Beavers could be released in 2009

BBC News, December 24, 2007

Plans are in the pipeline for beavers to be released into the Scottish wild for the first time in 500 years. Wildlife bodies have asked the Scottish Government for a licence to allow about 20 beavers to be set free in Argyll in 2009.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in Scotland in the 16th Century. Read more...

No More Free Ride: Global Warming Pollution from Ships Must be Regulated

ENN, December 31, 2007

Consider the following facts:
* Only six countries in the world release more carbon dioxide than the global fleet of marine vessels.
* This fleet releases between 600 and 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, an amount equivalent to emissions from at least 130 million cars -- about the number of cars operated in the United States.
* A single container ship emits more global warming pollution than 2,000 diesel trucks. Read more...

Barcoding An Entire Ecosystem

ENN, December 27, 2007

BERKELEY — In the middle of the South Pacific, about 12 miles west of Tahiti, is a tropical island that soon will emerge as a model ecosystem, thanks to the efforts of a U.S.-French research team led by University of California, Berkeley, biologists. UC Berkeley biologist George Roderick talks about working on the South Pacific island of Moorea and an ambitious project to create a genetic inventory of all non-microbial life in the island's ecosystem. Read more...

Bali paves way for two years of tough negotiations

Euractive, December 17, 2005

The UN climate talks in Bali wrapped up on 15 December, producing a two-year negotiation 'roadmap' to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New climate change adaptation funds, anti-deforestation mechanisms and technology transfers are seen as Bali's main achievements. Read more...

Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013'

BBC News, December 12, 2007

By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco

Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years.
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss. Summer melting this year reduced the ice cover to 4.13 million sq km, the smallest ever extent in modern times. Read more...

Και ξαφνικά συμφωνία στη Διάσκεψη του Μπαλί με στόχο νέο Πρωτοκόλλο έως το 2009

In.gr, 15 Δεκεμβρίου 2007

Συμφωνία στο «παρά πέντε» για τους εκπροσώπους των χωρών που μετείχαν στη Διάσκεψη του Μπαλί για το κλίμα.
Οι «180»χώρες -μεταξύ αυτών και οι ΗΠΑ- αποφάσισαν να υιοθετήσουν έναν «Οδικό Χάρτη», ο οποίος περιλαμβάνει διαπραγματεύσεις δύο ετών με στόχο μία νέα Συνθήκη το 2009. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Banks urged to go "green"

ENN, December 13, 2007

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Banks are contributing to global warming by funding coal and oil exploration, and should adopt policies that cut their negative impact on the environment, according to a report by a network of NGOs. BankTrack, a grouping of civil society organizations and individuals tracking the financial sector, said banks should end support for all new coal, oil and gas extraction and delivery projects, new coal-fired power plants and the most harmful practices in other greenhouse-gas intensive sectors. Read more...

Australian navy may track Japan's whaling fleet

ENN, December 13, 2007

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's new government may send a navy ship to Antarctica to track Japan's whaling fleet and gather evidence to mount a legal challenge, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Thursday. Japan's whaling fleet plans to hunt 935 minke whales, 50 fin whales and for the first time in 40 years, 50 humpback whales for research over the Antarctic summer, with the fleet already on its way south followed by anti-whaling activists.
"We take seriously Australia's international obligations on the proper protection of whales," Rudd told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. environment summit in Bali. Read more...

67% Of Consumers Willing To Pay More For Green Power

Environmental Leader, December 13, 2007

Sixty-seven percent of consumers polled across six countries - Australia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States - would be more willing to pay for eco-friendly energy, according to Plugging in the Consumer: Innovating utility business models for the future, a report from IBM Global Business Services that forecasts how changes in energy customers’ expectations will impact the utility industry’s business model in the next five to ten years.. Read more...

