Archives - April 2002

April 30, 2002

"Coral reefs operate free-market economy" - "Market forces appear to be at work on coral reefs, where fish that perform a cleaning service risk losing customers if they get sloppy. Scientists studying these fish conclude that healthy competition is sometimes important in ecology, helping to stabilise co-operation between species." (New Scientist)

"Philadelphia Daily News | 04 29 2002 | Poor children at peril as lead danger persists" - "The incidence of lead poisoning has declined over the last 10 years, but thousands of Philadelphia children still have elevated levels. In fact, Philadelphia ranks second in the country as the city with the highest number of lead-poisoned children, behind only Chicago. Most at risk are low-income children living in poorly maintained homes built before 1978 when lead-based paint was banned for residential use."

"Deathly Bans" - "President Bush has sent the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the Senate for ratification amid cheers from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) head, Christie Whitman. It is no wonder that the EPA has hailed the move - the agency found its feet and established its power over the banning of DDT, one of the 12 POPs.

Yet the 1972 banning of DDT in the United States was based more on politics than on any scientific evidence. The judge presiding over the scientific hearings on DDT ruled that DDT should not be banned, based on the evidence, yet he was overruled by William Ruckelshaus, the then EPA head in a move to flex his political muscles." (Richard Tren, TCS)

"Mercury fillings may be affecting dentists - study" - "LONDON - Dentists are more likely to suffer memory and kidney problems which could be due to long-term exposure to mercury in tooth fillings, doctors said today." (Reuters)

"Advise and Dissent" - "'I don't like him.' That’s what Erin Brockovich has to say about me in the New York Times Sunday Magazine piece, "Erin Brockovich, The Brand." The piece is a nice slam on the foul-mouthed opportunistic airhead who ripped off the people of Hinkley, California and the ratepayers of PG&E and received a cool $2.5 million bonus for doing so." (Fumento.com)

"New Zealand Herald - Environment cancer key for migrant children" - "STOCKHOLM - Lifestyle during the first 20 years of life is a more important factor than original nationality when defining the risk of cancer, Swedish studies of immigrants show. The survey of some 600,000 immigrants, who came to Sweden in their 20s and became parents there, showed that their cancer risks were in line with those of their native countries. But their Swedish-born children had a similar cancer incidence to native Swedes, another study of some 600,000 immigrants, mainly from Europe and North America, showed."

Lifestyle matters? Well blimey!

"The Story That Croaked?" - "Those amphibians seem to have it rough. For over six years, we've seen news stories about a global decline of frogs and toads, as well as increasing numbers of amphibian deformities. No one knows exactly what is causing them, but a link to chemical pollution has been the most popular candidate." (Howard Fienberg, TCS)

"UK starts biobank study of nature versus nurture - The Times of India" - "LONDON: Leading British medical bodies said on Monday they were setting up a "biobank" project -- a study of genes, environment and health -- to learn more about what causes common diseases and how to avoid them. Announcing an initial 45 million pounds ($65 million) of funding, the government, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust charity said jointly that the project would be "the world's largest study of the role of nature and nurture in health and disease."

"ctnow.com: Curry, Jepsen Push Environmental Policies" - "NEW HAVEN -- Democratic gubernatorial candidates George Jepsen and Bill Curry, stumping for support this weekend at the Toxics Action Center's annual conference, trashed Gov. John G. Rowland as someone who bows to the energy industry at the expense of Connecticut's air, soil and water."

"FINDING TINY PARTICLES IN HURRICANES MAY HELP WITH PREDICTIONS" - "NASA-funded scientists are looking at microscopic ice particles inside hurricanes to determine if they contribute to the storm's strengthening or weakening. Researchers have discovered that greater numbers of ice particles higher up in a hurricane reflect more energy from the Sun out to space, creating a temperature difference that helps power the hurricane. The particles could also indicate a loss of energy into the surrounding atmosphere." (NASA/GSFC)

"UN stresses public, private partnerships to fight climate change in Asia and Pacific" - "29 April – With Pacific island nations and low-lying coastal areas facing a growing threat from the effects of global warming, a senior United Nations official in the Asia and Pacific region today stressed the importance of public-private sector cooperation in combating the phenomenon." (UN News Service)

"Canada still mulling options to help fund Kyoto" - "QUEBEC CITY - A Canadian minister dismissed a newspaper report last week that the federal government was mulling a gasoline tax of 10 Canadian cents (6 cents) a litre to help pay for implementing the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, but admitted a gas tax of some sort might be an option." (Reuters)

"Alberta's objections could derail Kyoto" - "OTTAWA -- Alberta Environment Minister Lorne Taylor said new, conflicting estimates on the costs to Canada of meeting Kyoto Protocol targets show there's no way the country will be able to reach a consensus on whether to ratify the accord." (Globe and Mail)

"Saving the Earth" - "The David Suzuki Foundation and the World Wildlife Federation have met the business community and government in a clash of numbers — the battle zone in which the war over the Kyoto agreement is currently being waged. In response to a steady bombardment of cost estimates that go all the way up to $40 billion, the WWF and the foundation have fired back with a prediction that Canadians would actually be better off economically if they were to go along with the protocol requiring Canada to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012." (Toronto Star)

"Make Kyoto an offer no one can refuse" - "It only looks like confusion. Canada seems hopelessly tangled in internal disputes over the Kyoto protocol, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. Alberta Premier Ralph Klein says ratifying Kyoto will destroy his province. Industry calls it pain without gain. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say it will actually boost the economy and create new jobs. And the Canadian government? After tiptoeing around for so long that the pact's opponents took centre stage, it is now working with provinces on estimates that will show potentially large costs -- or, perhaps, substantial benefits. At last we are getting somewhere." (Globe and Mail)

"British scientists to probe climate change policy" - "LONDON - British scientists launched an investigation today to see if the government should introduce new economic measures to deal with climate change, because it says the current policy isn't working. The probe by the Royal Society, an independent academy, will look at alternative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the possible introduction of a carbon tax. It said the government's Climate Change Levy is flawed because it taxes energy use and not pollution from carbon dioxide (CO2). Neither has it reduced emissions of the greenhouse gas." (Reuters)

"Cali’s Kyoto; Working off a bad model" - "Undaunted by the mess they made of California's electricity marketplace, Sacramento politicians are poised to play havoc with another vital realm of consumer welfare — the marketplace for new cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs." (NRO)

"German household power bills up 7 pct yr/yr - VDEW" - "FRANKFURT - Rising taxes have pushed up German householders' power bills by an average seven percent over levels last year, the VDEW industry association said in a statement yesterday." (Reuters)

"Economic Effects of Kyoto on Europe" - "Throughout the negotiations leading to the Kyoto Protocol, which set targets for countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 to below those of 1990 levels, supporters claimed the costs would be minimal. But a new report on Europe show that Kyoto stands to inflict devastating damage to the economies of European Union (EU) nations." (National Center for Policy Analysis)

"EU halfway to Kyoto target, but emissions up - EEA" - "BRUSSELS - The European Union is almost halfway to achieving the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions it signed up to under the Kyoto climate change agreement, but emissions are creeping up again, data showed yesterday." (Reuters)

"Why Energy Conservation Fails" - "Harry Reid, the assistant Democratic leader in the Senate, recently built a 5,000-square-foot house in Searchlight, Nev., his hometown. This ranks it within the top 1% of homes in terms of size. Sen. Reid said that it would replace the trailer he has been using as his home address. His new abode, while undoubtedly more comfortable, would use a lot more electricity and natural gas than the trailer." (Herbert Inhaber, TCS)

"Being Green At Ben & Jerry’s" - "Some environmental policies are feel-good indulgences for an era of energy abundances." (George F Will, Newsweek)

"Solar's Cloudy Future" - "For over a century, the world has faced a continuing energy crisis. We would run out of oil in 20 years, the alarmists clamored. Maybe some time the predictions will come true: just because somebody has been crying, "Wolf!" for a long time doesn't mean that there is no wolf. The real crisis hasn't happened, but it most likely will happen eventually." (Howard C. Hayden, TCS)

"OECD chief calls for new look at nuclear energy" - "PAMPLONA - Industrial countries seeking to reduce dependence on imported oil and cut greenhouse gases should look again at nuclear energy, the head of the OECD said." (Reuters)

"Worries over water in Wyoming coalbed methane" - "DENVER - An EPA regional office is warning that water from coalbed methane wells could seep into and pollute streams in Wyoming, an area rich in natural gas and important as the United States tries to lessen reliance on imported energy." (Reuters)

"New power plant combustion model lowers pollutant emissions at affordable cost" - "Engineers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a unique combustion method that results in lower power plant pollutant emissions by combining stage-combustion with nitrogen-enriched air." (DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

"German leader, EU seek to ease industry disputes" - "BRUSSELS - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder brought a list of grievances over industrial policy to a dinner with the European Commission's chief yesterday, with both sides seeking to ease misunderstanding. Schroeder met Commission President Romano Prodi and several commissioners at a Brussels restaurant after trumpeting his agenda in the Financial Times, declaring: "European politicians need to listen more closely to the needs of industry." (Reuters)

"University to arm eco-warriors with legal sword and shield" - "They have pursued polluters, challenged developers and chained themselves to trees. Now Britain's eco-warriors have the chance to qualify in the art of environmental activism at university. Sixteen campaigners have been accepted for the UK's first course in "environmental justice", which starts in Edinburgh this week. The year-long course is run jointly by Friends of the Earth and Queen Margaret University College. Graduates will be awarded a certificate in environmental justice, the first qualification of its kind in Britain." (The Guardian)

"UK farm czar urges govt to push through reform" - "LONDON - Sir Donald Curry, the man the government asked to map out a future for British farming, urged ministers last week to push through radical reform and not simply go for easier options. Earlier this year, Curry said British farming, ravaged by mad cow disease and last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic, needed radical overhaul, moving away from intensive operation and heavy subsidies to environmentally sustainable schemes and organic farming." (Reuters)

