1. Mark Whitaker 2. Cyanide Pizza, Melamine Eggs, and Government's pretending to control what they created and covered up a moment before: Beck's 'catastrophic' aspects of risk in his risk society hypothesis still still unraveling after long term incubation: melamine globally still being found in novel locations
3. I think this is self-explanatory as the kinds of supra-national risk that no one country handles that Beck discusses. The typical effects on lack of legitimacy in formal governments that hid the risk for a long while contributes to taking action into one's own hands--whether scientific research or social movement action. This is the kind of risk that was on the surface incalculable: look at the numbers of anticipated people who had been implicated in melamine damage in children (in boldface, below).
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China milk scandal spreads to eggs High levels of the chemical in the China milk scandal have been discovered in Hong Kong in eggs from the mainland.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai Last Updated: 4:21PM GMT 27 Oct 2008
The authorities on the island said that the eggs contained twice the legal limit of melamine, an industrial chemical which made over 50,000 infants ill and killed four [or more] when it was discovered in powdered baby milk over the summer.
Melamine, which is more commonly found in plastics, was added by unscrupulous traders to "bulk up" milk and make it appear richer in protein.
However, the chemical triggers the formation of kidney stones.
Authorities in Hong Kong said they have contacted Beijing to ask for an investigation after melamine was discovered in eggs from China's biggest producer, Hanwei, a company in the northern town of Dalian. Hanwei said it is investigating.
"We have contacted the mainland's food safety agency and hope they can do more to reduce the risk at the source," said York Chow, the island's health secretary.
A food safety inspector in Dalian said that eggs tainted with melamine were detected last month and were destroyed, but that tests this month showed no traces of the chemical. [the point is: so do people trust them to tell the truth? that's the political dynamics Beck is talking about, which have tangible effects.]
Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, promised [sic] last Saturday that China would do all it could to bring its food quality standards up to international levels.
China has [diplomatically] not updated the number of children affected by melamine poisoning since the third week of September, and there are indications that the official number may be far too low. Health officials said on Sunday that one quarter, or 75,000, of the 300,000 families in Beijing with a child of less than three had been affected.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong has started testing meat and vegetables coming from the mainland.
One theory is that the chickens may have eaten feed contaminated with the chemical.
It has also emerged that cyromazine, a derivative of melamine, is widely used in pesticides and animal feed. This could have been absorbed and pass upwards through the food chain.
"As we have found melamine in eggs, we shall also test chicken meat and we shall also look at offal, for example chicken kidneys and pig kidneys," said Mr Chow.
Batches of baby milk produced before melamine testing became standard have only recently been recalled from Chinese supermarket shelves.
The Chinese media has also sought to play down the possibility of toxic eggs.
There were no reports of two incidents in Japan and South Korea when eggs laced with melamine were destroyed.
South Korea ditched 23 tonnes of egg powder from China on Oct 22 after discovering the chemical.
Han Wei, the founder of the Dalian Hanwei company, is the vice-chairman of the city's federation of Industry and Commerce and a notable party delegate.
[Cyanide Pizza to Go]
In Japan, a major food producer announced a recall of 2.7 million pizzas and packs of sausages after it discovered three times the government limit of cyanide in its water supply.
Itoham Foods put advertisements in national newspapers apologising for the contamination. Last Friday, the country's largest maker of instant noodles, Nissin, recalled its Cup Noodle line after a woman was taken ill with insecticide poisoning.
2. Took the treadmill right out of my mouth: News from Korean GNP encouraging 'treadmill political alliance' for economic expansion
3. I think we have already discussed critiques from ecological modernization whether a treadmill even exists that has to be environmentally degradative; though definitely this is the type of treadmill politics that Schnaiberg claimed was instrumental in expanding environmental degradation.
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10-28-2008 18:06 GNP Appeals to Unionists Not to Resort to Strikes
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo
By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff Reporter
A senior lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) appealed Monday to workers to work together with the government and management to tide over the economic crisis facing the nation.
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo called on the three parties to unite under what he called a ``tripartite social compact.''
``Labor unions should be committed not to seek strikes that will cause lost working days. Employers, meantime, should promise that their employees' jobs are to be secured and their hard work will pay off,'' Rep. Hong said in a speech to a plenary National Assembly session.
He also defined the role of government to overcome the current crisis, saying it should regain public confidence by successfully stabilizing the economy and create more jobs.
The government has unveiled massive bailout plans for the construction industry, the banking sector as well as small- and medium-sized firms to protect them from the economic malaise.
Hong argued the series of policy remedies will not turn out to be effective unless all entities in the community share the burden in the face of the global financial crisis.
The GNP floor leader made it clear that his party backs President Lee Myung-bak's drive for tax cuts and deregulation.
Opposition parties responded negatively to Hong's speech.
Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the largest opposition Democratic Party commented that Hong's speech was disappointing. ``The ruling party floor leader has not addressed public concern properly,'' he said.
Cho also said Hong's speech has no protective measures for the middle- and working-class families hit hard by the economic downturn.
Liberty Forward Party Spokeswoman Park Sun-young said the governing party is not responsive to public demands, given it reiterated its willingness to support deregulation and tax cuts about which many are concerned.
The Democratic Labor Party said it will not cooperate with the GNP to move the economy forward unless President Lee replaces his economic policymakers.
GNP floor leader Hong pledged that his party will try to pass the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) during the current Assembly session.
The FTA was signed last year under the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration. The Assembly has yet to ratify the deal.
He called the South Korea-U.S. FTA a locomotive of opportunity that will help the economy pick up.
Hong made clear that his party supports the controversial bill that would allow business owners having experienced business losses due to violent protests to seek a collective action against those protestors.
``There is no question that the freedom of association should be strictly protected. But the freedom can be limited when and if one seeks it at the expense of other individuals' freedom or public interest,'' he said.
2. 'Eco-Treadmill': Ecological Modernization and Deceleration Rolled into One?
3. Think about Schnaiberg, Beck, and ecological modernization together here.
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Organic farming 'could feed Africa'
Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN
By Daniel Howden in Nairobi Wednesday, 22 October 2008 New evidence suggests that organic practices - derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad - are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers
Getty
New evidence suggests that organic practices - derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad - are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers
Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.
New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN's Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report "indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed".
The "green revolution" in agriculture in the 1960s – when the production of food caught and surpassed the needs of the global population for the first time – largely bypassed Africa. Whereas each person today has 25 per cent more food on average than they did in 1960, in Africa they have 10 per cent less.
