Good News Agency – Year II, n° 9
Weekly - Year II,
number 9 – 11 May 2001
Managing Editor:
Sergio Tripi, Ph. D.
Rome Law-court
registration no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries positive and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn out” in the space of a day.
Good News Agency is distributed through Internet to over 2,300 editorial offices of the daily newspapers and periodical magazines and of the radio and television stations with an e-mail address in 38 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Finland, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, USA, and it is also available in its web site:
It is a free of charge service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della
Buona Volontà Mondiale, a registered non-profit educational organization chartered
in Italy in 1979. The Association operates for the development of consciousness
and supports the activities of the Lucis Trust, Radio For Peace International,
The Club of Budapest and other organizations promoting a culture of peace in
the ‘global village’ perspective based on unity within diversity and on
sharing. Via Antagora 10, 00124 Rome, Italy. E-mail: s.tripi@tiscalinet.it
Contents:
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International legislation
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Health
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Human rights
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Energy and safety
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Economy and development
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Environment and
wildlife
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Solidarity
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Culture and education
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(TOP)
ILO to mark international
commemoration day for dead and injured worker
Geneva, 24 April - In memory of workers who die, are
injured or fall ill due to unsustainable forms of production, the International
Labour Organization (ILO) is to mark the International Commemoration Day for
Dead and Injured Workers at its headquarters here with a solemn ceremony on
Friday, 27 April.
The event will also commemorate UNHCR staff who died
in East Timor last year, as well as other United Nations staff, including UN
peacekeepers who have died or been injured while in service.
The day is aimed at drawing attention to the global
toll of occupational health and safety. The ILO estimates that deaths caused by
work-related accidents or illnesses amount to more than 1.3 million workers per
year, or an average of 3,300 per day, nearly double the deaths caused by war,
and more than those caused by malaria.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2001/14.htm
USA: tax credits for
eco-vehicles?
27 April - Ford, Toyota, and
Honda are working with environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense
Council and Union of Concerned Scientists to urge Congress to pass tax credits
for people who buy vehicles that are better for the environment.
Legislation introduced in the Senate would create tax credits that range from
$1,000 for gas-electric hybrids to much more for heavy-duty trucks that runs on
electricity or fuel cells. Ford President Jacques Nasser said the bill
"will help accelerate demand for cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles in
the marketplace and put them on the road earlier and in higher
volumes." DaimlerChrysler and General Motors say they support tax
incentives, but they disagree with the way the bill calculates fuel
improvements. The Sierra Club, on the other hand, supports higher
requirements for gas mileage rather than tax credits.
Europe tackles high cost of
energy dependency
Brussels, Belgium, April 25 -
The European Commission is proposing a new law that would improve the energy
efficiency of new and existing buildings within the 15 member European Union.
The building sector is
estimated to be responsible for 40 percent of the European Union's energy
consumption. Most of that energy is used for heat, light, hot water and air
conditioning.
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-25-11.html
Sweden legislates for sustainability
Stockholm, May 4 - The Swedish government today
underlined its determination to make Sweden the world's most environmentally
sustainable nation by proposing a series of legal targets and deadlines for
implementing 15 over-arching environmental quality objectives adopted in 1999.
Designed to achieve environmental sustainability
within one generation, the new environmental quality objectives bill sets out
about 60 "concrete measures and strategies" to achieve 14 of the 15
quality objectives by 2010.
Separate proposals on how to achieve "reduced
climate impact" will emerge this autumn. The law is largely based on
proposals from a government committee last June.
The move has even greater impact because Sweden now
holds the revolving six months Presidency of the European Union.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-04-01.html
Argentina to eliminate PCBs
Buenos Aires, May 4 - Argentina has taken the first
steps down the long road to elimination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
from the country. Argentine Minister of Social Development and Environment Juan
Pablo Cafiero and National Secretary of Sustainable Development and
Environmental Policy Dr. Oscar Massei, today announced the start of a National
Plan for the Elimination of Polyclorinated Biphenyls. At the same time, they
introduced several drafts for a future Law of Minimum Budgets in the management
of hazardous waste.
