Each Friday we’ll bring you a round-up of the week’s green news from around the web. Please drop us a line if you know of a story we should include in the next round-up.
Disney’s green intentions are pure fantasy
From The Guardian on 19 March 2009
Walt Disney is going green. Fantasy world? You might think so, what with headlines declaring “Disney no Dumbo when it comes to the environment” and sober-minded business journalists reporting their ambitions to be “as green as Jiminy Cricket”. Anyhow, the company with an unerring ability to persuade people to cross oceans to visit its theme park is now taking the well-worn path to corporate environmentalism. [full article]
Trees: More than just carbon sinks
From BBC News on 19 March 2009
“In the absence of trees, our communities would simply collapse,” states Andrew Dokurugu, a project officer for Tree Aid. Speaking from the charity’s West Africa offices in Burkina Faso, he explains how trees are vital for poor rural villages to survive in the long-term. “We are looking at ways to promote sustainable agriculture and agroforestry,” he tells BBC News. “This will help ensure that the remaining trees are well looked after and that communities have access to the trees they require.” [full article]
Internet could become environmental watchdog
From Reuters on 19 March 2009
The Internet could provide an early warning system for environmental damage, imitating an online watchdog that gives alerts about outbreaks of disease, scientists said on Thursday. An automated trawl of blogs, videos, online news and other sources could yield bits of information to fill in a bigger picture of problems such as global warming, pollution, deforestation or over-fishing, they said. [full article]
Shell: Screw the environment, let’s get rich
From Greenpeace UK on 18 March 2009
We’ve got so used to big oil companies trying to use tiny investments in renewable energy as fig leafs for their core business of pumping oil, that in a way, an oil company just turning round and issuing a big ’screw you’ to such pretensions might almost seen slightly refreshing, if only for the novelty value. Well, in theory. But it’s hard to read yesterday’s press statement from Shell without your heart sinking. [full article]
UN: half world’s population to face water stress by 2030
From BusinessGreen on 18 March 2009
Report calls for increase in water infrastructure investment as climate change and rising populations combine to put pressure on water supplies. Almost half the world’s population will live in areas of high water stress by 2030 as a result of climate change, according to a new report this week from the UN, which urged political and business leaders to increase investment in water infrastructure or risk economic activity and development goals being seriously undermined. [full article]
Government launches bid to allay fears over GM food
From The Independent on 18 March 2009
The Government has asked its top scientist to investigate the merits of genetically modified food in the hope that his verdict will allay public fears about so-called “Frankenstein foods”. Officially, Gordon Brown and his ministers remain neutral on the issue of GM because of public hostility, saying that they will be “guided by the science”. But they have quietly ordered a major research project, which they hope will provide the launchpad for a campaign to persuade people that GM food is safe. [full article]
Landmark ruling halts mining in Peak District national park
From The Guardian on 17 March 2009
A landmark court ruling could halt most mining in the Peak District national park and save one of Britain’s most treasured limestone ridges. Three court of appeal judges unanimously ruled today that an earlier high Court decision allowing Bleaklow Industries to mine as much limestone as they liked from Backdale quarry in Derbyshire was not valid. The judges re-instated a planning inspector’s ruling and confirmed that only a very limited amount of limestone will now be allowed to be quarried. [full article]
EU calls on farmers to start adapting to climate
From Reuters on 16 March 2009
Europe’s farmers must think how to adapt to climate change in coming decades, altering their practices to cut greenhouse gas emissions, make agriculture more resilient and keep land in use, a European Commission paper said. The uneven effects of climatic change were likely to widen regional differences across the European Union’s farmland and increase economic disparities between rural areas, the Commission said in the draft paper seen by Reuters on Monday. [full article]
Water scarcity ‘now bigger threat than financial crisis’
From The Independent on 15 March 2009
Humanity is facing “water bankruptcy” as a result of a crisis even greater than the financial meltdown now destabilising the global economy, two authoritative new reports show. They add that it is already beginning to take effect, and there will be no way of bailing the earth out of water scarcity. The two reports – one by the world’s foremost international economic forum and the other by 24 United Nations agencies – presage the opening tomorrow of the most important conference on the looming crisis for three years. [full article]
Baby bottle chemical is removed
From BBC News on 14 March 2009
The makers of babies’ bottles in the US are to remove a controversial chemical from their products, amid growing concern over its possible effects. The six manufacturers say they are reacting to consumer demand by removing Bisphenol A (BPA) from their bottles. But they will continue selling bottles containing BPA in the UK, a decision which has angered campaigners. [full article]
Don’t forget to drop us a line if you know of a story we should include in the next round-up of green news.
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