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- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Altonivel (Mexico): Basura electrónica en México suma tons
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Developpement Durable: Soutenez la pêche durable avec le label MSC !
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Touristic presse: ibis - mit Nachhaltigkeit in die Zukunft
- Back to Menu ============================================================= Other Environment News
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Daily Nation (Kenya): Girl on a mission to save habitat in Cancun
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ AP: More dirty evidence of Gulf oil spill wash ashore
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Reuters: Government loses bid to keep oil drilling ban
_________________________________________________________________ Ecoticias: Trece científicos españoles han sido seleccionados para la elaboración del quinto informe de evaluación del Grupo Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre Cambio Climático 24th June 2010 El Grupo Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre Cambio Climático (IPCC) de Naciones Unidas ha anunciado la inclusión de trece científicos españoles para formar parte de los 831 especialistas de todo el mundo que participarán en la elaboración del Quinto Informe de Evaluación (AR5),cuya finalización está prevista para el año 2014. El profesor Losada, considerado como uno de los principales expertos de Europa en esta materia, ha sido elegido como coordinador de Autores líderes. De los trece científicos españoles, ocho han sido seleccionados como Autores líderes y cuatro como Revisores editoriales. La selección de estos expertos españoles para la elaboración del Quinto Informe de Evaluación del IPCC (AR5) constituye un paso significativo en el aumento progresivo de la participación de España en los Informes de Evaluación y de actividades del IPCC, según señala en un comunicado el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente Grupos de trabajo españoles El pasado 15 de enero el IPCC abrió el proceso de nominaciones por parte de los gobiernos, que concluyó el pasado 12 de marzo. En total, el IPCC ha recibido unas 3.000 nominaciones y han seleccionado a 831 expertos. El AR5, al igual que en el caso del Cuarto Informe de Evaluación (AR4), contendrá el Informe de Síntesis y los tres volúmenes correspondientes a las contribuciones de sus tres Grupos de Trabajo: Grupo de Trabajo I: "Cambio Climático 2014: Las bases científicas físicas del cambio climático". Los científicos españoles Fidel González-Rouco de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Francisco Doblas-Reyes del Instituto Catalán de Ciencias del Clima y el Profesor Manuel de Castro de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha participarán como Autores líderes, respectivamente, en los capítulos referidos a: la información paleoclimatológica, las proyecciones y la predictibilidad del cambio climático a corto plazo, y los fenómenos del clima y su relevancia para el futuro cambio climático regional. Grupo de Trabajo II: "Cambio Climático 2014: Impactos, Adaptación y Vulnerabilidad". Los científicos Gerardo Benito Profesor de Investigación del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Marta Rivera-Ferré de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona y Anil Markandya, Director Científico del Centro de Cambio Climático del País Vasco, participarán como Autores líderes, respectivamente, en la elaboración de los capítulos referidos a los recursos hídricos, las áreas rurales y los aspectos económicos de la adaptación al cambio climático. Además, tres científicos participarán como Revisores editoriales: el Profesor de Investigación Joan Grimalt del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas participará como revisor editorial del capítulo Europa; y la doctora Ana Iglesias de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid lo hará en el capítulo sobre los aspectos económicos de la adaptación al cambio climático. El Profesor José Manuel Moreno, que actualmente es Vice-presidente de la Mesa del Grupo de Trabajo II del IPCC, será también Revisor editorial del Capítulo referido a los ecosistemas terrestres. Grupo de Trabajo III: "Cambio Climático 2014: Mitigación al cambio climático" En esta parte participarán como Autores líderes dos expertos españoles, la Profesora Luisa Cabezas de la Universidad de LLeida en el capítulo referente a edificación y el Profesor Xavier Labandeira de la Universidad de Vigo en el capítulo relativo a las políticas nacionales, subnacionales y las instituciones. También participará en calidad de Revisor editorial del capítulo referido a los temas transversales financieros y de inversiones, el Profesor Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga de la Universidad Pontificia de Comillas. El IPCC Al detectar el problema del cambio climático mundial, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM) y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA) crearon el Grupo Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC) en 1988. Se trata de un grupo abierto a todos los Miembros de las Naciones Unidas y de la OMM. La función del IPCC consiste en analizar, de forma exhaustiva, objetiva, abierta y transparente, la información científica, técnica y socioeconómica relevante para entender los elementos científicos del riesgo que supone