Inside A Green Mind

Seaweeds eyed to power local cars

2010-03-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

SEAWEEDS.

Those slimy and otherwise unsightly plant-like organisms that are frequently washed ashore may be one of the country’s last hopes to be less dependent on imported fuel.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, who chairs the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (Comste) recently announced that his group along with the Department of Science and Technology, is partnering with the Korean government in initiating seaweed biofuel cooperative ventures in the provinces of Aurora, Quirino and Isabela in Luzon and Bohol in the Visayas.

A Korean firm has already developed a marine farm in Talibon town in Bohol and and to jumpstart the project the same firm is planning to put up a US$150-million (P6.9 billion) facility for seaweed-based ethanol extraction, biomass power generation and organic fertilizer production.

Angara explained that unlike the ethanol derived from sugarcane or corn, seaweed-derived ethanol is cheaper to produce and much less is required to make the biofuel, making it an ideal candidate for large-scale production.

Ethanol is blended into automotive gasoline to increase octane rating and to reduce certain environmentally undesirable emissions from the automotive engines.

No pre-treatment
Unlike the ethanol derived from sugarcane or corn, seaweed-derived ethanol does not contain lignin that impedes in the processing of sugar conversion to usable fuel. As a result no pre-treatment is needed before it can be turned into ethanol.

The resulting ethanol could be directly added to the gasoline used in cars without engine modification.

All modern non-diesel cars are certified to run on the most common blend of ethanol, called E10, which is about 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol by volume (E85, a much higher ethanol blend of about 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, is only for vehicles specifically designated “flex fuel”).

Cost efficient
Seaweed is proving to be more cost efficient and advantageous than other sources of biofuel like sugarcane and corn, which are currently the more popular sources of biofuels (by the way, biofuels are fuels derived from biological materials, which are renewable and more environment-friendly compared to those derived from petroleum or coal).

“But since every hectare used to cultivate these sugarcane or corn uses one that could grow food—potentially causing food shortages and pushing up prices—there are strong objections to the use of food crops for the production of fuel,” Angara said.

Indeed cultivating seaweeds is more practical as it grows much faster—up to 10 times faster than sugar cane—allowing up to six harvests per year.

Angara believed the use of seaweed as the raw material for biofuel production is expected to draw support even from environmentalists, who recently criticized the use of land-based raw materials as having caused massive deforestation across the world’s tropical forests.

Furthermore, he presented other collateral advantages of cultivating seaweeds:
One of seaweed’s true values is that many strains of the algae could be grown in salt water and thus, their cultivation is not politically sensitive as producing them do not encroach on lands used for food crops
Seaweeds do not require soil, and are already provided with all the water they need, a major advantage over land production of biofuels since water is the most limiting factor for most agricultural expansion, especially at times when there is a threat of water shortage like now.
Seaweed-derived ethanol absorbs seven times more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and, thus, have greater contribution to climate change.
Many biotech companies around the world are already working and have succeeded on using seaweeds to produce ethanol so the groups here in the Philippines have plenty of resources as to which would be most viable here

Useful byproducts
Angara said seaweeds have also many other useful byproducts, such as animal feed, fertilizer, soil conditioner and cosmetics (at present, the Philippines is the world top producer and exporter of processed seaweeds).

The former Agriculture secretary said “a mini agro-industrial complex could spring close to the seaweed farm like poultry and piggery, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, biopharmaceutical facilities and ecotourism destinations.

“This is a fertile source of livelihood and agri-business investments and the potential for energizing and invigorating poor rural communities is both tremendous and tantalizing,” he considered.

Partnership
Angara said the partnership came into being after the Philippines signed into law Republic Act 9513 or the Philippine Renewable Energy Law in 2008 (which he principally authored).

At the same time, a breakthrough came two years ago when the Korean Institute for Industrial Technology was able to find a way to find a way to extract ethanol from seaweeds.

Interest in seaweeds have grown i recent years because it was calculated that less than three percent of the world’s oceans would be needed to fully use seaweeds as substitute for fossil fuels.

This is equivalent to about 20 percent of the land area that is currently used in agriculture.

“Indeed, the lowly seaweeds can help save the Philippines from the looming power shortage while helping develop the coastal communities by attracting investments for sea farming. This project with Korea is just the beginning of many more international ventures on green energy,” Angara said.

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Near wasteland to a thriving wetland

2008-12-23T02:02:00.000-08:00

SOME 6,000 endangered tree species were recently planted at the La Mesa Watershed Reservoir in an effort to enrich forest life in the area. Another 8,000 rare and endemic ones will be planted in the next three years.

The trees that were planted were mostly indigenous hard wood such as narra, dao, dungon, amugis, molave, tindalo, kalumpit, banaba, kamagong, ipil and kusebeng.

Their presence provides a rich diversity that will serve to stabilize the watershed ecosystem. The trees are key to establishing solid forest stands, according to Deutsche Knowledge System (DKS), the Deutsche Bank Group’s (DBG) primary global shared service center.

Carbon neutral

Independently operating from Deutsche Bank Philippines, DKS is a fully owned subsidiary that acts as a finance hub for the bank.

The goal of DKS is to attain “carbon neutrality” in three years by planting 14,000 trees in over 56 hectares of wetlands—part of what is considered to be Metro Manila’s “biggest forest.”

In August, DKS partnered with ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan (BK), to “adopt” 56 hectares of the 2,700-hectare La Mesa Watershed.

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Climate protesters cause chaos at Stansted

2008-12-23T01:44:00.000-08:00

ONDON (AFP) – Environmental activists cut through a fence and took over a runway at Stansted airport on Monday forcing the cancellation of more than 50 flights.

Stansted Airport closed its only runway for about three hours, re-opening around 8:00 a.m. after police arrested 57 people who had breached the perimeter fence using bolt-cutters under cover of darkness.

The protest prompted budget Irish airline Ryanair, which cancelled more than 50 flights, to call for an urgent review of security at the airport which serves as its main hub.

The Plane Stupid protest group was demonstrating against the government's decision to allow the airport to build a second runway.

One activist, Lily Kember, 21, said protesters entered the airport, erected fencing around themselves and were able to sit on a site near where airplanes taxi before taking off and landing.

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Going green can help save economy: Schwarzenegger

2008-12-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

PARIS (AFP) – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told UN delegates locked in climate talks on Monday that the world economic crisis should not slow down the fight against global warming.

"There are some people who say that we can't afford the fight against global warming while our economies are down, but the exact opposite is true," he told some 10,000 delegates in Poznan, Poland in a video message.

"The green rules and regulations that will help save our planet will also revive our economies," he said.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is charged with hammering out for a new global climate pact by the end of next year.

"There is far more economic risk in the status quo -- wasting energy, burning fossil fuels and destroying forests -- than there is in fighting climate change by developing clean, renewable energy and saving forests," the governor said.

Schwarzenegger announced he would attend the UN climate summit in Copenhagen next December, the deadline set for reaching a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, whose provisions expire in 2012.

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Bianca star power lights up forest issue at climate talks

2008-12-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – Pop culture icon turned social activist Bianca Jagger pleaded at UN climate talks Monday on behalf of tropical forests, one of the planet's great natural barriers against global warming.

The ex-supermodel and former wife of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger also had harsh words for outgoing US President George W. Bush, saying his administration had undermined the fight to curb carbon pollution.

"We cannot tackle the issue of climate change unless we understand the crucial role that forest plays," said Bianca, who has championed the rights of the downtrodden for nearly three decades.

Preventing deforestation is crucial "not because we love the forest, not because of the biodiversity, but because it is pivotal for the survival of mankind," she told AFP in an interview.

The relentless destruction of tropical forests in the Amazon, Asia and central Africa account for upwards of 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that drive rising global temperatures.

Negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) are looking for a way to compensate tropical nations that halt deforestation, or at least slow it down.

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Live Earth concert in Mumbai cancelled

2008-12-22T02:01:00.000-08:00

MUMBAI, India -- Live Earth India, a concert scheduled for December 7 in Mumbai to raise money for solar energy projects, has been cancelled due to the terror attacks in the city, organizers said Saturday.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are saddened to announce that Live Earth India has been called off," said a statement from organizers, including former United States vice-president and Live Earth co-founder Al Gore.

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SMBA denies tree-cutting report

2008-12-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority would protect trees inside the free port and exert all efforts to save these amid the development of a $120-million hotel-casino, a top SBMA official said.

“We won’t stand for the cutting of trees. Definitely, we won’t allow it,” said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

He said news reports saying the project would destroy some 300 trees in the two-hectare waterfront site were speculative.

The Korean-backed project, he said, is “a critical infrastructure in Subic’s bid to attract more foreign tourists.”

Arreza said the SBMA has asked the project proponent, Grand Utopia Inc., that the trees should be saved and incorporated in the development plan.

Architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. had said that he was initially tapped by Grand Utopia to design the project but he backed out when he found out that the management intended to cut trees.

Arreza said the trees were still intact and all that Grand Utopia had done was to fence the area and inventory the number of trees in preparation for “balling” or transplanting.

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EPA officials didn't violate lobbying laws, audit finds

2008-12-22T01:39:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency officials didn't violate anti-lobbying laws amid a high-stakes campaign over California's request for permission to strictly regulate greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles, federal investigators have concluded.

Rejecting charges by conservatives, the investigators said two top agency officials acted legally when they conveyed information to former EPA Administrator William Reilly , who supported California's clean-air waiver request. Reilly, a moderate Republican, was EPA administrator under former President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.

" EPA staff did not engage in any effort to influence a member of Congress or other covered official," the EPA's Office of Inspector General concluded in a new audit.

The latest investigation may close out the controversy over what happened as the current Bush administration considered California's waiver request. The clean-air waiver proposal itself, though, remains alive and kicking.

California lawmakers are now urging President-elect Barack Obama to reconsider the clean-air waiver, which EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson , a Bush appointee, rejected in December 2007 .

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Eat camels to protect environment, Aussies told

2008-12-22T01:37:00.000-08:00

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australians were urged Tuesday to eat camels to stop them wreaking environmental havoc, just months after being told to save the world from climate change by consuming kangaroos.

A three-year study has found that Australia's population of more than a million feral camels -- the largest wild herd on earth -- is out of control and damaging fragile desert ecosystems and water sources.

The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, which produced the report, plans to serve camel meat at a barbecue for senior public servants in Canberra on Wednesday to press its point.

Report co-author Professor Murray McGregor said a good way to bring down the number of camels was to eat them.

"Eat a camel today, I've done it," he told the national AAP news agency.

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Town sues banana firm for pollution

2008-12-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

COTABATO CITY -- The local government of Magpet, North Cotabato has sued one of the country's major banana producers over its disposal of suspected toxic wastes in at least two villages.

Mayor Efren Piñol said Saturday that toxic chemical wastes from the plantation of AJMR Holdings had leaked into the villages of Basak and Datu Celo, and that the company has allegedly not done anything about it.

The two villages are near the company's banana plantation at the foot of Mt. Apo.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) repeatedly tried but failed to reach officials of AJMR in Davao City.

AJMR is a holding company of the AMS Group of Companies, which counts Sumifru Corp. of Japan as one of its major shareholders.

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Finance ministers debate climate change in Poland

2008-12-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

WARSAW, Poland – Finance ministers and top officials from 15 nations have opened two days of talks on what financial measures should be used in the global fight against climate change.

