The more sustainable a brand is perceived, the more meaningful it becomes to consumers, according to research from Havas Media.
A key finding of the “Brand Sustainable Futures” analysis finds that only one-third of brands are considered meaningful to consumers. It also reveals that while sustainability is a key issue for consumers worldwide few brands live up to increasing expectations.
According to the survey of more than 30,000 people across four continents and nine markets, the vast majority of mainstream consumers wouldn’t care if two thirds of today’s global brands disappeared in the future.
More than half of the consumers surveyed say confusion, a lack of clarity and perceived higher prices prevent responsible purchasing.
The analysis also shows that social issues and sustainability still rank as major concerns among consumers worldwide with 80 percent of consumers expecting business to act responsibly. In addition, an increasing majority (76 percent vs. 70 percent in 2009) place the responsibility for environmental and social issues on business rather than governments, say researchers.
Other key findings reveal that only 29 percent of respondents believe that brands are working hard to resolve sustainability issues and 68 percent (64 percent in 2009) believe companies only act responsibly in order to improve their image.
The analysis also shows opportunities for brands who adopt clear and engaging communications, offer greater product incentives (such as price) and availability, which were all cited as key barriers to responsible consumption, say researchers.
These barriers varied by country, with price the main issue in western economies (France, UK, US and Germany) and lack of information the most important in Spain and fast growing markets such as China, Brazil, Mexico and India.
Havas Media says the project’s proprietary metric, the Brand Sustainable Futures Quotient (BSF Quotient), allows a company to assess, track and compare its brand’s sustainable health over time.
In the 2010 analysis, IKEA received the highest score of the “multi-market” brands, while scores have risen for almost all brands surveyed from 2009. Companies that improved the most this year include Volkswagen, BMW, L’Oreal , BBVA, Reckitt Benckiser and Carrefour.
The study also looks at brands by sector. The brands with the most defined sustainability profiles last year included food and consumer-product brands and retailers such as Danone, Nestlé and Unilever, say researchers.
This year a more diverse selection of brands from other industries are making a difference versus their competitors by raising their sustainability brand profile including BMW, Volkswagen and Philips, say researchers.
The study also finds that integrated 360-degree approaches are needed to communicate sustainable issues. These include digital and indirect communications channels (such comments from employees, friends & family, key opinion leaders, experts, NGOs, certification labels).
Branding of green products also is considered to be more difficult than traditional products.
excerpts from environmental leader
Friday, October 15, 2010
Environmental Enforcement Roundup: Goodman Oil; Pesticide Violations; Mountaintop Mining; Attleboro Cleanup
Related Stories
EPA Addresses Mountaintop Removal Mining, Water Heater Efficiency
Coal Industry Sues Obama Admin
Mining Industry: BofA’s Coal Policy A PR StuntRelated TopicsAll EL StoriesCoalComplianceFacilitiesHazardous WasteManufacturingMiningPenaltiesPolicy & LawPollutionWaste Environmental Leader’s daily roundup of key environmental enforcement news:
Goodman Oil to Pay $171,000 for Tank Violations
Goodman Oil Company and Goodman Oil Company of Lewiston agreed to pay a $171,091 fine for a series of fuel storage tank violations at former gas stations across Idaho under a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, EPA announced yesterday.
The settlement, approved by the federal court in Boise, Idaho on October 1, covers a range of violations beginning as early as 1991 and ending in 2009. The companies have agreed to pay the penalty from the sale of their properties in Idaho and Oregon.
The violations occurred at former gas stations owned by the Goodman Oil companies in Boise, Homedale, Nampa, Weiser and Lewiston, Idaho. EPA inspectors identified fuel storage tanks at the stations that were not compliant with EPA requirements. They risked contaminating groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for much of Idaho.
“Poorly maintained fuel storage tanks and piping can endanger an area’s groundwater supply, so gas station owners must keep storage systems in good shape,” Peter Contreras, manager of the Ground Water Unit at the EPA in Seattle said in a press release. “Thousands of people in Idaho depend on groundwater, so we expect facilities to run their businesses in a way that protects nearby residents.”
