Many old electronic goods gather dust in storage waiting to be reused, recycled or thrown away. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as three-quarters of the computers sold in the United States are stockpiled in garages and closets. When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or, more recently, are exported to Asia.
Landfill: According to the EPA, more than 4.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in U.S. landfills in 2000. Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment. In many European countries, regulations have been introduced to prevent electronic waste being dumped in landfills due to its hazardous content. However, the practice still continues in many countries. In Hong Kong, for example, it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill.
Incineration: This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air and ashes. Mercury released into the atmosphere can bioaccumulate in the foodchain, particularly in fish - the major route of exposure for the general public. If the products contain PVC plastic, highly toxic dioxins and furans are also released. Brominated flame retardants generate brominated dioxins and furans when e-waste is burned.
Reuse: A good way to increase a product's lifespan. Many old products are exported to developing countries. Although the benefits of reusing electronics in this way are clear, the practice is causing serious problems because the old products are dumped after a short period of use in areas that are unlikely to have hazardous waste facilities.
Recycle: Although recycling can be a good way to reuse the raw materials in a product, the hazardous chemicals in e-waste mean that electronics can harm workers in the recycling yards, as well as their neighbouring communities and environment.
In developed countries, electronics recycling takes place in purpose-built recycling plants under controlled conditions. In many EU states for example, plastics from e-waste are not recycled to avoid brominated furans and dioxins being released into the atmosphere. In developing countries however, there are no such controls. Recycling is done by hand in scrap yards, often by children.
Export: E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones, often in violation of the international law. Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as much as 47 percent of waste destined for export, including e-waste, was illegal. In the United States, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way. This practice is legal because the United States has not ratified the Basel Convention.
Mainland China tried to prevent this trade by banning the import of e-waste in 2000. However, we have discovered that the laws are not working; e-waste is still arriving in Guiya of Guangdong Province, the main center of e-waste scrapping in China.
We have also found a growing e-waste trade problem in India. Twenty-five thousand workers are employed at scrap yards in Delhi alone, where 10,00 - 20,000 tons of e-waste is handled each year, 25 percent of this being computers. Other e-waste scrap yards have been found in Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai.
How did the trade evolve?
In the 1990s, governments in the EU, Japan and some U.S. states set up e-waste "recycling" systems. But many countries did not have the capacity to deal with the sheer quantity of e-waste they generated or with its hazardous nature.
Therefore, they began exporting the problem to developing countries where laws to protect workers and the environment are inadequate or not enforced. It is also cheaper to "recycle" waste in developing countries; the cost of glass-to-glass recycling of computer monitors inthe United States is 10times more than in China.
Demand in Asia for electronic waste began to grow when scrap yards found they could extract valuable substances such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold, during the recycling process. A mobile phone, for example, is 19 percent copper and eight percent iron.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Carbon-emissions culprit? Coal for electricity
By SETH BORENSTEIN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — America may spew more greenhouse gases than any other country, but some states are astonishingly more prolific polluters than others — and it's not always the ones you might expect.
The Associated Press analyzed state-by-state emissions of carbon dioxide from 2003, the latest U.S. Energy Department numbers available. The review shows startling differences in states' contribution to climate change.
The biggest reason? The burning of high-carbon coal to produce cheap electricity.
• Wyoming's coal-fired power plants produce more carbon dioxide in just eight hours than the power generators of more populous Vermont do in a year.
• Texas, the leader in emitting this greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas' population.
• In sparsely populated Alaska, the carbon dioxide produced per person by all the flying and driving is six times the per-capita amount generated by travelers in New York state.
"There's no question that some states have made choices to be greener than others," said former top Energy Department official Joseph Romm, author of the new book "Hell and High Water" and executive director of a nonprofit energy-conservation group.
Washington state ranked 30th for total carbon-dioxide emissions, and 43rd for carbon-dioxide emissions per capita.
Dipped slightly last year
advertising
The disparity in carbon-dioxide emissions is one of the reasons there is no strong national effort to reduce global-warming gases, some experts say. National emissions dipped ever so slightly last year, but that was mostly because of mild weather, according to the Energy Department.
"Some states are benefiting from both cheap electricity while polluting the planet and make all the rest of us suffer the consequences of global warming," said Frank O'Donnell, director of Clean Air Watch, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C. "I don't think that's fair at all."
He noted that the states putting out the most carbon dioxide are doing the least to control it, except for California.
Several federal and state officials say it's unfair and nonsensical to examine individual states' contribution to what is a global problem.
"If the atmosphere could talk it wouldn't say, 'Kudos to California, not so good to Wyoming,' " said assistant energy secretary Alexander Karsner. "It would say, 'Stop sending me emissions.' "
Some coal-burning states note that they are providing electricity to customers beyond their borders, including Californians. Wyoming is the largest exporter of energy to other states, Gov. Dave Freudenthal pointed out.
He said two-thirds of the state's carbon footprint "is a consequence of energy that is developed to feed the rest of the national economy. That doesn't mean that somehow then it's good carbon; I'm just saying that's why those numbers come out the way are," Freudenthal said.
And the massive carbon-dioxide-spewing and power-gobbling refineries of Texas and Louisiana fuel an oil-hungry nation, whose residents whine when gasoline prices rise.
However, some of the disparities are stunning.
On a per-person basis, Wyoming spews more carbon dioxide than any other state or any other country: 276,000 pounds of it per capita a year, thanks to burning coal, which provides nearly all of the state's electrical power.
Yet, just next door to the west, Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person, less than 23,000 pounds a year. Idaho forbids coal-power plants. It relies mostly on nonpolluting hydroelectric power from its rivers.
Texas, where coal barely edges out cleaner natural gas as the top power source, belches almost 1 ½ trillion pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. That's more than every nation in the world except six: the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Germany.
Of course, Texas is a very populous state. North Dakota isn't, but its power plants crank out 68 percent more carbon dioxide than New Jersey, which has 13 times North Dakota's residents.
And while Californians have cut their per-person carbon dioxide emissions by 11 percent from 1990 to 2003, Nebraskans have increased their per-capita emissions by 16 percent over the same time frame.
Officials in Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska say numbers in their states are skewed because of their small populations. But Vermont, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia are similar in size and have 1/12 the per-capita emissions of Wyoming.
A lot of it comes down to King Coal.
Electricity needs
Burning coal accounts for half of America's electricity. And coal produces more carbon dioxide than any other commonly used U.S. fuel source. The states that rely the most on coal — Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia, Indiana — generally produce the most carbon-dioxide pollution per person, but also have the cheapest electric rates.
States that shun coal — Vermont, Idaho, California, Rhode Island — and turn to nuclear, hydroelectric and natural gas, produce the least carbon dioxide but often at higher costs for consumers.
It's unfair to pin all the blame on the coal-using states, said Washington, D.C., lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead, who as an attorney at Bracewell Giuliani represents coal-intensive utilities and refineries. Holmstead is the former Bush administration air-pollution regulator who ruled that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant, a decision that was overturned recently by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Coal-fired generation is the most economical, least expensive way to produce power almost anywhere in the world," he said. He argued that outlawing such plants would have little overall impact globally; however, the U.S. has long been the leading global source of carbon emissions.
Instead of trying to wean themselves from coal, Texas government officials went out of their way to encourage the state's biggest utility, TXU Corp., to plan for 11 new coal-burning power plants that would have produced even more carbon dioxide. The strategy collapsed when an investor group buying TXU cut a deal with environmentalists to drop plans to build most of the coal plants.
Comment declined
The Texas state agency charged with monitoring the environment declined to comment on carbon-dioxide emissions. Frank Maisano, a lobbyist and spokesman for Bracewell Giuliani, which also has offices in Texas, defended the state, saying, "These net exporters of energy are always going to produce more carbon dioxide."
