Unknown web: Is the net hurting the environment?

Duncan Graham-Rowe, New Scientist 6 May 09;

Sending an email across the Atlantic Ocean does not burn any jet fuel, but the internet is not without its own, huge carbon footprint. One estimate suggests it takes a whopping 152 billion kilowatt-hours per year just to power the data centres that keep the net running. Add to that the energy used by all the computers and peripherals linked to it and the whole thing could be responsible for as much as 2 per cent of all human-made CO2 emissions, putting it on a par with the aviation industry.

The way we use our computers also has an impact. According to Google, the production of the electricity needed for a single internet search generates 200 milligrams of CO2. This may not sound much, but it adds up: 1000 searches produce the same CO2 emissions as an average European car travelling 1 kilometre. Worse, internet traffic is currently growing at around 50 per cent each year. According to the international environmental coalition The Climate Group, total emissions from computers will increase by 280 per cent, to the equivalent of 1.4 gigatonnes of CO2, by 2020.

If the IT industry continues with business as usual, there is no question that the internet's energy consumption will skyrocket, says Bill Weihl, Google's green-energy tsar. As a result, many organisations are turning to so-called green data centres which are far more efficient at cooling computers. At the same time, new computers are becoming more efficient. This has led to the energy needed to send each megabyte of data across the net to fall by about 30 per cent annually, says Jonathan Koomey, an energy expert at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Oakland, California.

IBM says it is developing carbon-neutral data centres, using a novel form of water cooling which channels the heat given off by chips to provide warmth for nearby homes and offices. In a similar vein, Google has patented the idea of sea-based floating data centres which use wave motion as a power source, while cold water sucked up from the deep ocean could cool the computer chips.

The internet itself could help us to reduce our energy consumption. Video conferencing is just one example, says Koomey. "Moving electrons is always better than moving atoms," he says. What no one knows, however, is whether the technology has led to any significant reduction in travel, or whether uptake in video conferencing has actually increased our CO2 emissions.

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Proper curbs on swiftlet business in Ipoh needed

The Star 7 May 09;

LATELY, there have been calls by individuals and concerned NGOs on the dangers of allowing swiftlet nesting to thrive without any form of regulations in the midst of human dwellings.

I can understand the fears, concern and frustrations of residents caught in the midst of booming swiftlet nestings in their neirbourhood.

I am sure the authorities have taken note of the problems, especially those that are associated with public health and environmental pollution.

Those unable to face the nuisance of these “illegal settlement” of swiftlets in their neibourhood can use electronic bird repellers to chase away these birds without harming them.

I am not sure whether such gadgets are available locally but they can be purchased in the international open market.

There are several types of bird repelling gadgets in the market.

The one that emits sound waves will automatically broadcast a variety of naturally recorded bird distress signals and predator calls to chase away nesting birds.

There are also bird-repellers that use harmless laser beams to frighten and confuse the birds, causing them to flee from the roosting spots.

Apparently these gadgets are said to be relatively cheap, handy and consumer-safe with inbuilt safety features.

They are fully registered in many countries although I am not sure whether they are allowed in Malaysia.

Some may not like the idea of using such devices for various reasons, including the possible misuse of the gadget.

However if something is not done fast enough, we may end up with a bigger problem later.

In the event of a disease outbreak such as bird flu, some people may use heinous and cruel methods to get rid of these beautiful feathered creatures because they fear that they may spread the disease.

The local authorities should put in place appropriate regulations so that the swiftlet business can continue to thrive freely without becoming a danger and nuisance to the public.

S. PARAM,

Ipoh.

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Best of our wild blogs: 6 May 09

Nature Blog Networking: Sing Sing Singapore pt 2
on the Nature Blog Network

How you can help us to protect wildlife in Malaysia
on the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation blog

Rich Biodiversity @ Punggol Wasteland (Part 2)
on the Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature blog

Tiger Shrike takes a beetle
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Nesting of the Banded Kingfisher
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

New headland to be constructed at East Coast Park
on the wild shores of singapore blog

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About 200 New Species Of Amphibians In Madagascar Discovered

ScienceDaily 5 May 09;

Between 129 and 221 new species of frogs have been identified in Madagascar, practically doubling the currently known amphibian fauna. The finding suggests that the number of amphibian species in Madagascar, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, has been significantly underestimated. According to the researchers, if these results are extrapolated at a global scale, the number of amphibian species worldwide could double.


