Speaking in Washington D.C., at a conference of the world's largest greenhouse gas producers, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured with Barack Obama) said on Monday that the United States now intends to take a leading role in addressing climate change:
"The science is unambiguous, and the logic that flows from it is inescapable: climate change is a clear and present danger to our world that demands immediate attention."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Obama Rocks Gallup Environmental Poll
President Barack Obama scored a big one in a Gallup Poll conducted in the middle of March. According to the results, which were released yesterday, 79 percent of Americans think that he will do a good job in handling environmental issues, compared to the 51 percent that George W. Bush received eight years ago at the start of his presidency.
Obama, unlike Bush eight years ago, received a lot of help from the opposite political party: The poll shows that 65 percent of Republicans believe Obama will do a good job, whereas only 36 percent of Democrats thought the same about Bush. This Republican support for Obama, though, is nowhere near the support from the Democratic side. The Gallup poll shows that 95 percent of Democrats think that Obama is on the right track with the environment.
Obama, unlike Bush eight years ago, received a lot of help from the opposite political party: The poll shows that 65 percent of Republicans believe Obama will do a good job, whereas only 36 percent of Democrats thought the same about Bush. This Republican support for Obama, though, is nowhere near the support from the Democratic side. The Gallup poll shows that 95 percent of Democrats think that Obama is on the right track with the environment.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Bad Environment quality seen as factors of diseases
Luanda – The chairperson of the Seventh Commission of the National Assembly, Irene Alexandra, Friday here considered that the bad quality of the environment is one of the main causes of diseases that affect the Angolan population, for representing over sixty percent of deaths.
The MP, who was speaking at a talk under the theme “The Importance of Conservation of the Environment in Physical and Psychological Health of a Person”, said that the degradation of the environment is causing deadly diseases such as Malaria, Cholera, Diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses.
Irene Neto also pointed out as factors of diseases lack of basic sanitation, access to drinking water, rules of building, shortage of financial resources for the environment, the deficit of technical capacity-building of organs that deal with environmental issues, as well as the control of pollution.
The MP, who was speaking at a talk under the theme “The Importance of Conservation of the Environment in Physical and Psychological Health of a Person”, said that the degradation of the environment is causing deadly diseases such as Malaria, Cholera, Diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses.
Irene Neto also pointed out as factors of diseases lack of basic sanitation, access to drinking water, rules of building, shortage of financial resources for the environment, the deficit of technical capacity-building of organs that deal with environmental issues, as well as the control of pollution.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
China to build barrier-free environment for disabled in 100 cities
BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China will promote the construction of a barrier-free environment for the disabled in 100 cities by the year 2010, said the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010) released Monday by the Information Office of the State Council.
Assistance techniques or substitute technologies such as Braille, sign language, captions and special communication facilities are to be adopted to pave the way for the disabled to participate in social activities, the plan said.
TV programs with sign language and special broadcasting programs for the disabled are to be launched, together with the subtitling of TV programs and films.
Assistance techniques or substitute technologies such as Braille, sign language, captions and special communication facilities are to be adopted to pave the way for the disabled to participate in social activities, the plan said.
TV programs with sign language and special broadcasting programs for the disabled are to be launched, together with the subtitling of TV programs and films.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Ontario’s environment minister approves scrap tire plan
Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen announced his approval of the Ontario Used Tire Program Plan today before the annual general meeting of Waste Diversion Ontario, the provincial nonprofit corporation charged with developing and administering waste recycling programs.
As proposed in a December draft and confirmed in a final version issued two months later, the used tire plan will divert Ontario’s scrap tires away from tire-derived fuel and landfilling toward value-added products, such as auto parts, flooring, sports fields and playground surfaces.
The program will establish more than 10,000 collection points for used tires across the province and track their path from collection to final end-use, according to a statement. Brand owners and first importers of tires—including tire manufacturers, tire retailers and vehicle manufacturers—will be responsible for funding the program, based on a formula set forth in the program agreement.
That agreement also sets up the formula for stewardship fees placed on each new tire sold in Ontario. In the draft plan, those fees ranged from $2.03 for solid industrial tires to $365.53 for giant off-the-road tires.
As proposed in a December draft and confirmed in a final version issued two months later, the used tire plan will divert Ontario’s scrap tires away from tire-derived fuel and landfilling toward value-added products, such as auto parts, flooring, sports fields and playground surfaces.
The program will establish more than 10,000 collection points for used tires across the province and track their path from collection to final end-use, according to a statement. Brand owners and first importers of tires—including tire manufacturers, tire retailers and vehicle manufacturers—will be responsible for funding the program, based on a formula set forth in the program agreement.
That agreement also sets up the formula for stewardship fees placed on each new tire sold in Ontario. In the draft plan, those fees ranged from $2.03 for solid industrial tires to $365.53 for giant off-the-road tires.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Environment on the Agenda at G-20 Meeting
After getting little more than a nod of acknowledgment during the Group of 20 meeting in Washington last November, the environment may feature somewhat more prominently in the final communiqué expected from the leaders of the world’s largest economies, meeting today in London.
A leaked draft of the communiqué, published this morning by The Financial Times of London, calls for the use of new fiscal stimulus to help expand the green economy. The draft also suggests the leaders will agree to lean on multilateral development banks to promote low carbon growth.
In an interview Thursday at the ExCel Centre in London, political scientist John Kirton, director of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies, gives Lord Malloch Brown, the British government’s summit envoy, “full marks” for pressing to include the environment on the G-20 agenda.
A leaked draft of the communiqué, published this morning by The Financial Times of London, calls for the use of new fiscal stimulus to help expand the green economy. The draft also suggests the leaders will agree to lean on multilateral development banks to promote low carbon growth.
In an interview Thursday at the ExCel Centre in London, political scientist John Kirton, director of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies, gives Lord Malloch Brown, the British government’s summit envoy, “full marks” for pressing to include the environment on the G-20 agenda.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A careful balance between ecology and human activity levels is needed
The problem I see with trying to reconcile wild areas and protected ecosystems with nearby high-density housing and human development on Cape Roger Curtis is that we people tend to love our nature to its death. Especially if it is in our backyard and easily accessible.
From a purely conservation point of view, designating a natural ecological land/marine park (with exception of a community park for people) right next to high density housing, retail and facilities, such as a green waste depot, an inn and a school with the associated traffic and daily human activity will inevitably result in a higher level of overall environmental degradation than would a protective zoning that creates large, single dwelling properties where most of the privately owned acreage would likely remain green. I don't see most future owners of these Cape Roger waterfront properties clear-cutting their lots so they can enjoy looking at their neighbour's house.
From a purely conservation point of view, designating a natural ecological land/marine park (with exception of a community park for people) right next to high density housing, retail and facilities, such as a green waste depot, an inn and a school with the associated traffic and daily human activity will inevitably result in a higher level of overall environmental degradation than would a protective zoning that creates large, single dwelling properties where most of the privately owned acreage would likely remain green. I don't see most future owners of these Cape Roger waterfront properties clear-cutting their lots so they can enjoy looking at their neighbour's house.
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