Monday, February 18, 2008

ENN: Disappearing sharks, carbon debt creation, bird flu death and much more...

Home | Member Press Releases | Submit News | Contact ENN |
Click Here!
Monday, February 18, 2008
News of Note

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Populations of tiger, bull, dusky and other sea sharks have plummeted by more than 95 percent since the 1970s as fisherman kill the animals for their fins or when they scoop other fish from the ocean, according to an expert from the World Conservation Union, or IUCN.

Top Stories

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain must overcome an aversion to new technologies in parts of society as it seeks to combat the menace of climate change and help feed a rapidly growing world population, farmers' leader Peter Kendall said on Monday.

"It is acutely painful to me to see how we have allowed our science base to run down. Part of the problem is the aversion to new technology and risk that has been fostered by a section of our society," Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, told an annual conference.

WWF-Greece and seven municipalities are joining forces to oppose several coal-fired power plant projects, on the grounds they will cause large increases of greenhouse gas emissions and cause local pollution problems.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Rises in the sea level around Antarctica in the past decade are almost entirely due a warming ocean, not ice melting, an Australian scientist leading a major international research program said.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A 3-year-old Indonesian boy from South Jakarta has died from bird flu, taking the country's death toll from the virus to 105, a health ministry official said on Monday.

ENN Spotlight

Two studies have shown that changes in land use to produce crop-based biofuels can actually result in more greenhouse-gas emissions than burning fossil fuels.

The studies, both published in Science last week (8 February), estimate the impact of converting forests and grasslands into cropland for the production of biofuels.

More Top Stories

OSLO (Reuters) - Oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Norway will cooperate to get carbon capture and storage (CCS) -- burying greenhouse gases -- recognized as a way for rich countries to offset their emissions, a Norwegian daily reported.

CCS involves trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial processes, such as power generation from fossil fuels, and storing it underground or below the seabed. The technology is still in a pioneering phase and is not yet commercial.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union stepped up pressure on Croatia on Monday not to apply a protected fisheries zone to its EU neighbors.

The ecological and fisheries zone came into force on January 1, theoretically excluding fishing vessels from Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, and Italy from Croatian waters. So far Croatia has done nothing to enforce the zone, aimed at preserving fish stocks and limiting pollution.

Explore ENN.COM
Topics covered by ENN
Member Press Releases
By: African Wildlife Foundation
International bans on the ivory trade and efforts to control poaching have helped Kenya's elephant population rebound, wildlife authorities say. In the Tsavo/Mkomazi area -- a conservancy in the larger Tsavo area in southern Kenya -- the elephant population grew from 10,397 in 2005 to 11,696 in 2008, according the Kenya Wildlife Service. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
The Bush administration Thursday issued a new final critical habitat for the federally and state-protected Peirson's milk-vetch, as mandated by federal law. The new determination identifies a meager 12,105 acres of land in the Algodones Dunes as habitat necessary for the survival and recovery of the rare plant, representing a 33-percent reduction from last year's proposal. The new designation also fragments the area that would be enforced for conservation of the plant and fails to protect areas where the rare plant is currently growing. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
Perpetuating a profoundly anti-environment legacy, the Bush administration Wednesday reduced the amount of land that is critical to the survival and recovery of the Nevin's barberry, an endangered plant, to only six acres. Only 3 percent of the plants in Riverside County are included in the critical habitat designation. Plants occurring in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties are completely ignored. By: the San Diego Zoo
North America's largest flying bird was nearly lost to extinction, but thanks to a collaborative effort the California condor's future is flying high and news abounds. The recently launched Website, "California Condor Conservation," was created with new technology to provide the latest information from all of the organizations involved in this species' recovery. By: Essential Environment Products International
The Fields of Green Team and Darrell Evans, former MLB baseball All-Star, have just completed the first part of his mission to bring about awareness and solutions to the environmental crisis we all face that has become a functioning reality. His website is alive and well, open to teach and inspire all things, green. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
Citing widespread public opposition and a flawed environmental review, conservationists Monday requested that the Kaibab National Forest withdraw approval of up to 39 new uranium-exploration drilling sites immediately south of Grand Canyon National Park. The Forest Service had claimed that the proposed drilling was exempt from detailed environmental review because it would have no effect on the environment. By: the Center for Biological Diversity
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a scientific petition Thursday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Pacific walrus under the federal Endangered Species Act due to threats from global warming and growing oil and gas development throughout its range. By: GLOBE Foundation of Canada
The world's first Auto FutureTech Summit, to be held in Vancouver from March 12 to 14, 2008, will serve as a forum for automotive experts from around the world to discuss and prepare for the future of automobile transportation.

Editor's Note : 'Network News' features press releases submitted directly by organizations in ENN's member network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by ENN and is not subject to ENN's editorial process.
Home | Member Press Releases | Submit News | Contact ENN |
You are receiving this e-mail as an opt-in subscriber to the Environmental News Network newsletter. Please read our Privacy Policy for current and complete information. ENN adheres to a strict no-spam policy in accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
©Copyright. Environmental News Network

No comments: