January 2008
Business Council: Five major policies needed to address state of environment issues
Business leaders say the country needs to focus on five major policy areas to address the major issues raised in the latest official State of the Environment Report released today. The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development - whose 66 member companies’ annual sales equate to more than 34% of gross domestic product - [...]
Dairy booms, rivers bust - time for Green Solutions & Govt Reply
The announcement today of the first ever one billion dollars in dairy exports in a single month, coming at the same time as the release of the State of the Environment report showing declining water quality, makes it plain that now is the time to invest in the sustainability of this important industry, and that [...]
Make the users pay for clean environment
New Zealand’s primary sector needs to meet the costs of its contribution to the sorry state of the environment outlined in a major Government report today, Forest & Bird says. The report, Environment New Zealand 2007, shows that the state of the environment has undergone significant decline in the last decade, largely due to the [...]
Environment New Zealand 2007
A comprehensive state of the environment report released today provides the basis for future action on the environment, says Environment Secretary Hugh Logan. Environment New Zealand 2007 presents a thorough snapshot of the health of our environment and will help inform and prioritise decisions that will lead to a sustainable New Zealand, Mr Logan said. [...]
Americans Fed ‘Infotainment,’ Not Reality, on Iraq War
The television networks have been feeding the American public a “sanitized version” of the Iraq war that is literally “infotainment,” a noted communications authority says. “The American people did not see the bodies of dead American soldiers, and few Iraqi casualties were aired,” asserts Michelle Pulaski, professor of communications art at Pace University, Pleasantville, N.Y. [...]
Sustainability – Where to from now?
1. Introduction - Green is the new black. To be green is to be trendy and hip and where it’s happening. This is a good thing and I am waiting for the call from Vogue magazine to go on the front cover. So far they seem to prefer the Hollywood A list but I know [...]
Join retailers’ Mediterranean bluefin tuna boycott, urges WWF
Rome, Italy - WWF is calling on retailers to follow the example of several major European supermarket chains and stop selling Mediterranean bluefin tuna until the imperilled species is out of the danger zone.
The global conservation organization’s call was made as the Seafood Summit 2008 commenced in Barcelona, Spain this week.
“WWF applauds Auchan in France, [...]
Top chefs join Greenpeace to back sustainable seafood
Top chefs Raymond Blanc and Tom Aikens will be joining forces with Greenpeace UK 30th of January to urge other chefs to use only sustainable seafood on their menus. They’ll also be urging food writers to drop unsustainably caught fish from their recipes. And the campaign has already attracted the backing of multiple Michelin-starred Heston Blumenthal [...]
Plenty of Safe, Eco-Friendly Fish in the Sea
As a marine scientist who has been researching seafood sustainability and health issues for a long time, I’ve known for a while that bluefin tuna not only has high mercury levels but is severely depleted, too.
These magnificent fish are highly prized for their rich, buttery flesh. The global sushi market can’t get enough bluefin, and [...]
NATO’s Role in the Middle East War Theater
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the iron fist of America, Britain, France, and Germany. These four Western nations are the pillars of NATO. In the post-Cold War era, NATO has become an instrument in support of Anglo-American and Franco-German foreign and security objectives. Although intra-NATO differences exist, the interests of the U.S., the E.U. and [...]
Hewlett Packards Inkjet Cartridge Recycling Program
PALO ALTO, CA, - In an industry first, HP today announced it has developed an engineering breakthrough that enables the use of post-consumer recycled plastics in the production of new Original HP inkjet print cartridges. More than 200 million cartridges have been manufactured using the process thus far. HP used more than 5 million pounds of [...]
Carbon Markets Heat Up: Will They Keep the Planet from Doing the Same?
Washington, D.C.-Growing interest among national and regional governments in curbing carbon emissions has led to rapid expansion of the global carbon market, according to the latest Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute. “Policymakers worldwide are recognizing the true costs of carbon emissions for our economy and our environment,” says Zoë Chafe, a Worldwatch research [...]
Latest Greenpeace NZ GE Free Food Guide
AUCKLAND, New Zealand - The latest Greenpeace GE Free Food Guide reflects a strong ongoing non-GE position from New Zealand food companies and an unprecedented anti-GE stance from Australasia’s largest food company. Late last year, Goodman Fielder - umbrella company for brands like Edmonds, Meadow Lea, Meadow Fresh and Irvines - spoke out against the [...]
