Bring Me Up: The Environment

House Passes Landmark Climate Bill

2009-06-27T09:23:00.003-05:00

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act, the most important environmental and energy legislation in our nation's history.

The bill that emerged from the House has the fundamental structure we need to significantly reduce carbon pollution while growing the economy. It puts strong cap on emissions and reorients our energy market to make low-carbon power the goal. It ensures that utility rates will stay affordable and a competitive playing field for U.S. companies.

The sharply debated bill's fate is unclear in the Senate, and Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to ratchet up pressure on the 100-seat chamber.

"My call to every senator, as well as to every American, is this," he said. "We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past. Don't believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth."

Oceans Policy Directive

2009-06-13T15:38:00.002-05:00

Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement in response to a significant new direction in ocean management announced by President Barack Obama today.

"Today the President took a major step forward to protect the nation's ocean resources and environment. It is now widely recognized that the health of the oceans is in decline from a variety of uses and abuses. We have long had the need for a more comprehensive way to manage our ocean resources that takes into account the marine system as a whole, rather than focusing simply on its individual parts. With today's announcement, we finally have the political leadership to make this long-sought goal a reality.

"Six years ago, the Pew Oceans Commission recommended a national ocean policy as critical to maintaining and sustaining America's marine environment. Today, the President has seized the opportunity not just to change the way we manage marine resources, but to transform our society's perspective about the sea from one of simple exploitation to that of careful, science-based stewardship of this critically important economic and environmental resource."

Among its cardinal recommendations, the Pew Oceans Commission called for establishing an enforceable national policy to protect, maintain and restore the health of marine ecosystems. This will not only support economically and culturally valuable fisheries, but also provide countless recreational opportunities for the public and protect critically important ecological services, such as air and water purification.

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improving public policy, informing the public and stimulating civic life.

Virgin. Turn On. Fuel. Unplug.

2009-06-02T08:54:00.002-05:00

Virgin. Turn On. Fuel. Unplug. These are some of the bold environmental statements headlining the T-shirts from A Lot To Say, a new lifestyle brand that celebrates and encourages a strong, collective voice not only to be heard in the written word, but across your chest. "Virgin" here might sound like a statement for sexual purity but instead it's followed up with the fact: Virgin plastic is what most shampoo and conditioner bottles are made from and they add to over 35% of waste in landfills. Not sexy.

With bi-coastal sisters, Alison Stanich Power in New York and Jennifer Stanich-Banmiller in San Francisco as co-CEOs of A Lot To Say, inspiration is never at a loss. "We wanted to do something that would not only inspire us, but would engage others to get involved and stay involved," commented Jennifer from her headquarters in Danville, CA. "We also felt strongly about trying something new, as I'm in communications and marketing and Alison has been the Executive Creative Director for major global advertising agencies for years. We decided to share what we know, hopefully inspiring people to make a difference." The result is A Lot To Say, makers of organic messaging T-shirts, the new media on seriously light-hearted global and environmental communication as well as messaging that speaks to inspiration, politics and civil liberties.

In addition to the statement making attention grabbing headlines by A Lot To Say, the company has sought out manufacturing techniques that are true to their message. The t-shirts fabrics, while soft to the touch, are created from recycled bottles and made in the USA. Power and Banmiller sought out a non-water and non-toxic printing process that is hypoallergenic while being good to the universe. Coloring and printing garments can usually consume up to 250 times its own weight in water. The pollution it causes is re-distributed to the environment and is hazardous and unnecessary. A Lot To Say is utilizing AirDye(R) that uses no water at the point of coloration, requires up to 70% less energy and produces no hazardous by-products. These shirts are the ultimate in sustainability.

A Lot To Say shirts for men and women start from $36 and come in styles such as crew tees, tanks and hoodies. A Lot To Say shirts will be available at select retailers soon, but are available online now at www.alottosay.com.

Smart Light Sydney lights up with reduced power

2009-05-26T09:06:00.001-05:00

In a world first for artificial light festivals, the Smart Light Sydney Light Walk will turn off more power on the city grid than it uses, thanks to a switch-off campaign in conjunction with the Property Council of Australia.

Smart Light Sydney will celebrate sustainable innovations and the future of low-energy lighting design when it lights up Sydney, starting tomorrow night and running for three weeks.

A major component of Vivid Sydney, Smart Light Sydney will take place from 26 May to 14 June, headlined by a free public Light Walk including Observatory Hill, The Rocks, Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House.

Taking place nightly from 6pm to midnight, the Light Walk will encompass 25 light art installations, showcasing smart lighting techniques such as low energy, recycled materials, new technologies, innovative design and renewable power sources.

The switch-off lights campaign, incorporating some of the major properties located within the Light Walk precinct, will offset the low levels of energy being used by the Light Walk’s installations to ensure the event creates a minimal environmental impact.

Restore Northwest Salmon

2009-05-20T08:14:00.003-05:00

In 2008, the Bush Administration imposed a plan that allows these lethal dams to continue killing up to 90% of some Snake River salmon runs. Earthjustice challenged the plan in court soon after it was issued, and now the Obama administration is conducting a 60-day review of that plan; providing some extra time to explore a way to resolve this long-running controversy.