Their study, conducted with participation of the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

As Professor David R. Vieites, CSIC researcher at the Spanish National Natural Sciences Museum in Madrid, states: “the diversity of species in Madagascar is far from being known and there is still a lot of scientific research to be done. Our data suggest that the number of new species of amphibians not only has been underestimated but it is spatially widespread, even in well studied areas. For example, two of the most visited and studied National parks, Ranomafana and Mantadía/Analamazaotra, harbour 31 and 10 new species respectively.”

Dr. Frank Glaw, curator of herpetology at the Zoologische Staatssammlung from Munich explains: ”During the past 15 years, we discovered and described over 100 new frog species from Madagascar, which led us to believe that our species inventory is almost complete. But as our new surveys show, there are many more species than we suspected.”

The paper suggests that the total biodiversity on the island could be much higher also in other groups, so the actual destruction of natural habitats may be affecting more species than previously thought. This is important for conservation planning, as the rate of destruction of rainforests in Madagascar has been one of the highest in the planet, with more than 80% of the historic surface of rainforest already lost.

“Although a lot of reserves and national parks have been created in Madagascar during the last decade, the actual situation of politic instability is allowing the cut of the forest within national parks, generating a lot of uncertainty about the future of the planned network of protected areas,” explains Vieites. Almost a quarter of the new species discovered have not been found yet in protected areas.

Biodiversity

The study proposes different criteria -- morphological, genetic and bioacoustic -- to assign the candidate species (the ones which have been identified as potential new species but not yet formerly described) to different categories. In Madagascar, the number of candidate species is higher than the number of described species in some genera.

“Using these criteria and the integration of different techniques under the principle of congruence could help to boost the inventory and the process of species description worldwide,” explains Vieites. Dr. Miguel Vences, professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig adds: "People think that we know which plant and animal species live on this planet. But the century of discoveries has only just begun – the majority of life forms on Earth is still awaiting scientific recognition."

Also participating in the study were researchers from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Museo regionale di Scienze Naturali from Torino, and the Hessisches Landesmuseum from Darmstadt.

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and one of the most biodiverse areas globally, with a high degree of endemic species. “To get an idea of its biodiversity, while in the Iberian Peninsula are about 30 species of amphibians and in Germany about 20, in a single locality in Madagascar we can find ca. 100 species of frogs,” explains Vieites.

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Green buildings can cost less if design plans start early

Today Online 6 May 09;

Big or small, if you “design right from day one” there will be cost energy savings.

It’s just that with bigger properties, the energy savings are “more obvious” said the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) deputy director of technology development division Tan Tian Chong.

He was responding to a query on why the $100-million green mark incentive scheme to encourage developers and building owners to retrofit their buildings with energy-efficient design and practices, only applies to existing developments with a gross floor area of 2,000 square metres and above.

Mr Tan, who was speaking at an industry get together of planners, architects and developers yesterday, said that since most of Singapore’s residential properties are condominiums, the incentives would be most felt there. But there is nothing to stop smaller landed property owners from designing green and it is a misconception that green buildings cost more.

“It depends on how you design your building. If you design right from day one, the premium can be as low as 2 to 3 per cent instead of 6 to 7 per cent,” he said.

Mr Tan also announced that BCA will launch the inaugural International Green Building Conference in October during BEX Asia, Southeast Asia’s green building exhibition.

Esther Ng

Green technologies to win you over
BCA event to help realise 80% target for eco-friendly buildings
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 6 May 09;

SINGAPORE'S nascent green building industry is set to get a boost from a new event in October which will showcase the best of the Republic's technologies.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) yesterday announced that it will hold the inaugural International Green Building Conference on Oct 28.

The three-day event aims to attract 1,000 participants from around the region.

BCA director of technology development Tan Tian Chong told reporters yesterday the event will help realise Singapore's goal of greening 80 per cent of all its 15,500 buildings by 2030 from the current 1 per cent.

This was one of the targets outlined in a blueprint on sustainable development unveiled by the Government last week.

'Such events will continue to raise the awareness and adoption of environmentally friendlier, more sustainable designs, materials and construction methods among builders and developers in the region,' he said.