"No evidence organic produce more nutritious- study" - "Ground-breaking review highlights need for more high quality research. Claims that organically produced food has superior nutritional benefits do not appear to be supported by the available evidence, according to a recent New Zealand study which is the first critical review of research comparing organic and conventional foods to be published by a leading international science journal." (University of Otago)

"Millions ploughed into 'gene bank'" - "The genetic details of 500,000 people are to be collected and stored in a central UK pool, following the approval of £45m in funding. It is hoped the pioneering "biobank" scheme will provide valuable information to help fight illness and disease." (BBC News Online)

"Let them eat canola" - "With China and India embracing biotechnology's hopeful promise of ending hunger and malnutrition among their combined 2.3 billion citizens, America's well-fed activists are showing signs of desperation. How else can you explain why an obscure activist group is threatening to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if it approves a new genetically engineered canola seed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already says is perfectly safe for human consumption?" (Eric Peters, Washington Times)

"Third attack on GM crop site" - "A field of genetically modified crops in Scotland has been damaged by protesters for the third time in a week. The latest attack at the controversial trial site at Munlochy in the Highlands happened between 0400 BST and 0800 BST on Sunday, police said. It came less than 24 hours after five demonstrators were arrested on vandalism charges during an alleged breach of the peace at the same trial site. Campaigners say more than half of the GM oilseed rape crop has now been destroyed. The field at Roskill Farm on the Black Isle was also attacked between Saturday night and Sunday morning the previous weekend." (BBC Online)

"GM hearings put on back burner" - "The Parliament Hill spotlight that shone intensely on genetically modified food labels last winter is about to grow dimmer. The House of Commons health committee has suspended hearings on the issue, likely until the fall. It will spend the rest of this parliamentary season studying bills on pesticide regulation and rules to govern reproductive technologies. (Western Producer)

"Labelling critics plead case" - "Food retailers and manufacturers have warned MPs that mandatory labels on genetically modified food would lead food manufacturers to reject Canadian corn, canola and soybeans, cost farmers lost sales and increase food prices. Laurie Curry, vice-president of Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada and a strong proponent of voluntary labels, told the House of Commons health committee that polls indicate up to 40 percent of consumers believe a GM label would mean the food is unsafe. She said mandatory labels would lead manufacturers to shy away from such food for fear of losing sales." (Western Producer)

"Monsanto to move ahead with GM wheat approval" - "Monsanto hopes to begin pursuing regulatory approval this year for its genetically modified wheat variety in Canada, the United States and Japan. The Roundup Ready variety already is the subject of intense debate in Western Canada because of concerns it could jeopardize markets for Canadian wheat. However, a Monsanto spokesperson said the bid to secure regulatory approval does not mean the crop will be grown commercially in Canadian fields any time soon. Trish Jordan said Canada's approval process can easily last more than a year and there are other things Monsanto wants settled before releasing Roundup Ready wheat to farmers." (Western Producer)

"Biotech Crops Make Inroads as Consumers Watch" - "CHICAGO - Nebraska farmer Doug Boisen considers himself a "tough sell" when it comes to new products to use on his cost-conscious, highly competitive grain farm. But he said he has gone from zero to 100 percent in about six years in the planting of crops genetically altered to kill insect pests or withstand potent weed killers." (Reuters)

"Belgium refuses licence for Aventis GMO crop test" - "BRUSSELS - Belgium has refused to grant a licence to Aventis CropScience to conduct experimental field tests with a genetically modified strain of oilseed rape on Belgian sites, the Health Ministry said yesterday." (Reuters)

"'Frankenfish' spawn controversy: Debate over genetically altered salmon" - "It looks like a North Atlantic salmon. But it grows seven times faster, and it's much more attractive to the opposite sex than a normal salmon. It's a transgenic fish, the first genetically engineered animal under review for the U.S. food supply. Embedded in every cell of its body are genes from the Chinook salmon and the ocean pout fish that make it grow more quickly. The altered salmon is likely to become the next focus in the battle over bioengineered food, after controversies over the desirability of genetically altered bovine growth hormones in cows and modified corn, soybeans and canola in cereals and tortilla chips." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Tessie O is anti-GMO" - "SEN. Tessie Aquino-Oreta, may yet emerge as this year`s pin-up poster girl of the anti-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) movement in the Philippines. The Dancing Queen is about to transmogrify into the Biodiversity Queen. The recent news of her support for anti-GMO legislation in the Senate was greeted with elation by those well-financed anti-GMO propagandists who have, I must admit, successfully demonized genetically modified foods and crops and poisoned Filipino minds against them." (Financial Times)

"Guilty pleas in GM crop case" - "Five demonstrators have admitted destroying GM crops at a farm in the Scottish Highlands. The attack on the oilseed rape at a farm near Inverness was carried out on Friday night and was the second such incident in less than a week. The crops were attacked for a third time in the early hours of Sunday morning, following which campaigners said more than half of the crop had now been destroyed." (BBC News Online)

April 29, 2002

'Chemical-free' organics at risk from lack of chemicals? "EU: Organic potatoes under threat from ban on copper-based fungicides" - "The UK National Farmers’ Union has warned that organic potato producers are under threat from proposed EU legislation against copper-based fungicides. NFU organic committee chairman Oliver Dowding said that: “The legislation for the removal of copper as a fungicide will cut output (of organic systems) from 60% of conventional crops to just 40%. Even with a 100% organic premium you can do the simple maths and see growers are going to be worse off.” Farmer’s Weekly reported Dowding as saying that alternatives to copper needed to be identified immediately." (just-food.com) [Complete]

"Indianapolis Star - Home is where toxins may lurk, activists say" - "Karen Terrell thought she had an earth-friendly home. She recycled aluminum cans and plastic jugs; she promptly took her toxic products -- cleaners, batteries, paints, solvents and oils -- to hazardous waste collection sites; she was careful in using bug spray. But a basement-to-attic examination uncovered potential problems in her 94-year-old Near-Northside house: Flaking lead-based paint in a stairwell and closet could be dangerous to children, and mold and mildew on damp basement walls could release lung-irritating spores. Those are the types of problems that make the home the new front for environmental activists."

"billingsgazette.com - Reservation housing a danger, group says" - "BROWNING (AP) - A citizen's group says mold and toxic chemicals from the wooden foundations in more than 200 government-financed houses are poisoning residents, and they demand that the houses be replaced."

"statesman.com | It's getting easier to be green" - "From the street, the stately new two-story brick house on a quiet street in Circle C Ranch appears no different than any other house in any other mid-priced Central Texas subdivision. But beneath the carpeting, the pad is recycled. The wall studs are made of engineered lumber, which takes less wood than standard studs. Double-pane windows, a programmable thermostat and a sheath of Styrofoam insulation within its walls all save energy. Extended roof overhangs and a large front porch keep the house cool. An air-cleaning system and a special fresh-air ventilator help improve air quality; a filtration system purifies water in the kitchen. There's a built-in recycling bin in the kitchen. The $291,000 house built by Newmark Homes is a classic example of how so-called green building techniques are going mainstream."

"San Francisco Chronicle - Insurance crisis comes to state Home insurance crisis looms" - "Mold has been a problem since mankind moved indoors. It's caused by moisture trapped behind walls, ceilings and floors. Left alone, it can cause health problems. In the past couple years, insurance companies say mold claims have been growing like a fungus. Some people blame new construction materials and energy- saving building codes that make homes more airtight. Others say consumers are simply becoming more aware of the problem."

"Erin Brockovich, the Brand" - "There are few people alive today who have gotten a better deal from Hollywood than Erin Brockovich. Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film, an anthem to Brockovich's legal crusade against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for toxic dumping in Hinkley, Calif., turned her name into a brand for flinty righteousness. Julia Roberts, who won an Oscar for playing her, needed a water-padded bra to get her dimensions right. All this has left Brockovich with an undeniably powerful, albeit peculiar, kind of fame." (New York Times)

"Kala-azar a serious public health problem - The Times of India" - "PATNA: A Union health ministry report on kala-azar situation in Bihar says that 196 persons had died of the disease during the first nine months of 2001, an increase of 66 over the previous year. The report describes kala-azar as a serious public health problem in north Bihar and few districts along the Ganga in south Bihar. As many as 33 out of the 38 districts of the state are affected by kala-azar.

The Modified Kala-azar Control Programme was launched in the state on June 16 last year and the Centre released a cash assistance of Rs 70 lakh to the state government on June 11, 2001 to meet the operational cost of the DDT spray. The state government could spray DDT in Patna, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Nalanda and Madhepura districts only, the report says. This despite the fact, that the Centre had released 1,053 metric tonne (MT) of DDT during 1997-98, 800 MT during 1998-99 and 850 MT each during 1999-2000, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. The spray was, however, found to be unfit in about 63 sample houses, according to the report."

"Arizona Republic - Gilbert pesticide use questioned" - "A pesticide under review by the EPA for its possible links to cancer is being sprayed twice weekly to control mosquitoes in more than 40 Gilbert parks, schoolyards and neighborhoods. No other Valley communities are fogged so frequently with malathion. Maricopa County handles mosquito complaints in most other Valley areas and is reducing its use of the pesticide in favor of less-toxic alternatives."