el cambio climático provocado por las actividades humanas, sus posibles repercusiones y las posibilidades de adaptación y atenuación del mismo. El IPCC no realiza investigaciones ni controla datos relativos al clima u otros parámetros pertinentes, sino que basa su evaluación principalmente en la literatura científica y técnica revisada por homólogos y publicada. Una de las principales actividades del IPCC es hacer una evaluación periódica de los conocimientos sobre el cambio climático. El IPCC elabora, asimismo, Informes Especiales y Documentos Técnicos sobre temas en los que se consideran necesarios la información y el asesoramiento científicos e independientes, y respalda la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (CMCC) mediante su labor sobre las metodologías relativas a los inventarios nacionales de gases de efecto invernadero. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Altonivel (Mexico): Basura electrónica en México suma tons 24th June 2010 BBC Mundo dio a conocer que se calcula que México genera entre 200 y 300 mil toneladas de basura electrónica al año, lo suficiente como para llenar unas 100 albercas olímpicas. Por ejemplo, el televisor que un mexicano acaba de tirar, tras comprar uno mejor para ver a su selección en Sudáfrica, forma parte de las 170 mil toneladas de televisores que se desechan anualmente en México, detalla el portal informativo. El PNUMA estima que para 2013 el consumo de aparatos electrónicos por persona, en ese país, aumentará 20% hasta llegar a 119 dólares. El patrón de consumo de los mexicanos se ha visto influenciado por el abaratamiento de los precios de algunos aparatos electrónicos y por la reducción de la vida útil de esos artefactos. Basura electrónica en cifras: Basura electrónica en toneladas por año Brasil: más de 368.000 Colombia: más de 36.000 Perú: más de 24.000 Fuente: PNUMA (estas cifras incluyen: computadoras, impresoras, celulares, televisores y refrigeradores) Según un informe de Business Monitor Internacional, México es, después de Brasil, el principal mercado de productos electrónicos de América Latina. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Developpement Durable: Soutenez la pêche durable avec le label MSC ! 24th June 2010 Selon le dernier rapport du Programme des Nations Unies pour l’environnement (PNUE), la surpêche menace gravement les ressources halieutiques. Il pourrait même ne plus y avoir un seul poisson dans les océans d’ici 2050 ! Mais il existe des pratiques respectueuses de l’écosystème marin : le label MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) les défend… Equivalent du label FSC (Forest Stewardship Council, bois et papier issus de forêts éco-gérées), le MSC garantit une gestion durable de la pêche. Concrètement, en choisissant cette certification, le consommateur est assuré d’acheter du poisson pêché artisanalement, sans surexploitation des stocks. Le respect des quotas, bien sûr, est essentiel. Mais la taille des filets et des mails est aussi prise en compte, ainsi que l’impact de l’activité sur les habitats, les oiseaux,… Sans oublier que les aspects sociaux des populations sont par ailleurs considérés, sachant que quelque 30 millions de personnes vivent aujourd’hui de la pêche dans le monde (95 % habitent les pays pauvres). Vous savez donc ce qu’il vous reste à faire au supermarché ou au restaurant ? Il y a urgence : selon la FAO (Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture), 60 % des pêcheries de la planète sont déjà surexploitées ! Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Touristic presse: ibis - mit Nachhaltigkeit in die Zukunft 24th June 2010 ibis, die internationale Economy-Marke der Accor Hotelgruppe, baut ihr Engagement im Bereich der umweltfreundlichen Hotellerie in Deutschland aus. 14 weitere ibis Hotels erhielten nun die Zertifizierung ISO 14001. Weitere 30 Hotels beginnen mit den Vorbereitungen. München - Nachhaltiger Tourismus gewinnt eine immer größere Bedeutung. Auf der internationalen Tourismusmesse in Berlin war es eines der meist diskutierten Themen bei den Reiseexperten. Doch auch immer mehr Menschen möchten ihr tägliches Leben mit den Prinzipien der Nachhaltigkeit und des Umweltschutzes in Einklang bringen. Oft fällt die Reiseentscheidung bewusst zugunsten umweltfreundlich aufgestellter Hotels und Reiseziele. Mit den 14 zusätzlichen deutschen ibis Hotels, die nun mit dem internationalen Standard ISO 14001 für ihr umweltbewusstes Management zertifiziert sind, geht die 2-Sterne-Marke von Accor auf diese Kundenwünsche ein. Insgesamt sind jetzt 19 Hotels, ca. 22% des Netzwerks, zertifiziert; rund 30 weitere deutsche Hotels starten in diesem Jahr mit den Vorbereitungen zur Zertifizierung. Weltweit besitzen über 280 ibis Hotels in 17 Ländern das ISO 14001 Zertifikat. "Ibis macht seinen Gästen die Entscheidung zugunsten eines gelebten Umweltschutzes nun leichter und stärkt seine Position im Bereich des nachhaltigen Entwicklung", so Michael Mücke, Senior Vice President Operations ibis, all seasons, Etap, Formule 1 und Geschäftsführer der Accor Hotellerie Deutschland GmbH. Ibis war 2004 die erste Hotelkette der Welt, die die Initiative zur ISO 14001 Zertifizierung startete, um die Umwelteinflüsse seiner Aktivitäten zu reduzieren und dem wachsenden Umweltbewusstsein seiner Gäste Rechnung zu tragen. Nachhaltigkeit mit Zertifikat Der Standard ISO 14001 wurde von der Internationalen Organisation für Standardisierung etabliert und zertifiziert