Archives - July 2002

July 31, 2002

"Cosmic rays linked to global warming" - "Researchers studying global warming have often been confounded by the differences between observed increases in surface-level temperatures and unchanging low-atmosphere temperatures. Researchers have proposed for the first time that interstellar cosmic rays could be the missing link between the discordant temperatures observed during the last two decades." (American Geophysical Union)

"Experts warn of disasters from climate changes" - "BANGKOK, Thailand - Climate changes caused by global warming will inundate small island states and seriously threaten agriculture, forests, marine ecosystems and public health, a U.N. expert warned Tuesday.

"The earth's atmosphere is now warming at the fastest rate in recorded history, a trend that is projected to cause extensive damage to forests, marine ecosystems and agriculture," said Ravi Sawhney of the Bangkok-based United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, or ESCAP." (Associated Press)

Letter of the moment: "This science not 'junk,' but simplistic" - "I read with interest "The science behind the Kyoto protocol" (July 24), but remain deeply concerned that the authors' attempt to sustain so naive a link between carbon dioxide emissions and climate change, and between the technical reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the more-politicized "Summary for Policymakers."

The science espoused is not "junk" science, but, by necessity, simplistic." (Philip Stott, Times Colonist)

"Responses of Agricultural Crops to Free-Air CO2 Enrichment" - "Summary: Thirteen years ago, a group of visionary scientists conducted the world's first large-scale free-air CO2 enrichment experiment in an Arizona cotton field; and from that pioneering effort has come a whole new approach to global change research, with upwards of thirty scientific consortiums now employing the same technology to determine how everything from deserts to forests responds to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. A recent review of what has been learned about agricultural crops within this context forms the basis of this week's editorial." (co2science)

"Subject Index Summaries; Feedback Factors (Biophysical)" - "Summary: There are a host of different ways in which various components of the biosphere tend to mitigate global warming, some of which are driven by increases in air temperature and some of which are driven by increases in the air's CO2 content. We here review a number of recent papers that describe several of these phenomena." (co2science)

"Global Warming and Tick-Borne Encephalitis" - "Summary: Will the former lead to more of the latter? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 267: 1741-1744." (co2science)

"Aerosol Effects on Clouds" - "Summary: Are they significant? And if they are, are they of global or only regional significance? Science 295: 834-838." (co2science)

"Stations cut costs, not emissions" - "A decade after the electricity industry was deregulated, Australia's power stations are producing 10 per cent more greenhouse gases and burning more coal per kilowatt hour of electricity, according to a report by energy consultant Bardak.

The report found deregulation and the creation of a competitive national market had dramatically increased the financial efficiency of power stations. Staff cuts and improved work and maintenance practices mean lower operating costs, and breakdowns and maintenance blackouts have been greatly reduced." (The Melbourne Age)

Cooler Heads Project, Vol. VI, No.15 (Competitive Enterprise Institute)

"El Nino stimulates West Coast bird reproduction" - "SEATTLE - El Nino produces more than a climate change. It also brings a baby boom among migratory songbirds in the Pacific Northwest, scientists have found. Wrens, western tanagers and warblers that fly north from Mexico each spring produce two to three times as many young during an El Nino weather pattern, according to a study by the Institute for Bird Populations in Point Reyes Station, California." (Associated Press)

"Ford Excursion Near the End, Sources Say" - "The Ford Motor Company has decided not to build a second generation of the Excursion sport utility vehicle, which is seven feet tall and able to seat a softball team." (New York Times)

"Surge in Carbon Dioxide Emissions Cited (washingtonpost.com)" - "U.S. cars and light trucks produce a fifth of all carbon dioxide in this country associated with problems of global warming, and those emissions have begun to surge after decades of steady decline, a new study says. The report by Environmental Defense, a New York-based advocacy group, blames the problem on an auto industry that has catered to mounting consumer demand for light trucks, sport-utility vehicles and minivans that provide more room and power but less fuel efficiency."

"HELL-CAR BURNS MODEL'S HOME" - "VERONICA Webb's eco-friendly electric car turned into a fire-spewing death machine the other night, burning down her Key West house and killing her beloved dog, Hercules.

Despite her long devotion to various green causes, the six-month pregnant supermodel says she's through with electric cars after her Chrysler Gem overloaded while charging late last Monday night, sending flames through her air conditioning system and consuming everything in its wake.

"We got the car because it was supposed to be great for the environment, but no one ever warns you how dangerous they are," Webb tells PAGE SIX's Ian Spiegelman.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene told Webb that good intentions often turn lovely homes into blazing death zones. "They said they see this kind of thing with electric cars all the time," she says. "Electric cars and golf carts are always overloading their chargers and burning up, but no one knows about it." (pagesix.com, July 30)

"UN's 'risky' Earth Summit gambit" - "The United Nations' strategy for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is a risk, a senior UN official says. It aims to secure consensus on uncontentious issues, and purely voluntary agreements on more ambitious goals. The approach could go a long way to make the summit's goals a reality. But there are fears it may play into the hands of governments unwilling to make real changes. The acknowledgement that the UN's strategy is fraught with problems comes from Jan Pronk, the special envoy to the WSSD of the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan." (BBC News Online)

"Defenders of Earth; Are humans Gaia's immune system?" - "The Gaia hypothesis, which holds that Earth is a living organism in its own right, typically has been used to highlight man's role in messing up the environment. But if the latest warning of a possible ecological catastrophe turns out to be accurate, people could end up helping Gaia rather than harming her." (Ronald Bailey, Reason)

"Agent Orange victims need urgent help, experts say" - "STOCKHOLM - Sick and disabled Vietnamese people need help now and cannot wait for studies to prove whether their illnesses are caused by the Agent Orange herbicide dumped on Vietnam during the war, experts said this week." (Reuters)

"Belgium bans some fluoride supplement products" - "BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgium said Tuesday it would ban the sale of chewing gum, tablets, and drops that contain fluoride because officials feared they could cause health problems in people who use them to excess. The ban, the first of its kind in the European Union, will stop short of removing toothpaste with fluoride from store shelves, said Frans Gosselinckx, a Health Ministry adviser. However, a ministry spokeswoman said Health Minister Magda Aelvoet wanted to discuss with her E.U. counterparts the possibility of banning use of fluoride in toothpaste for children." (Reuters)

Back on the phthalate trail: "Some kids' modeling clays may pose health risk: Group" - "NEW YORK - Certain polymer modeling clays may pose a health risk for children and should be removed from the market for further safety testing, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), a consumer watchdog organization." (Reuters Health)

"Caffeine boosts stress level all day long: study" - "NEW YORK - People who consume caffeine may experience an increase in blood pressure, feel more stressed and produce more stress hormones than on days when they opt for decaf, US researchers report. Furthermore, Dr. James D. Lane and his colleagues at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina found that the effects of caffeine appear to persist until people go to bed, even if they don't consume any caffeine after 1 pm. Given the long-lasting effects of caffeine, the authors suggest that regular consumption of the substance could contribute to the risk of developing heart disease. Furthermore, Lane told Reuters Health that any condition influenced by stress could also be aggravated by caffeine." (Reuters Health)

"Consumer group: Trans fat silently lurking in foods" - "NEW YORK - A number of popular pastries, fried foods, and other products may contain more fat than you think, largely because "trans fat" does not have to be listed on their food labels, a consumer health group said Monday. Trans fat is formed when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated to make them more stable and solid, and recent evidence suggests that they may be as bad for the heart as saturated fat. However, products list the amount of total fat and saturated fat, but do not necessarily include the amount of trans fat, according to the Washington, DC-based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)." (Reuters Health)

"Ben & Jerry's Fudging The Truth, Says CSPI; Nothing 'All Natural' About Artificial Ingredients" - "WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Ben & Jerry's misleads customers by falsely claiming that some of its ice cream and frozen yogurt products are "All Natural," when they contain artificial
flavors, hydrogenated oils, or other factory-made substances, according to a complaint filed today by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The group wants the Food and Drug dministration (FDA) to take enforcement action against the company, a unit of the multinational food conglomerate Unilever." (U.S. Newswire)

"Zambia to Accept U.S. Transgenic Food Aid" - "LUSAKA, July 29, 2002 - Zambia is expected to import genetically modified maize (corn) from the United States to feed its 2.3 million starving citizens, according to the Biotechnology Trust of Africa, a regional charitable trust. Zambia has decided not to follow in the footsteps of hungry Zimbabwe, which two months ago rejected 10,000 metric tons of genetically modified maize from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)." (ENS)

"Africa Mulls GMO as Debate Rages, Hunger Claws" - "JOHANNESBURG - The prospect of the United States delivering genetically modified food aid has inflamed a debate in starving southern Africa about the gene-altered foods. At stake are the lives of 13 million people in six countries in the region in desperate need of food. Without urgent assistance, their situation will deteriorate to famine in the next few months, aid agencies have warned." (Reuters)

"U.S. agriculture secretary says China promises rules on genetically modified crops won't hamper trade" - "BEIJING - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday she had "received assurances" from Chinese officials that Beijing's new rules on genetically modified farm goods won't hamper trade between the two countries. The rules have been a key trade issue with the United States, which worries about their effect on its dlrs 1 billion-a-year sales of soybeans to China." (Associated Press)

July 30, 2002

"They'll Second That Amendment; Michigan Democrats embrace gun rights" - "The antigun set went bonkers in Michigan a year ago when the courts stymied their efforts to gut a new law expanding gun rights. The Michigan Supreme Court threw out the gun-control advocates' ballot initiative, saying the issue couldn't be challenged with a referendum. Having failed there, the antigunners took aim with the only weapon left in their arsenal: inflated rhetoric. Relaxing gun restrictions, they warned, would bring Wild West-style shootouts, blood in the streets and a severe political backlash against Republicans and conservative judges." (Thomas J Bray, Wall Street Journal)

"Asteroid to miss - this time around" - "Astronomers have ruled out an Earth impact from asteroid 2002 NT7 on 1 February 2019 - but they say, as yet, future collisions have not been completely excluded. 2002 NT7, a two-kilometre-wide (1.4 miles) chunk of rock, was discovered on 9 July. Initial estimates of its orbit suggested there was a small chance of it colliding with our planet in 17 years' time. However, the latest observations accumulated over the last few days have confirmed the asteroid will fly harmlessly by." (BBC News Online)

"Sex genes of fish disrupted by common household products" - "Scientists have found that the problem of fish endocrine disruption by traces of household products is worse than expected because the compounds work against the sex gene in the brain of fish rather than at estrogen receptors in other tissues." (University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute)

"High Court dismisses Pill case" - "The High Court has dismissed a test case brought by more than 100 women who claimed they had been damaged by the third generation contraceptive pill. In one of the first cases of its kind, the women claimed the the third generation Pill, which was launched in the 1980s, increased their risk of blood clots and caused serious side-effects." (BBC News Online)

"Newsday.com - Still Searching" - "Of all the ideas that came out of the breast cancer movement on Long Island, the most powerful was the one that sat for 18 months on Lorraine Pace's dining-room table a decade ago. It was a 10-foot-wide, color-coded map of breast cancer cases in West Islip, and it proved irresistible to just about everyone who saw it. Pace's friends and neighbors took one look and volunteered to help survey almost 9,000 homes in their community. Soon, cancer activists from other communities were knocking on her door, and so were hordes of reporters and politicians."