The announcements
were made today in the closing session of the meetings of the Federal Council
of Environment (COFEMA)
By Alejandra
Herranz
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-04-02.html
International ban on submarine mine
tailings disposal urged
Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, May 2 - An
international conference here on the dumping of mine waste at sea, known as
submarine tailings disposal, concluded Monday with a declaration which calls
for an international ban on the practice.
The mining industry is currently attempting to open
dozens of mines across the Asia Pacific region that would rely on submarine
tailings disposal as a method of getting rid of their waste.
Scientists, representatives of nongovernmental
organizations, government officials and affected community members from the
Asia-Pacific region, North America and the United Kingdom met to discuss the
ocean dumping of mine waste. They demanded that mining companies accept
liability for the impacts on coastal communities of what they call an
"environmentally and socially destructive technique."
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-02-03.html
(TOP)
UNIFEM's
Progress of the World's Women 2002 report to explore emerging issues in women's
experiences of war, peace building and conflict resolution
United Nations, New York, 24
April - Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM), today announced the appointment of two independent
experts, Elisabeth Rehn (Finland) and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), to
spearhead the organization's efforts to assess progress of the world's women,
particularly those affected by conflict. Heyzer also announced that Victoria
Brittain (UK), internationally acclaimed correspondent and Associate Foreign
Editor of the Guardian has agreed to document the findings of Rehn and Johnson
Sirleaf for Progress 2002.
Progress of the World's Women 2002,
scheduled for release next Fall, will focus on the issue of women, peace and
security. The first edition of Progress of the
World's Women was launched in June 2000 and focused on the economic dimensions of
women's lives.
"The issues at stake are enormous," Heyzer
said. "Armed conflict affects women and girls differently from men and
boys. These gender dimensions continue to be ignored. Progress 2002 will demonstrate that it is impossible to talk about
effective humanitarian responses or inclusive peace processes without taking
gender into account."
http://www.unifem.undp.org/pr_progrep2002.html
Police training will promote
civil protection in Somalia
25 April - The Police Training
School in the Somaliland town of Mandera welcomed 350 new recruits yesterday to
begin a four-month course. They are part of a larger programme sponsored by
UNDP aimed at training 1,000 new recruits this year and improving the police
force countrywide. Most of the recruits are former militia members, and the
programme gives them an opportunity to get back to work in a productive way,
said Mr. Rajola, chief technical advisor for the law enforcement component of
the UNDP Somali civil protection programme.. "Before the civil war, Somali
police were regarded as some of the best in Africa. We are glad to help them
reach that high standard once again."
The new class includes about
300 police recruits and 50 prison guards. They will learn the penal code and
how to incorporate respect for human rights and the rights of women in their
work.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Living in a Pollution-Free
World a Basic Human Right
Geneva/Nairobi 27 April -
Everyone has the right to live in a world free from toxic pollution and
environmental degradation, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has
concluded.
The decision, the first time
the Commission has addressed the links between the environment
and human rights, was made at its annual meeting which ended
today in Geneva.
Mary Robinson, the
High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Klaus Toepfer, the Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, have
been invited to organize
an international seminar to explore how
environmental and human rights principles can be
strengthened. Mr
Toepfer welcomed the historic move saying: "Many
of the fundamental rights enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights have
significant environmental dimensions. Environmental conditions
clearly help to determine the extent to which people enjoy their
basic rights to life, health, adequate food and housing, and traditional
livelihood and culture. It is time to recognize that those who
pollute or destroy the natural environment are not just committing
a crime against nature, but are violating human rights as well”.