A combination of increasing population, decreasing rainfall and soil fertility and a surge in food prices has left Africa uniquely vulnerable to famine. Climate change is expected to make a bad situation worse by increasing the frequency of droughts and floods.
It has been conventional wisdom among African governments that modern, mechanised agriculture was needed to close the gap but efforts in this direction have had little impact on food poverty and done nothing to create a sustainable approach. Now, the global food crisis has led to renewed calls for a massive modernisation of agriculture on the hungriest continent on the planet, with calls to push ahead with genetically modified crops and large industrial farms to avoid potentially disastrous starvation.
Last month the UK's former chief scientist Sir David King said anti-scientific attitudes among Western NGOs and the UN were responsible for holding back a much-needed green revolution in Africa. "The problem is that the Western world's move toward organic farming – a lifestyle choice for a community with surplus food – and against agricultural technology in general and GM in particular, has been adopted across the whole of Africa, with the exception of South Africa, with devastating consequences," he said.
The research conducted by the UN Environment Programme suggests that organic, small-scale farming can deliver the increased yields which were thought to be the preserve of industrial farming, without the environmental and social damage which that form of agriculture brings with it.
An analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries found that yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. That increase in yield jumped to 128 per cent in east Africa.
"Organic farming can often lead to polarised views," said Mr Steiner, a former economist. "With some viewing it as a saviour and others as a niche product or something of a luxury... this report suggests it could make a serious contribution to tackling poverty and food insecurity."
The study found that organic practices outperformed traditional methods and chemical-intensive conventional farming. It also found strong environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought. And the research highlighted the role that learning organic practices could have in improving local education. Backers of GM foods insist that a technological fix is needed to feed the world. But this form of agriculture requires cash to buy the patented seeds and herbicides – both at record high prices currently – needed to grow GM crops.
Regional farming experts have long called for "good farming", rather than exclusively GM or organic. Better seeds, crop rotation, irrigation and access to markets all help farmers. Organic certification in countries such as the UK and Australia still presents an insurmountable barrier to most African exporters, the report points out. It calls for greater access to markets so farmers can get the best prices for their products.
Kenyan farmer: 'I wanted to see how UK did it'
Henry Murage had to travel a long way to solve problems trying to farm a smallholding on the western slopes of Mount Kenya. He spent five months in the UK, studying with the experts at Garden Organic a charity in the Midlands. "I wanted to see how it was being done in the UK and was convinced we could do some of the same things here," he says.
On his return 10 years ago, he set up the Mt Kenya Organic Farm, aimed at aiding other small farmers fighting the semi-arid conditions. He believes organic soil management can help retain moisture and protect against crop failure. The true test came during the devastating drought of2000-02, when Mr Murage's vegetable gardens fared better than his neighbours'. At least 300 farmers have visited his gardens and taken up at least one of the practices he espouses. "Organic can feed the people in rural areas," he says. "It's sustainable and what we produce now we can go on producing."
Saving money on fertilisers and pesticides helps farmers afford better seeds, and composting and crop rotation are improving the soil. Traditional maize, beans and livestock farming in the area have been supplemented with new crops from borage seeds to cayenne peppers and honey, with buyers from the US to Europe. Now he is growing camomile for herbal tea, with buyers from the UK and Germany both interested.
3. There is a huge amount of information that the microwave based carriers of cell phones are toxic to biological life, particularly the durability of the intercellular communication system and this can lead to forms of immune breakdown, and make people susceptible to all sorts of health complaints. Just think about the social construction of risk that Beck calls attention to in his 'risk society'. Who do you trust?
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Phone mast fears grow as more locals suffer cancer
By Geraldine Gittens Wednesday October 22 2008
RESIDENTS of a West Dublin housing estate, which lies next to a phone mast, are calling on the HSE to conduct a full health assessment in the area after an apparently large number of cancer diagnoses.
Neighbours in St Ronan's Gardens, Neilstown, and leaders of Mast Action Clondalkin (MAC) are continuing to voice their concerns about the mobile phone mast which stands in their local garda station.
"We did a survey of 150 houses and 38 people in those houses had cancer," says Gino Kelly, a member of MAC. "It's a very preliminary study but we went around and asked questions."
Nosebleeds
"Now we're asking the HSE to do a proper health study. The amount of people here with cancer cannot be normal."
Earlier this month, the group expressed their outrage to the Herald when it was discovered that An Garda Siochana failed to investigate the link between the mast and the fact that nine officers in the area have suffered brain cancer.
Residents are now calling for an investigation by the health authorities into the matter.
"Eight women in a pocket area of houses had cervical cancer and for them to all have the same type of cancer is very strange," says Gino. "It could be a coincidence but what we're saying is 'go and find out'," he added.
"My two children are attending Tallaght hospital with nosebleeds," says Caroline Kinsella.
"We did door-to-doors and we found that the number of nosebleeds is very bad. We've been given no explanation. People are going to the hospital and doctors, but we've had no explanation. It's not just a nosebleed. It's buckets.
"My son Dylan gets really bad headaches every two or three days, and he can't look at the light or the television or anything," says Elizabeth Bell. Imelda Russell's brother, Brian, slept at the back of their house in St Ronan's Gardens, one of the houses closest to the mast.
Rare
"Two-and-a-half years ago he got a brain tumour. He's had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and every six months he has to have a brain scan.
"The doctors say there's no way of removing it, and if they did he'd be paralysed. The type of tumour he has is a very rare tumour, and one garda also has it. Imelda's house is literally 35 meters away from the high tension wire," says Gino, "so it's extremely near people's living space."
Pat Keating, whose wife Teresa died last March of a brain haemorrhage, was also present at the outdoor meeting.
"My wife was never sick in her life," said Pat, "but she just collapsed one day and by the time she was brought to hospital, it was too late. We're having a protest this Thursday at 7.30pm outside Ronanstown Garda Station, and we want to get as many local people as possible here."
The Office of Public Works, which decided to put the mast in the station, has insisted that it is within EU guidelines and they have refuted the idea that the mast is responsible for cancer cases in the area.
2. Solar Power and environmental company policy fostered by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
3. I basically conceive Arnold Schwarzenegger as sympathetic. In his role in the movie "who killed the electronic car?" he appeared in an immoral role. This shows him in a much better way, but also casts further doubt on the political trustworthiness. This is something like a view of ecological modernization mixed with a very Beck like critic on political creditability.
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4. Solar Powers Staples Center Events, Green Cuisine Factory LOS ANGELES, California, October 28, 2008 (ENS) - The famous sports and entertainment venues at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles are about to go solar in a push to advance sustainable energy practices.