"University of Georgia researchers link increased risk of illness to sewage sludge used as fertilizer" - "Burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and other symptoms of illness have been found in a study of residents living near land fertilized with Class B biosolids, a byproduct of the human waste treatment process. This study is the first linking adverse health effects in humans to the land application of Class B biosolids to be published in a medical journal." (University of Georgia)

"Bush Sends Congress Plan for Clean Power Plants" - "WASHINGTON - The Bush administration sent its long-awaited plan to slash power plant emissions to Congress on Monday, but prospects for its passage are questionable, especially in the Senate. President Bush in February unveiled his so-called "Clear Skies" proposal to cut three harmful power plant emissions by 70 percent by 2018 through a cap-and-trade system to control smog, acid rain and soot." (Reuters)

"Air pollution linked with risk for exercise-induced heart damage" - "Breathing polluted air, especially smoky exhaust that billows from factory smokestacks and the tailpipes of some diesel-powered buses and trucks, is bad for people with heart disease, according to the first study of its kind reported in today's rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association." (American Heart Association)

"Who's going to drive Miss Daisy? Questions arise as more older Americans outlive driving privilege" - "As people live longer and more older drivers give up their driving privileges, family, friends and public officials may find themselves asking, as it was in a popular film, "who's going to drive Miss Daisy?" The question could become a critical one as America ages, according to a new study, which finds older men and women who outlive their ability or willingness to drive may be dependent on alternative transportation for more than a decade in later life." (NIH/National Institute on Aging)

"Newsday.com - GM says stationary fuel cell power generators key to producing vehicles" - "HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. -- General Motors Corp. plans to have fuel cell powered electric generators commercially available by 2005, which could provide the revenue and technology for meeting its goal of widely available fuel cell vehicles by the end of the decade, the automaker said. "If we're producing hydrogen for a fuel cell that's producing power ... we have the power to produce a fueling station," Tim Vail, director of distributive generation solutions, told reporters at the GM's new fuel cell research facility dedicated Monday."

"IUCN GOES CARBON NEUTRAL TO THE SUMMIT" (PDF) - "The World Summit on Sustainable Development, now only a month away, aims to forge a global partnership for sustainability. Even though the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit may still be a question mark, one thing that we all can ensure is that the Summit itself makes a visible contribution to sustainable development through concrete projects that show tangible action. The Johannesburg Climate Legacy initiative is a straightforward but powerful way in which everyone can take part. As part of an umbrella effort to 'green the WSSD' managed by IUCN-South Africa, we are partnering with key South African and international stakeholders to offset an estimated 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that the WSSD delegates are expected to emit by virtue of their participation at the Summit through air flights, ground transport and hotel pollution." Achim Steiner, IUCN Director General." (IUCN)

"FEATURE - Political climate cools for fight on global warming" - "BRUSSELS - The world woke up to global warming at the 1992 Rio Earth summit, but 10 years on, what some consider the planet's biggest environmental danger has fallen off the agenda of a major follow-up conference. Next month's summit of world leaders in Johannesburg will focus on poverty, not pollution - a worry for some environmentalists who say the poor will suffer first if climate change is not stopped." (Reuters)

"GM-wine ban leaves tipplers with a headache" - "It's a wine drinker’s dream - a bottle of plonk which doesn’t give you a hangover. The drink traditionally linked with headaches the morning after could now offer a built-in pick-me-up to those who have over-indulged. Professor Sakkie Pretorius, a world expert on genetically modified (GM) wines, claims the days of wine with a hangover cure are not far away." (The Scotsman)

"NZ PM: Ban On GMOs To End Next Year; Conflict With Greens" - "WELLINGTON - New Zealand Prime Minister-elect, Helen Clark, said Sunday that the existing ban on the commercial development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will lapse late next year. Speaking a day after her center-left Labour Party won 41% of the vote in a general election, Clark told Radio New Zealand the current moratorium on GMOs will end next year despite fierce opposition from her allies in the Green Party. The prime minister said she believes Labour and the Greens ''can work together on many issues'' in the next Parliament, but she can't offer the Greens any olive branch on the GMOs issue." (Dow Jones Newswires)

July 29, 2002

"Newsday.com - Tattered Hopes" - "A $30-Million Federal Study of Breast Cancer and Pollution On LI Has Disappointed Activists and Scientists." | Newsday.com - Making History | Newsday.com - So Many Things Went Wrong

"Huntingdon about to step back from brink" - "Brian Cass, the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, is expected to show on Wednesday that the company is trading profitability, just 18 months after it faced bankruptcy." (Daily Telegraph)

"Anchorage Daily News | Even mosquitoes have defenders" - "It's part of summer life in Alaska: the tinny buzzing, the piercing bites, and itchy welts on arms, legs and faces. And so is the dream of purging neighborhoods of that poking pest, the mosquito. Alaskans have waged a futile war with open palm, smelly smoke and pesticides. The village of Larsen Bay on Kodiak recently proposed debugging the town with Mosquito Magnets, machines that suck biting insects to a mummylike death in a dehydrating net. But lost in these visions of mass extinction is thought of what might happen if we actually succeeded in ridding our state of skeeters. In other words, are mosquitoes good for anything? Lots, it turns out, according to ecologists and people who study bugs."

"What apocalypse?" - "Fears: End-of-the-world warnings have long been with us, but the dire predictions of demise also have resulted in 'good research' to help address ecological problems." (Baltimore Sun)

"Is the American public at increased risk for food poisoning?; Changes in lifestyle and eating habits could lead to greater exposure to toxic organisms" - "Orlando, FL - Walking into a fast food restaurant or a seafood diner could be a high risk proposition. Most people would scoff at that notion but for 8,000 Americans last year, eating contaminated food led to death. At the beginning of the 21st century, one would expect improved sanitary conditions to eliminate the threat of food poisoning. But even in advanced nations, the public can be at threat water supplies contaminated by pesticides, a salmonellosis epidemic in New England eggs, salmonellosis in Illinois milk, and listeriosis, found in California-Mexican cheese. (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

"Disease expert turns up heat over health risk" - "Australia lags dangerously behind other Western countries in its response to the expected resurgence and spread of infectious diseases resulting from rising global temperatures, a world expert on climate change and health has warned. Tony McMichael, director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, has called on the Federal Government to broaden its focus on climate change." (Sydney Morning Herald)

"Nature's clock goes awry as birds, bees and flowers celebrate spring three weeks early" - "Winters in Britain are moving into spring earlier, according to a survey of wildlife's response to climate change. Warmer temperatures are sparking a range of early activity, including insects emerging, trees, shrubs and plants coming into leaf and flowering, and birds nesting." (Independent)

"Farm Smog Targeted by EPA" - "The agriculture industry's exemption from clean-air controls may be nearing an end as federal air quality officials announced this week that they will move ahead with plans to begin regulating farms in California. The California Farm Bureau, however, quickly filed suit to block the action. Unlike most other industries, agriculture is exempt from stringent smog controls, a loophole the state Legislature granted a generation ago and that air quality officials tacitly honored until now." (Los Angeles Times)

"Detroit and California Rev Their Engines Over Emissions" - "DETROIT — IF Detroit and California ever made a sitcom together, it would be sort of like "Dharma and Greg." Detroit, the strait-laced company town, just can't figure out that wacky California. Is it the nation's biggest car market, or is it the most troublesome? Is it the land of Ronald Reagan and Lee Iacocca, or of tree hugging hippies who want every car to be electric?" (New York Times)

"A bad deal on 'clean air' -- The Washington Times" - "While "clean air" is something we all naturally want, some cost-benefit analysis must come into play. It's too easy to demagogue the issue when what's being discussed may result in an inconsequential reduction in pollution, but one which will come at great economic cost. That's the crux of the debate over pending new emissions-control requirements for the diesel engines used in heavy commercial trucks. The air may get a little cleaner, but it's not going to be cheap. And, as the economy struggles to regain its equilibrium, it's reasonable to ask whether imposing huge new costs on the trucking industry - an integral component of the U.S. economy - makes sense at this particular juncture."

"Drought in Africa 'could become a catastrophe'" - "The drought in southern Africa could become a catastrophe because of Zimbabwe's refusal to allow commercial imports of grain to enable better-off Zimbabweans to feed themselves, Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, warned yesterday.

She said 106 world leaders, including Tony Blair, attending next month's Earth Summit in Johannesburg, could find their attempts to address the effects of poverty on the world's environment overshadowed by a famine which was at least partly man-made.

Miss Short said she had volunteered not to go to the Johannesburg summit, which is estimated to be using the same amount of energy as nearly half a million Africans would use in a year. But she was prevailed on to attend, along with a delegation of 70 ministers and officials including John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, because of her close links with developing countries.