"More vets on Gulf nerve gas list" - "WASHINGTON — The Defense Department says an additional 829 military personnel may have been exposed to deadly gases when an Iraqi chemical weapons depot was destroyed during the Gulf War. Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, chief of staff for the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses, Medical Readiness and Military Deployments, said the number was increased after veterans contacted Pentagon officials to tell them their locations when the depot exploded." (AP)

"Research suggests some headaches linked to common germ" - "MILAN, Italy - Some headaches may be linked to infection with a common bug and daily doses of friendly bacteria could ward them off, preliminary research suggests. A study presented Friday at an infectious diseases conference found that about 18 percent of chronic migraine sufferers were infected with the stomach bug helicobacter pylori and antibiotics appeared to clear the headaches. Adding the friendly bacteria Lactobacillus seemed to work even better, leaving most people migraine-free for a year and lessening the intensity and frequency of recurring headaches in the others, the lead researcher said. Experts were cautiously receptive to the idea but said the findings were too tentative to draw any firm conclusions." (AP)

"US activists demand lawyers for chimps" - "Animal activists in the United States have launched a new campaign to let chimpanzees go to court. The Chimpanzee Collaboratory says that chimpanzees are so close to humans - sharing 98.7% of our genetic make-up - that they deserve to get the same kind of legal representation as children. Campaigners say this would let activists act as legal guardians for the chimps, potentially lodging law suits against researchers and animal entertainers." (BBC News Online) | Chimps should have right to attorney, say campaigners (Independent)

"Cats, dogs and budgies to get ‘bill of rights’" - "BRITAIN’S pets are set to get their own “bill of rights”. Ministers are planning legislation that would guarantee cats, dogs and other pets a minimum quality of life. Under the rules owners could be prosecuted if they failed to give pets what they needed — ranging from adequate food and water to enough space and companionship. The legislation would be the biggest change in Britain’s animal welfare rules for almost a century. It could include codes of conduct for owners of cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and birds." | Flopsy and Fido know their rights (Sunday Times)

"Guardian Unlimited Observer | Review | The end of the world is nigh..." - "Robin McKie on Edward O Wilson's lament for a dying planet and the first book for the general reader from the godfather of modern biology, Ernst Mayr"

"Warming up to the truth -- The Washington Times" - "For a long time now - indeed, since the first Earth Day in 1970 - self-styled environmentalists have been warning the rest of us that our planet is spinning its way toward ecological Armageddon. It's a depressing litany: Melting glaciers, rising temperatures, violent weather, crop failures and nearly all of it, we're told, the fault of human beings engaged in such unforgivable activities as creating businesses, driving cars and, well, breathing."

"Scientists on snowmobiles explore clues to Arctic warming" - "ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A group of scientists rode snowmobiles more than 700 miles across Alaska to better understand how snow interacts with the atmosphere, and perhaps find clues to global warming. Every few miles, members of the SnowSTAR 2002 expedition hopped off their snowmobiles, started digging snow pits and conducting experiments. By trek's end late Thursday, the six-member team had dug about 400 pits between Nome, a coastal city in west Alaska, and Barrow, the northernmost city in North America." (AP)

"BBC News | SCOTLAND | Fresh warning on climate change" - "Snow could become a thing of the past in Scotland as climate change drives up temperatures and causes the sea level to rise, according to weather experts. Scientists have suggested that the sea level around Scotland could rise by up to 60cm over the next 80 years while temperatures could increase by between 2.5 and 3.5C. A new forecast from the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) also warned that average snowfalls in Scotland could drop by up to 90%, with snowless winters becoming the norm in some regions."

"Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | World's weather hotter than ever" - "Temperatures in the south of England will resemble Bordeaux in France by 2080, say scientists, and most of Britain will be snow-free."

"Temperatures hotting up as warming fears confirmed - theage.com.au" - "The first three months of this year were the warmest globally since records began in 1860 and probably for 1000 years, according to British research. Although Australian temperatures were cooler than average for the same period, CSIRO researchers say the findings are consistent with global-warming models that predict Australian temperatures will soar by up to 7 degrees by 2070."

"BBC News | SCOTLAND | Coral's climate change clues" - "Corals from the depths of tropical waters may help scientists understand how rapidly the earth's climate has changed over thousands of years. Experts at the University of St Andrews have said their research could also uncover information which may be helpful in predicting climate change in the future. The scientists have been awarded £145,000 by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) for a two year study into the way in which coral skeletons encode climate change over thousands of years."

"Killing Kyoto softly" - "This week, Jean Chrétien delivered assurances his government would ratify the Kyoto Protocol on global warming only if the provinces give their blessing. If the Prime Minister stays true to his word, the treaty is dead in this country: Most premiers want no part of it -- notwithstanding upcoming negotiations on how it might, theoretically, be implemented. The manoeuvre demonstrates the Liberals' commitment to the treaty was always more about politics than environmental protection. For the first two-and-a-half years after signing on to Kyoto, Ottawa tried to have its cake and eat it, too -- championing the treaty in principle, but also seeking loopholes that would allow Canada to avoid actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions." (National Post)

"NATIONAL POST ONLINE | Klein pushes for alternative to Kyoto plan" - "EDMONTON and VANCOUVER - Ralph Klein planted the seed yesterday for what he hopes will become a ''made-in-Canada alternative'' to the Kyoto Protocol, proposing a first ministers' conference where Canadian leaders could devise their own response to global warming. The idea of a meeting won instant favour from several premiers, including B.C.'s Gordon Campbell, Nova Scotia's John Hamm and Gary Doer of Manitoba -- all of whom are anxious to discuss the agreement's potential impact on their economies. ''The issue for me has always been this: Let's understand what Kyoto is and how it works before we sign it,'' Mr. Campbell said in an interview yesterday."

"Ottawa eyes 10¢/litre gas tax" - " - "OTTAWA - The federal government plans to go to a two-day ministerial summit on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change with a wide-ranging set of policy options that includes a proposed 10¢-a-litre gasoline tax. The proposed gas increase was discussed this week by senior Cabinet ministers as one way to pay the costs of implementing the international treaty. The tax proposal is only one idea contained in a package of options expected to form the basis of discussions with provincial energy and environment ministers on May 21-22 in Charlottetown." (National Post)

"Ministers deny gasoline tax is being considered to fund Kyoto treaty" - "OTTAWA -- Senior Liberal cabinet ministers have categorically denied a report that Ottawa is considering an increase in gasoline taxes to pay for costs of implementing the Kyoto climate treaty. Nor are they supporting Alberta Premier Ralph Klein's proposal for a first ministers' conference to deal with controversy over ratification of the Kyoto protocol." (CP)

"NATIONAL POST ONLINE | Fuel tax talk drives Kyoto opposition" - "OTTAWA - Lorne Taylor, Alberta's Minister of the Environment, believes the federal government's discussion of a 10¢-a-litre gasoline tax is creating an opportunity for Alberta to have its alternative plan to the Kyoto Protocol accepted by other provinces. Mr. Taylor said Alberta's alternative plan -- to be presented at a federal-provincial meeting in mid-May -- can reduce greenhouse gas emissions without the need for something like a fuel tax."

" Calgary Herald - Kyoto debate fuels clean energy drive " - "If nothing else, the Kyoto Protocol has people talking about the environment. Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal is thinking of forcing oil companies to mix ethanol into gasoline. Ottawa is also contemplating subsidies for reinsulation of homes and replacing inefficient washers and dryers. The Alberta government is working on a made-in-Canada version of the U.S. Clean Air Act to encourage industry to adopt energy-efficient technology, rather than punishing business for emitting greenhouse gases."

"Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Big oil's green evangelist" - "Daughter of a labourer, a former schoolteacher and a "person of colour", Paula Banks is no run-of-the-drill oil executive. She glories in the title of senior vice-president for social strategy and policy at BP, and her task is to convince the world that the British oil group is a born-again green organisation that puts its social responsibilities at the very top of its agenda. It is a far from simple mission when BP's business is at the heart of the global warming and climate change debate, when it is operating in countries in which human rights are not a given and when BP refuses to rule out drilling in the Arctic national wildlife reserve."

"Boston Globe Online Metro | Region Fine will pay for clean air, new park" - "Children in Boston neighborhoods where the asthma rate is nearly triple the state average will get some relief from school bus exhaust - thanks to a trash hauler nabbed for illegally crushing refrigerators. The federal penalty that Waste Management of Massachusetts has agreed to pay for releasing harmful chemicals into the air also includes money to clean up and develop parkland in East Boston and a $775,000 fine. The US Environmental Protection Agency discovered in July 1998 that for more than a year the company had been improperly disposing of appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners at its Somerville transfer station, releasing CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) and HCFC's (hydro chlorofluorocarbons), which deplete the Earth's ozone layer."

"Post-Gazette - Environment striding toward center of political stage" - "WASHINGTON -- Last week's jousting over the environment between President Bush and former Vice President Al Gore might be a harbinger of a 2004 rematch, but it is certainly evidence both parties are listening to voters. The former rivals offered opposing policy statements on Earth Day with numbers like this hovering in the background: A CNN/Time poll this month found 43 percent of Americans supporting stronger environmental laws. Only one in five said current laws are too restrictive; 26 percent said current laws are adequate."

"White House Rejected a Stricter Alternative to Clear Skies Plan" - "In shaping President Bush's Clear Skies air pollution plan, the White House rejected a more stringent proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency." (New York Times)

"Senate backs Alaska gas subsidy" - "CALGARY - The Alaska natural gas pipeline, which was deemed uneconomic by a group of energy producers that was developing the project, has been given a big boost by a U.S. Senate bill that would subsidize it by guaranteeing a floor price." (Financial Post)

"Clean diesel buses" - "Does the District have $40 million to $45 million to waste tilting at environmental windmills? So it would seem, according to a just-released study that found Metro's $94.5 million "clean-running" natural gas-powered buses don't have much of an advantage in that respect over modern diesel-powered buses that run just as cleanly and cost half as much to operate." (Washington Times)

"Grants for solar-powered homes" - "Homeowners willing to switch to solar power could be in line for new "green grants" from the government. A total of £20m will be available from next week as part of a push to persuade thousands of Britons to use renewable energy. Anyone with a house will be eligible to apply for up to half the cost of installing solar panels to their roof. Government research suggests the £7,000-plus price tag for even the most basic system puts a lot of people off." (BBC News Online)

"Daily Yomiuri On-Line - New N-plants said needed to save GDP" - "The electric power industry has warned in an estimation, obtained by The Yomiuri Shimbun, that the country's gross domestic product will contract if it cannot go ahead with plans to build new nuclear power plants early this century. Electric power utilities in the country are now constructing three new nuclear power plants and plan to install 16 others, mostly targeted for completion in the 2010s."