The facilities had a range of violations that included failure to:
Conduct adequate leak detection
Upgrade pipes and tanks in a timely way to prevent corrosion
Comply with an EPA request for information on the facilities
Document financial resources to clean up petroleum releases and cover potential hazards to third parties, including citizens, in the event of a release
The Boise-based companies have since closed or sold most of their facilities in Idaho and Oregon. When storage tanks are not properly maintained, they risk leaking fuel and chemicals into groundwater, which can harm human health. There are approximately 96,000 confirmed releases from storage tanks awaiting cleanup across the nation according to EPA.
Pesticide Importer/Manufacturer Faces Fines for Reporting Violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed penalties against a Massachusetts company that produces and imports pesticides and pesticide devices for importing these products for distribution or sale without submitting the required forms to EPA, the agency said in a press release.
In its complaint, EPA’s New England office alleges that Millipore Corp. of Billerica imported unregistered pesticides (chlorine tablets) for distribution or sale on numerous occasions without submitting the Notice of Arrival forms required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, known as FIFRA.
According to the complaint, Millipore also imported pesticide devices (water purification devices) on numerous occasions without submitting the required Notice of Arrival forms. EPA’s complaint alleges that these FIFRA violations occurred from Sept. 2005 to Oct. 2008 and seeks a penalty of up to $6,500 for each violation.
Under FIFRA, all pesticides used and sold in the U.S. are required to undergo a rigorous, science-based review process to ensure that they can be used safely and do not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. Importers of pesticide products must provide data to EPA regarding pesticides or devices that may be entering the U.S. prior to their import.
The Notice of Arrival forms provide important information to EPA regarding pesticides and pesticide devices entering the country including, for example, the major active ingredients, quantities, countries of origin, identity of producing establishments, carriers, ports of entry, and contact information.
Citizen Groups Attempt to Intervene in Mountain Mining Lawsuit
The Sierra Club and a coalition of regional citizen groups are seeking to intervene in a coal industry lawsuit over the Obama administration’s crackdown on mountaintop removal coal mining, the Charleston Gazette reports.
Lawyers for the coalition groups filed a motion to intervene in the suit brought by the National Mining Association in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Mining industry lawyers are seeking to block more detailed permit reviews and tougher water quality guidance issued earlier this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In a news release, the citizen groups said that they filed their motion because “the mining industry should not be able to prevent government agencies from doing their jobs: To follow the Clean Water Act, consider the key scientific information discussed in the guidance, and protect America’s water from destruction.”
“For 40 years the Clean Water Act has protected Americans from unacceptable pollution like the mining waste that destroys our essential mountain streams,” Debbie Jarrell, assistant director of Coal River Mountain Watch told the Charleston Gazette. “But here in Appalachia, we’re still waiting for real protection.”
The other groups seeking to intervene are Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, and Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment.
While the coal industry favors mountaintop removal’s efficiency, and local political leaders praise the jobs provided, there is a growing scientific consensus that the practice is causing widespread and irreversible damage to the region’s forests, water quality and communities.
Shortly after taking office, the Obama administration announced it was taking “unprecedented steps” to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal.
EPA began much more rigorous reviews of valley fill permit applications being considered by the federal Army Corps of Engineers and threatened to exercise its Clean Water Act authority to block those permits if it believed the impacts were too great.
In its suit, the mining association alleges this process “adds significant additional time to the corps regulatory review” and is “dramatically altering timelines” for companies to receive new mining permits.
This April, EPA also announced a new guidance for its regional offices in reviewing water pollution permits for mining projects being considered for issuance by state agencies like West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The new guidance calls for much tougher review, and perhaps rejection of permits, based on the potential to increase the electrical conductivity of streams, which is a stronger measure of many harmful pollutants from mining and has been linked to damage of aquatic life.
EPA made its guidance effective immediately on an interim basis, but is also conducting an eight-month public comment period and subjecting the scientific reports the guidance is based upon to peer review.
In its suit, the mining association said the guidance constitutes a rulemaking that should have gone through a public comment before it was put into effect.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin ordered the state Department of Environmental Protection last week to file a similar lawsuit against EPA and the Corps of Engineers.
EPA to Begin Attleboro Cleanup–Public Meeting to be Held on Oct. 18
Clean up of the hazardous waste at the former Walton & Lonsbury facility at 78 North Ave., Attleboro, Mass. begins next week on Oct. 19. EPA will also hold an informational Public Meeting to discuss the work on Monday, Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Council Chambers at Attleboro City Hall at 77 Park Street.
Walton & Lonsbury, Inc. operated the 13,500 square foot chrome plating facility from 1940 to 2007, specializing in plating oversized objects such as pistons for large hydraulic equipment.