Miss Short warned western environmentalists like Friends of the Earth that it would be "immoral" if their concerns about globalisation were to derail an agreement that could help the 2.4 billion people without proper sanitation over the next 15 years." (Daily Telegraph)

"NFU report reveals organic farming’s struggle" - "SHOCK figures released by the National Farmers Union show that one-third of organic farmers in Britain are losing money.

The NFU’s latest Organic Farming report shows that producers have been left fighting for survival alongside traditional farmers, despite organic production having been hailed by some as the potential saviour of British agriculture.

While the amount of land in organic production in the UK rose by one-third last year, the number of organic farmers making a loss has almost doubled in the past five years." (The Scotsman) | Cash crisis puts organic farming 'at risk' (Independent)

July 28, 2002

"Stockholm conference reviews Agent Orange" - "Experts are gathering in Sweden to debate the environmental consequences of the Vietnam War. The three-day conference brings together scholars, scientists and officials from non-government organisations for a far-reaching look at the economic, ecological and health effects of war." (Radio Australia)

"Schools offered cash to put 'health risk' masts on site; Cancer clusters spark call for inquiry into telecoms bonanza" - "Schools and hospitals in Britain are making millions of pounds from deals to site mobile phone masts on their premises despite health concerns." (The Observer)

"BSE fears send B.C. water buffalo to slaughter" - "DUNCAN, B.C. - Acting on suspicions that a herd of water buffalo may be contaminated with mad cow disease, federal officials seized 14 of the animals Saturday from a farm on Vancouver Island. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency took them from a farm near Duncan so that they can be slaughtered and studied. Scientists will look for evidence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)." (CBC News)

"UB researcher observes strong statistical correlation between prevalence of diabetes, air pollution" - "A dramatic statistical correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and air pollution levels has been demonstrated by a University at Buffalo researcher who publishes his observations in the August issue of the journal, Diabetes Care." (University at Buffalo)

"Newsday.com - Bush Admin. Moves Ahead on Pollution" - "WASHINGTON -- Bush administration officials said Thursday they are pressing ahead with tough new standards to cut pollution from large diesel trucks, despite efforts by two major Midwest engine manufacturers and some lawmakers to fight an October deadline for compliance."

"Newsday.com - EPA Proposes Boat, Motorcycle Rules" - "WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed tougher emission standards for new motorcycles and gasoline-fueled recreational boats. Emissions of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide from motorcycles would be cut by 50 percent, while emissions of evaporative hydrocarbon from boats would be reduced by 80 percent, EPA officials said. The new standards are scheduled to go into effect in 2006 for new motorcycles and in 2008 for new boats, including sport, fishing and jet boats."

"Car Makers to Challenge State's New Emissions Law" - "DETROIT -- Auto makers say they plan to take California's new emissions law to court and stop it in its tracks, much as the industry did in derailing the state's attempt to mandate zero-emission vehicles.

The industry acknowledges that putting up a fight could create a public opinion backlash, but the manufacturers say they remain committed to introducing vehicles that emit fewer greenhouses gases and pollutants and get better mileage--just at a more realistic pace." (Los Angeles Times)

"Little benefit at a big price" - "A new law that would give the unelected bureaucrats in California the power to design the cars you drive may sound like a clichéd Hollywood script. But now the governor has signed legislation to do just that.

The California law would give the state Air Resources Board unprecedented authority to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) from motor vehicles. Since the only way to produce less CO2 is to combust less fuel, this measure is really a back-door attempt to subvert federal fuel-economy standards." (Josephine Cooper, USA Today)

"Tax boost for nuclear power" - "The prospect of a carbon tax on 'dirty' forms of power generation is growing as Ministers identify the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as the key goal in their forthcoming energy White Paper. A charge on generators, primarily those burning coal, levied through the electricity trading system, will recognise the environmental cost of carbon emissions and help to guarantee the future of nuclear power and renewable sources of energy. Recent reports suggested such a measure would not be accepted by the Government, but officials indicate that it is very much under consideration and has been endorsed as 'workable' by industry regulator Ofgem." (The Observer)

"European Enron?" - "What do the proposed European Commission directive for trading CO2 emissions credits and the current malaise affecting American corporate life have in common?" (William O'Keefe, TCS Europe)

"Fires in Alberta emit more carbon dioxide than cars: study" - "CALGARY - Environmentalists in Alberta are worried about the connection between huge forest fires and gas emissions." (CBC News)

"Organic farming in Britain put at risk by cheap foreign imports" - "Organic farmers, hailed as the saviours of British agriculture, are struggling to stay in business. A new report shows one in three organic farmers will make a loss this year. A survey by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) of 2,000 organic producers shows the number of organic farmers losing money has almost doubled in the past five years. While organic farming is increasingly popular, its economic viability is now being cast into doubt. Ben Gill, the NFU's president, said: "The message coming out of our report is clear: organic production in Britain is at risk." (Independent)

"Charles wins organic cash boost" - "BRITAIN’S organic farmers have got their green revolution at last. The government will announce plans this week to divert farm subsidies worth hundreds of millions of pounds into organic farming. Under the new scheme, farmers will be paid up to £600 a hectare (£243 an acre) simply for growing crops organically, no matter how inefficient they are. The grants will be among the most generous in Europe and aim to persuade thousands more farmers to go organic." (The Sunday Times)

"Just What the Doctor Ordered" - "Did you ever think an ear of corn would save your life? Or that eating bananas might protect you from hepatitis B or save millions of children in underdeveloped countries from a deadly form of diarrhea? Welcome to the wonderful new world of molecular farming with genetically engineered plants." (Michael Fumento, TCS)

"GM crops 'could help save environment'" - "GENETICALLY modified crops could help to preserve biodiversity and wildlife, according to a report this week from Klaus Toepfer, director of the UN Environment Programme (Unep). He says such crops could allow more food to be grown on less land. “There may be environmental problems with some GM crops but this technology cannot now be stopped. Indeed it may bring many benefits, such as increasing crop yields on cultivated land. That will reduce pressure to clear wild areas,” he says. Unep will this week publish an atlas showing that half the Amazon rainforest and 48% of the Congo basin will be gone by 2032 if present economic growth continues." (The Sunday Times) [Complete]

"'Open debate' called on GM crops" - "A public debate on the issues surrounding genetically modified crops has been announced by the government. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett said she wanted a "genuinely open and balanced discussion" to help people make their minds up on the issue. The launch of the debate follows an attack on the motives of GM crop protesters by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said unjustified protests could stifle scientific progress. But on Friday the chief scientific adviser for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the BBC there must be more research before GM crops are widely available." (BBC News Online)

"Zambia May Reject US Shipments Of Gene-Modified Food" - "LUSAKA, Zambia - Zambia's government warned Friday it may reject U.S. grain, which is available to ease the country's looming hunger crisis, because it may have been genetically modified. Vice President Enock Kavindele said the government would seek advice from Zambian scientists on the safety of the grain before deciding whether to accept a $50 million loan from Washington to buy genetically modified corn from America." (Dow Jones Newswires)

"S. Africa Urged on Modified Grain" - "JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The reluctance of southern African nations to accept genetically modified grain could hurt efforts to avoid famine in the region, an American relief expert warned Friday. Roger Winter, a senior USAID official, said American aid deliveries could be delayed up to six weeks while African countries check the safety of the modified grain, and millions of people could starve in the interim." (AP)

July 26, 2002

"Organic Industry’s Thin Skin" - "Whole Foods Market can dish it out, but they sure can’t take it. The largest organic foods retailer developed a mega-profitable business by scaring consumers about conventionally produced foods supposedly "contaminated" with chemicals and biotechnology. Now Whole Foods is having a mega-hissy fit because someone says its products might not be so unadulterated after all." (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com)

"New research supports the link between cooking and carcinogens" - "The first peer-reviewed study of acrylamide levels in common foods suggests that cooking potato products can produce dangerous levels of this suspected carcinogen. The paper, which sparked the much-publicized announcement by the Swedish National Food Administration in the spring, reveals a clear temperature dependence of acrylamide formation and also gives detailed information about the analytical methods used to measure acrylamide levels." (American Chemical Society)

"Pregnant women should limit tuna intake, panel says" - "BELTSVILLE, Md. — Pregnant women should limit consumption of tuna fish, a Food and Drug Administration panel recommended Thursday in a bid to balance concerns about mercury poisoning with the need for a healthy diet.

The FDA's food advisory panel stopped short of calling for pregnant women to cut the nation's most popular seafood from their diets entirely, as it has done for swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish due to concerns that they may contain enough methyl mercury to damage fetal development.

Environmentalists had hoped that the panel would direct the FDA to add tuna to the list because it can contain as much harmful mercury as these other fish, but the panel instead told the agency to study the issue further and in the meantime tell pregnant women to limit the amount of tuna they eat." (Reuters)

"New EC directive threatens life-saving trials" - "Europeans should wake up to the threat of a new European Directive, which will make many potentially life-saving studies performed in emergency medicine impossible, warn researchers in this week's BMJ." (BMJ-British Medical Journal)

"Chemical firms 'promote pollution'; Cartel allegation over refrigeration standards" - "A group of the world's largest chemical companies are being accused of forming a cartel to force consumers and industry to use polluting and expensive chemicals in fridges and air conditioning units. The European commission has launched an investigation into whether multinational companies have obtained undue influence on the committees which set standards for cooling equipment. The complaint has been brought by a group of independent experts, green groups and companies selling cheaper and environmentally benign alternatives to the chemicals." (The Guardian)

"Caveat Impactor" - "An asteroid with almost no chance of hitting Earth made big headlines this week." (Science @ NASA)

"Daschle vs. the environmentalists" - "Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle has pretty much settled the debate over whether obstruction by environmentalists has slowed needed tree thinning in federal forests. As The Washington Times reports, Daschle stuck some language in a bill on defense spending that would allow crews to start thinning Black Hills forests imperiled by the threat of wildfire. Shockingly, the provision would exempt the state from all challenges allowed under the National Environmental Protection Act." (Rocky Mountain News)

"Great Alaskan Shootout" - "Alaska's surface pitches and yaws as the temperature bubbles above and below, freezing and thawing as it has been for millennia. The land, ice and ecosystem respond to those temperature swings. In 1976-77, Alaska's average surface temperature jumped up and as a result glaciers melted, pavements buckled and utility poles toppled. Both pink and sockeye salmon became established in the Alaskan waters. All these signs pointed to warming. Thermometer readings from various locations around Alaska indicate that a warming occurred during the last five decades. But can this Alaska warming be connected to the air's increased carbon dioxide concentration from human activities like fossil fuel consumption?" (Sallie Baliunas and Willie Soon, TCS)

"The Seattle Times: Local News: Less snow might fall, state scientists predict, but who's listening?" - "It seems impossible in this land of rivers and rain to imagine a time when the Cascades' mighty snowpack could be stunted by global warming. But that's the warning of climatologists, who forecast that within 20 years even a slight warming could dramatically — and with surprising speed — shrink the snows that blanket Northwest mountains. And since that snowpack plays a crucial role in dispensing precious water in dry summer months, salmon, farms and people could compete even more for something the region often takes for granted."

"Strength increase in Asian southwest monsoon may be result of warming" - "A new study headed by a Colorado scientist indicates the Asian southwest monsoon, which affects the livelihood of millions of people, appears to have increased in intensity during the last four centuries, perhaps as a result of warming in the Northern Hemisphere." (University of Colorado at Boulder)

"Reef coral bleached - but still healthy" - "Recent heat waves in eastern Australia are responsible for widespread coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef — but the news is not all bad. Ecologist Dr Terry Done of the Australian Institute of Marine Science and a team from the CRC Reef Research Centre recently surveyed five reefs over two days, prompted by data showing sea temperatures in the area were much higher than normal due to the hot weather." (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)

"Antarctic glacier may yield clues to global climate change" - "Antarctica's Lambert glacier will provide researchers with data -- garnered by remote sensing satellites -- to search for clues to predict global climate change. Hongxing Liu, a geography professor in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University, along with Kenneth Jezek of Ohio State University, has been awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to analyze remotely sensed data from the glacier." (Texas A&M University)

"Greenhouse gases 100pc over target and rising" - "CARS, cows and coal fires are the big problem in this country. Between them they generate 70pc of our greenhouse gases and push us right up to the top of the euro table for gas emissions per capita. It cannot continue, according to the report. Greenhouse gases cause climate changes. We are currently 100pc over the intended target and the State is obliged to cut back to achieve new EU air quality standards between 2005 and 2010." (Irish Independent)

"Pew Report Offers Controversial Climate Policy" - "WASHINGTON, DC, July 24, 2002 - The Pew Center on Global Climate Change has released a report proposing methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while allowing energy growth.

"Designing a Climate-Friendly Energy Policy: Options for the Near Term" examines a number of energy policy options that the Pew Center argues would advance U.S. energy policy goals during the upcoming decades while at the same time contributing to efforts to curb global warming." (ENS)

"Fusion experiment disappoints" - "The idea that we could build nuclear fusion reactors that relied on the extraordinary pressures and temperatures experienced inside tiny, collapsing bubbles in a liquid has suffered a grievous blow. New calculations all but rule out the controversial suggestion, made earlier this year by US and Russian researchers." (BBC News Online)

"Depleted uranium may pose risk to children - study" - "LONDON - Soil contaminated with debris from depleted uranium shells could be putting children in the Balkans and the Gulf at an increased risk of developing cancer and kidney damage, New Scientist magazine said this week. Youngsters who play in areas where the shells created clouds of uranium dust when they hit their targets are most endangered, according to Italian researchers." (Reuters)

"The winds of discontent" - "PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, Ont. - The powerful gales of wind that sweep off Lake Ontario through this idyllic rural community are stirring up tensions among its residents.

Officials in Prince Edward County, a sprawling peninsula south of Belleville, in eastern Ontario, are considering a plan to install 32 towering wind turbines on a 280-hectare stretch of leased farmland near Point Petre, the area's southwestern tip.

But the plan has pitted struggling farmers and proponents of green energy against avid birders and residents who moved here to escape city life. They worry the turbines' swooshing blades could threaten endangered species and ruin their pastoral landscape." (National Post)

"£30bn wind power scheme outlined by Greenpeace" - "Fifteen thousand offshore wind generators stretching between the Thames and Humber estuaries could be built under ambitious plans unveiled by Greenpeace and TXU, a US energy company. Their proposal follows the first large-scale feasibility study into offshore wind power that claims to show the technology could supply a quarter of Britain's electricity needs by 2020. But the £30bn scheme, which would see thousands of 130-metre towers built off East Anglia, will have to overcome a list of obstacles almost as long as the coastline it seeks to dominate." (Financial Times)

"UK energy sector improves green performance - agency" - "LONDON - The UK's energy sector comes out near the top of the class for improved environmental business performance in Britain but is still responsible for serious pollution, the country's Environment Agency said this week. "The environment is getting better but some companies are not - we can't afford to be complacent," said Barbara Young, the agency's chief executive." (Reuters)

"EU could miss its green energy goals - study" - "LONDON - The European Union (EU) will miss its target to boost electricity output from green energy unless it makes it easier for companies to enter the growing market, a report said yesterday.

"Research for this report finds that European Commission production targets will not be met unless other European countries follow the examples set by Spain and Germany," a report by market research company Reuters Business Insight said." (Reuters)

"Greens defy oil giant ExxonMobil by moving website" - "LONDON - Campaign group StopEsso said this week it would move its French language website to an American internet provider after a court in France ruled it could not continue using its logo on the site.

The latest round of the London-based environmental group's cat-and mouse battle with U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil comes after Exxon subsidiary Esso France took it to court to stop it using an adapted version of the company's trademark.

"We're moving offshore, to Texas, to the home of Exxon," Cindy Baxter of StopEsso told Reuters, adding that U.S. laws would guarantee them freedom of speech on the Internet." (Reuters)

"GM crops 'need more research'" - "More research is needed before widespread commercial production of GM crops is allowed in Britain, a senior government scientist has warned. Not enough is known about the impact that genetically modified crops may have if they cross-breed with natural varieties, Professor Howard Dalton told BBC News. The chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said this was why a precautionary approach was necessary." (BBC News Online)

July 25, 2002

"Science panel blasts EPA pesticide review" - "WASHINGTON - A report by a panel of scientific advisers calls into question whether the Environmental Protection Agency's review of a group of pesticides will be adequate to protect children's health. The independent panel suggested the EPA prematurely concluded 28 pesticides were safe without an adequate review of whether they are particularly harmful when combined. The five-member panel, whose conclusions were made public this week, found that the EPA used an inadequate margin of safety for fetuses, infants and children when it reached its preliminary decision to approve the use of all but two of 30 organophosphorus pesticides. EPA used a threefold factor, rather than the tenfold default safety factor generally required by the Food Quality Protection Act. The agency set people's maximum exposure to the chemicals at 1 percent of what is considered safe for animals, then added the additional threefold default safety factor for children." (AP)

"Women Beware" - "American women enjoy excellent healthcare, and in the last two decades have benefited from advances in nutrition, drugs, and other medical treatment that have combated diseases, improved quality of life, and extended longevity by an average of five years. American women could be enjoying even better healthcare, though, if the federal Food and Drug Administration weren't regularly hijacked by activist groups that misrepresent health risks, unnecessarily frighten the public, and pressure the agency to slow down, and occasionally stop, medical advances." (Melana Zyla Vickers, TCS)

"Americans' consumption of refined sugar keeps rising" - "Americans love the sweet life, and the proof is in the flabby flanks and oversized hips you see on the streets that reflect the huge amounts of sugar the average citizen consumes each day. Although more than a century of research has produced an array of new artificial sweeteners used by 163 million Americans - and the federal government is considering a handful of even sweeter sugar replacements - nutritionists point out that Americans can't get enough of the real thing. The daily use of sugar has increased steadily since 1983, with the latest Agriculture Department estimates finding the average American consumed 152 pounds of sugar in 1996, the latest date available. That reflects a 32-pound increase in per capita sugar consumption over that period, and includes the cane sugar sprinkled on breakfast cereals or made into candy, and the corn syrups in soft drinks, ice cream and food." (Scripps Howard News Service)

"COSMIC® safety a down-to-earth matter" - "CSIRO and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) are working together to ensure a new grain fumigant developed by the CSIRO can be released in Australia and, potentially, onto lucrative overseas markets.

CSIRO is confident its new product, COSMIC®, will become a significant addition to the armoury of chemical weapons arrayed against insects which threaten Australia's, and the world's, grain stores.

A Principal Toxicologist with the TGA, Dr Andrew Bartholomaeus, is working within CSIRO's Stored Grain Research Laboratory (SGRL) to ensure that all human health hazards associated with using COSMIC® are accurately identified.

"COSMIC® has the potential to replace the ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide which is still being used widely, especially for quarantine fumigations," Dr Bartholomaeus says.

"However, with methyl bromide being phased out in line with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the global grain industry urgently needs an effective replacement for methyl bromide." (CSIRO)

"Variability in West Antarctic ice streams normal" - "Variability in the speed of the ice streams along the Siple Coast of West Antarctica is not an indication the ice sheet is stabilizing, but rather, that capriciousness in the ice streams, their rates and the location of the grounding line is normal and will continue to occur, according to Penn State geoscientists." (Penn State)

"Reuters - Record Sea Temperatures Threaten Great Barrier Reef" - "SYDNEY (Reuters) - Sea temperatures at Australia's Great Barrier Reef last summer were the warmest on record and this year's El Nino event means the risk of mass coral bleaching has increased considerably, scientists reported on Thursday. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has just completed an atlas of sea temperatures over the past decade and amalgamated it with historical data to show 2002 was the warmest year for water temperatures off northeast Australia since 1870."