Polish Finance Minister Jan Rostowski is hosting his counterparts from France, Denmark and Norway, and high-ranking officials from Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and other nations.

They will discuss how climate change influences national economies and how economic policy can affect the environment.

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EU agrees renewable energy to provide a fifth of needs by 2020

2008-12-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

BRUSSELS (AFP) – EU governments and the European Parliament agreed Tuesday on a bill obliging Europe to use renewable sources for 20 percent of its energy needs by 2020, negotiators told AFP.

The goal, which will require major efforts from most member states, is part of a wider EU climate change package which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and make 20 percent cuts in energy use.

The total package will be thrashed out by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, but agreement on the renewables target will make that task a little easier.

The deal will mean significant European investment in wind, wave, solar and, where possible geothermal power,

The negotiators -- from the 27 member states, the EU commission and the European Parliament -- notably agreed on the use of biofuels, which the green lobby has criticised as "wrong-headed" due to the farming land which will be required.

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Climate talks to fail without tough CO2 goals: U.N.

2008-12-21T01:35:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (Reuters) – The United States and other rich nations must pledge by the end of next year specific targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to win agreement on a U.N. climate pact, the U.N.'s top climate official said on Tuesday.

Some analysts say that President-elect Barack Obama may not be ready to set formal emissions targets for 2020 within a year, and that economic recession could delay an end-2009 deadline by 190 nations for agreement on a new U.N. global warming pact.

"We have to have numbers on the table from industrialized countries (by the end of 2009) otherwise the other dominoes won't fall," Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat said during December 1-12 talks on global warming.

Poor nations such as China and India would not sign up for more action to slow their rising emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, without leadership from the rich, he told a news conference during U.N. talks of 11,000 delegates in Poznan.

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So what’s gov’t doing?

2008-12-20T01:57:00.000-08:00

I wonder what the national government is doing in relation to climate change. Many nations are now worried about global warming, but it seems that our national leaders are more concerned with their personal interests. I dread the day when all of us will find ourselves flatfooted, unable to protect our people and our territory from the adverse effects of climate change.

I learned that the sea level in Bangladesh is rising because of global warming and thus the country now faces more—even worse—floods. Scientists report that global sea level is rising by 3 mm (about 1/8 inch) per year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates 18-59 centimeters of sea level rise. What about in our country? What is our sea level now? What are our responses to climate change?

Allow me to quote findings sourced from the “Windows to the Universe” of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Michigan): “How does global warming cause sea level to rise? There are two reasons: First, when climate warms, water that is on land in glaciers and ice sheets melts and makes its way down rivers to the ocean. Second, as seawater warms, the water molecules move further apart which makes the water take up more space. Scientists suspect that more than half of sea level rise today is due to warmed and expanded sea water.”

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Climate still a top concern amid crisis

2008-12-20T01:32:00.000-08:00

LONDON, United Kingdom -- The environment remains a top concern despite the financial crisis, according to a global poll published Wednesday that finds 43 percent see climate change as a bigger problem than the economy.

HSBC bank's second annual report on environmental concerns reveals residents of a dozen countries surveyed would like to see their governments take more decisive action to fight global warming.

Three quarters of those polled -- 78 percent -- wanted their countries to reduce their "fair share" of greenhouse gas emissions.

A further 55 percent of people believed their government should invest in renewable energy, and 27 percent said they should take part in talks for a new international climate deal.

However, despite their appetite for government action, respondents appear less willing to change their own lives than in last year's poll.

Forty-seven percent said they were ready to change their lifestyle, compared to 58 percent in 2007. And only 20 percent said they were prepared to spend more for the environment, compared to 28 percent a year earlier.

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New rules threaten tuna extinction

2008-12-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

GENEVA--Environmental campaigners on Wednesday condemned a new agreement on bluefish tuna fishing quotas, warning that the species still risked extinction because the deal did not go far enough.

"The fishing quota agreed by the ICCAT is incredibly shortsighted," said Francois Simard, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"It exceeds the recommended fishing level by 50 percent," said Simard, the IUCN's adviser on fisheries and maritime affairs.

He was reacting to a move Monday by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to freeze fishing capacity at 2007-2008 levels.

It also decided to limit farming capacity in 2009 to 2007-2008 levels and cut them thereafter.

ICCAT members agreed to ban all imports or exports of bluefin tuna not covered from sources that were either a national or international vessel.

The European Commission said Tuesday this would mean that bluefin tuna fishing will have to be cut by 30 percent over two years in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

ICCAT, brings together 46 major fishing nations ranging from Japan to the United States and Norway, also agreed to set up peer-review system to make sure that eveyone was complying with the power to slap quotas on violators.

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Greenpeace urges Tokyo to end 'persecution' of anti-whaling activists

2008-12-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

TOKYO (AFP) – Environmental group Greenpeace on Tuesday condemned as "political persecution" Japan's arrest of two activists who face trial on charges of stealing whale meat during an investigation into alleged corruption in the whaling industry.

Greenpeace representatives from Japan, Europe, the United States, Brazil and Australia presented a letter for Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso "calling for the end to the political persecution" of the activists in a visit to coincide with human rights day on Wednesday.

The two Japanese Greenpeace members go on trial early next year on charges of stealing whale meat during their investigation.

"We want Prime Minister Aso to know that if Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are to be tried for exposing whale meat embezzlement and working to end the killing of whales... then we should all be arrested," said Greenpeace Japan's Jun Hoshikawa.

Sato, one of Greenpeace's most high profile spokesmen in Japan, and Suzuki are on bail after being arrested in June. They face 10 years in prison if convicted, according to Greenpeace.

They took part in a lengthy investigation in which Greenpeace charged that whalers on the taxpayer-backed hunt had taken meat home and sold it on the black market.

Environmentalists and most Western nations strongly oppose Japan's whaling. The country kills hundreds of whales each year in the name of research, with the meat nonetheless ending up on dinner tables.

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NY's Great White Way goes green

2008-12-19T01:25:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK -- New York's Great White Way turned a shade greener Tuesday as Broadway announced plans for making theaters more environmentally sound.

Broadway leaders joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Eugene O'Neill Theater to commit to wider efforts meant to reduce the city's carbon footprint by a third over two decades, the mayor's office said.

Switching light bulbs in the dazzling street displays, recycling stage scenery, and washing costumes in cold water are some of the steps promised by theater-land.

"Nearly a quarter of Broadway theaters have already switched the theaters' marquee lights to more energy-efficient bulbs and the remaining theaters have pledged to do so within the next 12 months," Bloomberg said.

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Greenpeace tries softer anti-whaling approach

2008-12-19T01:23:00.000-08:00

TOKYO – Environmentalists in the icy seas, risking life and limb to save whales from the harpoons of Japanese hunters — it makes for good headlines in the West and has even spawned a TV series, "Whale Wars."

But such efforts by environmental groups like Greenpeace have done nothing to slow Japan's annual whale hunt, which kills about 1,000 a year.

So the organization is taking a softer approach to its anti-whaling campaign in Japan, where many don't approve of protests and civil disruption.

Japan's whaling fleet left last month for its annual hunt in the Antarctic Ocean, but for the first time in years no Greenpeace vessels were in pursuit.

At a subdued event in Tokyo on Tuesday, directors from Greenpeace offices worldwide gathered to protest Japan's continued whale hunts and the treatment of two of its anti-whaling activists who were arrested for stealing whale meat.

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EU loan to reduce climate change

2008-12-19T01:21:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines -- The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to lend the Philippine government 50 million euros ($64.7 million) to help reduce climate change, officials said Tuesday.

The EIB, the lending arm of the European Union, will extend the facility to the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines "which will manage a credit line for projects linked with climate change mitigation," said EIB vice-president Carlos Da Silva Costa.

This credit line will be open to "local enterprises, local cooperatives and local governments" that have projects that could slow down global warming and climate change, he told AFP in Manila.

This could include reforestation, water treatment, renewable energy and improved efficiency, especially in the transport sector, he said.

"It depends on the policy of the country and the willingness of the actors," Da Silva Costa said, adding that the European Union would also assist by providing technical expertise and advice.

The EIB has already extended a 500-million euro facility to China for climate change mitigation, he said, adding this had gone into loans for wind farms, reforestation and energy efficiency projects.

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About the carbon footprint

2008-12-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

JUST as a footprint is a mark or an impression left by a foot, all our human activities leave marks on our planet. Unfortunately, most of the human activities over the last 50 years have negative effects on the environment, particularly the buildup of carbon dioxide or carbon emissions, the main cause of global warming. This mark that we leave is referred to as our carbon footprint.

What is the carbon footprint? It is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that each individual, organization or community produces or uses.

Some sectors are quick to point out that the term “footprint” actually refers to the amount of forest cover required to remove the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas that a person or organization emits.

Whichever way we define it, this buildup of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, is responsible for trapping the sun’s heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, forming the so-called “greenhouse effect,” a natural phenomenon that explains why the Earth is warm.

Under normal conditions, these greenhouse gases are beneficial by maintaining the Earth’s average temperature to a more hospitable 60 degrees F. However, when the concentration is too high, we experience the dangerous rise in temperatures that has begun for us today. This is the reason for present extreme and unpredictable weather conditions.

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Tutu, Johansson urge rich nations to lead on climate change

2008-12-18T01:19:00.000-08:00

LONDON (AFP) – Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu led a group of singers, writers, actors and campaigners in urging rich nations Tuesday to lead the way in tackling global warming to protect the world's poor.

In a letter to The Times, 19 signatories including broadcaster David Attenborough, actress Scarlett Johansson and singer Annie Lennox said developed nations must "show leadership" at UN climate talks in Poznan, Poland this week.

"Wealthy nations, who are in their advantaged position because of heavy industrialisation, are the most responsible and most able to lead the world in tackling climate change," says the letter, organised by Oxfam.

"This is why they must show leadership in Poland and provide solutions that have the interests of the world's poor at their heart."

It notes the effects of global warming are hitting the poor the hardest, citing the damage wrought by more intense and frequent monsoons in Bangladesh, and the difficulties that changing weather patterns pose to Ugandan farmers.

"Rich countries must lead the way to cut emissions now so that all countries take their fair share of responsibility and act to keep global warming exceeding two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels," it says.

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Greenpeace: Go renewable, not nuclear

2008-12-18T01:17:00.000-08:00

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The environmental group Greenpeace has opposed a proposal in the Senate to re-commission the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in Morong, Bataan, urging the senators to push instead for the use of renewable sources to ensure energy security.

Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace media campaigner in Southeast Asia, Sunday said the group had submitted its position paper to all the senators.

“There has been no official reply so far,” Guerrero said.

Greenpeace prepared the position paper in reaction to Senate Bill 2665 or an Act Mandating the Immediate Re-Commissioning and Commercial Operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Completed in 1984 during the regime of strongman Ferdinand Marcos and mothballed in 1986 during the term of President Corazon Aquino, the 620-megawatt plant has not produced a single watt of electricity. Located 165 km south of Manila and towering on Napot Point on Mt. Natib, the BNPP is the country’s only nuclear power plant.

Introduced by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Oct. 17, the bill aims to “revisit and utilize the nuclear power option” to address global warming and the expected shortfall in the electric generating capacity of the country in 2012.