The conference will be held in partnership with BEX Asia, a green building exhibition organised by events firm Reed Exhibitions, which expects to attract 5,000 participants from more than 16 countries.

Mr Ashvinkumar Kantilal, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, another event partner, said yesterday that architects have seen a big rise in the number of developers requiring green features in their buildings.

'The buy-in from the industry has been very rapid, as building owners recognise the potential savings from building green,' said Mr Kantilal, adding that this has been aided by cash incentives given out by the BCA to building owners.

The success of Singapore's Green Mark scheme, used to rate a building's environmental performance, has even led Malaysia's building industry to work with local players here to develop its own green building scheme, he added.

The BCA will also be opening Singapore's first zero-energy building at the conference. The complex will have a net zero energy consumption over a year, made possible by solar panels covering an area of 1,300 sq m which will be integrated on the roof of one of the buildings.

Green building events may add buzz to industry
Downturn may have some impact on the conference and exhibition: BCA
Business Times 6 May 09;

THE Building & Construction Authority (BCA) expects 800 to 1,000 local and foreign participants to turn up for its inaugural International Green Building Conference in October.

The conference, which will focus on green building technologies and designs, will take place alongside South-east Asia's green building exhibition BEX Asia, which could draw another 5,000 visitors.

The economic downturn may have some impact on the events, said BCA director of technology development Tan Tian Chong.

But with new incentives to get at least 80 per cent of buildings in Singapore Green Mark-certified by 2030, they may 'add more buzz to the industry and create an interest to improve the value and energy efficiency of existing buildings'.

Last week, the government introduced several schemes to promote sustainable development in Singapore.

For instance, BCA launched a $100 million Green Mark incentive scheme for existing buildings to entice owners of some private non-residential developments to carry out energy efficiency retrofitting.

According to Mr Tan, BCA's co-funding can help shorten the investment's payback period by as much as a third.

The agency found in a study that a building with the Green Mark platinum rating can carry a cost premium of 2 to 8 per cent, with a payback period of two to eight years.

President of the Singapore Institute of Architects Ashvinkumar Kantilal, who is also projects director at Architects 61, said his firm has got 'quite a handful of enquiries' in the past two days from clients who wish to know if they can benefit from the green incentives.

He believes other architectural firms are seeing a similar trend.

BCA said that 245 buildings have received Green Mark certification.

They have a gross floor area (GFA) of around 10.47 million sq m, out of a total building stock of about 210 million sq m.

Of the 245 buildings, however, only 60 are complete and in use, representing a GFA of around 1.7 million sq m.

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Signs of hope for Coral Triangle fishermen

Reuters AlertNet 16 Apr 09;

JAKARTA, 14 April 2009 (IRIN) - In the coastal areas of Riau Province on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, fishermen who once saw their livelihoods hit by declining fish stocks are beginning to see their catch increase again.

According to the oceanography research centre of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, this is the result of community-based efforts to protect the area's coral reefs and keep the waters safe from illegal fishing.

"Before, local fishermen were discouraged, because they would protect the coral reefs but transboundary fishermen [from beyond Indonesia] would come and get their fish," Suharsono, the centre's director, told IRIN. "But since the local government gave them the right to manage their area, they have been successful in keeping transboundary fishermen away."

The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) [see: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=79862], which covers maritime areas around the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, hopes to replicate efforts like these, and bring hope to fishing communities.

The triangle contains more than a third of all known coral species on earth, 53 percent of the world's coral reefs, more than 3,000 fish species, the greatest extent of mangrove forests of any region in the world, and the spawning grounds for the largest tuna fishery in the world, according to data from the CTI Secretariat.

Threats

However, the triangle is under threat from overfishing, illegal fishing methods and climate change.

The destruction of the coral reefs in the triangle poses a threat to some 120 million people who depend on its marine resources, and to global tuna supplies.

Less than two years after CTI was first proposed in August 2007, a plan of action is expected to be signed by the leaders of all six participating countries during a summit on 15 May [see: http://www.woc2009.org/home.php].

The plan includes commitments to effectively manage priority seascapes and marine protected areas, adopt climate change adaptation measures, and improve the status of threatened species, as well as the livelihoods and incomes of millions of people living in coastal areas within the triangle.

