New York City Awarded $9.9 Million for 16 Environment Protection Fund

New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez today announced $23.8 million in funding from the state Environmental Protection Fund's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for 90 projects across New York. These awards cover a variety of planning, design and construction projects that focus on economic, community, environmental and recreational improvements, reinforcing Governor Paterson's commitment to improving both local economies and the environment.

Governor David A. Paterson said, "A vibrant waterfront is a key element of a successful coastal, riverside or lakeside community. These awards will help cities, towns and villages expand public access to our state's numerous bodies of water and protect the environment, while also boosting tourism and economic development opportunities."

Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez said, "The Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program allows us to fund all aspects of planning, design and construction, and I am excited that the Department, through EPF, will be helping 90 communities see their visions for community revitalization come to fruition. Thanks to Governor Paterson's strong leadership and his commitment to the Environmental Protection Fund, we are continuing to build our partnership with local governments across the State. The Department of State is pleased to play a part in fulfilling the Governor's vision of strong local economies and healthy environments along New York's waterfronts."

Poverty trap formed by the ecology of infectious diseases

While most of the world has enjoyed exponential economic growth, more than one-sixth of the world is today roughly as poor as their ancestors were many generations ago. Widely accepted general explanations for the persistence of such poverty have been elusive and are needed by the international development community. Building on a well-established model of human infectious diseases, we show how formally integrating simple economic and disease ecology models can naturally give rise to poverty traps, where initial economic and epidemiological conditions determine the long-term trajectory of the health and economic development of a society. This poverty trap may therefore be broken by improving health conditions of the population. More generally, we demonstrate that simple human ecological models can help explain broad patterns of modern economic organization.

Ecology, Rayonier closer to cleanup study

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology and Rayonier Properties have agreed to continue negotiating a legal agreement relating to cleanup at the company's former Port Angeles pulp mill site.

Ecology and Rayonier had hoped to complete the agreement in November. Both sides agreed to extend the process to Jan. 11. The agreed order will cover a study area that includes the 75-acre former mill property and a portion of Port Angeles Harbor. Portions of the Rayonier property and adjacent marine environment are contaminated with PCBs, dioxin, arsenic and other toxins left by the mill's 68 years of operations.

Environmental diplomacy and the Middle East

As the nations of the world turn more of their attention to the crisis of the earth’s environment, it becomes clear that no nation can address the needs of its environment unilaterally. The Middle East is no exception. With that understanding, in 1996, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies was founded. Located on Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli-Jordanian border, the institute teaches and prepares future Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders to cooperatively solve the region’s environmental challenges. Missing from that equation are Syria and Lebanon. If the region’s shared environment is to be fully addressed, both of these countries must be part of the equation; that equation cannot be completed until Israel is able to sign a peace treaty with both of them. In the dance of peace with Israel’s northern neighbors, Syria must be the first partner.

Present generation must protect ecology

Speaking on biodiversity and global warming, at Bapuji PU Science College here recently, he said: "It is unfortunate that there is drastic reduction in the flora and fauna because of soil erosion and less rainfall."

"All are duty-bound to conserve and protect biodiversity. This can be ensured by the judicious management of natural resources. The present generation should care for environment in the interests of future generation. There are about 25 hot spots where biodiversity is said to be rich. The Western Ghats and eastern Himalayas are from India," Hegde said. Further, he highlighted the need for the conservation of tigers.

Present generation must protect ecology

DAVANAGERE: The depletion of biodiversity, besides rapid urbanization and deforestation, has led to the global warming, said Nagesh Hegde, visiting professor at Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (Bangalore).

Speaking on biodiversity and global warming, at Bapuji PU Science College here recently, he said: "It is unfortunate that there is drastic reduction in the flora and fauna because of soil erosion and less rainfall."

"All are duty-bound to conserve and protect biodiversity. This can be ensured by the judicious management of natural resources. The present generation should care for environment in the interests of future generation. There are about 25 hot spots where biodiversity is said to be rich. The Western Ghats and eastern Himalayas are from India," Hegde said. Further, he highlighted the need for the conservation of tigers.

Editorial: Xmas and environment

Friday marks another Xmas in our lives on this ephemeral world. The short but momentous life of the Lord Jesus Christ has impacted the cause of history.

No wonder the Yuletide is a time for the celebration of a spiritual man who the scriptures tell us was given to us by his Father to lead us onto the righteous path that is devoid of iniquities.

Unto us a spiritual being, yet in human form, was given whose teachings are supposed to guide and guard us even as we play our part on the world stage.

The life of Jesus Christ is about life in the world and the hereafter. This life is worth emulating by all of us so that as human beings born anew, we shall affect the world we occupy positively.

A victory for the environment

he mining company based in Tucson, Ariz., emerged Wednesday from four years of bankruptcy reorganization after being purchased by Mexico City-based Grupo Mexico SAB, and will pay for cleanup at 80 polluted sites in 19 states, mostly in the West.

The Coeur d’Alene Work Trust will receive $436 million to perform work selected by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Coeur d’Alene Basin from the Silver Valley to Upriver Dam in Spokane.

“We’ve received the largest recovery of money for environmental cleanup in U.S. history,” said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. “This was certainly a result that no one expected when Asarco went into bankruptcy.”

Seoul to Host Environmental Summit in 2010

Korea is set to host the Business for Environment Global Summit (B4E) in conjunction with the Champions of the Earth Award next spring in Seoul to coincide with Earth Day on Apr. 22.

Business leaders from around the world will gather in the Korean capital for the annual meeting aimed at promoting dialogue and business-driven action toward a green global economy, B4E organizers said on Monday.

The 2010 B4E conference will be the first environment-related global summit to follow the UN Climate Change Conference currently being held in Copenhagen, Denmark.