Rotterdam gives away energy-saving lightbulbs

ENN, December 11, 2007

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The city of Rotterdam will distribute energy-saving light bulbs to all of its more than 300,000 households to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), it said on Tuesday.
The Dutch city said it will distribute more than 600,000 light bulbs and that the expected savings for its citizens -- 26 million euros ($38 million) over six years from lower electricity bills -- will far outweigh the costs of 4 million euros. The initiative is part of a push by the city of Rotterdam to cut its CO2 emissions by half by the year 2025 compared with 1990 levels. Read more...

Mysterious mammal caught on film

BBC News, December 10, 2007

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News

An "extraordinary" desert creature has been caught on camera for what scientists believe is the first time. The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China. Read more...

Low faith in biofuels for climate

BBC News, December 11, 2007

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Campaigners outside the talks have a simple message for delegatesDecision-makers in the climate change field have little faith in biofuels as a low-carbon technology, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has found. Unveiled at the UN climate convention meeting in Bali, its survey shows professionals have more confidence in bicycles than in biofuels. The findings come as ministers assemble for the final part of the UN talks. Read more...

France suspends commercial GMO seed use, studies safety

ENN, December 7, 2007

By Tamora Vidaillet and Valerie Parent
PARIS (Reuters) - France formally suspended on Thursday the commercial use of genetically modified (GMO) seeds in the country until early February and ordered a biotech safety study.
The future of GMOs has long been the subject of heated debate in France -- Europe's top grain producer -- and the country's reluctance to use GMO crops compares starkly with the United States, which is far more tolerant of the technology. Read more...

Αμαζόνιος SOS: Το 60% των δασών ίσως καταστραφεί έως το 2030

TA NEA, 7 Δεκεμβρίου 2007

ΜΕΧΡΙ και το 60% των δασών του Αμαζονίου μπορεί να έχει καταστραφεί στα επόμενα 23 χρόνια σύμφωνα με έκθεση του Παγκόσμιου Ταμείου για τη Φύση (WWF) που δόθηκε χθες στη δημοσιότητα. Σύμφωνα με την έκθεση, υπολογίζεται ότι η αποψίλωση του Αμαζονίου θα απελευθερώσει από 55,5 έως 96,5 δισ. τόνους διοξειδίου του άνθρακα, ποσότητα που είναι μεγαλύτερη από το σύνολο των σημερινών εκπομπών σε διάστημα δύο χρόνων. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Παρελθόν οι λάμπες πυρακτώσεως στην Ιρλανδία

Καθημερινή, 6 Δεκεμβρίου 2007

H κυβέρνηση της Ιρλανδίας, στα πλαίσια του Εθνικού Ενεργειακού Σχεδιασμού της χώρας, ανακοίνωσε την απαγόρευση των ενεργοβόρων λαμπτήρων πυρακτώσεως από τον Ιανουάριο του 2009.
Με την απόφαση αυτή η Ιρλανδία πρωτοπορεί στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, εφόσον γίνεται το πρώτο κράτος μέλος που κάνει ένα αυτονόητο βήμα για την αντιμετώπιση των κλιματικών αλλαγών: την απόσυρση από την αγορά των ενεργειακά σπάταλων προϊόντων. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Uganda plans to boost forest cover

ENN, December 5, 2007, By Tim Cocks

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda will plant millions of trees in the next four years at a cost of $253 million, as it tries to restore dwindling forest cover to 30 percent of its area from 22 percent, the government said on Wednesday.
Like many African countries, Uganda suffers from rampant deforestation that dries up rivers, triggers soil erosion and threatens wildlife, especially birds and primates. Read more...

Protecting old-growth forests in Poland

ENN, December 5, 2007

Warsaw, Poland – Over 100,000 signatures have been forwarded to the Polish government, calling for the protection of Europe’s last remaining stands of natural forests.
The signature drive is part of a WWF campaign to safeguard ancient woodlands in Poland’s Bialowieza Primaeval Forest from logging and other unsustainable forest activities. Read more...