Highlighting companies and facilities that are going green, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today installed the last of 1,727 solar panels on the roof of the Staples Center.
"Our landmark global warming law calls for 30 percent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and projects like these will help us get there while also helping us meet our long-term renewable energy goals," said the governor.
The 345 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system by Solar Power, Inc. of Roseville, California spans the length of two football fields on the roof of the arena and is the latest green action taken by the Staples management team.
When completed, at least 24,190 square feet of the center's roof will be covered with a giant array of solar photovoltaic modules generating electricity with zero emissions.
Staples Center serves as home to the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers basketball teams, the L.A. Sparks women's basketball team, the L.A. Kings ice hockey team, and the L.A. Avengers football team well as hosting special events and concerts. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stands atop the Staples Center in a sea of new solar photovoltaic panels. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
The 7,000 seat Nokia Theatre directly across the street will also be fitted with solar panels by Solar Power, Inc.
"Our investment to purchase these state-of-the-art solar energy systems for both Staples Center and Nokia Theater L.A. Live, making them the first facilities of their kind to do so at this level, reaffirms our commitment to insuring that our venues are the most environmentally friendly in the industry," said Lee Zeidman, senior vice president and general manager of the two venues.
Governor Schwarzenegger had another solar stop on his Los Angeles schedule today - he toured the Contessa Manufacturing Plant - the world's first and largest environmentally responsible, LEED-certified frozen-food manufacturing plant.
The facility, its processes, and the product manufactured there will be known as "Green Cuisine."
This is the first time the U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED certification to a frozen-food manufacturing facility, setting a new industry standard. The LEED rating system is the national standard for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It recognizes five areas of environmental and human health - sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and selection of materials.
"Until now, the USGBC has never LEED-certified a frozen-food manufacturing facility," said John Z. Blazevich, president and chief executive of Contessa. "As a leader in our industry, we didn't wait for environmental standards to be established. Instead, we collaborated with LEED and decided to raise the bar for the entire industry and to do the right thing for the long-term sustainability of our environment."
Company officials say they will use advanced design and technology to reduce Contessa's environmental impact. A water preheating system saves energy by redirecting the heat used in refrigeration coils to the plant's boilers.
Variable frequency drives adjust the amount of power supplied to motors at specific times or under specific conditions to minimize energy use.
And an innovative loading dock prevents the loss of refrigerated air, reducing temperature fluctuation and energy use.
The new $35 million plant is expected to produce up to 150 million pounds of food products in the first year and at the same time is set to reduce its energy use and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 65 percent, according a company statement.
"I am thrilled to be celebrating the commitment of these companies to reducing their carbon footprints,” the governor said. "They are examples that going green is not only good for the environment but also for business.
Schwarzenegger has set a goal of increasing California's renewable energy sources to 20 percent by 2010, and he supports reaching 33 percent by 2020.
California's Million Solar Roofs Plan enacted in August 2006 is now renamed as the California Solar Initiative. It offers more than $3 billion in incentives for homeowners and building owners who install solar electric systems.
The plan is intended to encourage the installation of one million solar roofs in California by the year 2017. If accomplished, that goal will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by more than two million tons.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.
3. After posting an article about the development of Solar energy , I wanted to post an article about the decrease and rising costs of nuclear energy. It should be mentioned that both articles are from the same source and that this source runs a lot of advertisement for solar energy etc. I also want to emphasize that I found a lot of other interesting articles concerning solar energy during my search. One stating that India considers to construct a solar energy center with production, research and non profit organizations. Another article stating that solar production capacity rose about 10 times in the last 10 years and will rise 20 times in the next 10 years. However, the same article made clear that this will still be a small percentage of the world`s energy need. Around 3 percent at 2020.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE FLAWED ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR POWER
WASHINGTON D.C., October 29, 2008 --/WORLD-WIRE/--“Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets,” says Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute, in a recent release, “The Flawed Economics of Nuclear Power”. “The reason is simple: nuclear power is uneconomical.”
In a recent analysis, “The Nuclear Illusion,” Amory B. Lovins and Imran Sheikh put the cost of electricity from a new nuclear power plant at 14¢ per kilowatt hour and that from a wind farm at 7¢ per kilowatt hour. This comparison includes the costs of fuel, capital, operations and maintenance, and transmission and distribution. It does not include the additional costs for nuclear of disposing of waste, insuring plants against an accident, and decommissioning the plants when they wear out.
The United States, which leads the world with 101,000 megawatts of nuclear-generating capacity, proposes to store radioactive waste from its 104 reactors in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The cost of this repository, originally estimated at $58 billion in 2001, climbed to $96 billion by 2008. This comes to a staggering $923 million per reactor, assuming no further repository cost increases. (See additional data.)
In the event of a catastrophic accident, every nuclear utility would be required to contribute up to $95.8 million for each licensed reactor to a pool to help cover the accident’s cost. The collective cap on nuclear operator liability is $10.2 billion. Anything above this would be covered by taxpayers.
Another huge cost of nuclear power involves decommissioning the plants when they wear out. Recent estimates show decommissioning costs can reach $1.8 billion per reactor. In addition, the industry must cope with rising construction and fuel expenses. Two years ago, building a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant was estimated to cost $2–4 billion. As of late 2008, that figure had climbed past $7 billion, reflecting the scarcity of essential engineering and construction skills in a fading industry.
Nuclear fuel costs have risen even more rapidly. At the beginning of this decade uranium cost roughly $10 per pound. Today it costs more than $60 per pound. The higher uranium price reflects the need to move to deeper mines, which increases the energy needed to extract ore, and shift to lower-grade ore. The high cost of nuclear power also explains why so few plants are being built compared with a generation ago. In a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, nuclear consultant Mycle Schneider projects an imminent decline in world nuclear generating capacity. He notes there are currently 439 operating reactors worldwide. To date, 119 reactors have been closed, at an average age of 22 years. If we assume a longer average lifespan of 40 years, then 93 reactors will close between 2008 and 2015. Another 192 will close between 2016 and 2025. The remaining 154 will close after 2025.
Only 36 nuclear reactors are currently under construction worldwide—31 of them in Eastern Europe and Asia. Although there is much talk of building new nuclear plants in the United States, there are none under construction.
Despite all the industry hype about a nuclear future, investors are pouring tens of billions of dollars into wind farms each year. And while the world’s nuclear generating capacity is estimated to expand by only 1,000 megawatts this year, wind generating capacity will likely grow by 30,000 megawatts.
For full report visit http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2008/Update78.htm.