Until 1970, the hazardous wastes generated from the facility were discharged directly via an underground pipe into the wetlands behind the facility. From 1970 until the mid-1980s the facility disposed of waste in surface lagoons; and then from 1986 until 2007, the company operated their own wastewater treatment facility to manage their wastes. As a result of their waste management and plating practices, toxic contaminants remain on Site both in and around the building. EPA will be working to remove these contaminants over the next 18-36 months.
During building demolition and excavation, EPA will install air monitoring stations around the Site to continuously check the air quality in order to ensure the safety of the public near the Site.
excerpts from environmental leaders
EPA Addresses Mountaintop Removal Mining, Water Heater Efficiency
Coal Industry Sues Obama Admin
Mining Industry: BofA’s Coal Policy A PR StuntRelated TopicsAll EL StoriesCoalComplianceFacilitiesHazardous WasteManufacturingMiningPenaltiesPolicy & LawPollutionWaste Environmental Leader’s daily roundup of key environmental enforcement news:
Goodman Oil to Pay $171,000 for Tank Violations
Goodman Oil Company and Goodman Oil Company of Lewiston agreed to pay a $171,091 fine for a series of fuel storage tank violations at former gas stations across Idaho under a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, EPA announced yesterday.
The settlement, approved by the federal court in Boise, Idaho on October 1, covers a range of violations beginning as early as 1991 and ending in 2009. The companies have agreed to pay the penalty from the sale of their properties in Idaho and Oregon.
The violations occurred at former gas stations owned by the Goodman Oil companies in Boise, Homedale, Nampa, Weiser and Lewiston, Idaho. EPA inspectors identified fuel storage tanks at the stations that were not compliant with EPA requirements. They risked contaminating groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for much of Idaho.
“Poorly maintained fuel storage tanks and piping can endanger an area’s groundwater supply, so gas station owners must keep storage systems in good shape,” Peter Contreras, manager of the Ground Water Unit at the EPA in Seattle said in a press release. “Thousands of people in Idaho depend on groundwater, so we expect facilities to run their businesses in a way that protects nearby residents.”
The facilities had a range of violations that included failure to:
Conduct adequate leak detection
Upgrade pipes and tanks in a timely way to prevent corrosion
Comply with an EPA request for information on the facilities
Document financial resources to clean up petroleum releases and cover potential hazards to third parties, including citizens, in the event of a release
The Boise-based companies have since closed or sold most of their facilities in Idaho and Oregon. When storage tanks are not properly maintained, they risk leaking fuel and chemicals into groundwater, which can harm human health. There are approximately 96,000 confirmed releases from storage tanks awaiting cleanup across the nation according to EPA.
Pesticide Importer/Manufacturer Faces Fines for Reporting Violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed penalties against a Massachusetts company that produces and imports pesticides and pesticide devices for importing these products for distribution or sale without submitting the required forms to EPA, the agency said in a press release.
In its complaint, EPA’s New England office alleges that Millipore Corp. of Billerica imported unregistered pesticides (chlorine tablets) for distribution or sale on numerous occasions without submitting the Notice of Arrival forms required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, known as FIFRA.
According to the complaint, Millipore also imported pesticide devices (water purification devices) on numerous occasions without submitting the required Notice of Arrival forms. EPA’s complaint alleges that these FIFRA violations occurred from Sept. 2005 to Oct. 2008 and seeks a penalty of up to $6,500 for each violation.
Under FIFRA, all pesticides used and sold in the U.S. are required to undergo a rigorous, science-based review process to ensure that they can be used safely and do not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. Importers of pesticide products must provide data to EPA regarding pesticides or devices that may be entering the U.S. prior to their import.
The Notice of Arrival forms provide important information to EPA regarding pesticides and pesticide devices entering the country including, for example, the major active ingredients, quantities, countries of origin, identity of producing establishments, carriers, ports of entry, and contact information.
Citizen Groups Attempt to Intervene in Mountain Mining Lawsuit
The Sierra Club and a coalition of regional citizen groups are seeking to intervene in a coal industry lawsuit over the Obama administration’s crackdown on mountaintop removal coal mining, the Charleston Gazette reports.