Wild salmon and steelhead of the Columbia and Snake Rivers connect coastal and river communities from California to Alaska and inland as far as Idaho and Nevada. Earthjustice has been in court for over a decade fighting on behalf of fishermen and conservationists to protect and restore this endangered national treasure.

Working together, NOAA, CEQ, and the Corps can lead efforts to restore these vital wild salmon runs and make local communities whole again by bringing together key stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest to craft an effective, legal, and science-based blueprint to resolve this long-standing controversy in a way that produces healthy salmon populations, sustainable new jobs, healthy economies, an improved transportation system, and clean and affordable energy.

The recovery of the Snake River salmon runs is especially critical because these fish migrate the furthest, past the most dams, and yet have access to the largest area of unspoiled spawning habitat of any Columbia Basin salmon -- millions of acres of cool, high-elevation wilderness in central Idaho and northwest Oregon. This wild salmon refuge will be critical as the effects of global warming impact the west.

In announcing his preliminary conclusions about the Bush salmon plan, U.S. District Court Judge James Redden warned that "Federal Defendants have spent the better part of the last decade treading water, and avoiding their obligations under the Endangered Species Act. . . . We simply cannot afford to waste another decade."

ProtectSeals deserves a high five

2009-05-05T08:05:00.002-05:00

Today is a day to celebrate. The European Union has slammed shut the door on trade in the products of the commercial seal slaughter.

The Canadian government used every trick in the book to try to derail the ban: massive lobbying, misinformation, and even threats of trade reprisals. But the EU stood its ground and honored its citizens’ opposition to this trade in cruelty. By doing so, the EU has saved millions of seals from a horrible fate.

Every year, the ProtectSeals team has endured hazardous conditions to document the seal hunt. We are committed to showing the world that the Canadian government is lying when it claims that the hunt is humane.

This is the beginning of the end for the Canadian seal hunt. The Canadian government estimates that losing this primary market will cost Canada’s sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) each year. The hunt brought in less than $7 million last year. It's not hard to do the math.

Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive the prices for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin -- a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of this year's quota of 280,000 harp seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed so far.

Now that the EU has banned its trade in seal products, countless more seals will live their lives in peace from this year forward.

Garden for the Community

2009-05-02T07:27:00.003-05:00

It is with pride that I tell you about the University of Delaware teaming up with the Food Bank of Delaware to create a "Garden for the Community."

The University of Delaware will devote 16,000 square feet of its Newark farm to a community garden, with the produce donated to the food bank. On May 15 and 16, the college will hold "Plant a Garden for the Community Day," when volunteers can help get the garden into shape. (If I weren't due that weekend I would be there with bells on!)

"Our goal is simple - to help the Food Bank meet their mission - a community without hunger - by providing Delaware families with fresh, local food."

The success of the garden will depend on the generosity of local business donors, community volunteers, and CANR faculty, students and professionals. Please consider helping us establish this garden.

To join as a business partner or volunteer, please contact Alyssa Collins at (302) 831-2882.

Swine Influenza (Flu)

2009-04-27T08:44:00.008-05:00

Replikins Ltd. published a FluForecast(R) warning in April 7th, 2008, a year before the recent Mexico and California H1N1 cases. The company was able to state the likelihood of H1N1 outbreaks based on its patented Replikin Count(TM) genomics technology, which examines specific regions in virus genes which have been linked with past epidemics.

The April 2008 announcement, attached below as published on the Web, stated that in H1N1 the company had then detected the highest concentrations of these specific regions ever seen, except for those from the 1918 pandemic which killed millions of people. Today, the company is actively pursuing licensing partnerships to apply its groundbreaking technology not only to early warning systems, but also to the development of synthetic vaccines to prevent or slow future epidemics.

A synthetic H1N1 Replikins Vaccine is available for testing. A similar synthetic Replikin Vaccine has been shown to successfully block the entry of H5N1 virus into, replication in, and excretion from chickens. The company is able to produce these vaccines in as little as 7 days, rather than the many months needed for traditional vaccines, because they are synthesized at the peptide level.

The viruses are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine anti-viral drugs but they are sensitive or susceptible to oseltamivir and zanamivir, the newer anti-viral drugs for flu. And at this time we don’t know exactly how people got the virus. None of the patients have had direct contact with pigs.

"You can get swine influenza without direct contact but it's a bit more unusual. And we believe at this point that human-to-human spread is occurring. That's unusual. We don't know yet how widely it's spreading and we certainly don't know the extent of the problem. We're taking active steps to learn more and to make sure that we're on top of the situation. We're working closely with health officials in California and in Texas and we're working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture exploring illness in pigs and other animals." [ANNE SCHUCHAT, MD, Interim Deputy Director for Science]

Greenland's Field of Ice

2009-04-23T13:49:00.004-05:00

Just read on Reuters that there is actually some good news coming from an "ice study."

A study of Greenland's ice sheet has revealed that a vast store of planet-warming methane appears to be more stable than thought, easing fears of a rapid rise in temperatures, a scientist said on Friday.