"Gene defects emerge in all animal clones" - "A REVIEW of all the world’s cloned animals suggests that every one of them is genetically and physically defective. Ian Wilmut, co-creator of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, published his findings this weekend." (Sunday Times)

"GM safety tests 'flawed'" - "Safety tests on genetically modified maize currently growing in Britain were flawed, it has emerged. The crop, T-25 GM maize, was tested in laboratory experiments on chickens. During the tests, twice as many chickens died when fed on T-25 GM maize, compared with those fed on conventional maize. This research was apparently overlooked when the crop was given marketing approval in 1996. Lord Alan Gray, who chairs the government's advisory committee on releases to the environment, voiced his concerns about the tests to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme." (BBC News Online)

"Mystic farmers get grants for zodiac growing" - "BRITISH farmers are winning government grants to help them to convert to a mystical form of agriculture that requires crops to be planted in line with the movements of the moon." (Sunday Times)

April 26, 2002

"The Great Potato Chip Scare" - "Swedish scientists reported this week that eating potato chips may expose you to dangerously high amounts of the supposedly cancer-causing substance acrylamide. Not to worry, though. You’d choke on the chips before you croaked from the chemical." (Steven Milloy, FoxNews.com)

"Everything Gives You Cancer" - "According to some Swedish scientists, we can now add to the pantheon of homespun wisdom, alongside such notables as "Look both ways before crossing the street" and "Don't go out in the cold with wet hair," a new admonition -- "Bread kills." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Snack attack" - "French fry lovers and potato chip crunchers need not worry much that their favorite snack foods are "dangerous" — the blaring, alarm-sounding news reports about their supposedly cancer-causing qualities notwithstanding. Like so much of what passes for news these days, the report this week that eating chips, fries and other starchy foods cooked in oil may contribute to cancer is probably more hype than fact." (Washington Times)

"Facts About 'Functional Foods'" - "Foods that may have health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients that they contain are often called "functional foods." The concept of functional foods has become popular in recent years, first in Japan and later in other countries, including the U.S. In the U.S., the term "functional foods" has no official, universally accepted definition. Foods don't have to pass any test or meet any standard in order to be described as "functional." (ACSH)

Doh! "Declining physical activity levels are associated with increasing obesity" - "A series of cross-sectional surveys of Finnish men and women were conducted with the aim of assessing the relationship between lifestyle variables and increased obesity over a 15-year period. Food choices, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, and smoking history were investigated for their associations with body mass index (BMI) and obesity in 24,604 subjects. The results underscore the importance of regular exercise to maximize the chances of maintaining a normal weight. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

II: "High-intensity physical training improves cardiovascular fitness in obese adolescents" - "In a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of obese adolescents, Gutin et al. investigated whether lifestyle education by itself, or in combination with moderate- or with high-intensity physical training, provided the most significant advantages in the fitness and body composition of juveniles." (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

"Suits Probe Acne Drug, Depression; First jury trial brings a defense win; plaintiffs' lawyers voice confidence" - "The first jury trial over products liability claims that the acne medication Accutane causes depression has ended in a defense verdict. But plaintiffs' attorneys in other lawsuits against the makers of Accutane contend this defense win for Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. in Oklahoma will have no impact on the prospects of future trials or the filing of additional claims." (Law.com)

"High-flier says handyman filler destroyed his life - smh.com.au" - "A high-flying Sydney futures broker who used a handyman filler made by Selleys to stop a chimney draught is suing for $750,000 damages, claiming the product left him brain damaged, destroyed his marriage and career."

"Weed killer ingredient may treat malaria" - "BERLIN, Apr 25 - A chemical used in weed-killer could provide a cheap, fast-acting and safe treatment for malaria, German researchers report. The drug, fosmidomycin, has successfully been used in a preliminary study to treat more than 100 adults and children with the most serious form of malaria, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum." (Reuters Health)

"Expert Says Asbestos Slightly Raised Risks for Disease Among Residents of Lower Manhattan" - "The risk of asbestos-related disease, including cancer, has risen slightly for tens of thousands of people in Lower Manhattan as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Center, a prominent New York physician said yesterday." (New York Times)

"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - SIDS, infection could be linked" - "MILAN, Italy -- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in which apparently healthy babies die inexplicably in their cribs, may be linked to infection with a common bacterium, preliminary research suggests. Researchers told a conference on infectious diseases yesterday that a shock-producing byproduct of E. coli was found in the blood of all SIDS babies tested, but in none of the infants used as a comparison. Experts not connected with the research said the toxic infection theory is plausible."

"The Seattle Times: Local News: Shelter to halt sale of animals to WSU" - "PULLMAN — The Spokane County animal shelter will stop selling live cats and dogs to Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine because too many invasive procedures are being conducted on the animals. The shelter will continue to provide animal cadavers to the school for teaching purposes, said county animal-control director Nancy Hill. The agency's decision was sparked by a phone call from a WSU veterinary student concerned about the number of surgeries and other procedures animals went through before being euthanized, Hill said. "Then we got a call from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and we got posted on their Web site," she said. That led to more calls from individuals and agencies around the state."

Bob Mankoff cartoon comment

"Color of ocean yields global warming clues" - "A green ocean is a productive ocean; the light from the sun helps the phytoplankton -- tiny ocean plants -- to be productive. This production in turn drives ocean food webs. New research, published in Science on April 26, assesses the color of the ocean and finds that key ecosystem parameters describing marine food web function are nearly constant across the North Atlantic Ocean. The research is expected to yield clues about the carbon cycle and global warming." (University of California - Santa Barbara)

"Satellite data to predict plankton blooms by analyzing ocean color" - "Scientists analyzing satellite data on ocean color are gaining new insights into ocean productivity and climate." (NSF)

"Los Angeles Times - The Hot New Trend: Climate Control" - "When Ellie Rogers talks to customers in Ann Arbor, Mich., she often dwells as much on the dangers of global warming as on the virtues of her cosmetics and biodegradable kitchen cleaners. "It may seem like a stretch," allows Rogers. "But I'll ask if they've noticed how hot it has been. And I'll ask if they're concerned about that. And eventually, I'll tell them how more than 2,000 leading scientists around the world say it's a human responsibility, that we're causing this weather change. "I'm a pest about it," says Rogers, 73. Yet she's also convinced that, far from turning people away from her sales pitch, her apocalyptic warnings warm them up to it. The marketing experts at her company, Shaklee Corp., agree. "Global warming is an ice-breaker," sums up Ken Perkins, who masterminds the approach at the firm's Pleasanton, Calif., headquarters."

"2002 'warmest for 1,000 years'" - "THE first three months of this year were the warmest globally since records began in 1860 and probably for 1,000 years, scientists said yesterday." (Telegraph) | Britain goes to extremes as the world warms up (The Times) | BBC News | SCI TECH | Record warm start to 2002 | Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | World's weather hotter than ever

"Climate chaos means rain clouds on the horizon" - "TODAY’S long-range forecast: slightly wetter with fewer, more concentrated spells of rain, more chance of flooding, sea levels rising to threaten low-lying coastal areas, average temperatures up by 5C, the prospect of snowless winters and a much longer growing season - welcome to Scotland 2080. Those enjoying the current unseasonal, but most welcome, heat might argue that when a weather forecast 24 hours ahead is suspect, why trust one by the UK Climate Impacts Programme eight decades beyond our ken?" (The Scotsman)

"Klein calls for first ministers' meeting to come up with alternative to Kyoto" - "EDMONTON -- Canada's first ministers should come up with a new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as an alternative to the Kyoto accord, Premier Ralph Klein says. Klein said he is heartened by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's recent comments that suggest Ottawa won't ratify Kyoto without the agreement of the premiers." (CP)

"Meet our conditions or reject Kyoto: Alberta environment minister" - "OTTAWA - Alberta's environment minister says the federal government should not implement the Kyoto Accord unless his province gets credit for shipping clean energy exports to the United States. Lorne Taylor told CBC Radio that Alberta does not want the federal Liberals to ratify the treaty, which lays out a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, unless the conditions requested by Alberta are met." (CBC)

"Globe and Mail | Kyoto impact estimates vary widely; Could add $5-billion or cost economy $23-billion in 2012, federal-provincial estimates suggest" - "OTTAWA -- The Kyoto Protocol could cost Canadians as much as $23-billion in 2012 alone in a worst-case scenario, or it could add $5-billion to the economy that year in an ideal situation, long-awaited federal-provincial estimates suggest. The scenarios in a working-group report obtained by The Globe and Mail offer the clearest indication yet that there is no consensus on the final costs to Canadians of ratifying the international deal to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. The politically charged estimates of additional, or lost, economic growth under Kyoto will satisfy both skeptics and supporters of the pact in Ottawa and the provinces because they yield wildly divergent numbers."

"Carter Holt wants deal after Kyoto" - "If New Zealand ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, Carter Holt Harvey will press for a deal with the Government to mitigate the impact on its existing mills and any new ones. Chief executive Chris Liddell told the annual general meeting in Wellington yesterday that Kyoto, an international treaty which aims to curb greenhouse gas emissions, could severely hurt New Zealand's attractiveness as a destination for investment in the processing sector of the forestry industry. The industry would need some $6 billion of further investment over the next 20 years if it was to maximise the potential of the coming "wall of wood." (New Zealand Herald)

"California Scheming" - "The Washington Post first reported internal memos revealing that the vocal "global warming" movement and its 1997 Kyoto Protocol were fruit of a stealthy and extensive corporate lobbying campaign. The ringleader? Enron (surprise!). The memos disclosed that "green" groups were courted, funded and even created to spread the gospel that man is killing the planet by burning fossil fuels, a malady Enron offered to mitigate through its natural gas, windmill and solar ventures. Now similar schemes, cloaking issues in green to garner political influence and economic advantage, are arising in the market for fueling America's automobility." (Christopher C. Hormer, TCS)

"Newsday.com - Memo Shows Influence of Lobbyist" - "WASHINGTON -- When President Bush reversed his campaign stance on regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, he said the nation's energy problems -- not pressure from energy industry lobbyists -- changed his mind. Documents released by the Bush administration Thursday in response to a court order shed light on the intense pressure the new president was under. Two weeks before Bush's decision, lobbyist Haley Barbour virtually papered the White House, from Vice President Dick Cheney on down, with a memo suggesting the president must provide a sound energy policy by not taking action against carbon dioxide."