For information contact:
Media & Permissions to Reprint Contact: Reah Janise Kauffman Tel: (202) 496-9290 x 12 E-mail: rjk (at) earthpolicy.org
Research Contact: Janet Larsen Tel: (202) 496-9290 x 14 E-mail: jlarsen (at) earthpolicy.org
Earth Policy Institute 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 403 Washington, DC 20036 Web: www.earthpolicy.org
3. It was said that the human influence on climate has been detected in every continent except Antarctica until the year 2007. However, it is said that human activities are causing climate change in Antarctica now according to a paper in Nature Geoscience. The warming in the polar region has many potential impacts such as on ice-sheet melting and sea level.
4. ----------------------------------
5. Published online 30 October 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1195
News: Briefing
Antarctica hit by climate change Study shows human fingerprints on the polar thermostats.
Daniel Cressey
Human activity is causing climate change in Antarctica.Dave Pape / NASAIn its landmark Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared in 2007 that human influence on climate "has been detected in every continent except Antarctica". Now a paper in Nature Geoscience says that our impact can be found even in the last wilderness1.
Didn't we already know that human activity was warming the Earth? While some specific climate changes have been linked to human activity, especially in the Arctic, it has not yet been possible to conclusively demonstrate a link to actual surface temperature changes at both poles. When they made their statement on Antarctica, the IPCC cited "insufficient observational coverage to make an assessment".
"The scarcity of observations in the Antarctic makes it harder to identify and attribute temperature trends, but it does not make it impossible," says climatologist Nathan Gillett of Environment Canada, lead author of the new study.
What did the researchers actually do? Previous work has seen Antarctica temperature records ranging from 1900 to the present day collated into one data set. Gillett and his colleagues compared changes detailed in that data set with temperature changes simulated in four different climate models, running the models both with and without human influence factors.
Changes actually observed did not fit with the models when only natural climate changes and variability were present. They were only explainable when human influence on the climate was taken into account.
Why does it matter? "Warming in both polar regions has many potential impacts - for example on ice-sheet melting, sea level and on polar ecosystems," says Gillett, who conducted the research while working at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.
Previous studies have not systematically compared temperature changes at the poles with simulations running both with and without human influence, says Gillett. His paper also focuses on specific locations and specific data points, rather than a general trend over the poles.
"By this restriction, the group is able to perform an 'apples with apples' comparison of model simulations and polar near-surface temperature records during the twentieth century," write Andrew Monaghan of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and David Bromwich of Ohio State University, Columbus, in a News and Views article accompanying the paper2.
What happens now? Gillett and his fellow author Alexey Karpechko of the University of East Anglia are already working on a project to study future climate change in Antarctica, incorporating the role of ozone and narrowing down the uncertainties in current predictions.
Other researchers are working to integrate current knowledge of ice sheets into the climate models used by people such as the IPCC. This will improve our understanding of what is likely to happen to polar temperatures in the future, potentially honing our current predictions to either something more rosy, or something bleaker.
Monaghan says, "Considering the results of this study which shows the human component is playing a big role, I would say it would lean towards being a little bleaker."
1. Haerang Park 2. California "green" energy vote seen close: poll
3. California has a plan to generate half the state's electricity by renewable sources by 2025. However, the lastest poll shows opponents are slighlty more than supporters. The key problem regarding the initiative called 'Prop 7' is not many people are heard or aware of it. In the July poll 82 percent is not aware of and in the October one 38 percent is not heard of the plan. I do not know whether this is because of lobbying activities by monopoly capitals or different strategic actions by another level of the government. But for sure this reminds me of E-car how complex alliances of existing powers restricted advertisement and sales and most people did not know an electric car is available. Another critic about this initiative is drafting errors tha would raise legal questions and make the entire power industry go against it.
4. From: Reuters Published November 1, 2008 08:56 AM California "green" energy vote seen close: poll RELATED ARTICLES California green energy proposal has thin support Laos sunshine turns villagers green China: Greener than you think Solar stocks set to shine after Senate measure
/energy/article/38546/print LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Opponents have taken a small lead in the latest poll on a California ballot measure that calls for half the state's electricity to be generated by renewable sources by 2025, a Field Poll issued on Friday shows.
The poll showed support for California Proposition 7 slipping to 39 percent from 63 percent in July. The latest poll showed 43 percent opposed Prop 7, up from 24 percent in July. Eighteen and that 18 percent were undecided.
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In the July poll, 82 percent of those asked said they were not aware of Prop 7, and by late October, still 35 percent of those polled said they had not heard of the initiative, the Field Poll showed.
Supporters say that the measure will create 370,000 jobs in California and make California far-and-away the world leader on renewable energy.
Opponents, which include every major environmental group in the state as well as the state's three investor-owned utilities an unlikely alliance, say Prop 7 is well-intentioned but ill-conceived and would constrict rather than expand renewable power.
The state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst said that if Prop 7 passes, it would increase annual administrative fees to the state by $3.4 million.
The Monterey County Herald summed up the case against Prop. 7: "Filled with unintended consequences. Would put some green energy suppliers out of business."
It is one of 50 newspapers in the state that have urged a "no" vote.
One of the few supporters of Prop 7 in the environmental community is Donald Aitken, who used to be with the Union of Concerned Scientists, which opposes Prop 7.
He says the notion that small renewable power providers would be cut out if Prop 7 passes is "the stuff of urban legend. The ones who oppose it should read the initiative."
Aitken points to a study issued two weeks ago by the University of California-Berkeley's California Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
"On the contrary," says an analysis of Prop 7 by Berkeley Law's Steven Weissman, "courts would probably interpret it as permitting all renewable energy firms to participate, no matter their size. But the initiative's language is ambiguous, leaving it open to legal challenges."
Jan Smutny-Jones, executive director of the Independent Energy Producers Association, agreed that the issue of whether small providers would be cut out is not clear.
A bigger issue, and the reason that he and other attorneys who have pored over the details of Prop 7 reject it is "structural problems with how the proposition is written. There are some drafting errors that raise legal questions and it is what has driven the entire renewable power industry against it."
A very down to earth* kind of guy. I'm an environmental sociologist interested in establishing material and organizational sustainability worldwide. I'm always looking for interesting materials/technologies, inspiring ideas, or institutional examples of sustainability to inspire others to recognize their choices now. To be fatalistic about an unsustainable world is a sign of a captive mind, given all our options.
*(If "earth" is defined in a planetary sense, concerning comparative historical knowledge and interest in the past 10,000 years or so anywhere...) See both blogs.