Scientists have feared climate change could trigger a huge release of methane from the clathrate reservoir, sending global warming spiraling out of control.

An estimated 5,000 billion tonnes of carbon are locked up in these deposits, said Vasilii Petrenko of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado.

Only about one trillionth of the methane from the air bubbles contained the carbon-14 isotope. The analysis was undertaken at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization.

Warmer oceans, caused by general global warming or local events can trigger more breakups of ice shelves and faster flow of ice streams in Antarctica. In Greenland, sustained increase in temperatures of only a few degrees will remove the ice.

What the researchers really want to know is how all this meltwater affects the flow of the broader ice sheet once it gets to the bedrock below.

Sarah Das is from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "It's kind of hard to say what the impact one particular lake would have on the velocity of a large portion of the ice sheet," Das says. "But in general, it would seem that the ice sheet is speeding up quite a bit."

So much water flowed under the ice, it actually lifted the glacier by three feet and sent it slip-sliding a bit toward the coast.

So the fact that carbon isn't releasing as much as feared is the good news. But the glacier moving around and changing water levels so drastically is the bad news. I suppose you have to take the good with the bad. Right?

The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is Australia’s national nuclear organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Act 1987 (Cth) prescribes its general purpose. The purpose is translated into action through corporate drivers of vision, mission and strategic goals.

From Fishery to Fork

2009-04-21T09:43:00.005-05:00

Overfishing defined: catching so many fish that too few are left in the ocean to reproduce at rates that can sustain a healthy population.

This overfishing definition has given way to a newer term of "Sustainable Seafood." Sustainable Seafood is seafood either fished or farmed in a manner that can sustain (maintain or increase) production in the future without harming ecosystems. The sustainable seafood movement is gaining momentum as awareness increases about overfishing and environmentally destructive fishing methods.

Fish farming in state waters (up to three miles from shore) is currently regulated by the states, and rules vary widely. In federal waters (from three to 200 miles from shore) there is no current legislation to guide the development fish farming.

Ocean Conservancy has a helpful link which will help you to learn how to buy sustainable seafood in your area. Check out Tips for Choosing Sustainable Fish >>

Video: Overview of Overfishing NBC Presentation

Wildlife Extra just released an article about overfishing and the theory that overfishing may be the cause of mass marine stranding.

The article states a number of theories, but in terms of overfishing they specifically had this to say, "In general, marine mammals only do a number of things out at sea: they eat, they sleep, they play and they mate. They can sleep, play or mate just about anywhere. However, they can only eat where there is food. Various scientific studies conducted here in the Philippines indicate that our seas are overfished. One study has estimated that, in certain fishing zones, we have consumed 90% of our fish stocks over the last 60 years."

Yesterday, the Ocean Conservancy launches a new online platform to track the major steps in the progression of wild-caught seafood from the ocean to the consumer - from fishery to fork. The site, is designed to highlight the roles and opportunities for fishery managers and policy makers, fishermen, retailers and consumers and others to improve the sustainability of our seafood throughout the industry. Ocean Conservancy has been working for decades to improve the way we fish, working from fishery to fork we engage with individuals, companies and decision makers to implement responsible management plans that invest in the future of U.S. fishing.

In short, due to overfishing fish populations and entire ecosystems are dwindling.

The seas must be allowed to recover.

Ocean Conservancy is the world's foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, we inform, inspire and empower people to speak and act for the oceans. Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in New England, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers. To learn more about Ocean Conservancy visit www.oceanconservancy.org.

Endangered Sea Turtles at the Gulf of Mexico

2009-04-17T11:49:00.002-05:00

Longline fishing is taking a terrible toll on threatened and endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Five of the world's seven sea turtle species are found in the Gulf of Mexico: leatherback, hawksbill, green, loggerhead and Kemp's ridley.

Attracted by thousands of baited hooks hanging from miles of fishing line, turtle species that have thrived for millions of years are sustaining life-threatening injuries and dying by the hundreds.

Bottom longline fishing has caught nearly 1,000 sea turtles in a recent two-and-a-half year period-wildly exceeding the original projections by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and in clear violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, green, hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles are suffering injuries that affect their ability to feed, swim, avoid predators, and reproduce.

Yet the NMFS has done nothing to stop this deadly practice.

A half dozen conservation groups sued the federal government on Wednesday, claiming the agency that oversees the Gulf of Mexico fishery is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect threatened sea turtles.

The groups claim a common type of fishing from vessels in the Gulf of Mexico that use long, baited lines to catch grouper and other fish is killing hundreds of the rare turtles every year.

"We think they're required to stop the fishing," said Steve Roady, an attorney for Earthjustice, which is suing on behalf of the conservation groups.

Buffalo Exchange for Earth Day 2009

2009-04-14T12:03:00.004-05:00

Recycling's in fashion-and helps save whales-at Buffalo Exchange for Earth Day 2009.