U.S. says seeks new climate deal, rejects Kyoto

ENN, December 4, 2007, by Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

BALI, Indonesia (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it would seek a new global deal to fight climate change after Australia's move to ratify the Kyoto Protocol isolated it as the only developed nation outside the current U.N. pact.
"We're not here to be a roadblock," U.S. delegation leader Harlan Watson said on the opening day of a December 3-14 meeting of almost 190 nations in Bali, Indonesia, seeking to agree a roadmap to work out a successor to Kyoto which runs to 2012.
"The United States intends to be flexible and work constructively on a Bali roadmap," he said, referring to plans for Bali to launch two years of negotiations on a new U.N.-led deal to fight climate change beyond 2012. "We respect the decision that other countries have made and we would, of course, ask them to respect the decision we have made," Watson told a news conference. Read more...

Australia signs up to Kyoto

The Guardian, December 3, 2007

Australia won applause at the start of UN-led climate change talks in Bali on Monday by agreeing to ratify the Kyoto protocol, isolating the US as the only developed nation outside the pact. Soon after an Australian delegate promised immediate action on Kyoto, the new prime minister in Canberra, Kevin Rudd, took the oath of office and signed the ratification documents, ending his country's long-held opposition to the global climate agreement.

"I think I can speak for all present here by expressing a sigh of relief," the conference host and Indonesian environment minister, Rachmat Witoelar, told the opening session. Read more...

Χρήση ΑΠΕ στα κτήρια που κατασκευάζουν οι Δήμοι

ΕΡΤ Nature, 29 Νοεμβρίου 2007

Μια σημαντική απόφαση για την εξοικονόμηση ενέργειας σε δημόσια κτίρια πήρε ομόφωνα το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο της Κεντρικής Επιτροπής Δήμων και Κοινοτήτων Ελλάδας. Η ΚΕΔΚΕ δίνει για πρώτη φορά το "πράσινο φως" για σταδιακή αντικατάσταση της χρήσης συμβατικών μορφών ενέργειας στις λειτουργίες και δραστηριότητες της Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης. Η αρχή δρομολογείται με τη χρήση νέων τεχνολογιών ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας, που θα εξασφαλίζουν την ενεργειακή αυτοδυναμία σε όλα τα κτίρια τα οποία θα κατασκευάζονται εφεξής από τους δήμους της χώρας (δημοτικά κτίρια, αντλιοστάσια, βιολογικούς καθαρισμούς, δημοτικά κολυμβητήρια κ.ά.). Διαβάστε την ανακοίνωση...

Μπαλί: Η 13η σύνοδος του ΟΗΕ για τις κλιματικές αλλαγές

Η Καθημερινή, 3 Δεκεμβρίου 2007

Στον τροπικό «παράδεισο» του Μπαλί, στην Ινδονησία, φιλοξενείται φέτος η 13η σύνοδος των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για τις κλιματικές αλλαγές. «Το νησί των θεών», όπως συχνά αποκαλείται, υποδέχεται την προσέλευση αξιωματούχων και υπουργών περιβάλλοντος από περίπου 200 κυβερνήσεις του κόσμου. Πρωτεύων στόχος της διάσκεψης, η επίτευξη διεθνούς συναίνεσης για συλλογική δράση απέναντι στις κλιματικές αλλαγές. Ωστόσο, οι αναλύσεις, οι έρευνες και τα επιστημονικά τεκμήρια νομιμοποιούν τον χαρακτηρισμό που προσδίδει στη διάσκεψη ο διεθνής Τύπος: «τελευταία ευκαιρία». Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Gunmen ravage colony of rare fruit bats in Cyprus

ENN, November 29, 2007

NICOSIA (Reuters) - A protected colony of rare fruit bats in Cyprus has almost been wiped out by unidentified gunmen using them for target practice, conservation groups and authorities said on Thursday.
Dozens of the mammals, which are under threat of extinction, were killed in a shooting spree in a fenced-off cave in the western district of Paphos. From a colony of about 60, only 10 to 15 survived, conservation experts said. Read more...

