Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Unsafe polycarbonate bottles, Cambodian conservation, hydrogen-burning hypersonic airplane and much more...

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
News of Note

CINCINNATI—When it comes to Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it’s not whether the container is new or old but the liquid’s temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released, according to University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists.

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LONDON (Reuters) - High oil prices have spurred countries to use energy more efficiently, a report by an energy industry group said, but the authors say concerted government action is still needed to encourage less waste.

The World Energy Council, whose members include energy companies and government bodies in 90 countries, said a study it commissioned showed the long-standing trend of countries using less energy to generate each dollar of GDP had accelerated in the period 2000 to 2006, when oil prices hit new highs.

The proposed future of air travel is quite a marvel. Seems unfathomable compared to the pollutant, oil-guzzling airliners of today. With the endless and testing delays, the awkward security, and greenhouse gas-emitting beasts, it’s a wonder why solutions have not yet come to fruition.

It just so turns out, it is all happening rather quickly behind the scenes. One proposed aircraft that seems wildly impossible is actually on the slate for possible funding for testing. The concept hypersonic jet has been developed by Reaction Engine and it is aptly called the A2. It is a Mach-5 (3,400 mph) wicked aircraft capable of holding 300 passengers and produces, get this, ZERO emissions!

As well as drawing attention to the rising cost of invasive species on a global scale —estimated at US$1.4 trillion in damage — GISP stresses that too much emphasis has been placed on the problems faced by the agricultural sector in developed countries rather than in developing countries and on the “full range of environmental, social and economic costs.” The report also emphasises that due to the lack of knowledge and research available on the severity of individual pests and the options for best controlling them, policy makers are being left in the dark.

For thousands of years, human beings have relied on commodity barter as an essential aspect of their lives. It is the behavior that allows specialized professions, as one individual gives up some of what he has reaped to exchange with another for something different. In this way, both individuals end up better off. Despite the importance of this behavior, little is known about how barter evolved and developed.

ENN Spotlight

Note: For the next few days I'll be reporting from Eco-Farm, the annual conference held by the Ecological Farming Association of California. At Eco-Farm, some 1,400-1,500 organic farmers, Big Organic marketers, and sundry sustainable-ag enthusiasts pack into a rustic, beautiful seaside conference hall an hour-and-a-half south of San Francisco to talk farming amid the dunes.

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Women are working as hard and sweating as much as the men in WWF conservation programs in remote areas of Kampuchea

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In WWF-Cambodia’s Srepok Wilderness Area Project (SWAP), in the country’s eastern plains, Khmer, foreign and local indigenous Phnong women play a vital role in preserving the Mondulkiri Protected Forest (MPF).

PARIS (Reuters) - France will ban the sale of more than 1,500 pesticides from February 1 as part of a larger plan to cut by 50 percent the use of phytosanitary products in the next 10 years, the farm ministry said.

"Michel Barnier, minister for agriculture and fisheries, has announced the cancellation, before February 1, of marketing licenses for products containing 30 substances considered as the most worrying," it said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

A near 20 year struggle for land rights and conservation of their rare Araucaria forests for an indigenous Pehuenche community of the Andes range has been rewarded with a grant of title to 22,000 acres of land in southern Chile.

Also in December, the Huiliche indigenous community of Mapu Lahual received a prestigious Seal Award from Chilean president Michelle Bachelet for the contribution of their local development and conservation project to one of the most isolated and poorest areas of coastal Chile. This project, “Strenghtening Governance and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Huilliche Territoty of Mapu Lahual” is being carried out by WWF Chile and the Mapu Lahual indigenous Association.

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By: Environmental Law Institute
Left alone, Brownfields are a cost to society. They can drain the economy, pose/present safety and environmental challenges and blight community health and vitality. On the other hand, Brownfields Redevelopment can stimulate the economy, eliminate risk to our health and environment, and revitalize communities. Florida continues to lead the country in this area. Over the past 3 days, significant progress has been achieved to advance this urgent need for community revitalization. This progress is the result of a series of unique events-outlined below-that serve the common goal of community development and improved public health. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
In response to information about a mysterious illness that has been associated with the deaths of more than 8,000 bats, on Tuesday conservation groups asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to close all bat hibernation sites and withdraw all federal permits to "take" - that is, harm or kill - imperiled bats until the cause of the deaths is understood. One species of bat that is at risk is the endangered Indiana bat. By: National Wildlife Federation
More than 600 prominent scientists from across the United States are calling on Congress to pass legislation that will curb America's global warming pollution and help protect wildlife and other natural resources threatened by global warming. Spearheaded by some of America's greatest scientific minds, including Harvard Professor E.O. Wilson, Thomas Lovejoy, Paul Ehrlich and Camille Parmesan, the scientists have sent a letter to Congress urging action. By: The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today the protection of 600 acres along the southern flank of Ute Mountain. The property is located just south of the 14,000-acre Ute Mountain parcel conserved by TPL and the BLM in 2005. It was the last private parcel within a 42 square mile area in and around Ute Mountain. This acquisition completes the protection of one of New Mexico's most notable landscapes, ensuring the spectacular views and recreational opportunities remain for generations to come. The property will be managed by the BLM for recreation and wildlife habitat. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
Judge Marilyn Hall Patel Thursday issued a final ruling in Okinawa Dugong v. Gates, N.D.Cal., C-03-4350, finding the Department of Defense in violation of the National Historic Preservation Act and requiring it to consider impacts of a new airbase on the endangered Okinawa dugong to avoid or mitigate harm. By: the National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society today named author Richard Louv as the 50th recipient of the prestigious Audubon Medal for sounding the alarm about the health and societal costs of children's isolation from the natural world-and for sparking a growing movement to remedy the problem. By: the Indianapolis Zoo
The winner of the first Indianapolis Prize credits the award with helping him reach some important milestones in his work to save endangered cranes in 2007. Dr. George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and winner of the inaugural Indianapolis Prize in 2006 for animal conservation, celebrated several extraordinary achievements in 2007, including a record number of whooping cranes that began their first-ever migration last fall. Twenty-seven chicks were released, adding to North America's newly established migrating flock of 59 whooping cranes. In addition, ICF began diverse field programs around the world, made possible in part by the $100,000 Indianapolis Prize award. By: Center for International Climate and Environmental Research
Road traffic is by large the transport sector that contributes the most to global warming. Aviation has the second largest warming effect, while shipping has a net cooling effect on the earth's climate, according to a study published recently.

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