The results
of the seminar will be considered at the Commission's next
session in March 2002 and will feed into the review of
progress towards sustainable development that has been
achieved since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
Green rights in French
constitution, Chirac urges
Paris, May 7 - France should
promise its citizens a ‘protected and preserved’ environment as one of their
constitutional rights, President Jacques Chirac said. A green expansion of
human rights is warranted in the face of a growing ‘collective fear’ about the
consequences of environmental damage, he declared and he said it is time to
enshrine five principles in law. These are: environmental responsibility; the
precautionary principle; integration of environmental issues into all sectors;
damage prevention; and citizen participation. Chirac repeated his support for
the creation of a global environmental governance body. “The proposed global
environmental body would give coherence to a ‘fragmented’ series of
international green conventions”, Italian environment minister Willer Bordon
said.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-07-02.html
(TOP)
Reforming
the international financial architecture
UNCTAD
calls for "even-handed" approach between debtors and creditors
24 April - Rather than
focusing on international action to address systemic instability, the process
of reforming the international financial architecture has so far placed
emphasis on what should be done at the national level. Even in this regard it
has failed to adopt an "even-handed" approach between debtors and
creditors, says UNCTAD's Trade and Development Report, 2001 released today. The Report sets forth alternative proposals for a more
symmetrical treatment of debtors and creditors, less intrusive conditionality,
more effective multilateral surveillance of macroeconomic policies of major
industrial countries, and bolder moves to stabilize reserve currencies. It
advocates payment standstills and limits on crisis lending as a means of
involving the creditors in crisis resolution…
http://www.unctad.org/en/press/pr0112en.htm
Iraq earns additional €354 million under UN's oil-for-food scheme
1 May – Iraq has earned an additional € 354 million (euros) under the United
Nations oil-for-food programme, which allows Baghdad to export its petroleum
and use a portion of the revenues to purchase humanitarian relief. According to
statistics released today by the Office of the Iraq Programme, over the past
week Baghdad exported an average of 2.08 million barrels of crude per day,
earning an estimated €24.22 per barrel.
Meanwhile, the Security Council committee monitoring
the sanctions against Iraq released holds on 41 contracts worth $125 million,
but placed new holds on 38 contracts with a combined value of $140.6 million.
In total, 1,170 contracts worth $3.6 billion are now on hold.
The recently released contracts were for a variety of
goods, including trucks, bulldozers and pumps, while the new holds were placed
on contracts for gas turbines, cranes and a water treatment plant, as well as
laboratory, medical and hospital rehabilitation equipment.
According to the Office of the Iraq Programme,
contracts are generally put on hold because they lack technical specifications
or because the goods in question have the potential to be used for purposes
other than those stated.
http://www.un.org/News/dh/latest/page2.html#25
30 April - Global Development
Finance, the World Bank's yearly report on external financing prospects for
developing countries, finds that despite the sharp slowdown in the global
economy, growth rates in the developing world are expected to average 4.2
percent in 2001. This is a drop of more than a full percentage point from
last year, but still 0.8 percentage point higher than growth in these countries
during the 1990s. Growth is expected to be highest in East Asia and the
Pacific, at 5.5 percent, and lowest in Europe and Central Asia with 2.3
percent.
You can access Global
Development Finance 2001 on-line at:
http://www.worldbank.org/prospects/gdf2001/index.htm
http://www.worldbank.org/poverty
(TOP)
London, 26 April - An unprecedented global pledge
campaign on behalf of children, led by an impressive array of international
personalities including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Bill Gates, begins today
in London and numerous other locations worldwide. Called Say Yes for Children,
the campaign will reach every part of the globe to rally people behind ten
overarching principles that seek to improve and protect the lives of children.
More than a simple sign-up campaign, Say Yes will
focus attention on the serious issues that face children today. It is intended
to galvanize action at all levels of society, from political leaders to
ordinary citizens, in particular children.