Emissions from generating electricity account for the largest chunk of U.S. greenhouse gases, nearly 40 percent. Transportation emissions are close behind, contributing about one-third of U.S. production of carbon dioxide. States with mass transit and cities, such as New York, come out cleaner than those with wide expanses that rely solely on cars, trucks and airplanes, such as Alaska.
Alaska, which stands out for its carbon-dioxide production, also stands out as one of the early victims of climate change. Its glaciers are melting, its permafrost thawing and coastal and island villages will soon be swallowed by the sea. Alaska ranked No. 1 in per-person emissions for transportation, which includes driving, flying, shipping and rail traffic.
Tom Chapple, director of the state Division of Air Quality, says Alaska's sheer expanse requires a lot of air travel. And Anchorage ranked No. 2 nationally in air-cargo traffic.
Associated Press writers Bob Moen, Paul J. Weber, Dan Joling,
Terence Chea and Mike Hill contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — America may spew more greenhouse gases than any other country, but some states are astonishingly more prolific polluters than others — and it's not always the ones you might expect.
The Associated Press analyzed state-by-state emissions of carbon dioxide from 2003, the latest U.S. Energy Department numbers available. The review shows startling differences in states' contribution to climate change.
The biggest reason? The burning of high-carbon coal to produce cheap electricity.
• Wyoming's coal-fired power plants produce more carbon dioxide in just eight hours than the power generators of more populous Vermont do in a year.
• Texas, the leader in emitting this greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas' population.
• In sparsely populated Alaska, the carbon dioxide produced per person by all the flying and driving is six times the per-capita amount generated by travelers in New York state.
"There's no question that some states have made choices to be greener than others," said former top Energy Department official Joseph Romm, author of the new book "Hell and High Water" and executive director of a nonprofit energy-conservation group.
Washington state ranked 30th for total carbon-dioxide emissions, and 43rd for carbon-dioxide emissions per capita.
Dipped slightly last year
advertising
The disparity in carbon-dioxide emissions is one of the reasons there is no strong national effort to reduce global-warming gases, some experts say. National emissions dipped ever so slightly last year, but that was mostly because of mild weather, according to the Energy Department.
"Some states are benefiting from both cheap electricity while polluting the planet and make all the rest of us suffer the consequences of global warming," said Frank O'Donnell, director of Clean Air Watch, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C. "I don't think that's fair at all."
He noted that the states putting out the most carbon dioxide are doing the least to control it, except for California.
Several federal and state officials say it's unfair and nonsensical to examine individual states' contribution to what is a global problem.
"If the atmosphere could talk it wouldn't say, 'Kudos to California, not so good to Wyoming,' " said assistant energy secretary Alexander Karsner. "It would say, 'Stop sending me emissions.' "
Some coal-burning states note that they are providing electricity to customers beyond their borders, including Californians. Wyoming is the largest exporter of energy to other states, Gov. Dave Freudenthal pointed out.
He said two-thirds of the state's carbon footprint "is a consequence of energy that is developed to feed the rest of the national economy. That doesn't mean that somehow then it's good carbon; I'm just saying that's why those numbers come out the way are," Freudenthal said.
And the massive carbon-dioxide-spewing and power-gobbling refineries of Texas and Louisiana fuel an oil-hungry nation, whose residents whine when gasoline prices rise.
However, some of the disparities are stunning.
On a per-person basis, Wyoming spews more carbon dioxide than any other state or any other country: 276,000 pounds of it per capita a year, thanks to burning coal, which provides nearly all of the state's electrical power.
Yet, just next door to the west, Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person, less than 23,000 pounds a year. Idaho forbids coal-power plants. It relies mostly on nonpolluting hydroelectric power from its rivers.
Texas, where coal barely edges out cleaner natural gas as the top power source, belches almost 1 ½ trillion pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. That's more than every nation in the world except six: the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Germany.
Of course, Texas is a very populous state. North Dakota isn't, but its power plants crank out 68 percent more carbon dioxide than New Jersey, which has 13 times North Dakota's residents.
And while Californians have cut their per-person carbon dioxide emissions by 11 percent from 1990 to 2003, Nebraskans have increased their per-capita emissions by 16 percent over the same time frame.
Officials in Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska say numbers in their states are skewed because of their small populations. But Vermont, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia are similar in size and have 1/12 the per-capita emissions of Wyoming.
A lot of it comes down to King Coal.
Electricity needs
Burning coal accounts for half of America's electricity. And coal produces more carbon dioxide than any other commonly used U.S. fuel source. The states that rely the most on coal — Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia, Indiana — generally produce the most carbon-dioxide pollution per person, but also have the cheapest electric rates.
States that shun coal — Vermont, Idaho, California, Rhode Island — and turn to nuclear, hydroelectric and natural gas, produce the least carbon dioxide but often at higher costs for consumers.
It's unfair to pin all the blame on the coal-using states, said Washington, D.C., lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead, who as an attorney at Bracewell Giuliani represents coal-intensive utilities and refineries. Holmstead is the former Bush administration air-pollution regulator who ruled that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant, a decision that was overturned recently by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Coal-fired generation is the most economical, least expensive way to produce power almost anywhere in the world," he said. He argued that outlawing such plants would have little overall impact globally; however, the U.S. has long been the leading global source of carbon emissions.
Instead of trying to wean themselves from coal, Texas government officials went out of their way to encourage the state's biggest utility, TXU Corp., to plan for 11 new coal-burning power plants that would have produced even more carbon dioxide. The strategy collapsed when an investor group buying TXU cut a deal with environmentalists to drop plans to build most of the coal plants.
Comment declined
The Texas state agency charged with monitoring the environment declined to comment on carbon-dioxide emissions. Frank Maisano, a lobbyist and spokesman for Bracewell Giuliani, which also has offices in Texas, defended the state, saying, "These net exporters of energy are always going to produce more carbon dioxide."
Emissions from generating electricity account for the largest chunk of U.S. greenhouse gases, nearly 40 percent. Transportation emissions are close behind, contributing about one-third of U.S. production of carbon dioxide. States with mass transit and cities, such as New York, come out cleaner than those with wide expanses that rely solely on cars, trucks and airplanes, such as Alaska.
Alaska, which stands out for its carbon-dioxide production, also stands out as one of the early victims of climate change. Its glaciers are melting, its permafrost thawing and coastal and island villages will soon be swallowed by the sea. Alaska ranked No. 1 in per-person emissions for transportation, which includes driving, flying, shipping and rail traffic.
Tom Chapple, director of the state Division of Air Quality, says Alaska's sheer expanse requires a lot of air travel. And Anchorage ranked No. 2 nationally in air-cargo traffic.
Associated Press writers Bob Moen, Paul J. Weber, Dan Joling,
Terence Chea and Mike Hill contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Antarctic Ozone Hole Appears Early, Growing
ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov
ENEVA (Reuters) - A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has appeared earlier than usual in 2007, the United Nations weather agency said on Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it would not be clear for several weeks whether the ozone hole, which is expected to continue growing until early October, would be larger than its record size in 2006.
"It is still too early to give a definitive statement about the development of this year's ozone hole and the degree of ozone loss that will occur. This will, to a large extent, depend on the meteorological conditions," the Geneva-based agency said.
The ozone layer shields the earth from damaging ultra-violet rays that can cause skin cancer.
While use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has waned, the WMO said large amounts of chlorine and bromine remain in the atmosphere and would likely keep causing holes in the protective layer for years to come.
