The environment in the news



Download 410.92 Kb.
Page1/14
Date18.10.2016
Size410.92 Kb.
#719
  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   ...   14






THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS

Friday, 18 August 2006



UNEP and the Executive Director in the News


  • UN agrees Med oil spill plan (BBC)

  • UN agencies agree on clean-up plan to tackle oil spill polluting Lebanon and Syria (UN News Centre)

  • Cyprus terms international meeting on oil spill "constructive" (Xinhua)

  • UN wants to contain oil spill caused by war (IHT)

  • U.N., others to help in Lebanon oil spill (Associated Press)

  • UN bodies call for Lebanon oil spill cleanup funds (Reuters)

  • Cost of enviromental damge in Lebanon seen at 50m (Financial Times)

  • Explosives hamper return of Lebanese civilians (NZZ Online)

  • Lebanon to receive 'urgent' assistance with massive oil spill (Turkish Press)

  • UN Agencies Agree on Clean-Up Plan to Tackle Oil Spill Polluting (News Blaze)

  • Pledge to help Lebanon clear oil spill (Evening Echo)

  • Des drames écologiques menacent le Liban et les Philippines (Le Figaro)

  • Marée noire - Des aides parviendront de plusieurs organisations et de plus de dix pays (L'orient Le Jour)

  • Proche-Orient: l'ONU veut agir d'urgence face à la marée noire (La Liberte)

  • Derrame de petróleo en el Líbano: un siglo de pérdidas (Radio Mundo Real)

  • Tote Fische und Ölbrocken an einem Strand von Beirut. (Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)

  • Beratungen über Ölpest im Mittelmeer (Bernerrundsschau.ch)

  • Kampf gegen Ölpest kostet 100 Millionen Dollar (Abendblatt.de)

  • Wenn die Insel langsam im Meer versinkt (Klimawandel)




Other Environment News

  • Ask the experts: Urban planet (The Financial Times)

  • Chinese drought affects millions (BBC)

  • China Power Grids Strained by Heat, Drought (Reuters)

  • Typhoon hits Japanese island (The Daily Telegraph)

  • Tropical Storm Hits Japan's Kyushu; Flights Cancelled (Bloomberg.com)


Environmental News from the UNEP Regions


  • ROLAC

  • ROAP

  • ROWA



Other UN News


  • UN Daily News of 17 August 2006

  • S.G.’s Spokesman Daily Press Briefing of 17 August 2006

BBC:UN agrees Med oil spill plan



UN officials have drawn up an action plan to tackle a huge oil spill along the Lebanese and Syrian coastline.

Experts estimate that the initial clear-up will cost 50m euros (£34m), with more funds required next year.

The plan calls for immediate aerial surveys to assess the extent of the damage and a workforce of 300 people to tackle the worst-affected sites.

The measures were agreed at a meeting in Greece attended by Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Turkey and the EU.

The executive director of the environment programme at the United Nations, Achim Steiner, said it was a sad fact that the environment was a victim of the conflict.

"Now the bombs have stopped and the guns have been silenced we have a chance to rapidly assess the true magnitude of the problem and finally mobilise the support for an oil clean-up and a restoration of the coastline," he said in a statement.

"The experts are on standby and today the international community have agreed on an action plan.

"I sincerely hope we have secured the financial backing to swiftly and comprehensively deliver on this promise to the Lebanese people, on this request to the UN for assistance from the Lebanese authorities."



Concerted effort

Up to 15,000 tonnes of oil poured into the Mediterranean Sea last month after Israeli forces bombed a power station.

Marine experts were unable to visit the worst affected areas while the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continued, but Monday's ceasefire allowed them to begin on-the-ground assessments.

Local environmental and conservation groups said that some of the oil had settled on the sea floor, threatening areas where tuna spawn.

They also voiced concern that slicks on beaches would prevent young green turtles, an endangered species, from reaching the sea after they had hatched.

The meeting in Piraeus, which was hosted by the Greek Maritime Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis, agreed on measures to tackle pollution affecting shorelines in Lebanon and Syria.

Priorities include:


  • Recovery of floating oil in ports, harbours and the most heavily polluted sites

  • Testing of oil samples to see if they contain persistent organic pollutants, which are a potential risk to human health

  • Protection of sensitive areas such as nesting sites for birds and turtles, World Heritage Sites and tourist locations

The talks were co-chaired by UN Environment Programme (Unep) executive director Achim Steiner and Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Mr Mitropoulos said the action plan set the stage for wide-ranging assistance needed by the Lebanese and Syrian authorities.

"I sincerely hope that the damage to the environment is contained to the current level and that other Mediterranean Sea countries do not suffer as a result of the oil spill, also that we can all learn a lot from this tragic incident and take these lessons forward so we are better prepared in the future," he said.

Computer models suggest that about 20% of the oil has probably evaporated, with almost 80% now on the coastline, and around 0.25%, or some 40 tonnes, remaining at sea.

However, satellite images suggest that far larger amounts may remain afloat, with the potential to spread much further a field.

___________________________________________________________________________




Download 410.92 Kb.

Share with your friends:
  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   ...   14




The database is protected by copyright ©ininet.org 2024
send message

    Main page