"A New Metric to Detect CO2 Greenhouse Effect Applied To Some New Mexico Weather Data" - "Abstract: The arid environment of New Mexico is examined in an attempt to correlate increases in atmospheric CO₂ with an increase in greenhouse effect. Changes in the greenhouse effect are estimated by using the ratio of the recorded annual high temperatures to the recorded annual low temperatures as a measure of heat retained (i.e. thermal inertia, TI). It is shown that the metric TI increases if a rise in mean temperature is due to heat retention (greenhouse) and decreases if due to heat gain (solar flux). Essentially no correlation was found between the assumed CO₂ atmospheric concentrations and the observed greenhouse changes, whereas there was a strong correlation between TI and precipitation. Further it is shown that periods of increase in the mean temperature correspond to heat gain, not heat retention. It is concluded that either the assumed CO₂ concentrations are incorrect or that they have no measurable greenhouse effect in these data." (Slade Barker, Still Waiting For Greenhouse)

"New Zealand Herald - Kyoto plan rests on poll result" - "New Zealand's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change may have to wait until other countries move first, as a result of Saturday's early election. A bill giving the Government power to ratify the protocol was not passed before Parliament was dissolved for the election. Now, a survey of parties' positions on the issue, published by the Vote for the Environment group this week, has found the election may rob Labour of majority support for early ratification."

"Sunny Cali-fear-nia" - "Fears over the alleged catastrophic effects due to man-made greenhouse gases continues to terrorize Californians.

Assembly Bill 1058, authored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Woodland Hills), and signed by Gov. Gray Davis "instructs" the California Air Resources Board to come up with regulations that allow "maximum and cost-effective" cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and light trucks by the years 2006-2009.

But why the rush to action called for in AB 1058?" (Willie Soon, TCS)

"The Nando Times: JAY AMBROSE: California's auto-emissions law" - "California has enacted a law aimed at limiting auto emissions, and some politicians, environmentalists and pundits are saying, glory, glory, hallelujah, we are about to put the wicked auto industry in its place and cool the Earth. Excuse me, but may I make a point? The law is a farce."

"Californian law may indirectly benefit aluminum makers" - "NEW YORK - Aluminum producers may benefit from a new California auto emissions law, but industry experts said rewards would not come for several years and not directly from California's move but from indirect pressure on automakers to lighten vehicle weight by using light-weight metals." (Reuters)

"Green issues could hurt energy firm stocks - report" - "WASHINGTON - If the stock slump wasn't bad enough, shareholder value at some top oil and natural gas companies could fall by another 6 percent because of environmental costs and risks in the coming decade, according to yesterday's report by an environmental think tank. The World Resources Institute (WRI) warned that future actions to curb global warming and limit drilling for oil and gas in environmentally sensitive areas could cause investments in energy companies to drop. "Investors ignore environmental issues at their own peril," said Duncan Austin, WRI economist and co-author of the report. "Environmental issues can have a significant impact on a company's bottom line and stock price." (Reuters) |  WRI report warns environmental risks could reduce shareholder value of leading oil and gas companies (WRI)

"High costs cap China's nuclear power programme" - "SINGAPORE - China will more than double nuclear power capacity to 8,500 megawatts in the next three years, but high development costs versus fossil fuels are likely to stymie growth in generation beyond 2005, Chinese experts say." (Reuters)

"New drug discovery spin-off from CSIRO" - "CSIRO Entomology today announced the establishment of a company dedicated to producing a wide range of therapeutic drugs from a virtually untapped source - insects. "Entocosm Pty Ltd has been established to develop the leading global position on developing drugs from insects," CSIRO's Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett, said. There are around 250,000 plant species on earth but there are more than four million insect species. Microbial diversity is also huge, although 99% of bacteria cannot be cultured in the laboratory." (CSIRO)

"Scientists zero in on 'green revolution' gene" - "A team of CSIRO Plant Industry scientists has isolated the gene that produces the shorter, more productive, varieties of rice that led the 'green revolution' in the 1960s.

With funding from Graingene* and using information from the publicly available rice genome sequence, the team was able to isolate the 'semi-dwarfing' (sd-1) gene, and develop 'perfect' markers to identify it." (CSIRO)

"GM crops dumped in London" - "PROTESTERS yesterday dumped sacks of genetically modified (GM) crops outside a government building after tearing them up from 17 trial sites across Britain. About 250 men, women and children targeted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) demanding to meet a minister after travelling from all over the country. Instead, the department’s director of communications met them on the steps of the building in Smith Square, London, where he was barracked by the crowd. The protesters, some of whom were dressed as bumble bees, grim reapers, DNA spirals, flowers and vegetables, brought their crops in wheelbarrows, trolleys and rucksacks before discarding them in sacks outside an entrance to the building. The demonstration came as the Scottish Executive announced plans to beef up the growth of GM crops, including better consultation." (The Scotsman)

July 24, 2002

"Space rock 'on collision course'" - "An asteroid discovered just weeks ago has become the most threatening object yet detected in space. A preliminary orbit suggests that 2002 NT7 is on an impact course with Earth on 1 February 2019, although the uncertainties are large.

Regarding the possibility of an impact, Dr Yeomans, of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said the uncertainties were large. "The error in our knowledge of where NT7 will be on 1 February 2019 is large, several tens of millions of kms," he said. Dr Yeomans told BBC News Online that the world would have to get used to finding more objects like NT7 that, on discovery, look threatening, but then become harmless." (BBC News Online)

"The Feds' Low-Fat Fib" - "Just days ago, I sat at an outdoor cafe in Budapest watching the thin people. Scores would walk by before I would see so much as a small potbelly. Now I'm back in the Land of the Fat, Home of the Broad. America is already the fattest nation on earth, yet we grow wider by the year. What has gotten into us?

There's no one explanation for the obesity epidemic, but much of it can be laid at the feet of the low-fat myth spread by the food industry, diet-book authors and — most perniciously — our own trusted government health officials." (Michael Fumento, The New York Post)

"FDA Looks Into Pregnant Women, Fish" - "BELTSVILLE, Md. -- Critics charge the Food and Drug Administration needs to tell pregnant women just how many types of fish are contaminated with enough mercury to hurt their unborn baby's developing brain.

The FDA has four species on its don't-eat-while-pregnant list -- shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish -- but says a few servings a week of most other fish is healthy.

But amid fierce criticism from some consumer advocates that tuna and other species should be avoided, the FDA's independent scientific advisers have opened a three-day inquiry to judge if the agency erred -- and if American women need stronger warnings." (AP)

"Convenience foods bring poison risk" - "Alarm that the trend for chilled "fresh" meals in supermarkets, hospitals and sporting stadiums is exposing consumers to the risk of botulism has spurred a former health department food controller to discover a natural protection against the poison. University of Western Sydney researcher Svetlana Rodgers described freshness as the trend of the decade.

But Ms Rodgers said the marketing appeal of food labelled low in salt and free from chemical preservatives meant refrigeration was usually the only barrier to deadly bacterias that traditional food processing, such as canning, cuts out. And unlike food manufacturers, the catering businesses that frequently supply these meals often do not have the necessary safety expertise." (Sydney Morning Herald)

"Newsday.com - EPA and GE reach agreement to begin sampling in Hudson River" - "WASHINGTON -- General Electric Co. will begin sampling PCB-laden soil in the Hudson River as early as next month under an agreement the company reached Tuesday with federal environmental officials. But GE has only committed to reimbursing $5 million of the $37 million in past costs the Environmental Protection Agency incurred creating the dredging blueprint. And the EPA has yet to cement a deal with the company on the larger questions of the project design and the actual cleanup."

"This old house may put its occupants on path to good health" - "Residents of urban and suburban homes built before 1974 are much more likely than residents of newer homes to walk a mile or more at least 20 times each month, according to new research." (Center for the Advancement of Health)

... or people who like walking choose to live in more 'walkable' neighbourhoods, or neighbourhoods laid out prior to anti-sprawl zealots gaining sway are more walker-friendly, or people who live in older houses can't afford to drive, or dwellings constructed prior to the introduction of ventilation-destroying 'energy efficiency' standards have healthier occupants, or...

"Research shows climate change could push bats northward" - "Research published in the most recent edition of Nature, shows that climate change will cause the northern limit of the winter range of the North American little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) to extend northward by approximately 5 km per year over the next century. (University of Alberta)

"Environmental refugees policy bid" - "The Commons international development committee cautioned that a consistent approach to ``environmental refugees`` will become ever more pressing as the effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels encroaching on coastal areas, become more pronounced. The MPs noted an estimate that in 1999, out of 43 million refugees worldwide, 25 million were environmental refugees. In a report on global climate change and sustainable development, the committee noted that such people are not entitled to the same rights as refugees fleeing conflict and persecution." (UTVInternet.com)

"Just Ask the Experts" - "In 2001 the National Science Foundation surveyed 1,500 people nationwide and found that 77% believed that "increased carbon dioxide and other gases released into the atmosphere will, if unchecked, lead to global warming ..." Yet half of those polled believed that humans and dinosaurs co-existed on Earth, despite the scientific fact that the dinosaurs went extinct tens of millions of years before the earliest hominids appeared. Worse, only 22% of the respondents understood what a molecule - for example, carbon dioxide - is." (Sallie Baliunas and Willie Soon, TCS)

"San Francisco Chronicle - Emissions law a win-win for Davis" - "Legislation signed Monday by Gov. Gray Davis could change the cars Californians drive in 2009. This fall, it may mean political gold as the Democratic governor works to shore up support with liberal voters. With environmentalists and luminaries like actor Robert Redford at his side during a ceremony in San Francisco's Presidio, Davis made California the first state to force automakers to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles."

