Wednesday, May 21, 2008

ENN: GM Crops "Not a Solution", White House vs. Polar Bears, Nanowires may Boost Solar Cells and Much More


ENN: Environmental News Network [[ ENN Daily Newsletter - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 ]]
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
News of Note

Why new U.S. biofuel legislation is on track to waste billions of tax dollars, while subsidizing oil consumption

Top Stories

Elephants and other wildlife damage millions of dollars' worth of poor farmers' crops each year, which could be avoided with proper fencing and better land use, a leading environmental group said on Wednesday. The Swiss-based WWF, formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund, said wild elephants cost Namibian communal farmers $1 million a year, and up to a quarter of the household incomes of poor farming families in Nepal.

University of California, San Diego electrical engineers have created experimental solar cells spiked with nanowires that could lead to highly efficient thin-film solar cells of the future. Indium phosphide (InP) nanowires can serve as electron superhighways that carry electrons kicked loose by photons of light directly to the device's electron-attracting electrode – and this scenario could boost thin-film solar cell efficiency, according to research recently published in NanoLetters.

In recent years, scarcity and pollution of water have become the paramount environmental woe in China. Numerous reports and books have exposed China's water crisis, depicting a nation suffering in the face of black-running rivers and dried-up waterways. Nationwide, the per capita availability of fresh water is only one-quarter of the world average.

If you've ever been on a road trip, you've probably seen this sight at a rest stop: one, or many big rig trucks, just...idling. Not going anywhere. What is this, like a computer on "sleep," ready to go? No. The answer may surprise you. At least in the US, truck drivers are required to rest 10 hours for every 11 driven. A reasonable thing, but this often necessitates them sleeping in their cabins. And that requires power for the heating or cooling, and other comforts of "home" on the road. Power that comes from a running truck.

ENN Spotlight

A landmark assessment of global agriculture says industrial agriculture has failed and that genetically modified (GM) crops are not a solution for poverty, hunger, or climate change.

More Top Stories

It's a classic stand-off between one of the world's best loved animals and one of its most unpopular leaders, between the planet's largest bear and its most powerful man. And it comes to a head this week. On Thursday, by order of a federal judge, George W Bush must stop stalling on whether to designate the polar bear as a species endangered by global warming. The designation could have huge consequences for his climate-change policies; his administration would, by law, have to avoid doing anything that would "jeopardise the continued existence" of the mammal whose habitat is melting away.

The average cell phone life is only 18 months. Many obsolete phones find their final resting place in a landfill, where hazardous chemicals pose a threat to the environment. Nokia's new We: Recycle Program allows consumers to send in old cell phones to be properly recycled. The company mails the donor a prepaid envelope so the process is completely cost-free.

Some of the world's largest biotechnology companies have filed hundreds of patents on "climate ready" gene-altered crops, hoping to dominate a market expected to emerge as farmers respond to environmental stresses caused by global warming, an advocacy group for subsistence farmers said in a report today. BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont and biotech partners have filed 532 patent documents around the world for crops genetically altered to adapt to rising temperatures, the ETC Group's report says.

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Member Press Releases
By: The Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society (TWS) today released the list of participants who have been chosen to attend the 2008 TWS Leadership Institute. By: Indianapolis Zoo
Relentless in his pursuit to save endangered species across the globe since 1952, the world's pre-eminent field biologist, George B. Schaller, Ph.D., has been named the 2008 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world's leading award for animal conservation. By: The San Diego Zoo
As part of national Endangered Species Day, the San Diego Zoo is hosting a symposium focused on the effect of global warming on animal species. By: Earth Policy Institute
"The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007, more than twice the 52 million cars produced," writes J. Matthew Roney in a recent Earth Policy Institute release, "Bicycles Pedaling into the Spotlight". By: The Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization, is pleased to announce the 2008 honorees that will be recognized at its annual gala on May 15 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. By: Water Environment Research Foundation
There is no end to the creativity in stormwater management programs. A newly designed website now makes it much easier for stormwater professionals to evaluate best management practices (BMPs), to make sure that their creativity produces an effective and reliable system. By: Center for Biological Diversity
Friday marked two years since the Department of the Interior last protected a new U.S. species under the Endangered Species Act. By: Center for Biological Diversity
Tejon Ranch Corporation and several environmental organizations announced a deal Thursday that may pave the way for massive development in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles.

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