"Although ozone-depleting substances are now declining slowly, there is no sign that the Antarctic ozone hole is getting smaller," it said in a report.
The WMO and the U.N. Environment Programme have said the ozone layer would likely return to pre-1980 levels by 2049 over much of Europe, North America, Asia, Australasia, Latin America and Africa. But in Antarctica, the agencies said, ozone layer recovery would likely be delayed until 2065.
Geir Braathen, a senior scientific officer with the WMO's atmospheric research and environment programme, said the ozone hole may reach the southern tip of South America in 2007.
ENEVA (Reuters) - A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has appeared earlier than usual in 2007, the United Nations weather agency said on Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it would not be clear for several weeks whether the ozone hole, which is expected to continue growing until early October, would be larger than its record size in 2006.
"It is still too early to give a definitive statement about the development of this year's ozone hole and the degree of ozone loss that will occur. This will, to a large extent, depend on the meteorological conditions," the Geneva-based agency said.
The ozone layer shields the earth from damaging ultra-violet rays that can cause skin cancer.
While use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has waned, the WMO said large amounts of chlorine and bromine remain in the atmosphere and would likely keep causing holes in the protective layer for years to come.
"Although ozone-depleting substances are now declining slowly, there is no sign that the Antarctic ozone hole is getting smaller," it said in a report.
The WMO and the U.N. Environment Programme have said the ozone layer would likely return to pre-1980 levels by 2049 over much of Europe, North America, Asia, Australasia, Latin America and Africa. But in Antarctica, the agencies said, ozone layer recovery would likely be delayed until 2065.
Geir Braathen, a senior scientific officer with the WMO's atmospheric research and environment programme, said the ozone hole may reach the southern tip of South America in 2007.
New golden frog discovered in remote region of Colombia
Discovery made possible through The Conservation Leadership Programme
Bogota, Colombia, August 28, 2007— A new poisonous frog was recently discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). The new frog, which is almost two centimetres in length, was given the name the “golden frog of Supata.”
Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to several other common species in the area. However, after scientific analysis of the frog’s characteristics, and review of their findings by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the golden frog of Supatá is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area in Colombia’s Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world’s richest countries in amphibian diversity, with more than 583 species.
Unfortunately, since this frog is a recent discovery, and endemic to only the Cunidnamarca region, little is known about it. So far, scientists say that the golden frog of Supatá belongs to a group of “dart fogs” that are known to be highly venomous. In the coming months, the young scientists hope to have more information about the frog.
“The importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new frog,” said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the 2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. “But, most importantly, what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our planet, and the many species that haven’t yet been discovered. This is why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them about the need for conservation.”
In addition to Oswaldo Cortes, the team of scientist includes Erika Salazar, Giovanni Chaves, Jose Gil, and Ximena Villagran, students, who attend La Universidad Distrital, and Francisco Jose de Caldas and Luiz Alberto Rueda of the University of the Andes (La Universidad de los Andes).
The CLP, formerly known as the BP Conservation Programme, supports the vital work of a new rising generation of conservation professionals who are helping to drive practical projects addressing a wide range of global environmental issues from protecting sharks in Brazil to conservation of threatened amphibians in Colombia and endangered turtles in Cambodia to the assessment and conservation of threatened bird species in China. The deadline for 2008 CLP award applications is Nov. 23, 2007. To apply for the program, and for further detailed information on this year’s awardees and their conservation research projects, please visit www.ConservationLeadershipProgramme.org.
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a partnership between BP, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The initiative has been running since 1985. The partners share a common concern for, and a commitment to, our natural environment and its constituent biodiversity. The missions of the four conservation organizations are dedicated to the notion of conserving biodiversity and supporting a sustainable relationship between people and nature. For more information about CLP, please visit www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org.
Bogota, Colombia, August 28, 2007— A new poisonous frog was recently discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). The new frog, which is almost two centimetres in length, was given the name the “golden frog of Supata.”
Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to several other common species in the area. However, after scientific analysis of the frog’s characteristics, and review of their findings by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the golden frog of Supatá is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area in Colombia’s Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world’s richest countries in amphibian diversity, with more than 583 species.
Unfortunately, since this frog is a recent discovery, and endemic to only the Cunidnamarca region, little is known about it. So far, scientists say that the golden frog of Supatá belongs to a group of “dart fogs” that are known to be highly venomous. In the coming months, the young scientists hope to have more information about the frog.
“The importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new frog,” said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the 2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. “But, most importantly, what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our planet, and the many species that haven’t yet been discovered. This is why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them about the need for conservation.”
In addition to Oswaldo Cortes, the team of scientist includes Erika Salazar, Giovanni Chaves, Jose Gil, and Ximena Villagran, students, who attend La Universidad Distrital, and Francisco Jose de Caldas and Luiz Alberto Rueda of the University of the Andes (La Universidad de los Andes).
The CLP, formerly known as the BP Conservation Programme, supports the vital work of a new rising generation of conservation professionals who are helping to drive practical projects addressing a wide range of global environmental issues from protecting sharks in Brazil to conservation of threatened amphibians in Colombia and endangered turtles in Cambodia to the assessment and conservation of threatened bird species in China. The deadline for 2008 CLP award applications is Nov. 23, 2007. To apply for the program, and for further detailed information on this year’s awardees and their conservation research projects, please visit www.ConservationLeadershipProgramme.org.
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a partnership between BP, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The initiative has been running since 1985. The partners share a common concern for, and a commitment to, our natural environment and its constituent biodiversity. The missions of the four conservation organizations are dedicated to the notion of conserving biodiversity and supporting a sustainable relationship between people and nature. For more information about CLP, please visit www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Polluted China rivers threaten "sixth" of population
BEIJING (Reuters) - Polluters along two of China's main rivers have defied a decade-old clean-up effort, leaving much of the water unfit to touch, let alone drink, and a risk to a sixth of the population, state media said on Monday.
Half the check points along the Huai River and its tributaries in central and eastern China showed pollution of "Grade 5" or worse -- the top of the dial in key toxins, meaning that the water was unfit for human contact and may not be fit even for irrigation, national legislators were told.
Years of crackdowns and waste treatment investment have reined in some of the worst damage to the Huai and Liao Rivers, but industrial pollution remained far too high, Mao Rubai, chairman of the National People's Congress environment and resources protection committee, said in a report delivered on Sunday.
The rivers posed a "threat to the water safety of one sixth of the country's 1.3 billion population," the China Daily said.
The pollution on the Huai threatened the massive South-North Water Transfer Project to draw water from the Yangtze River through the Huai basin to the country's parched north, Mao said.
"Large volumes of untreated domestic effluent and industrial waste-water are dumped directly into the river," Mao said of one of the Huai's worst polluted tributaries, according to the NPC Web site (www.npc.gov.cn).
"To judge from the inspection, the quality of water used for the South-North Water Transfer Project is threatened by pollution, and this must attract our vigilance."
In Zhoukou city in central Henan province, 15 of 23 factories inspected were found to be illegally dumping waste, Mao said.
Ma Kai, the chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, which steers industrial policy, said meeting energy and pollution reduction targets would be made a major factor in considering promotions for provincial-level officials, the China News Service reported.
China has promised to cut emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010, but last year failed to meet the annual goal.
Mao's call for stricter standards and enforcement came as government leaders promised to lift ceilings on fines for polluters. But Mao went a step further, warning that even factories that met pollution limits were still dumping too many chemicals.
"This situation is directly related to the fact that water pollution standards for some of our country's industries are too low," he said.
Even if standards were met, the volume of toxins entering the Huai "far exceeds the capacity of the river basin to replenish itself and will inevitably create pollution," he said.
Pollutants have also tainted underwater supplies down to a depth of 300 meters in places along the Huai.