8 comments:
1. Mark Whitaker
2. Cyanide Pizza, Melamine Eggs, and Government's pretending to control what they created and covered up a moment before: Beck's 'catastrophic' aspects of risk in his risk society hypothesis still still unraveling after long term incubation: melamine globally still being found in novel locations
3. I think this is self-explanatory as the kinds of supra-national risk that no one country handles that Beck discusses. The typical effects on lack of legitimacy in formal governments that hid the risk for a long while contributes to taking action into one's own hands--whether scientific research or social movement action. This is the kind of risk that was on the surface incalculable: look at the numbers of anticipated people who had been implicated in melamine damage in children (in boldface, below).
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China milk scandal spreads to eggs
High levels of the chemical in the China milk scandal have been discovered in Hong Kong in eggs from the mainland.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Last Updated: 4:21PM GMT 27 Oct 2008
The authorities on the island said that the eggs contained twice the legal limit of melamine, an industrial chemical which made over 50,000 infants ill and killed four [or more] when it was discovered in powdered baby milk over the summer.
Melamine, which is more commonly found in plastics, was added by unscrupulous traders to "bulk up" milk and make it appear richer in protein.
However, the chemical triggers the formation of kidney stones.
Authorities in Hong Kong said they have contacted Beijing to ask for an investigation after melamine was discovered in eggs from China's biggest producer, Hanwei, a company in the northern town of Dalian. Hanwei said it is investigating.
"We have contacted the mainland's food safety agency and hope they can do more to reduce the risk at the source," said York Chow, the island's health secretary.
A food safety inspector in Dalian said that eggs tainted with melamine were detected last month and were destroyed, but that tests this month showed no traces of the chemical. [the point is: so do people trust them to tell the truth? that's the political dynamics Beck is talking about, which have tangible effects.]
Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, promised [sic] last Saturday that China would do all it could to bring its food quality standards up to international levels.
China has [diplomatically] not updated the number of children affected by melamine poisoning since the third week of September, and there are indications that the official number may be far too low. Health officials said on Sunday that one quarter, or 75,000, of the 300,000 families in Beijing with a child of less than three had been affected.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong has started testing meat and vegetables coming from the mainland.
One theory is that the chickens may have eaten feed contaminated with the chemical.
It has also emerged that cyromazine, a derivative of melamine, is widely used in pesticides and animal feed. This could have been absorbed and pass upwards through the food chain.
"As we have found melamine in eggs, we shall also test chicken meat and we shall also look at offal, for example chicken kidneys and pig kidneys," said Mr Chow.
Batches of baby milk produced before melamine testing became standard have only recently been recalled from Chinese supermarket shelves.
The Chinese media has also sought to play down the possibility of toxic eggs.
There were no reports of two incidents in Japan and South Korea when eggs laced with melamine were destroyed.
South Korea ditched 23 tonnes of egg powder from China on Oct 22 after discovering the chemical.
Han Wei, the founder of the Dalian Hanwei company, is the vice-chairman of the city's federation of Industry and Commerce and a notable party delegate.
[Cyanide Pizza to Go]
In Japan, a major food producer announced a recall of 2.7 million pizzas and packs of sausages after it discovered three times the government limit of cyanide in its water supply.
Itoham Foods put advertisements in national newspapers apologising for the contamination. Last Friday, the country's largest maker of instant noodles, Nissin, recalled its Cup Noodle line after a woman was taken ill with insecticide poisoning.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/hongkong/3267344/China-milk-scandal-spreads-to-eggs.html
1. Mark Whitaker
2. Took the treadmill right out of my mouth: News from Korean GNP encouraging 'treadmill political alliance' for economic expansion
3. I think we have already discussed critiques from ecological modernization whether a treadmill even exists that has to be environmentally degradative; though definitely this is the type of treadmill politics that Schnaiberg claimed was instrumental in expanding environmental degradation.
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10-28-2008 18:06
GNP Appeals to Unionists Not to Resort to Strikes
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A senior lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) appealed Monday to workers to work together with the government and management to tide over the economic crisis facing the nation.
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo called on the three parties to unite under what he called a ``tripartite social compact.''
``Labor unions should be committed not to seek strikes that will cause lost working days. Employers, meantime, should promise that their employees' jobs are to be secured and their hard work will pay off,'' Rep. Hong said in a speech to a plenary National Assembly session.
He also defined the role of government to overcome the current crisis, saying it should regain public confidence by successfully stabilizing the economy and create more jobs.
The government has unveiled massive bailout plans for the construction industry, the banking sector as well as small- and medium-sized firms to protect them from the economic malaise.
Hong argued the series of policy remedies will not turn out to be effective unless all entities in the community share the burden in the face of the global financial crisis.
The GNP floor leader made it clear that his party backs President Lee Myung-bak's drive for tax cuts and deregulation.
Opposition parties responded negatively to Hong's speech.
Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the largest opposition Democratic Party commented that Hong's speech was disappointing. ``The ruling party floor leader has not addressed public concern properly,'' he said.
Cho also said Hong's speech has no protective measures for the middle- and working-class families hit hard by the economic downturn.
Liberty Forward Party Spokeswoman Park Sun-young said the governing party is not responsive to public demands, given it reiterated its willingness to support deregulation and tax cuts about which many are concerned.
The Democratic Labor Party said it will not cooperate with the GNP to move the economy forward unless President Lee replaces his economic policymakers.
GNP floor leader Hong pledged that his party will try to pass the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) during the current Assembly session.
The FTA was signed last year under the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration. The Assembly has yet to ratify the deal.
He called the South Korea-U.S. FTA a locomotive of opportunity that will help the economy pick up.
Hong made clear that his party supports the controversial bill that would allow business owners having experienced business losses due to violent protests to seek a collective action against those protestors.
``There is no question that the freedom of association should be strictly protected. But the freedom can be limited when and if one seeks it at the expense of other individuals' freedom or public interest,'' he said.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/116_33442.html
1. Mark Whitaker
2. 'Eco-Treadmill': Ecological Modernization and Deceleration Rolled into One?
3. Think about Schnaiberg, Beck, and ecological modernization together here.
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Organic farming 'could feed Africa'
Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN
By Daniel Howden in Nairobi
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
New evidence suggests that organic practices - derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad - are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers
Getty
New evidence suggests that organic practices - derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad - are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers
Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.
New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN's Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report "indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed".
The "green revolution" in agriculture in the 1960s – when the production of food caught and surpassed the needs of the global population for the first time – largely bypassed Africa. Whereas each person today has 25 per cent more food on average than they did in 1960, in Africa they have 10 per cent less.
A combination of increasing population, decreasing rainfall and soil fertility and a surge in food prices has left Africa uniquely vulnerable to famine. Climate change is expected to make a bad situation worse by increasing the frequency of droughts and floods.