Lawyers for the coalition groups filed a motion to intervene in the suit brought by the National Mining Association in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Mining industry lawyers are seeking to block more detailed permit reviews and tougher water quality guidance issued earlier this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In a news release, the citizen groups said that they filed their motion because “the mining industry should not be able to prevent government agencies from doing their jobs: To follow the Clean Water Act, consider the key scientific information discussed in the guidance, and protect America’s water from destruction.”
“For 40 years the Clean Water Act has protected Americans from unacceptable pollution like the mining waste that destroys our essential mountain streams,” Debbie Jarrell, assistant director of Coal River Mountain Watch told the Charleston Gazette. “But here in Appalachia, we’re still waiting for real protection.”
The other groups seeking to intervene are Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, and Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment.
While the coal industry favors mountaintop removal’s efficiency, and local political leaders praise the jobs provided, there is a growing scientific consensus that the practice is causing widespread and irreversible damage to the region’s forests, water quality and communities.
Shortly after taking office, the Obama administration announced it was taking “unprecedented steps” to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal.
EPA began much more rigorous reviews of valley fill permit applications being considered by the federal Army Corps of Engineers and threatened to exercise its Clean Water Act authority to block those permits if it believed the impacts were too great.
In its suit, the mining association alleges this process “adds significant additional time to the corps regulatory review” and is “dramatically altering timelines” for companies to receive new mining permits.
This April, EPA also announced a new guidance for its regional offices in reviewing water pollution permits for mining projects being considered for issuance by state agencies like West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The new guidance calls for much tougher review, and perhaps rejection of permits, based on the potential to increase the electrical conductivity of streams, which is a stronger measure of many harmful pollutants from mining and has been linked to damage of aquatic life.
EPA made its guidance effective immediately on an interim basis, but is also conducting an eight-month public comment period and subjecting the scientific reports the guidance is based upon to peer review.
In its suit, the mining association said the guidance constitutes a rulemaking that should have gone through a public comment before it was put into effect.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin ordered the state Department of Environmental Protection last week to file a similar lawsuit against EPA and the Corps of Engineers.
EPA to Begin Attleboro Cleanup–Public Meeting to be Held on Oct. 18
Clean up of the hazardous waste at the former Walton & Lonsbury facility at 78 North Ave., Attleboro, Mass. begins next week on Oct. 19. EPA will also hold an informational Public Meeting to discuss the work on Monday, Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Council Chambers at Attleboro City Hall at 77 Park Street.
Walton & Lonsbury, Inc. operated the 13,500 square foot chrome plating facility from 1940 to 2007, specializing in plating oversized objects such as pistons for large hydraulic equipment.
Until 1970, the hazardous wastes generated from the facility were discharged directly via an underground pipe into the wetlands behind the facility. From 1970 until the mid-1980s the facility disposed of waste in surface lagoons; and then from 1986 until 2007, the company operated their own wastewater treatment facility to manage their wastes. As a result of their waste management and plating practices, toxic contaminants remain on Site both in and around the building. EPA will be working to remove these contaminants over the next 18-36 months.
During building demolition and excavation, EPA will install air monitoring stations around the Site to continuously check the air quality in order to ensure the safety of the public near the Site.
excerpts from environmental leaders
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Poverty forces Roma people to scavenge toxic e-waste
>Taking advantage of apparently ineffective waste recycling schemes, impoverished Roma people living in slums on the fringes of Paris - and elsewhere - are scouring the streets in search of discarded electrical and electronic goods in order to break the items down and extract key elements including aluminium, copper, iron and lead for sale to a network of scrap dealers.
Despite the implementation of the EU-wide Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), and the introduction of other measures designed to allow the legal disposal of unwanted electrical and electronic goods, recovery rates remain low and as much as half of France's so-called e-waste is ending up in the hands of 'parallel networks', according to Ecologic, an official e-waste recycling organisation.
The country is estimated to generate some 1.5 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste annually. Roma communities lack the necessary skills and equipment to safely break down sometimes toxic electrical and electronic goods, according to medical experts, with cables often burned in open fires to extract precious copper and old car batteries melted down for the lead.
Medical organisations, including Doctors of the World, are concerned Roma communities, particularly children, are at risk of serious health problems if the unofficial e-waste recycling continues. They cite previous studies into the issue that they claim show instances of lead poisoning in Roma children and the contamination of land used as a Roma camp.
