficulty accessing the gorillas in the park. The UNESCO-protected site is home to more than half of the last 700 mountain gorillas not in captivity. Nkunda's men were accused by campaigners of eating two silverbacks in January 2007, but the motives for the other eight killings remain unclear. Their bodies were found intact, sometimes with their young still alive and clinging to their bodies. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Science Daily: Making Protected Areas Pay Biodiversity Dividends ScienceDaily (Mar. 18, 2008) — With human activity pushing more and more species to the brink of extinction--species abundance has declined by 40% between 1970 and 2000 alone--the need to protect biodiversity has never been more urgent. In a new essay conservation biologist Luigi Boitani and his colleagues argue that the next meeting of the World Conservation Congress in October is the perfect opportunity to codify policies that can make significant gains in biodiversity conservation and stanch the loss of species, habitat, and ecosystem services. Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the meeting will bring together a large constituency of conservationists to discuss the most pressing issues in biodiversity conservation. A key issue on the agenda will be the revision of the IUCN categories of Protected Areas. Though conservation biologists have long recognized Protected Areas' value for conserving biodiversity and for facilitating species and habitat management and recovery, these roles have not been incorporated into the parameters that the IUCN uses to categorize Protected Areas. The current IUCN Protected Area categories reflect management intent--how they should be organized and used--rather than "the basic goal of promoting the persistence of biodiversity," Boitani et al. argue. This disconnect represents a serious lost opportunity to reverse the rapid decline of the planet's natural resources. Because Protected Areas are the basis for assessing how engaged governments are in conserving their resources, they have a considerable impact on national and international conservation policies. Boitani et al. make the case that shifting the focus of the categories toward conservation outcomes would substantially enhance their value as tools for protecting biodiversity. The authors argue that "such a redesign would reduce the subjectivity of current classifications in favor of more objective criteria, appropriately based upon definable biological components." By basing categories on conservation objectives concerning the species, communities, or processes that are to be maintained or restored--including, for example, viability of populations or set of habitat types to be maintained--progress and successes can then be monitored and recorded. "Toward that end," the authors argue, "PAs should be defined using criteria that include any measurable aspects of the particular biodiversity features that are the primary reason for protecting that area in the first place." With over 100,000 protected areas worldwide, the switch from management-based outcomes to biodiversity-based outcomes will have huge implications for preserving the earth's rapidly diminishing biodiversity. The IUCN is the only institution able to facilitate the change that Boitani says is so critical to international conservation efforts. While the political hurdle of obtaining international cooperation in a difficult revision of conservation efforts looms large, he says, "Our arguments are absolutely obvious, logical and sound. It is only a matter of time." Journal reference: Boitani L, Cowling RM, Dublin HT, Mace GM, Parrish J, et al. (2008) Change the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) protected area categories to reflect biodiversity outcomes. PLoS Biol 6(3): e66. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060066 Adapted from materials provided by PLoS Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ International Herald Tribune: Spain heading for very dry spring, government says The Associated Press MADRID, Spain: Records show Spain is heading toward one of its driest springs since weather records began 60 years ago, the Environment Ministry said Tuesday. Precipitation figures published by the ministry showed the national average rainfall so far this year was 2.8 liters per square meter as compared to 12.4, the mean figure since weather record-keeping began in 1930. Rivers in central, eastern and southern regions of Spain, like the Segura in Murcia, the Guadalquivir in Andalusia and the Ebro in Catalonia are very low on water, the ministry said. With national water reserves only 45.3 percent full, many regions including Catalonia and Murcia are facing some water restrictions. The cost of droughts to the European Union's economy over the past 30 years has been at least €100 billion (US$138 billion), according to the EU. A widespread drought in 2003 — which affected over 100 million people and about a third of EU land area — cost approximately €8.7 billion (US$12 billion). Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ AFP: Japan to hold climate, Africa summits at G8: minister 8 hours ago TOKYO (AFP) — Japan said Tuesday it will hold parallel summits on climate change and African development on the sidelines of the Group of Eight gathering of major rich nations in July. Tokyo has invited heads of state and government from 15 nations for meetings involving the G8 members during the July 7-9 gathering in the northern mountain resort of Toyako, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said. For the July 7 parallel summit on Africa, Japan has invited Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and the chairman of the African Union, Komura told reporters. For the climate change meeting on July 9, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa have been invited, he said. Japan hopes to use the climate change meeting to push ahead negotiations aimed at drafting a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by the end of next year. The parallel summit would be in line with a US initiative aimed at showing leadership on the climate issue that brings together negotiators from 16 major emitting nations. The United States is the only major industrial nation to reject the Kyoto treaty, which President George W. Bush argues is unfair as it makes no demands of emerging economies such as China and India. Some developing nations have been sceptical about climate meetings outside the UN framework that drafted Kyoto, fearing being lumped together with rich nations as major emitters when their pollution is less per capita. Japan played host to a 20-nation climate meeting in suburban Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday, which showed a continued rift between industrial and developing nations. Jos Delbeke, the EU's deputy director general for the environment, on Tuesday renewed the Europeans' call for clear numerical targets in cutting emissions after Kyoto's obligations expire in 2012. The Europeans would see the July summit as a success "if a long-term ambitious target could be spelled out for 2050," Delbeke said, as quoted by Kyodo News. Japan has championed the Kyoto Protocol but is far behind in meeting its own commitments as its economy wakes up from a long slumber. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Xinhua: G20 climate-change meeting concludes without concrete agreement www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-16 23:40:14 by Zhang Hua CHIBA, Japan, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Group of 20 4th Ministerial meeting of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development concluded here on Sunday as differences between developed and developing nations on how to share greenhouse gas emissions reduction responsibilities remained unsolved. As rich nations urged the developing world to cut carbon dioxide emissions by absolute values, the latter called on the developed countries to bear more obligations in global anti-climate change efforts. The Group of 20 4th Ministerial meeting of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development concluded here on Sunday as differences between developed and developing nations on how to share greenhouse gas emissions reduction responsibilities remained unsolved. Former British prime minister Tony Blair delivers a speech during an opening session at the G20 meeting on climate change in Chiba, near Tokyo, March 15, 2008. The three-day G20 meeting of environment and energy officials comes after world nations agreed on the Indonesian island of Bali last December to launch two years of U.N.-led talks on a global climate pact Developed nations should compensate for their historical emissions and change their current unsustainable living styles to reduce high-level per capita emissions, a lot of representatives from developing nations said in their speeches at the meeting. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted that it's unfair to force developing nations to sacrifice their strong will for industrialization. "It's commonly agreed that the earth could be saved only when all members of the international community participate in the process. However, developing countries worry about their economic growth being constrained by environmental obligations and all participants know it will not be easy to find double-win schemes" said Akira Amari, minister of the Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry, at a press conference following the two-day meeting. As the concept of "common and differentiated responsibilities" has been accepted by all, participating nations were still far apart over what are common responsibilities and what are differentiated responsibilities, Amari said, adding that to mitigate such divergent understandings and explanations may be a time-consuming procedure. Developing countries questioned the meeting's defining participating members as "major emitters." "Why should India, whose per capita emission is one ton, be called as one of the top emitters as that of the United States is about 20 tons and that of Europe is about 10 tons," said Ajay Mathur, an official from India. The meeting involved China, India, South Korea, Mexico, Australia, Indonesia, Spain, Poland, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Nigeria and the G-8 industrialized nations. Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the China National Development and Reform Commission, called on developed nations to allocate, in accordance with a U.N. treaty, some of their Official Development Assistance to set up a fund facilitating the distribution of high-end technologies, indicating that developing nations should enjoy free or low-cost access to those environment-friendly technologies. China supports the proposal of establishing the Multilateral Technology Access Fund which could bring more technologies into the box of "public goods," Xie said in his speech. Japan's proposal to calculate potential CO2 reductions on a sector-by-sector basis was widely questioned at the meeting, with opponents from both the developing and the developed worlds expressing concerns that such methods may derail the current U.N.-led negotiations to create a post-Kyoto global climate framework. The meeting is the first in a series of ministerial meetings in the run-up to the Group of Eight summit slated for July in northern Japan's Hokkaido Prefecture. While recognizing the meeting as a good forum to exchange ideas, Xie warned against transforming it into a new dialogue mechanism which could disturb U.N.-led negotiation process for Conventions and Protocols. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Reuters: EU says targets needed to fight climate change Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:18am GMT TOKYO (Reuters) - A senior European Commission official on Tuesday called again for numerical targets to effectively fight climate change. "We want to frame such a discussion ... as we do in Europe within the context of one numerical target within which emissions reductions would have to be structured," said Jos Delbeke, EU deputy director-general for environment. Delbeke was speaking in Tokyo after taking part in a meeting of 20 of the world's top greenhouse gas polluter nations, which was held near the capital over the weekend. EU leaders agreed last week to enact laws by March 2009 to meet their goals of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and increasing the share of green energy in their energy mix by the same date. Delbeke, at the same time, stopped short of endorsing Japan's proposal for sectoral curbs on major polluting industries. "We would, in the EU, agree with