It has been conventional wisdom among African governments that modern, mechanised agriculture was needed to close the gap but efforts in this direction have had little impact on food poverty and done nothing to create a sustainable approach. Now, the global food crisis has led to renewed calls for a massive modernisation of agriculture on the hungriest continent on the planet, with calls to push ahead with genetically modified crops and large industrial farms to avoid potentially disastrous starvation.
Last month the UK's former chief scientist Sir David King said anti-scientific attitudes among Western NGOs and the UN were responsible for holding back a much-needed green revolution in Africa. "The problem is that the Western world's move toward organic farming – a lifestyle choice for a community with surplus food – and against agricultural technology in general and GM in particular, has been adopted across the whole of Africa, with the exception of South Africa, with devastating consequences," he said.
The research conducted by the UN Environment Programme suggests that organic, small-scale farming can deliver the increased yields which were thought to be the preserve of industrial farming, without the environmental and social damage which that form of agriculture brings with it.
An analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries found that yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. That increase in yield jumped to 128 per cent in east Africa.
"Organic farming can often lead to polarised views," said Mr Steiner, a former economist. "With some viewing it as a saviour and others as a niche product or something of a luxury... this report suggests it could make a serious contribution to tackling poverty and food insecurity."
The study found that organic practices outperformed traditional methods and chemical-intensive conventional farming. It also found strong environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought. And the research highlighted the role that learning organic practices could have in improving local education. Backers of GM foods insist that a technological fix is needed to feed the world. But this form of agriculture requires cash to buy the patented seeds and herbicides – both at record high prices currently – needed to grow GM crops.
Regional farming experts have long called for "good farming", rather than exclusively GM or organic. Better seeds, crop rotation, irrigation and access to markets all help farmers. Organic certification in countries such as the UK and Australia still presents an insurmountable barrier to most African exporters, the report points out. It calls for greater access to markets so farmers can get the best prices for their products.
Kenyan farmer: 'I wanted to see how UK did it'
Henry Murage had to travel a long way to solve problems trying to farm a smallholding on the western slopes of Mount Kenya. He spent five months in the UK, studying with the experts at Garden Organic a charity in the Midlands. "I wanted to see how it was being done in the UK and was convinced we could do some of the same things here," he says.
On his return 10 years ago, he set up the Mt Kenya Organic Farm, aimed at aiding other small farmers fighting the semi-arid conditions. He believes organic soil management can help retain moisture and protect against crop failure. The true test came during the devastating drought of2000-02, when Mr Murage's vegetable gardens fared better than his neighbours'. At least 300 farmers have visited his gardens and taken up at least one of the practices he espouses. "Organic can feed the people in rural areas," he says. "It's sustainable and what we produce now we can go on producing."
Saving money on fertilisers and pesticides helps farmers afford better seeds, and composting and crop rotation are improving the soil. Traditional maize, beans and livestock farming in the area have been supplemented with new crops from borage seeds to cayenne peppers and honey, with buyers from the US to Europe. Now he is growing camomile for herbal tea, with buyers from the UK and Germany both interested.
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/organic-farming-could-feed-africa-968641.html
1. Mark Whitaker
2. Cell Phone Masts and Cancer Clusters
3. There is a huge amount of information that the microwave based carriers of cell phones are toxic to biological life, particularly the durability of the intercellular communication system and this can lead to forms of immune breakdown, and make people susceptible to all sorts of health complaints. Just think about the social construction of risk that Beck calls attention to in his 'risk society'. Who do you trust?
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Phone mast fears grow as more locals suffer cancer
By Geraldine Gittens
Wednesday October 22 2008
RESIDENTS of a West Dublin housing estate, which lies next to a phone mast, are calling on the HSE to conduct a full health assessment in the area after an apparently large number of cancer diagnoses.
Neighbours in St Ronan's Gardens, Neilstown, and leaders of Mast Action Clondalkin (MAC) are continuing to voice their concerns about the mobile phone mast which stands in their local garda station.
"We did a survey of 150 houses and 38 people in those houses had cancer," says Gino Kelly, a member of MAC. "It's a very preliminary study but we went around and asked questions."
Nosebleeds
"Now we're asking the HSE to do a proper health study. The amount of people here with cancer cannot be normal."
Earlier this month, the group expressed their outrage to the Herald when it was discovered that An Garda Siochana failed to investigate the link between the mast and the fact that nine officers in the area have suffered brain cancer.
Residents are now calling for an investigation by the health authorities into the matter.
"Eight women in a pocket area of houses had cervical cancer and for them to all have the same type of cancer is very strange," says Gino. "It could be a coincidence but what we're saying is 'go and find out'," he added.
"My two children are attending Tallaght hospital with nosebleeds," says Caroline Kinsella.
"We did door-to-doors and we found that the number of nosebleeds is very bad. We've been given no explanation. People are going to the hospital and doctors, but we've had no explanation. It's not just a nosebleed. It's buckets.
"My son Dylan gets really bad headaches every two or three days, and he can't look at the light or the television or anything," says Elizabeth Bell. Imelda Russell's brother, Brian, slept at the back of their house in St Ronan's Gardens, one of the houses closest to the mast.
Rare
"Two-and-a-half years ago he got a brain tumour. He's had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and every six months he has to have a brain scan.
"The doctors say there's no way of removing it, and if they did he'd be paralysed. The type of tumour he has is a very rare tumour, and one garda also has it. Imelda's house is literally 35 meters away from the high tension wire," says Gino, "so it's extremely near people's living space."
Pat Keating, whose wife Teresa died last March of a brain haemorrhage, was also present at the outdoor meeting.
"My wife was never sick in her life," said Pat, "but she just collapsed one day and by the time she was brought to hospital, it was too late. We're having a protest this Thursday at 7.30pm outside Ronanstown Garda Station, and we want to get as many local people as possible here."
The Office of Public Works, which decided to put the mast in the station, has insisted that it is within EU guidelines and they have refuted the idea that the mast is responsible for cancer cases in the area.
- Geraldine Gittens
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http://www.herald.ie/national-news/phone-mast-fears-grow-as-more-locals-suffer-cancer-1505195.html?service=Print
1.Björn Schmidt
2. Solar Power and environmental company policy fostered by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
3. I basically conceive Arnold Schwarzenegger as sympathetic. In his role in the movie "who killed the electronic car?" he appeared in an immoral role. This shows him in a much better way, but also casts further doubt on the political trustworthiness. This is something like a view of ecological modernization mixed with a very Beck like critic on political creditability.