The eastern route of the transfer project is scheduled to begin pumping water in 2008, but plans to reduce pollution in Jiangsu province have not been implemented.
"The quality of the transferred water will be very difficult to ensure," said Mao.
The Liao River in China's northeast also remains beset by polluters, with large volumes of untreated waste flowing through it into the sea.
Mao said that officials along both rivers had only used some of the funds set aside for pollution treatment projects.
Half the check points along the Huai River and its tributaries in central and eastern China showed pollution of "Grade 5" or worse -- the top of the dial in key toxins, meaning that the water was unfit for human contact and may not be fit even for irrigation, national legislators were told.
Years of crackdowns and waste treatment investment have reined in some of the worst damage to the Huai and Liao Rivers, but industrial pollution remained far too high, Mao Rubai, chairman of the National People's Congress environment and resources protection committee, said in a report delivered on Sunday.
The rivers posed a "threat to the water safety of one sixth of the country's 1.3 billion population," the China Daily said.
The pollution on the Huai threatened the massive South-North Water Transfer Project to draw water from the Yangtze River through the Huai basin to the country's parched north, Mao said.
"Large volumes of untreated domestic effluent and industrial waste-water are dumped directly into the river," Mao said of one of the Huai's worst polluted tributaries, according to the NPC Web site (www.npc.gov.cn).
"To judge from the inspection, the quality of water used for the South-North Water Transfer Project is threatened by pollution, and this must attract our vigilance."
In Zhoukou city in central Henan province, 15 of 23 factories inspected were found to be illegally dumping waste, Mao said.
Ma Kai, the chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, which steers industrial policy, said meeting energy and pollution reduction targets would be made a major factor in considering promotions for provincial-level officials, the China News Service reported.
China has promised to cut emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010, but last year failed to meet the annual goal.
Mao's call for stricter standards and enforcement came as government leaders promised to lift ceilings on fines for polluters. But Mao went a step further, warning that even factories that met pollution limits were still dumping too many chemicals.
"This situation is directly related to the fact that water pollution standards for some of our country's industries are too low," he said.
Even if standards were met, the volume of toxins entering the Huai "far exceeds the capacity of the river basin to replenish itself and will inevitably create pollution," he said.
Pollutants have also tainted underwater supplies down to a depth of 300 meters in places along the Huai.
The eastern route of the transfer project is scheduled to begin pumping water in 2008, but plans to reduce pollution in Jiangsu province have not been implemented.
"The quality of the transferred water will be very difficult to ensure," said Mao.
The Liao River in China's northeast also remains beset by polluters, with large volumes of untreated waste flowing through it into the sea.
Mao said that officials along both rivers had only used some of the funds set aside for pollution treatment projects.
Climate Change Is a Mixed Bag for Inuit
AMMASSALIK ISLAND, Greenland -- Dines Mikaelsen steadies a .22 rifle against the bow of his gently bobbing boat, loads the chamber and whispers to his companions to keep quiet.
The Inuit hunter has already missed twice.
After a deep breath, he squeezes the trigger. The loud crack echoes off the icebergs, and a football field away, a silver-coated seal collapses, blood turning the clear blue ice red.
Mikaelsen's four companions -- visitors from faraway lands -- are stunned. This is what they came to see but when the shot rang out in the Arctic stillness of southeast Greenland, some hoped it would be another miss.
Hunting is the central element of the Inuit culture in Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, but that immutable way of life is facing its greatest challenge: climate change.
It's a double-edged sword for the Inuit. It's transforming their frozen landscape, melting glaciers and disrupting animal life. The number of hunters in the area has dropped in recent years from nearly 500 to about 200.
Since 1995, Greenland's vast ice cap has lost 7 percent of its mass and 300 feet in height, according to the European Environmental Agency, a European Union body based in Denmark.
But the change also presents new opportunities. Twenty years ago, when visitors were rare, the fjords and bays were clogged with ice through July. Now, those bays are navigable by April or May. That means more tourists -- eager to explore one of the most remote and unexploited corners of the globe.
Eight cruise ships will come to the area for the first time this month and next.
"You could say that the Inuit on Greenland are the early adapters to climate change," said Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director. "The people here are determined to embrace a sustainable form of tourism that fosters their traditions and respects their landscape."
No seal is shot for sport or trophies. The pelts are used for clothing, the meat is gathered for food and the oil used for lubricants and cooking oil. No part is wasted.
Now tourism is part of the deal. The hunters bring visitors year-round into the Arctic wilderness. In the fall and winter they go dog-sledding or ice-fishing. In the spring and summer, the tourists see how Mikaelsen and others hunt seal, narwhal and polar bears.
The summer hunts take place amid looming icebergs and snow shelves that set a dreamy, somber mood. Often resembling the abstract sculptures of Henry Moore, they are constantly melting away only to be replaced by new ones cleaved from the great Hellheim Glacier.
In an abandoned settlement built in the 1800s, Mikaelsen treats his companions to a feast of cooked polar bear and narwhal. Polar bear, whose hunt is closely monitored and limited by authorities, tastes like a cross between tuna and venison. Narwhal is more like rubbery sushi, with a twang.
On the ride home, Dines strokes the fur of the still warm seal lying on the back of the boat and murmurs words of gratitude to it for having made the long journey worthwhile.
At his father's home in Tasiilaq, Mikaelsen displays skull after skull of polar bears and musk oxen. He gazes out the picture window, where 20 sled dogs yelp and cottongrass sways in time with the hard wind. Holding up a husky puppy, he flashes a toothy grin and laughs out loud.
"These little ones are from my two best dogs, and when they grow up, they will lead my team!"
Source: Associated Press
The Inuit hunter has already missed twice.
After a deep breath, he squeezes the trigger. The loud crack echoes off the icebergs, and a football field away, a silver-coated seal collapses, blood turning the clear blue ice red.
Mikaelsen's four companions -- visitors from faraway lands -- are stunned. This is what they came to see but when the shot rang out in the Arctic stillness of southeast Greenland, some hoped it would be another miss.
Hunting is the central element of the Inuit culture in Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, but that immutable way of life is facing its greatest challenge: climate change.
It's a double-edged sword for the Inuit. It's transforming their frozen landscape, melting glaciers and disrupting animal life. The number of hunters in the area has dropped in recent years from nearly 500 to about 200.
Since 1995, Greenland's vast ice cap has lost 7 percent of its mass and 300 feet in height, according to the European Environmental Agency, a European Union body based in Denmark.
But the change also presents new opportunities. Twenty years ago, when visitors were rare, the fjords and bays were clogged with ice through July. Now, those bays are navigable by April or May. That means more tourists -- eager to explore one of the most remote and unexploited corners of the globe.
Eight cruise ships will come to the area for the first time this month and next.
"You could say that the Inuit on Greenland are the early adapters to climate change," said Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director. "The people here are determined to embrace a sustainable form of tourism that fosters their traditions and respects their landscape."
No seal is shot for sport or trophies. The pelts are used for clothing, the meat is gathered for food and the oil used for lubricants and cooking oil. No part is wasted.
Now tourism is part of the deal. The hunters bring visitors year-round into the Arctic wilderness. In the fall and winter they go dog-sledding or ice-fishing. In the spring and summer, the tourists see how Mikaelsen and others hunt seal, narwhal and polar bears.
The summer hunts take place amid looming icebergs and snow shelves that set a dreamy, somber mood. Often resembling the abstract sculptures of Henry Moore, they are constantly melting away only to be replaced by new ones cleaved from the great Hellheim Glacier.
