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Archive for October, 2010
The truth about Papua New Guinea’s carbon trade
Posted by Word Press: None Given on October 29th, 2010
Word Press: The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea stated in The National (11th October 2010) that the REDD+ approach that is being championed by his government is being undermined by the trading of forest carbon through the voluntary carbon schemes (VCS) in PNG.
He describes VCS as being risky and premature.
But how much truth is in what the PM said is anybody’s guess. The PM does not elaborate on the risks involved in the VCS, but the only cheap excuse given is that the VCS are thinly capitalised. The...
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Fracking Pumps Up Pressure in Upstate N.Y. Congressional Race
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Greenwire: Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) has been an outspoken critic of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale and an advocate of federal regulation of fracturing. His opponent, Republican George Phillips, thinks state regulation is best and supports "aggressive" development once regulators sign off. And Phillips attributes his support for drilling as a major reason for his late surge in the polls. "It's a huge factor," said Phillips campaign spokesman Jazz Shaw. "The No. 1 issue is jobs. But this is probably...
UN nature meeting agrees on land, ocean protection
Posted by Associated Press: Malcolm Foster on October 29th, 2010
Associated Press: Representatives to a U.N. conference on biodiversity agreed early Saturday to expand protected areas on land and at sea in the hopes of slowing the rate of extinction of the world's animals and plants and preventing further damage to its ecosystems.
After marathon negotiations that stretched hours past the designated time, delegates also managed to overcome divisions between rich and poor countries to agree to share access to and the benefits of genetic resources such as plants whose extracts...
Texas is the only state ignoring federal greenhouse gas deadline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Associated Press: Texas is the only state taking no steps to meet new federal greenhouse gas emission rules that go into effect in January.
The new rules go into effect Jan. 2, 2011. They require the nation's largest industries to meet more stringent greenhouse gas emissions standards in new or significantly modified structures.
The National Association of Clean Air Act Agencies acts as a go-between to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for state governments. It says 49 states have either changed their...
Biodiversity talks: Ministers in Nagoya adopt new strategy
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Guardian: Environment ministers from almost 200 nations agreed late tonight to adopt a new United Nations strategy that aims to stem the worst loss of life on earth since the demise of the dinosaurs.
With a typhoon looming outside and cheering inside the Nagoya conference hall, the Japanese chair of the UN biodiversity talks gavelled into effect the Aichi Targets, set to at least halve the loss of natural habitats and expand nature reserves to 17% of the world's land area by 2020 up from less than 10% today....
Biodiversity talks end with call for ‘urgent’ action
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
BBC: The UN biodiversity meeting in Japan has agreed a 10-year plan aimed at preserving nature.
Targets for protecting areas of land and sea were weaker than conservation scientists wanted, as was the overall target for slowing biodiversity loss.
Most developing countries were pleased with measures aimed at ensuring they get a share in profits from products made from plants and other organisms.
Nations have two years to draw up plans for funding the plan.
"This agreement reaffirms the fundamental...
Goodwill and compromise: Nagoya biodiversity deal restores faith in UN
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Guardian: In the long run, the biodiversity deal scratched out in Nagoya in the early hours of this morning is intended to benefit habitats and species such as tigers, pandas and whales. But in the short-term, the biggest beast to get a reprieve may well prove to be the UN itself.
After the misery, disappointment and anger of last year's climate talks in Copenhagen, the body was fiercely criticised and the entire multilateral negotiating process called into question. It seemed time-consuming, prone to grandstanding...
Texting Program Helps African Farmers Fight Drought
Posted by National Geographic: Ochieng' Ogodo on October 29th, 2010
National Geographic: In late 2009, Kenyan farmer Jane Gathoni received a short text message that made her day.
The African micro-insurance provider, UAP, sent Gathoni a U.S. $29 payment for loss of her harvest due to drought that year. ee flood, drought, and climate change pictures.)
Gathoni is one of the more than 9,500 Kenyan farmers who have "micro-insured" themselves under a new program that assesses crop loss--and subsequent payments--based on climatic data from solar-powered weather stations.
Launched...
Countries join forces to save life on Earth
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Independent: A historic deal to halt the mass extinction of species was finally agreed last night in what conservationists see as the most important international treaty aimed at preventing the collapse of the world's wildlife.
Delegates from more than 190 countries meeting in Nagoya, Japan, agreed at the 11th hour on an ambitious conservation programme to protect global biodiversity and the natural habitats that support the most threatened animals and plants.
After 18 years of debate, two weeks of talks,...
Senators Question Secretary of State Clinton’s Comments on Oil Sands Pipeline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2010
Greenwire: Eleven Democratic senators today raised concerns about the State Department's evaluation of environmental risks in weighing whether to approve a controversial Canadian oil sands pipeline, calling for multiple questions to be resolved before the project proceeds.
In a letter (pdf) to their former colleague, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 11 senators pushed Clinton on her statement two weeks ago that she is "inclined to" grant a permit to the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline. The...