Optimistic future for green collar workers
by David Masters
Recruiters for environmental jobs say that the 'green collar' employment market is thriving despite the current global credit crisis. Rising oil and gas prices mean that renewable energy is becoming an increasingly viable and attractive option for big businesses, who have increasingly started to appoint climate change advisers and other environmental workers to help them make the switch. According to UK-based environment recruitment agency, Acre Resources, the number of climate change specific ...
Cameron reiterates Tory’s green commitment
by David Masters
David Cameron yesterday reaffirmed the Conservative Party's commitment to the environment. Speaking at Westminster's Royal Horticultural Halls Cameron said that Britain's current economic slowdown will not distract him from the Conservative's green agenda. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth had been accusing the Tories of jumping on the green bandwagon to gain support. However, Cameron was keen to counter this claim, arguing that the environment will remain at the heart of ...
Prison sentence for flytipping
by David Masters
Two professional flytippers, who together dumped almost 15,000 tonnes of rubbish in locations across south east England, have been given lengthy jail sentences. Between January 2003 and June 2004 the two men dumped rubbish equivalent to 750 lorry loads on 15 different sites in Essex and London. Patrick Anderson, 51, and James Kelleher, 40, pleaded guilty to dumping rubbish at the Inner London Crown Court. After hearing the conclusion of a three-year investigation, ...
‘Flawed’ EU directive must be implemented
by David Masters
A new report published by a cross-party committee of MPs dismisses a European Union directive on nitrates as 'flawed', but concludes that farmers must comply with the legislation. The Nitrates Directive was set up by the EU to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates used in farming. MPs from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee investigating the 1991 directive found it to be 'old fashioned' and 'prescriptive'. However, because of pending ...
LG unveils eco-friendly computer screen
by David MastersElectronics giant LG this week unveiled a new environmentally friendly monitor that uses 45% less energy than standard computer screens of a similar size. The Flatron W2252TE, dubbed 'the world's most eco-friendly monitor', features a 22 inch LCD widescreen and is powered by just 22 watts of electricity. Despite its eco-credentials, the Flatron does not skimp on functionality; it is as sharp and as quick to respond as other monitors of a ...
Eco-taxi firm reprimanded for greenwash
by David Masters
A New-Zealand based taxi firm has been reprimanded following a misleading promotion of its environmental credentials. Wellington Combined Taxis was issued with an offical warning by the Commerce Comission for providing customers with false information about the fuel efficiency of its taxi fleet. The taxi company's website claimed that its fleet of LPG taxis cut the carbon footprint of the firm by up to 25%. However, when the Commerce Commission asked the company ...
Hong Kong pollution is China’s ‘new disease’
by David Masters
A new study has found that air pollution is responsible for around 10,000 premature deaths every year in Hong Kong and southern China. The report, published today, reveals that respiratory health problems caused by smog costs China 6.7 billion yuan every year, almost £500 million. Hong Kong-based think tank Civic Exchange conducted the research by looking at air pollution data between 2003 and 2006. As well as considering the health costs - which ...
UK’s oil addiction makes recession inevitable
by David Masters
A UK academic has warned that unless the country breaks free from its dependence upon oil then long term recession is 'inevitable'. Simon Snowden, a lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Liverpool, issued the warning in his recent address to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas. Snowden argued that the world's oil reserves are about to hit a 'supply plateau' whereby demand for oil exceeds supply, spelling ...
Bird family tree predicts more extinctions
by Alan Harten
A new phylogenetic map, or more simply understood as a bird family tree that features such common British birds as the Greenfinch and the Blackbird, claims that such common, all-garden birds are slipping towards extinction. A scientist by the name of Gavin Thomas believes that according to his findings the population of birds that are closely related by species have a tendency to decline at a very similar rate. These ...
Toyota sets up factories for hybrids
by David Masters
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it is planning to set up factories producing hybrid cars in Australia and Thailand. Demand for fuel efficient hybrid cars has in the past been low due to the high costs of the vehicles. However, the record price of oil has seen interest in hybrids rise, leading Toyota to implement a plan to produce 10,000 hybrids every year by 2010. Toyota will set up production lines for ...