Not only can you find hip, interesting clothing and accessories at this chain of resale stores, but their Dollar Day sale will benefit Humane Society International (HSI) and The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS). Sales from all items offered for $1 each will go to support our Save Whales-Not Whaling campaign, which motivates people and countries around the world to protect whales from the cruel, outdated practice of whaling. The only way to save these magnificent mammals is to stand up against the international forces threatening to weaken protections for whales. After all, whaling is SO last century, but you can help keep us in the battle against it!

There is no excuse for continuing to allow this barbaric and outdated practice, especially as other threats to whales such as pollution and climate change increase. It is time to declare a global whale sanctuary and make all the seas safe for whales. Join us in calling on world leaders to declare a global whale sanctuary so that all whales are protected from commercial hunting everywhere they feed, breed and migrate. No exceptions.

A Call for a Global Whale Sanctuary Now >>

A Solar City in the US

2009-04-11T08:37:00.002-05:00

The housing collapse be damned, Kitson & Partners announces it will build a planned city near Fort Meyers with 19,500 homes, offices, retail shops, and light industry.

Florida Power & Light Co. would build a 75-megawatt solar photovoltaic array to supply electricity to the development's 6 million square feet of residential, industrial and retail buildings.

The planned city, Babcock Ranch, will include a smart grid to let residents monitor and adjust their energy consumptions. More than half of its 17,000 acres will be permanently protected as greenways and open space, according to the Miami Herald.

And who is behind this plan? Florida developer and former NFL lineman Syd Kitson.

Kitson, who is planning to raise outside capital as the project progresses, said he is attempting to persuade several companies to set up shop in Babcock Ranch. He is targeting solar panel manufacturers, lithium-ion battery makers and other clean-energy companies.

"We'd like Babcock Ranch to be the seed, where we could really start the R&D ... and have other companies come in and expand on that," Kitson said.

Construction crews plan to break ground on Babcock Ranch's infrastructure next year and begin building homes and offices in 2011, Kitson said. The entire city would be certified by the nonprofit Florida Green Building Coalition.

A study conducted by the economic research firm Fishkind & Associates Inc. for Kitson projects that Babcock Ranch would generate 20,000 permanent jobs in technology, retail, education, construction and other sectors over 20 years.

What your body absorbs from "clean" water

2009-04-07T10:46:00.004-05:00

University of Illinois geneticist Michael Plewa said that disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water are the unintended consequence of water purification. "The reason that you and I can go to a drinking fountain and not be fearful of getting cholera is because we disinfect water in the United States," he said. "But the process of disinfecting water with chlorine and chloramines and other types of disinfectants generates a class of compounds in the water that are called disinfection by-products. The disinfectant reacts with the organic material in the water and generates hundreds of different compounds. Some of these are toxic, some can cause birth defects, some are genotoxic, which damage DNA, and some we know are also carcinogenic."

The first discovery of the University of Illinois research team involved water with naturally high bromine and iodine in it, produced primarily from sea water or underground aquifers most likely linked to ancient sea beds in the past. When this type of water was disinfected with chemicals, DBPs were produced that had iodine atoms attached -- creating a gene harming toxin.

The second discovery revealed a danger from nitrogen-containing DBPs. "Disinfectant by-products that have a nitrogen atom incorporated into the structure are far more toxic and genotoxic, and some even carcinogenic, than those DBPs that don't have nitrogen. And there are no nitrogen-containing DBPs that are currently regulated," Dr. Plewa said in the media statement.

Our skin is not waterproof; it absorbs water. That's why it becomes wrinkly like a prune after we sit in the bath or swimming pool too long. Our skin doesn't absorb that much water, but absorption does occur.

Then what about what the environment is putting in your water without the help of what we use to "clean" the water?

Bokor, the Idaho Department of Environ-mental Quality's regional drinking water protection coordinator, and a number of other water officials and companies set themselves up inthe KMVT Community Room on Saturday for a water-quality fair, featuring free tests for nitrate levels in private wells. Such wells aren't regulated by the state and testing is the owner's responsibility, he said. But it's something that owners should do, given the risks involved.

Twin Falls County now hosts the No. 1 nitrate priority area in the state for its level of contamination. And in a report released March 27, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that more than 20 percent of private domestic wells sampled nationwide by the agency contain at least one contaminant at levels that prompt possible health concerns. The data came from around 2,100 private wells tested between 1991 and 2004, including some in the Magic Valley.

The specific contaminants varied by region and type of rock, but included nitrate, radon and arsenic - the last one specifically noted as existing in Idaho's basalt-rock aquifers. The agency estimated that about 43 million people, 15 percent of the population, rely on drinking water from private wells.

Of all the disinfectants, the chemistry and toxicity of the reaction by-products of chlorine have been the most extensively studied.

Chloramine generally produces by-products similar to those observed with chlorine but at much lower concentrations. The use of chloramine as a disinfectant has increased in recent years because of limited formation of THMs, however, little is known about the nature of other by-products.

The main disinfection by-products of chlorine dioxide are chloride, chlorate and chlorite. Chlorine dioxide is more effective towards inactivation of Giardia cysts than free chlorine, but less effective towards rotavirus and E. coli. Unlike chlorine, the disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide is independent of pH and the presence of ammonia.

