2014 Olympics relocated to protect environment
by David Masters
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has given in to pressure from campaigners, to move some of the venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics for environmental reasons. The proposed sites for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, aroused controversy after it was revealed that ski-slopes and bob sleigh runs would border a UNESCO World Heritage site. The national park that the ski-slope bordered is home to over 100 endangered species, and is ...
Balancing exploitation and conservation in Scottish seas
by Alan Harten
Scotland is proposing new measures to increase energy production from the seas around its coastline, while at the same time giving protection to the environment and wildlife of these areas. The dangers and advantages are intertwined. Most of the country's population lives within 12 kilometers of the shoreline, the length of which makes up a massive ten percent of the coastline for the entire continent. The country's economy gathers no less ...
£450m effort to save wildlife
by Grant Draper
An increase of over £450 million UK wide on householder’s water bills is the effect of the Environment Agency and Water UK's plans to save wildlife. The efforts will see more and more water suppliers taking less and less water from rivers and aquifers, which consequently end up as wetlands and chalk rivers due to the effects of the water extracted. Hosepipe bans are on the cards in the less fortunate areas, ...
UK to vote on Ivory ban
by Grant Draper
China will go head to head with governments such as the UK, as it attempts to make a stand against the 1989 law by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, to become a licensed ivory buyer. The demand for ivory in China is on the increase, and the warning is, if they become a licensed buyer, then there will be, subsequently, an increase in illegal poaching. The ban, which came ...
UK Government rejects ’super-lorry’ proposals
by David Masters
Super lorries had been billed as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, yet the government has rejected their introduction in the UK. Longer heavier vehicles (LHV) can carry up to twice as much as standard lorries, potentially halving the number of lorries on the road. However, transport secretary Ruth Kelly says that LHVs are too problematic to even allow a trial. Citing a report by the Transport Research Laboratory, Kelly ...
Gallagher review: biofuels not the answer
by David Masters
A government commissioned review on the use of biofuels has found that they could actually increase greenhouse gas emissions, and urges a go-slow approach to their introduction. The Gallagher review, written and researched by Ed Gallagher, head of the Renewable Fuels Agency, concludes that biofuel production has been a major contributor to increased food prices, and is causing a reduction in biodiversity. Furthermore, under current government policies, the introduction of biofuels could ...
London Mayor scraps £25 congestion charge
by David Masters
London Mayor Boris Johnson has left the Conservative party's green credentials in tatters by scrapping proposals for a £25 congestion charge on the most polluting cars in the city. The £25 charge, proposed to begin this October by Johnson's predecessor Ken Livingstone, would have applied only to the most polluting vehicles in London, whilst vehicles with low emissions would have become exempt from the current £8 per day charge. Just over 15% ...
Eco-products to become the norm
by David Masters
The UK's climate change minister, Joan Ruddock, has said that environmentally friendly products will become the norm on shop shelves, whilst products with a big environmental impact will be forced to change. According to Ms. Ruddock, the government and industry have been working together to green up the life cycle of all products and services, including food, electronics, and clothing. The announcement was timed to coincide with the publication of the Sustainable ...
Brown: Britain must reduce food waste
by David MastersPrior to the G8 conference last week, Gordon Brown announced that Britons must cut back on food waste. In the face of a credit crisis, rising fuels costs, and soaring food prices, Brown encouraged consumers to make saving food as important as saving energy. The Prime Minister cited a new Cabinet Office review of food policy, which found that 4.1 million tonnes of food are wasted in the UK every year, costing ...
Rare UK butterfly rises like a phoenix
by Alan Harten
Two years ago, a massive healthland fire devastated the habitat of many local wildlife inhabitants, including an endangered British butterfly known as the Silver Studded Blue. The raging Surrey fire, possibly caused by an arson attack, swept across Thursley Common, near a place called Godalming. Despite the best efforts of well over one hundred firemen battling the fire for 48 hours, over 400 acres of pristine heathland were devastated, not only ...