In an abandoned settlement built in the 1800s, Mikaelsen treats his companions to a feast of cooked polar bear and narwhal. Polar bear, whose hunt is closely monitored and limited by authorities, tastes like a cross between tuna and venison. Narwhal is more like rubbery sushi, with a twang.
On the ride home, Dines strokes the fur of the still warm seal lying on the back of the boat and murmurs words of gratitude to it for having made the long journey worthwhile.
At his father's home in Tasiilaq, Mikaelsen displays skull after skull of polar bears and musk oxen. He gazes out the picture window, where 20 sled dogs yelp and cottongrass sways in time with the hard wind. Holding up a husky puppy, he flashes a toothy grin and laughs out loud.
"These little ones are from my two best dogs, and when they grow up, they will lead my team!"
Source: Associated Press
Sand-Like, Pulverized Glass Seen as One Solution to Florida Beach Erosion
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Picture a beautiful beach spanning miles of coastline, gently lapped by aqua-colored water -- and sprinkled with glass.
Ouch? Think again. It feels just like sand, but with granules that sparkle in the sunlight.
Faced with the constant erosion of Florida's beaches, Broward County officials are exploring using recycled glass -- crushed into tiny grains and mixed with regular sand -- to help fill gaps.
It's only natural, backers of the idea say, since sand is the main ingredient in glass.
"Basically, what we're doing is taking the material and returning it back to its natural state," said Phil Bresee, Broward's recycling manager.
The county would become the first in the nation to combine disposal of recycled glass with bolstering beach sand reserves, Bresee said.
"You reduce waste stream that goes to our landfills and you generate materials that could be available for our beaches," said Paden Woodruff of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Sand is a valuable commodity in South Florida, where beach-related business generates more than $1 billion a year for Broward alone.
Sand to replenish eroded beaches is typically dredged from the ocean floor and piped to shore -- about 13 million tons of it since 1970 in Broward. That's enough sand to fill the Empire State Building more than 12 times over.
But with reef preservation restricting future dredge sites, sand is becoming scarce. And the price is rising as construction and fuel costs rise and dredge operations are pushed farther offshore.
In 2005, dredging brought in about 2.6 million tons of sand at a cost of $45 million. A similar operation in 1991 brought in about 1.3 million tons of sand for just $9 million.
The county would create only 15,600 tons of the glass material each year, not enough to solve its sand shortage, but enough to create a reserve for filling eroded spots before they can worsen, Bresee said.
Most of Broward County's 24 miles of beaches are considered critically eroded, and more than a quarter of Florida's 1,350-mile coastline falls into the same category. About $80 million is spent annually restoring Florida's beaches.
The glass-sand idea grew from the unintentional consequences of an ocean dump site off Northern California near Fort Bragg. Beginning in 1949, garbage -- including lots of glass -- was dumped over a cliff into the ocean, said Charles Finkl, a marine geologist with Boca Raton-based Coastal Planning and Engineering.
Finkl said that while organic material degraded over the years, the glass broke up and became smooth as it tumbled in the surf. The area is now known locally as Glass Beach. Another dump site in Hawaii produced similar results, Finkl said.
"You talk about glass beach and people have images of sharp glass shards but it's not that way at all," he said.
Recycled glass also has been used for beaches along Lake Hood in New Zealand and on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
It's unclear how much the project would cost Broward County, or if the project is even feasible. The state and county have so far spent about $600,000 just on tests and engineering.
The county tested a small patch of glass sand on a dry patch of beach last year, using sensors to measure effects of heat and moisture. Scientists have also conducted laboratory tests that show organisms and wildlife can thrive in the material just like natural sand, they said. The county is awaiting a permit to test glass sand in the surf zone.
Some people are raising caution flags.
"There's no way that you can predict all the environmental consequences of an action like this," said Dennis Heinemann, a senior scientist with the Ocean Conservancy. "There always will be unforeseen consequences."
One example sits just off shore.
The state and Broward County are spending millions to remove some 700,000 old tires that were placed on the ocean floor off Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s and fastened together to create an artificial reef. The tires came loose, moving around and scouring the ocean floor and wedging against natural reefs, killing coral.
Source: Associated Press
Ouch? Think again. It feels just like sand, but with granules that sparkle in the sunlight.
Faced with the constant erosion of Florida's beaches, Broward County officials are exploring using recycled glass -- crushed into tiny grains and mixed with regular sand -- to help fill gaps.
It's only natural, backers of the idea say, since sand is the main ingredient in glass.
"Basically, what we're doing is taking the material and returning it back to its natural state," said Phil Bresee, Broward's recycling manager.
The county would become the first in the nation to combine disposal of recycled glass with bolstering beach sand reserves, Bresee said.
"You reduce waste stream that goes to our landfills and you generate materials that could be available for our beaches," said Paden Woodruff of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Sand is a valuable commodity in South Florida, where beach-related business generates more than $1 billion a year for Broward alone.
Sand to replenish eroded beaches is typically dredged from the ocean floor and piped to shore -- about 13 million tons of it since 1970 in Broward. That's enough sand to fill the Empire State Building more than 12 times over.
But with reef preservation restricting future dredge sites, sand is becoming scarce. And the price is rising as construction and fuel costs rise and dredge operations are pushed farther offshore.
In 2005, dredging brought in about 2.6 million tons of sand at a cost of $45 million. A similar operation in 1991 brought in about 1.3 million tons of sand for just $9 million.
The county would create only 15,600 tons of the glass material each year, not enough to solve its sand shortage, but enough to create a reserve for filling eroded spots before they can worsen, Bresee said.
Most of Broward County's 24 miles of beaches are considered critically eroded, and more than a quarter of Florida's 1,350-mile coastline falls into the same category. About $80 million is spent annually restoring Florida's beaches.
The glass-sand idea grew from the unintentional consequences of an ocean dump site off Northern California near Fort Bragg. Beginning in 1949, garbage -- including lots of glass -- was dumped over a cliff into the ocean, said Charles Finkl, a marine geologist with Boca Raton-based Coastal Planning and Engineering.
Finkl said that while organic material degraded over the years, the glass broke up and became smooth as it tumbled in the surf. The area is now known locally as Glass Beach. Another dump site in Hawaii produced similar results, Finkl said.
"You talk about glass beach and people have images of sharp glass shards but it's not that way at all," he said.
Recycled glass also has been used for beaches along Lake Hood in New Zealand and on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
It's unclear how much the project would cost Broward County, or if the project is even feasible. The state and county have so far spent about $600,000 just on tests and engineering.
The county tested a small patch of glass sand on a dry patch of beach last year, using sensors to measure effects of heat and moisture. Scientists have also conducted laboratory tests that show organisms and wildlife can thrive in the material just like natural sand, they said. The county is awaiting a permit to test glass sand in the surf zone.
Some people are raising caution flags.
"There's no way that you can predict all the environmental consequences of an action like this," said Dennis Heinemann, a senior scientist with the Ocean Conservancy. "There always will be unforeseen consequences."
One example sits just off shore.
The state and Broward County are spending millions to remove some 700,000 old tires that were placed on the ocean floor off Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s and fastened together to create an artificial reef. The tires came loose, moving around and scouring the ocean floor and wedging against natural reefs, killing coral.
Source: Associated Press
Merkel presses China on climate change
BEIJING (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged China on Monday to do more to halt climate change, prompting the response that the developed West has been polluting the skies for much longer than the newly developing Chinese.
Merkel is on her second visit to China as Chancellor and the trip comes four months before world environment ministers meet in Bali to try to launch new talks to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
She pressed for stronger protection of intellectual property rights and said the ground rules for gathering resources should be the same worldwide, an apparent criticism of China's relations with Sudan.