"The CTI is an unprecedented cooperation. This has never been seen before in the marine community," Rili Djohani, director of The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia [see: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/indonesia/], told a seminar in Jakarta on 14 April, adding that the summit is expected to result in a major funding boost for the project.

"What we have learned from this is that no one can do this alone. You can work together to make an impact."

jd/ds/cb

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'Sobering' Decline Of Caribbean's Big Fish, Fisheries: Overfishing Deemed Most Likely Cause

ScienceDaily 6 May 09;

Sharks, barracuda and other large predatory fishes disappear on Caribbean coral reefs as human populations rise, endangering the region's marine food web and ultimately its reefs and fisheries, according to a sweeping study by researcher Chris Stallings of The Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory.

While other scientists working in the Caribbean have observed the declines of large predators for decades, the comprehensive work by Stallings documents the ominous patterns in far more detail at a much greater geographic scale than any other research to date.

"Seeing evidence of this ecological and economic travesty played out across the entire Caribbean is truly sobering," said Associate Professor John Bruno of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who served as the PLoS One academic editor for Stallings' new paper.

"I examined 20 species of predators, including sharks, groupers, snappers, jacks, trumpetfish and barracuda, from 22 Caribbean nations," said Stallings, a postdoctoral associate at the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory. "I found that nations with more people have reefs with far fewer large fish because as the number of people increases, so does demand for seafood. Fishermen typically go after the biggest fish first, but shift to smaller species once the bigger ones become depleted. In some areas with large human populations, my study revealed that only a few small predatory fish remain."

Stallings said that although several factors -- including loss of coral reef habitats -- contributed to the general patterns, careful examination of the data suggests overfishing as the most likely reason for the disappearance of large predatory fishes across the region. He pointed to the Nassau grouper as a prime example. Once abundant throughout the Caribbean, Nassau grouper have virtually disappeared from many Caribbean nearshore areas and are endangered throughout their range.

"Large predatory fish such as groupers and sharks are vitally important in marine food webs," Stallings said. "However, predicting the consequence of their loss is difficult because of the complexity of predator-prey interactions. You can't replace a 10-foot shark with a one-foot grouper and expect there to be no effect on reef communities. Shifts in abundance to smaller predators could therefore have surprising and unanticipated effects. One such effect may be the ability of non-native species to invade Caribbean reefs."

A case in point, said Stallings, is the ongoing invasion by Pacific lionfish, which were introduced by aquarium releases.

"Lionfish are minor players on their native Pacific reefs, yet they are undergoing a population explosion and overeating small fishes in the greater Caribbean region," said Professor Mark Hixon of Oregon State University, Stallings' doctoral advisor at OSU. "Preliminary evidence suggests that lionfish are less invasive where large predatory native fishes are abundant, such as in marine reserves," Hixon said.

The study also demonstrates the power of volunteer and community research efforts by non-scientists. Stallings used data from the Reef Environmental Education Foundation's (REEF) online database, which contains fish sightings documented by trained volunteer SCUBA divers, including more than 38,000 surveys spanning a 15-year period.

"Chris was completely undaunted by the lack of fisheries data and essentially adopted the 'Audubon Christmas Bird Count' approach in a marine system to find strong evidence for a native fisheries effect," said Felicia Coleman, director of the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory and Stallings' postdoctoral advisor.

Given that about half the world's populations live near coastlines and that the world population is growing, demands for ocean-derived protein will continue to increase, Stallings warned. He said meeting such demands while retaining healthy coral reefs may require multiple strategies, including implementation of marine reserves, finding alternative sources of protein, and increased efforts to implement family-planning strategies in densely populated areas.

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Fewer endangered Saimaa seal pups born this winter

Yahoo News 5 May 09;

HELSINKI (AFP) – Finnish conservation biologists said Tuesday fewer pups of the rare Saimaa seal were born this winter compared to 2008, a move which sparked the government to promise tighter fishing restrictions.
Finland's biggest lake, Lake Saimaa in eastern Finland covers 4,400 square kilometres and is home to some 260 Saimaa seals, according to government figures from 2008.

In this spring's seal cubs calculations only 43 cubs were found, which is eight less than a year ago said Metsaehallitus, the state agency, which looks after state-owned land and water areas.

"This is alarming because we had two warm winters with small number of pups and now we had another small age group. This will slow the growth of the population in the future," biologist Tero Sipilae from Metsaehallitus told AFP.