Article continues: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/629864/poverty_forces_roma_people_to_scavenge_toxic_ewaste.html
Despite the implementation of the EU-wide Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), and the introduction of other measures designed to allow the legal disposal of unwanted electrical and electronic goods, recovery rates remain low and as much as half of France's so-called e-waste is ending up in the hands of 'parallel networks', according to Ecologic, an official e-waste recycling organisation.
The country is estimated to generate some 1.5 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste annually. Roma communities lack the necessary skills and equipment to safely break down sometimes toxic electrical and electronic goods, according to medical experts, with cables often burned in open fires to extract precious copper and old car batteries melted down for the lead.
Medical organisations, including Doctors of the World, are concerned Roma communities, particularly children, are at risk of serious health problems if the unofficial e-waste recycling continues. They cite previous studies into the issue that they claim show instances of lead poisoning in Roma children and the contamination of land used as a Roma camp.
Article continues: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/629864/poverty_forces_roma_people_to_scavenge_toxic_ewaste.html
Growing Population and Climate
Changes in population growth and composition, including aging and urbanization, could significantly affect global emissions of carbon dioxide over the next 40 years. The research, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was conducted by an international team of scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. By mid-century it is estimated that global population could rise by more than three billion people, with most of that increase occurring in urban areas. The study showed that a slowing of population growth, following one of the slower growth paths considered plausible by demographers at the United Nations, could contribute to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers found that such slow growth paths by 2050 could account for 16 to 29 percent of the emissions reductions thought necessary to keep global temperatures from causing serious impacts.
Globally, the growth rate of the human population has been declining since peaking in 1962 and 1963 at 2.20% per year. In 2009 the estimated world annual growth rate was 1.1%. The last one hundred years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity.
The actual annual growth in the number of humans fell from its peak of 88.0 million in 1989, to a low of 73.9 million in 2003, after which it rose again to 75.2 million in 2006. Since then, annual growth has declined. In 2009 the human population increased by 74.6 million, and it is projected to fall steadily to about 41 million per year in 2050. Each region of the globe has seen great reductions in growth rate in recent decades, though growth rates remain above 2% in some countries of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, and also in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
In their new study the researchers sought to quantify how demographic changes influence emissions over time, and in which regions of the world. They also went beyond changes in population size to examine the links between aging, urbanization, and emissions.
The team found that growth in urban populations could lead to as much as a 25 percent rise in projected carbon dioxide emissions in some developing countries. The increased economic growth associated with city dwellers was directly correlated with increased emissions, largely due to the higher productivity and consumption preferences of an urban labor force.
In contrast, aging can reduce emissions levels by up to 20 percent in some industrialized countries. This is because older populations are associated with lower labor force participation, and the resulting lower productivity leads to lower economic growth.
The authors developed a set of economic growth, energy use, and emissions scenarios, using a new computer model (the Population-Environment-Technology model, or PET). To capture the effects of future demographic change, they distinguished between household types, looking at age, size, and urban vs. rural location.
In addition, they drew on data from national surveys covering 34 countries and representative of 61 percent of the global population to estimate key economic characteristics of household types over time, including labor supply and demand for consumer goods.
“Households can affect emissions either directly, through their consumption patterns, or indirectly, through their effects on economic growth,”? O’Neill explains.
The authors also suggest that developers of future emissions scenarios give greater consideration to the implications of urbanization and aging, particularly in the United States, European Union, China, and India.
The net conclusion is that an older population consumes less than a younger population due to labor needs. The other major impact is that a developing nation (which tends to be younger) as opposed to a older more mature industrial nation will increase its ecological demands on the climate faster.
For further information: https://www2.ucar.edu/news/population-trends-another-influence-climate-change
Globally, the growth rate of the human population has been declining since peaking in 1962 and 1963 at 2.20% per year. In 2009 the estimated world annual growth rate was 1.1%. The last one hundred years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity.
The actual annual growth in the number of humans fell from its peak of 88.0 million in 1989, to a low of 73.9 million in 2003, after which it rose again to 75.2 million in 2006. Since then, annual growth has declined. In 2009 the human population increased by 74.6 million, and it is projected to fall steadily to about 41 million per year in 2050. Each region of the globe has seen great reductions in growth rate in recent decades, though growth rates remain above 2% in some countries of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, and also in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
In their new study the researchers sought to quantify how demographic changes influence emissions over time, and in which regions of the world. They also went beyond changes in population size to examine the links between aging, urbanization, and emissions.