Coral reefs face extinction event
by Jan Harris
It sounds like the script for a disaster movie to say that the earth is rapidly heading for an extinction event, but scientist are now saying that coral reefs are facing extinction of a similar magnitude to the geological event that wiped out nearly half of the corals 65 million years ago, along with the dinosaurs. Coral reefs have been called the 'rain forests' of the ocean because like tropical ...
World’s First Green Nightclub
by Alan Harten
The music is the same, the beat is the same, the sexy outfits and dancers are the same, but there is something different about ‘Surya’ on Pentonville Road, Islington, north London - welcome to the world's first ‘green’ nightclub. According to owner Andrew Charalambous (aka Dr Earth), a property developer who has put up £1 million of his own cash to fund the venture, this is the "world's first eco ...
Developing Nations Fight G8 On Emissions
by Alan Harten
The emerging nations, including China and India, yesterday avoided engaging with the aim of the G-8 to halve emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide) by 2050. The meetings ended with leaders from emerging nations, China, Mexico, India, Brazil and South Africa, which together put out a total of over 80% of global CO2, stating that they do not back the proposals. At the meeting called by the largest economies, the 16 countries ...
G8 leaders to halve emissions by 2050
by Grant Draper
The Group of Eight Powerful Nations, better known as the G8, have recently agreed to reduce emissions of green house gases by a minimum of half, by 2050. The agreement took place, even though five developing countries actually appealed against the agreement. Some leaders are aiming to cut 80-90% on 1990 emissions figures. The G8 includes some of the strongest leaders of countries worldwide, such as United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, ...
UN wants G8 to stand by African pledge
by Alan HartenBan Ki-Moon, who is the general secretary of the United Nations (UN), has urged the leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) to take concrete actions to fulfil its promises made three years ago to double aid to Africa over the next two years. Moon stated that the planet now has three serious threats, an impending food crisis, a global climate change crisis and a development crisis. He went on ...
Toyota to install solar panels on cars
by Alan Harten
Toyota has plans to install solar power units on the roof of its already highly fuel efficient Prius hybrid range of vehicles. The new version of the popular gas sipper is expected to be unveiled next spring. Toyota would then have bragging rights to the first ‘real’ car with solar power capabilities. The company has seen sales of the Prius mushroom recently as people turn away from the gas guzzling SUVs and ...
Biofuel has raised food prices by 75%
by Alan Harten
The promotion of alternative energy source biodiesel as an alternative to oil and fossil fuels has led to serious consequences for food prices, which have risen up to 75% as a result of farmers' preference for growing biofuel products rather than basic foods. This is according to a confidential report from the World Bank, the results of a study undertaken by a team of recognized standing in the international economic community ...
New cleaner way to greenify petrol
by David Masters
Scientists from Norwegian research centre, SINTEF, have been working with the Indian Institute of Petroleum to develop greener ways to reduce sulphur levels in petrol. After five years of research, the two institutions have hit upon a solution that they consider worth patenting. Sulphur is one of the most environmentally damaging pollutants in petrol, causing acid rain and smog. It is currently removed using a method called hydrotreating, which is energy-intensive, expensive, and ...
Will TV threaten atmosphere more than coal?
by Alan Harten
Scientist Michael Prather has published a report in June’s edition of the respected scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, which claims that a gas given off during the production of flat screen TVs causes more harm than coal fired power stations. According to the report a chemical known as nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), which is used in the production of semiconductors and LCD type TVs, has an extremely detrimental effect on the build ...
Irish town provides electric car chargers
by David Masters
Dun Laoghaire in Ireland is set to be the first town in the country to install recharge points for electric cars Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has approved the scheme, meaning that special chargers will be placed in public areas and free parking will be given to electric car drivers. The Green Party are said to be pleased by the announcement, and are encouraging other towns to follow Dun Laoghaire’s lead. The scheme has ...