China has sizeable economic interests in Sudan and has been under pressure to take a more critical approach to Khartoum after accusations aid from Beijing feeds violence in Darfur.
Premier Wen Jiabao said China would do everything it could to fight product piracy but that there were differences concerning climate change.
"The Chinese wish, like all people, for blue skies, green hills and clear water," he told a joint news conference.
He said the task of reducing emissions was tougher in China than in Germany because it had more people had not yet reached economic growth of industrialized countries in terms of GDP per capita.
"China has taken part of the responsibility for climate change for only 30 years while industrial countries have grown fast for the last 200 years," he said.
Merkel will meet President Hu Jintao later on Monday and heads to Japan on Wednesday where she will also address climate change and economic issues.
At a June summit chaired by Merkel, G8 leaders agreed to pursue substantial, if unspecified cuts, in greenhouse gases and work with the U.N. on a new deal to fight global warming.
The Kyoto Protocol obliges 35 rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but developing nations including China have no targets. China will overtake the United States by 2008 as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases.
China is overtaking the United States as the world's second-biggest exporter and steadily catching up with Germany, the world's biggest.
Merkel is on her second visit to China as Chancellor and the trip comes four months before world environment ministers meet in Bali to try to launch new talks to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
She pressed for stronger protection of intellectual property rights and said the ground rules for gathering resources should be the same worldwide, an apparent criticism of China's relations with Sudan.
China has sizeable economic interests in Sudan and has been under pressure to take a more critical approach to Khartoum after accusations aid from Beijing feeds violence in Darfur.
Premier Wen Jiabao said China would do everything it could to fight product piracy but that there were differences concerning climate change.
"The Chinese wish, like all people, for blue skies, green hills and clear water," he told a joint news conference.
He said the task of reducing emissions was tougher in China than in Germany because it had more people had not yet reached economic growth of industrialized countries in terms of GDP per capita.
"China has taken part of the responsibility for climate change for only 30 years while industrial countries have grown fast for the last 200 years," he said.
Merkel will meet President Hu Jintao later on Monday and heads to Japan on Wednesday where she will also address climate change and economic issues.
At a June summit chaired by Merkel, G8 leaders agreed to pursue substantial, if unspecified cuts, in greenhouse gases and work with the U.N. on a new deal to fight global warming.
The Kyoto Protocol obliges 35 rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but developing nations including China have no targets. China will overtake the United States by 2008 as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases.
China is overtaking the United States as the world's second-biggest exporter and steadily catching up with Germany, the world's biggest.
Greek fires may be treated as terrorism: developers investigated
Staff and agencies
Monday August 27, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A Greek prosecutor today ordered an investigation into whether arson attacks, which have been blamed for the worst forest fires in decades, could be considered terrorist acts.
The public order ministry said Dimitris Papangelopoulos, who is responsible for prosecuting terrorism and organised crime, ordered the investigation to determine "whether the crimes of arsonists and of arson attacks on forests carried out in the country during the summer of 2007" could come under Greece's anti-terrorism law.
The investigation would also seek to identify those who were responsible, the statement said.
At least 63 people have died in the fires. A blaze broke out today on the fringes of Athens, burning down a slope of Mount Ymittos and threatening a suburb of the capital.
Four planes, a helicopter and 15 trucks with 45 firefighters attended the fire as it burned through shrubs toward the suburb of Papagou. A pall of smoke hung over central Athens, and the smell of burning permeated the air.
Firefighters and planes from across Europe, backed by soldiers, police, officials and hundreds of thousands of volunteers, joined the fight yesterday against forest fires that have caused death and destruction across Greece over 48 hours.
Italy, France, Germany, Norway and Spain despatched aircraft and commandos to a nation that by last night appeared increasingly unable to combat the fires.
With authorities trying to stop two world heritage sites - Olympia and the fifth century BC theatre of Epidavros - being burned on the Peloponnese, officials did not rule out that hundreds of people could also be missing, having become victims of disorganisation and bungled evacuation plans.
Since the first fires broke out on Friday, the hardest hit area has been the southern peninsula - a popular destination for British holidaymakers - where high temperatures and gale force winds have fanned the flames.
"The damage is terrible, without precedent. We are doing everything we possibly can to help people, to save lives," said the acting interior minister, Spyros Flogaitis.
Over the weekend, television channels depicted harrowing scenes of people burned alive in their cars as they belatedly tried to flee the flames. On Saturday, police said they found the bodies of a mother and her four children who were incinerated when their home near Zacharo in the Peloponnese was engulfed by flames.
Despite the mass evacuation of villages, towns, hotels and resorts - thousands of tourists have been forced to camp on beaches - officials said many of the elderly and infirm were refusing to leave their homes.
"There are death notices everywhere," one local resident said. "Everyone knows someone who has lost a person to the fires."
A senior official in Olympia had expressed concerns over whether the ancient monument, the site of the first Olympic games, would escape the flames. By last night it appeared that attempts to keep the fire at bay had been successful: the fires scorched the yard of the museum, housing a number of famous classical sculptures, such as Hermes by Praxiteles, but planes, helicopters and scores of firefighters halted the advance.
"With self-sacrifice, firefighters fought 'trench battles' to rescue these sensitive and important sites," the public order minister, Byron Polydoras, told reporters.
The foreign intervention came less than a day after the country's prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, declared a state of emergency and appealed to the European Union for help. With an estimated 170 fires on 42 fronts and new ones erupting every hour, he said the situation was simply too much for Greece to cope with alone.
Yesterday, the French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, offered Mr Karamanlis further aid after it emerged that two French tourists were among the casualties. Greece's foreign minister, Dora Bakoyiannis, said she expected 31 aircraft from 12 countries to arrive today.
Despite the overseas assistance, authorities remained pessimistic that the fires, which had intensified as they raged through six pine forests, would be brought under control soon. "The winds have fallen and that is helpful but this is a situation that cannot be confronted easily," said Nikos Diamantis, a spokesman for the firefighting force.
By last night about 500 conscripts had joined locals, often armed only with buckets and hose pipes, in the west, north and south of the country, as the fires spread to the island of Evia, killing at least six people there.
The tardy intervention of the army added to widespread condemnation of the government's handling of the catastrophe. Many criticised Mr Karamanlis, who this month called a snap election for September 16, of failing to do enough to prevent the outbreak of some 3,000 forest fires that have destroyed large parts of Greece this summer.
The ruling New Democrats have also been denounced for undermining the firefighting force, reorganised by the former Socialist government ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympic games, by handing top jobs to inexperienced political appointees.
"This is nothing short of a national tragedy," said Giorgos Papandreou, Greece's main opposition leader, after visiting the Peloponnese. "The government has a lot to answer for."
Writing in the Sunday Vima, the columnist Rihardos Someritis said: "We had a beautiful country but we are increasingly losing it to fires, rubbish and the illegal buildings [built on land cleared by blazes]."
Yesterday, as fires continued to smoulder in the Hymettus range around Athens, the health ministry appealed to inhabitants to stay indoors and keep their windows shut because of the high density of ash in the air.
Wild fires across Greece are frequently blamed on arsonists working on behalf of developers intent on building on prime forest land. Mr Karamanlis said it was "too much of a coincidence" that so many of the blazes had erupted simultaneously and often in the dead of night. The government yesterday announced bounties of up to €1m (£680,000) for information that could lead to the arrest of arsonists.
Monday August 27, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A Greek prosecutor today ordered an investigation into whether arson attacks, which have been blamed for the worst forest fires in decades, could be considered terrorist acts.
The public order ministry said Dimitris Papangelopoulos, who is responsible for prosecuting terrorism and organised crime, ordered the investigation to determine "whether the crimes of arsonists and of arson attacks on forests carried out in the country during the summer of 2007" could come under Greece's anti-terrorism law.