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UN climate chief downbeat about a complete deal for 2009

2008-12-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – The UN's climate chief on Tuesday sounded caution over hopes that a new treaty to tackle global warming would be fully wrapped up by the end of 2009.

Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said it was possible only "the key political issues" would be nailed down by this deadline and further talks would be needed to complete the details of the accord.

"We won't see a fully elaborated, long-term agreement in Copenhagen in 2009. It won't be feasible," de Boer told a press conference here.

More than 10,000 delegates have gathered in Poznan for the December 1-12 UNFCCC meeting, which aims to advance towards a treaty taking effect from the end of 2012, when provisions expire under Kyoto Protocol.

According to the so-called Bali Roadmap, endorsed by the 192-member UNFCCC conference in Indonesia last year, the new accord should be completed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

"We should be careful not to reach too far and achieve nothing," de Boer said on Tuesday ahead of a ministerial-level phase of the talks, taking place Thursday and Friday.

"What we need to achieve in Copenhagen is clarity on the key political issues, so that everything after Copenhagen is about settling the details rather than negotiating the fundamentals," he said.

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Saving the earth in Barcelona

2008-12-18T01:14:00.000-08:00

BARCELONA—In this beautiful city where Antoni Gaudí and Pablo Picasso found peace and inspiration, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held its 4th World Conservation Congress early last month, in the hope of finding ways to save the world from extinction.

Indeed, earth as we know it faces the greatest challenge ever. The arctic ice is melting fast, species have begun to disappear even before they are identified, water and food shortages are plaguing many countries.

Almost all of the world’s forests have been logged, and the remaining few are at risk of destruction.

Water, the resource of all life and once so bountiful, is drying up.

The oceans, the last frontier that once had bountiful marine resources, are now a garbage dump, with 150 dead zones at last count. These dead zones have ran out of oxygen, thereby killing marine species. The home of Moby Dick and the great whales are now in danger of losing all life.

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Panda attacks student in Chinese park

2008-12-17T01:13:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, China -- A college student was attacked by a panda in a south China park after climbing a fence and trying to hug the endangered animal in its enclosure, state media reported Saturday.

The student, identified only by his surname Liu, was in hospital recovering from multiple bites to his arms and legs after being attacked by the panda named Yang Yang on Friday in the park in the Guangxi region, Xinhua news agency said.

Liu climbed a two-meter-high (yard) fence into Yang Yang's enclosure in an effort to hug the animal, which is widely recognized as a symbol of China, it said.

"Yang Yang was so cute and I just wanted to cuddle him," the report quoted the 20-year-old as saying.

"I didn't expect he would attack...I don't remember how many bites I got."

Pandas have a wild streak and are capable of attacking humans, especially if they feel threatened, experts say.

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Hot rocks: Africa's Rift Valley is geothermal gold mine

2008-12-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – Pilot drilling using new technology has revealed awesome potential for geothermal power in East Africa's Great Rift Valley, the UN talks on climate change heard here on Tuesday.

Engineers using new seismic tools to locate hot spots hit powerful veins of steam, warmed by heat from Earth's core, near the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, according to a press conference hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Several wells have been identified, most of them generating four to five megawatts of electricity, while one has a "bumper" capacity of eight megawatts, they said.

"The energy doesn't come from an oil tanker," GEF Chief Executive Officer Monique Barbut said.

"This is a story that has been frankly under-reported... it's a nice change of pace from all the doom and gloom stories you have been hearing about."

The geothermal potential from the Rift Valley is "at least 7,000 megawatts," providing a mighty contribution to the energy needs of 12 countries in East Africa, she said.

Under geothermal, superheated water from underground reservoir is drawn to the surface, where it can be harnessed for several uses according to the temperature.

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52 whales die in Australia

2008-12-17T01:09:00.000-08:00

SYDNEY, Australia -- Fifty-two pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on Tasmania's northwest coast, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Saturday.

Thirteen whales were still alive on Anthony's Beach at Stanley on the island south of the Australian mainland, and wildlife rangers and volunteers were trying to stabilize them, the broadcaster said.

"People are moving water around them, people are stopping them from drying and stopping them from getting sun-burnt because their biggest problem is they get overheated," said Parks and Wildlife official Chris Arthur.

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Not waving but drowning: Island states plead at UN talks

2008-12-17T01:06:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – Dozens of small island nations threatened by climate change have taken their case to the UN talks here, saying rising seas are already lapping at their shores and may eventually wash some of their number off the map.

An alliance of 43 tropical island states has set down proposals for capping global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.4 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial times.

The move is bold and could prove diplomatically troublesome at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks, say some observers.

As it is, the conference is still a long way from endorsing an even more modest target of two degrees Celsius (3.6 F) championed by the European Union (EU) and most green groups.

"Two degrees is simply too high," said Grenada's Leon Charles, chairman of the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), collectively home to 41 million people.

"It is not a sector that needs to be adjusted -- we are talking about the survival of countries," he told AFP in an interview.

The new president of the Maldives, Mohamed Anni Nasheed, has said his government will begin saving now to buy a new homeland for his people to flee to in the future.

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Organic farming info now online

2008-12-17T01:04:00.000-08:00

I read Ceres Doyo’s Nov. 13 column on going organic and I thought it was great.

Going organic is not just using organic fertilizer. (The practice needs a lot of composting materials, depending on the crop being grown.) In going organic, one should also consider other cultural practices—soil/water management, the control of pests, diseases, weeds, among others.

I want to share with Doyo and her readers the project I am working on with Pesticide Action Network Germany (PAN Germany), which is the alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Organic farming is being promoted but there are only a few publications on alternatives to pesticides being offered for free to the farmers. Hence, I want to share with you OISAT (Online Information Service for Non-chemical Management for the Tropics, www.oisat.org). OISAT recommends various ways to control the non-poisonous pests—and in cheaper ways. It has two components: OISAT Info and OISAT PartnerNetwork.

OISAT Info is a web-based information tool offering trainers, extension workers and farmers quick access to up-to-date information relative to their work, including organizing agricultural learning processes in order to minimize pest damage in a safer, more effective and ecologically sound way. Its structure is based on the cropping season of the major crops, indicating key pests for each growth stage and plant part. It also offers detailed, basic and practical information on preventive and curative pest management practices. The descriptions contain illustrations, photographs and clear advice, together with a glossary of technical terms.

The existence of OISAT Info on the Internet is not effective enough as a means of reaching out to farmers. Therefore, it would be nice for people like Doyo, who have vast connections, to help disseminate online information on non-chemical pest management.

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A CLEAR step towards environmental care

2008-12-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

LAKE TRASIMENO, Italy—“Bellissimo...un’ottima idea.”

Like their Italian hosts, foreign delegates to the just-concluded 12th Living Lakes international conference here cited the Philippines’ business-government-NGO tripartite CLEAR as a “best practice example” in lake conservation.

Short for the Conservation of Laguna de Bay Environment and Resources, CLEAR groups consumer goods giant Unilever Philippines, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and the nongovernment Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands (SCPW).

It was CLEAR that facilitated the entry of Laguna de Bay to the prestigious Living Lakes global network during its 2001 summit, held at Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia, Russia.

Marion Hammerl, president of the Germany-based Global Nature Fund, which created Living Lakes in 1998, called CLEAR “the best example of cooperation among the three sectors in the field of lake conservation.”

“It’s a one-of-a-kind ... example, one that has remained unmatched in the (10-year) history of Living Lakes,” Hammerl told the Inquirer. “We are motivating other network partners to follow the Philippine example.”

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Scientists try to mitigate climate change effects

2008-12-16T01:03:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland – Scientists studying the changing nature of the Earth's climate say they have completed one crucial task — proving beyond a doubt that global warming is real.

Now they have to figure out just what to do about it.

"It is critical for us to get a much better understanding of the impact of climate change in some parts of the world," Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

Scientific warnings of potential catastrophe have been the backdrop for talks among more than 10,000 delegates and environmentalists negotiating a treaty to control the emission of greenhouse gases, which have grown by 70 percent since 1970. The treaty, due to be completed in one year, would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Pachauri said he was concerned that negotiators were sparring and probing — and leaving key decisions for the last moment.

"My concern is that if we leave everything to the end, we might end up with a weak agreement that doesn't really address the problem," he said.

Last year, Pachauri's IPCC, which collected the work of more than 2,000 scientists, said climate change is "unequivocal, is already happening, and is caused by human activity."

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Obama vows to end global warming 'denial' after Gore talks

2008-12-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO (AFP) – President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday his administration would brook no further delay in tackling climate change after discussing global warming with former vice president Al Gore.

Sitting between Gore and his vice president-elect Joseph Biden following the hour-long meeting, Obama told reporters: "All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over. The time for denial is over.

"We all believe what the scientists have been telling us for years now, that this is a matter of urgency and national security, and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That is what I intend my administration to do," he said.

Since his defeat in the 2000 presidential election, Gore has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his relentless efforts to combat climate change and starred in an Oscar-winning documentary called "An Inconvenient Truth."

Gore is thought unlikely to figure in Obama's incoming administration, which takes office on January 20.

But the climate change crusader is winning a respectful new audience for his views as Obama promises to unwind the environmental policies of President George W. Bush despite an economic recession hitting the United States.

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Carbon Footprint

2008-12-16T00:50:00.000-08:00

JUST as a footprint is simply a mark or an impression left by a foot, all our human activities leave marks on our planet. Unfortunately, most of the human activities over the last 50 years have negative effects on the environment, particularly the buildup of carbon dioxide or carbon emissions which is the main cause of global warming. This mark that we leave is referred to as our carbon footprint.

What is carbon footprint?

It is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that each individual, organization or community produces or uses.

Some sectors are quick to point out that the term “footprint” actually refers to the amount of forest cover required to remove the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas that a person or organization emits.

Whichever way we define it, this buildup of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, is responsible for trapping the sun’s heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, forming the so-called “greenhouse effect,” a natural phenomenon that explains why the Earth is warm.

Under normal conditions, these greenhouse gases are beneficial by maintaining the Earth’s average temperature to a more hospitable 60 degrees F. However, when the concentration is too high, we may experience a dangerous rise in temperatures as we are already experiencing today. This is the reason we have extreme and unpredictable weather conditions.

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2008-12-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Ten Makati public markets will turn “green” today with the city government’s “Palit-Ilaw” caravan, which will replace all incandescent bulbs with efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).

Department of Environmental Services chief Danilo Villas said they will turn over 20-watt CFLs and 36-watt T8 fluorescent lamps to the market administrators of Bangkal, Palanan, Pio del Pilar, Poblacion, Sacramento, Tejeros, Comembo, Comembo Commercial Complex, Guadalupe Commercial Market and Kalayaan.

The energy-efficient project was in line with Makati’s campaign to reduce greenhouse emissions that contribute to global warming, he said.

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1/5 of coral reefs already lost, much more feared

2008-12-15T22:52:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland – The world has lost nearly one-fifth of its coral reefs and much of the rest could be destroyed by increasingly acidic seas if climate change continues unchecked, an environmental group warned Wednesday.

Global warming and the rising temperature of the oceans are the latest and most serious threats to coral, already damaged by destructive fishing methods and pollution, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said.

"The world has lost about 19 percent of its coral reefs during the last 20 years," said IUCN's director general, Julia Marton-Lefevre, on the sidelines of the 190-nation U.N. talks on a new climate change treaty.