"California in the Clouds" - ""There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact." -- Mark Twain

Twain didn't live to see the modern California government, but his words describe it pretty well. Its politicians have now decided to take a whole lot of conjecture about global warming and use it to raid the pocketbooks of car drivers in all 50 states." (The Wall Street Journal) [Subscription Required]

"Gray Davis' noxious regime -- The Washington Times" - "Enjoy your SUV while you can. Gov. Gray Davis, California Democrat, on Monday signed landmark legislation mandating reductions in carbon dioxide "emissions" beginning with model year 2009 new cars and trucks sold in the state. Since the only way to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide produced by an internal combustion engine is to burn less fuel, the automakers will have no choice but to decrease the size of vehicles and the engines used to power them."

"Polar Ice Sheets and Global Sea Level: How Well Can We Predict the Future?" - "Summary: Would you believe extremely well? Moderately well? Less-than-sufficiently well? An expert in the field provides his professional analysis of the subject. We don't think it will surprise you ... unless, of course, your previous exposure to the topic has been provided solely by climate alarmists." (co2science.org)

"Subject Index Summaries Droughts (Solar-Induced)" -"Summary: Climate alarmists are always associating droughts with high temperatures, so they can claim that rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations are responsible for both phenomena. However, just as earth's temperature appears to be more closely related to the activity of the sun than anything else, so too does the balance of evidence suggest the same with respect to drought." (co2science.org)

"Enriching the Air with CO2 Enables Plants to Sequester Carbon at Higher Temperatures Than They Do Currently" - "Summary: Like the elixir of life that it truly is, atmospheric CO2 - in greater abundance than what we enjoy today - enables plants to better withstand the physiological ravages of high-temperature stress that are a common occurrence for nearly all plants at one time or another in their various life cycles, either seasonally or diurnally. And by keeping plants going and growing under these stressful circumstances, elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 enable them to continue removing CO2 from the atmosphere and preparing it for eventual storage in the soils in which they grow." (co2science.org)

"Spatial Heterogeneity in Annual Mass Accumulation on the Greenland Ice Sheet" - "Summary: This not-unexpected phenomenon masks the overall history of the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet and makes it extremely difficult to determine how it may have responded to the warming of the past two centuries. Journal of Geophysical Research 106: 33,839-33,851." (co2science.org)

"Cloud Carbon Content" - "Summary: Several anthropogenic-produced organic carbon compounds that have the capacity to enhance the cooling power of clouds are identified, quantified and shown to be linearly related to the black carbon concentration of cloud water. Atmospheric Environment 36: 1553-1558." (co2science.org)

"Six Thousand Years of Sea Level Rise and Storm Activity in the Chukchi Sea" - "Summary: What horrors do the data portend for the planet? Global and Planetary Changes 32: 13-23." (co2science.org)

"Australia wasting A$1bln on greenhouse efforts - report" - "MELBOURNE - Australia's Mandated Renewable Energy Target program aimed at encouraging new investment in renewable energy could be wasting more than A$1 billion on established projects, a industry association report has found. The Australian EcoGeneration Association's report, released yesterday, claims that large scale hydroelectric power stations will earn about 30 million Renewable Energy Certificates through the program without making new investments or reducing emissions." (Reuters)

"$600 Million Needed For Protecting Ozone Layer Over Next Three Years, Say Experts, Taking Ozone Fund To $2 Billion Mark" - "Representatives from some 100 countries are meeting in Montreal from 23 to 25 July to review an expert report on how much money will be needed for a three-year replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer." (UNEP)

"Recirculated airplane cabin air does not cause more colds" - "Passengers flying in airplanes with recirculated air report no more colds than do people traveling in planes using 100 percent fresh air for ventilation, according to a "natural experiment" conducted by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and their colleagues." (University of California - San Francisco)

"Lawmakers Join Effort to Fight Diesel Rule (washingtonpost.com)" - "House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and other lawmakers are pressing the Bush administration to postpone a tough new anti-pollution standard for long-haul diesel trucks on behalf of a major Illinois truck manufacturer that is facing stiff penalties because it can't meet the deadline for compliance."

"One Coin, Two Sides" - "Apocalypse is not my line of business, but it only takes a glance at the headlines to understand that humanity is doomed. In fact, we are dead already but haven't taken the time to notice.

Everyday, we are told that the first attributes of the market economy -- growth and technological innovation -- are positively lethal. According to deep ecologists, the question is: To what extent should we refrain from technological risks in order to attain greater safety? The answer: It's the wrong question." (Jacob Arfwedson, TCS Europe)

"Reuters - New Research to Find Environment-Cleansing Bugs" - "WASHINGTON - Microbes that thrive on nuclear waste, that can scrub greenhouse gases from the air and turn toxic soil pure again are the targets of new federal research funds, the Department of Energy said on Tuesday. It announced it was funding $103 million in grants to 26 laboratories to use genome science to try and make such bugs useful to humankind, part of its "Genomes to Life" program."

"Zimbabwe Faces Famine if Food Aid Stalled - Agency" - "HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe could have a famine on its hands by September if President Robert Mugabe's government delays a decision on whether to accept genetically modified food aid, a senior American aid official said Tuesday. Roger Winter, an assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, said Zimbabwe had "expressed concerns" over genetically modified foods, limiting the amount of food the agency can bring in to help feed thousands of needy people." (Reuters)

July 23, 2002

"More Drugs, Less Crime?" - "Drug czar John P. Walters, writing in last Friday's Wall Street Journal (link for Journal subscribers only), argued that legalizing drugs would not reduce America's crime problem, and would add a public health problem on top. Some academics, on the other hand, have recently argued that a hard line stance on drug enforcement directly contributes to a nation's problem with violent crime. Their case, however, is far from proven.

The argument is analogous to a strong theory about gun ownership. The suggestion that fewer restrictions on gun ownership decrease rather than increase crime has looked increasingly valid in recent years (John Lott of the American Enterprise Institute's groundbreaking book "More Guns, Less Crime" is the classic in this area). Academic attention is now turning to ask whether the same can be true about drugs." (Iain Murray, TCS)

" Pesticide trucks blocked from Winnipeg street" - " Residents of a normally quiet Winnipeg neighbourhood blockaded their street for two nights this weekend in a bid to keep out pesticide-spraying trucks the city has dispatched to kill off mosquitoes headed west across the country and carrying the West Nile virus with them." (National Post)

"HRT over-reaction is the real danger to women" - "The news that government scientists found Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) so dangerous to women that they stopped their long-term trial of the therapy panicked women worldwide and sent pharmaceutical industry stocks into a nose de. Yet the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, appears to be one of the biggest over-reactions in the medical world in recent years. Given a close look, the actual risks the researchers found are so minuscule that they could well be due to chance." (Iain Murray, Buffalo News)

"Debate Over Whether to Defend Animal Tests" - " The story of an Ohio State professor who conducted AIDS research on cats provides a glimpse into how universities wrestle with the issue of animal experiments. " (New York Times)

"When the placebo works" - "WASHINGTON – News that a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found sham surgery to be just as beneficial as regular knee operations for arthritis seemed to be another blow to modern science. Many doctors agreed that patients who had arthroscopic surgery had not benefited greatly. However, rather than being an indictment of unnecessary surgery, this research provides further evidence of one of the great mysteries of science – the placebo effect." (Iain Murray, The Christian Science Monitor)

"Reuters - EU Demands Proof States Are Protecting Ozone Layer" - "BRUSSELS - Not a single European Union country has shown it is doing enough to protect the ozone layer from damage by man-made chemicals, EU authorities said on Monday. The European Commission said none of the 15 member states had shown how they intended to ensure ozone-depleting chemicals in scrapped refrigerators or old fire extinguishers would be safely removed to stop them worsening the hole in the ozone layer."

"Calif. Governor Signs Landmark Auto Emissions Law" - "LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gray Davis Monday signed a landmark bill making the state the first in the nation to regulate the vehicle greenhouse gas emissions scientists say contribute to global warming." (Reuters) | Carmakers balk at Calif. bill to cut global warming (USA Today)

"Californian emissions bill - a new global warming fight" - "SAN FRANCISCO - A new California law setting tough auto emissions standards to fight global warming may spur other U.S. states to follow suit, marking one of the most serious environmental challenges to the auto industry in decades, state officials say." (Reuters)

"UK faces battle to meet 2010 CO2 emissions cut" - "LONDON - Britain will struggle to meet its target of a big cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 as generators burn more coal to fill the gap left by the closure of nuclear power plants, a report published yesterday said." (Reuters)

"Britain's power change 'failing'" - "The government's failure to give effective encouragement to the promotion of renewable energy sources is so "extraordinary" that its share of the market declined last year, a committee of MPs reported yesterday. Thanks to the "unsustainably low level" of prices for fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas, the increase in renewables over the past decade rose by only 1% to 2.8% of the total British market - and dropped to 2.6% in 2001, a worse record than any other EU state except Luxembourg and Belgium." (The Guardian)

"Keen on climate change solutions but no to Kyoto, says Australian Environment Minister" - "Australia has pledged AU$1 billion (US$0.55 billion) to greenhouse gas reduction, but the Government remains intransigent on the issue of signing the Kyoto Protocol. This was the message received from Dr David Kemp, the Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage in a speech made in London this week." (Edie News)

"smh.com.au - Push to cut excise on cleaner fuel so it sells" - "The Petroleum Institute of Australia and the NRMA have called on the Federal Government to provide an incentive for Australia's oil refineries to upgrade to new, cleaner fuel. The Herald reported yesterday that leading European car makers likened Australia's fuel quality to that used in some Third World countries. The executive director of the Australian Institute of Petroleum, Brian Nye, blamed the Federal Government for "not encouraging" better fuel quality. "We need an incentive before we make the investment," he said. Australia uses EU2 fuel, with 500 parts sulphur per million. The latest world's best practice, EU4 fuel, has 50 parts sulphur per million. High sulphur content damages catalytic converters and reduces the exhaust's ability to filter ozone-depleting emissions. The petrol excise to the Federal Government last year was $17.14 billion, or about 38¢ a litre, Mr Nye said. "In the fuel taxation inquiry, the only thing they agreed to was a recommendation to proceed with an exemption for low-sulphur fuels, however, the Government hasn't said how it will do that," he said. Australia should follow Britain and Germany's lead and provide a tariff concession to oil refiners to upgrade to the new fuel sooner, he said."