Japan that climate change policy is very different according to the different economic sectors we are talking about," Delbeke said. "So a different situation amongst the economic sectors is useful," he said. Japan, which hosted the three-day international climate change conference believes sectoral curbs on major polluting industries such as cement makers and power producers can rein in growing carbon dioxide emissions, blamed for global warming. The idea, however, has yet to find wide support, and Britain has openly expressed disapproval. British Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks told Reuters on Friday: "That's not the overall approach that Britain favors." He said governments needed to be accountable for hitting targets and that this would be difficult under a sectoral approach. G20 nations ranging from top carbon emitters the United States and China, to big developing economies Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa took part in the weekend meeting. (Reporting by Miho Yoshikawa; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ International Herlad Tribune: Poor are sidelined on climate change solutions By Elisabeth Rosenthal Tuesday, March 18, 2008 NEW YORK: The mantra from businesses and politicians in the developed world is that technology will provide a solution to rising global emissions. Indeed, they say, fighting global warming can be good for business. General Electric has rightly staked a claim to be an environmental leader by selling wind turbines. Wal-Mart is going green by asking its suppliers to evaluate their emissions as they manufacture Wal-Mart products. Trading in carbon emissions can certainly be profitable: In a month of dismal financial news in the United States, Climate Exchange, which runs the Chicago Climate Exchange, saw its stock rise more than 20 percent. "We believe that technology can help solve some of these clean energy issues, and that ultimately by doing so we can make money for our investors," Jeff Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric, told a conference in California this month. But wind turbines, hybrid cars and carbon markets are solutions by and for the developed world. They ignore another huge piece of the climate change puzzle: how to best help the people in the developing world who are already feeling the effects of global warming. "There is a trend to try to find solutions through technological interventions and high-investment solutions, which is tricky because that won't always work for poor countries," said Gonzalo Oviedo, author of a powerful report on the effect of climate change on poor people in the developing world, released this week by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "What we are saying is that in many poor countries there is a high level of vulnerability, and that needs other kinds of solutions." The world is moving fast to figure out how to reduce emissions with the help of technology. It has done far less to help poor people adapt. The report, "Indigenous and Traditional Peoples and Climate Change," includes a kind of catalog of climate-related suffering already occurring among the poorest people of the earth. In western Nicaragua, climate change has left villages cut off from crucial supplies, since the river that served as their supply road is too low to navigate anymore. "Basic supplies such as salt and drinking water can no longer reach the villages," the report says. "In addition, the low volume of water means that pollution becomes concentrated and people are more susceptible to cholera and tuberculosis." Among the Baka of Cameroon, rainfall has become less regular and harder to predict. "Women who normally catch fish in barriers built in small streams in the dry season are often unable to achieve traditional fish catches as flood patterns of the rivers are changing," the report says. In Bangladesh, a rise in the sea of 1.5 meters, or 5 feet, would submerge 22,000 square kilometers of land, or 8,500 square miles, and displace 17 million desperately poor people, more than 15 percent of the population. Where are they going to go? Here in New York this week I faced my own little climate-related disruption: because of global grain shortages, created in part by the rush into biofuels, the price of a bagel has gone to $1.20 from 60 cents in the past year. New Yorkers are all aghast at the rise, but it pales next to these larger problems. In much of the developing world, the response to climate change will require a bit of investment in low-tech ideas, not billions thrown into high technology, Oviedo said. The returns will be in human life and the preservation of endangered species and cultures - not in good returns on carbon options. The report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature also points out that indigenous people have adapted to shifting weather patterns for thousands of years, and it suggests that rich nations might even learn from their experience. (Wind turbines evolved from lowly windmills, remember.) "In making plans, decision makers should learn from indigenous people and their strategies - this is a new field of research and there are a number of good examples," Oviedo said. During years of low rainfall, for example, a number of cultures in North Africa severely restrict cattle grazing. The grass must be cut in the field, and animals are fed outside of the pasture to prevent overuse of the resources. Likewise, villages in South America have built stone water collection channels underground so that water does not evaporate as it moves from place to place. "The problem is that just as they are needed, these traditional practices are disappearing," he said. Currently, the international response to climate change favors large projects to cut global emissions. There are generous incentives for converting dirty-coal power stations in China to cleaner technology, for example, but there is no encouragement for another cause: helping a farming village in Africa adjust to hotter temperatures and the degradation of its land into desert. "It difficult to figure out how to fund this sort of thing, but it's absolutely fundamental," Oviedo said. Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ The Age: Australians preparing to cope with pollution Len Johnson March 19, 2008 THE International Olympic Committee has acknowledged for the first time that air pollution could affect the health and performance of athletes at the Beijing Olympics, and will monitor air quality daily during the Games to determine whether to postpone certain outdoor events. Australian athletes competing in Beijing will be more closely monitored and armed with more advice on acclimatisation and coping with the heat, humidity and pollution than any other Australian Olympians in history. Although the Summer Games are usually held in cities with heat and humidity problems — Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Athens in 2004 — Beijing's combination of torrid weather and pollution has provoked more anxiety. The IOC said this week that air quality could reduce the potential for world records and peak performances in all sports and create possible health risks in outdoor endurance events such as the marathon, triathlon and road cycling. The chairman of the IOC's medical commission, Arne Ljungqvist, said findings of air quality data collected in Beijing in August "indicate that there may be some risk" for outdoor endurance events. "The IOC will therefore … put in place procedures which will allow a 'B-plan' to be activated for such events if necessary." Since Beijing won the right to hold the Olympics in 2001, Chinese officials have spent nearly $17 billion to improve air quality, but the city remains under a grey cloud on many days and athletes frequently complain about competing in choking conditions. IOC president Jacques Rogge also acknowledged this week that endurance events could be moved. But he was more optimistic, saying the city's air quality was "better than we have feared". "We have been reassured by recent findings, we have analysed different pollutants in Beijing, we have looked at these analysis of the last year and the recent analysis and the situation is better than we have feared," he said. "This is not to say there could not be problems here and there." Australia is going to great lengths to identify athletes with potential problems, especially asthmatics or those who have exercise-induced asthma. It will monitor athletes once they are in Beijing, concentrating on any respiratory tract infections. Any athlete with as much as a sniffle will trigger alarm bells. The Australian Olympic Committee will spend more than $20 million to ensure that all team competitors experience pre-Games test events and trips to familiarise themselves with Beijing. The committee has booked a Beijing school and will convert it into a Games recovery centre. Australian athletes will have access to ice vests and baths, a fully equipped gymnasium and massages at the centre, spokesman Mike Tancred said. With AGENCIES and WASHINGTON POST Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ ABC.net: OECD report slams Australia's environment efforts Wednesday, 19/03/2008 An international report, released today, has slammed efforts by federal, state and local governments in Australia to protect the environment. Inspectors from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development monitored the Australian environment for a decade, to 2007. They found Australia needs to better protect biodiversity and water resources in the face of demands for economic growth from sectors including agriculture. OECD environment director, Lorents Lorentsen, says the Australian Government must respond to the report's 45 recommendations. "The climate issue is still with us and needs your attention also in the future," he says. "Mining, pollution and fisheries is an area of concern, an official development in these environmental components (is needed). "There is potential to do better in these areas." Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ Bloomberg: Asthmatic Athletes Fear Choking in Beijing as Smog Taints Lungs By Jason Gale and Dan Baynes March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Haile Gebrselassie is so spooked by Beijing's smog and sultry summer weather that he pulled out of the Olympic marathon. Doctors say the world-record holder is right to worry. Gebreselassie suffers from a form of asthma triggered by strenuous exercise and exacerbated by pollution. Athletes with exercise-induced asthma will be vulnerable in Beijing, where the air is filled with smoke from coal-fired power plants, dust kicked up by construction crews and car exhaust. ``If the pollution was bad enough, it could lead to him being hospitalized,'' said John Balmes, a doctor who studies the effects of pollution on the lungs at the University of California, San Francisco. Gebrselassie ``is correct in worrying about how he would feel.'' As many as 25 percent of Olympic athletes suffer from asthma, which causes airways to swell and produce mucus, reducing oxygen supplies to straining muscles. A mild attack cuts lung function by about 10 percent, while a severe case can reduce it by more than 50 percent, said Karen Holzer, an asthma specialist with the Australian Olympic team. Gebrselassie, 34, said last week he plans to compete only in the 10,000 meters in Beijing because running the marathon would reduce his chances of appearing in the 2012 London Olympics. Marathon runners who overexert themselves can suffer long-term damage and shorten their careers, said his agent, Jos Hermens. ``If it's extreme conditions, then it's a big, big danger,'' said Hermens, whose client won gold medals in the 10,000 meters at the 1996 and 2000 games. The long-term effects on asthmatics of exertion in a highly polluted environment aren't known, Balmes said. $17 Billion Beijing plans to spend $17 billion to improve air quality before the games, scheduled for Aug. 8-24. The anti-pollution drive helped increase the number of ``blue sky days'' to 246 last year from 100 in 1998, according to the government. ``You can be assured of clean air in August,'' Beijing Vice Mayor Ji Lin said last week. Beijing's air pollution index was measured at 343, or heavily polluted, for the 24 hours through noon yesterday, according to the city. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum level of 50 for the index, with includes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and suspended particulates. The International Olympic Committee said March 17 that poor air quality may put some athletes at risk during the games. The IOC is drawing up contingency plans in case pollution prevents some events from taking place as planned, Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC's medical commission, said in a statement. Banned Drugs The U.S. plans to test athletes for asthma in Beijing prior to the games. Because people react differently to varying levels of pollution, some competitors may not know they have exercise- induced asthma until they start training in the Chinese capital, U.S. team physician Randy Wilber said. ``My concern is that an athlete who has perfectly normally functioning lungs in Colorado Springs will have significant problems in Beijing's air pollution,'' Wilber said, referring to the U.S. Olympic Committee's training center. That may prevent some athletes from taking drugs that ease swelling of the airways. Competitors must prove they are asthmatic before the games to be allowed to take medications banned by international sports federations, including the commonly prescribed albuterol. ``There's a lot of paperwork,'' Holzer said. ``You've got to have everything in place before you go.'' China's economic growth of more than 10 percent a year has filled Beijing's air with particulate matter from building sites, carbon monoxide from vehicle emissions and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur from power plants and factories. Burning Lungs Carbon monoxide hinders athletes because it competes with oxygen at the binding sites of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in blood from the lungs to the body. The other pollutants inflame airways and irritate sinuses and eyes. The biggest threat to athletes may be ground-level ozone, produced when oxygen reacts with nitrogen dioxide in sunlight and high temperatures. Ozone causes a burning sensation in the lungs and increases phlegm production, Balmes said. ``It's a mild burn unless you're a marathon runner out there breathing very hard for a couple of hours,'' said the chief of occupational and environmental medicine at San Francisco General Hospital and a marathon runner. Heat and humidity are a bigger concern than pollution for endurance athletes, said Dr. John Brotherhood, who is advising the Australian Olympic Committee on heat problems in Beijing. London Dream Athletes cool themselves by sweating, a process that's impaired when high humidity prevents perspiration from evaporating. Relative humidity in Beijing in August may climb to 95 percent and morning temperatures can top 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). ``The worst scenario is that somebody might get heat stroke and their temperature might get dangerously high,'' Brotherhood said. ``But usually what happens is that people get profoundly fatigued or they just feel that have got to stop or slow down.'' Gebreselassie's dream is to run the marathon at the 2012 games, and he won't jeopardize that by tearing through the streets of Beijing for 26.2 miles, Hermens said. ``It's not just the pollution but the heat and humidity,'' he said. ``The marathon's just too dangerous for him.'' To contact the reporters on this story: Dan Baynes in Sydney at dbaynes@bloomberg.net; Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: March 18, 2008 20:48 EDT
_______________________________________________________________________ Times: IOC finds no reason to hide pollution risks Organising body says that tests have revealed that air quality will be good enough to compete in Haile Gebrselassie Ashling O'Connor, Olympics Correspondent Anti-pollution face masks for athletes competing in Beijing are “unnecessary”, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after an analysis of the air quality around the Chinese capital. The conclusion, based on an environmental assessment conducted in August last year, confirms the view last week of Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, that masks would be “useless” and would offer no benefit. It also follows a review by the British Olympic Association (BOA), which originally said that it may allow athletes to compete in a smog-busting breathing device, of its decision to supply masks during the Games. Colin Moynihan, the BOA chairman, has said that team members would be free to train with the mask - tested by Paula Radcliffe, the asthmatic marathon runner - but that there was “no intention” to allow them in competition. It is not up to the BOA to set a team rule, however, and a spokesman acknowledged that it would be an individual decision. “We are increasingly confident that the improved air quality will mean masks are unnecessary, but it is up to the individual athletes and their sporting federations if they want to wear them in competition.” The latest recommendation from the IOC about pollution during the Games follows its assessment of data supplied by the Beijing environmental authorities. It asked Chinese officials to supply the readings after mounting concerns among athletes about the air quality. Haile Gebrselassie, the favourite for a gold medal in the marathon, pulled out of the event last week, describing pollution as a “threat” to his health. The 34-year-old, who suffers from exercise-induced asthma, will run in the 10,000 metres instead. Four unnamed, independent pollution experts working for the IOC analysed the levels of ozone, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the air during test events between August 8 and 29 last year. Professor Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC's medical commission, said their findings suggested that the health of athletes would “not be impaired” by competing in one of the world's most polluted cities at the height of summer. “They are not necessarily ideal conditions but we feel that they will be good to compete. I see no reason for cancelling events,” he said, vouching for the credibility of the data supplied by China. “[Wearing masks] seems to be an unnecessary measure to take in my judgment.” Concerns remain, however, about those participating in endurance events including the marathon, triathlon and road cycling. “In outdoor events of more than an hour's continuous physical exertion, there may be some risk,” he said. The IOC will monitor the air quality on a daily basis during the Games and provide hourly updates to athletes and coaches. Any decision to postpone or cancel an event would be taken with the relevant sporting federation. “It would not be the first time - in winter sports with snow conditions it has been impossible to compete,” Professor Ljungqvist said. “In Barcelona, a tennis match was interrupted because it was too hot.” He added that the IOC would use guidelines set by the World Health Organisation in 2005 to decide whether or not it was too dangerous to compete. There is no parameter for making a call to postpone an event, though, and any decision would be on a case-by-case basis. Professor Ljungqvist said that Gebrselassie's decision to withdraw from the marathon should not set a precedent. “I would not say that his example should be a golden example,” he said. “We feel that heat and humidity will be the major issues rather than pollution.” However, he conceded that this was “the first time in sports history” that pollution was an issue in an Olympics. “It is not only a health risk,” he said. “They [athletes] may not perform to their best level. We may not see many world records.” Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ Science Daily: Pollution Visible From East Asia To North America In New Satellite Image ScienceDaily (Mar. 18, 2008) — In a new NASA study, researchers taking advantage of improvements in satellite sensor capabilities offer the first measurement-based estimate of the amount of pollution from East Asian forest fires, urban exhaust, and industrial production that makes its way to western North America. China, the world's most populated country, has experienced rapid industrial growth, massive human migrations to urban areas, and considerable expansion in automobile use over the last two decades. As a result, the country has doubled its emissions of man-made pollutants to become the world's largest emitter of tiny particles called pollution aerosols that are transported across the Pacific Ocean by rapid airstreams emanating from East Asia. Hongbin Yu, an associate research scientist of the University of Maryland Baltimore County working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., grew up in China and taught there as a university professor, where he witnessed first-hand and studied how pollution from nearby power plants in China affected the local environment. Early this decade, scientists began using emerging high-accuracy satellite data to answer key questions about the role tiny particles play in the atmosphere, and eventually expanded their research to include continent-to-continent pollution transport. So Yu teamed with other researchers to take advantage of the innovations in satellite technology and has now made the first-ever satellite-based estimate of pollution aerosols transported from East Asia to North America. The new measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite substantiate the results of previous model-based studies, and are the most extensive to date. The new study will be published this spring in the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. "We used the latest satellite capabilities to distinguish industrial pollution and smoke from dust transported to the western regions of North America from East Asia. Looking at four years of data from 2002 to 2005 we estimated the amount of pollution arriving in North America to be equivalent to about 15 percent of local emissions of the U.S. and Canada," Yu said. "This is a significant percentage at a time when the U.S. is trying to decrease pollution emissions to boost overall air quality. This means that any reduction in our emissions may be offset by the pollution aerosols coming from East Asia and other regions." Yu and his colleagues measured the trans-Pacific flow of pollution in teragrams, a unit of measurement of the mass of pollution aerosol (1 teragram is about 2.2 billion pounds). Satellite data confirmed 18 teragrams -- almost 40 billion pounds -- of pollution aerosol was exported to the northwestern Pacific Ocean and 4.5 teragrams -- nearly 10 billion pounds -- reached North America annually from East Asia over the study period. Yu points out, however, that the matter of pollution transport is a global one. "Our study focused on East Asian pollution transport, but pollution also flows from Europe, North America, the broader Asian region and elsewhere, across bodies of water and land, to neighboring areas and beyond," he said. "So we should not simply blame East Asia for this amount of pollution flowing into North America." In fact, in a model study published last November in the Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Mian Chin, also a co-author of this study and an atmospheric scientist at NASA Goddard, suggests that European pollution also makes a significant contribution to the pollution inflow to North America. "Satellite instruments give us the ability to capture more accurate measurements, on a nearly daily basis across a broader geographic region and across a longer time frame so that the overall result is a better estimate than any other measurement method we've had in the past," said study co-author Lorraine Remer, a physical scientist and member of the MODIS science team at NASA Goddard. The MODIS instrument can distinguish between broad categories of particles in the air, and observes Earth's entire surface every one to two days, enabling it to monitor movement of the East Asian pollution aerosols as they rise into the lower troposphere, the area of the atmosphere where we live and breathe, and make their way across the Pacific and up into the middle and upper regions of the troposphere. Remer added that the research team also found that pollution movements fluctuate during the year, with the East Asian airstream carrying its largest "load" in spring and smallest in summer. The most extensive East Asian export of pollution across the Pacific took place in 2003, triggered by record-breaking wildfires across vast forests of East Asia and Russia. Notably, the pollution aerosols also travel quickly. They cross the ocean and journey into the atmosphere above North American in as little as one week. "Using this imaging instrument, we cannot determine at what level of elevation in the atmosphere pollution travels. So, we do not have a way in this study to assess the degree of impact the pollution aerosols from China have on air quality here once they cross over to North America. We need improved technology to make that determination," said Remer. "Nevertheless, we realize