The team found that growth in urban populations could lead to as much as a 25 percent rise in projected carbon dioxide emissions in some developing countries. The increased economic growth associated with city dwellers was directly correlated with increased emissions, largely due to the higher productivity and consumption preferences of an urban labor force.
In contrast, aging can reduce emissions levels by up to 20 percent in some industrialized countries. This is because older populations are associated with lower labor force participation, and the resulting lower productivity leads to lower economic growth.
The authors developed a set of economic growth, energy use, and emissions scenarios, using a new computer model (the Population-Environment-Technology model, or PET). To capture the effects of future demographic change, they distinguished between household types, looking at age, size, and urban vs. rural location.
In addition, they drew on data from national surveys covering 34 countries and representative of 61 percent of the global population to estimate key economic characteristics of household types over time, including labor supply and demand for consumer goods.
“Households can affect emissions either directly, through their consumption patterns, or indirectly, through their effects on economic growth,”? O’Neill explains.
The authors also suggest that developers of future emissions scenarios give greater consideration to the implications of urbanization and aging, particularly in the United States, European Union, China, and India.
The net conclusion is that an older population consumes less than a younger population due to labor needs. The other major impact is that a developing nation (which tends to be younger) as opposed to a older more mature industrial nation will increase its ecological demands on the climate faster.
For further information: https://www2.ucar.edu/news/population-trends-another-influence-climate-change
Water Crisis in Asia
As the contradictions of Asia’s water challenges have been laid bare this summer—with millions affected by flooding while others are hit by droughts—one thing has been made clearer: the coming water crisis could exacerbate already simmering domestic and regional tensions.
Heavy monsoon rains have produced the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history, with more than three weeks of flooding leaving at least 1,500 dead and more than 4 million homeless. Millions of Pakistanis already require humanitarian assistance, yet the likelihood that many more could be added to this list has grown with the announcement that 200,000 have been evacuated as flood waters continue to rise in Singh Province in the country’s south.
Meanwhile, flash floods and mudslides have submerged some villages in China’s Gansu Province, killing hundreds and leaving more than a thousand missing. Today, Chinese state media announced 250,000 had been evacuated in the north of the country after the Yalu River burst its banks.
But while attention has been focused on disasters in Pakistan in China, South-east Asia has been hit by its own torrential downpours. Last month, Singapore suffered three major floods—an unprecedented number for the prosperous city state—with even the shopping and financial districts hit in the first serious flooding disaster in the city since 1978.
Vietnam has also been affected, with many parts of Hanoi under water last month after a major storm struck the country. What added insult to injury in Vietnam’s case is that the flooding came after a nine-month dry spell that disrupted the country’s power supply (about a third of Vietnam’s power source comes from hydroelectric power plants whose operations have been adversely affected by falling water levels in the Mekong River).
Article continues: http://the-diplomat.com/2010/08/23/asia%E2%80%99s-water-crisis/
Heavy monsoon rains have produced the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history, with more than three weeks of flooding leaving at least 1,500 dead and more than 4 million homeless. Millions of Pakistanis already require humanitarian assistance, yet the likelihood that many more could be added to this list has grown with the announcement that 200,000 have been evacuated as flood waters continue to rise in Singh Province in the country’s south.
Meanwhile, flash floods and mudslides have submerged some villages in China’s Gansu Province, killing hundreds and leaving more than a thousand missing. Today, Chinese state media announced 250,000 had been evacuated in the north of the country after the Yalu River burst its banks.
But while attention has been focused on disasters in Pakistan in China, South-east Asia has been hit by its own torrential downpours. Last month, Singapore suffered three major floods—an unprecedented number for the prosperous city state—with even the shopping and financial districts hit in the first serious flooding disaster in the city since 1978.
Vietnam has also been affected, with many parts of Hanoi under water last month after a major storm struck the country. What added insult to injury in Vietnam’s case is that the flooding came after a nine-month dry spell that disrupted the country’s power supply (about a third of Vietnam’s power source comes from hydroelectric power plants whose operations have been adversely affected by falling water levels in the Mekong River).
Article continues: http://the-diplomat.com/2010/08/23/asia%E2%80%99s-water-crisis/
Ending Hunger in Africa
There is no one-size fits all or single crop solution to solving global hunger, alleviating poverty, or protecting the environment and mitigating climate change. But the good news is that there is a multi-crop solution and it's already being spear-Some 1 billion people worldwide are affected by "hidden hunger," or micronutrient deficiencies — lack of Vitamin A, iron, and iodine, none of which are found in staple crops, but rather, in vegetables. Vegetable production is the most sustainable and affordable way of alleviating micronutrient deficiencies among the poor.
