Category: Archive

Faud a risk with money a factor in fight against global warming

admin /28 June, 2006

With money entering the picture in the fight against global warming, so also could fraud, warned British scientist Euan Nisbet, of Royal Holloway University of London, a member of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW),

Emissions under-reported: The magazine New Scientist reported on 21 June that Nisbet and Peter Bergamaschi at the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy, believed countries outside Europe were also likely to be under-reporting their emissions, and that the problem was global.

Some numbers too big, some too small: "We know the total global emissions well enough, but individual national numbers may be badly out. Some are too big and some are too small," Nisbet said.

Past estimates inaccurate because of difficulties: He said past estimates of greenhouse gas emissions were inaccurate simply because of the difficulty of measuring them, but that might have changed.

Incentive to under-report emissions: "Now that money enters the picture, with the Kyoto protocol rules and carbon trading, so also can fraud. There will be an incentive to under-report emissions," he added.

Global auditing system sought: Nisbet, Bergamaschi and other scientists now want to create a global system for auditing emissions claims by directly measuring concentrations of greenhouse gases in the air.

Reference: Digest of latest news reported on website of Climate Change Secretariat of United Nations Framework on Climate Change Control (UNFCCC). 21 June 2006. Address: PO Box 260 124, D-53153 Bonn. Germany. Phone: : (49-228) 815-1005, Fax: (49-228) 815-1999. Email: press@unfccc.int
http://www.unfccc.int

Erisk Net, 27/6/2006

‘Wild river’ could jeopardise mineral exploration

admin /28 June, 2006

Queensland’s peak minerals and energy sector body has welcomed today’s (23/06/06) undertaking by Premier Peter Beattie to pursue a speedy resolution to the debate surrounding ‘wild river’ nominations in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) Chief Executive Michael Roche said on 23 June the QRC had no objection to the concept of identifying a wild river, but did not agree that it should act as a trigger for a blanket prohibition of use.

  ‘We believe the existence of a wild river should be treated as a requirement to ensure a high standard of environmental control under appropriate approval conditions,’ Mr Roche said.

  ‘For example, the Gregory River is in the midst of what we know to be the most highly mineralised geological formation in Queensland – one that is currently supporting six world class metals mines and generating wealth for Queensland.

  ‘Any move to exclude tens of thousands of square kilometres of land from future mineral exploration must be considered carefully. In the absence of new mineral discoveries, it’s expected that at least four major mines in the north west will reach the end of their economic lives over the next decade,’ he said.

Mr Roche said he was pleased the government had acknowledged that further delays in the wild rivers declaration process would send the wrong message to exploration companies that regard certainty in government policy direction as a key criterion for investment.

Reference: Queensland Resources Council, 13/33 Mary Street, Brisbane Qld 4000 Australia, ph: (07) 3295 9560 (switch) / 3316 2511 (direct); fax: (07) 3295 9570, website: http://www.qrc.org.au

Erisk Net, 28/6/2006

Parkinson linked to Pesticides

admin /27 June, 2006

Exposure to pesticides – even at relatively low levels – may increase an individual’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 70%, according to a study of more than 140,000 people. Researchers say that the findings strengthen the hypothesis that such chemicals somehow promote the development of the disease.

In recent years, experts have identified genetic mutations that apparently predispose people to develop Parkinson’s. But some mystery remains because not everyone with the mutations will get the devastating neurological disorder, which is characterised by rigid and slow movement or other problems with body coordination. Likewise, Parkinson’s can develop in individuals with no known genetic predisposition.

As a result, many scientists maintain that environmental factors ultimately trigger the development of Parkinson’s disease.

India tops wind energy table

admin /27 June, 2006

Confronted in 1994 with escalating power costs, Tulsi Tanti’s young textile business was in dire straits. With survival at stake, Tanti chanced upon a solution that was literally blowing in the wind. Commissioning two windmills to supply electricity for the family’s factory in Gujarat, on India’s west coast, he realized that he had stumbled onto a promising business opportunity. In a power-starved nation, renewable energy has a favored future.

India’s power is woefully inadequate during summer months when temperatures soar to 115 degrees Fahrenheit and demand peaks. In Delhi, the national capital, a recent heat wave compelled the government to mandate early shuttering of stores and to ban home air-conditioner use until after 9 p.m.

"Our country needs power for its economic growth, and clean, green power is the best option," says Tanti, 48. Acting on that belief, he radically shifted his enterprise into what is now Suzlon Energy, which just reported annual revenues of $850 million. That was nearly double the previous year.

Hydrogen fuel not pie in the sky

admin /27 June, 2006

Hydrogen as a fuel is not pie in the sky, it is a known technology, reported New Scientist (24 June 2006, p.26). BMW and other German car makers have already made prototypes that run on hydrogen They are involved in constructing a net of filling stations and expect to see the start of the hydrogen Continue Reading →

Greenland’s Glaciers in rapid meltdown

admin /26 June, 2006

The Greenland ice sheet — two miles thick and broad enough to blanket an area the size of Mexico — shapes the world’s weather, matched in influence by only Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere.

It glows like milky mother-of-pearl. The sheen of ice blends with drifts of cloud as if snowbanks are taking flight.

In its heartland, snow that fell a quarter of a million years ago is still preserved. Temperatures dip as low as 86 degrees below zero. Ground winds can top 200 mph. Along the ice edge, meltwater rivers thread into fraying brown ropes of glacial outwash, where migrating herds of caribou and musk ox graze.

The ice is so massive that its weight presses the bedrock of Greenland below sea level, so all-concealing that not until recently did scientists discover that Greenland actually might be three islands.

Should all of the ice sheet ever thaw, the meltwater could raise sea level 21 feet and swamp the world’s coastal cities, home to a billion people. It would cause higher tides, generate more powerful storm surges and, by altering ocean currents, drastically disrupt the global climate.