"Independent study says politics has pre-empted science in assessing risks of Yucca Mountain - 4 26 2002 - ENN.com" - "WASHINGTON — A decision on Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste dump should be postponed until more is known about its geology and how human-made barriers will perform over thousands of years, an independent study of the proposed site says. "A project of this importance ... should not go forward until the relevant scientific issues have been thoughtfully addressed," two researchers argue in an article to be published Friday in Science magazine. The study maintains that politics has overtaken science as the Bush administration has approved the Nevada site for the storage of 77,000 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste without, they argue, a final decision on its design, nor certainty as to the long-term performance of the mountain or the devices being used to contain the waste."

"Safe, secure and inexpensive power from newest generations of nuclear reactors" - "Despite the bad press that nuclear reactors earned in past years, researchers writing for the latest issue of Physics Today magazine report that more and more people are reconsidering nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuel. In fact, President George Bush's National Energy Policy explicitly supports expansion of nuclear power, in contrast to the policies of previous presidential administrations. The primary reasons for the shift in opinion stem from concerns for the environment and interest in enhancing national energy self-sufficiency. At the moment, nuclear and hydroelectric power are the only technologies that can generate large amounts of energy without emitting copious greenhouses gases. Although dams may initially seem more appealing than nuclear reactors, hydroelectric power plants are impractical in the many regions that lack adequate sources of flowing water. That means nuclear power stands alone as a practical and environmentally friendly resource that is not tied to local geography." (American Institute of Physics)

"azcentral.com - Senate OKs Major Overhaul of Energy Policy" - "WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led Senate approved legislation on Thursday to carry out the first major overhaul of U.S. energy policy in a decade, with greater focus on alternative fuels and energy conservation. The Senate bill, which passed 88 to 11 and includes $14 billion in tax breaks and subsidies, differs greatly from energy legislation approved last year by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Senators rejected President Bush's proposal to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, the centerpiece of the White House's national energy plan. The House bill would allow drilling in the wildlife refuge area and has a $33 billion package of energy tax credits and subsidies, more than double the amount in the Senate legislation. The House bill also pushes more oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power with less attention to alternative fuels and conservation. Senate and House negotiators are expected to spend months trying to work out differences in the two energy bills. It remains unclear if lawmakers can agree this year on a final energy package that can be sent to the White House."

"Energy Bill Favors SUVs, Farmers" - "WASHINGTON -- Motorists can rest assured that their gas-guzzling SUVs won't be threatened by new energy legislation moving through Congress. And there's good news there too for farmers and wind turbine operators. But environmentalists are in an uproar, and California lawmakers predict gasoline shortages and price spikes." (AP)

"Agencies at Odds Over Wyoming Methane Project" - "WASHINGTON -- The Denver office of the Environmental Protection Agency is threatening to give the Interior Department a failing grade for blessing a massive methane drilling project in northeastern Wyoming, according to draft documents. EPA and Interior documents obtained by The Times provide a rare view into the internal discord sparked by President Bush's mandate to expedite and increase energy production from federal lands." (Los Angeles Times)

"ctnow.com: New Deal Tightens Rules For Sooty Six" - "After five years of disputes and defeats, lawmakers and environmentalists reached a bipartisan agreement Thursday with Gov. John G. Rowland to tighten emission standards at six of Connecticut's oldest and dirtiest power plants. Within three hours of the announcement, the state House of Representatives passed the bill, 134-15, that is intended to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide emitted from the so-called Sooty Six plants by 2005. Rowland, who last year vetoed a similar proposal, is "very much looking forward" to signing the new bill if the details remain the same, spokesman Chris Cooper said."

"ctnow.com: Wind Blows Pollution In From China" - "Wind-borne pollution from China and neighboring countries is spreading to the United States and Canada as a result of surging economic activity and destructive farming practices half a world away. Recent research shows that a mix of pollutants, from dust to ozone to toxic chemicals, travels farther than once realized. As one example, a third of all the mercury pollution in the United States comes from fossil fuel burning in Asia, scientists say."

"Los Angeles Times - Car Makers' Vintage Whine" - "When regulators began cleaning up auto exhaust 30 years ago, the reaction from the car makers was that it couldn't be done. When cars were required to have catalytic converters, one industry executive said the cost could mean "business catastrophe."

And here they go again. The same hyperventilated claims are being made in Sacramento as the state Senate considers AB 1058, by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills). The measure requires the state Air Resources Board to adopt standards for controlling carbon dioxide in auto emissions, a modest but important effort to attack the problem of global warming. True, California can't stop global warming on its own, but it can lead the pack in cleaning up emissions, as it always has."

Great - good old California - always assuming that atmospheric CO₂ is other than beneficial (a moot point but, hey, you can always hitch a lift eh guys - just like you can always buy electrickery from out of state).

Uh-huh... "Globe and Mail | The environment is under attack, but there is hope. We may be headed to a pollution-free hydrogen economy" - "The world really is changing at breakneck speed, but it's not at all clear if it's for the better or for worse. The worse is pretty easy to catalogue, and a number of prominent speakers did just that at the recent GLOBE 2002 conference in Vancouver, organized by the GLOBE Foundation of Canada, on the Business of the Environment. As shown by the quick disintegration of the massive Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, the global climate may be changing, for reasons we don't fully understand, with unforeseen consequences."

"Biomass benefits in need of higher profile" - "HELEN McKay of the Forestry Commission’s policy and practice division says that the argument in favour of biomass - including forestry wood-fuel, short rotation coppice and agricultural by-products such as straw - must be made "very strongly" if it is to be recognised. At a meeting in Huntly this week, she said: "If we could get a heat target as well as an electricity target, for example, biomass would win hands down over wind and tide. But margins are going to be very tight and it is up to the forestry and agricultural sectors to work together to taker advantage of a funding ‘window’ which will not be open for long. The sector will also need to introduce efficiencies." (The Scotsman)

"Rail no greener than road, truckers' study finds" - "BRUSSELS - Transferring freight from road to rail is only slightly better for the environment and is not the cure-all that European Union politicians claim it to be, the trucking lobby said in a new study yesterday. A report commissioned by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) found that factors such as road distances to rail terminals, less than full train loads and wasted space on trains meant energy savings compared to road were often marginal." (Reuters)

Book Review: "Ethics and ecofascism; Designer Food: Mutant Harvest or Breadbasket of the World" - "Gregory Pence teaches bioethics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States, and he is no stranger to controversy. His views on human cloning, where he argued that it is wrong to rule out the potential for such procedures and portrayed opponents of cloning as 'genetic fatalists' who cannot entertain new ideas and scientific progress, made him a target for quite vitriolic censure.

His new book, Designer Food: Mutant Harvest or Breadbasket of the World, will similarly upset the 'naturalists' and those who oppose even modest applications of science and technology as a means of improving the human condition. It is not so much what Pence has to say, but more the clarity with which he expresses his views - a rare and refreshing exception from the normally more cautious and hedging style of bioethicists. He simply does not mince his words. Take, for example, his analysis of one of the leading groups opposed to GM foods:

"How has Greenpeace International arrived at the morally bankrupt position that preserving plants is more important than feeding millions of starving humans? What has gone terribly wrong in the ethical footing of this elitist organization that it has slipped to this terrible place?" (Peter Marsh, Social Issues Research Centre)

"Scientists Clone Calf From Dead Cow" - "ATLANTA - Savoring a juicy, high-quality steak? Maybe someday you'll be able to order up a duplicate of the best piece of beef you've ever eaten. Scientists at the University of Georgia have produced the first calf cloned from cells of a slaughtered cow, a breakthrough they say will allow cattle producers to select and clone the choicest beef from their stock. The researchers on Thursday introduced K.C., a healthy female Angus-Hereford cross delivered earlier this week. Her genetic material was extracted from the kidney region of a cow two days after it was killed." (AP)

"Single gene leap led to flea-borne transmission of plague bacterium" - "A single gene change in a relatively benign recent ancestor of the bacterium that causes bubonic plague played a key role in the evolution of the deadly disease, researchers report in the April 26 issue of the journal Science. By acquiring this gene, the bacterium gradually changed from a germ that causes a mild human stomach illness acquired via contaminated food or water to the flea-borne agent of the "Black Death," which in the 14th century killed one-fourth of Europe's population." (NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

"Support for US government's National Biotechnology Week" - "Last week’s US Senate resolution to declare this week, 21-28 April, 2002, National Biotechnology Week, has been welcomed by The Alliance for Better Foods, an organisation which aims to raise support for biotechnology. In a statement the Alliance said that the unanimously passed Senate Resolution 243 reflected the growing recognition for the benefits of biotechnology - both in combating world hunger and in the development of more nutritious foods." (FoodNavigator)

"GE farmers may not want other crops too close" - "Farmers seeking buffer zones around GE crops are likely to have to make similar concessions on their own land to avoid "contaminating" the engineered crops. Farmers seeking buffer zones around genetically-engineered crops on their neighbours' properties - when commercial releases of GE plants are eventually allowed - are likely to have to make similar concessions on their own land to avoid "contaminating" the engineered crops. New Zealand has not yet had any commercial releases of GE crops, but a former chief executive of Crop and Food Research, Mike Dunbier, said today he expected growers of high-value GE crops would be very keen to avoid "contamination" from pollen or seed of neighbours' conventional crops. Any standards set for buffer zones to keep GE pollen or seeds out of conventional or organic crops would have to be reciprocal, with farmers growing GE crops able to claim similar crop spacings." (NZPA)

April 25, 2002

Must be 'food concern' day:

"Bread and crisps in cancer risk scare" - "Staple foods including bread, chips and crisps, may contain high levels of a substance believed to cause cancer, a study suggests. Tests showed they all contain high quantities of acrylamide, a chemical which is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Researchers in Sweden found acrylamide was formed when carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes, rice or cereals are heated. Such foods could pose a potential health risk to millions of people around the world. The research was deemed so important that scientists took the unusual step of going public with their findings before the details had been officially published in an academic journal." (BBC News Online)

Tomorrow's FoxNews.com column by the Junkman will tell you how many chips you need to eat per day for life to increase your cancer risk -- that is, assuming human cancer risk can even be predicted from lab animal tests.

