The Environment

July 08, 2009

Is the Great Barrier Reef on Death Row?

David Attenborough-compressed

An extract from the public presentation, by Prof. J.E.N. Veron, with an introduction by Sir David Attenborough, which took place Monday afternoon at the Royal Society, London. I attended the presentation, which was followed by a summary of a statement produced by the technical expert workshop held in the morning. Above is a photo I took during the event questions session, showing Sir David Attenborough on the left and Prof. Veron on the right.

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July 06, 2009

The Coral Reef Crisis: addressing the threats of global warming and ocean acidification

Coral reefs 2  

A public presentation at the Royal Society, with introduction by Sir David Attenborough. Read on to find out the details.

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June 30, 2009

How large is your country’s footprint? - The Carbon Footprint of Nations

Carbon footprint of nations1


A new study on greenhouse gas emissions associated with a nation’s consumption shows that high wealth seems to always result in high emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. In a paper entitled ‘Carbon footprint of nations: a global trade-linked analysis’, Edgar Hertwich and Glen Peters investigated the carbon footprint for food, shelter, clothing, construction, mobility, the consumption of manufactured goods, services, and trade for 73 nations and 14 aggregate regions. The paper was published online in June 2009 in Environmental Science & Technology, the environmental science journal published by the American Chemical Society. Read on to find out how large economies, such as the USA, Japan, the UK and the poorest African nations perform.

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June 25, 2009

"climate refugees" – millions of people might become one this century

Defined as ‘people who have to leave their habitats, immediately or in the near future, because of sudden or gradual alterations in their natural environment related to at least one of three impacts of climate change: sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and drought and water scarcity’, read on to find out more about 'climate refugees' and the Climate Refugee Policy Forum.

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June 08, 2009

Bonn Climate Change talks – 1-12 June 2009

The meetings bring together over 4,000 participants from 182 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions.

I have been following reports from the meetings and adding relevant extracts to the CABI Environmental Impact news section. 

During the Bonn Climate Change Talks, the IISD Reporting Services, in cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat, has been providing:

1)     Daily 3000-word Earth Negotiations Bulletin reports in English and Japanese each day;

2)     Digital photos in thumbnail and high-resolution;

3)     Coverage of selected side events in a separate publication, ENB on the Side

4)     Free email distribution of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin and ENB on the Side

5)     Twitter updates on developments in the negotiations and links to individual coverage of side events.

The main page for the meeting is: http://www.iisd.ca/climate/sb30/, including daily web coverage of negotiations and selected side events.

Follow them on Twitter during climate change meetings (Bonn, Bangkok, Barcelona, Copenhagen and beyond): http://twitter.com/enbclimate

 

 

June 05, 2009

5th June - World Environment Day

Bluebells
Photo by C. Ison

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Read on to find out what is in store for the day.

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June 04, 2009

Forget the seven deadly sins for a minute and let’s reflect on the seven-year plans

What religious/faith groups say or do not say about climate change, and how they address climate change through their worship and rituals matters a great deal. Read on to find out why…

Continue reading "Forget the seven deadly sins for a minute and let’s reflect on the seven-year plans" »

May 22, 2009

The International Day for Biological Diversity

The 22nd May 2009 is 'The International Day for Biological Diversity'. For 2009 the theme is Invasive Alien Species (IAS) - a major threat to biodiversity and food production - and a research and knowledge provision area that we here at CABI are are highly skilled in. The majority of our scientists time is spent tackling various IAS and mitigating their impact on agriculture and the wider environment. In addition our publishing team put together a detailed range of products, including the CAB Abstracts database subset on invasives, Major texts on Invasives (print and e-book) and also we are developing with the assistance of a consortia of international donors the Invasive Species Compendium for launch in 2010.

May 19, 2009

Ask our invasive expert a question today

Arne Arne Witt is the coordinator for Invasive Species at CABI Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. Arne is responsible for coordinating all CABI activities associated with Invasive Alien Species (IAS) on the African continent. He is also the current International Project Coordinator for the UNEP-GEF project, “Removing Barriers to Invasive Plant Management in Africa”.

