Tuesday, April 08, 2008

ENN: Climate Change Serious Health Risk, Deforestation, Raw Milk and Much More


ENN: Environmental News Network [[ ENN Daily Newsletter - Monday, April 7, 2008 ]]
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Monday, April 7, 2008
News of Note

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - If any country can claim to be pitched on the global warming front line, it may be the North Atlantic island nation of Iceland.

Top Stories

It was announced yesterday that Dell Computer's 2.1 million-square-foot headquarters in Round Rock, Texas is now powered entirely with renewable energy. 60% of the energy is supplied by wind power generated by Energy Future Holdings Corp.'s TXU Energy and the remaining 40% from Waste Management's landfill gas-to-energy plant. Dell, a participant in Austin Energy's GreenChoice® power program, also announced it is increasing it's renewable energy at its Austin Parmer Campus from 8 to 17%.

In the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games, international companies are going for the gold in China's market. The Olympics are an advertising dream because of the prestige associated with Olympic competition and the sheer number of people reached by the broadcast. The Games themselves are expected to break records this year, potentially attracting an audience of billions around the world. Given that the Olympic host is an emerging economy with an increasingly wealthy and expanding consumer base, companies see Olympic sponsorship as a path to increased market share.

California raw milk producers warn that a new law to impose strict requirements on raw milk, will outlaw and require the disposal of perfectly safe milk. AB 1735 requires that all raw milk sold in California be tested for 10 coliform bacteria per milliliter or less. But raw milk producers and activists say that most coliform bacteria is perfectly safe, and that tests are already carried out for a handful of such bacteria, including E. coli 0157:h7 and Listeria monocytogenes, that can cause disease in humans. The new law does not require testing for those bacteria.

More companies around the world are adjusting their farm-animal confinement policies and requesting clarification of consumer labels to reflect these changes. The moves come largely in response to U.S. voter-led initiatives and the implementation of farm policy reforms in the European Union. Animal confinement - forcing dense populations of chickens, pigs, or young cattle into cages, crates, or tight pens to more efficiently utilize farm space - is a common practice in the United States, Europe, and increasingly the developing world.

ENN Spotlight

Brussels -The illegal international trade in environmentally sensitive items such as ozone depleting substances, toxic chemicals, hazardous waste, and endangered species is a serious problem with global impact. This scourge which affects all countries threatens human health, deteriorates the environment, and results in revenue loss for governments in some cases. In fact the illegal trade in wildlife can be as profitable as dealing in narcotics.

More Top Stories

Spain's nuclear watchdog at the weekend said it had detected a radioactive leak at an Endesa nuclear plant in the northeast Catalonia region but said any exposure would have been well below legal maximums. The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) was informed of the leak on Friday but said radioactive particles detected at the Asco I plant most likely came from an air filtering system that was contaminated while the reactor was being refueled in November.

Climate change is one of the factors causing an increase in the incidence of diseases like malaria and dengue fever, the World Health Organization said on Monday. At least 150,000 more people are dying each year of malaria, diarrhea, malnutrition and floods, all of which can be traced to climate change, said Shigeru Omi, the head of the WHO's Western Pacific office.

A slowdown of deforestation from the Amazon to the Congo basin could generate billions of dollars every year for developing nations as part of a U.N. scheme to fight climate change, a study showed on Monday. Burning of forests by farmers clearing land accounts for 20 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions. A 190-nation U.N. climate conference agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in December to work on ways to reward countries for slowing deforestation.

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Member Press Releases
By: Center for Biological Diversity
A federal judge Friday issued a restraining order against VANE Minerals and the Kaibab National Forest pending further proceedings, halting uranium exploration on public lands within a few miles of Grand Canyon National Park. By: Institute for Energy & the Environment / WERC
The highly competitive event features 33 teams from 23 universities including 190 participants from around the United States, Bogazici University in Turkey, the Universities of Manitoba, and Waterloo in Canada, and a team from Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, Mexico. Also featured will be a final showcase of National Science Foundation projects undertaken in partnership with three universities in Mexico and two in New Mexico. By: The Trust for Public Land
Banana Republic is pleased to announce its participation in Earth Week. From April 22nd thru April 27th, one percent of all in-store and online sales, up to $100,000, will be donated to The Trust for Public Land nonprofit organization to support their efforts in preserving urban spaces. By: West Coast Green
San Jose, CA - West Coast Green, the world's largest residential green building conference, is moving to San Jose. West Coast Green 2008, which will take place at the San Jose Convention Center from September 25-27, offers over 100 presenters, 380 exhibitors, and is expected to attract more than 13,000 attendees. By: Earth Policy Institute
"With concerns about climate change mounting, the era of coal-fired electricity generation in the United States may be coming to a close," says Lester R. Brown, President, and Jonathan G. Dorn, Staff Researcher, of Earth Policy Institute, in a recent release, "The Beginning of the End for Coal: A Long Year in the Life of the U.S. Coal Industry" By: Great Ape Trust of Iowa
A group of some 15 chimpanzees facing extinction in an isolated pocket of Rwandan rain forest will have a greater range – and, thus, greater chances for survival – thanks to one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever. Organizers of the project, named the Rwandan National Conservation Park, said today that a 30-mile (50km) tree corridor will be planted to connect the Gishwati Forest Reserve, the chimpanzees' home range, to Nyungwe National Park. By: American Honda Motor Co., Inc
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has partnered with Keep America Beautiful for a fourth year as the Official Automobile Manufacturer of the Great American Cleanup. By: Center for Biological Diversity
Monday the Center for Biological Diversity notified the Fish and Wildlife Service of its intent to file suit against the agency for missing the first deadline in the Endangered Species Act listing process for the ashy storm-petrel, a California seabird imperiled by development and global warming.

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