City dwellers more environmentally friendly than country folk
by Alan Harten
A new report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London reveals that inhabitants of cities make smaller carbon footprints than the average for their country. The report studied 11 big cities around the world, including Tokyo, London, Rio de Janeiro and New York. It discovered that in 2004, emissions of greenhouse gas by a Londoner equalled 6.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide, against an average of 11.19 tonnes for ...
UN warns peacekeepers on environmental damage
by David Masters
UN peacekeepers and aid workers have been told to minimise their environmental impact or risk exacerbating the problems they're trying to solve. The United Nations urged its blue helmet peacekeepers and aid agencies to adopt a green approach to their work after studies found that peacekeeping forces use significant levels of vital resources such as water and wood. Better planning and management would help to curb waste and promote energy and water ...
Fujitsu launches world’s first colour e-reader
by David MastersFujitsu has launched the world's first dedicated e-reader with a colour screen. The $1,000 (£700) Flepia features an 8-inch 1024x768 XGA touch screen, and comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. An SD card slot offers expandable memory of up to 4GB, whilst its battery provides up to 40 hours of continual use. The Flepia's long battery life is possible because the screen uses e-paper technology, meaning it has no backlight and only consumes ...
WRAP offers more assistance to recyclers
by Alan Harten
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced this week a range of new initiatives and finance aimed at increasing regional recycling capability. WRAP, which is backed by the government, said that it had furthered business expansion throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so that it can provide small and medium-sized recycling firms with more free assistance and guidance. The director of market development at WRAP, Marcus Gover, said ...
Robot fish sent out to find pollution
by Alan Harten
A shoal of robotic fish will soon be released by scientists into the waters of the port of Gijon, in northern Spain. The robots will enable an analysis of water quality. The first robotic fish ever have small chemical sensors to find water pollutants and go to their source, likely to be underwater pipelines and leaks from ships. The robots will send information using Wi-Fi equipment when they dock for ...
Global Green New Deal
by Alan Harten
Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP), said on Thursday, a “Global Green New Deal" could be arranged by injecting $750 billion to prime the pumps in the global economy and shield the environment, including, possibly, an oil tax. Steiner said a UNEP study will be laid out to the world’s leaders on April 2nd in London. He said money should be invested in action against climate change, wind ...
Nationwide badger TB vaccination scheme
by Alan Harten
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will be looking for farmers and veterinary surgeons in a few months to train them in catching badgers in cages and then vaccinating them against bovine tuberculosis. The vaccination programme is scheduled to begin in mid 2010 and last for a minimum of five years. According to Defra, the programme will be carried out in six areas of a maximum of ...
World Cup to give street children a voice
by David MastersA coalition of social justice charities have teamed up with footballing legend Gary Lineker to launch a new football World Cup for street children. The Street Child World Cup will bring together street children from eight countries around the world for a football competition at the same time as the FIFA World Cup in 2010. It aims to raise awareness of the situation of street children, as well as giving them an ...
Saudi Arabia warns of impending oil crunch
by David Masters
Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, this week warned of a potential 'catastrophic' oil shortage in the near future. Naimi warned that 'high hopes' in untested renewable energy sources have diverted investment from oil exploration. "We frankly court disaster if these supplemental resources on which such high hopes for energy security and sustainability are pinned do not fulfil their high expectations," he said. "In years to come, if traditional energy supplies should prove ...
Rising seas could displace 600m people by 2100
by David Masters
Sea levels could rise by over one metre in the next 90 years, displacing 10% of the world's population. Six hundred million people are in danger of being flooded out of their homes by 2100, according to research presented last week at the International Scientific Congress on Climate Change (ISCCC) in Copenhagen. Even on the most conservative estimates, sea levels are expected to rise by at least 50cm by the end of ...
Renewables could provide 40% of world’s energy
by David Masters
Renewable power could provide 40% of the world's energy needs by 2050, according to a scientist from University of Helsinki. Professor Peter Lund said that with political backing and financial investment, renewable energy technologies could quickly become a mainstream source of electricity. Speaking last week at the University of Copenhagen, Lund said that technologies such as solar, biomass, hydro and wind power could meet a significant minority of global energy needs in ...
National Ethical Investment Week names 2009 sponsors
by David Masters
National Ethical Investment Week (NEIW) 2009 will be sponsored by CCLA, Co-operative Financial Services and Henderson Global Investors. NEIW was set up in 2008 by UKSIF (UK sustainable investment and finance association) to raise the profile of sustainable investment and ethical finance. This year's campaign will build upon the strength of the 2008 event when over 100 organisations were involved. Charities, faith groups, finance firms, community groups, NGOs and financial advisors all took ...
Buying online is far better for environment
by Alan Harten
The latest report from Heriot-Watt University’s Logistics Research Centre says that shopping on the Internet is more environmentally beneficial than using a car to go shopping. It found that home delivery emits, on average, much lower levels of CO2 than driving to the shops for the same article. The researchers discovered that the usual home delivery van emits 181g, a bus journey 1,265g and 4,274g going by car. So a ...
Carbon permits continue to fall in value
by Alan Harten
About 20 percent fewer delegates participated in a conference this week, organised by Point Carbon on the subject of carbon trading. Director of Point Carbon, Kristian Tangen, said the reduction in delegates was caused by restrictions on travelling expenses this year. One trader said only half of his company’s regular delegates attended for that reason. Over the last six months the price of carbon permits has fallen, similar to currency, commodity ...
Maldives to be world’s first carbon neutral country
by Alan Harten
The President of the Maldives has introduced a strategy to convert to a carbon-neutral country in 10 years. Mohamed Nasheed formally unveiled the plan after of The Age of Stupid, an important film about the effects of Earth’s increasing temperatures, was shown at Theemuge, the presidential palace. It was watched by the Vice President, members of parliament, ministers and many public officials. The film features a man isolated in the ravaged ...
Landfills could add £30 to council tax
by Alan Harten
The Local Government Association said that a higher tax from the Treasury on landfill will result in around £30 more on council tax but it could be higher in regions where councils use more landfill per capita. The tax increase will give councils £620 million to pay. The LGA says the taxes should be spent on recycling facilities since they are meant to increase recycling. After April, councils will be taxed ...
Asian fish found walking River Thames
by Alan Harten
Birol Koca, an angler, discovered a fish on the Thames Estuary at Woolwich, South East London, which can live out of the water for some time by breathing air. He said he saw the dead fish on the river bank and knew immediately it was a catfish. Mr. Koca telephoned the Environment Agency on its 24 hour number straight away and the agency sent an official to authenticate the discovery. ...
Recharge an AA battery in 9 seconds
by David Masters
Scientists have discovered a new method of charging batteries that could see AA batteries fully recharged in just nine seconds. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found a tunnel shaped lithium compound that drastically improves the speed of electron transfer within rechargeable batteries. Current charge time for an AA battery can be up to four hours, so the technology improves charge time by 1600%. Applications for the technology are widespread, including ...
Mechanical kinetic-powered mobile phone
by David Masters
Mobile phones could soon be powered by kinetic power, borrowing technology from wristwatches. Swiss watchmakers Ulysse Nardin have joined forces with an innovation company to put together an idea for a wind up mobile phone. The handset uses a Ulysse Nardin mechanical motor that collects kinetic energy from the movements of the phone's owner. The kinetic energy is converted into electricity to power the phone. Currently, the mechanical motor is used alongside ordinary mains ...
Eco-friendly electric scooter turns into a car
by David Masters
A new electric scooter converts into a two-seater car if two of the vehicles are placed side by side. The Movito, desiged by Tai Chiem, uses an eco-friendly in-wheel electric motor, and won a top award at the NASA Create the Future Design Contest. An in-wheel motor is lightweight, reducing the energy consumption of the vehicle. It also means that the modular seat and handlebars can be detatched to just leave the wheels. Put ...