die Prozesse von Unternehmen und Einrichtungen. Bei den ibis Hotels handelt es sich um Themen wie Abfallwirtschaft, Wasser- und Energiehaushalt. Ein Hotel, das die Kriterien für umweltbewusstes Management in täglicher Verpflichtung erfüllt, wird mit der Zertifizierung ISO 14001 ausgezeichnet. Die Palette der Maßnahmen reicht z.B. vom Einbau Wasser sparender Technik wie Durchflussbegrenzer in die Bäder und die öffentlichen Sanitärbereiche, der Verwendung von Energiesparlampen bis hin zur Mülltrennung im Hotel. Ausgestellt und überwacht wird die Zertifizierung vom Bureau Veritas Certification, der führenden Zertifizierungsagentur der Welt. Accor - Hotellerie mit nachhaltigem Bewusstsein Einsatz für den Umweltschutz und Übernahme sozialer Verantwortung sind tief in der Unternehmensphilosophie von Accor verankert. Seit 2006 setzt Accor das ambitionierte Programm für nachhaltige Entwicklung, genannt: "Earth Guest: Zu Gast auf der Erde, Gastgeber für die Welt" um. Das Umweltmanagementsystem spielt hier eine wichtige Rolle. Ziel der weltweit führenden Hotelgruppe ist es, dass bis Ende 2010 20% der Accor Hotels weltweit mit einer Umweltzertifizierung wie Green Globe oder ISO 14001 ausgezeichnet sind. Das Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit wird durch die Stiftung "Fondation Accor" und das Projekt "Plant for the Planet" abgerundet, das in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Umweltprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (UNEP) erfolgt. ISO 14001: Tägliche Verpflichtung Mit der ISO 14001 Zertifizierung hat sich ibis verpflichtet, den Nachweis für die Übereinstimmung mit internationalen und lokalen Umweltvorschriften zu erbringen, die für alle Aktivitäten im Hotel und im Restaurant anwendbar sind. Ibis bekennt sich zur täglichen Umsetzung einer Reihe von Initiativen und Prozessen: - Wasserverbrauch reduzieren - Energie sparen und er-neuerbare Energiequellen vorantreiben. - Abfall sortieren: ibis garantiert, dass sein Abfall nur von zertifizierten Firmen entsorgt wird, die örtliche Auflagen erfüllen. - Bewusstsein schaffen unter den Mitarbeitern, Lieferanten und Hotelgästen. Back to Menu ============================================================= Other Environment News AFP: UN talks chief 'appalled' over climate change response 24th June 2010 Outgoing UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said Thursday he was "appalled" at the international community's response to climate change, after the failure of last year's Copenhagen summit on global warming. "The one thing that has appalled me most is to witness the degree to which the international community is cutting off its nose to spite its face," he told a Hong Kong business conference sponsored by The Economist magazine. "(The world) is behaving as though climate change is somebody else's problem... This is in the collective interest and it's a collective challenge," the Dutch national said. "Unless we deal with that challenge ... we really are in big trouble." De Boer's blunt assessment came a week before steps down from the UN post to take a climate advisory job at international consulting firm KPMG. He was appointed as executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in September 2006. In February, de Boer suddenly announced his resignation effective July 1, three months ahead of schedule. Praised by some for his work on climate change, de Boer also came under fire for the outcome at the Copenhagen talks, which ended in December in near-chaos as world leaders scrambled to find a face-saving deal. Leaders of a core group of major polluting countries stitched together a pact to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). But the accord failed to get the seal of approval at a plenary session, after a number of countries from Latin America and Africa railed at its unambitious scope and for being excluded from the haggling. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Daily Nation (Kenya): Girl on a mission to save habitat in Cancun 24th June 2010 Laureen Omollo has caught world attention. The 17-year-old’s dream of planting 10,000 trees in Kisumu has landed an invitation to the climate change convention in Cancún, Mexico, later this year. Laureen, a Form Four student at Kisumu Girls’ High School, was invited by the UN to attend COP 16, a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which is an extension seminar of the Copenhagen Climate Change. The seminar will be held from the November 29 to December 10. She is one of four Kenyan youth invited because of their contribution to environmental responsibility. Three of the youth, Williams Ero from Ruaraka, Berryl Cheryl from Moi University and Laureen are members of the International Climate Champions. “I’m glad that this privilege came to me and I see it as an opportunity to succeed in my passion for conserving the environment,” Laureen said. Her mentor and teacher, Mrs Mary Oruko, said ever since Laureen joined the school, she has been keen to improve her surrounding. Mrs Oruko said Laureen had been advocating for responsibility in environmental issues. Every Friday, she delivers a speech to other students and all she talks about is proper dumping of wastes, fuel and electricity conservation. Laureen, the second born in a family of six, is optimistic that climate change can be tamed and its consequences avoided, if every human being changes his/her attitude. She said several conflicts in the world were