"ABC News - New coal technology better for the environment" - "World-first technology developed in Cessnock, in central eastern NSW, is being tested in Japan next month, and if successful could lead to several major coal energy developments in the Hunter region."

"'Mad' Brazilian coffee farmer has last laugh" - "OURO FINO, Brazil - When coffee grower, agronomist and writer Jose Peres Romero bought a remote farm in the dusty hills of southern Minas Gerais 40 years ago people thought he was mad. "They called me an idiot, saying the land wasn't even fit for grazing cattle," said sprightly 73-year-old Romero. But armed with new ideas and aided by sons Joao and Jose Filho, he transformed the barren slopes into a green goldmine. He achieved a long-term yield of 31 60-kg bags per hectare, compared with a national average of under 20 kg. His coffee won prizes from the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association and fetches prices more than four times the market average. Jose Romero sought to show that the so-called "third way" of farming - caring for the land, wildlife and workers - was sustainable. It contrasts with large-scale, capital intensive farming on the one hand and small-scale subsistence farming on the other." (Reuters)

"China's double standards over GM foods" - "Watching biotechnology develop in China is a lot like observing a game of Chinese checkers, that popular game in which players try to move their marbles to the opposite side of a star-shaped board.

On the home front, China is rushing to be the world's biotech superpower. It is developing more biotechnology products than any country outside North America, including genetically modified food crops like rice, wheat, potatoes and peanuts. A survey by a team from the University of California found that Chinese research centers report developing 141 genetically modified plants." (The Wall Street Journal)

"A Dogged Silence" - "The American and British media in their coverage of genetically modified crops lately have acted much like the dog in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story "Silver Blaze." (Duane D. Freese, TCS)

"It's green and clean - and now it's the battleground for the world's first GM election" - "The clean, green reputation of New Zealand - an image worth millions, according to the environment industry - is under threat along with its popular and progressive government in a row over genetically modified crops that is overwhelming this week's general election.

Nearly 4 million voters in one of the last countries in the world where the entire food production is GM-free go to the polls on Saturday, and the outcome of the furious debate is as likely to decide the balance of power as security, health or the economy." (The Guardian)

July 22, 2002

"San Francisco Chronicle - It's PETA vs. greens in tiff over lab rats Traditional allies split on EPA animal tests" - "A fight has erupted between environmental groups and the nation's leading animal rights organization over the issue of laboratory animal testing. The dispute is the result of a media campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against three mainstream environmental groups: the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense. PETA has denounced the three organizations for their support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's use of laboratory animals to test toxic compounds. Such tests are unnecessary, PETA claims, and could be replaced with toxicology evaluations that don't use animals. The animal rights organization has initiated a letter-writing campaign against the three groups, taken out media ads urging people to stop donating money to them and created a "Mean Greenies" Web site accusing the groups of "greenwashing" their support of animal testing."

"Fears over herbal remedy tests" - "Health food shops could face closure if tighter EU laws on herbal remedies come into force in the UK, opponents have warned. Celebrities Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are backing protests against the proposal to subject herbal remedies to the same rigorous checks as pharmaceutical drugs." (BBC News Online)

"A renewed role sought for DDT in malaria war" - "Ever since local author Rachel Carson attacked the use of DDT 40 years ago in her book "Silent Spring," the pesticide has come to symbolize the devastation humans can cause to the environment.

But now, many health experts and activists around the world say DDT should be reintroduced to fight one of the deadliest diseases on the planet -- malaria.

The issue is especially critical in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that accounts for more than 90 percent of the world's malaria deaths. There, several countries are considering once again using the pesticide to kill the mosquitoes that carry the parasitic disease, which strikes children particularly hard.

At the time the United States banned DDT in 1972, the global crusade against malaria had achieved substantial success. But when most African nations were no longer able to use DDT, the disease rebounded and is now back to its pre-1972 levels." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

"The Advertiser: Disease major threat to frogs [22jul02]" - "A DEADLY frog disease, recorded in Adelaide, has been identified as a major threat to native frog species. Chytrid fungus, linked to the extinction of six native frog species, has been listed under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The listing means a threat-abatement plan will be developed. The fungus attacks a frog's skin layers, damaging the keratin layer, and could kill the animal by releasing toxins that are absorbed."

"Kemp Acts to Protect Threatened Frogs" - "The Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, today announced the listing of a deadly frog disease as a key threatening process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

'The chytrid fungus is an infectious disease contaminating frogs worldwide and has already been recorded on the east coast of Australia, southwest Western Australia, Adelaide and the central Kimberley region,' Dr Kemp said.

'It is believed to have been a factor in the extinction of six Australian frog species and has reduced populations of many others. It is understood that another forty-three amphibian species in Australia are infected with the fungus." (media release)

"Global Warming" - "Picture a moister Southwest, where grasses invade what used to be deserts. Perhaps frequent El Niños bring more winter moisture to Northern New Mexico. If this is the case, global warming doesn't sound too bad, right?

On the other hand, it's hotter than anyone can remember. Hot can lead to dry, and drought is often accompanied by fire. What if the increased precipitation actually comes in big bursts, as opposed to scattered rainfall? Timing is key. Given the heat and a landscape that evolved with little precipitation, that water could wash right down the gullies, causing erosion problems without doing much for vegetation." (The New Mexican)

"Those bitter winds of drought - theage.com.au" - "The one thing Professor Gray, a frequent visitor to Australia, is certain of is that El Nino is anything but man-made, which is to say, a result of global warming. "You guys in Australia have gone mad over this," he said. "The implication, of course, is that humans are causing this and that's just a bunch of crap. They can have a very small (impact) on the temperature, but nothing like what's required. "Don't believe the human-induced global warming thing. We've had El Nino events for thousands of years. We've had them since way before humans began putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."

"Associated Press - Air pollution changes rainfall, say scientists who implicate it in killer drought of last century" - "Nearly two decades after one of the world's most devastating famines in Africa, scientists are pointing a finger at pollution from industrial nations as one of the possible causes. The starvation brought on by the 1970-85 drought that stretched from Senegal to Ethiopia captured the world's attention with searing images: skeletal mothers staring vacantly, children with bloated bellies lying in the sand, vultures lurking nearby. Before rains finally returned, 1.2 million people had died. Now, a group of scientists in Australia and Canada say that drought may have been triggered by tiny particles of sulfur dioxide spewed by factories and power plants thousands of miles away in North America, Europe and Asia."

"Heat's on climate change levy" - "The climate change levy is a major increase to business costs despite government claims it is "fiscally neutral", according to the Federation of Small Businesses. It found 88pc of the small companies that pay the levy are worse off." (Daily Telegraph)

"San Francisco Chronicle - State's air law to steer nation Automakers fear spread of car emissions policy" - "Sacramento -- With the stroke of a pen Monday, Gov. Gray Davis will commit car- loving California to a historic seven-year campaign to make the state's enormous auto market greener. Davis plans to sign a bill that will make California the first state to force automakers to curb greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles. The legislation could spark similar efforts in other states and in Congress, putting pressure on President Bush to change what many environmentalists view as a go-slow approach to addressing global warming."

"Calif. Takes Lead on Auto Emissions (washingtonpost.com)" - "LOS ANGELES -- California today will enact legislation that for the first time will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases coming from the tailpipes of all passenger vehicles sold in the state, even the beloved SUV, in a move that could change the kinds of cars Americans drive in coming years."

"California Takes on Air Pollution . . . (washingtonpost.com)" - "SACRAMENTO -- California has long been the nation's leader in the fight against air pollution. And with my signature today on groundbreaking legislation to curb carbon pollution and greenhouse gases, California will become an international leader in the fight as well."

"In California, Clean Air Rules Force Changes in Autos" - "DETROIT, July 21 — While automakers rail against landmark California legislation that would force them to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, they face a much more immediate challenge from the state. On Monday, Gov. Gray Davis of California will sign a bill requiring automakers to cut carbon dioxide emissions by the 2008 model year. The bill directs the California Air Resources Board to decide how much to reduce emissions over all and how to do it." (New York Times)

"Battery-power police car low on street cred" - "Police in one of the country's smallest forces are complaining that a new, environmentally friendly patrol car is making them a laughing stock." (Daily Telegraph)

"Fill 'er up - and make it super cheap and nasty - smh.com.au" - "The quality of Australia's fuel is the same as some Third World countries - and well behind world's-best practice - a leading European car maker has claimed. And, because our fuel matches that used in "Africa, Tahiti and some parts of the Caribbean", our cars are less efficient and produce more ozone-depleting gases. Volkswagen Australia's managing director, Peter Nochar, said Australia's use of outdated fuel meant the country was missing out on vehicles which lead the world in frugality and ultra-low emissions. "Australia is so advanced in so many ways yet we lag behind the rest of the developed world with poor quality fuel," he said. "Australia has EU2 fuel, which puts it in the Third World category as far as we're concerned."