You can ask Arne a question about invasive species on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ask an expert site during the whole of today, May 19th 2009. I encourage you to check the site on a regular basis throughout the day and pose questions to Arne.

April 22, 2009

Earth Day – what is the single most effective thing we can do for the environment? - My final batch of eco-questions.

Earth
Photo from Google Images

Today is Earth Day and I thought this was a good opportunity for me to finish off my series of eco-questions and answers, so read on to find out what is the most effective thing we can do for the environment and, ultimately, our planet.

How long does it take for a micro-windmill to pay for itself?

According to the article in the New Scientist, where I found all these eco-questions and answers, that depends on where you live and what you mean by paying for itself. Last year the UK Building Research Establishment compared the payback times of different turbines in different locations. In inshore urban settings, it found wind turbines produce such puny amounts of juice that they struggle to recoup their cost and, after allowing for manufacturing and distribution, end up costing more carbon than they save. On the coast it’s different though. The study showed a turbine at Wick in the Scottish Highlands generated 2000 kilowatt-hour a year, about 40% of an average household’s needs. Payback time for the investment could be as little as a year.

Will washing my clothes at 30 oC really get them clean?

If the reaction of consumers is anything to go by, washing powders formulated for use at lower temperatures do work (I can vet for this, as I have been doing all my washing at 30 oC and my washing come out as clean, if not cleaner, as they did when I washed at higher temperatures). In a 2006 study by the UK’s Energy Saving Trust , 89% of families who had been asked to test Ariel at 30oC said they would continue using it. Likewise, while only 2% of households were washing at 30 oC in 2002, five years later that figure was up to 17%. Meanwhile in Germany, where people have traditionally used lower washing settings than in the UK, they are turning down to 20 oC, and in North America growing numbers are doing their laundry in cold water (In Brazil the majority of the population does the washing in cold water; usually by hand). Researchers from the University of Seoul, South Korea, found that washing with biological detergent at 30 oC only killed 6% of dust mites, compared with 100% at 60 oC, and traces of other allergens, including pollen grains, remained. The global detergent manufacturer Unilever, which has been keen to promote the eco-message, still advises customers to run one wash per week at 40 oC to ensure bacteria don’t have a chance to grow in the machine and cause unpleasant smells. I have been washing my laundry at 30 oC for quite a while now and have never noticed any unpleasant smells build up, but I do leave the machine door open for a while after I take the washing out of it.

What does the circling-arrow logo on European packaging mean?

Recycle arrows

Most of us have to admit that we thought the arrows circling each other meant that packaging can be recycled and we were wrong. In fact, this so-called ‘green dot’, or ‘grüner punkt’, which is often printed in black, originated in Germany and indicates that the manufacturer has paid into a scheme to meet the general costs of recycling under the terms of the EU legislation. So particularly packaging bearing the logo may or may not be recyclable. In countries such as the UK that have not adopted the system, the logo is especially perplexing, as its use appears quite arbitrary. Katherine Symonds, from the Tesco supermarket chain, explains that they typically deal with multinational suppliers that often sell the same product in multiple countries and therefore include things on packaging that may be irrelevant in one of those markets.


And finally, what is the single most effective thing we can do for the environment?

Over a 75-year lifespan, the average European will be responsible for about 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions. For Americans and Australians, the figure is more like 1500 tonnes. Add to that all of humanity’s other environmentally damaging activities and, draconian as it may sound, the answer must surely be to avoid reproducing. Hands up who saw this answer coming! 

Be kind to mother Earth, today at least! I know it’s easier to say ‘but what difference will one little thing I do make?’ Well, each person’s small action will surely add up to a whole load of difference.  For ideas of what to do for the environment, have a read through the other blogs in this little series of eco-questions and answers, or check out the Earthday network’s ‘a billion acts of green’.

The Cabi Environmental Impact database also contains many reports, articles and reviews on man's impact on the environment.

Source: New Scientist No. 2682, vol 200.

 

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