London 2012 Releases Sustainability Plan

Environmental Leader, November 28, 2007

London 2012 has outlined its sustainability plans for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Highlights of the sustainability plan, Towards A One Planet 2012, include: a carbon footprint study to measure the climate change impact of the Games and identify and prioritize areas for reducing emissions; standards for venue construction using environmental rating tools; the development of a sustainable food strategy that promotes local, seasonal and organic produce from environmentally responsible sources; and getting all suppliers and partners to sign a sustainability code which is being developed and will include sustainable sourcing and ethical trading. Read more...

EU agrees quota cuts to save bluefin tuna

ENN, November 27, 2007, By Jeremy Smith

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU governments agreed a 15-year plan on Tuesday that set strict curbs on fishing for bluefin tuna, cutting quotas and tightening port inspections to stop the species from heading for extinction.
Prized by sushi and sashimi lovers, bluefin tuna has seen its numbers fall sharply in eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. In Japan, the major market for the species, a single fish can command prices of up to $100,000.
"The difference now is that it (plan) is permanent, not temporary, and nobody is arguing any more about quotas. We now have complete clarity and are set up for 15 years from 2007," one official at the European Commission told reporters. Read more...

EU economies living beyond ecological means: WWF report

ENN November 19, 2007

The growing economic strength of the European Union has doubled the ecological pressure on the planet in the past 30 years, according to a WWF report.
“Just a generation ago much of Europe was an ecological creditor, using fewer resources than it had,” said Tony Long, Director of WWF’s European Policy Office. "But today Europe lives beyond its means. If the world’s citizens lived as Europeans, we would need 2.6 planets to provide the necessary resources and absorb the waste.”

All but three EU Members — Finland, Latvia and Sweden — run an ecological deficit. Read more...

Download the report, Europe 2007 - Gross Domestic Product and Ecological Footprint,

To Toyota Prius διαθέσιμο και ως ταξί

CityAuto, 9 Νοεμβρίου 2007

Παρουσιάστηκε η νέα γκάμα της Toyota σχετικά με τα αυτοκίνητα που προορίζονται για ταξί. Στη νέα γκάμα περιλαμβάνονται, εκτός από το Corolla με κινητήρα diesel και το Avensis, τα Corolla Verso και το υβριδικό Prius. Η εταιρία υποστηρίζει ότι το υβριδικό όχημα εξοικονομεί 1800€ το χρόνο σε σχέση με ένα συμβατικό ταξί.

Επισκεφτείτε τον ιστότοπο του Prius...

Επισκεφείτε το Club ιδιοκτητών και φίλων Toyota Prius...

The ten toes of paper's carbon footprint

Waste Management World, November 13, 2007

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has developed a Carbon Footprint Framework for paper and board products in response to the growing requests by paper buyers.
The carbon footprint of a product may be seen as a balance sheet of greenhouse gas emissions and removals (transfers to and from the atmosphere) and because these balance sheets usually cover more than CO2, the units of reporting are usually CO2 equivalents. The framework looks at direct and indirect emissions, carbon sequestration in forests and in products, the value of bio-energy and the concept of avoided emissions and proposes a common approach to deal with them. Read more...

Midwest governors sign climate change accord

ENN, November 15, 2007

Midwest U.S. states signed agreements on Thursday designed to cut greenhouse gases, promote energy conservation and fight global warming.
The third such pact between U.S. states means that nearly half of Americans will be living in areas covered by agreements designed to combat global warming, according to the Washington-based World Resources Institute. Read more...

CARMA: Carbon Monitoring for Action

At its core, Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a massive database containing information on the carbon emissions of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide. CARMA is the first global inventory of a major, emissions-producing sector of the economy. Visit the site...

Paying Farmers to Protect the Planet is Future: U.N.

ENN, November 15, 2007

Paying farmers to protect the environment -- rather than just for their produce -- will be an important way to ensure a rapidly increasing demand for food does not destroy the planet, a U.N. agency said on Thursday.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said paying for "environmental services" is set to be an important way to link two of humanity's greatest challenges: beating poverty and safeguarding the environment.
"(Farming) has the potential to degrade the Earth's land, water, atmosphere and biological resources -- or to enhance them -- depending on the decisions made by the more than 2 billion people whose livelihoods depend directly on crops, livestock, fisheries or forests," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. "Ensuring appropriate incentives for these people is essential," he said in his foreword to the agency's annual report "The State of Food and Agriculture" which focused on environmental payments. Read more...

