ALERT: Final Push Needed as Australia's Final Decision on Horrendous Tasmanian Pulp Mill Expected Soon- September 30, 2007 TAKE ACTION: Australian media reports that Australia's Federal Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, will be announcing this week whether the federal government will provide environmental approval for the proposed Tasmanian ancient forest fed pulp mill. As expected the Tasmanian state parliament recently rubber-stamped the project. However, Malcolm Turnbull then announced a six week extension to decide whether the federal environmental would approve the project. Of...http://forests.org/blog/2007/09/final_push_needed_as_australia.asp Australia and Africa Climate Disasters Preview of Global Future- September 28, 2007 Climate change is not some future abstraction that can be put off with a bit of piddling about now, it is here and killing now. Australia is undergoing one of its most severe droughts ever search; as agriculture is failing, whole towns are abandoned, and the government pays farmers to leave their land. Meanwhile in Africa, massive floods are washing away crops and entire villages more, as the poor pay the price for over-development by others as basic needs go unmet.http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/australia_and_africa_climate_d.asp Global Citizens Crave Climate Action, Who Will Lead- September 25, 2007 A new BBC poll finds 2 out of 3 respondents from 21 countries including big polluters such as the U.S., India and China believe "major steps starting very soon" need to be taken to combat global warming. Further, 8 in 10 accept that "human activity... is a significant cause of climate change." What is needed is not simply action, but radical action; policy adequate to save the climatic system and heal the biosphere. This will require massive reductions in energy use and emissions, achievable...http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/global_citizens_crave_climate.asp Corn and Rapeseed Biofuels Release More Greenhouse Gases Than Petroleum- September 22, 2007 Shockingly, a new scientific study finds that two prominent biofuels release more total greenhouse gases (GHG) more than burning comparable amounts of oil and petroleum. This is because their release of nitrous oxide -- a particularly potent GHG -- has been vastly underestimated. Corn based biofuel search, prevelant in the United States, was found to release up to 50% more GHGs than oil; and rapeseed based biofuel search which is the norm in Europe was found to release as much as 70% more GHGs..http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/corn_and_rapeseed_biofuels_rel.asp ALERT: Climate Protection Payments Must Avoid Deforestation of Ancient Rainforests AND Their Industrial Diminishment- September 21, 2007 TAKE ACTION: Selective logging diminishes primary and old-growth forests' carbon stores, ecosystems, and biodiversity; and has no place in proposed carbon market payments for rainforest and climate protection The concept of "avoided deforestation" -- whereby countries are paid to protect forests -- is the most promising rainforest and climate change policy development in years. It fights climate change at a low cost while preserving other ecosystem services, safeguarding biodiversity and...http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/alert_climate_protection_payme.asp World Protest Makes Ocean City Think Twice About Boardwalk- September 14, 2007 New Jersey based Friends of the Rainforest and Ecological Internet's campaign to stop the use of ancient rainforest timbers for boardwalk repairs is progressing nicely -- garnering media attention and already changing the city council's vote. An important precedent is being set that ancient rainforest timbers belong in rainforest canopies, not in construction projects and consumer products. You can still take action -- we are making a difference with every protest email we send and every new...http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2007/09/world_protest_makes_ocean_city.asp No Time for Further Climate Change Dithering- September 11, 2007 Scientists at Britain's MetOffice Hadley Centre have confirmed what many of us suspected. Given continuing delays in real efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the world will almost certainly exceed two degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, the point near where it is generally considered global heating will become particularly dangerous. And this does not fully factor in the potential for high impact events with greater levels of current uncertainty such as the melting.http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/no_time_for_further_climate_ch.asp |