The decline in the number of pups born may seem small, but up to 30 percent of the cubs die during their first year mainly because they get tangled up in fishing nets when they learn to swim and fish.

The seals feature on the European Union's endangered species list as it has suffered from man's action such as pollution in the 1960's and nowadays from warmer winters and dangerous fishing equipment.

Metsaehallitus data shows the seal population increased from 189 in 1990 to 280 in 2005, although that number fell to 260 last year.

Environmental organisations such as the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation have criticised the government for not imposing tighter fishing restrictions in April-June in areas where seals live.

The ministry of agriculture and forestry said it would start to prepare a ban on fishing nets in Saimaa and the law would come into force next year.

"We will soon present a change in the fishing law, which would enable banning fishing nets to protect the Saimaa seal," Sirkka Anttila, the minister of agriculture and forestry, said in a separate statement.

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Ban may protect three Hawaii fish species

Aim is to protect species that feed on invasive seaweeds that are overtaking corals
Rob Perez, Honolulu Advertiser 5 May 09;

Local fishers may soon be prevented from taking three families of popular reef fish from a small section of the Maui coastline as a way to help the beleaguered corals in that area recover.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources board recently approved a ban on the taking of parrotfish, surgeonfish and chubs, along with sea urchins, along a roughly one-mile section of the coast in North Ka'anapali.

Members of all three herbivorous fish families and the urchins are important grazers of seaweed, which has overtaken much of the coral along that section of the shoreline.

The ban, if approved by Gov. Linda Lingle, would mark the first time the state has adopted protections for specific species as a broader strategy for restoring the health of a reef in a particular area.

"This is a very proactive approach," said Cynthia Hunter, an assistant professor of marine biology at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. If it proves effective, as has been the case in other places outside Hawai'i, the approach could be used elsewhere locally where similar conditions exist, Hunter said.

The ban would apply to the nearshore waters from Keka'a Point to Honokowai Beach Park, and that section would become the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area.

The new marine management plan still must be approved by Lingle before it takes effect. Her spokesman yesterday said the plan's rules would go through the regular review process once received from the board.
feeding also banned

Russell Sparks, education specialist with the agency's Division of Aquatic Resources' Maui office, said the coral in the affected area has declined by about 50 percent over the past 14 years, and the fish population there also is not at the level it should be, when compared with similar environments.

The decline in parrotfish, surgeonfish, chubs and sea urchins has contributed to the surge in invasive seaweeds that are overtaking the corals, and the aim of the new program is to protect the fish that are critical to keeping the seaweed, or algae, in check, according to Sparks, who oversaw the development of the new management plan. He said other factors, such as land-based pollution, also have contributed to the degradation of the reefs.

The Kahekili plan also would entail a ban on people feeding the fish — similar to what is in place at Hanauma Bay on O'ahu.

A feeding ban is important, especially in an area with many tourists, so that the fish don't get full on artificial food and will continue their natural role of feeding on seaweed, Sparks said.

Sparks said the proposal has been about two years in the making and differs from other approaches the state previously has taken to protect marine areas.

In some instances, the state banned the taking of any marine life from an area, mostly because the area is considered special, such as Hanauma Bay, he said. In other instances, the state created protections for certain species because of their dwindling numbers or to resolve conflicts among ocean users.

But this is the first time the state is attempting to outlaw the taking of specific species to achieve the broader goal of restoring the reef's health, Sparks said. "This approach we're doing is really ... unique," he said.
hawaiians' rights

The strategy has not been without controversy.

At a public hearing in Lahaina in February, the department was criticized for singling out fishing practices.

Many opponents said they believe that land-based pollution, overdevelopment and general overuse of the reefs are bigger problems affecting coral condition than overfishing. Concerns about restricting Native Hawaiian harvesting rights also were raised at the hearing.

"As a Native Hawaiian (who) is of this ahupua'a, we have rights to gather within our ahupua'a at any time for any reason to sustain and better our health and living conditions in any way we see fit," said Lahaina resident Ui'lani Kapu in written testimony.

But scientists, fishers and others voiced support for the plan.

"Protecting herbivorous fish populations in an area off Kahekili should result in an increase in fish populations, an increase in fish size, a decrease in algae growth and a healthier reef ecosystem overall," wrote Alan Friedlander, a UH zoology professor.