"Indoor Air Pollution as Hazardous as Smog; Low-income homeowners at greater risk, study finds" - "SUNDAY, July 21 -- It's not only the smog outside that you have to worry about. Indoor air pollution could be a potential health threat for you and your family, too. That may be especially true if you live in a low-income household, says a Cornell University study that measured levels of such indoor pollutants as radon, mold, lead and asbestos in 328 houses and 75 child-care facilities in six New York state counties." (HealthScoutNews)

"Eat up your vaccine; Plant extracts provide measles immunity on a plate" - "Lettuce might replace booster shots in the next generation of vaccines. Researchers have raised the immunity of mice to measles by feeding them a booster vaccine derived from plants. The study is a step towards an edible measles vaccine for developing countries that would not require refrigeration or skilled medical personnel to deliver jabs. Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses, and kills an estimated 800,000 people a year, predominantly African infants." (NSU)

July 21, 2002

"By Any Means Necessary" - "There's an old maxim in moral philosophy that says, "the ends never justify the means." Of course, lots of utilitarians think that is so much moral posturing and nonsense. They proffer hypothetical arguments to debunk that maxim, such as: "If stealing a loaf of bread meant achieving world peace, wouldn't you do it?" There's really no end to this debate. After all, it really does depend on what ends and -- more importantly, perhaps -- what means." (Nick Schulz, TCS)

"Specious claims" - "Following the publication on 10 July 2002 of a report by WWF (no, not the World Wrestling Federation, but the conservation organisation formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund), it was widely reported that more than one in three animal species have been wiped from the face of the Earth since 1970." (Stuart Blackman, sp!ked)

"What's at Stake in Jo'burg" - "At the end of August, up to sixty thousand people are expected to descend on Johannesburg, South Africa, for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This leviathan jamboree organised by the United Nations was originally intended as a follow-up to the 1992 'Earth Summit', but has since taken on a life of its own, with a plethora of new issues being laid on the table. Indeed the plate of the negotiators is so full that some have questioned whether there will be any agreement at all. There has even been talk of a repeat of the fiasco that embroiled last year's Racism summit in Durban, South Africa, which ended in disarray. In many respects this would be a 'positive' outcome. Certainly it would be better than agreement on some of the daft ideas being pushed by NGOs and the UN." (Julian Morris, TCS Europe)

"Badwater" - "The hottest temperature ever recorded on earth was 58°C (136°F) set at Al Aziziya, Libya, in 1922. That was 80 years ago.

The stage is now set for the all-time global record to be broken again, this time not by some accident of nature, but by the deliberate siting of a weather station in a natural hothouse - Badwater, a local sun trap in America's hottest region - Death Valley in California." (John Daly, Still Waiting For Greenhouse)

"U.S. flyers go to clouds for global warming secrets" - "BOCA CHICA KEY, Fla. - A team of 300 scientists and engineers is working in an unused hangar at a U.S. Naval Air Station to try to forecast the future of climate change. Operating on the belief that a significant global warming has already taken place, the NASA-led research team is studying the high tropical cirrus clouds in the southern Florida sky in an effort to discover how these clouds filled with ice crystals may be affecting the changing climate all over the world." (National Post)

"EurekAlert: New research site established in Australia to help predict climate change" - "Since acute weather conditions, like monsoons and drought, can wreak havoc on a region's economy and population, these events need to be accurately simulated and forecasted by weather and climate models. Drought and monsoons are conditions that occur at the U.S. Department of Energy's newest Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site in Darwin, Australia, a location that will enable scientists to collect new data important to refining computer models that simulate climate change."

"The Japan Times Online - Cabinet to have ministries cut their emissions by 7%" - "In an effort to lead by example, the Cabinet approved a plan Friday that commits the national government to cutting greenhouse gas emissions at ministries and affiliated bodies by 7 percent of fiscal 2001 levels by fiscal 2006. "Greenhouse gas reduction efforts have not necessarily shown adequate results," Environment Minister Hiroshi Ohki said after the Cabinet meeting. "This is one way for the government to take the lead and show what should be done."

"Cars Can Get Much Cleaner" - "On Monday, Governor Gray Davis of California is expected to sign into law legislation to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, the prime contributor to global warming, from automobiles sold in California. Cars account for 40 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in that state. Under the federal Clean Air Act, the other 49 states have the option of following suit, and California's example may well spur them to do so. The question now is: What will the car companies do?" (Fred Krupp, New York Times)

"Coal protest ends in Philippine arrests" - "SUAL, Philippines -- Philippine police have detained five environmentalists belonging to pressure group Greenpeace after they protested at a pier against the unloading of coal for a power plant, witnesses said. Sunday's protest was part of Greenpeace's campaign to persuade Asian governments to use alternative sources of energy instead of coal, which it says emits greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming." (Reuters)

"Peer attacks Prince's organic ideals" - "Prince Charles' summer tour of Wales has been overshadowed by criticism of his support for organic farming. A senior Labour peer has accused him of believing that everyone should live in a "feudal society" where they payed more for food. The criticism came from Lord Haskins, who was appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair as the rural recovery co-ordinator in the aftermath of the foot-and-mouth disaster. He said Prince Charles belonged to that group of farmers who "look backwards and not forwards". And he added that the organically-grown food, advocated by the Prince, was too expensive for most people." (BBC News Online)

"Lost in the maize" - "After yet another round of scare stories about genetically modified Mexican maize, it seems that media campaigners are more interested in promoting worst-case scenarios than pursuing the truth." (Toby Andrew, sp!ked)

"Monsanto backs strict RP rules on biotech products" - "Global agricultural research company Monsanto recently said it supports the Philippine government in its strict approach to the adoption and commercialization of plants and plant products that have undergone the biotechnology or genetic engineering process." (The Philippine Star)

July 19, 2002

"IV-Bag Scare Drips Junk Science" - "Question: When is no data all the data you need for a health scare? Answer: When the driving force is the insidious "precautionary principle." (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com)

"New EU green soft-touch opens door for PVC deal" - "BRUSSELS - The European Commission said has it wants to use less red tape to fight pollution by getting industry to take more voluntary action, and raised the possibility of negotiating a deal with the PVC sector." (Reuters)

"Scaremongering reporting criticised by scientists" - "17/07/02 - Apparently worrying research reported last week in several UK newspapers has been dismissed as inaccurate scaremongering by the scientists who carried it out. The story referred to allegedly new research which showed a link between mothers following a meat-free diet and the risk of hypospadias – a deformity of the penis – in their children." (NutraIngredients)

"Mercury News | 07 17 2002 | Mother loses suit over mold in classroom" - "A Pleasanton student whose mother accused the school district in a lawsuit of failing to do enough to clean up a moldy classroom that she said exacerbated her daughter's health problems has lost her legal battle."

"Councils get £40m for fridge mountain" - "An extra £40m was allocated yesterday for dealing with the UK's disused fridges and freezers, a "mountain" of 900,000 units that is still growing. Michael Meacher, the environment minister, said he hoped more recycling plants would soon come on stream to "erode the ever growing stockpile", but admitted that more money would be needed and years might pass before the problem was solved." (The Guardian)

"Science to publish UAF glaciologist findings" - "Glaciologists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute have used a laser measuring device to reveal that many Alaska glaciers are melting dramatically. Their findings will be published in the journal, "Science" on July 19, 2002." (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

"Scientisist to study changes in highest clouds via satellite" - "Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will be teaming with those at ten other institutions to take part in the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission over the next six years. The mission, recently funded by NASA as part of the Small Explorer program, will study clouds at the edge of space to resolve why they form and why they have been increasing over the last 30 years." (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

"Hibernating animals to move further north: study" - "EDMONTON - A scientist in Alberta has developed a model to predict how hibernating animals could react to climate change. Biologist and post-doctoral researcher Murray Humphries works at the University of Alberta and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He and his colleagues developed the model by looking at hibernation patterns of brown bats. Their study appears in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature." (CBC News)

"Wind farm group shelves £330m scheme" - "Government hopes of building a successful renewable energy sector were in trouble last night after a leading wind farm developer shelved a pioneering €500m (£330m) scheme. EnergieKontor blamed rows with the Ministry of Defence as one reason why it has become the first of 18 new licence holders to hand back its permit." (The Guardian)

"Coal deals worth billions to boost power and jobs - theage.com.au" - "Three private power companies may spend up to $8 billion on new energy projects in the Latrobe Valley after winning the State Government's exploration tenders for brown coal. Australian Power and Energy Ltd, HRL Developments and Loy Yang Power were chosen from a field of 10. It is the first time private companies have been allowed to develop brown coal mines in Victoria since the SEC was formed in 1924."

"Why the green groups are seeing red over brown - theage.com.au" - "Pumping and storing carbon dioxide underground was risky and unproven, environmentalists warned yesterday. The State Government's decision to award three exploration permits for brown coal was a "severe blow" to Victoria's renewable energy industry and would do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conservationists said. "Coal is not a fuel for the future," said Environment Victoria's Darren Gladman. "Instead of directing investment into unproven technologies, the government should focus on renewable energy which is low risk and sustainable."

"Monsanto cotton seeds a sell-out with farmers" - "JUDGING by the initial response from farmers and seed dealers, the `Bollgard' (Bt) cotton of Monsanto and the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co Ltd (Mahyco) has been a total sell-out in its very first season of commercial planting." (The Hindu Business Line)

July 17, 2002

"Researchers suggests a potentially damaging effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields" - "A new study, published in the Cancer Cell International, presents experimental evidence to show that extremely low frequency electro-magnetic fields can have a potentially damaging effect on the process of cell division in (already) radiation-injured cells, which could lead to them becoming cancerous." (BioMed Central)

"Foot and mouth computer data was inadequate" - "Computer models used to formulate policy in last year's foot and mouth epidemic relied on inadequate data, making the contiguous cull a "blunt instrument", the official scientific inquiry into the crisis said yesterday." (Telegraph)

"Boston Globe Online Health | Science Glacier lake puts global warming on the map" - "MACUGNAGA, Italy - The people of this Alpine resort village long ago learned to cope with the floods that sometimes accompany the melting snow in the spring. But nothing prepared them for the catastrophic flood threat they now face - a glacier rapidly melting from unusually warm temperatures."

"STUDY OF CLOUD ICE CRYSTALS MAY IMPROVE CLIMATE CHANGE FORECASTS" - "Studies of cirrus clouds by some 450 scientists may lead to improved forecasts of future climate change. During July in southern Florida, scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. will join others to investigate high tropical cirrus clouds composed of tiny ice crystals.The researchers hope to determine how the clouds form, how they limit the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth and how they trap heat rising from the surface and lower atmosphere. This key information will help improve computer programs that forecast global climate change." (NASA/GSFC)

"In Defense of James Hansen's "Alternative Scenario" for Fighting Global Warming" - "Sum