Ozone is the most efficient disinfectant for all types of microorganisms. Disadvantages include lack of disinfectant residual, biological regrowth problems in distribution systems, high cost, and limited information on the nature and toxicity of its by-products.

Something to keep in mind is the risk of death from pathogens is at least 100 to 1000 times greater than the risk of cancer from disinfection by-products.

So why does it seem very active swimmers are more likely to have bladder cancer? I am sure all this will be research and studied in the near future.

Click here for a glossary of water disinfection terms >>

Sources:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009, April 7). What's In Your Water? Disinfectants Create Toxic By-products In Drinking Water And Public Swimming Pools.

Regli S., Berger P., Macler B., Haas C. (1993). Proposed decision tree for management of risks in drinking-water: consideration for health and socioeconomic factors. In: Safety of water disinfection: balancing chemical and microbial risks. Craun G.F. ed. ILSI Press, Washington, D.C.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf Hinging

2009-04-03T09:24:00.003-05:00

The Wilkins Ice Shelf is another example of the effects of global warming. In 1993 Professor David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey predicted the northern part of the Wilkins shelf would likely be lost within 30 years if climate warming continued at the same rate. In March 2008, a 405-square-kilometre chunk of the shelf disintegrated.

Those kind of global changes and seeing the threatened beauty of the Antarctic have confirmed in William Millar's mind that environmental science will remain a part of his future.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf is at risk of partly breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula as the ice bridge that connects it to Charcot and Latady Islands looks set to collapse. The beginning of what appears to be the demise of the ice bridge began this week when new rifts forming along its center axis resulted in a large block of ice breaking away.

By acquiring daily images of Antarctica that are easily accessible to scientists, ASAR has provided an unprecedented time series of the recent break-up events and allowed scientists to continuously monitor these developments to better understand the break-up process of ice shelves.

Many changes occurred to the ice shelf in 2008, as witnessed by Envisat. In late February, 425 sq km of ice calved away, narrowing the ice bridge down to a 6-km strip. At the end of May a 160-sq-km chunk of ice broke away and reduced the ice bridge to just 2.7 km, leaving it only 900 m wide at its narrowest location.

"In the past months, we have observed the ice bridge deforming and its narrowest location acting as a kind of hinge," Humbert said

Take Action: Protect the Grand Canyon

2009-04-02T07:25:00.003-05:00

There are more than 1,000 uranium mining claims within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park.

Mining for uranium this close to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon could devastate tourism, which produces over half a billion dollars for the economy and could allow toxins into the most critical source of drinking water in the West, leading to water contamination for nearly 30 million people.

Not to mention the devastating impact this would have on the eco-system of one of our most iconic national parks.

It is necessary to update the antiquated 1872 mining law, and pass a new Grand Canyon Protection Act which was first put into legislation in 1992.

The U.S. Geological Survey found in its 2005 SCORE Report that Modified Low Fluctuating Flows (MLFF, the flows coming through the dam since 1996) are destroying beaches, backwater habitats, humpback chub habitat, and other Grand Canyon resources. U.S. Fish & Wildlife's 1994 Biological Opinion determined that MLFF dam operations jeopardize the humpback chub, destroy its critical habitat in the Grand Canyon, and impede the chub's recovery.

On March 30, 2009 President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.

Once enacted, two million acres of land will be designated wilderness in nine states, which is the largest expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 15 years. However, the package of bills goes beyond wilderness designations. It also designates national heritage areas, national scenic trails, and national conservation areas. In total, the omnibus includes more than 160 different bills, including the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area outside Estes Park and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area outside Grand Junction.

With national interest and urging I am sure we can get the White House to proceed with protecting the Grand Canyon as well by ending nearby uranium mining.

You can take action by signing the Grand Canyon Act Update petition >>

World Wildlife Fund in the news

2009-03-31T11:26:00.003-05:00

The World Wildlife Fund announced this week that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is committing to its Climate Savers Program. Fairmont said they will reduce operational CO2 emissions from its existing hotels by 20 percent below 2006 levels by 2013, while also working on reducing their CO2 emissions through the brand’s new Energy and Carbon Management program. Is this a greenwash or truly something significant?

According to WWF's press release, Fairmont has also committed to:

-Finalize a Green Procurement Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct by the end of 2009;-Educate and encourage its top suppliers (representing approximately 25% of the supply chain) to provide products in accordance with the Green Procurement Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct by the end of 2010;

-Update existing Design and Construction standards to incorporate and reflect LEED standards by the end of 2011;

-Endeavor to include sustainable and LEED-certified hotels across the brand;

-Seek to relocate Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Corporate offices in Toronto Canada to a building with a LEED NC Gold target by 2011.

In more WWF related news...

On Thursday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Pew and WWF will lead a press conference call to preview the first-ever joint Arctic Council/Antarctic Treaty Ministerial Meeting on April 6 and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting which runs for the following 10 days.

Never before have these groups come together to discuss urgent global issues impacting both the Arctic and Antarctica. These meetings come at a time when the poles are sending critical signals about global warming. Nearly 400 diplomats, polar scientists, government officials and non-governmental organizations from 47 countries and 29 consultative parties will discuss issues including the rapid loss of Arctic and Antarctic ice habitat and the rapid, localized depletion of Antarctic krill, the primary food source for Antarctic whales, seals and penguins.