The ten principles of Say Yes build on the Convention
on the Rights of the Child, the most ratified international human rights treaty
ever, and 1990's World Summit for Children, where nations committed themselves
to specific goals for children and young people. The goal of Say Yes is to
build a groundswell of support that will push leaders to live up to these
commitments at September's United Nations General Assembly Special Session on
Children…
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr38.htm
Yugoslavia/Kosovo
: ICRC helps disinfect wells
26 April - Owing to heavy rain
over the past few weeks, wells have been flooded in various municipalities of
Kosovo and high levels of bacteriological contamination have been detected by
the mobile laboratory of the water and sanitation department of the Institute
of Public Health. To prevent the outbreak of gastro-intestinal diseases, the
ICRC is providing the Institute, based in Ferizaj/Urosevac and Lipjan/Lipljan,
with chlorine for the disinfection of over 2,000 wells. The programme will be
extended to other municipalities as new cases of contamination are reported.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
Burundi: EU adopts US $18
million humanitarian aid plan
27 April – The European
Commission last week adopted an approximately US $18 million intervention plan
to help meet continuing humanitarian needs in Burundi, a statement from the
organisation's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) said on 20 April. The main
emphasis of the funds would be on vulnerable groups such as the displaced and
resettled people, drought victims and women and children who are heads of
households, it said. The funds would be channelled by ECHO through 17 partner
organisations working in the country. The Commission would support major
humanitarian programmes in Burundi in the fields of food security, nutrition,
health and water/sanitation, ECHO said.
Tanzania: EU allocates US
$28.8 million for humanitarian needs
27 April - The European
Commission last week adopted an equivalent of US $28.8 intervention plan in
response to continuing humanitarian needs in Tanzania, which has the largest refugee
population in Africa, a statement from the European Commission's Humanitarian
Aid Office (ECHO) said on 20 April. The statement said the funds would be
channelled by ECHO through partner organisations working in the country.
Tanzania is currently host to more than 500,000 refugees, including more than
370,000 Burundians and 110,000 Congolese, living in 14 camps in Tanzania's
western provinces.
"The numbers are likely
to remain high in the near future, given the continuing instability in the
region. External assistance is crucial to help the country in supporting its
huge refugee burden," ECHO said. Based on close cooperation with ECHO's
proposed partners - the International Federation of the Red Cross, UNHCR,
UNICEF and WFP - this intervention plan "will make a significant
contribution to meeting the humanitarian needs of the refugees". The
programme covers a wide range of actions, including shelter, food aid, health,
sanitation, logistics, protection, education, community services, non-food items
and environmental protection.
7 May - On the island of
Woyowayanka, 5 km off the coast of Bamako, Mali, a community of 100 fishermen
struggle to earn a living. The men spend their days catching the fish. Thanks
to some help from FAO in December, the local women's association acquired four
"Chorkor" ovens, with US$4 600 grant from TeleFood, which allow
them to smoke large quantities of fish using less firewood than traditional
smoking ovens. TeleFood aims to increase awareness of hunger problems and raise
money to help small farmers, herders and artisanal fishers produce more food
and improve nutrition. The women have a joint bank account into which they deposit
all the money they earn from sales of the fish. In addition, each member
deposits monthly dues of 1 000 FCFA (US$1.50) as 'seed money' to initiate
small projects. Now the women are saving for their next project: they hope to
get a small loan to buy refrigerators for storing the fish and sell it frozen
to the city's restaurants and capture a much higher price. But the women need
more than technology, they need education and training. Some help has come from
a representative of the Mali Chamber of Agriculture, Moussa Thienta, who is
also the national coordinator of TeleFood projects.
Notice about TeleFood
Campaign: http://www.fao.org/food/default-e.htm
http://www.fao.org/news/2001/010501-e.htm
(TOP)
UN Secretary-General calls for new global AIDS campaign
26 April - A major new global campaign - including a
massive mobilization of funding - is needed to fight the global HIV/AIDS
epidemic, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told African leaders today, gathered
at a summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related diseases in Abuja,
Nigeria.
A “war chest” of US$7 billion to 10 billion is needed annually to wage an effective
global campaign against AIDS, said the Secretary-General. The UN leader issued
a call to donors that by the time of the UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS (25-27
June, New York), firm commitments should be made to meet this massive
mobilization.