"SCIENTISTS DEPLORE LATEST FOOD-CANCER SCARE" - ""There is no compelling evidence which supports today's claim by Swedish researchers that fried or baked foods high in starch introduces chemicals which increase the risk of human cancer," according to the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a nonprofit, consumer education consortium of physicians and scientists based in New York City.

"We are deeply concerned that Americans will unnecessarily worry about safe, nutritious foods after hearing today's news," said Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, President of ACSH.

"The claim that acrylamide, found in common foods such as potatoes and bread, after cooking, poses a human cancer risk is based exclusively on high dose studies in laboratory animals. There is no evidence whatever that humans who eat the observed levels of acrylamide are exposed to any risk of any type of cancer," noted Dr. Whelan.

"Over the past thirty years, scientists have become far more sophisticated in interpreting the findings of high dose animal ingestion studies," Dr. Whelan added, "indeed the more we test naturally occurring chemicals present in food, the more we note that they, too, can increase cancer risk in the laboratory--but we have no reason to believe they play a role in the causation of human cancer.

"ACSH publishes a typical holiday menu of natural foods--from soup to nuts, noting that if Thanksgiving dinner were subject to food scares about "animal carcinogens" even natural foods would be banned." (see http://www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/menu99.html )

"ACSH does not reject the role of animal testing in predicting human cancer risk, but it is important to note that animal tests on one or two species do not provide convincing evidence of human cancer risk," observed Dr. Gilbert Ross, ACSH's Medical Director.

"Food is a highly emotional subject," said Dr. Whelan, "and the news reports resulting from the alarmist study only proves that a rumor about food safety can be half way around the world before the truth gets its boots on." ACSH urges consumers to evaluate the news about 'carcinogens' in potatoes, bread and other food--with great skepticism. "

There is no evidence whatever that chemicals in the American diet--whether from natural or synthetic sources--contribute to the toll of human cancer in the United States." (ACSH)

"Consumer confusion over "natural" foods a cause for concern" - "The National Consumers League (NCL) has expressed concern over the fact that 86% of US consumers believe that products carrying the label “natural” believe that they must also be safe. A report in the NCL’s last Bulletin detailed the results of a national random survey commissioned by the NCL in a bid to discover how Americans view label claims. The report said that consumers were being lead to assume the wrong things, and that greater regulation of product labels and definitions is needed. According to NCL, products labelled or advertised as "natural" are not guaranteed to be any more safe than equivalents without the "natural" label." (just-food.com) [Complete]

"EU project tackles food-borne pathogens" - "It is a fact that the diversity of food-borne pathogens is increasing in Europe, as well as globally. One explanation for this increase is environmental stress factors, such as food preservation methods, that leads to changes in genotypes and consequently enhanced survival, resistance, or virulence in the pathogens.

To tackle the problem, an on-going European funded ‘Quality of Life’ project is currently investigating a simple method for purifying DNA from bacterial cultures in order to establish a central databank of DNA sample materials and key food-pathogen DNA sequences.

The project was motivated by the clear need for improved methods to detect and identify the pathogens complex. For example, a recent US survey revealed that only 18 per cent of 76 million illnesses every year in USA are caused by known pathogens. (FoodNavigator)

"The Most Sustainable Farming in History Gives the World Its Finest Food Choices; A Response to The Johns Hopkins University Authors" - "A group of academics from Johns Hopkins University says the world should abandon the high-yield science-based agriculture that has doubled the world’s food supply in 50 years, increased per capita calories for Third World people by more than 30 percent, reduced soil erosion per ton of food to the lowest levels in history—and saved an estimated 16 million square miles of wildlands (equal to the world’s total forest area) from being plowed for low-yield crops." (Dennis T. Avery, Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues)

Notice (as provided) "Growing More Per Acre Leaves More Land For Nature" - "Press conference next Tuesday, April 30th, with Dr. Norman Borlaug, Dr. Patrick Moore (co-founder of Greenpeace) and Mr. Eugene Lapointe launching High-Yield Conservation Declaration.

High-yield farming -- the Green Revolution -- has been a significant environmental and humanitarian triumph. Since the 1960's it has led to better lives and prevented the deaths and malnourishment of billions of people. Additionally, the Green Revolution's higher yields have protected millions of square miles from being put under plow for food production, thereby saving large amounts of natural habitats for biologically diverse plant and animal species. In the same way, high-yield forestry reduces logging pressures on wild forests.

The world's population is likely to rise to nine billion people in the coming decades. Global demand for food and forest products will double. Yet we are already taking more than one-third of the planet's total land area for farming. Thus, the greatest threat to the Earth's biodiversity is habitat loss through the conversion of natural ecosystems to farmland.

Additional high-yield practices based on advances in biology, ecology, chemistry, and technology are critically needed to improve the human condition and preserve our natural environment." (Alice Killian <cgfi@rica.net> Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues)

"Newsday.com - Bill would bar Hudson sediment dumping in Niagara County" - "ALBANY, N.Y. -- It is unclear where PCB-laden sediments dredged from the Hudson River will end up, but legislators from one western New York county say they know where they don't want them. A bill has been introduced in the state Legislature prohibiting the storage or disposal of contaminated Hudson silt in Niagara County."

"Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Property Rights" - "The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Constitution does not require governments to pay compensation to landowners when agencies temporarily prohibit them from building on their land, a decision that strengthens the hand of environmental regulators against the "property rights" movement, according to The Washington Post." (Cato Institute)

"When to Pay for Land 'Takings'" - "A supreme Court ruling this week left no doubt that on the issue of property rights, the nine justices engage in intellectual combat inside their private chambers. Just reading their written decisions on this case is like watching a wrestling match taking place under a rug. Property rights are a cornerstone of freedom and democracy, and yet social pressures to regulate land or take it for public use often serve the common good. Courts are left to find a balance between a clash of society's needs and the Constitution's protection of private property. And over the past 15 years, a more conservative high court has leaned toward the rights of property owners." (The Christian Science Monitor)

"Biodiversity crucial to Earth's ecosystems" - "For more than half a century, ecologists have been aware of the devastating effects of species loss within an ecosystem. In a recent study, which is published in the April 25 issue of Nature, University of Chicago researchers have found that not only the number of species lost within the system, but also the identity of the species lost plays a vital role." (University of Chicago Medical Center)

"Tropical scientists find fewer species than expected" - "An eight-year National Science Foundation-funded study of New Guinean rainforest plants and the insects that feed on them has yielded a new and dramatically lower estimate of the number of species on the planet." (University of Minnesota)

"Picky eaters rare among tropical insects" - "The long-held belief that more than ten percent of tropical insect species feed on a specific plant host is revised by a team reporting their findings from six years of research in Papua New Guinea in the April 25, 2002 edition of the journal Nature. Previous estimates of global biodiversity may be as much as ten times too high because closely related plants tend to share insect herbivores." (Smithsonian Institution)

"Mortal Kombat's Decisive Wins" - "Mining products liability and First Amendment law, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton of the District of Connecticut found no grounds to sue the makers of the "Mortal Kombat" video game in the stabbing death of 13-year-old Noah Wilson four and a half years ago." (Law.com)

"Germany: Schröder's Green Pals Are Crossing Him Up" - "Germany's Green Party took the nation by surprise when it joined Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's coalition government in 1998. Instead of middle-aged revolutionaries, the Greens turned out to be teachers, dentists, and middle managers who tempered their environmental activism with desire for lower taxes and less bureaucracy. Led by Joschka Fischer, Schröder's pragmatic Foreign Minister, the Greens helped push through $30 billion in tax cuts for corporations and individuals. "The Greens gave Schröder a counterweight against the Socialists in his own party," says Commerzbank economist Eckart Tuchtfeld." (Business Week)

Oh my! "Germany’s Green Party demands a powerful professional army" - "In the course of the current debate in Germany over the future of the country’s conscript army, the Green Party has emerged as the most vehement proponent of the re-emergence of German militarism and advocate of a professional army." (World Socialist Web Site)

"A Cockeyed Optimist Professes the Dismal Science" - "The Earth Institute at Columbia University combines the latest biology, population science and climate research. The institute's new director, Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, happily admits to being 200-plus years behind the times in his world view. "I basically feel like an 18th-century Enlightenment optimist," he said. Is this a problem? Administrators at Columbia don't think so. They all but crowed from the rooftops at their success in luring Professor Sachs, a 47-year-old economist, away from Harvard earlier this month. Professor Sachs sees 18th-century thinking as a strength, and a means of avoiding despair, in his work on the problems of poverty, environmental degradation and disease in developing nations." (New York Times)

"VIRTUAL CLIMATE ALERT; April 22, 2002 Vol. 3, No. 13" - "Dr. Terrence Joyce, who is chairman physical oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, wrote an op-ed published in the April 18th edition of The New York Times. Dr. Joyce renewed public fear of global warming when he capitalized on the mid-April heat wave that had set record high temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. over the course of a couple of weeks, previous. In printing his op-ed "The Heat Before the Cold," Times editors apparently felt it was time to spread what amounts to little more than global warming hype when they turned to Dr. Joyce to give them a good scare story. This is because they were unable to find anyone else to link the heat wave to global warming. From beginning to end, the piece is rooted in half-truth and old ways of thinking." (GES)

"ctnow.com: It May Be April, But It May As Well Be May " - " Have the sense that spring is getting ahead of itself this year? That's putting it mildly, no pun intended. Scientists and naturalists, amazed at the furious pace of spring, say it constitutes an acceleration of nature's deliberate ways not seen in perhaps 40 or more years. Many songbirds are migrating into the state two weeks early, while trees and shrubs are blossoming and leafing out weeks ahead of normal. Some wildflowers that ordinarily blossom in late April have bloomed, withered and disappeared already."

