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ENVIROMENTALITY
A Topical Index of Environmental News, Research, Speculation, and Invective (in HTML mail format; click here for
web page view, archive, and plain text email)
January 15,
2007
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Biodiversity
Invasive Moth Advancing on Mexico's Cactus
Bioprospecting for Antibiotics: A Mini Case Study 1) 70% of
hospital acquired infections in the US are now resistant to one
antibiotic or more and no new
antibacterials are expected any time soon so several drug research experts
recommend a serious quest for natural products: nature (pdf)
3) A
pair of economists
doubts that private sector incentives are sufficient to produce
conservation benefits: jrnl of eem
Ethologist Pleads for Palm Oil Boycott Orangutan
habitat in Indonesia is losing ground due largely to the growing demand
for Palm Oil (which just happens to be the highest yielding biodiesel
feedstock, see Energy):
nytimes
Gorillas
Suffer Losses From Ebola
nprWWF: New Animal and Plant Species in Borneo bemama Burmese Pythons Moving into Everglades csmonitor Whooping Cranes Rebound in Texas enn US NGO Sues for Sea Otter Habitat planetark Thai River Terrapin Turtle Re-emerges enn Business Corporations
EPA Challenges Top Corporations on Green Power
REC to Expand Silicon Wafer ProductionAsks for doubling of green power use from the 40 Fortune 500 companies enrolled in the program: epa Renewable
Energy Corporation will build the world's biggest solar energy
equipment plant in its Heroeya facility in southwestern Norway for
US$407.8 million: planetark
French Firm Exploring Congo Park for Oil
Describes climate change as "way, way in
the future, with a high degree of uncertainty": bbcThe Wildlife Conservation Society says exploration by a subsidiary of French oil company Maurel & Prom is damaging Congo's Conkouati-Douli National Park; the Brazzaville government should never have granted exploration rights prohibited under the law creating the park: enn
Chrysler's Chief Economist Skeptical of Climate Change
Climate
Did
Monsoon Shift Cause Civilizations to Collapse?
Weak winter
monsoon rains may have contributed to the decline of China's Tang
Dynasty and the Mayan civilization in Mexico: scidev
Climate Change Performance Index for 2006 NY State Plans to Auction 100% of Carbon Permits Story: planetark Court Rules Distant Impacts of Coal Must Be Considered A landmark Australian ruling holds that an environmental impact assessment for a proposed coal mine must include global climate change impacts: smh Revamped CO2 Law Introduced in US Senate Six U.S. senators, including potential 2008 presidential contenders from both major parties, unveiled legislation that would force power plants and industry to curb greenhouse gases, seeking to cut emissions to one-third of 2000 levels by 2050: reuters Energy and Transportation
Low Emission Backyard Generators Needed
Across the developing world, cheap diesel generators from China have become a favorite way to provide electricity. These devices are dirtier than coal-fired power plants. Could this proliferation represent the future of bio-diesel?: nytimes For a nice
comparison table of biodiesel feedstock yields see this Global
Petroleum Club data (the winner is: algae!): gpc
China to Buy 4 Nukes From Westinghouse Story: chinadaily Reconsidering Nuclear Waste Storage A new study of the synthetic zircons generally used to contain plutonium-rich materials suggests that they are not as durable as was thought; radioactivity could leak out after only 1,400 years of storage, well short of the target immobilization time of 241,000 years: nature New York City to Study Congestion Remedies The data on daily commuting (not including commercial traffic) to the Central Business District suggests that many alternatives should be on the table for resolving gridlock in NYC, a complex problem facing urbanization everywhere: nytimes Sky Sail Set for Maiden Voyage Imagine an oil tanker flying a huge kite: planetark Green Schools Save Big Bucks American Institute of Architects Report: AIA Forests and
Agriculture
Two-Thirds Of Congo Basin Expected to Vanish by
2050
The
Basin covers Democratic Republic of Congo, most of Congo Republic, the
southeastern reaches of Cameroon, southern Central African Republic,
Gabon and mainland Equatorial Guinea: enn
Study
Finds Some Soils Are N2O Sinks
These
findings may impact soil and forest management policy vis a vis climate
change: globalchange
The Bodélé Depression?