Five African States Reduce or Abolish Taxes for Bed Nets - A Model for
Other Countries
Geneva/New York/Abuja, 25 April - In a move that
promises to protect millions of people from the danger of malaria, five African
countries have recently reduced or abolished taxes on insecticide-treated bed
nets (ITNs) to make them more affordable to their populations. They include:
Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Bed nets are considered one of the most effective
measures for malaria prevention but are too expensive for many families to
afford. "In some countries, the price of a treated bed-net is as much as
8% of per capita GNP," said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of
the World Health Organisation (WHO). "Making these effective prevention
tools available to all who need them is one of the big challenges African
governments face in their war against malaria."
The news is part of a new report issued by Roll Back
Malaria, a major United Nations/World Bank-sponsored initiative, to mark the
first Africa Malaria Day. The primary goal of Roll Back Malaria is to reduce
malaria-related mortality by 50% by 2010.
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr37.htm
Médecins Sans Frontières and the London School of
Economics and Political Science are organising a one and a half day
international conference on stimulating research and development for medicines
for neglected diseases. The conference will take place in London 14-15 June.
Infectious diseases kill 15 million people every year.
Over 95% of these deaths occur in the developing world. Despite growing disease
burden in poor countries, drug research and development targeted at the major
infectious diseases has not been significantly advanced - only a few per cent
of the world-wide expenditure on health R&D is devoted to these diseases.
Email: conference@london.msf.org
http://www.msf.org/events/2001/intconf/
Anti-AIDS Summit: African governments decide to re-launch the
health sector
28 April - Assign 15 percent
of the annual budget to improving the health sector. This is the commitment
taken at Abuja (Nigeria) by about forty African leaders who, for two days, met
to discuss the plague of the century, Aids and other diseases that afflict the
continent. The urgent situation caused by the Hiv virus is invoking great fear,
even if for no other reason than because the number of the sick and the
sieropositive is increasing constantly in the continent. According to
observers, it deals with concrete commitments but heavy financial engagements
for the weak economies of the African countries where the large majority of the
people struggle to make ends meet. Peter Piot, Director of Unaids (the UN
agency that deals with Aids), declared that the demands for health made on the
governments are heavy, but there is nothing else that can be done since it is
clear that the sums allocated till now have been totally insufficient. A
definite commitment has been adopted by the African governments which will
guarantee fiscal reductions, easy access to loans, and other measures with the
intention of reducing drug prices. After Pretoria's victory last week against
the multinational drug manufacturers, the African leaders declared at Abuja
that every price, economic or financial obstacle that slows down the fight
against the disease must be abolished. This beginning brought about the Medical
Act as inspired by ex-President Nelson Mandela: when the health of the poor is
at risk, the use of those drugs unpatented by the multinational companies is
legitimate. (CO)
Mexico’s national health plan takes women into account
30 April - Results from a seminar on gender and
health-care policy held in Mexico last month will be incorporated into the
National Health Plan. The seminar was organized by UNIFEM in collaboration with
the Ministry of Health, the National Women’s Forum on Population Policies and the Centre for
Analysis and Research. It was held in response to the urgent need to find ways
to mainstream gender into public health policies and to identify gender gaps in
existing health policies.
Participants discussed the criteria used for the
design and formulation of the 2001 National Health Budget and identified
criteria that should be used in the allocation of health-care resources in
2002. Other topics of discussion included: the way in which women and men
experience illness and death differently due to biological, social and cultural
factors; women’s access to and use of health-care services; women’s sexual and reproductive rights and the obstacles to
women’s enjoyment of
these rights; the relationship between gender violence and health; and, gender
and HIV and AIDS.