This call will be recorded as an mp3 and will be posted to www.krillcount.org and http://www.worldwildlife.org/arctic approximately three hours after the call ends.

Diesel Ships: Floating Smokestacks

2009-03-30T13:52:00.003-05:00

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) applauds the historic request by the U.S. government to protect millions of Americans from deadly global shipping pollution generated by large ocean-going ships. During a noon news conference today at Port Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that the U.S. government applied to designate U.S. coastal waters as "Emission Control Areas" under international law.

An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. In 2002, ocean-going ships were responsible for about 7,300 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution at the New York/New Jersey ports, comparable to the NOx emissions from 7.8 million of today's cars.

"Ships are floating smokestacks that deliver soot and smog straight to the heart of our most crowded coastal cities, home to 87 million Americans," said Andy Darrell, vice president of Living Cities at EDF, who attended today's announcement. "With emissions control areas, these tens of millions of Americans will see ship pollution drop by as much as 96 percent by 2015."

Earlier today, EDF released a new report showing that the container ships, tankers and other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade "residual fuel" or "bunker fuel" that is a major source of air pollution. More than 87 million Americans live in ports and coastal communities that fail to meet basic federal health standards for ground-level ozone and particulate pollution, according to EDF's report, "Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution: Establishing An Emission Control Area in U.S. Waters". The residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines.

EPA estimates that in 2001, ocean-going ships in the U.S. emitted:

* as much oxides of nitrogen (NOx, a key ingredient of ozone smog) as put out by 94 coal-fired power plants (an estimated 745,000 tons).

* as much particulate pollution (sometimes called soot) as is emitted from 117 coal-fired power plants (more than 54,000 tons).

* 40 percent of all mobile source sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate matter emissions contribute to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.

The United States submitted its application -- asking for the most rigorous clean air standards authorized under international law to apply to ocean-going ships calling on U.S. ports -- to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and will make its case at the July 2009 meeting of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee. Government officials estimate that foreign-flagged vessels make up 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports.

The EPA estimates that some 87 million Americans live in port areas that do not meet basic federal public health standards for ground-level ozone and particulate pollution. Fortunately, a pivotal opportunity is on deck to achieve significant reductions in the pollution from ocean-going ships. With U.S. leadership in requesting the establishment of an Emission Control Area, and IMO approval, the nation will be sailing more smoothly towards healthier air.

SOURCE

Flooding in North Dakota

2009-03-28T18:09:00.003-05:00

President Obama has already declared a state of emergency in this area, because of flood waters that could reach over 44 feet! It's already 22 feet above the flood stage - 22 feet! That's over the roof line of many of the houses!

The state has already mobilized the National Guard to help local police and fire departments with the rescue and evacuation. Officials said they were increasing the number of National Guard troops from 1,700 to 1,850 and bringing in hundreds of large bags that hold a ton of sand and could be dropped by helicopter into breaks in the levees. Predator drones began flying overhead Saturday morning, providing military-style surveillance of the situation and allowing authorities to react quickly if flooding worsens.

National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Hudson said the Red River began receding Saturday morning, surprising residents who were bracing for a crest on Sunday. But the river can still fluctuate up to a foot and may remain at dangerous levels for a week, meaning people will still have to wait several days before they are completely safe.

"The best news we can take from this is the river has crested," Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said. "But diligence is going to have to be required for at least eight more days and hopefully things will continue to drop."

Forecasters say the river is retreating because cold temperatures have been freezing water that normally would be flowing into the river. By the time that water thaws, the biggest flooding threat should have passed, Hudson said.

The weather service said the river crested around midnight at 40.82 feet. As of 2 p.m., it had dropped to around 40.61 feet, a significant shift from earlier forecasts that predicted the river would crest as high as 43 feet — the same level as the dikes protecting Fargo.

Lack of dust escalates ocean temperature

2009-03-26T14:01:00.003-05:00

The recent warming trend in the Atlantic Ocean is largely due to reductions in airborne dust and volcanic emissions during the past 30 years, according to a new study.

Apparently all this airborne dust is in my house; at least that would be my guess.

Variability of African dust storms and tropical volcanic eruptions can account for 70 percent of the warming North Atlantic Ocean temperatures observed during the past three decades. Since warmer water is a key ingredient in hurricane formation and intensity, dust and other airborne particles will play a critical role in developing a better understanding of these storms in a changing climate.

Amato Evan, a researcher with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies is the lead author of this new study.

Evan and his colleagues combined satellite data of dust and other particles with existing climate models to evaluate the effect on ocean temperature. They calculated how much of the Atlantic warming observed during the last 26 years can be accounted for by concurrent changes in African dust storms and tropical volcanic activity, primarily the eruptions of El Chichon in Mexico in 1982 and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.

In fact, it is a surprisingly large amount, Evan says. "A lot of this upward trend in the long-term pattern can be explained just by dust storms and volcanoes," he says. "About 70 percent of it is just being forced by the combination of dust and volcanoes, and about a quarter of it is just from the dust storms themselves."