"If current trends in carbon dioxide emission continue, many of the remaining reefs will be lost in the next 20 to 40 years," she told reporters.

"Climate change must be limited to the absolute minimum if we want to save coral reefs. We need to move forward and substantially cut emissions," she said.

Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, which fuels global warming, is raising the level as well as the temperature of the oceans, said Olof Linden of the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden. That makes the water more acidic, adversely affecting reef-building coral that rely on calcification to build their shells.

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RP to propose global carbon tax

2008-12-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will propose a global consumption tax on fossil fuels to establish a fund that will aid nations stricken with calamities due to global warming, and to encourage the use of renewable energy sources, a chief economic adviser of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said.

The proposal will be formalized by the Philippine delegation to the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland, in December, said Albay Governor Joey Salceda said.

Salceda spoke on the best practices that his province was doing to stem the effects of climate change and global warming during the first Carbon-Cutting Congress in Malacañang.

Salceda said the global carbon tax, in principle, works like a sin tax, since greenhouse gas emissions are bad for the environment. But since the effects of global warming are felt worldwide, he said the tax should also be global.

"World countries that consume large amounts of fossil fuel should pay carbon added tax, value added tax, so that a fund can be set up for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction," Salceda told reporters on the sidelines of the summit at the Palace.

"Kasi sila sumisira [They are the ones doing the damage]," Salceda said, referring to countries that consume fossil fuels heavily, adding, "Typhoons are affected by climate, climate is affected by GHG [greenhouse gases], GHGs are a result of fossil fuels."

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Climate change may be causing outbreaks

2008-12-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Global warming may have contributed to a recent spate of outbreaks of deadly diseases in the Philippines, the Department of Health said Thursday.

"Clearly what was predicted about the impact of global warming is already happening," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters.

"The temperature is increasing leading to more diseases.

"There’s going to be propensity for more cholera, dengue, typhoid and malaria," he warned.

Duque added that the diseases are all "manageable" as long as people practice proper hygiene and sanitation and those afflicted are swiftly brought to hospitals for immediate treatment.

The Philippine Red Cross meanwhile confirmed Thursday that three people had died and 2,235 others had been treated in three towns in the southern province of Misamis Oriental for an outbreak of gastroenteritis.

The Philippine Health Department had earlier said the outbreak was believed to be cholera but the Red Cross said tests showed it was gastroenteritis.

Both illnesses have similar symptoms and are spread through contaminated drinking water.

Doctor Eric Tayag, head of the government's National Epidemiology Centre, also confirmed that a typhoid outbreak had hit Real town, northeast of Manila, affecting 109 people. However there have been no deaths from typhoid so far.

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Deal struck on forests in climate talks

2008-12-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland – Negotiators broke an impasse Wednesday on including forest conservation in a new climate change agreement, guaranteeing a voice for native peoples who live in forests and rewarding India and China for replanting depleted lands.

Environmentalists said the compromise text, agreed in a committee at the U.N. climate talks, was an important step that cleared the way to discuss politically sensitive questions on how countries will be compensated for protecting their woodlands.

Though activists said they were disappointed that four countries, including the United States, deleted any specific reference to the "rights" of indigenous people, the agreement recognizes, "the full and effective participation" of local communities.

Activists hope the reference will give indigenous people a say in the way forests are managed.

The draft text also made no mention of biodiversity, which could allow countries to uproot natural forests to plant palm oil or fruit plantations, said Nils Hermann Ranum, of Rainforest Foundation Norway.

"More than 50 percent of the planet's species are found in tropical rain forests," he said, and may not fall under the protection of the climate agreement.

A deal on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, known as REDD, has been tied up in a technical committee since the conference opened Dec. 1, frustrating environmentalists who said some countries were backtracking on understandings reached four months ago at the last climate change conference in Ghana.

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Makati public markets turn 'green'

2008-12-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines--Ten Makati public markets will turn "green" Friday with the city government's "Palit-Ilaw" caravan, which will replace all incandescent bulbs with efficient compact flourescent lights (CFLs).

Department of Environmental Services chief Danilo Villas said they will turn over 20-watt CFLs and 36-watt T8 flourescent lamps to the administrators of Bangkal market, Palanan market, Pio del Pilar market, Poblacion public market, Sacramento market, Tejeros market, Comembo market, Comembo Commercial Complex, Guadalupe Commercial Market and Kalayaan Market.

The energy-efficient project was in line with Makati's campaign to reduce greenhouse emissions that contribute to global warming, he said.

"We are glad that we have successfully expanded out Palit-Ilaw project, which aims to enhance Makati's energy-saving program, as well as its campaign for a healthy environment through the aggressive promotion of the use of energy-efficient lightings throughout the city," said Villas.

The city government signed last year a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Energy to use and promote energy-efficient lighting.

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Court jails tanker officers over SKorea's worst oil spill

2008-12-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

polluted by crude oil along the coast near Taean, about 170 kms (106 miles) …

DAEJEON, South Korea (AFP) – A court Wednesday jailed the Indian captain and chief officer of a Hong Kong supertanker after ruling they were partly to blame for South Korea's worst oil spill.

The appeal court, overturning a lower court ruling, found the Hebei Spirit's top officers failed to take prompt action to reduce the spillage on December 7 last year which fouled miles of beaches.

Captain Jasprit Chawla was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined 20 million won (14,000 dollars) while chief officer Syam Chetan was sentenced to eight months and fined 10 million won, court officials told AFP.

The pair were immediately taken into custody. Their lawyers said they would appeal to the supreme court.

The ship's owner, Hong Kong-registered Hebei Ocean Shipping, was fined 30 million won.

The ruling was likely to spark anger among international shipping operators and seafarer unions, who insist the tanker crew were blameless. The lower court in June had found them not guilty.

The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners in a statement expressed "extreme dismay and disappointment" at the ruling.

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Green tricycle project gets award

2008-12-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Helping reduce fuel consumption and pollution among tricycles plying streets in two cities in the Philippines gave an American and his group an award and almost P5 million in cash prize from a luxurious Swiss wristwatch brand which recognizes projects for the poor.

Thirty-one year-old Tim Bauer is among the five winners of the 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise for introducing a pioneering technology to make tricycles using two-stroke engines cleaner and more cost-efficient in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur and and Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Rolex also cited five other projects as “associate laureates” for this year, including the technology Filipino Alexis Belonio, 48, developed to turn rice production wastes into clean and affordable cooking fuel. Belonio is getting almost P2.5 million in cash award.

The 32-year-old Rolex Awards for Enterprise supports “new and ongoing projects that demonstrate a spirit of enterprise and address pressing needs around the world, from climate change, to wildlife and habitat preservation, to cultural preservation, to providing water, food, medical supplies and education for impoverished communities.”

It has recognized more than 110 projects from 38 countries since it was launched in 1976, according to a press release sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Instead of working for high-paying jobs in the US, Bauer, a mechanical engineer, decided to go to Asia after his graduation to promote the technology, which can reduce pollution emissions among motorcycles using two-stroke engines widely used in many countries in Asia.

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Cordillera seeks to solve garbage mess

2008-12-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—Cordillera leaders voted Tuesday to develop regional-wide environmental landfills and to help clean up the summer capital's garbage mess.

Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. initiated a resolution before the monthly Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting in Ifugao that seeks to compel Cordillera governments to cooperate in putting up environmental waste facilities serving all urban communities here.

Baguio has spent over P100 million this year to haul its trash to a Tarlac commercial landfill because it has not been able to convince outlying Benguet towns to a shared sanitary landfill.

Everyone voted to support the resolution, Bautista said.

The RDC agreed to coordinate a technical assistance team from the departments of environment and natural resources, health and tourism to help locate primary sites in the region that could support clusters of landfills that will serve six Cordillera provinces, said Helen Tibaldo, Cordillera director of the Philippine Information Agency.

Ifugao Governor Teodoro Baguilat Jr. said the resolution came at a time when various Cordillera villages were suffering the effects of bad waste disposal.

The solid waste management problem polluting the region's mountain rivers was also raised in an October water summit initiated by the DENR, the Department of Agrarian Reform, and the National Irrigation Administration.

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Despite fury, US advanced on climate change: US delegate

2008-12-13T22:40:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – Global warming rivals the Iraq War as the policy for which George W. Bush has been most savaged, with critics accusing him of braking or even sabotaging efforts to tackle climate change.

But the chief US delegate at the UN climate talks here, in an interview on Wednesday, said Bush's administration had shown "an evolution" over two terms and had made practical contributions in shaping the global debate.

Paula Dobriansky, under secretary for democracy and global affairs, told AFP she had no regrets for Bush's strategy on climate change but argued a better job could have been done in articulating it to the public.

"I think this issue (climate change) is important, we care about it greatly. Looking back, if there was anything that maybe I would have hoped, it's that we could have done a more effective job in getting our message out, in other words, (in) public diplomacy," she said.

She added: "President Bush said very early on in his administration, 'we will act, we will learn and we will act again.' And our approach has been an evolutionary one. I think you have seen an evolution from the beginning of the administration to the present time."

Dobriansky did not spell what she meant by an evolution. But, in defending the administration's record, she chose to stress its shift towards multilateral action, which became prominent in the final years of Bush's tenure.

This apparent change of tack saw talks launched with Asian countries and major carbon emitters, initiatives to boost the transfer of clean technology, and mustering finance to tackle climate change.

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Ombuds, MGB probe Consolacion project

2008-12-13T22:37:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines - The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provided the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas with the necessary information to continue its fact-finding inquiry on the road opening project of Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob Jr.

Both agencies were trying to find out where the limestone materials were brought, aside from dumping them at the Government Service Center in Barangay (village) Nangka, Consolacion town, Cebu.

Roger de Dios, MGB regional director, said the road opening project of Mayor Avelino Gungob Sr. is only a cover for his quarrying in Barangay Danglag.

He said the amount of limestone taken from the mountain for the project was questionable.

The DENR only allowed 15 kilometers in length and nine meters in width for the mountain highway but the Consolacion project has exceeded the limit.

Although De Dios said that a landslide would not affect anyone as no one lives nearby. The project, however, harmed the environment, he added.

When the mountain highway project started, De Dios said his office received complaints that the town was allegedly selling limestone materials.

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Energy officials face suit

2008-12-12T22:35:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines - A group of environmentalists on Tuesday filed a complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas against officials of the Department of Energy in Central Visayas for allegedly denying them entry into the DOE-7 offices last Friday.

Environment lawyers Gloria Estenzo Ramos and Benjamin Cabrido led members of the Save Tañon Strait Citizens’ Movement in filing the complaint for violation of citizen’s rights and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.

DOE-7 director Antonio Labios and Energy Industry Management Chief Saul Gonzales were named as respondents.

The complaint stated that the group went to the DOE-7 office along Osmeña Boulevard last Friday to deliver a demand letter and “hopefully discuss” with energy officials the complaints of fisherfolk from the town of Sibonga, southern Cebu, over offshore oil exploration in the town’s waters.

The complainants said the guard of the Metrobank Building’s lobby stopped the group from entering the building.

The guard called the DOE-7 office and informed them of the group’s presence. The guard later told the group that Labios was not around and that the group was not allowed to proceed to the DOE-7 office on the 11th floor.

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Countries agree on goals for new UN climate treaty

2008-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland – Delegates from nearly 190 countries agreed Wednesday on a series of goals to be included in a global warming treaty, but the U.N. conference failed to make a real commitment to reduce the amount of carbon emissions.