For more information, contact the UNIFEM office for Mexico
and Central America at unifem@undp.org.mx
(TOP)
Australia opens world's first
Titanium Solar Cell Factory
Canberra,
Australia, May 3 - Senator Minchin spoke at the opening of the world's first
titania dye solar cell manufacturing operation developed by the company
Sustainable Technologies International at Queanbeyan, near Canberra. The new
cell technology has the capacity to provide low cost solar energy supplies to
buildings, remote areas and businesses around the world, providing significant
environmental benefits. The opening of the Queanbeyan factory is the
culmination of seven years of research and A$12 million expenditure Production
costs are cheaper compared with the silicon based solar cells that are now most
widely used. Titania cells perform under a wide range of temperature and light
conditions including low and diffuse light, and they can be optically
transparent or opaque. Titania solar cell manufacture produces no toxic gas
emissions, Sustainable Technologies says.
http://ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-03-02.html
Pvc free database allows
builders to choose alternatives
Greenpeace has
launched a new international database that helps builders choose
environmentally friendly alternatives to PVC products. “There is enormous
enthusiasm and interest in PVC alternatives in the construction industry,” said
Lisa Finaldi of Greenpeace, “They are over 200 products from companies based in
17 countries that avoid the use of polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs), which have been
linked to a range of health problems”. During the manufacture of PVC, dioxin -
a known human carcinogen - and other persistent pollutants are emitted into the
air, water and land. When PVC burns in accidental fires, hydrogen chloride gas
and dioxin are formed. The European Parliament has confirmed the dangers
associated with PVC and called for caution over its use in buildings with high
fire risks. At last year's Olympics, Sydney organizers chose to use more
environmentally sound alternatives.
Greenpeace PVC
Alternatives Database by country or product category
at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/pvcdatabase/index.html
(TOP)
Cleaning up Kenya's Athi River near Nairobi
27 April : UNDP is
supporting an initiative to clean up the Athi River basin in the Nairobi area
and other nearby rivers. The Athi, the second largest river in Kenya, carries
pollutants to the Indian Ocean, where they are damaging a mangrove ecosystem
and marine biodiversity.
The lake formed by the Nairobi dam is a focus of the
project. Fed by effluents from nearby Kibera, a slum area that is home to close
to 800,000 people, water hyacinth choke the entire lake. Chemical pollutants
Nairobi's industrial area also flow into the river.
The UNDP Global Environmental Facility
(GEF) small grants programme is providing $150,000 for the initiative. The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) is allocating $640,000 contributed by Belgium,
France and the Rotary Club of Nairobi. Other partners include the UN Centre for
Human Settlements (UNCHS), the World Conservation Union, Kenya's Ministry of
Environmental and Natural Resources, the Nairobi City Council, local civil
society groups and residents of Kibera.
The two-year initiative has several elements,
including data collection, an environment impact assessment, and construction
of wetlands to remove pollutants.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Sharp and wide reaction to US
withdrawal from the Kyoto treaty
27 April - Some Labor Party
members in the U.K. are publicly deriding U.S. President Bush as the
"toxic Texan" and "the fool on Capitol Hill" for his stance
on climate change. In fact, the Bush administration, by all reports, has
been astonished by the intense reaction around the world to its decision to
withdraw from the Kyoto treaty on climate change. The State Department
put together a review of how the press in 43 countries covered the issue.
One Seoul paper wrote that Bush's "scrapping" of Kyoto was
"tantamount to a declaration of ... environmental terrorism against
humankind." Read more quotes and learn how Kyoto could still be
saved on the Grist Magazine website.
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=68594
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/heatbeat/thisjustin042701.stm
Only 38 percent of the
American public approves of the way President Bush is handling the environment,
according to a poll taken this week by CBS News. More than twice as many
Americans place a priority on protecting the environment over producing energy
-- but the public overwhelmingly thinks Bush is on the side of energy
production, the poll found.
http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,287908-412,00.shtml
Town in Kuwait turns trash
into clean energy
26 April - Environmentalists
in Kuwait celebrated scent-free, fresh air on Earth Day in the town of
al-Qurain, nine miles south of Kuwait City. Thirty years ago, before the
town was developed, officials began dumping the nation's trash in an abandoned
quarry in al-Qurain. Fifteen years later, housing went up, and residents
since then have had to deal with constant fumes of methane, carbon monoxide,
nitrogen, and other smellies rising from the mess. But to the surprise of
almost everyone, the nation's Environmental Protection Agency has come to the
rescue. The agency, which relies mostly on private donations for its
funding, has leveled the heap and turned it into a clean source of
energy. In fact, the dump could produce enough methane gas to power 300
homes for the next 30 years. EPA Director General Mohammed al-Sarawi thinks the
townspeople should get the energy free "as compensation for years of bad
smells."
