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.
Student activists try to save wildlife on China’s menu
From The Guardian on 15 May 2009
Stewed turtle cures cancer, crocodile meat relieves asthma, pangolin scales regulate menstruation and scorpion venom helps stroke victims. Such is the traditional wisdom in Guangdong province, where animal markets teem with snakes, scorpions, salamander and dozens of different species of birds and turtles, some of which are endangered and all of which are fated to end their lives in restaurants, pharmacies or pet cages. Eating rare wildlife is normal in southern China, but a growing group of student activists is trying to do something considered far stranger: they are trying to save them. [full article]
West Antarctic ice sheet collapse exaggerated, scientists say
From The Telegraph on 15 May 2009
One of the most alarming consequences of rapid global warming would be a collapse of the west Antarctic ice sheet. Until now scientists have generally assumed that it would raise the global sea level by five to six metres or 17 feet but a more detailed analysis, published in the journal Science, shows this is an overestimate. Professor Jonathan Bamber, from the University of Bristol, who led the research, said the rise in sea levels is more likely to be around three metres or 10 feet – though this is still enough to badly affect different parts of the world and swamp cities like London and New York. [full article]
Government earmarks £29m for green travel city
From BusinessGreen on 15 May 2009
The government has this week announced plans to invest up to £29m in England’s first “Sustainable Travel City”. The money will help to fund improvements to public transport, cycling networks and services for commuters. The move follows the successful completion of three pilot projects in Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester which the government said had helped cut car use by almost 10 per cent over the past five years. Transport minister Paul Clark said the Sustainable Travel Towns initiative, which saw £10m invested over five years in green travel programmes for the three towns, demonstrated that improved education and facilities could help cut car use and congestion in urban centres. [full article]
Birds swell the ranks of critically endangered species
From New Scientist on 14 May 2009
A bird native to the Galapagos islands, the medium tree-finch, this year joined 191 other bird species newly added to the critically endangered list, the roster of the world’s most threatened species. But while the medium-tree finch is in jeopardy because of parasitic flies introduced to the islands, most of the species on this year’s red list of threatened species are imperilled by inexorable loss of their habitat. “The absolute number one factor is habitat destruction or deterioration,” says Martin Fowlie of BirdLife, the organisation in Cambridge, UK, which compiles the bird entries for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list of endangered species. [full article]
Existing gas power plants could pump out hydrogen
From New Scientist on 12 May 2009
Kick-starting the hydrogen economy will require cheap ways to produce vast quantities of the gas. But rather than building a new and costly plants, societies could modify existing gas powered stations instead, say Dutch and French chemists. It is the latest proposal in a long line aimed at solving a problem that is the main barrier to a cleaner, low-carbon, hydrogen-fuelled future. However, the new idea is not without its problems: critics say retrofitting gas plants would be inefficient, but agree that the hydrogen-generation hurdle will only be surmounted using existing fossil fuel technology. Although cheaper fuel cells and other technology needed to convert hydrogen to power are fairly advanced, there is currently no way to cheaply generate the large quantities of hydrogen needed. [full article]
Barack Obama’s key climate bill hit by $45m PR campaign
From The Guardian on 12 May 2009
America’s oil, gas and coal industry has increased its lobbying budget by 50%, with key players spending $44.5m in the first three months of this year in an intense effort to cut off support for Barack Obama’s plan to build a clean energy economy. The spoiler campaign runs to hundreds of millions of dollars and involves industry front groups, lobbying firms, television, print and radio advertising, and donations to pivotal members of Congress. Its intention is to water down or kill off plans by the Democratic leadership to pass “cap and trade” legislation this year, which would place limits on greenhouse gas emissions. [full article]
Richard Briers digs in to help stop the third runway
From Greenpeace UK on 12 May 2009
When the time came to dig an allotment on the Airplot, we knew that we needed some expert advice. And who better to turn to than the man who brought allotments to the attention of millions in 70s TV sensation The Good Life, and organic gardening supremos Garden Organic? Yes, the latest guest to the Airplot is Richard Briers, who has dusted off his spade and started digging up the land earmarked by Gordon Brown for the construction of a new runway at Heathrow airport. Richard is joining Gardener’s World presenter Alys Fowler to plant organic carrots on the plot – they want to send vegetables to every member of the cabinet, in the hope that they’ll enjoy them so much they’ll ditch their plans for a third runway. [full article]
UK plans smart meter revolution to cut energy cost
From Reuters on 12 May 2009
Every household in Britain should by 2020 be able to cut its energy bills and carbon footprint using “smart meters” and handheld devices to control energy use closely, the government said on Monday. Britain plans to replace all existing electricity and gas meters – often clunky objects hidden away amid domestic clutter in dark understairs cupboards – with easily viewed devices that show consumers exactly how much energy they are using, including by individual appliances. The hope is users will change their behavior to save money. The meters will also help homeowners sell electricity from green technologies like roof-top wind turbines back to the grid while improving energy demand forecasts and network management. [full article]
Whaling peace talks fall short
From BBC News on 11 May 2009
Moves to make a peace deal between pro and anti-whaling nations have stalled, with no chance of agreement this year. Countries have been talking for nearly a year in an attempt to hammer out an accord by this year’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. But a draft report seen by BBC News admits the process has “fallen short”. A source close to the talks blamed Japan, saying it had not offered big enough cuts in its Antarctic hunt, conducted in the name of research. Earlier meetings had raised the possibility that Japan might countenance annual reductions in its catch over the next five years, perhaps down to zero. [full article]
A cautionary video about America’s ’stuff’
From NY Times on 10 May 2009
The thick-lined drawings of the Earth, a factory and a house, meant to convey the cycle of human consumption, are straightforward and child-friendly. So are the pictures of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air. Which is one reason “The Story of Stuff”, a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption, has become a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation. The video is a cheerful but brutal assessment of how much Americans waste, and it has its detractors. But it has been embraced by teachers eager to supplement textbooks that lag behind scientific findings on climate change and pollution. [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.