U.N. Completes Carbon Trading Link Under Kyoto

ENN, November 14, 2007

Japan on Wednesday became the first country to take delivery of carbon offsets which it can use to help it stay within its binding greenhouse gas emissions limits under the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N. climate body said.
Last year Japan was 150 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, or some 13 percent, above its Kyoto limit of 1.2 billion tonnes. Japan was the first country to use the trading link, called the International Transaction Log (ITL), which the U.N. said became operational on Wednesday. Read more...

Ξανά κυνήγι...

ΣΚΑΪ.gr, 14/11/2007

Το "πράσινο φως" για το κυνήγι δίνει η νέα απόφαση που υπογράφηκε από τον υφυπουργό Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης Κώστα Κιλτίδη, μετά το θέμα που είχε δημιουργηθεί με την απόφαση του Συμβουλίου Επικρατείας, η οποία ανακαλούσε την προηγούμενη απόφαση του υπουργείου. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

California sues EPA to get tough CO2 rules on cars

MSNBC November 8, 2007

California sued the federal government on Thursday to force a decision about whether the state can impose the nation's first greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks.
More than a dozen other states are poised to follow California's lead if it is granted the waiver from federal law, presenting a challenge to automakers who would have to adapt to a patchwork of regulations.
"Our position is that it's time for EPA to either act or get out of the way," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram. Read more...

Concentrations of air pollutants constant despite drop in emissions

European Environment Agency, November 13, 2007

Concentrations of ozone and particulate matter, two harmful airborne pollutants, have not improved since 1997 despite substantial cuts in emissions of air pollutants across Europe, says a new EEA report, released today. Key points of the report:

• Estimates indicate that up to 43 % of the European urban population were exposed to PM10 concentrations in excess of the EU air quality limit value between 1990–2004. The worst affected areas were Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary as well as in the Po Valley in Italy and southern Spain.
• Up to 60 % of the European urban population was exposed to ozone concentrations in excess of the EU air quality limit values between 1990–2004. Exposure of crops and forests to ozone exceeded limit/critical values over very large areas of central and southern Europe.
• Human exposure to certain other potentially harmful air pollutants, sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and lead, has decreased markedly due to effective European air quality policies. This is particularly true with policies reducing emissions of SO2 from power and heat generation as well as CO and lead emissions from passenger cars. Download the report...

Disaster in Black Sea as storm sinks tanker

Guardian Unlimited, November 12 2007

The Black Sea region suffered its worst environmental disaster in years after an oil tanker sank in stormy weather last night. The bodies of five seamen have been recovered and up to 18 are still missing after the storm struck 10 ships in the Strait of Kerch, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Crewmen aboard the Russian oil tanker, the Volganeft-139, were rescued. It split in two and spilled at least 1,300 tonnes of oil. The severe weather prevented emergency workers from collecting the oil, which authorities said was sinking to the seabed. Read more...

Surprise! Surprise!

Στις 7 Νοεμβρίου, το ΥΠΕΧΩΔΕ ανακοίνωσε πρόστιμα ύψους 1,4 εκατ. ευρώ σε εταιρίες που δραστηριοποιούνται -και ρυπαίνουν- στην περιοχή του Ασωπού ποταμού.

Τις επόμενες ημέρες, εμφανίστηκαν πληρωμένες καταχωρήσεις σε διάφορες εφημερίδες, στις οποίες οι θιγόμενες εταιρίες εξέφραζαν την "έκπληξή" τους για τα πρόστιμα (1) (2)

Στις 9 Νοεμβρίου, το ΥΠΕΧΩΔΕ εκδίδει νέα ανακοίνωση, όπου εκφράζει την... έκπληξή του για την έκπληξη των εταιριών.