The investigation would also seek to identify those who were responsible, the statement said.
At least 63 people have died in the fires. A blaze broke out today on the fringes of Athens, burning down a slope of Mount Ymittos and threatening a suburb of the capital.
Four planes, a helicopter and 15 trucks with 45 firefighters attended the fire as it burned through shrubs toward the suburb of Papagou. A pall of smoke hung over central Athens, and the smell of burning permeated the air.
Firefighters and planes from across Europe, backed by soldiers, police, officials and hundreds of thousands of volunteers, joined the fight yesterday against forest fires that have caused death and destruction across Greece over 48 hours.
Italy, France, Germany, Norway and Spain despatched aircraft and commandos to a nation that by last night appeared increasingly unable to combat the fires.
With authorities trying to stop two world heritage sites - Olympia and the fifth century BC theatre of Epidavros - being burned on the Peloponnese, officials did not rule out that hundreds of people could also be missing, having become victims of disorganisation and bungled evacuation plans.
Since the first fires broke out on Friday, the hardest hit area has been the southern peninsula - a popular destination for British holidaymakers - where high temperatures and gale force winds have fanned the flames.
"The damage is terrible, without precedent. We are doing everything we possibly can to help people, to save lives," said the acting interior minister, Spyros Flogaitis.
Over the weekend, television channels depicted harrowing scenes of people burned alive in their cars as they belatedly tried to flee the flames. On Saturday, police said they found the bodies of a mother and her four children who were incinerated when their home near Zacharo in the Peloponnese was engulfed by flames.
Despite the mass evacuation of villages, towns, hotels and resorts - thousands of tourists have been forced to camp on beaches - officials said many of the elderly and infirm were refusing to leave their homes.
"There are death notices everywhere," one local resident said. "Everyone knows someone who has lost a person to the fires."
A senior official in Olympia had expressed concerns over whether the ancient monument, the site of the first Olympic games, would escape the flames. By last night it appeared that attempts to keep the fire at bay had been successful: the fires scorched the yard of the museum, housing a number of famous classical sculptures, such as Hermes by Praxiteles, but planes, helicopters and scores of firefighters halted the advance.
"With self-sacrifice, firefighters fought 'trench battles' to rescue these sensitive and important sites," the public order minister, Byron Polydoras, told reporters.
The foreign intervention came less than a day after the country's prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, declared a state of emergency and appealed to the European Union for help. With an estimated 170 fires on 42 fronts and new ones erupting every hour, he said the situation was simply too much for Greece to cope with alone.
Yesterday, the French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, offered Mr Karamanlis further aid after it emerged that two French tourists were among the casualties. Greece's foreign minister, Dora Bakoyiannis, said she expected 31 aircraft from 12 countries to arrive today.
Despite the overseas assistance, authorities remained pessimistic that the fires, which had intensified as they raged through six pine forests, would be brought under control soon. "The winds have fallen and that is helpful but this is a situation that cannot be confronted easily," said Nikos Diamantis, a spokesman for the firefighting force.
By last night about 500 conscripts had joined locals, often armed only with buckets and hose pipes, in the west, north and south of the country, as the fires spread to the island of Evia, killing at least six people there.
The tardy intervention of the army added to widespread condemnation of the government's handling of the catastrophe. Many criticised Mr Karamanlis, who this month called a snap election for September 16, of failing to do enough to prevent the outbreak of some 3,000 forest fires that have destroyed large parts of Greece this summer.
The ruling New Democrats have also been denounced for undermining the firefighting force, reorganised by the former Socialist government ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympic games, by handing top jobs to inexperienced political appointees.
"This is nothing short of a national tragedy," said Giorgos Papandreou, Greece's main opposition leader, after visiting the Peloponnese. "The government has a lot to answer for."
Writing in the Sunday Vima, the columnist Rihardos Someritis said: "We had a beautiful country but we are increasingly losing it to fires, rubbish and the illegal buildings [built on land cleared by blazes]."
Yesterday, as fires continued to smoulder in the Hymettus range around Athens, the health ministry appealed to inhabitants to stay indoors and keep their windows shut because of the high density of ash in the air.
Wild fires across Greece are frequently blamed on arsonists working on behalf of developers intent on building on prime forest land. Mr Karamanlis said it was "too much of a coincidence" that so many of the blazes had erupted simultaneously and often in the dead of night. The government yesterday announced bounties of up to €1m (£680,000) for information that could lead to the arrest of arsonists.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Greece "State of Emergency" over wildfires. 46 dead and climbing.
Helena Smith in Athens
Sunday August 26, 2007
The Observer
The charred remains of a mother holding her child in her arms; people burned alive in cars as they tried to flee; panic-stricken villagers trapped in flame-encircled homes; and thousands evacuated to beaches - these were among the scenes being witnessed in Greece as some of the worst wildfires in living memory ravaged the country.
With 46 dead yesterday afternoon and the toll expected to climb, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis declared a state of emergency, saying the forest fires 'can't be a coincidence'. He vowed that the arsonists would be found. Within hours police had arrested a suspect.
'All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency in order to mobilise all means and forces to face this disaster,' he said in a televised address to the nation. 'We are living a national tragedy,' said Karamanlis.
He called an extraordinary cabinet meeting after visiting villages that had been reduced to cinders in the southern Peloponnese. With at least two tourists among the dead - and hundreds more holiday-makers threatened - Karamanlis urged Greece's EU partners to despatch more water-dropping planes and helicopters, saying it was a crisis Greece could not handle alone.
It was, he said, a day of 'national mourning' that would not be forgotten soon. All state buildings, including parliament, were ordered to fly flags at half-mast.
'These are very difficult times for all of us,' said Karamanlis, whose government has faced criticism for its handling of an unrivalled spate of forest fires that has wrought destruction across Greece this summer.
'I wish to express my deep grief over the lost lives. We are fighting against heavy odds, on many fronts and under particularly tough conditions.'
With new fires erupting almost hourly and authorities battling some 170 blazes from the Ionian Sea in the west, Ioannina in the north and the Peloponnese in the south, firefighting services have been stretched to the limit - despite the military being mobilised by the government. Gale-force winds known as the meltemi, which sweep across Greece in August, were also hampering efforts to extinguish the flames.
By late afternoon yesterday, as fires erupted on the fringes of Athens, threatening buildings, forcing the evacuation of monks from a monastery and closing the national highway, a wall of flames stretched across the Peloponnese with witnesses describing harrowing scenes.
Officials said the devastation was on a scale not seen in peacetime. Entire villages looked as though they had been vaporised, people and livestock incinerated. People who had tried to escape fires engulfing homesteads were found dead in their burnt-out cars. In one village near the Peloponnesian town of Zaharo, police discovered the bodies of a mother and her four children.
'There's absolute pandemonium here. It's like a war zone. In a single night everything we know has been destroyed,' Nikos Kakovessis, a resident of the town, said. 'People have lost their homes, their cattle, everything they own. May God cast his hand to stop this evil. May the worst be over.'
Frightened locals, authorities said, had been joined on the beaches of the peninsula by tourists forced to flee hotels and resorts at the peak of the holiday season. Many had fled the flames with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. With thousands expected to spend last night outside, nearby tavernas were providing tablecloths for evacuees to sleep on.
Officials yesterday said they feared arsonists were behind the wildfires. 'This is unprecedented. At least 21 of the fires that we are fighting erupted after 9pm Friday, which points to the crime of arson,' said Yannis Stamoulis, a spokesman for the firefighting service.