"Kyoto approval hinges on provinces, PM says" - "Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister, said yesterday provincial approval is needed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, casting more doubt on his government's commitment to the international pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." (National Post)

"New Zealand Herald - Penguins dwindling as Antarctic iceberg blocks breeding ground" - "Penguin numbers on Ross Island in Antarctica have plunged in the past two years - but scientists are wary about drawing any long-term conclusions. Nelson scientist Dr Peter Wilson today told the New Zealand Antarctic Conference in Auckland that a huge iceberg the size of Sicily forced Adelie penguins to walk for 40 hours to their usual breeding grounds, and then blocked their access to fishing waters. Thousands of penguins died. Chick numbers crashed to 10 per cent of usual at Cape Bird and 2 per cent of normal at Cape Royds and Cape Crozier. "And those birds were so behind [in the breeding season] that we doubt any would have survived," he said. But the disaster followed 40 years of gradually rising penguin numbers on Ross Island, believed to be associated with global warming which is happening roughly twice as fast in Antarctica as elsewhere."

"Green roofs cool for summer, environmentalist says" - "Green roofs composed of special infrastructure to support soil and plants are better than conventional roofs at insulating homes in winter and keeping them cool in summer, according to preliminary study results at the University of Toronto." (University of Toronto)

"Bill: SUV Emissions Major Part Of World Pollution" - "The Golden State is going dry and your pickup truck is partially to blame, according to a bill making its way through the California legislature. To counteract the problem, the bill, authored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Woodland Hills, would require the state to adopt regulations to cut emissions of sports utility-type vehicles." (KGTV TheSanDiegoChannel.com)

"ctnow.com: House Zaps Veto Of Power Line Moratorium; But Override Of Governor May Not Survive Senate" - " The state House of Representatives dealt a political setback to Gov. John G. Rowland Tuesday by voting to override his veto of a yearlong moratorium on the installation of new energy lines under Long Island Sound. The victory was expected to be short-lived."

"Times Online - Blowing in the wind; The debate over the utility of renewable energy" - "Britons are obsessed with their weather, yet are strangely slow to use it to their advantage. Although the UK has the greatest supplies of wind and wave energy in Europe, it is a decade behind most other EU countries in exploiting it. Germany has built 15 times the wind energy capacity of the UK, and this clean, cheap and renewable source accounts for just 0.38 per cent of our energy, compared with 18 per cent in Denmark."

"UK wind farms threatened by defence concern - report" - "LONDON - Britain's Ministry of Defence has blocked plans to build five offshore wind farms, jeopardising the government's renewable energy targets, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) said yesterday." (Reuters)

"UCR scientists developing process to convert wet bio-waste into energy" - "Scientists at the University of California, Riverside are developing a way of converting "wet waste," such as sewage sludge and grass clippings, into synthetic diesel fuel and electricity in a move that could potentially reduce the need for landfill space and provide a cost-effective alternative to increasingly restricted land application. Dr. Colin Hackett, manager of the Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy Program at UCR, is overseeing the research." (University of California - Riverside)

Workshop: "Genetic Engineering and the Intrinsic Value and Integrity of Animals and Plants" - "Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st September 2002, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh" (International Forum for Genetic Engineering)

April 24, 2002

"Health Canada to ban bug repellents with high concentrations of DEET" - "OTTAWA - Health Canada is phasing out insect repellents with high concentrations of DEET by December of 2004. DEET is one of the most popular chemicals used against bugs. The department says even though DEET is a safe product, it will only allow bug repellents with less than 30 per cent concentration of DEET. Combination sunscreen/bug lotions won't be allowed at all." (CBC)

"Growth promoting hormones pose health risk to consumers, confirms EU Scientific Committee" - "The EU Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health (SCVPH) confirmed today that the use of hormones as growth promoters for cattle poses a potential health risk to consumers, following a review of 17 studies and other recent scientific data. Publishing its third opinion on the risks to human health from hormone residues in beef products, the SCVPH found no reason to change its previous opinions of 1999 and 2000." (SCVPH release)

"Behind the Headlines; What Laymen Should Know About Everyday Issues in Science and Health" - "Presentation by Gregory Conko, Director of Food Safety Policy, Competitive Enterprise Institute at the International Association of Culinary Professionals 24th Annual International Conference, San Diego, California, April 19, 2002" (Competitive Enterprise Institute)

"Globe and Mail | Mittelstaedt | Study finds DDT may spur disease" - "Frogs given trace amounts of DDT and other pesticides experience a near-total collapse in their immune systems, a finding that could help explain the rise in human autoimmune diseases such as asthma and allergies, Canadian researchers say. The scientific team also says the work could shed light on the global decline in amphibians, animals that may no longer have strong enough immune systems to survive exposures to viruses and parasites."

Sure Marty. Say, uh... why are amphibians demonstrating similar declines (and chytridiosis) in areas where DDT/DDE is absent and the only known change is that biologists (and eco-tourists) are entering otherwise 'pristine' regions? Couldn't be that the biologists and 'leave-nothing-but-footprints' eco-tourists are actually the vectors for chytrid fungus and other amphibian diseases could it? And the massive increases in migratory birds, whose populations are so greatly enhanced by human agronomic enterprise, they couldn't be increasingly important amphibian disease vectors either eh?

"Animal antibiotics speed resistance in people" - "NEW YORK, Apr 23 - The use of antibiotics on farm animals is hastening drug resistance among humans, a new study concludes.

According to the results, published in the April 30th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, agricultural antibiotic use has a small effect on the prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria overall. However, it may accelerate the rate at which resistance develops in humans." (Reuters Health)

"AP Wire | 04 24 2002 | Most livestock waste lagoons in NU study didn't pollute groundwater" - "LINCOLN, Neb. - Most Nebraska livestock waste lagoons are not polluting groundwater, a two-year University of Nebraska study indicated. Researchers monitored 26 swine, dairy and beef cattle waste lagoons at 13 sites in central and eastern Nebraska. They tested nearby groundwater and lagoon water to assess the lagoons' potential threat to groundwater quality. "The majority of the waste lagoons in the study have not adversely impacted groundwater," said Roy Spalding, director of the university's Water Sciences Laboratory who headed this research. "This is particularly significant because of agriculture's importance to our state and to the public, considering roughly 85 percent of Nebraskans drink groundwater," he added."

"Swedish study finds cancer agent in staple foods" - "STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Scientists in Sweden have found high levels of a substance believed to cause cancer in staple foods eaten by millions of people around the world, such as bread, rice and potatoes, Swedish media reported Tuesday. Research carried out by scientists at Stockholm University's department of environmental chemistry showed starch, a carbohydrate found in cereals and potatoes, transforms into acrylamide when heated up, the daily newspaper Expressen reported on its Internet Web site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies acrylamide, a colorless, crystalline solid, as a medium hazard probable human carcinogen. Detailed findings of the Stockholm University pilot study would be made public at a news conference Wednesday called by Sweden's National Food Administration." (Reuters)

"UB study finds early nutritional modification programs metabolism, predisposes to obesity" - "Consuming a milk formula high in carbohydrates during the critical early weeks of postnatal life causes permanent changes in pancreatic islets and leads to overproduction of insulin and development of obesity in adulthood, University at Buffalo biochemists, working with rats, have found." (University at Buffalo)

"Jelly role model" - "Obesity is moving up the ranks of the world's public-health priorities. The World Health Organization says it is replacing undernutrition and disease as a major contributor to ill health. In Britain, the Public Accounts Committee has tabled a report estimating that it costs 30,000 lives a year and roughly $5-billion." (Globe and Mail)

"Atlantic Hurricanes: Their Response to Global Warming" - "Summary: We respond to some challenging critical comments made by Mike MacCracken about this topic." (co2science.org)

"Gulf of Mexico Landfalling Hurricanes" - "Summary: Are they becoming more frequent? Are they getting stronger? Are we all doomed? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 79: 1327-1328." (co2science.org)

"A Drought History of Northern California and Nevada, USA" - "Summary: Information gleaned from sediment cores taken from Pyramid Lake, Nevada, suggests that a drought greater than any of the historical past could well envelop much of the country, independent of any of the activities of man. No wonder climate alarmists predict such catastrophes: they don't have to be right to have their predictions come to pass! Quaternary Science Reviews 21: 659-682." (co2science.org)

"Pollen Production by Ragweed in a Doubled-CO2 Atmosphere" - "Summary: Is it really enhanced? Yes. Is it really bad? No. Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 88: 279-282." (co2science.org)

"Carbon Dioxide Benefit Offset by Increased Air Pollution" - "DURHAM, NH, April 23, 2002 - Professor Scott Ollinger of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire and his colleagues have thrown a new wrench into the debate over whether forests can take in enough carbon dioxide to offset global warming. He finds, while the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide seems to increase plant growth and the ability of forests to act as carbon sinks, the simultaneous impacts of land use and ozone pollution decreases plant growth, often resulting in no net gain of carbon uptake." (EarthVision Environmental News)

"Greenpeace plans protests against ExxonMobil" - "AMSTERDAM - Greenpeace said on Monday it would target ExxonMobil in a new campaign to protest against what it said was the U.S. oil company's drive to have the controversial head of a U.N. climate advisory body removed." (Reuters)

"Climate body chief sees declining use of oil, coal" - "NEW DELHI - Global energy consumption will shift rapidly towards renewable sources as concerns of global warming rise and high oil prices fuel a shift to new sources, the new chief of the U.N. climate advisory body said." (Reuters)

Groan... "INTERVIEW - Small islands could drown, warns climate body chief" - "NEW DELHI - Imagine a world without the Maldives, or the Caribbean islands. According to the new chief of the U.N.'s climate advisory body small islands are in severe danger of drowning as climate change is expected to raise sea levels." (Reuters)

"Senate's Reid backs compromise on greenhouse gases" - "WASHINGTON - The Senate's second-ranking Democrat endorsed a compromise plan for U.S. companies to voluntarily report their greenhouse gas emissions for five years, shifting to mandatory reporting if companies fail to cooperate. The Republican-authored compromise would weaken a Democratic plan to require companies that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon annually to register their output with the government." (Reuters)

"US farmland, forests can absorb greenhouse gases" - "WASHINGTON - An estimated 3.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, could be removed from the atmosphere by using farmland and forests to absorb it, a U.S. Energy Department researcher said yesterday." (Reuters)

"Globe and Mail | Provinces have Kyoto role, PM says; Protocol can be ratified at federal level, but premiers must co-operate on targets" - "OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said yesterday that Ottawa will need the co-operation of the provinces -- several of which have major reservations -- to implement some greenhouse-gas-reduction measures under the Kyoto Protocol. "We have to take the time, because for the implementation of Kyoto, we need the collaboration of the provinces. We don't have all the jurisdiction to do it," Mr. Chrétien told reporters yesterday after a cabinet meeting."