Ζούμε σε μία... εκπληκτική χώρα! Ελπίζω, όταν τελειώσουν οι 'εκπλήξεις' -και οι προσφυγές στα δικαστήρια- να μάθουμε ποιος τελικά ρυπαίνει τον Ασωπό -και πόσο θα πληρώσει γι' αυτό.

Παπούλιας: Λίκνο της δημοκρατίας το περιβάλλον

Ecocrete, 9/11/2007

Τον κώδωνα του κινδύνου για το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας εξαιτίας των αυξανόμενων περιβαλλοντικών προβλημάτων, έκρουσε ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας, Κάρολος Παπούλιας, επισημαίνοντας χαρακτηριστικά πως έχουμε φτάσει, ήδη, στην άκρη του γκρεμού. Τόνισε πως οι κυβερνήσεις πρέπει να προχωρήσουν άμεσα στην υιοθέτηση μέτρων για την αντιστροφή της πορείας, που οδηγεί στην καταστροφή του περιβάλλοντος, λέγοντας χαρακτηριστικά ότι «τώρα είναι η ώρα των αποφάσεων. Πρέπει να ενώσουμε τις δυνάμεις μας, ώστε να υπάρξουν ρητές δεσμεύσεις των κυβερνήσεων σε συγκεκριμένα μέτρα». Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Απαγορεύτηκε το κυνήγι σε όλη την Ελλάδα λόγω των καταστροφικών πυρκαγιών

In.gr, 10/11/2007

Tουλάχιστον ως τα Χριστούγεννα απαγόρευσε το Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας το κυνήγι σε όλη την Ελλάδα, μετά τις καταστροφικές πυρκαγιές του περασμένου καλοκαιριού, που «επέφεραν ανυπολόγιστες καταστροφές στο φυσικό περιβάλλον», όπως χαρακτηριστικά αναφέρουν οι δικαστές.
Σύμφωνα με Το Βήμα, οι σύμβουλοι Επικρατείας του Ε' τμήματος ανέστειλαν την απόφαση του υπουργού Ανάπτυξης, την οποία εξέδωσε στις 13/8/2007 και με την οποία επέτρεψε το κυνήγι για την περίοδο 2007-2008. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Fujitsu Siemens Says Entire Product Line Will Be Energy-Efficient

Environmental Leader, November 8, 2007

Speaking at its VisitIT forum in Berlin, Bernd Bischoff, CEO of Fujitsu Siemens Computers, said that the company’s entire product line would have an energy efficiency make over, PC World reports.
“We will be the first IT vendor to completely move to energy-efficient products. We will be the first to offer them without additional expense to the customer,” Bischoff said. Read more...

Energy needs 'to grow inexorably'

BBC News, November 7, 2007

The global demand for energy is set to grow inexorably through to 2030 if governments do not change their policies, warns a top energy official.
Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said such a rise would threaten energy security and accelerate climate change. He said energy needs in 2030 could be more than 50% above current levels, with fossil fuels still dominant. Read more...

Φωτοβολταϊκό μεγα-πάρκο σε εξαντλημένο λιγνιτωρυχείο της ΔΕΗ στη Μεγαλόπολη

Καθημερινή, 7/11/2007

Tο πράσινο φως για την εγκατάσταση ενός από τα μεγαλύτερα φωτοβολταϊκά πάρκα στον κόσμο έδωσε στη ΔEH το υπουργείο Aνάπτυξης. Tο σχέδιο προβλέπει την παραγωγή ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας από φωτοβολταϊκό σταθμό συνολικής ισχύος 50 MW, σε έκταση του ήδη εξαντληθέντος λιγνιτωρυχείου της ΔEH στην περιοχή Xωρεμίου Mεγαλόπολης. H ετήσια παραγωγή του υπολογίζεται σε 58.000.000 κιλοβατώρες καθαρής ενέργειας που καλύπτει τη συνολική κατανάλωση 28.000 νοικοκυριών, που αντιστοιχούν στο 42% των νοικοκυριών του νομού Aρκαδίας. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

US mayors meet on climate change

BBC News, November 2, 2007

More than 100 US mayors are attending a summit in the western city of Seattle to share and develop policies aimed at tackling climate change. Seattle's own mayor said it was up to individual cities to take on the principles of the Kyoto Protocol, which the US government has not signed up to.
"Our federal government has ignored the problem," Greg Nickels said. Read more...