there is indeed impact. For example, particles like these have been linked to regional weather and climate effects through interactions between pollution aerosols and the Sun's heat energy. Since pollution transport is such a broad global issue, it is important moving forward to extend this kind of study to other regions, to see how much pollution is migrating from its source regions to others, when, and how fast," said Remer. Adapted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ Independent, SA: World heritage site under pollution threat March 18 2008 at 05:34PM A world heritage site, the Vredefort Dome in the Free State, is under threat from pollution in the Vaal River, while in the nearby town of Parys the municipal water stinks and is undrinkable and the sewage network is breaking down, threatening tourism which is the town's lifeblood. But the mayor of Emfuleni Municipality, Max Moshodi, and his municipal manager Godfrey Mahlatsi are attending a two-day workshop on municipal bylaws, while Rome is burning, so to speak. Degradation in this once jewel of the Vaal is evident once you get off the well-maintained R56 provincial road. The municipal roads are pock-marked with big potholes and the drinking water smells. Access to clean water is a constitutional right in this country, but not so in Parys. Many of the residents in this town, which has the potential to generate many jobs and huge revenue for the municipal coffers from tourism, can barely afford to put food on the table, let alone buy bottled water. Edward Mafareka is a community leader in Tumahole informal settlement, where the poorest of the poor live, and he is furious. He says "the top-heavy Emfuleni council members do not earn their big paychecks", least of all the mayor. Mafareka claims Moshodi spent R1-million of ratepayers' money on a wake for a deceased councillor at the end of last year, while the people of Tumahole have to draw drinking water from the sewage-clogged Vaal River and use the undignified bucket toilet system. "Many people in my community have compromised immune systems from HIV. They get diarrhoea from the water and parasites from eating toxic fish bought from subsistence fishermen eking out a living from the dying Vaal River." This eloquent and wiry individual is fuelled with passion to see things come right in Parys, but says the politicians have their own agendas, which do not include the interests of the poorest of the poor. He points out the ageing sewage pump station in the town, which is grinding to a halt. The equipment is broken and there is no register for inspections. The smell is unbearable and the filter ponds are caked with human waste. Refuse lies rotting under a tree at a once-popular picnic site and the canals used to irrigate vegetables and crops are pumped from the polluted Vaal River. The canal water is left untreated before flowing back into the Vaal even more polluted. In Tumahole, the stench from a blocked sewage pipe is unbearable. Mafareka points to the high-mast lights that burn day and night - so much for municipal energy-saving, he says. The informal settlement has no basic services, not even water from a municipal tanker. But what really gets to Mafareka is the recreation facilities in the centre of Parys. The place where the youth could be learning to play cricket, rugby and soccer is filthy and rat-infested. And inhabited by vagrants. "These are all signs of an uncaring municipality. People are not working and there is no accountability," he says. Tredoux Odendaal, head of Parys Tourism Information, has a tough task on his hands. "Our municipal infrastructure is crumbling and threatening our tourism industry. Cancellations are increasing as tourists become aware of what is happening here," he says. A local businessperson, Henk Havenga, is passionate about Parys, but despairs over the lack of support from the local council. "The council does not give a cent towards the Tourism Information Office. They don't even clean our streets; we have created employment for two cleaners and provide them with trolleys for refuse to keep our streets clean. "We wonder what our municipality is doing with the revenue from ratepayers, it sure as hell is not being spent on our communities," he says. Both Havenga and Tredoux say the Vredefort Dome world heritage site status is being threatened. This is confirmed by Thomas du Toit of the Save the Vaal action group. Du Toit says: "The disastrous consequences in the region as a result of the polluted water comes mainly from the continuous raw sewage spills." The drinking water in Parys has tested positively for E.coli, but Du Toit says the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Lindiwe Hendricks "has the audacity to say the country's water is not in crisis". "She should come and drink our water, I guarantee you she will change her tune," he adds. Unlike the arrogant telephonist in the mayor's office, the manager in the mayor's office, Vincent Mokgosi, is obliging and helpful. Mayor Moshodi refers the question of the R1-million party and the other allegations to his municipal manager for comment, but says: "I can confidently say the world heritage site is not being neglected. "There is new development and we are busy negotiating with the province to have a full-time office there." Comment is still to come from the municipal manager and Marius Keet, the director-general for the department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). Back to Menu =============================================================== ROA MEDIA UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS Wednesday, 19 March, 2008 General Environment News Nigeria: Mosop Moves to Halt Shell's Return Leadership (Abuja): Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has reacted to a report that Shell Petroleum Company has resumed operations in Ogoni land. In a statement signed by Bari-ara Kpalap, MOSOP information officer and sent via e-mail to LEADERSHIP Kaduna office, the movement described the report as an infantile act of desperation and crass insensitivity. The statement said, "We would not have bothered to respond to the report but for our experiences of the past days and our recollection that such approach in the past had led to the precipitation of crisis in Ogoni by the company's callous tactics of pitching our people against one another. Shell should be held responsible for any possible crisis in Ogoni by their efforts to resume oil production in the area without a resolution of the protracted problem with the Ogoni people". The movement further stressed that it was aware that, Shell was jittery over the fact that it had no tangible evidence to prove to the Federal Government that it could still operate the Ogoni oil concession as the one year deadline imposed on the corporation expires in May, saying it was therefore, using underhand means to tackle the problem. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180266.html Nigeria: Alao Warns Against Further Degradation Leadership (Abuja): Although it looks like a mirage to witness actual mining take off in the country in the nearest time, the minister of environment, housing and urban development, Architect Halima Alao, has warned possible mining investors to ensure that the nation's environment is properly taken care of against any further degradation. Alao's warning was contained in a goodwill message she sent to the participants of the just concluded 44th Annual International Conference of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) in Abuja. The minister, who rightly observed that "extractive industries are particularly associated with problems like land degradation and pollution of various forms", hinted that the Federal Government was committed to the protection of the natural and built environment "for the use of present and future generation.” http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180396.html Nigeria: FG Disburses N1bn for Evacuating Typha Grass in Wetland Areas Daily Trust (Abuja): About one Billion Naira has been earmarked by the Federal Government for the dredging and removal of Typha grass that has taken over the wetlands around the Hadejia River that passed through Jigawa, Yobe, Kano, Bauchi and Plateau states. Already excavation work has begun in earnest at the Wacakal river site where two firms, Sani Kwangila Yakasai (SKY) and Ambinse were contracted to evacuate all the grass popularly known as "Kachalla". The State Commissioner for Environment Barrister Yusuf Mato said the contract was awarded by the Federal Government from the ecological fund with a view to clear about 56 kilometres of typha grass infested river. Mato stated that the contract which was being awarded through the Hadejia Jama'are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA), is expected to be done in two phases while the first phase would be carried out at the cost of N250 million and the second phase is expected to gulp N650 million respectively. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180539.html Uganda: Storm Wreaks Havoc in Kayunga New Vision (Kampala): Over 70 people in Kayunga district were on Sunday left homeless after a hailstorm destroyed their houses and gardens. Kayunga sub-county chairperson, Lugard Ssalabwa, said cassava, maize, vanilla, potato and banana plantations were destroyed. The most affected villages were Kaazi, Kisaaba and Bubajwe. Ssalabwa said six head of cattle, 13 goats and several chickens were also killed by the storm, which also de-roofed over 22 houses in Ndeeba, Namagabi and Bukolooto villages in Kayunga Township. The Woman MP, Florence Nayiga Ssekabira, asked the disaster preparedness ministry to help the affected people. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180070.html Kenya: Court Orders Habitat Report on Sugar Project The Nation (Nairobi): A court has ordered for a report on how the construction of a sugar factory in the Tana Delta will affect the environment. The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has been given a month to file the environmental impact assessment report. They are to do so before April 18. The suit was filed by Mat International against Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA). Mumias Sugar Company has also been enjoined. The case is before Mr Justice Festus Azangalala sitting in Mombasa. Mat International went to court to restrain TARDA and Mumias Sugar Company from carrying out a feasibility study, on a proposed Sh24 billion sugar project at the Tana Delta. The judge extended orders barring TARDA from going ahead with the project until other orders were issued. A group of pastoralists identified as the Tana Delta Pastoralist Community Environmental Conservation and Management Association, has opposed the multi-billion-shilling project, claiming that it would have an adverse effect on the area's flora and fauna. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180202.html South Africa: Committee Pragmatic On Burning Issue Business Day (Johannesburg): Parliament's environmental affairs and tourism committee has adopted a middle path in dealing with the thorny question of waste incineration, deciding against both an outright ban and a laissez faire approach in favour of strict regulation. The issue was raised during the committee's deliberations on the National Environmental Management Waste Bill, which was adopted last week and will be debated in the National Assembly soon. Cement producers that use incinerated waste for their cement kilns were so concerned about a possible ban that they made last minute representations to the committee about the need to retain incineration. Incineration is also used for the destruction of hazardous medical waste and could be used in the co-generation of electricity. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180364.html Namibia: Britain Gives Big for Flood Relief The Namibian (Windhoek): Britain has donated around N$750 000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross flood relief appeal fund for the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshikoto, Oshana, Kavango and Caprivi regions. The 50 0000-pound donation was pledged to President Hifikepunye Pohamba during a meeting with British High Commissioner Mark Bensberg last week. The money will be disbursed from Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) through the British Red Cross Society to the Namibian Red Cross Society. http://allafrica.com/stories/200803180559.html Back to Menu _______________________________________________________________________ ROAP MEDIA UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS Wednesday, 19 March, 2008
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