The high casualty toll, by far the worst in a 24-hour period since June, was blamed on people refusing to leave their homes, and in some cases bungled rescue efforts. 'People are not evacuating when we ask them to because they are afraid of losing their possessions, but they have to listen to us,' he said.
Greece has seen more than 300 fires in the past three months. The ecological disaster has dented the popularity of the ruling Conservatives, who have called early elections to take place on 16 September.
Sunday August 26, 2007
The Observer
The charred remains of a mother holding her child in her arms; people burned alive in cars as they tried to flee; panic-stricken villagers trapped in flame-encircled homes; and thousands evacuated to beaches - these were among the scenes being witnessed in Greece as some of the worst wildfires in living memory ravaged the country.
With 46 dead yesterday afternoon and the toll expected to climb, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis declared a state of emergency, saying the forest fires 'can't be a coincidence'. He vowed that the arsonists would be found. Within hours police had arrested a suspect.
'All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency in order to mobilise all means and forces to face this disaster,' he said in a televised address to the nation. 'We are living a national tragedy,' said Karamanlis.
He called an extraordinary cabinet meeting after visiting villages that had been reduced to cinders in the southern Peloponnese. With at least two tourists among the dead - and hundreds more holiday-makers threatened - Karamanlis urged Greece's EU partners to despatch more water-dropping planes and helicopters, saying it was a crisis Greece could not handle alone.
It was, he said, a day of 'national mourning' that would not be forgotten soon. All state buildings, including parliament, were ordered to fly flags at half-mast.
'These are very difficult times for all of us,' said Karamanlis, whose government has faced criticism for its handling of an unrivalled spate of forest fires that has wrought destruction across Greece this summer.
'I wish to express my deep grief over the lost lives. We are fighting against heavy odds, on many fronts and under particularly tough conditions.'
With new fires erupting almost hourly and authorities battling some 170 blazes from the Ionian Sea in the west, Ioannina in the north and the Peloponnese in the south, firefighting services have been stretched to the limit - despite the military being mobilised by the government. Gale-force winds known as the meltemi, which sweep across Greece in August, were also hampering efforts to extinguish the flames.
By late afternoon yesterday, as fires erupted on the fringes of Athens, threatening buildings, forcing the evacuation of monks from a monastery and closing the national highway, a wall of flames stretched across the Peloponnese with witnesses describing harrowing scenes.
Officials said the devastation was on a scale not seen in peacetime. Entire villages looked as though they had been vaporised, people and livestock incinerated. People who had tried to escape fires engulfing homesteads were found dead in their burnt-out cars. In one village near the Peloponnesian town of Zaharo, police discovered the bodies of a mother and her four children.
'There's absolute pandemonium here. It's like a war zone. In a single night everything we know has been destroyed,' Nikos Kakovessis, a resident of the town, said. 'People have lost their homes, their cattle, everything they own. May God cast his hand to stop this evil. May the worst be over.'
Frightened locals, authorities said, had been joined on the beaches of the peninsula by tourists forced to flee hotels and resorts at the peak of the holiday season. Many had fled the flames with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. With thousands expected to spend last night outside, nearby tavernas were providing tablecloths for evacuees to sleep on.
Officials yesterday said they feared arsonists were behind the wildfires. 'This is unprecedented. At least 21 of the fires that we are fighting erupted after 9pm Friday, which points to the crime of arson,' said Yannis Stamoulis, a spokesman for the firefighting service.
The high casualty toll, by far the worst in a 24-hour period since June, was blamed on people refusing to leave their homes, and in some cases bungled rescue efforts. 'People are not evacuating when we ask them to because they are afraid of losing their possessions, but they have to listen to us,' he said.
Greece has seen more than 300 fires in the past three months. The ecological disaster has dented the popularity of the ruling Conservatives, who have called early elections to take place on 16 September.
Modest start to Kyoto trade on Chicago exchange
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One contract representing Kyoto Treaty greenhouse gas reductions traded on the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange on Friday, the first such trade to take place in the United States, a trade source said.
The CCFE launched trade on the certified emissions reductions contract on Friday. December 2008 CER futures settled 25 cents weaker at $21.60.
One contract, representing a reduction of 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, changed hands, the source said.
CERs represent emissions reductions under Kyoto's clean development mechanism projects that allow companies in rich countries that ratified the protocol to meet their emissions requirements by investing in the clean projects in developing countries.
Often the projects cut emissions by destroying greenhouse gases at places like coal mines and chemical plants.
CCX is a subsidiary of Climate Exchange Plc, which also owns the European Climate Exchange, the world's largest live carbon emissions trading market.
The CCFE launched trade on the certified emissions reductions contract on Friday. December 2008 CER futures settled 25 cents weaker at $21.60.
One contract, representing a reduction of 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, changed hands, the source said.
CERs represent emissions reductions under Kyoto's clean development mechanism projects that allow companies in rich countries that ratified the protocol to meet their emissions requirements by investing in the clean projects in developing countries.
Often the projects cut emissions by destroying greenhouse gases at places like coal mines and chemical plants.
CCX is a subsidiary of Climate Exchange Plc, which also owns the European Climate Exchange, the world's largest live carbon emissions trading market.
Giant panda can survive
New research challenges perceptions of endangered species
The giant panda is not at an evolutionary dead end and could have a long term viable future, according to new research involving scientists from Cardiff University.
Previous studies have found that the giant panda's isolation, unusual dietary requirements and slow reproductive rates have led to a lack of genetic diversity that will inevitably lead the species to extinction.
Now a study by Professor Michael Bruford and Dr Benoit Goossens from the School of Biosciences, in collaboration with Professor Fuwen Wei and colleagues from the Institute of Zoology along with the China West Normal University in Sichuan, has found that the decline of the species can be linked directly to human activities rather than a genetic inability to adapt and evolve.
Our research challenges the hypothesis that giant pandas are at an evolutionary dead end said Professor Bruford. It is however clear that the species has suffered demographically at the hands of human activities such as deforestation and poaching.
The study gives a new genetic perspective on the giant panda, as well as tracing its demographic history. The research also shows that in areas where habit conservation projects are in place, the giant panda is flourishing and population numbers are increasing.
Our research suggests we have to revise our thinking about the evolutionary prospects for the giant panda said Professor Bruford. �The species has a viable future and possesses the genetic capacity to adapt to new circumstances. Conservation efforts should therefore be directed towards habitat restoration and protection. In their natural environment, the giant panda is a species that can have a bright future.
The giant panda is not at an evolutionary dead end and could have a long term viable future, according to new research involving scientists from Cardiff University.
Previous studies have found that the giant panda's isolation, unusual dietary requirements and slow reproductive rates have led to a lack of genetic diversity that will inevitably lead the species to extinction.
Now a study by Professor Michael Bruford and Dr Benoit Goossens from the School of Biosciences, in collaboration with Professor Fuwen Wei and colleagues from the Institute of Zoology along with the China West Normal University in Sichuan, has found that the decline of the species can be linked directly to human activities rather than a genetic inability to adapt and evolve.
Our research challenges the hypothesis that giant pandas are at an evolutionary dead end said Professor Bruford. It is however clear that the species has suffered demographically at the hands of human activities such as deforestation and poaching.
The study gives a new genetic perspective on the giant panda, as well as tracing its demographic history. The research also shows that in areas where habit conservation projects are in place, the giant panda is flourishing and population numbers are increasing.
Our research suggests we have to revise our thinking about the evolutionary prospects for the giant panda said Professor Bruford. �The species has a viable future and possesses the genetic capacity to adapt to new circumstances. Conservation efforts should therefore be directed towards habitat restoration and protection. In their natural environment, the giant panda is a species that can have a bright future.
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