caused by the scramble for resources, which have been declining because of climate change. “Violence and crimes are on the increase in the world because people want to satisfy their basic needs. Satisfaction is impossible in the world because climate change has caused drought, floods, melting glaciers and mudslides,” she said. “I have a passion for restoring the beauty of the earth God gave us. A higher number of responsible humans, will lead to a better life.” Laureen is in a group of 10 girls in her school who have been planting trees in Kisumu Town and encouraging other students to do the same. They have been supported by the British Council. So far, the girls have planted trees at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground, Bishop Obiero Secondary School in Shauri Moyo, Kisumu Boys’ Secondary School and the Kenya Pipeline Corporation grounds in Kisumu. The girls also planted more than 200 trees in their school compound and target to plant 100,000 trees in Kisumu by 2012, especially in places where there was once a forest cover like Kajulu Hills. School principal Mary Akunja said the school encouraged girls to pursue their extra-curriculum activities. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ AP: More dirty evidence of Gulf oil spill wash ashore 25th June 2010 More dirty evidence of the massive oil spill washed ashore along the Gulf Coast for residents who don't need anymore reminders of their frustration over failed efforts to stop the crude gushing from a blown-out undersea well. In Florida, officials on Thursday closed a quarter-mile stretch of Pensacola Beach not far from the Alabama line when thick pools of oil washed up, the first time a beach in the state has been shut because of the spill. A large patch of oil oozed into Mississippi Sound, the fertile waters between the barrier islands and mainland of a state that has mostly been spared. The news came as a cap collecting oil from the well was back in place after a deep-sea robot bumped it and engineers concerned about escaping gas removed it for about 10 hours Wednesday. Even before that latest setback, the government's worst-case estimates suggested the cap and other equipment were capturing less than half of the oil leaking from the seafloor. And in recent days, the "spillcam" video continued to show gas and oil billowing from the well. BP's pronouncements that it would soon be able to collect more spewing oil have "absolutely no credibility," Jefferson Parish Councilman John Young said. The latest problem shows "they really are not up to the task and we have more bad news than we have good news." BP officials said they sympathized and planned to do more. "For BP, our intent is to restore the Gulf the way it was before it happened," BP PLC managing director Bob Dudley, who has taken over the company's spill operations, said in Washington. In other developments: • The federal judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deep-water drilling in the Gulf refused to stay his ruling while the government appeals. • Environmental groups asked the court to release additional information about U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman's holdings in oil-related stocks. • Dudley said BP had asked James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration during the Clinton administration, to review its response to the oil spill and recommend improvements. At nearly every important juncture since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers, the government's and BP's estimates on the size of the spill, its effect on wildlife and the time frame for containing it have spectacularly missed the mark. On June 8, BP chief operating office Doug Suttles said the spill should be reduced to a "relative trickle" in less than a week. BP later said it would take more time for the spill to reach a trickle. President Barack Obama told the nation last week that as much as 90 percent would soon be captured, saying the company had informed him that was how much of the oil could be kept out of the water within weeks. "It just doesn't look like that's in the cards," said Ed Overton, a retired professor of environmental science at Louisiana State University. "We're not even close to that, and the word today is that they were capturing less than the day before. I was hoping the president knew something that the rest of us didn't know. I mean, he was talking to the big shots." BP said Thursday it was gradually ramping back up to capture about 700,000 gallons a day with the cap, and burning off an additional 438,000 a day using an incinerator ship. Worst-case government estimates are that about 2.5 million gallons are leaking from the well, though no one really knows for sure. By mid- to late July, the company hopes to have the capacity to capture up to 3.3 million gallons a day, if that much is flowing, BP spokesman John Curry said. It cannot all be done immediately, Curry said, because the logistics of positioning four giant ships capable of collecting oil and connecting them to the seafloor are complicated. "There's a limit to the number of ships in the world that do these type of things," he said. None of those efforts is expected to stop the leak entirely. The soonest that would happen is late August, which is when BP says relief wells being drilled through thousands of feet of rock beneath the seabed will reach the gusher. August seems a long way off to many. Along Pensacola Beach, lifeguard Collin Cobia wore a red handkerchief over his nose and mouth to block the oil smell. "It's enough to knock you down," he said. Others weren't happy about the situation but declined to second-guess the BP engineers. "I have no clue at all about the correct way to stop it," said Rocky Ditcharo, a seafood dock owner in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish. "`Powerless' — that's a good word for it." Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Reuters: Government loses bid to keep oil drilling ban 24th June 2010 The Obama administration lost a legal skirmish on Thursday when a judge refused to put on hold his decision lifting a ban on deepwater oil drilling imposed after the worst spill in U.S. history. After striking down the moratorium on Tuesday, a federal judge in New Orleans rejected a request to allow the six-month ban to stand while the government appeals his decision. Judge Martin Feldman issued a brief order denying the stay request, pointing to his previous ruling that criticized the ban as arbitrary, far-reaching and unjustified given the impact on thousands of oil industry workers and communities. The government has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and can ask it to stay Feldman's decision. It is also revising the ban to make it more flexible and possibly open some areas to drilling, but has not said when it will issue a new moratorium. Feldman's latest ruling was more unwelcome news for the administration, which has been on the defensive over what critics call a slow and ineffective response to the 66-day-old spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The government imposed the moratorium after a well owned by BP Plc ruptured on April 20, unleashing millions of gallons of crude into the sea, one of the biggest environmental catastrophes to hit the United States. SALAZAR DEFENDS BAN But the ban, set by President Barack Obama while a commission investigates the causes of the disaster, has been condemned by some on the Gulf Coast, where the economy is closely tied to the energy industry. "I think he's lost his mind. If they shut down the oil fields, I might as well shut down," said Joan Strohmeyer, who owns a hotel in Venice, Louisiana. The spill has shut down rich fishing grounds, threatened the Gulf Coast's tourism industry, tarred beaches and killed hundreds of turtles and birds and dozens of dolphins. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told lawmakers in Washington the government was aware of the moratorium's impact on the Gulf Coast economy, but he said the ban was necessary "until we get to a level where we can provide a sense of safety to the American people that drilling can in fact continue." Oil companies say the government has not proven the need for a blanket ban on deep sea drilling and warn it will lead to major layoffs. Judge Feldman agreed and in his ruling on Tuesday sharply rebuked the U.S. government. BP SHARES HIT NEW LOW The spill has undermined investor confidence in BP, a staple of British pension funds, as estimated clean-up costs soar. The British energy giant has seen its shares lose almost half their value since the spill. BP's U.S.-listed shares closed down 3.13 percent at $28.74 in New York trading on Thursday, hitting a new year-low. The company's stock lost 2.47 percent in London. Analysts said investors were reacting to news that the U.S. government was reviewing the environmental impact of BP plans to drill in Alaska. "Think about it. How many holes can you have in a bucket? There are just too many problems," said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey. Shareholders are also worried about how much BP will ultimately have to pay for cleaning up the mess in the Gulf of Mexico. Under U.S. political pressure, it agreed last week to set up a $20 billion fund to pay damages to oil spill victims. BP also faces more than 240 spill-related lawsuits, most filed on behalf of businesses, including commercial fishermen, shippers and resort operators, according to the Westlaw database. Westlaw is a unit of Thomson Reuters. But at its current levels BP's share price is attracting some interest -- fund managers who focus on undervalued and unloved stocks have started buying BP shares. The purchases seem small so far and some portfolio managers are still analyzing whether the company will come out of the disaster intact, managers speaking at the Morningstar annual investing conference in Chicago said on Thursday. BP said its oil-capture systems at the leak collected or burned off 16,830 barrels of oil on Wednesday, a 38 percent drop from Tuesday's record rate of 27,100, after an underwater accident forced a 10-hour shutdown. With the hurricane season having officially started on June 1, BP is keeping an eye on stormy weather, which could hamper its clean-up and containment efforts. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said a tropical wave over the western Caribbean Sea could develop into a tropical depression over the next couple of days as it moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. Most weather models forecast it would move toward the southern Texas and Mexico coasts. Earlier, some models had projected the wave would move toward the BP clean-up operation in the central U.S. Gulf Coast. Back to Menu Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 352.19 Kb. Share with your friends:
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