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.
Beavers released back into the wild
From The Independent on 29 May 2009
Beavers have been released back into the wild for the first time in 400 years. They have been taken to Scotland from Norway and are being released in Knapdale Forest, Argyll, following six months in quarantine. The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland were given the go-ahead for a trial reintroduction programme in May last year. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will monitor the trial and report to ministers on the outcome. The 11 beavers have been fitted with tracking devices. Colin Galbraith, director of policy and advice for SNH said: “We are pleased that the trial is under way as it provides the best opportunity to see how beavers fit into the Scottish countryside, in a carefully planned and managed way.” [full article]
Arctic’s mineral riches could stoke international strife
From The Guardian on 29 May 2009
The battle for the Arctic’s hidden mineral riches is likely to intensify after a survey revealing the energy reserves present beneath the ice. A map of potential oil and gas reserves in the region, published today in Science, shows that about 30% of the world’s unexploited gas and 13% of oil lie under the seas around the north pole. Billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of gas lie within the Arctic circle, where, until now, permanent ice has prevented drilling. The report is likely to further stoke international competition for mineral, tourism and shipping rights in the region. Exploration and drilling for oil and gas have become easier as climate change forces the ice to retreat, and all countries with borders inside the Arctic circle are fighting to claim their share. [full article]
Climate change causes 315,000 deaths a year
From Reuters on 29 May 2009
Climate change kills about 315,000 people a year through hunger, sickness and weather disasters, and the annual death toll is expected to rise to half a million by 2030, a report said on Friday. The study, commissioned by the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF), estimates that climate change seriously affects 325 million people every year, a number that will more than double in 20 years to 10 percent of the world’s population (now about 6.7 billion). Economic losses due to global warming amount to over $125 billion annually – more than the flow of aid from rich to poor nations – and are expected to rise to $340 billion each year by 2030, according to the report. [full article]
E-waste trade is the unacceptable face of recycling
From The Guardian on 28 May
Dell, the world’s second largest PC manufacturer, announced earlier this month that it is imposing a ban on the export of used equipment bearing its name to developing countries – unless the equipment is in full working order and intended for legitimate use. The idea is to undermine the huge trade in e-waste, too much of which ends up in giant trash piles in Africa, India and China, from where it is dismantled, burned, treated with corrosive chemicals and otherwise persuaded to give up tiny amounts of chemicals that can be sold on. The big question is why all the other manufacturers don’t have a similar policy. [full article]
UK and Norway launch North Sea carbon store study
From BusinessGreen on 28 May 2009
The UK and Norway today signed a wide-ranging deal that will see the two countries co-operate on the development of the North Sea as a potential site for storing captured carbon emissions. Under the terms of the deal, the two governments have jointly commissioned a major new study designed to analyse the sea bed of the entire North Sea, identify areas that are likely to be suitable for the storage of liquefied carbon dioxide. The study will also attempt to identify the likely business models that could be developed to support an emerging carbon storage industry and the extent to which the North Sea could be used to sequester carbon emissions from other European countries. [full article]
Carbon trading and cash values on forests cannot curb carbon emissions
From The Guardian on 28 May 2009
When Sir Crispin Tickell had the temerity to suggest that “the business community needs to re-examine the fundamentals of economics” at the recent World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, his discordant tone was drowned out by a chorus of more than 800 delegates singing the praises of unfettered markets as a means to tackle climate change. The commitment to carry on with business as usual took an almost surreal form at times. Indra Nooyi, the chief executive officer of PepsiCo, proudly proclaimed: “The fact that I flew here for 1 1/2 hours to sit on a panel them I’m flying straight back to the US is an example of our commitment to environmental sustainability.” [full article]
China puts faith in solar power with huge renewable energy investment
From WorldChanging on 27 May 2009
By 2020, Chinese government is committed to raising the share of renewable energy in the energy mix to 6%. China is to throw its economic might behind a national solar power plan that could result in it becoming one of the world’s biggest harvesters of the sun’s energy. The government body responsible for overseeing energy policy has finalised a proposal for billions of pounds of incentives for solar farms and rooftop panels, which will come from the government’s £400bn economic stimulus fund. Once approved by the state council, it is expected to give a boost to the domestic solar power market, which has lagged behind China’s wind, nuclear and hydroelectric power investments. [full article]
Swarms of giant African butterflies invade England
From The Telegraph on 27 May 2009
Unusually high numbers of the three-inch wingspan Painted Lady butterflies have been counted by wildlife experts – with more than 3,000 spotted in one area alone in less than one hour. Wildlife expert Kerry King said that not since the 1980s had there been such a surge of numbers of the insects. He said: “In a space of about 45 minutes, we counted nearly 3,000 of these butterflies which is quite incredible. The Painted Lady is not a British butterfly. It migrates to this country. This year, because we’ve had mild weather conditions and the wind has been perfect for them, we have seen this abundance of Painted Lady butterflies swarming across the South East. Numbers of his magnitude are very rare indeed.” [full article]
US says climate policies among world’s toughest
From Reuters on 26 May 2009
Washington defended its plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions as among the most ambitious in the world Tuesday as major economies meeting in Paris rallied around a Mexican plan to raise cash to fight climate change. “The United States is proposing to make a seismic change” in toughening policy, US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern said after two-day talks among 17 major emitters including China, the European Union, India and Russia. “If you look at what the US is proposing from where we are now – which is, after all, all we can gain control of – it’s every bit as ambitious as anything that anybody in the world is proposing,” he told a news conference. [full article]
Endangered species to be moved because of climate change
From The Telegraph on 25 May 2009
Conservationists fear that rapid climate change could see animals and plants “trapped” in homes that become too hot or dry for them, raising the possibility of extinction. But now for the first time experts have been evaluating ways to help species adapt to rapid climate change. They are considering a controversial strategy called “managed relocation”. The project, partly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), involves humans stepping in to move species into more accommodating habitats. Managed relocation has been rejected by some scientists who fear the relocated species could overpopulate a new area and cause local organisms to become extinct. [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.