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4. Solar Powers Staples Center Events, Green Cuisine Factory
LOS ANGELES, California, October 28, 2008 (ENS) - The famous sports and entertainment venues at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles are about to go solar in a push to advance sustainable energy practices.
Highlighting companies and facilities that are going green, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today installed the last of 1,727 solar panels on the roof of the Staples Center.
"Our landmark global warming law calls for 30 percent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and projects like these will help us get there while also helping us meet our long-term renewable energy goals," said the governor.
The 345 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system by Solar Power, Inc. of Roseville, California spans the length of two football fields on the roof of the arena and is the latest green action taken by the Staples management team.
When completed, at least 24,190 square feet of the center's roof will be covered with a giant array of solar photovoltaic modules generating electricity with zero emissions.
Staples Center serves as home to the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers basketball teams, the L.A. Sparks women's basketball team, the L.A. Kings ice hockey team, and the L.A. Avengers football team well as hosting special events and concerts.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stands atop the Staples Center in a sea of new solar photovoltaic panels. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
The 7,000 seat Nokia Theatre directly across the street will also be fitted with solar panels by Solar Power, Inc.
"Our investment to purchase these state-of-the-art solar energy systems for both Staples Center and Nokia Theater L.A. Live, making them the first facilities of their kind to do so at this level, reaffirms our commitment to insuring that our venues are the most environmentally friendly in the industry," said Lee Zeidman, senior vice president and general manager of the two venues.
Governor Schwarzenegger had another solar stop on his Los Angeles schedule today - he toured the Contessa Manufacturing Plant - the world's first and largest environmentally responsible, LEED-certified frozen-food manufacturing plant.
The facility, its processes, and the product manufactured there will be known as "Green Cuisine."
This is the first time the U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED certification to a frozen-food manufacturing facility, setting a new industry standard. The LEED rating system is the national standard for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It recognizes five areas of environmental and human health - sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and selection of materials.
"Until now, the USGBC has never LEED-certified a frozen-food manufacturing facility," said John Z. Blazevich, president and chief executive of Contessa. "As a leader in our industry, we didn't wait for environmental standards to be established. Instead, we collaborated with LEED and decided to raise the bar for the entire industry and to do the right thing for the long-term sustainability of our environment."
Company officials say they will use advanced design and technology to reduce Contessa's environmental impact. A water preheating system saves energy by redirecting the heat used in refrigeration coils to the plant's boilers.
Variable frequency drives adjust the amount of power supplied to motors at specific times or under specific conditions to minimize energy use.
And an innovative loading dock prevents the loss of refrigerated air, reducing temperature fluctuation and energy use.
The new $35 million plant is expected to produce up to 150 million pounds of food products in the first year and at the same time is set to reduce its energy use and emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 65 percent, according a company statement.
"I am thrilled to be celebrating the commitment of these companies to reducing their carbon footprints,” the governor said. "They are examples that going green is not only good for the environment but also for business.
Schwarzenegger has set a goal of increasing California's renewable energy sources to 20 percent by 2010, and he supports reaching 33 percent by 2020.
California's Million Solar Roofs Plan enacted in August 2006 is now renamed as the California Solar Initiative. It offers more than $3 billion in incentives for homeowners and building owners who install solar electric systems.
The plan is intended to encourage the installation of one million solar roofs in California by the year 2017. If accomplished, that goal will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by more than two million tons.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.
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5. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2008/2008-10-28-092.asp
1. Bjoern Schmidt
2. Costs and decline of Nuclear energy.
3. After posting an article about the development of Solar energy , I wanted to post an article about the decrease and rising costs of nuclear energy. It should be mentioned that both articles are from the same source and that this source runs a lot of advertisement for solar energy etc.
I also want to emphasize that I found a lot of other interesting articles concerning solar energy during my search. One stating that India considers to construct a solar energy center with production, research and non profit organizations.
Another article stating that solar production capacity rose about 10 times in the last 10 years and will rise 20 times in the next 10 years. However, the same article made clear that this will still be a small percentage of the world`s energy need. Around 3 percent at 2020.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE FLAWED ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR POWER
WASHINGTON D.C., October 29, 2008 --/WORLD-WIRE/--“Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets,” says Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute, in a recent release, “The Flawed Economics of Nuclear Power”. “The reason is simple: nuclear power is uneconomical.”
In a recent analysis, “The Nuclear Illusion,” Amory B. Lovins and Imran Sheikh put the cost of electricity from a new nuclear power plant at 14¢ per kilowatt hour and that from a wind farm at 7¢ per kilowatt hour. This comparison includes the costs of fuel, capital, operations and maintenance, and transmission and distribution. It does not include the additional costs for nuclear of disposing of waste, insuring plants against an accident, and decommissioning the plants when they wear out.
The United States, which leads the world with 101,000 megawatts of nuclear-generating capacity, proposes to store radioactive waste from its 104 reactors in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The cost of this repository, originally estimated at $58 billion in 2001, climbed to $96 billion by 2008. This comes to a staggering $923 million per reactor, assuming no further repository cost increases. (See additional data.)
In the event of a catastrophic accident, every nuclear utility would be required to contribute up to $95.8 million for each licensed reactor to a pool to help cover the accident’s cost. The collective cap on nuclear operator liability is $10.2 billion. Anything above this would be covered by taxpayers.
Another huge cost of nuclear power involves decommissioning the plants when they wear out. Recent estimates show decommissioning costs can reach $1.8 billion per reactor. In addition, the industry must cope with rising construction and fuel expenses. Two years ago, building a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant was estimated to cost $2–4 billion. As of late 2008, that figure had climbed past $7 billion, reflecting the scarcity of essential engineering and construction skills in a fading industry.
Nuclear fuel costs have risen even more rapidly. At the beginning of this decade uranium cost roughly $10 per pound. Today it costs more than $60 per pound. The higher uranium price reflects the need to move to deeper mines, which increases the energy needed to extract ore, and shift to lower-grade ore. The high cost of nuclear power also explains why so few plants are being built compared with a generation ago. In a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, nuclear consultant Mycle Schneider projects an imminent decline in world nuclear generating capacity. He notes there are currently 439 operating reactors worldwide. To date, 119 reactors have been closed, at an average age of 22 years. If we assume a longer average lifespan of 40 years, then 93 reactors will close between 2008 and 2015. Another 192 will close between 2016 and 2025. The remaining 154 will close after 2025.
Only 36 nuclear reactors are currently under construction worldwide—31 of them in Eastern Europe and Asia. Although there is much talk of building new nuclear plants in the United States, there are none under construction.