The proposal was approved unanimously by the DLNR board, Sparks said. Violations, if deemed criminal, would be classified as petty misdemeanors subject to fines. A first-time offense, for instance, would result in a fine of not less than $100.

Because the reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands generally have been on the decline, scientists and others have urged the state to be more aggressive in using marine protected areas and other policies to help safeguard and restore the health of the nearshore ecosystems.

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EU parliament votes to ban seal products

Christian Spillmann Yahoo News 5 May 09;

STRASBOURG (AFP) – The European Parliament voted Tuesday to endorse an EU-wide ban on seal products in protest at commercial hunting methods, sparking a threat from Canada to take action at the World Trade Organisation.

The move, backed by much of the European public and animal rights groups, was approved by 550 votes to 49 at the parliament in Strasbourg. The ban will enter force for the next commercial seal hunt season in 2010.

The decision to reject seal products came on the eve of a visit to Prague by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to launch free trade talks with the European Union.

The Canadian government maintains that the 350-year-old hunt is crucial for some 6,000 North Atlantic fishermen who rely on it for up to 35 percent of their annual income.

Ottawa authorized the slaughter of 338,000 seals this year, insisting the hunt does not threaten the species. But a slump in pelt prices has meant fewer hunters on ice floes off Canada's Atlantic coast.

"If the EU imposes a trade ban on seal products it must contain an exemption for any country, like Canada, that has strict guidelines in place for humane and sustainable sealing practices," Trade Minister Stockwell Day said.

"If there is no such acceptable exemption, Canada will challenge the ban at the World Trade Organisation," he said in a statement.

Canada hopes that requiring training on how to humanely slaughter seals, legislating standards for seal products and taking measures to safeguard the species will silence hunt critics.

The EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner. Their trade is worth about 25 billion euros (33 billion dollars) annually, with the seal trade accounting for around 4.2 million euros.

"After many years of campaigning by European citizens I welcome the regulation which bans seal products from entering or being traded in the European Union," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement.

"By upholding the highest standards the new legislation addresses EU citizens' concerns with regard to the cruel hunting methods of seals," he said.

The commission said the ban, already endorsed by the bloc's executive body, would eliminate disparate national rules. But it underlined it would allow trade in seal products derived from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and which contribute to their subsistence.

EU members Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Slovenia have already banned or announced their intention to ban products from the commercial hunt.

The EU ban -- on pelts, used for making bags, hats and gloves, and meat, oil, organs and fat -- adds to those announced by the United States and Mexico, two of Canada's main trading partners.

It does not hit traditional hunters or hunting conducted on a small scale and controlled under national legislation -- notably in Britain, Finland and Sweden -- in an effort to protect fish stocks hit by seals.

Animal rights groups hailed the vote as a "historic victory".

"The European Union has acted on behalf of its citizens, and its decision will save millions of seals from a horrible fate," said Mark Glover, director of Humane Society International.

"The parliament has hammered the final nail in the coffin of the sealing industry's market in the EU," said Lesley O'Donnell, from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Europe votes to ban seal product trade
Canada threatens to appeal to WTO after move aimed at drastic reduction in annual seal cull
Ian Traynor, guardian.co.uk 5 May 09;

Europe moved today to halt the clubbing to death of hundreds of thousands of seals every year, when MEPs voted overwhelmingly to ban trading in seal products, hoping that the collapse of the market will drastically reduce the massacre.

The decision to outlaw virtually all trade in seal products was directed mainly at Canada, where the yearly cull kills around 300,000 seals, a practice condemned by many as barbaric.

Canada, which exports several million dollars worth of seal products to the EU, is threatening to take Brussels to the World Trade Organisation because of the ban, which still needs to be endorsed by the EU's 27 national governments. But that support is guaranteed as EU governments agreed the text with the European parliament.

While 90 MEPs voted against the ban or abstained, 550 voted in favour. The trade will be stopped next year.

"This is a political issue that now has its time," said Arlene McCarthy, the Labour MEP. "After a 40-year campaign, Europe has a chance to introduce a ban in all 27 states."

National bans on commercial trading in seal products are already in place in 30 countries including the US, the Netherlands and Italy. Italy is still said to be one of the biggest European importers of seal pelts.

Seal products are also found in Omega 3 'fish oil' pills, leather goods and meat from the Arctic.