It's also the most sustainable and affordable way of improving biodiversity, preserving traditions and cultures, and improving livelihoods. Because vegetables typically have a shorter growing period than staple crops, they are less risk-prone to drought, maximizing scarce water supplies and soil nutrients better than crops such as maize.
Unfortunately, no country in Africa has a big focus on vegetable production. But that’s where AVRDC — The World Vegetable Center steps in, working with farmers to build a sustainable seed system in Africa. The Center does this by breeding a variety of vegetables with different traits—including resistance to disease and longer shelf life—and by bringing the farmers to the Regional Center in Arusha and to other offices across Africa to find out what exactly those farmers need in the field and at market.
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41881
It's also the most sustainable and affordable way of improving biodiversity, preserving traditions and cultures, and improving livelihoods. Because vegetables typically have a shorter growing period than staple crops, they are less risk-prone to drought, maximizing scarce water supplies and soil nutrients better than crops such as maize.
Unfortunately, no country in Africa has a big focus on vegetable production. But that’s where AVRDC — The World Vegetable Center steps in, working with farmers to build a sustainable seed system in Africa. The Center does this by breeding a variety of vegetables with different traits—including resistance to disease and longer shelf life—and by bringing the farmers to the Regional Center in Arusha and to other offices across Africa to find out what exactly those farmers need in the field and at market.
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41881
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
290 World Scientists Petition for Alternate Serengeti Highway / Warn of Dangers
290 Scientists from 32 countries have signed a petition asking the government of Tanzania choose an alternate route around the Serengeti National Park, rather than building one through it.
The petition is a reaction to the announced plans of the Tanzanian government to build a commercial route across the northern part of the Serengeti National Park.
International and conservation organizations, the travel industry, and the public have protested the decision. Now scientists are speaking out. The petition, and accompanying survey, follows an article in the scientific journal, Nature, in which 27 leading scientists described the destruction the road would cause.
The Petition of scientists states:
“Evidence from other parts of the world, combined with our deep understanding of the Serengeti ecosystem, makes it clear – the road will result in severe, negative, irreversible impacts, with little mitigation possible.”
The petition reiterates warnings by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July of this year about specific negative impacts of the highway and adds,
“The proposed road cuts through a critical wilderness area that is essential to the migration. The type of road surface matters little. The migration itself could easily collapse, with a devastating effect on all wildlife, the grasslands, and the entire ecosystem.”
It concludes by asking that an alternative highway be found:
“The government of Tanzania has to work for development and welfare in all areas of the country. But there is no need to sacrifice its most precious wilderness, or its income from tourism, or its heritage of conservation. An alternative can and must be found.”
“Scientists, government officials, engineers, conservationists, economists, aid and lending institutions - all can study and work together to both protect the environment and help the people. This task is critical for both Tanzania and the world.”
Included in the petition is a survey about likely negative impacts. Results clearly show that scientists believe these to be extremely serious. Many, in fact, concluded that the collapse of the wildebeest migration was likely or even inevitable. Results of the survey on impacts are:
In your opinion, how likely are the following:
Combined % Saying Inevitable, Extremely Likely, Very Likely
Disruption and obstruction of migration routes: 85%
57% said it would be inevitable. 28% said extremely likely.
Introduction of invasive plants, animals, and disease: 91%
35% said inevitable. 67% said very likely or extremely likely.
Increased mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions: 98%
67% said inevitable. 21% said extremely likely.
Intensive, organized poaching, especially reintroduced rhino: 88%
32% said inevitable. 38% said extremely likely.
Loss of habitat from human settlement and agriculture: 87%
40% said inevitable. 32% said extremely likely.
Eventual collapse of migration:
54% said very or extremely likely. 17% said inevitable. 71%
Respondents also wrote about their professional experiences and opinions:
Dr. Anne Pusey, a professor at Duke University who studied lions in the Serengeti for ten years, wrote: “The Serengeti is a unique and precious ecosystem - one of the very few large scale migratory systems of large animals remaining on the planet…A road across the migratory routes will devastate the system for all the reasons listed in this [petition] letter and survey. “
Traci Birge, a researcher from Finland echoed the thoughts of many in saying, “the proposed highway route would be devastating for the ecology of the Serengeti, and would have long-term negative effects on local residents, wildlife and ecology and would be a terrible blow for global biodiversity.”