Yvo de Boer, the top U.N. climate official, said the delegates had adopted a work plan to reach their goals over the next 12 months even though the statement re-affirmed similar aims to those agreed last year in Bali, Indonesia, and marked no real breakthrough.

"We are now at the point where a lot has been resolved but a limited number of issues remain outstanding," de Boer told reporters.

De Boer said in a statement they resolved to spell out specific emissions commitments for industrial countries, to raise large-scale funds to help poor countries adapt to their changing climate, and to create institutions to channel those funds.

He acknowledged that a fully drafted treaty likely would not be completed by next December, but said a "policy framework" should be ready for ratification and should enter into force in 2013.

More than 10,000 delegates and activists are working on a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, and requires 37 industrial countries to cut emissions by an average 5 percent from 1990 levels.

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DENR officials to sue Gungob

2008-12-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) has threatened to file charges against Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob Sr. after the mayor refused to comply with the third and latest cease-and-desist order on the municipality’s mountain road project.

“Obstruction of justice and other charges (may be filed), but this is still under study,” said Roger de Dios, acting regional director of DENR-7’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

De Dios issued the statement after Gungog allegedly interfered in the agency’s attempt to seize a truck that contained limestone believed to be a byproduct of the town’s road project in Barangay (village) Danglag.

Since limestone byproducts are being used as filler for another municipal project, questions have been raised that the road project may also be a quarrying operation.

De Dios said an MGB team, accompanied by members of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) and elements from the Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion and the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), inspected the road project on Monday.

From the project site, the team passed through Mandaue City to get to the Consolacion municipal hall. But along the way, they encountered a parked dump truck full of limestone in Mandaue.

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EPA won't loosen air-pollution standards for coal plants

2008-12-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration today abandoned two rule changes that would have weakened controls on pollution from coal-fired power plants and industry, but it finalized a third to allow for more polluted dust from mines, animal farms and other sources.

Environmental and health groups and state and local air-quality officials opposed the two rules that the administration dropped. One of them would have permitted coal-fired power plants and industries to increase their emissions without adding pollution controls. The other would have made it easier to build power plants and factories near national parks and other pristine protected areas.

Utilities had argued for the changes for years, saying that they needed to be able to increase their efficiency at the lowest possible cost.

EPA officials said they opted not to loosen the regulations because they didn't have sufficient time to complete the action before the Bush administration ended.

John Walke , a former EPA attorney who's now with the Natural Resources Defense Council and who'd argued that the two rules would have been unlawful and destructive, said he was encouraged that the administration wasn't going to push them through at the end of President George W. Bush's term.

"With the barbarians at the gate having pulled up their tents and headed for the hills, we can look forward as a civilized society to tackling the critical problems of global warming, smog and soot pollution that continues to damage our health, and toxic mercury that contaminates our waters," Walke said in a statement.

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Green group slams nuke plant rehab

2008-12-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines -- The environmentalist group Greenpeace expressed “strong opposition” to the rehabilitation and reopening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), saying it would be “stacking one potential catastrophe over another.”

At a press conference Tuesday, Amalie Obusan, Greenpeace Southeast Asia climate and energy campaigner, presented the group’s position paper against Senate Bill 2665 (An Act Mandating the Immediate Re-commissioning and Commercial Operation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant).

Greenpeace will be giving copies of their position paper to concerned agencies, including the Senate and the Department of Energy, Obusan said.

“You can’t solve a problem by creating another problem. To propose nuclear expansion in the name of climate change is stacking one potential catastrophe over another,” Obusan said.

“Not only does it seem outrageous to dig up mistakes from the past, it would be a complete waste of money that is much better spent on further development of the country’s plentiful renewable energy sources,” she added.

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Award eyes Filipino ‘green’ inventions

2008-12-11T22:15:00.000-08:00

PASAY City, Philippines -- Green colors local inventions and research in this year’s National Inventors’ Week, which happens every third week of November.

“Going green is not a choice,” said Jean Lao, chief operating officer of Chemrez Technologies, which launched an award that will identify scientists, inventors, professionals, industry practitioners and members of the academe who have developed eco-friendly products and processes.

“Normally in the country they use green products if it is less costly and does what it promises. But today we are seeing more informed consumers who are beginning to see the benefits of green products and are ready to pay the premium for it,” Lao said.

The Chemrez Green Chemistry Awards aims to highlight Filipino inventions -- product or process -- that can help reduce or eliminate the use or generation of substances that are hazardous to the environment.

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Obama picks leaders of energy team

2008-12-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO (Reuters) – President-elect Barack Obama's team to address climate change emerged on Wednesday as Democratic officials said he had chosen a Nobel laureate for U.S. energy secretary and was likely to pick an environmental veteran to serve as coordinator of climate policies.

Rounding out his cabinet, Obama planned to announce at a Chicago news conference on Thursday that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, would lead efforts to improve the U.S. health care system as the secretary of Health and Human Services.

Simmering in the background is the scandal involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested on Tuesday and charged with attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat that Obama had held until he was elected president on November 4.

Obama on Wednesday called on Blagojevich to resign and has sought to distance himself from the disgraced governor.

Announcements to come in the days ahead include several key environment-related appointments -- Steven Chu as energy secretary, Carol Browner as energy and climate coordinator, Nancy Sutley to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Lisa Jackson to run the Environmental Protection Agency.

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‘More teeth on green laws’

2008-12-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines - The Cebu City government is set to draft new pro-environment ordinances to show it is serious in fighting practices that contribute to global warming and climate change.

The directive to put more teeth into the city’s effort for a cleaner environment came from acting City Mayor Michael Rama, who just attended the forum on environmental protection in Bangkok, Thailand.

This early, however, concerns are being raised over the city government’s capability to enforce new environmental laws when it is still unable to implement its four-year-old Waste Segregation Ordinance.

Rama told Cebu Daily News (CDN) that he instructed Councilor Nestor Archival and Cebu City Planning and Development Officer Paul Villarete to take charge in the “serious implementation” of the waste segregation ordinance.

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Tree's rapid decline sounds alarm on global warming

2008-12-11T01:34:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — The whitebark pine, a tree found in the high elevations of the western U.S. and Canada , is being killed as a consequence of global warming and should be protected as an endangered species, an environmental group formally told the Interior Department Tuesday.

If the federal government accepts the scientific arguments in a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council , it would be the first time a wide-ranging tree has been added to the list. The NRDC also sees an endangered designation as a warning about worsening climate change.

The listing would require the government to look at a variety of options that scientists have suggested might help preserve the tree, choose what might work and spend enough money to put those ideas into practice.

Mature whitebark pines are often gnarled and twisted because they grow slowly in the tough terrain of the high mountains of California , Washington , Oregon , Idaho , Montana , Wyoming and Nevada , and in British Columbia and Alberta . It's typically found at the treeline or at somewhat lower elevations mixed with other conifers.

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No small-scale mine permits in Palawan

2008-12-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines -- The provincial board of Palawan has declared a 25-year moratorium in the issuance of endorsements on new applications for small-scale mining activities in the province.

In a statement, Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes, who signed Resolution No. 7728-08, called the moratorium the local government's "Christmas gift to Palawenos."

Reyes said on Tuesday the resolution also declared the "firm resolve of the Provincial Board to oppose at any time any new large scale mining application or to press for the nullification of any existing mineral agreements and the cessation of their mining operations for incompatibility with the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan."

The signing of the resolution highlighted the lighting of the giant Christmas trees at the provincial capitol complex signaling the opening of the Paskuhan sa Kapitolyo (Christmas at the Capitol).

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Shopping centers thinking green

2008-12-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

SPRAWLING malls and shopping centers in the Philippines have not been spared by the wave of increased environmental consciousness that has engulfed shoppers and consumers the world over.

More than ever, mall developers are investing in new architecture and construction concepts that promise to reduce the structures' adverse impact on the environment.

This only earns them goodwill points among discriminating shoppers but also allows them to significant savings in one of the biggest components of their operating expenses.

There are many ways that manifest this increased care toward the environment.

For the SM group, the biggest mall developer in the Philippines, environmental consciousness starts in the design of their malls, especially the newer ones, says SM vice president Millie Dizon.

"For example, our malls have skylights that not only provide natural lighting, but also reduce the costs of power," Dizon says, "Some of our malls like SM City Baguio and the Mall of Asia also have areas where customers can enjoy fresh mountain and sea breezes."

She also stressed that the SM group has put an Energy Management System in place as early as eight years ago. There are also sewage treatment plants in the malls.

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Sons carry on father's dream of a forest

2008-12-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

BAY, Laguna--The Forest Club eco-resort here, located at about 65 kilometers or about 30 minutes from the Calamba Exit of the South Luzon Expressway, resembles a patch of forest at the foot of Mt. Makiling that embraces three natural hot springs and a jacuzzi right at the hub.

More so, it is a hodgepodge of everything expected of a natural flora--having a butterfly border (flower bed), a lagoon, an herbal garden and one hectare of farmland.

"So much is possible in 2.5 ha," said 42-year-old Wawel Mercado, who is the operations manager of the family business.

Using a public transport, one may take a bus bound to Sta. Cruz, Laguna and get off in the town of Bay to reach the Forest Club, which is located between Barangay Puypuy and Barangay Masaya.

In 1993, Wawel's father, Antonio, bought a piece of barren land "to recreate the environment of his childhood" he once had in Mindanao.

After consulting environmentalists in UP Los Baños, he started planting trees and rebuilding his paradise.

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All eyes on EU as UN climate talks stumble on

2008-12-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – UN talks on crafting a new climate change treaty inched forward on Wednesday, with delegates hoping the EU would spur the process by approving its own pact at a crunch summit.

The conference in the Polish city of Poznan, gathering more than 11,600 participants from around the world, reaches a climax on Thursday with the start of two days of ministerial-level talks.

Some 150 environment ministers and top government officials were expected, as well as UN head Ban Ki-moon and US senators John Kerry and Amy Klobuchar -- two figures seen as the eyes and ears of president-elect Barack Obama.

Negotiations among the 192-members UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are mid-way through a two-year "roadmap" set down on the Indonesian island of Bali last year.

They are aiming for a deal in Copenhagen in December 2009 for a far-reaching pact that would roll back the peril of global warming.

It would take effect from 2012, when provisions expire under the UNFCCC's Kyoto Protocol.

This is proving a tall order, with the complex discussions in Poznan centered on how to share out the commitments and costs of cutting the carbon pollution that stokes global warming.

Rich countries acknowledge their historic role in pushing up global temperatures but they say emerging powers like China and India must also take action.

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Clean air and livable cities

2008-12-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

IF THE LAW requires cigarette packs to prominently indicate that cigarette smoking harms one's health, shouldn't we have billboards all over the city warning us likewise that breathing Metro Manila's air endangers one's health? After all, it has long been determined that the concentration of air pollutants in Metro Manila's atmosphere is at levels well beyond what is considered safe by the World Health Organization.

Metro Manila is of course far from alone in this. The problem is widespread, and is particularly severe in our part of the world. Every year, an estimated 777,000 people die from illnesses directly attributable to air pollution, and according to the Washington-based Health Effects Institute, two-thirds of those deaths occur in Asia.