Satellite research of dust-storm activity is relatively young, and no one yet understands what drives dust variability from year to year. However, the fundamental role of the temperature of the tropical North Atlantic in hurricane formation and intensity means that this element will be critical to developing a better understanding of how the climate and storm patterns may change.

"Volcanoes and dust storms are really important if you want to understand changes over long periods of time," Evan says. "If they have a huge effect on ocean temperature, they're likely going to have a huge effect on hurricane variability as well."

SOURCE

Aresenic laced water, not just in Asia

2009-03-25T10:16:00.004-05:00

Every day, more than 140 million people in southern Asia drink groundwater contaminated with arsenic. Thousands of people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar and Vietnam die of cancer each year from chronic exposure to arsenic, according to the World Health Organization. Some health experts call it the biggest mass poisoning in history.

According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.

"How does the arsenic go from being in the sediment loads, in solids, into the drinking water?" said Fendorf, a professor of environmental Earth system science and a senior fellow at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment.

To find out, he launched a field study in Asia in 2004 with two Stanford colleagues: Chris Francis, an assistant professor of geological and environmental sciences, and Karen Seto, now at Yale University. The initial study was funded with a two-year Woods Institute Environmental Venture Projects grant. Five years later, the research team appears to have solved the arsenic mystery and is working with policymakers and government officials to prevent the health crisis from escalating.

"We found out that, sure enough, within the first 2 to 3 feet from the surface, arsenic was coming out of the solids-that is, the sediments transported down from the Himalayas—and into the water, and then it migrated down into the aquifer," Fendorf said. Aquifers are the source of drinking water for people who use wells throughout Cambodia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and Vietnam.

Beginning March 24, Fendorf will co-host a four-day meeting on arsenic poisoning in Siam Reap, Cambodia, with about 60 experts, including government officials, scholars, NGOs and funding agencies, such as the World Bank. The meeting was convened by the American Geophysical Union and the Woods Institute.

Arsenic is in water in 25 states of the United States. Due to the ability for better water filtration in this area of the world it doesn't provide as much of a threat, but it is still cause for concern.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency often finds problems with bottled water, but doesn't tell the public about them.

Canada's federal food watchdog issued 29 recall notices for bottled water products between 2000 and early 2008, citing deficiencies such as contamination by bacteria, moulds, glass chips and trace amounts of arsenic.

Of the recalls, affecting 49 different products, it issued a public warning in only seven cases, two of which came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made public its recall orders.

Source for some of this article came from:
Stanford University (2009, March 25). New Solutions For The Arsenic-poisoning Crisis In Asia. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 25, 2009.

Help stop oil and gas leasing in the arctic

2009-03-23T14:01:00.006-05:00

The Chukchi and Beaufort seas, off the northern coast of Alaska, host an incredible range of Arctic animals including polar bears, walruses, ice seals, and bowhead and beluga whales. These waters are also vital habitat for countless numbers of migratory birds that summer in the Arctic. For thousands of years, communities on the Arctic coast have depended on this healthy ocean ecosystem to support their subsistence way of life.

Now, oil and gas development may jeopardize these waters and those who depend on them. The federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) is considering whether to proceed with a Bush Administration plan to lease vast swaths of U.S. Arctic waters for oil and gas development. The exact consideration would offer 73 million acres of Arctic waters to oil and gas leasing.

It makes no sense to compound the stress of climate change by opening huge areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas to offshore oil and gas development. Such development will have serious adverse impacts on the region's wildlife and Native communities. Moreover, oil and gas activities in Arctic waters are risky: high winds, powerful seas, variable ice conditions, and cold temperatures may overcome even the best technologies. And if a spill does occur, there is no proven method to clean it up in ice-laden waters.

The World Wildlife Fund, which has the world's largest Arctic conservation program, also recommends that the most vulnerable and important areas of the Arctic be deemed permanently off-limits to oil and gas development. Such "no-go zones" should be based on the sensitivity and productivity of special priority areas, where oil spill response would be virtually impossible to clean up or where any spill would cause irreparable long-term damage. These areas include Bristol Bay in the southeastern Bering Sea in Alaska, known as "America's fish basket," where more than 40 percent of all wild seafood is caught in the United States. Oil and gas development in the bay is estimated to bring in $7.7 billion over the 25-40 year lifetime experts predict it would take to extract the resources. By comparison, the renewable fisheries of the Bristol Bay region are valued at $50-$80 billion over that same time period.

Obama's proposed budget, unveiled last month, would impose a new excise tax and fees on companies that take oil and natural gas from federal waters and reimposes a tax - again largely targeting the oil industry - to pay for cleaning up Superfund sites. The administration also supports an end to a tax break for the major oil companies that is supposed to spur development of domestic manufacturing jobs.

President George W. Bush abruptly ended a long-standing executive ban on off-shore oil leasing in Alaska's Bristol Bay in January 2007. Lease sales in Bristol Bay were then scheduled for 2011 despite recommendations by the National Marine Fisheries Service to exclude Bristol Bay from the nation's 2007-2012 outer continental shelf leasing program. The Obama Administration has extended the public comment period on all lease sales until September 2009 but has not overturned the Bristol Bay sales.