Despite all the industry hype about a nuclear future, investors are pouring tens of billions of dollars into wind farms each year. And while the world’s nuclear generating capacity is estimated to expand by only 1,000 megawatts this year, wind generating capacity will likely grow by 30,000 megawatts.
For full report visit http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2008/Update78.htm.
For information contact:
Media & Permissions to Reprint Contact:
Reah Janise Kauffman
Tel: (202) 496-9290 x 12
E-mail: rjk (at) earthpolicy.org
Research Contact:
Janet Larsen
Tel: (202) 496-9290 x 14
E-mail: jlarsen (at) earthpolicy.org
Earth Policy Institute
1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 403
Washington, DC 20036
Web: www.earthpolicy.org
Copyright © 2008, World-Wire. All rights reserved.
Issuers of news releases and not World-Wire are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
World-Wire is a resource provided by Environment News Service
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http://world-wire.com/news/0810290001.html
1. Sally Paik
2. Antarctica hit by climate change
3. It was said that the human influence on climate has been detected in every continent except Antarctica until the year 2007. However, it is said that human activities are causing climate change in Antarctica now according to a paper in Nature Geoscience. The warming in the polar region has many potential impacts such as on ice-sheet melting and sea level.
4. ----------------------------------
5. Published online 30 October 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1195
News: Briefing
Antarctica hit by climate change
Study shows human fingerprints on the polar thermostats.
Daniel Cressey
Human activity is causing climate change in Antarctica.Dave Pape / NASAIn its landmark Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared in 2007 that human influence on climate "has been detected in every continent except Antarctica". Now a paper in Nature Geoscience says that our impact can be found even in the last wilderness1.
Didn't we already know that human activity was warming the Earth?
While some specific climate changes have been linked to human activity, especially in the Arctic, it has not yet been possible to conclusively demonstrate a link to actual surface temperature changes at both poles. When they made their statement on Antarctica, the IPCC cited "insufficient observational coverage to make an assessment".
"The scarcity of observations in the Antarctic makes it harder to identify and attribute temperature trends, but it does not make it impossible," says climatologist Nathan Gillett of Environment Canada, lead author of the new study.
What did the researchers actually do?
Previous work has seen Antarctica temperature records ranging from 1900 to the present day collated into one data set. Gillett and his colleagues compared changes detailed in that data set with temperature changes simulated in four different climate models, running the models both with and without human influence factors.
Changes actually observed did not fit with the models when only natural climate changes and variability were present. They were only explainable when human influence on the climate was taken into account.
Why does it matter?
"Warming in both polar regions has many potential impacts - for example on ice-sheet melting, sea level and on polar ecosystems," says Gillett, who conducted the research while working at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.
Previous studies have not systematically compared temperature changes at the poles with simulations running both with and without human influence, says Gillett. His paper also focuses on specific locations and specific data points, rather than a general trend over the poles.
"By this restriction, the group is able to perform an 'apples with apples' comparison of model simulations and polar near-surface temperature records during the twentieth century," write Andrew Monaghan of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and David Bromwich of Ohio State University, Columbus, in a News and Views article accompanying the paper2.
What happens now?
Gillett and his fellow author Alexey Karpechko of the University of East Anglia are already working on a project to study future climate change in Antarctica, incorporating the role of ozone and narrowing down the uncertainties in current predictions.
Other researchers are working to integrate current knowledge of ice sheets into the climate models used by people such as the IPCC. This will improve our understanding of what is likely to happen to polar temperatures in the future, potentially honing our current predictions to either something more rosy, or something bleaker.
Monaghan says, "Considering the results of this study which shows the human component is playing a big role, I would say it would lean towards being a little bleaker."
6. ---
7. http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081030/full/news.2008.1195.html
1. Haerang Park
2. California "green" energy vote seen close: poll
3.
California has a plan to generate half the state's electricity by renewable sources by 2025. However, the lastest poll shows opponents are slighlty more than supporters. The key problem regarding the initiative called 'Prop 7' is not many people are heard or aware of it. In the July poll 82 percent is not aware of and in the October one 38 percent is not heard of the plan. I do not know whether this is because of lobbying activities by monopoly capitals or different strategic actions by another level of the government. But for sure this reminds me of E-car how complex alliances of existing powers restricted advertisement and sales and most people did not know an electric car is available. Another critic about this initiative is drafting errors tha would raise legal questions and make the entire power industry go against it.
4.
From: Reuters
Published November 1, 2008 08:56 AM
California "green" energy vote seen close: poll
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/energy/article/38546/print
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Opponents have taken a small lead in the latest poll on a California ballot measure that calls for half the state's electricity to be generated by renewable sources by 2025, a Field Poll issued on Friday shows.
The poll showed support for California Proposition 7 slipping to 39 percent from 63 percent in July. The latest poll showed 43 percent opposed Prop 7, up from 24 percent in July. Eighteen and that 18 percent were undecided.
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In the July poll, 82 percent of those asked said they were not aware of Prop 7, and by late October, still 35 percent of those polled said they had not heard of the initiative, the Field Poll showed.
Supporters say that the measure will create 370,000 jobs in California and make California far-and-away the world leader on renewable energy.
Opponents, which include every major environmental group in the state as well as the state's three investor-owned utilities an unlikely alliance, say Prop 7 is well-intentioned but ill-conceived and would constrict rather than expand renewable power.
The state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst said that if Prop 7 passes, it would increase annual administrative fees to the state by $3.4 million.
The Monterey County Herald summed up the case against Prop. 7: "Filled with unintended consequences. Would put some green energy suppliers out of business."
It is one of 50 newspapers in the state that have urged a "no" vote.
One of the few supporters of Prop 7 in the environmental community is Donald Aitken, who used to be with the Union of Concerned Scientists, which opposes Prop 7.
He says the notion that small renewable power providers would be cut out if Prop 7 passes is "the stuff of urban legend. The ones who oppose it should read the initiative."
Aitken points to a study issued two weeks ago by the University of California-Berkeley's California Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
"On the contrary," says an analysis of Prop 7 by Berkeley Law's Steven Weissman, "courts would probably interpret it as permitting all renewable energy firms to participate, no matter their size. But the initiative's language is ambiguous, leaving it open to legal challenges."
Jan Smutny-Jones, executive director of the Independent Energy Producers Association, agreed that the issue of whether small providers would be cut out is not clear.
A bigger issue, and the reason that he and other attorneys who have pored over the details of Prop 7 reject it is "structural problems with how the proposition is written. There are some drafting errors that raise legal questions and it is what has driven the entire renewable power industry against it."
5. http://www.enn.com/energy/article/38546/print
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