BAQ 2008
This challenge brought together in Bangkok last week about a thousand national and local government officials, academics, media practitioners, private sector representatives and civil society advocates from various countries in Asia and beyond in the Better Air Quality 2008 Conference (BAQ 2008). This biannual gathering, spearheaded by the Clean Air Initiative-Asia Partnership, has become a regular forum for exchanging knowledge, experiences and lessons in the pursuit of making the air we breathe safer. Air pollution coming from transport, factories, power plants, and even indoor sources (e.g. from fuel-burning stoves) were among the many topics covered in various presentations made in the conference.

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White House backs down on easing air-pollution rules

2008-12-10T21:49:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration on Wednesday abandoned efforts to relax pollution controls on coal-fired power plants and industries it started with Vice President Dick Cheney's energy plan in 2001, bringing to a sudden end a long White House fight with environmental groups.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency also finalized a third rule that would allow for more polluted dust from mines, animal farms and other sources.

Environmental and health groups and state and local air-quality officials opposed the two rules that the administration dropped. One of them would have permitted coal-fired power plants and industries to increase their emissions without adding pollution controls. The other would've made it easier to build power plants and factories near national parks and other pristine protected areas.

Utilities had argued for the changes for years, saying that they needed to be able to increase their efficiency at the lowest possible cost.

EPA didn't issue a news release to explain the decision, but spokesman Jonathan Shradar confirmed it. He said there wasn't enough time to complete the action on relaxing the rules before the Bush administration ended.

John Walke , a former EPA attorney who's now with the Natural Resources Defense Council and who'd argued that the two rules would have been unlawful and destructive, said in a statement that he was glad they were dropped.

"We can look forward as a civilized society to tackling the critical problems of global warming, smog and soot pollution that continues to damage our health, and toxic mercury that contaminates our waters," Walke said.

The rule that the EPA announced that it would finalize was "nasty," but not as destructive as the other two, Walke said. It was designed so that what the EPA calls "fugitive emissions" — those that don't flow through smokestacks — could be excluded from consideration in decisions about whether a facility is big enough to be regulated under the Clean Air Act, he said. "It's designed to exempt mines and factory farms, by and large, from Clean Air permitting programs."

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Meeting could decide bluefin tuna fate

2008-12-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

PARIS--The survival of Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, exploited to the brink of collapse, could depend on international negotiations starting Monday in Marrakech, Morocco.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will try to hammer out a new plan that protects the overfished species without throttling the multi-million dollar industry built around it.

Measures on the table range from tighter quotas and enforcement to an outright moratorium.

The stakes are high not just for bluefin and large-scale fisheries in a dozen countries but for ICCAT itself, according to the organisation's chairman.

"Our fate will be sealed ultimately by the decisions we make in Marrakech," Fabio Hazin wrote in a letter to the commission's forty-odd member states two weeks ahead of the special meeting.

"Let's not fool ourselves: there will be no future for ICCAT if we do not fully respect and abide by the scientific advice," he warned.

Driven by skyrocketing prices -- especially in Japan, which consumes more than 80 percent of tuna caught in the Mediterranean Sea -- bluefin tuna populations have crashed over the last decade.

Quotas put in place to stem the decline are not nearly stringent enough, according to many experts.

Others say current fishing limits would be adequate if they were respected: last year the total catch in the Mediterranean was 61,000 tonnes, more than twice the authorized limit of 29,500 tonnes, according to ICCAT statistics.

The body's own scientific committee has recommended an annual limit of 15,000 tonnes.

At the end of October, European ministers said they were in favor of "more rigorous management of this fragile species" -- including the possibility of lower quotas and a shorter fishing season -- but stopped short of calling for a moratorium.

Six European nations have a direct stake in the negotiations: France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus.

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Commerce may degrade Bantayan Island

2008-12-03T03:29:00.000-08:00

OPENING up Bantayan Island to commercialism may lead to the island’s degradation, according to an environment official.

“The population of Bantayan Island is steadily increasing. Eventually, there would be a problem with waste disposal,” said Edgar Ricafort, Protected Area Superintendent for the Bantayan Island Wilderness Area (BIWA).

“In my opinion, it would be better if the island is kept as a wilderness area,” he added.

Ricafort expressed concern over the issuances of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) for a number of establishments, especially resorts that did not pass through his office.

“These include those whose ECCs have already been approved. If the applicants passed through Penro (Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office), I would have advised them that I would endorse their project to the PAMB (Protected Area Management Board) for deliberation,” said Ricafort.

“As of now, nobody has approached the PAMB through me. But many ECCs were approved as of May 18 (by the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas),” he said.

Resources on the island are still sufficient to provide for the needs of the residents, he said.

“For now, the island is not yet polluted. The population is still not high,” he said.

But things could change if more establishments are allowed to operate on the island, especially if their ECCs do not have the endorsement of the PAMB.

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Where Have You Gone, Gray Davis?

2008-12-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

Priorities: California is headed toward fiscal disaster, thanks to the worst performance by any state, ever. So what does Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger do? Convene a big meeting on global warming, of course.

The swaggering governator will host an international summit next week "to discuss and develop strategies aimed at combating climate change."

Along with California's chief executive, five other governors plan to attend the extravaganza -- between, of course, pleading for bailouts from Washington for their ailing state economies. Also invited are officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, India, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain and Britain.

In case you don't remember, California in 2006 passed the most sweeping greenhouse gas limits for any state in the union. Under this plan, CO2 output would be slashed by 25% by the year 2020. This is equivalent to removing 6.5 million vehicles from the road.

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How Floating 'Energy Islands' Could Power the Future

2008-12-03T03:25:00.000-08:00

The ocean harbors abundant energy in the form of wind, waves and sun. All of these could be sampled on something called an Energy Island: a floating rig that drills for renewables instead of petroleum.

The concept is the brainchild of inventor Dominic Michaelis. He was originally unsatisfied with the slow progress in developing ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), a process in which cold water is pumped up from the deep ocean to generate electricity.

"Nothing new was happening with OTEC, so I thought why not bring other marine energy technologies on board?" Michaelis said.

The Energy Island that he and his son have designed would have an OTEC plant at its center, but spread across the 2,000-foot-wide (600-meter-wide) platform would also be wind turbines and solar collectors. Additionally, wave energy converters and sea current turbines would capture energy from water moving around the structure.

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Telco workers plant mangroves

2008-12-02T03:24:00.000-08:00

EMPLOYEES of Smart Communications Inc. across the country have been conducting a series of tree and mangrove planting activities to help save the environment.

Together with the local community and partner organizations, Smart employee-volunteers from the Visayas and Mindanao have already planted close to 80,000 tree seedlings and mangrove propagules in selected sites in the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Sarangani, Davao, Tawi-Tawi, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Bohol and Zamboanga.

“Smart is committed to do its part in environment preservation. Employees readily volunteer to join this community service activity because they see it as a way they can contribute to saving the planet,” Smart Public Affairs Visayas-Mindanao senior manager Maria Jane Paredes said.

Smart is working with local offices of the Department of Environment and National Resources, Philippine Business for Social Progress and the local government units in the tree planting program.

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GM crops found to affect reproduction in mice: Austrian study

2008-12-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

VIENNA (AFP) – Genetically-modified maize can affect reproduction in mice, an Austrian study has found, although its authors have dismissed warnings by environmental groups that it could also harm humans.

The long-term study, which was commissioned by the Austrian health ministry, found that female mice that had been given a diet consisting of 33 percent genetically-modified (GM) maize had fewer babies and fewer litters than those fed on non-GM food after a few generations.

But the authors of the study were keen to point out that these were only initial findings and that further tests were needed to confirm the effect of GM foods on other animals and on humans.

"This is an isolated case and the results cannot in any way be applied to humans," the Austrian health and food safety agency AGES, which presented the study by Vienna's University of Veterinary Medicine (VUW) Tuesday, said in a statement.

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Nobel winner urges protection for key forests in UN talks

2008-12-02T03:21:00.000-08:00

PARIS (AFP) – Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai on Wednesday urged upcoming talks on climate change to focus on protecting forests, especially rich treelands in the Congo Basin, Amazonia and Southeast Asia.

"I've been hoping that this time, in the negotiations, forests will be protected," Maathai told reporters during a trip to Paris.

"African countries have to prioritise these issues," she added. "African environment ministers are working closely to come up with one African position."

Deforestation accounts for around a fifth of global emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

This problem was not addressed in the UN's 1997 Kyoto Protocol for tackling climate change. Campaigners hope that in talks to frame its successor deal, which will take effect from the end of 2012, new mechanisms will be set in place to encourage forest conservation, including financial rewards.

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Japan's CO2 emissions hit record high

2008-12-01T03:09:00.000-08:00

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan's carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high of 1.37 billion tons in the year to March 2008, well above the target set by the Kyoto Protocol, the environment ministry said Wednesday.

The figure, which marked a 2.3 percent rise from the previous fiscal year, was mainly the result of more polluting energy production following the closure of the world's biggest nuclear power plant after it was damaged in an earthquake that struck northern Japan.

"The greater use of thermal power plants due to reduced nuclear power operations significantly contributed to the increase," an environment ministry official said.

The data shows that Japan's CO2 emission rose 8.7 percent from the 1990 level.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Japan is committed to reducing its emissions by six percent from the benchmark year in the period between 2008 and 2012. Japan relies on nuclear plants for nearly one-third of its power needs.

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Ivory trade thriving in China but signs of decline: watchdog

2008-12-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

BEIJING (AFP) – The illegal trade in elephant tusks is thriving in Chinese markets and upscale hotels although there are signs the problem could be on the decline, an environmental group said Wednesday.

Ivory continues to be smuggled into China despite a ban on imports that dates back to 1991, with the tusks mainly being sourced from Africa, according to the report released by TRAFFIC, a wildlife monitoring organisation.

Nevertheless, it said increased enforcement of regulations in China had led to some improvements, with surveys of markets showing that fewer illegal products were on sale.

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Mining threatens Cagayan agri lands

2008-11-30T03:02:00.000-08:00

I have on several occasions called the attention of the national media to take even a momentary look at the mining activities in Cagayan province. I have attended prayer rallies here to help get the attention of the national government. But everything has been for naught. It is a lonely fight.

Lately, the priests of the Archdiocese of Cagayan issued a “Statement of Concern.” It says that “as pastors, we listen to the voice of our people and we dutifully act on them. The rapid expansion of mining activities in the Province of Cagayan and the alleged ‘dredging’ of the Cagayan River have brought anxiety to our people. We believe that these activities will eventually destroy the environment and adversely affect the lives of our people. We cannot disregard their cry. We are one with them.”

The statement cited the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ “Statement on Mining Issues and Concerns” in 2006. It says, “The right to life of people is inseparable from their right to sources of food and livelihood. Allowing the interest of mining corporations to prevail over people’s right to these sources amounts to violating their right to life.”

In particular, the priests express these concerns:

1. The Japan International Cooperation Agency believes that dredging/quarrying in the lower portion of the Cagayan River might cause saltwater to flow into the river and be pumped into the irrigation systems inland. Some 10,000 hectares of precious rice lands could be destroyed by this.

2. Dredging will disrupt the aquatic ecosystem, with more adverse effects on, say, the income of a number of fishermen who depend on the river for their livelihood. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has warned that dredging could result in the disappearance of certain species of shellfish and fish, among them the cabbie, catfish and the prized “ludong.”