"We're turning the page on a new level of responsibility in terms of how we're dealing with the fiscal realities of the country," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "...Not everyone is going to be happy."

Project Vulcan and Google Earth

2009-03-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

A new high-resolution, interactive map of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels is now available on Google Earth thanks to Project Vulcan. With a few clicks on Google Earth, anyone can now view pollution from factories, power plants, roadways, and residential and commercial areas for their state, county or per capita.

Individuals also can easily see how their county compares to others across the nation. A team led by scientists at Purdue University developed the maps and system, named Vulcan after the Roman god of fire. The system quantifies all of the carbon dioxide emissions that result from burning fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline.

Explore the Vulcan website for the Vulcan gridded data, methodological details, publications, plots and analysis. A major new initiative, launched from the Vulcan experience is currently being built - the Hestia Project - in which we plan to quantify greenhouse gas emissions for the entire planet at the building scale with complete driving processes. This work is supported by Purdue's Showalter Trust and Knauf Insulation.

Simon Ilyushchenko, an engineer at Google, volunteered his time to create the Vulcan layer. Google engineers are allowed to donate 20 percent of their time, or one day of their workweek, to a cause or project of their choice.

Global Carbon Project News

2009-03-21T16:36:00.004-05:00

"Forests, grasslands and oceans are absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere faster than ever but they are not keeping pace with rapidly rising emissions," says CSIRO scientist and co-chair of the Global Carbon Project, Dr Mike Raupach.

"While these natural CO2 sinks are a huge buffer against climate change, which would occur about twice as fast without them, they cannot be taken for granted."

Dr. Raupach and Swiss scientist, Dr Nicolas Gruber, co-chaired one of 43 sessions at the conference - Climate Change, Vulnerability of Carbon Sinks.

Dr. Raupach says concern about the vulnerability of carbon sinks is based on identifying several mechanisms that could cause the present stabilizing role of oceans and land to be weakened or even reversed.

"Such a change would have drastic consequences for the predicted magnitude or speed of climate change occurring and scientists will meet in Copenhagen to review and question the latest research from which advice can ultimately be provided to decision-makers."

Anthropogenic CO2 emissions have been growing about four times faster since 2000 than during the previous decade, despite efforts to curb emissions in a number of Kyoto Protocol signatory countries. Emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel and land use change reached 10 billion tones of carbon in 2007. Natural CO2 sinks are growing but slower than the atmospheric CO2 growth, which has been increasing at 2 ppm since 2000 or 33% faster than the previous 20 years.

Annual mean growth rate of atmospheric CO2 was 2.2 ppm per year in 2007 (up from 1.8 ppm in 2006), and above the 2.0 ppm average for the period 2000-2007. The average annual mean growth rate for the previous 20 years was about 1.5 ppm per year. This increase brought the atmospheric CO2 concentration to 383 ppm in 2007, 37% above the concentration at the start of the industrial revolution (about 280 ppm in 1750). The present concentration is the highest during the last 650,000 years and probably during the last 20 million years. [ppm = parts per million].

The Global Carbon Project (GCP) was established in 2001. The organisation seeks to quantify global carbon emissions and their causes.

The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle. The project has brought together emissions experts and economists to tackle the problem of rising concentrations of greenhouse gases.

The Global Carbon Project works collaboratively with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the World Climate Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change and Diversitas, under the Earth Systems Science Partnership.

Wolf pups and black bears take a hit

2009-03-20T13:59:00.006-05:00

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's cruel aerial slaughter has suddenly escalated.

This week, Palin's henchmen have killed 66 wolves, using helicopters, spotter planes and aerial gunners. To make matters even worse, Palin's Board of Game has approved the use of poison gas and deadly snares to kill defenseless wolf pups and their families in and around their dens.

This week, at least 66 wolves have been killed by aerial gunners with high-powered rifles in helicopters near Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. And, under new policies approved by Governor Sarah Palin's Board of Game, wolf pups could be gassed to death in their dens in the weeks ahead.

Under new guidelines, hunters can use snares to trap black bears in a specific area and can access the area via private helicopters. As for wolves, state employees are now authorized to use poison gas to kill orphaned wolf pups in dens (orphaned, presumably, after aerial hunting).

The Board of Game and Department of Fish and Game aim - or at least hope - to kill up to 60 percent of the 2,500 to 3,000 black bears that, in their opinion, prey upon an unacceptably high number of moose calves in Unit 16B, a huge area that extends from the foothills of the Alaska Range to Cook Inlet and from the Yentna River southwest to Redoubt Creek.

I'm not going to pretend I know the ins and outs of this, because I don't. I don't live in an area overwhelmed with wolves. I can't imagine though that they have become such a problem that poison gas needs to be thrown into their dens.

As for the bears, if you kill 60% of them does that mean in years to come you'll then be using those traps to kill the moose who would then perhaps be overly populated. I mean to what extent to do you step on the toes of mother nature?