British inventors design waterless washing machine
by David MastersA new washing machine invented by researchers in the UK could save billions of litres of water every year. The Xeros machine, developed at Leeds University, uses just one cup of water per cycle, less than 2 percent of the water used by conventional machines. Clothes come out of the Xeros almost dry, meaning that energy-intensive tumble dryers are no longer required. It works by spinning thousands of small reusable plastic chips in ...
Bangladesh sets up climate change fund
by David MastersBangladesh is to start allocating a proportion of the country's spending into a climate change fund. 0.3% of next year's $14.6 million government budget will go into the Fund for Climate Change. 4,500 people in Bangladesh were killed and over 50,000 injured last year in natural disasters, including floods and Cyclone Sidr. The Bangladeshi government blamed the disasters upon climate change. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change as the ...
UK plans more windfarms
by David Masters
Eleven zones around the UK coastline have been earmarked as potential sites for giant wind farms. The site examination is part of a drive by the UK government to produce more of the country's energy using sustainable and renewable sources. According to European Union targets, the UK must produce 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Currently the UK is second only to Denmark in Europe for wind powered ...
Drought-ridden California is running dry
by David Masters
Two consecutive years of lower than average rainfall have led the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to declare an official state-wide drought following fears of forest fires and loss of crops. Snow surveys in the south western state have found around one third less snow than usual, with estimated snowmelt runoff at around 60% of the normal average. Officials say that the state's 18 million residents consume water at the same level ...
The solar powered Antarctic explorers
by David Masters
Robert Swan - the first ever explorer to walk to both the north and the south pole - has demonstrated just how effective solar power can be. During a two week expedition to the Antarctic, a group led by Swan used only solar power for all their energy needs. Enough electricity was produced to power satellite, digital and video conferences in spite of bad weather conditions which meant little sunlight. The solar panels ...
Nanotechnology detects epidemics before outbreak
by David MastersNew technology developed by space scientists from NASA can detect deadly contamination in food and water. The biosensor can detect traces of viruses, bacteria and parasites in food, water, and other potentially contaminated sources. When biohazards are detected by the sensor it creates an electric signal which is fed back to a computer. This signal is then used to work out the level of contamination. NASA has licensed the technology to New-York-based ...
Nuclear costs spiral out of control
by David Masters
The cost of decommissioning nuclear power stations is set to spiral out of control following a startling admission from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Current estimates for the total cost of decommissioning are £73 billion, already £12 billion higher than five years ago. However, Jim Morse, a senior director at the NDA, has publicly declared that in his opinion, there is a 'high probability' that costs will continue to spiral upwards, especially ...
Government prepares for battle on eco-towns
by David MastersPressure is mounting on the government to step down on its eco-town proposals, with protests in locations across the country this weekend. On Saturday around 2,000 locals from Ford in West Sussex attended a protest against an eco-town in the area. Television presenter Ben Fogle joined the protesters, who marched three miles through countryside around the proposed eco-town site. Meanwhile, another demonstration in Lichfield, Staffordshire, attracted hundreds of local protesters. Campaigners argue that the ...
Biofuels escape UN regulation
by David Masters
The biofuel industry escaped future regulation at the UN food summit last week following fierce debate between member states. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had called for international guidelines on biofuel production, whilst the UN envoy on the right to food pushed for an end to investment in biofuels. The recent huge increases in the production of biofuels have been blamed for rising food prices and the consequent famine and unrest that ...
Car-makers fume over environmental ad regulations
by David Masters
The European Union is set to bring in new laws regarding adverts for cars. Under the legislation car manufacturers will be forced to include large 'health-like' warnings in car adverts explaining the petrol consumption and carbon emissions of the vehicle being advertised. Similar to cigarette health warnings, a proportion of the advert would be given over to give carbon emissions information. This may include a traffic light system, with eco-friendly cars ...