3. Magnetite (iron ore) mining threatens the communities living in the coastal areas, more so in Aparri which is below sea level. Saltwater intrusion into agricultural lands is not a remote possibility.

The priests “believe that the time has come for Cagayanos [people of Cagayan] to reassert their commitment to protect and defend the environment. We call on our local officials and concerned government agencies to be honest and transparent regarding the operations of these mining companies.” They “support the petitions of some sectors to stop the mining operations in the Cagayan River as well as the coastal areas of Cagayan. We ask that these mining operations be stopped while further studies, as suggested by the Cagayan Riverine Zone Development Plan (2005-2030), [are being] conducted.”

While the national government and media may be saddled with greater concerns, I make this earnest appeal to them to look into our needs and plights in Cagayan. Our local church has spoken. This should not be construed as Church meddling in government affairs. This is the Church’s way of shepherding and protecting the flock.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO, member, Sangguniang Bayan [Municipal Council]; secretary general, SAVE Cagayan, Aparri, Cagayan

IEA stokes doubts over world's climate fight

2008-11-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

LONDON (Reuters) – The world will have to bet on extreme measures to avoid serious global warming, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, adding to growing worries that governments have under-estimated the problem.

The world will have to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere because it was too late to rely on gradual curbs in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

The energy adviser to 28 rich countries detailed two paths for limiting warming to 2 and 3 degrees Celsius respectively, which would both require huge annual investments to deploy fossil fuels alternatives.

"Both scenarios imply that net greenhouse gas emissions turn negative -- carbon absorption exceeds gross emissions -- towards the end of the century," said the IEA's set-piece annual energy report, published on Wednesday.

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Gov't nixes forest experiments; scientists upset

2008-11-30T02:59:00.000-08:00

DURHAM, N.C. – For more than a decade, the federal government has spent millions of dollars pumping elevated levels of carbon dioxide into small groups of trees to test how forests will respond to global warming in the next 50 years.

Some scientists believe they are on the cusp of receiving key results from the time-consuming experiments.

The U.S. Department of Energy, however, which is funding the project, has told the scientists to chop down the trees, collect the data and move on to new research. That plan has upset some researchers who have spent years trying to understand how forests may help stave off global warming, and who want to keep the project going for at least a couple of more years.

"There has been an investment in these experiments and it's a shame we are going to walk away from that investment," said William Chameides, an atmospheric scientist at Duke University, where one of the experimental forests is located. "There is no question that ultimately we want to cut the trees down and analyze the soil. The question is whether now is the time to do it."

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Like a tree, be beautiful

2008-11-29T02:58:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – What a Monday it was, last 27th October. In the morning, we were planting trees. In the afternoon, we were celebrating trees for surviving a holocaust.

All within 12 hours, we witnessed the life span of trees.

We are all the people named Ramon. We plant and take care of trees. Wherever we are, we nurture trees. We aim to see trees wherever we look.

Anyone who loves trees has the name Ramon written upon their hands. These are hands which are able and willing to plant trees.

There thrive at this very moment some bands of men – and women – who can truly call themselves the Ramon Community of Trees. They include us, the Ramons, who began that early Monday morning planting trees down a ravine in Antipolo City, near Boso Boso.

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World Needs a Backup Plan

2008-11-29T02:55:00.000-08:00

World leaders need an emergency backup plan to stave off catastrophic climate change if cuts in greenhouse gas emissions don't work, says climate scientist Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.

"We need a climate engineering research and development plan, in addition to strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Caldeira said in testimony to the British Parliament yesterday. "Prudence demands that we consider what we might do in the face of unacceptable climate damage, which could occur despite our best efforts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions."

Among the wild ideas that have been floated:

* Inject dust or sulfur into the atmosphere to scatter sunlight.
* Construct a "sun shade" with an artificial ring of small particles or a spacecraft that would block some of the sun's rays.

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Internet could save Earth -- Gore

2008-11-28T02:53:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO--Former US vice president Al Gore said Friday that an Internet revolution carrying Barack Obama to the White House should now focus its power on stopping Earth's climate crisis.

The one-time presidential contender turned environmental champion told Web 2.0 Summit goers in San Francisco that technology has provided tools to save the planet while creating jobs and stimulating the crippled economy.

"The young people who have been inspired by Barack Obama's campaign and the movement that powered Barack Obama's campaign want a purpose," Gore said.

"One of the reasons we were all thrilled Tuesday night is it was pretty obvious this was a collectively intelligent decision."

The Internet's critical role in Democrat Obama's victory in the presidential race against Republican John McCain was a "great blow for victory" in addressing a "democracy crisis" stifling action against climate change, Gore said.

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Schwarzenegger to host governors' climate summit

2008-11-28T02:52:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is to host an international summit next week to discuss and develop strategies aimed at combating climate change, his office said in a statement Tuesday.

Schwarzenegger will be among five US governors due to attend the two-day session in Los Angeles on November 18 and 19.

Officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom have also been invited to the Governors' Global Climate Summit, a statement said.

"Leaders from around the world are taking action to combat global warming, and this summit reflects our common desire to work together to solve a problem that affects all of us," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

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Vietnam environment minister proposes higher fines for polluters

2008-11-28T02:51:00.000-08:00

HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam's environment minister on Tuesday proposed raising penalties for industrial polluters and admitted that current fines are too low to act as effective deterrents.

Pham Khoi Nguyen was answering questions in the national assembly following a series of pollution scandals in which companies from Taiwan and other countries have been caught pumping toxic wastewater into rivers.

Nguyen, the minister for natural resources and the environment, admitted that the problem was widespread and that after over a decade of rapid industrialisation "Vietnam's environment now is seriously polluted."

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Las Piñas mayor acts to protect wetlands

2008-11-27T02:50:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines -- In a bid to protect the area from illegal settlers, Las Piñas City Mayor Vergel "Nene" Aguilar has ordered a tighter watch on 175 hectares of coastal swamp known to be a haven for endangered species of migratory birds.

Aguilar issued the directive after the city government found out that some unscrupulous individuals had encroached on some portions of the coastal area which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently declared as a “critical habitat and ecotourism area” through Presidential Proclamation 1412.

“We have to maintain our vigilance to further protect and preserve our natural resources in the light of environmental degradation,” Aguilar said in a statement e-mailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Saturday.

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Report: Greenhouse gases imperil oceans' web of life

2008-11-27T02:49:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — Corals, lobsters, clams and many other ocean creatures — including some at the bottom of the food chain — may be unable to withstand the increasing acidity of the oceans brought on by growing global-warming pollution, according to a report Tuesday from the advocacy group Oceana.

Based on scientific findings of the past several years, Oceana's report "Acid Test" examines the far-reaching consequences of the accumulation of heat-trapping gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the world's oceans.

A high level of carbon dioxide in seawater depletes the carbonate that marine animals need for their shells and skeletons. Creatures who are at risk if trends continue include corals, which provide habitats for about a quarter of the world's fish; things many people like to eat, including shrimp and lobster; and pteropods, or swimming sea snails, which are an important part of the base of polar and sub-polar food chains.

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Global investors urge action on climate change

2008-11-27T02:45:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Global institutional investors holding more than $6 trillion in assets pushed policymakers Tuesday to quickly hash out a binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean technology.

More than 130 big investors, including London Pensions Fund Authority, want countries to agree to reduce the climate- warming emissions by 50 percent to 80 percent by 2050.

Those numbers are in line with global warming policy favored by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, who supports an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by mid-century.

The investors also want policymakers to set long and medium term emission reduction targets for developed countries and to provide for an expanded and more liquid global carbon market.

Already big U.S. investors, such as the California Public Employees' Retirement System, with $185.6 billion of assets under management, have been calling for legislation to promote new and existing clean technologies.

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'Rainforestation' comes to Mt. Kanlaon

2008-11-26T02:44:00.000-08:00

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines--To fulfill its commitment to preserve the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park as it drills geothermal energy in the parks' buffer zone, the Energy Development Corp. will use premium endemic species in the park.

The reforestation strategy is called "rainforestation," according to Erwin Magallanes, environmental senior supervisor of EDC's Northern Negros Geothermal Production Field (NNGPF).

The Catholic Church and some environment groups in Negros Occidental have opposed EDC's entry into the forest buffer zone in Bago City to tap more geothermal power, saying the cutting of trees in the area would destroy an irreplaceable rich biodiversity.

Some concerned Negrenses went a step further by going to court seeking to stop EDC's operations at the buffer zone. The case is now pending before the Bacolod Regional Trial Court.

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Heartbeat Might One Day Power Pacemakers

2008-11-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In a new twist on the concept of renewable energy, British researchers report that harnessing the heart's own energy may provide power for pacemakers and implanted defibrillators to work.

That might lead to devices that last longer and do even more, said the scientists, who presented their findings at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions in New Orleans.

"The heart ejecting is doing an awful lot of work. It's a tremendous mechanical force," said Dr. Ann Bolger, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA) and William Watt Kerr professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Bolger described a "ballistocardiograph," consisting of a table suspended from the ceiling. A patient lies on the table, and doctors measure the heart beat as actual movement of the table.

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River board revived; new members sought

2008-11-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Membership for the revived Butuanon River Watershed Management Board (BRWMB) is being opened to private corporations and other bodies considered “major stakeholders” to the conservation of the river.

During the board’s meeting on Monday, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes told board members that the body needed to be expanded to include representatives from business sectors and communities from Mandaue City and even from neighboring Cebu City.

The Mandaue City government considers sectors that consume large quantities of water as “major stakeholders” to the conservation of the Butuanon River.

Among those who may be invited to have representation on the board include San Miguel Corp., Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc., Nature’s Spring Waters, and Shemberg Corp.

Neighborhood associations, including those composed of informal settlers, will also be invited to have a presence in the board.

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Investigation sought into Alaska oil-spill case

2008-11-25T02:27:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — An environmental watchdog group asked the Department of Justice's inspector general on Monday to investigate whether the department had prematurely halted a criminal prosecution of BP for a 2006 oil spill in Alaska .

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed the complaint on behalf of Scott West , who as the special agent in charge for the Environmental Protection Agency participated in the federal and state investigation of the spill.

West, who retired last week after 19 years as an EPA criminal investigator to take a job with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , said he'd argued for time last year because he and his team were looking for evidence to prove felonies. The Justice Department , however, said the evidence had been fully investigated and charged BP with a misdemeanor.

BP, one of the world's largest energy companies, agreed in October 2007 to plead guilty to the federal misdemeanor and pay $20 million in criminal penalties for two Prudhoe Bay spills. One was the largest spill on the North Slope ; about 201,000 gallons of oil leaked onto the tundra and a frozen pond.

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Farmers set up camp vs aerial spraying

2008-11-24T01:50:00.000-08:00

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – After storming the premises of the Court of Appeals office here and chaining themselves to the building entrance, farmers pressing for the banning of aerial pesticide spraying in Davao have decided to set up camp outside the CA Tuesday.

The farmers said the camp-out is meant to pressure the CA justices to immediately resolve the pending preliminary injunction case on the aerial spray ban.

Inspired by the struggle of the Sumilao farmers, the Davao farmers, who are victims of the aerial spraying in the vast banana plantations surrounding their community, said they are bent on pressuring the CA to speed up the case.

“The more delays to the case, the higher risks we get from the continued aerial spraying done by the big plantation owners in Davao,” said Dagohoy Magaway, spokesperson of the Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (Maas).