"Shipping CO2 could help Norway hit Kyoto targets" - "LONDON - Norwegian state oil company Statoil's shipping division believes it has engineered a revolutionary tanker design that could help the Scandinavian country meet U.N. carbon dioxide emission targets." (Reuters)

"US, EU at odds on global warming despite meeting" - "WASHINGTON - U.S. and European Union officials yesterday resolved none of their fundamental differences over how to respond to global warming, a U.S. State Department official said following a three-hour meeting." (Reuters)

"Business wants tax breaks to help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions" - "WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Business groups in New Zealand called for tax breaks Tuesday to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions to meet targets set by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Early next week the government will outline its policy for meeting New Zealand's Kyoto greenhouse gas reduction targets and many observers expect it to impose a new tax on carbon emissions to make sure polluters cut their production of gases which are blamed for heating the atmosphere." (AP)

"Kyoto could save Canada billions, study finds" - "OTTAWA - Two environmental groups say Canada will save money and create jobs by implementing an international agreement on global warming." (CBC)

"Renewable Realities" - "In the realm of energy, as in card games, luck does not exist." (Sallie Baliunas, TCS)

"Britain must invest in nuclear power - govt adviser" - "LONDON - Britain must invest in its nuclear power industry or it will fail to meet its goal of cutting emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for causing climate change, a government adviser said yesterday." (Reuters)

"House Panel Votes to Put Repository at Yucca Mountain" - "A House subcommittee voted overwhelmingly to override Nevada's objections to building a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain." (AP)

"US Senate to consider $14 bln in energy tax breaks" - "WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led U.S. Senate, struggling to complete work on a broad energy bill this week, agreed yesterday to consider a $14 billion package of tax breaks to boost renewable fuels, cut the energy used by appliances and find ways to make coal cleaner to use." (Reuters)

"Senate Backs More Ethanol; Nears Passage of Energy Bill" - "The Senate agreed to a package of tax incentives for energy production and conservation and voted to expand the amount of ethanol in the nation's gasoline." (New York Times)

"Europe Considers Financial Future for Renewable Energy" - "SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain, April 23, 2002 - More than 40 parliamentarians from throughout the European Union and accession countries met in this Spanish city over the weekend to discuss financial support mechanisms for renewable energy sources." (EarthVision Environmental News)

"The Macon Telegraph | 04 24 2002 | State holds first hearing on power plant pollution" - "SAVANNAH - Fifteen-year-old Katie Hall walked away disappointed from Tuesday's state environmental meeting on power plant pollution. For six months, she has suffered from asthma, and she wants to know if Savannah Electric's Plant Kraft is the cause. The coal-fired power plant, along with Plant Scherer outside Macon and Plant Bowen near Cartersville, is part of a federal lawsuit suggesting electricity production here was increased illegally, creating more pollution. The state will hold meetings next month in Cartersville and Macon, as it did in Savannah Tuesday, to hear residents' concerns. "Something in the air is causing me not to breathe," Hall said. "And I thought tonight I'd get those answers, but all I heard were different sides arguing which is right."

"Study gives edge to clean-diesel buses" - "A new study says the $94.5 million that Metro has spent on "environmentally friendly" natural-gas buses would have been better spent on diesel buses that operate just as cleanly — and cost about half as much." (Washington Times)

"Gas Mileage and Caribou" - "The environmental lobby in Washington fought like wolves to save the caribou in Alaska's Arctic wilderness from oil drilling. It even strongly backed a presidential aspirant, Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts, in his threatened filibuster against the pro-drilling bill. The tactic worked. Last week, the full Senate didn't even get to vote directly on the measure.

The heart-string issue of saving wilderness was used by many environmental groups to raise money and gain members through mass mailings. Perhaps this opportunity to exploit such an obviously emotional cause helps explain why the same lobby has been far less successful, and less diligent, in pushing a seemingly mundane issue with far more impact on the environment than saving a remote wildlife refuge: raising the nation's average gas mileage." (The Christian Science Monitor)

"Business groups lobby to save SUVs in California" - "LOS ANGELES - A coalition of business groups unveiled yesterday an ad campaign aimed at stopping a proposed California law they say would drive popular sport utility vehicles off the road by limiting emissions of greenhouse gases from cars and trucks." (Reuters)

"Vegas freeway a test case in cancer risk debate" - "LAS VEGAS - The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit against plans to widen a Las Vegas freeway, arguing the Federal Highway Administration hasn't adequately studied possible cancer risks for people living nearby. The lawsuit, called a test case by the environmental organization, was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. It is based on health studies that the environmental organization said show a connection between vehicle emissions and cancer in residents living near heavily traveled highways." (AP)

"Newsday.com - LIPA Tilts Toward Offshore Windmills" - "Armed with a new study that says Long Island has vast potential for generating electricity with ocean winds, the Long Island Power Authority yesterday said it will seek to build a 100-megawatt windmill farm in the waters off Jones Beach. Flanked by environmentalists who often oppose LIPA policies, LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel said he and critics would work together to get 33 three-megawatt windmills built."

"Wind farm generates a storm of protest on Skye" - "PLANS to build a wind farm on the Isle of Skye will ruin one of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain, home owners say. They have run into opposition from crofters who stand to benefit financially and who say that it will bring much-needed investment to the Hebridean island. This being the Highlands, the affair has grown into rather more than just a routine planning skirmish." | Protesters ready to fight other schemes (The Times)

"The PMA OnLine Power Report - Sri Lanka: Laws to Plug Power Crisis Worry Activists" - "COLOMBO, Apr 23 (IPS) - Environmentalists and scientists in Sri Lanka are up in arms against new laws that allow the set-up of emergency power plants, saying they would stifle legitimate protests and override environmental concerns although they are aimed at addressing serious power cuts in the country."

"Sowing the seeds of a better future; Ignore the doubters. GM crops can help to feed the world" - "While we in the west continue in our narcissistic obsession with our own genome and the futuristic possibilities of human cloning, scientists in the developing world are more interested in the crops that put food in hungry mouths. This month a group of them laid bare the complete genome sequence of rice in what may prove to be a turning point for science in the developing world." (Johnjoe McFadden, The Guardian)

"Kirk report refuses to rule out GM crops" - "A KIRK committee report on sustainable agriculture recommends more encouragement for organic methods, but does not rule out genetically modified crops or intensive farming." (The Scotsman)

April 23, 2002

"Anti-technology rhetoric won't help feed world" - "IT'S Earth Day and once again we are discussing ways of saving the environment. In the new millennium, feeding the hungry has been added to the agenda as if the anti-technology rhetoric of past Earth Days, when the poor were forgotten, can somehow accommodate this newly discovered concern. Since the first Earth Day, the planet has added close to 2 billion people bringing the population to 6 billion, who are living longer, better fed and in better health than ever before. A look at some of the changes of the past two centuries might give us guidance as to how we might move forward to further the goals of environmental action and feeding everyone in the next half century when the world is expected to add another 3 billion people before leveling off or even declining." (Thomas R DeGregori, Houston Chronicle)

"In Public Health, Definitive Data Can Be Elusive" - "A debate over using hormone replacement therapy is focusing new attention to a quandary in science: When different types of studies reach very different conclusions, what can be called truth?" (New York Times)

"Study observes no association between cell phone use and auditory tumors" - "The risk of acoustic neuroma, or auditory tumor, was unrelated to the frequency and duration of cellular telephone use, according to a study published in the April 23 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology." (American Physiological Society)

"Nutritionists wake up to mealy methods; Fortification and false memory could foil food and drug trials" - "When nutritionist Andrea Pontello went shopping for apple juice she got a "wake-up call". Apple juice is normally low in vitamin C, but she found that 9 out of 11 brands had been boosted with additional vitamins. Supplementation could scupper clinical trials for antioxidants, she realized, if participants' intake of vitamins C and E from fortified foods is not taken into account." (NSU)

"A New Organic Stew" - "A classic canard from supporters of organic food is that it is more healthy for you than regular, pesticide-grown food. Decent scientific evidence to support this position has never materialized and some supporters have had to admit that the health claims of organic food seem hollow." (Howard Fienberg, TCS)

"Diesel fumes hit asthmatics with one-two punch" - "NEW ORLEANS, Apr 22 - As many asthmatics know, a blast of diesel exhaust can trigger bouts of wheezing, coughing and other asthma symptoms. Now researchers say they have figured out why these fumes are so tough on those afflicted with the illness.

According to researcher Dr. Fred D. Finkelman of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, the fine particles in diesel exhaust hit the human immune system with a double whammy, upping the production of an immune protein that triggers asthma attacks while suppressing a second protein that might otherwise bring symptoms to a halt." (Reuters Health)

"No Kidding On Recycling" - "What will we tell the kids? The kids that have been so assiduously putting newspapers, glass and metal in separate containers so that, according to their teacher the world will be a better place this Earth Day? Dare we tell them that recycling, while noble in intent, often doesn't work?" (Herbert Inhaber, TCS)

"To save money don't recycle; New York mayor wants temporary halt to recycling" - "NEW YORK -- The recycling movement has been steadily expanding for three decades -- so much that it has become almost standard practice for people to separate their paper, plastic and glass.

But in the country's biggest city -- and the one that produces the most garbage -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to temporarily do away with most recycling in an effort to close a nearly $5 billion US budget gap.

It's a notable retreat from the recycling movement and one that has been trashed by critics. Despite the opposition and the plan's major political hurdles, Bloomberg stuck with the proposal when he released a new version of his budget last week." (AP)