Commission tightens screw on carbon market

EurActiv, October 26, 2007

In an apparent effort to avoid another collapse of the carbon market, the Commission has set an EU-wide CO2 cap of 2.08 billion tonnes for 2008-2012, giving member states 10% less CO2 allowances than requested for the second trading period. Seven states, including Hungary, Latvia, Malta and Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic, are taking the Commission to court on the grounds that the emissions caps being mandated by the EU executive for the period 2008-2012 will unduly harm their industries. Read more...

Η πρώτη κοσμοναύτης

Καθημερινή, 3/11/2007

Πριν από πενήντα χρόνια, σαν σήμερα, μια χαριτωμένη ημίαιμη σκυλίτσα με όρθια αυτιά, που τη μάζεψαν από κάποιο δρόμο της Μόσχας, έγινε το πρώτο γήινο πλάσμα ταξιδιώτης του διαστήματος και άνοιξε μία νέα σελίδα στην ανθρώπινη ιστορία. Ηταν ένα σύντομο και σίγουρα πολύ οδυνηρό ταξίδι για το καλοκάγαθο αδέσποτο, που όπως αποκαλύφθηκε το 2002 πέθανε λίγες ώρες μετά την εκτόξευση. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Replace all animal experiments in Europe

Διαδικτυακή συλλογή υπογραφών για τον τερματισμό των πειραμάτων σε ζώα, στα πλαίσια της αναθεώρησης της Οδηγίας 86/609/EEC

View the online petition...

Ανακοινώθηκαν τα αποτελέσματα περιβαλλοντικών ελέγχων 2004-2007

604 Έλεγχοι

306 Πρόστιμα

10,184 εκατομμύρια ευρώ

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Europeans Greener Than Americans

Environmental Leader, October 29, 2007

Europeans are 50 percent more likely than Americans to buy “green” products – from solar panels to hybrid cars to natural/organic foods, personal care and home products, according to the European LOHAS study based on a partnership between Porter Novelli and Natural Marketing Institute.
Survey results also found that Europeans are 25 percent more likely to recycle and more than 30 percent likely to influence their friends and family about the environment than Americans. Read more...

Colleges Get Graded On Sustainability

Environmental Leader, October 26, 2007

Colleges across the U.S. and Canada are stepping up green practices and policies, with more than two out of three schools improving performance over the last year, according to the new College Sustainability Report Card 2008 (PDF).
According to the report, the overall college sustainability leaders are Carleton College, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Middlebury College, University of Vermont, and University of Washington. Read more...

Power Plant Rejected Over Carbon Dioxide For First Time

Washington Post, October 19, 2007

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment yesterday became the first government agency in the United States to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a proposed coal-fired electricity generating plant, saying that the greenhouse gas threatens public health and the environment.
The decision marks a victory for environmental groups that are fighting proposals for new coal-fired plants around the country. It may be the first of a series of similar state actions inspired by a Supreme Court decision in April that asserted that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide should be considered pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Read more...

Read also: Big Coal slimes Kansas governor Sebelius

EU cuts back on biofuel crop subsidies

Planet2025 News, 24 October, 2007

A special farm aid scheme aimed at developing Europe's energy crop sector will be scaled back, after it emerged that farmers have already massively shifted production towards biofuels, overshooting a two million hectare target, the Commission has announced.
The amount of land for which farmers may receive a subsidy of €45 per hectare (ha) in exchange for planting energy crops (such as rapeseed or sugar beet that can be processed into biofuels for cars or biomass for heating or electricity) will be reduced after the scheme proved too popular, the Commission said on 17 October. Read more...