Lia Jasmin Esquillo, executive director of the Interface for Development Initiatives, Inc. (IDIS) which supports the farmers, said the cause-oriented groups in Mindanao are already coming together to urge the CA to hear the farmers’ plea.

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Nyrstar says carbon trading could shut smelters

2008-11-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

CANBERRA, Australia – The world's largest zinc producer, Nyrstar, said Thursday its Australian smelters could become unviable under a proposed national greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme.

From 2010 polluters will trade permits to emit carbon-based gases that are blamed for global warming, under the government's plan to reduce the country's greenhouse emissions.

The government will initially set a price for the permits, sometimes called a carbon tax, and limit their number. Market forces will decide their future price as they are traded between polluters.

But Nyrstar's warning that its smelters in Tasmania and South Australia states would become unprofitable increased pressure on the government to stall its plan until global agreement is reached on a carbon tax price.

Nyrstar chief operating officer Greg McMillan said company-commissioned modeling showed that the scheme would cost his business 70 million Australian dollars ($45 million) a year.

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Green is in season

2008-11-23T01:49:00.000-08:00

THE BIG COUNTRIES ARE GIVING their all to save the situation brought about by the financial crisis. Are we responding positively to this crisis?

While we expect business activity and export growth to slow down, we have good opportunities to live a healthier lifestyle and help lower pollution emissions.

Helping lower pollution emissions:

1. We should reduce energy requirements. Orienting house and office activities for maximum thermal comfort will bring down the use of energy for lighting and air conditioning, a major energy guzzler.

One of the biggest energy consumers in homes and workplaces is the air conditioner. Room size is the biggest determining factor when choosing an air conditioner. Too small or too big a unit means wasting expensive electricity.

Increasing roof insulation will prepare us for the hot summer months as we continue to experience the extreme weather conditions of climate change.

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Fire at Japan nuke power plant injures worker: operator

2008-11-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

TOKYO (AFP) – A fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan on Thursday, injuring one worker but causing no radiation leak, the operator said.

Firefighters put out the fire about an hour after white smoke was spotted coming out of the reactor, which was already shut for a regular check-up, Tohoku Electric Power said.

"One worker sustained minor burns but was not exposed to radiation," a company spokesman said, adding there was no leak to the outside environment either.

The plant is located in Onagawa town, some 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Tokyo. The plant has two other reactors, which are operating normally.

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Dakit residents dismantle own homes

2008-11-22T01:42:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Residents of Sitio (district) Dakit in Barangay (village) Guadalupe, Cebu City, on Tuesday started dismantling their own homes a day after agreeing to relocate to Sapangdaku, a mountain village.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assured the residents that the relocation site is suitable for habitation.

While some residents did not completely like the idea of being relocated, they have agreed to move, since they have no choice.

Landco Pacific Corp., whose Monterrazas de Cebu development was blamed for flooding in Sitio Dakit, gave P10,000 to each of the 12 families who will be relocated.

Since being evacuated late last month, residents of lowland areas of Sitio Dakit have been temporarily housed at the Guadalupe Sports Complex.

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Vest Monitors 'Individual' Air Pollution

2008-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have used the novel idea of a "pollution vest" to determine that individual exposure to air pollution can harm a person's heart health beyond whatever damage that community-level exposure can cause.

"The challenge of air pollution is that what people are exposed to and what most studies talk about . . . rarely represent the micro environment of what's in your house," explained American Heart Association spokesman Dr. Russell Luepker, Mayo professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. "People have been working to try to get individual monitors that people can wear, so they can know what people are really inhaling as opposed to what they might be inhaling a mile away from where the monitor was."

"People shouldn't panic, but it's important that people be aware that air pollution is a contributor to cardiovascular disease," said Robert Bard, co-investigator of a study that was presented Wednesday at the heart association's annual scientific sessions, in New Orleans. "Things people can do include supporting legislation for cleaner air initiatives and, if somebody has cardiovascular disease, they may consider avoiding exposures to air pollution during peak levels, because this can potentially be a trigger for a cardiovascular event. Things everyone can do include limiting commutes and contributing less to production of pollutants."

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Global biodiversity panel knocked back at UN talks

2008-11-21T01:40:00.000-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Plans for a scientific panel on biodiversity, similar to a Nobel-winning group on climate change, have been knocked back by representatives of 80 countries at UN-sponsored talks.

Government officials and representatives of 129 organisations held a three-day conference in Malaysia to discuss the need for an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The IPBES would have mirrored the functions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which helped drive climate change to the top of the global agenda.

The panel was intended to be an independent authority on species loss, bringing together experts who can guide governments on the issue, amid warnings about the accelerating rate of extinction and its implications for humans.

"Many delegates supported the need for (a platform)... but others considered that it is too early to conclude whether there is a need for a new and independent body," the UNEP said in a statement late Wednesday.

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Cleaner fuels road map in Asia needed

2008-11-21T01:38:00.000-08:00

ANILA, Philippines -- Developing countries in Asia should raise their vehicle emission standards to the levels of Japan, Europe and USA as emissions from cars are expected to increase over the next few decades, threatening public health and quality of life for the urban population, according to a report funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The report, “A Road Map for Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles in Asia,” has been compiled by an expert team, consisting of Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), a multi-sector partnership promoting measures to improve air quality in the region, and consultants.

The report recommends steps to improve fuel quality and vehicle emissions for creating better air quality in the region. Emissions from motor vehicles continue to pose a significant threat to the environment and lives of Asia’s urban population.

Vehicle emissions in many Asian countries are expected to increase over the next few decades, as the vehicle population rapidly increases. If no effective action is taken to clean up fuels and vehicles, urban air quality will continue to decline.

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Study: Calif dirty air kills more than car crashes

2008-11-20T01:36:00.000-08:00

FRESNO, Calif. – Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new study.

The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths.

The price tag amounts to $1,600 annually per person in the San Joaquin Valley and $1,250 in the South Coast Air Basin.

Researchers at California State University-Fullerton sought to assess the potential economic benefits that could be achieved by reducing air pollution to levels within federal standards.

"For decades there has been a tug of war over what to do about air pollution," said Jane Hall, lead author of the study at Cal State Fullerton. "We are paying now for not having done enough."

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DENR-7 orders halt on road project

2008-11-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

CEBU CITY, Philippines - A cease-and-desist order was issued by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) on the quarrying activities at the site of a road project in the municipality of Consolacion, Cebu province.

“Based on our assessment, it is not a road opening project but quarrying. Their quarrying is not a road opening, it's a farm-to-market road project,” said Roger de Dios, DENR's Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) acting regional director.

The MGB inspected the area on November 5, 2008 based on a request from the Sanchez family through their lawyer Teffy II M. Piasidad.

In a letter to Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob dated on November 10, De Dios said the Consolacion municipal government continually hauled the excavated materials sourced from their earthmoving operations in Barangay (village) Danglag to the Consolacion Government Center in Barangay Nangka without a permit.

He said the permit given by the Cebu Provincial Government on August 28 has been canceled.

De Dios said work on the Center has not been issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the Environmental Management Bureau.

In a separate interview, Consolacion municipal administrator Gerson Maraño admitted that the municipal government has not yet been issued an ECC for still unknown reasons.

He said the Consolacion municipal government thought it best to continue with the project.

Make money through carbon credits

2008-11-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

In 1997, a group of nations banded together to form what is known as the Kyoto Protocol. The signatories to this landmark agreement committed to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas levels from 2008 to 2010 (as compared to 1990 levels).

Those who do not meet their emissions cap requirement are expected to look for ways to manage the gap by helping lesser-developed economies start environment-friendly projects. There is also a trading system, much like a commodities exchange, where these developed countries can trade carbon credits to help augment the emissions cap shortfall.

To cite, India who is the first Asian nation to trade carbon credits, has been trading at the Multi Commodity Exchange.

In the Philippines, the process is more rudimentary since a formal trading system has yet to evolve. This does not mean, however, that the opportunity to develop what is known as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) doesn’t exist.

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China to ensure grain self-sufficiency

2008-11-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

BEIJING – China is aiming to produce virtually all the grain it needs for at least the next decade despite a growing population and declining farmland because of urbanization, climate change and other factors.

The goal is for China to keep producing more than 95 percent of its grain needs until 2020, said Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's powerful economic planning body.

The self-sufficiency plan is intended to make China less dependent on imports from countries such as the U.S. and Australia, said Wang Xiaoyi, an agricultural analyst at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A policy paper said farms have to become more efficient. To improve productivity, exchanges of land rights by rural dwellers should be promoted to enable development of bigger and more intensive farming businesses, it said.

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Time to lead

2008-11-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

A comment from one of my posts, which I think is very important:

Last year, European government leaders agreed to a 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Now, with the downturn in the economy, that deal is under threat and they are offering a 20% percent reduction.

As a result, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund through the coordination of the Climate Action Network (CAN) formed the campaign Time to Lead . Time to Lead is a movement that urges European citizens and organisations to act by contacting local legislators and issuing support of the 30 percent reduction in Europe’s own carbon emissions by 2020. Citizens act by joining the ‘call to action’ at http://www.timetolead.eu/.

HP, Intel tout green initiatives in RP

2008-11-18T01:29:00.000-08:00

PANGLAO ISLAND, Bohol -- From redesigning product packages to recycling computers and reducing power consumption, HP and Intel are looking at spreading the word about the need to preserve and protect the environment.

For its annual media offsite event held here, dubbed "Greenergy", computer giants Intel and HP cited local programs aligned with respective global "green" initiatives.

Intel, for example, is looking to reduce its carbon footprint globally by as much as 20 percent, and more specifically, reduce by five percent the energy it uses to produce every microprocessor.

The chipmaker runs a test-and-assembly plant in General Trias, Cavite. Naturally, as a semiconductor company, Intel is a large consumer of power.

"We were also able save 50 million kilowatt hours and save 100,000 cubic meters of water after implementing programs," reported Ricky Banaag, Intel Philippines country manager.

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Sarkozy to attend climate meeting in Poland

2008-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

PARIS – French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet leaders of nine central European states on Dec. 6 to discuss their concerns about an EU timetable for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, Poland's leader said Thursday.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the working lunch would take place in Gdansk, Poland. France, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, is hoping to clinch an agreement before the next meeting of the Council of the European Union in Brussels on Dec 11-12.

Most EU members insist on going ahead with a December timetable for legislation requiring a 20 percent cut in EU emissions by 2020.

But some former Soviet bloc countries argue the EU's envisioned pace could hurt them more than the prosperous members of "Old Europe" — the 15 west European nations that have not had to play catch-up to compensate for decades of ruinous communist economic policies.

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More join suit vs Davao aerial spraying

2008-11-17T01:30:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines -- More groups and individuals have joined calls for the Supreme Court to reverse a Court of Appeals ruling preventing the implementation of a Davao City ordinance banning aerial spraying in banana plantations.

In a petition for intervention, the groups said the Court of Appeals committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of its jurisdiction when it granted the petition of an organization of banana plantation owners.

"The ordinance in question not only enjoys the presumption of regularity, but has already been declared valid by the regional trial court," the petition said. "The ordinance had been challenged, and a full blown trial was conducted to resolve this challenge against its validity. In the end, the Regional Trial Court of Davao found the ordinance valid and constitutional."

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