The
Bodélé depression is a single spot in the Sahara desert
that provides over half the Amazon basin's annual supply of
minerals. A climatic shift in this delivery system would
seriously impair the South American forest: envresourcelttrs
A Fifth of
Farm Animal Breeds May Face Extinction - FAO
A form of
species loss not often considered is the result of the world's
narrowing focus of agricultural activity: planetark
Nutrition, Health, and Wealth
IAEA
Promoting Radiation Uses For African NationsOne such use is sleeping sickness control through the sterile insect technique (SIT), where radiation is used to sterilize otherwise healthy insects, which are then released to mate without producing offspring: un (Continues >>>)
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Researchers in Japan have captured and filmed a live giant squid—likely for the first time; the 24-foot (7-meter) animal was caught in December 2006 near the island of Chichijima, some 600 miles (960 kilometers) southeast of Tokyo: natgeograph Nutrition,
Health, and Wealth, cont'd
FDA Declares Food From Clones is SafeStory: nytimes Gates Grants US$46.7M to Fight Five Neglected Diseases The five diseases are trachoma — an eye infection causing blindness; intestinal worms; onchocerciasis – also called river blindness; schistosomiasis; and lymphatic filariasis — also known as elephantiasis. The five beneficiaries are the US-based International Trachoma Initiative, the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, The Carter Center, the Task Force for Child Survival and Development and the World Health Organization: scidev Annan Praises Spain's US$700M for Millennium Goals Story: un Uganda Opts for DDT Versus Malaria A number of African nations are considering the use of this banned pesticide in the battle against malaria despite the agricultural trade losses that are expected to result. In Uganda, DDT will now be sprayed in every house in the country: allafrica New
and/or Noteworthy Media
Big
Coal:The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy FutureBook by Jeff Goodell Author Interview: globalpublicmedia Red Sky at Morning Book by James Gustave Speth Booksite: speth The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century Book by Amory Lovins Author Profile: discover Science
and Tech Frontiers
A
Fast, Sensitive Virus DetectorA sensor that measures the concentration of viruses in minutes could make possible a handheld device that cheaply and quickly spots pathogens: techreview Platinum in Fuel Cells Gets a Helping Hand The fuel cells that power electric cars with hydrogen are expensive because their key ingredient is platinum, and their performance degrades too quickly for practical use. But combining nickel or gold with the platinum offers new hope for tackling these problems. gold: sciencemag nickel: sciencemag Fish's Homing Instinct is Clue to Coral Reef Diversity Cardinalfish fry smell their way back to their home reefs, providing a key for conservation genetics of reef species: guardian Swamp Gas for Surgery? Hydrogen sulfide--a swamp gas that's toxic at high concentrations--can be used to temporarily lower oxygen requirements in mice without adverse effects: techreview Bush Risk Guidelines Rejected by NRC A National Research Council report declares the new Risk Assessment Guidelines "fundamentally flawed": sciencenow Waters
and Wetlands and Aquaculture
Drive to Ban Bottom Trawling FailsStory: planetark Diverting From Red Sea to Save Dead Sea: Caution Geologist warns of unintended consequences: natgeographic Corps Proposal for Gulf Draws Criticism From Scientists Story: nytimes Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act Renewed Story: enn Desert Aquaculture Presents Enticing Opportunity Water from underground desert aquifers hundreds of feet deep is used to raise fish-- then the water in which the fish are raised is used to irrigate and fertilize crops in a system called double usage: nytimes Waste
A Quiet Brain-Damage Epidemic
A paper, published in The Lancet on November 8, 2006 says thousands of chemicals should be tested for potential neurotoxicity in children, and recommends that nations treat these chemicals with precautionary principles that go beyond those in legislation such as the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals): envscitech EPA's New Tox Chem Rules Open Big Biz Loopholes Story: csmonitor Agricultural Blamed For Cairo Smog
Story: scidev Scrap Tires To Filter Wastewater Tests show that a crumb rubber filter is much more cost effective than conventional sand or anthracite filters, and because of substantially higher water filtration rates and lighter weight in comparison to sand or anthracite, crumb rubber filters may also be used in a mobile treatment units for disaster relief operations: psu EPA Threatened with Pesticide Lawsuit The Center for Biological Diversity (San Francisco) filed notice of intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Endangered Species Act, to protect 11 San Francisco Bay Area endangered and threatened species that are jeopardized by pesticides: yuba |
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Enviromentality is a free
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Special thanks
to the many information sources
flowing into this publication.
Compiled by Adam Cherson, AB, JD, MPA-Environmental Science and
Policy
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