The most populous country on the planet may also pose the biggest
threat to the global climate, according to recently released
statistics about coal production and consumption in China. Until a
few months ago, many energy experts hoped that the nation would have
a relatively limited impact on climate change, because its
state-owned companies were thought to be increasingly efficient and
coal use appeared to be declining steeply. But with the release of
the official government figures, cause for optimism has disappeared:
Coal use in China is growing faster than almost anywhere in the
world, and the International Energy Agency predicts that China's
increase in greenhouse gas emissions from 2000 to 2030 will almost
equal the increase in emissions in the entire industrialized world.
At the same time, sales of cars -- another major factor in greenhouse
emissions -- are also growing explosively in China, and home energy
use due to televisions, air-conditioning, and other electronics and
appliances is also on the rise.related info solar panel

ARCTIC CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
International Project Aims to Clean up Russian Arctic

A new international project to clean up the Russian Arctic was
unveiled in London today, and enviros say it's about time. Although
the entire Arctic suffers from contamination by poisonous heavy
metals, radioactive leaks, and industrial chemicals, the Russian
portion of the region is worse off than any other. The $30 million
project will clean up abandoned military bases, investigate the
feasibility of using algae to mop up oil spills, and seek ways to
unite environmental protection and economic benefits for indigenous
peoples. The Arctic environment is especially at risk from damage
caused by pollutants, because the extreme climate prevents the
breakdown of toxics.

straight to the source: BBC News, Richard Black, 22 Oct 2003

THAR AND THAR AND THAR SHE BLOWS
Southern Right Whales Rebounding in South African Waters

In a rare bit of good news about the marine environment, southern
right whales are making an impressive comeback in the waters of South
Africa. The mammals were pushed to the brink of extinction by
whaling until protections were put in place in 1935; in recent years,
annual counts off the South African coast have found steadily
increasing numbers. Last year, 845 right whales were counted, 169
more than in the previous year. Rebounding whale populations are
also a boon for South Africa's tourism industry. Globally, whale
watching generates some $1 billion annually, bringing 5 million
visitors to 87 nations, according to a 2000 study by the
International Fund for Animal Welfare. Whale watching from villages
along South Africa's coast is considered particularly eco-friendly
because no boats are needed; the animals can be seen in action from
the shore.

straight to the source: CNN.com, Reuters, 21 Oct 2003

ASIAN ELEPHANT HABITAT DEMISE: Wildlife experts recently met in Sri
Lanka to address "the shrinking natural habitat" of Asian elephants
that has "forced them into increased and often violent contact with
humans" says Planet Ark, Reuters 10/15. In Sri Lanka elephants have
been "reduced to scavenging for food in such places as a stinking
garbage dump" and they are being "shot, snared, electrocuted, run into
by trains, poisoned in retaliation" because illegal logging and human
encroachment have driven them out of their wild habitat. In south
India, so many male elephants are being selectively poached for their
tusks that the ratio of male to female has dropped from a normal 1 to 2
to one adult male to 20 to 30 females.
THE BEES' KNEES ARE KNOCKING
Major British Study Pans GM Crops as Harmful to Wildlife

Bad news just keeps on coming for British backers of genetically
modified foods, a group whose most high-profile member is Prime
Minister Tony Blair. The latest: A three-year government
investigation billed as the world's largest study of the
environmental effects of GM crops has found that birds, bees,
butterflies, and other wildlife in farm areas are harmed much more by
the strong herbicides used with GM crops than by the weedkillers used
in conventional farming. This could throw a wrench into British
government plans to authorize the planting of GM crops in the
country, and it's likely to bolster support for a Europe-wide GM ban.
Also this week, biotech giant Monsanto, with its proverbial tail
between its legs, announced that it is shutting down many of its
European operations and laying off two-thirds of its employees in
Britain.

straight to the source: London Independent, Michael McCarthy, 17 Oct 2003