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Archive for August 22nd, 2010
Outrage at UN decision to exonerate Shell for oil pollution in Niger delta
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Guardian: A three-year investigation by the United Nations will almost entirely exonerate Royal Dutch Shell for 40 years of oil pollution in the Niger delta, causing outrage among communities who have long campaigned to force the multinational to clean up its spills and pay compensation. The $10m (£6.5m) investigation by the UN environment programme (UNEP), paid for by Shell, will say that only 10% of oil pollution in Ogoniland has been caused by equipment failures and company negligence, and ...
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Brazilian Biofuels Run into EU Obstacles
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Inter Press Service: Brazil has begun a counterattack on the European Union's measures for certifying crop-based fuels, which could lead to import barriers for this energy source coming from the South American giant. Brazil is the world's leading producer of sugarcane ethanol. The EU's certification requirements for ethanol and biodiesel are intended to ensure that their production and use represent a substantial reduction in emissions of greenhouse-effect gases, as compared to fossil fuels, and ...
South Pakistan braces for more floods
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Reuters: More than $800 million (514 million pounds) has been donated or pledged to help Pakistan's flood victims, the foreign minister said in Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of people in the south feared more destruction. Rising waters in Sindh province threatened to wreak havoc in U.S. ally Pakistan in a catastrophe that has made the government more unpopular and may help Islamist militants gain supporters. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed gratitude for the $815.58 ...
BHP Billiton’s bid for Potash Corp is timely as fertiliser market grows fast
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Guardian: Welcome back, Marius. BHP Billiton's chief executive Marius Kloppers has re-entered the takeover battleground two years after abandoning an assault on rival Rio Tinto with a $39bn, $130-a-share hostile bid for Canadian fertiliser group Potash Corp. It might not sound glamorous, but potash, as we report opposite, has become a hot commodity. The fertiliser market is predicted to boom as emerging markets need more food for their populations, and as meat-eating becomes more common in ...
Clinton sparks debate by linking Pak floods with global climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Asian News International: Linking devastating Pakistan floods with global climate change, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the deluge and other extreme weather events in the recent past clearly points towards climate change getting worse. In an interview with a private television channel, Clinton said: "There is a linkage" between the recent spate of deadly natural disasters and climate change. "You can't point to any particular disaster and say, 'it was caused by,' but we are ...
Canada: B.C. wildfire smoke gives Calgary its worst air quality in seven years
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 22nd, 2010
Calgary Herald: Calgary's air pollution levels soared Friday to heights not seen since 2003 as smoke from B.C.'s forest fires blanketed the city for a second day. The eerie haze continues to hang over much of Western Canada, with a warning that the elderly, small children and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions could be in for a tough weekend. Calgary's air-quality index sank into the very poor category Friday morning, then hovered into the poor and fair range for much of the day as ...