Cordless Phones and Malignant Brain Tumours
Cordless phones depend on the same microwaves that power cell phones and other wireless telecommunication and may be far more hazardous. Cancer researchers in Sweden found strong links between malignant brain tumours and using cordless phones, which are comparable to those for using mobile phones [1, 2]. The cancer research team led by Lennart Hardell [...]
Major emitters’ meeting must acknowledge the science
If this week’s ‘major economies’ meeting in Hawaii is to be a success it must build on the United Nations’ Bali agreement which recognised that firm, science based targets are needed to avoid dangerous climate change. “The UN agreement forged in Bali in December acknowledged the scientific guidance that developed nations - as a group [...]
Synthetic Genomics: Options for Governance Report
ROCKVILLE, MD, WASHINGTON, DC, and CAMBRIDGE, MA-October 17, 2007-Policy experts from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced today the release of a report, “Synthetic Genomics: Options for Governance,” which outlines areas for interventions and policy options to help mitigate [...]
New Coal Plant to Offset Carbon
The North Carolina Division of Air Quality granted the air quality permit for Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal-fired power plant today, on the condition that carbon emissions from the plant — approximately 6 million tons per year– are offset. With today’s decision North Carolina is taking an important step toward joining the ranks of dozens of [...]
Aussie Tax breaks for polluting activities should be slashed
The Australian Federal Treasury’s just-released estimates on the cost of fringe benefits tax concessions for company cars have gone through the roof. The tax concession for the private use of company cars involves billions of taxpayers’ dollars every year and the rate of the concession actually increases the more kilometres drivers clock up. The concessions [...]
Britain commits to a clean energy revolution
Britain has committed to launching a clean energy revolution which will create thousands of jobs, help reduce carbon emissions and if delivered confirm the country’s position as a world leader on climate change. These developments will put Britain in pole position for the transition to a low carbon economy expected by the middle of this century. [...]
Prime Minister honoured by UN environment award
Prime Minister Helen Clark says New Zealand’s efforts to adapt to the global impact of climate change have been recognised with the United Nations Environment Programme “Champions of the Earth” award. The UNEP has awarded the prize to Helen Clark and six other figures from regions around the world, in recognition of the government’s promotion [...]
Ecocity World Summit 2008
San Francisco will host the 7th International Ecocity Conference (Ecocity World Summit), on April 22-26. The event will be convened by nonprofit Ecocity Builders and held at UC Berkeley Extension.”Times are crying out for a much larger effort in the direction of the city that restores, not destroys, the biosphere,” says Richard Register, President of Ecocity [...]
Rudd’s indigenous Australia commitment commendable
Maori Party Co-leader, Tariana Turia, has today recognised Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s promise to ‘build a bridge …to restore respect with indigenous Australia’ as demonstrating the political leadership that tangata whenua will admire. “Mr Rudd has both recognised the need to give priority to indigenous health and education as well as fronting up with [...]
Tangaroa to advance understanding of Antarctic ecosystems
Research, Science and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson joined the Prime Minister today in celebrating the launch of the New Zealand International Polar Year Census of Antarctic Marine Life project and in wishing New Zealand’s research vessel Tangaroa well on its eight-week voyage to the Antarctic. “The Tangaroa has travelled more than a million nautical miles [...]
CAMBODIA: Blockade and economic strangulation used in forcible evictions amount to deprivation of the right to food and to cruel and inhuman punishment
For many years land grabbing has claimed many victims among the poor and the weak in Cambodian society. Land grabbers, mostly the rich and powerful, have scarcely resorted to the due process of law. They simply secure, though illicit means, government eviction orders and law enforcement agents to force those victims out of their homes [...]
PCHR Calls for International Resolution over Rafah Crossing Crisis
The Palestinian Centre for Human rights (PCHR) is concerned about the continuing state of chaos on the Egyptian-Palestinian border. The Centre believes the current situation does not provide a solution regarding civilians’ rights to safe and unhindered travel into and out of the Gaza Strip, especially as Rafah International Crossing Point remains officially closed.
PCHR calls [...]
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