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/26/p7s2.htm
Enlarging the European Union will save
lives by cutting pollution
Brussels, April 30 - Compliance with European Union
environmental legislation could improve the health and quality of life of
citizens across the candidate countries that are applying to join the bloc, a
new research study finds. Thousands of lives would be saved in a cost effective
way, the report shows. The study, "The Benefits of Compliance with the
Environmental Acquis for the Candidate Countries," was presented during
the Green Week Conference and Exhibition organized in Brussels, by the European
Commission last week. The study conducted by ECOTEC Research and Consulting
Ltd., highlights and assesses the range of benefits that the implementation of
European Union environmental laws, known as directives, will bring to the
candidate countries.
Thirteen countries - Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, the
Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Turkey - are seeking access to the existing
union of 15 European states.
According to the study, full implementation of
European Union (EU) directives related to air quality in the candidate
countries "can lead to between 15,000 and 34,000 fewer cases of premature
deaths from exposure to air pollution, and between 43,000 and 180,000 fewer
cases of chronic bronchitis." There are other important health benefits
highlighted, such as safer environment for children as a result of lower lead
emissions…
By Alexandru R. Savulescu
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-30-04.html
50,000 volunteers in
forty-five US states participate in National River Cleanup Week
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, May
4 – Covering some 8000 miles of waterways, an estimated 50,000 participants
will clean 350 sites in forty-five states during the tenth annual National
River Cleanup Week, May 12-19, 2001. One of the largest groups, with an
estimated 2000 volunteers taking part, The Friends of the Chicago River will
clean numerous sites in and around Chicago during its annual "River
Rescue" on May 12. Other large groups participating include Friends
of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), the Peace River Cleanup Committee, Florida,
and the Christina River Watershed Cleanup, Delaware.
http://www.americaoutdoors.org/nrcw/natao10.htm
http://www.americaoutdoors.org
http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/May01/04May0104.html
Intense objections to U.S.
Navy's LFA sonar
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
May 2 - The Humane Society of the U.S., Friends of the Earth, Animal Welfare
Institute, Defenders of the Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense Council
are opposed to the Navy that claims at the Silver Springs headquarters of the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for a new LFA technology (low
frequency active) sonar based on the
fact that very low frequency sound (100-1000 Hz) can travel great distances and
detect quiet submarines. The system uses intense sound, 235 decibels generated,
by TAGOS-class ships (the noise level of a jet engine is about 120 decibels).
“It is a serious threat to the health of marine mammals, particularly whales,
and other marine life,” Hawaii attorney Lanny Sinkin wrote in an editorial in
the ‘Honolulu Advertiser’. “A NATO LFA exercise in 1998 left numerous dead
beaked whales on the coast of Greece. LFA testing off the Island of Hawaii in
1998 caused humpback whales to leave the test area, apparently resulted in
separation of whale and dolphin calves from their mothers, and seriously
injured a snorkeler in the water”. Low frequency active sonar has been under
development for more than a decade, and has been tested about 25 times over
7,500 hours in several oceans since 1988.
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-02-05.html
US: serious consequences to clean water act violations.
Washington, USA,
April 27 - Those who deliberately or accidentally pollute the nation's
waterways can expect to face stiff sentences.
BP Amoco has
agreed to pay a $804,700 civil penalty for violating the CWA (Clean Water Act)
by dumping more than 162,000 gallons of oil into the Marais des Cygnes River in
Osawatomie, Kansas, disrupting the city's water supply for 38 days. BP Amoco
also agreed to spend $145,300 on a supplemental project involving
reconstruction improvements to the city's water intake. .