The vote came as an EU-Canada summit convened in Praguewhere the Ottawa government was expected to complain about the ban. Norway has also threatened to take the EU to the WTO.

"The ban does nothing to improve the welfare of hunted seals but sets a dangerous precedent by ignoring WTO rules," said the International Fur Trade Federation.

Its chairman, Andreas Lenhart, said: "MEPs have rushed through bad legislation to garner what they think will be public appeal just before they are up for re-election [next month]."

But opponents of the ban are relatively rare in Europe.

"Cruel and inhumane seal hunting is unacceptable and an EU measure is the best way we can help to end it around the world," said Caroline Flint, the minister for Europe. "It also shows how we can achieve more acting together than alone."

Almost one million seals are culled every year worldwide. McCarthy said the Canadians had slaughtered less than a quarter of the number of seals this year compared to last because trading bans were destroying the market for seal products.

Inuit communities in the Arctic were exempted from the new rules. The marketing of seal products would still be allowed from "hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and which contribute to their subsistence".

Lesley O'Donnell, the EU director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said today's vote "hammered the final nail in the coffin of the sealing industry's market in the EU. The world is uniting in opposition to commercial sea hunts. A complete collapse of Canada's commercial seal hunt may now be inevitable."

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Bee disease threatens S.African fruit exports

Yahoo News 5 May 09;

CAPE TOWN (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of South African bees are at risk from a disease sweeping through hives and posing a threat to fruit and vegetable farming in the country, an industry expert said Tuesday.

The only way to rid bee populations of American Foul Brood disease is by burning the infected hives. However, as the only country to avoid the disease for the past 150 years, South Africa has no quarantine regulations for insects.

"It is extremely serious because it is a very contagious disease ... not only for honey but for agriculture. We need to use bees for pollinating fruit trees and vegetable crops," said John Moodie, chairman of the Bee Industry Organisation.

The exceptionally contagious spore-forming bacterium, never before seen in sub-Saharan Africa, has broken out in the southern tip of the Western Cape province.

Some 200 hives are known to be infected already, with about 60,000 bees per hive, and the industry is awaiting assistance from the agricultural department to start burning hives.

"New laws have to be promulgated, it's taking too much time. We need logistical inputs, money. Every day creates a bigger problem," Moodie told AFP, warning the disease could spread throughout southern Africa.

"We need those regulations so we can start taking action".

The Western Cape's key fruit export industry relies on between 30,000 and 40,000 beehives to pollinate their fruit trees.

It is suspected the disease entered the country through infected honey, which by law has to be irradiated to destroy spores when it enters the country.

The disease poses no risks to humans.

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What's The Carbon Footprint Of Your Toilet Paper?

Tilde Herrera, PlanetArk 6 May 09;

Tesco is charging ahead with its plans to slap a carbon label on all of its private label products to denote the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it takes to produce each item.

The U.K.-based retailer said on Friday it would include the labels on its Tesco-branded toilet paper and kitchen rolls beginning in late summer. The Carbon Reduction Label accounts for all emissions generated by each stage of the product's lifecycle; Tesco must reduce emissions or lose the right to use the label.

Not surprisingly, the company's recycled toilet paper comes with a smaller carbon footprint when compared to its conventional counterpart: 1.1g of carbon dioxide emissions for each sheet of recycled toilet paper versus 1.8g for Tesco's standard roll.

The company said the emissions savings can be traced to an integrated tissue mill that can turn waste paper into tissue paper in one place in order to achieve greater energy efficiency. The company's kitchen rolls, or paper towels, made from recycled content also achieved a 15 percent smaller carbon footprint.

The company's labeling program began a year ago with 20 products in four categories -- light bulbs, laundry detergent, potatoes and orange juice -- and now rings in at roughly 100 items.
Tesco NonBio liquid detergent with carbon label
The move is part of a collaboration with The Carbon Trust, a government-funded entity that has already worked with companies such as Walkers, Boots and innocent Drinks to test the carbon label pilot program. Coca Cola, Continental Clothing, Halifax, Cadbury, Marshalls and British Sugar are among the companies that have pursued carbon labels for their products and services.

According to Tesco, consumer surveys indicate more than 60 percent seek products with low carbon footprints if they don't have to sacrifice cost or convenience.

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