Scientists, including top experts in their field, are from more than fifty different universities, research, and conservation organizations. Scientific fields represented included: Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, Zoology, Population Ecology, Reproductive Biology, Wildlife Epidemiology, and Biodiversity Management.
Among the 32 countries represented are: UK, USA, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Israel, Finland and Australia, and the African countries of South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The petition and survey were conducted by Save the Serengeti, a nonprofit organization.
Results of the petition and survey, including petitioners names, organizations, countries, and detailed written responses can be found at: http://www.savetheserengeti.org/?p=417
# # #
Contact:
David Blanton
info@savetheserengeti.org
Boyd Norton
info@savetheserengeti.org
Website
http://www.savetheserengeti.org/
The petition is a reaction to the announced plans of the Tanzanian government to build a commercial route across the northern part of the Serengeti National Park.
International and conservation organizations, the travel industry, and the public have protested the decision. Now scientists are speaking out. The petition, and accompanying survey, follows an article in the scientific journal, Nature, in which 27 leading scientists described the destruction the road would cause.
The Petition of scientists states:
“Evidence from other parts of the world, combined with our deep understanding of the Serengeti ecosystem, makes it clear – the road will result in severe, negative, irreversible impacts, with little mitigation possible.”
The petition reiterates warnings by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July of this year about specific negative impacts of the highway and adds,
“The proposed road cuts through a critical wilderness area that is essential to the migration. The type of road surface matters little. The migration itself could easily collapse, with a devastating effect on all wildlife, the grasslands, and the entire ecosystem.”
It concludes by asking that an alternative highway be found:
“The government of Tanzania has to work for development and welfare in all areas of the country. But there is no need to sacrifice its most precious wilderness, or its income from tourism, or its heritage of conservation. An alternative can and must be found.”
“Scientists, government officials, engineers, conservationists, economists, aid and lending institutions - all can study and work together to both protect the environment and help the people. This task is critical for both Tanzania and the world.”
Included in the petition is a survey about likely negative impacts. Results clearly show that scientists believe these to be extremely serious. Many, in fact, concluded that the collapse of the wildebeest migration was likely or even inevitable. Results of the survey on impacts are:
In your opinion, how likely are the following:
Combined % Saying Inevitable, Extremely Likely, Very Likely
Disruption and obstruction of migration routes: 85%
57% said it would be inevitable. 28% said extremely likely.
Introduction of invasive plants, animals, and disease: 91%
35% said inevitable. 67% said very likely or extremely likely.
Increased mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions: 98%
67% said inevitable. 21% said extremely likely.
Intensive, organized poaching, especially reintroduced rhino: 88%
32% said inevitable. 38% said extremely likely.
Loss of habitat from human settlement and agriculture: 87%
40% said inevitable. 32% said extremely likely.
Eventual collapse of migration:
54% said very or extremely likely. 17% said inevitable. 71%
Respondents also wrote about their professional experiences and opinions:
Dr. Anne Pusey, a professor at Duke University who studied lions in the Serengeti for ten years, wrote: “The Serengeti is a unique and precious ecosystem - one of the very few large scale migratory systems of large animals remaining on the planet…A road across the migratory routes will devastate the system for all the reasons listed in this [petition] letter and survey. “
Traci Birge, a researcher from Finland echoed the thoughts of many in saying, “the proposed highway route would be devastating for the ecology of the Serengeti, and would have long-term negative effects on local residents, wildlife and ecology and would be a terrible blow for global biodiversity.”
Scientists, including top experts in their field, are from more than fifty different universities, research, and conservation organizations. Scientific fields represented included: Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, Zoology, Population Ecology, Reproductive Biology, Wildlife Epidemiology, and Biodiversity Management.
Among the 32 countries represented are: UK, USA, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Israel, Finland and Australia, and the African countries of South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The petition and survey were conducted by Save the Serengeti, a nonprofit organization.
Results of the petition and survey, including petitioners names, organizations, countries, and detailed written responses can be found at: http://www.savetheserengeti.org/?p=417
# # #
Contact:
David Blanton
info@savetheserengeti.org
Boyd Norton
info@savetheserengeti.org
Website
http://www.savetheserengeti.org/
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