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr2001/2001L-04-27-09.html
Environmentalists protest Baja
plans
Cabo San Luca,
Mexico, May 6 — The Mexican government is proposing its biggest tourism
development in 20 years, a network of upscale marinas around Baja California,
that President Vicente Fox says is critical for economic growth but
environmentalists call a threat to one of the world’s great marine wildlife
sanctuaries. Nautical Steps, would cover more than 2,500 miles of coast,
beginning in Ensenada, just south of San Diego, to marinas located along the
entire western and eastern coasts of the Baja Peninsula, is aimed at luring the
1.6 million boat owners in California and other nearby U.S. states into a new
system of harbors, wharves, hotels and restaurants. Fox, who took office in
December pledging to lift Mexico’s standard of living, says the tourism
industry is underdeveloped and should be built into a passport to prosperity.
Environmentalists say the project for the sake of building an American
playground, threatens the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez, a
body of water with whales, sea lions, dolphins, turtles and other wildlife so
diverse and abundant that the late French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau called
it the ‘aquarium of the world’.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/569451.asp
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54th
Annual Conference for NGOs associated with UN Department of Public
Information The Conference is open to representatives of NGOs
associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI),
those in consultative status with the United Nations through the Economic and
Social Council, and those working with UN agencies and programmes and with UN
Information Centres and Services. The Conference will be held at United Nations
Headquarters in New York from 10 to 12 September 2001.
Indian surgeon to receive
highest Rotary humanitarian award for offering 'Jaipur Foot' to disabled
Evanston, Illinois, USA, 4 May
- Rotary International, one of the world's largest humanitarian organizations,
announced today that its highest honor, the Rotary Award for World
Understanding and Peace, will be given to Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi, a retired
orthopedic surgeon from Jaipur, India. Dr. Sethi and his team developed the
"Jaipur Foot," an artificial limb that has transformed the lives of
millions of land mine amputees and polio victims in India and other developing
countries. The award will be presented at Rotary International's annual
convention on 26 June in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
The 73-year-old Dr. Sethi is a
fellow of Britain's Royal College of Surgeons and worked for many years at
Jaipur Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where his medical team collaborated with local
craftsmen and designed new prostheses that are made from locally available
materials such as rubber, wood and aluminium. They are light in weight and have
great mobility. Those who wear them can run, climb trees and pedal bicycles.
Unlike those prostheses in the West that can cost several thousand dollars, the
Jaipur Foot costs US$28 and is truly affordable for mass distribution to the
physically disabled in rural India and other developing countries. Considered a
component of humanitarian service, the design of the Jaipur Foot has never been
patented.
Every year, the Rotary Award
for World Understanding and Peace is given to an individual or organization
whose life or work exemplifies the Rotary ideal of promoting community service,
as well as international understanding, goodwill and peace. The award carries
with it a grant of US$100,000 for contribution to a charitable project, chosen
by the recipient, that promotes Rotary's mission of world understanding and
peace.
Emergency fund for Palestinian
students appeals for support
24 April - With the education
of thousands of Palestinian youths at stake, a new emergency fund to help
students in Gaza and abroad pay university tuition and fees is appealing for
support.
The UNDP Programme of Assistance to the
Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) joined the Palestinian Red Crescent
Society/Gaza Strip in launching the Emergency Needy Student Fund
yesterday.
"With world headlines
filled for nearly seven months about suffering and losses, it is encouraging
that UNDP has, once again, demonstrated its commitment to the future of the
Palestinian people," said Dr. Haider Abdel Shafi, Chairman of the
Palestinian Red Crescent Society/Gaza Strip.
Timothy Rothermel, Special
Representative of UNDP/PAPP, said, "Hopefully this small investment in the
future of Palestinian youth - especially at this time - will be seen as a
contribution towards peace and development." Both Dr. Abdel Shafi and Mr.
Rothermel appealed to international donors, businesses and charitable bodies to
support the initiative by contributing to the fund.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
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