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Worldwatch Institute released its annual report, State of the World 2001. It notes that signs of accelerated ecological decline and loss of political momentum on environmental issues are emerging simultaneously. Scientific evidence indicates that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds. The Arctic ice cap is thinner by 42 percent and 27 percent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost, suggesting that some of the planet’s key ecological systems are in decline. Natural disasters associated with environmental degradation cost $608 billion over the last decade – as much as in the previous four decades combined. The encouraging signs of progress include the worldwide treaty signed in December to severely restrict 12 persistent organic pollutants. Organic farming now has a worldwide annual market of $22 billion. But fossil fuel use must slow dramatically to avoid acute water shortages, declining food production, and the proliferation of deadly diseases such as malaria. State of the World 2001 calls for stronger enforcement of international treaties, and for increased North-South cooperation. A collective commitment by the E9 (China, India, U.S., Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Japan, South Africa, EU) to renewable energy systems, for example, could have a dramatic impact on energy markets and reduce the […]
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EU to Promote OrganicThe demand for organic foods is growing by 40 percent a year in the UK and much of Europe, according to the UK’s Soil Association, but it took the specter of the spread of Mad Cow Disease and a looming mountain of unwanted beef for the EU to actively promote it. In a dramatic shift from intensive farming methods designed to yield maximum beef production, the European Commission announced a plan to boost organic farming and reduce beef stock density. The plan includes incentives for farmers to plant organic fodder crops and subsidies for farms with fewer animals. Germany plans to boost organic farming to 10 percent of Germany’s farmland within five years by re-directing government subsidies to the tune of US$5 billion to organic farming. U.S. Releases Organic StandardIn the U.S., the final national organic standards were released on December 20. Then Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman called the 500-plus page document “the strongest and most comprehensive organic standard in the world.” There will now be an 18 month transition period for the industry to comply with the standard. Noted Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, “It’s a government program and we’ve voluntarily […]
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CARB FalloutJust a month after California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (CARB) voted unanimously to keep the 10 year old ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) mandate in place, General Motors filed a law suit to overturn the rules. GM claims CARB is ignoring auto makers’ costs and wants to test public acceptance of electric vehicles for five years instead of implementing the 2003 rules. The mandate encourages production of neighborhood EVs (small vehicles like Ford’s Th!nk) which can’t be driven over 35 miles per hour. GM claims this ”raises significant safety issues.” The company also expressed concerns that New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont may adopt the same standards. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the industry’s lobbying organization, in a surprising move, indicated it will work with CARB to implement the rules rather than join in the lawsuit. The CARB mandate requires that 10% of new vehicles sold in California be clean vehicles starting in 2003. The decision triggers similar legislation in states that have adopted California’s clean air laws – Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. The final rule gives auto manufacturers flexibility in how they meet the 10% requirement. Only two percent must be ZEVs, two percent must be hybrids, […]
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Dioxin is the latest addition to the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s list of substances “known to be human carcinogens” as of mid-February. The chemical is also linked to immune system suppression, infertility and learning disabilities. Although it is no longer manufactured, it is a byproduct of many industrial processes, is produced during waste incineration and is present in some herbicides and pesticides. Dioxin levels in the bloodstreams of Americans have declined in recent years as a result of environmental controls, but it is still widespread in the environment and can be found in very small amounts in the general population. A strategy for dealing with the world’s most hazardous substances was adopted by the European Commission in February. Information on about 30,000 substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, reproductive toxins, and persistent organic pollutants will be entered into a central database called the REACH system. The chemical industry, not government, will be responsible for testing and risk assessment – a reversal of the present situation. A company that produces a specific chemical will have to supply data on that chemical; government authorities will evaluate the data and decide on testing programs necessary to support its use. Formulators and downstream users will […]
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Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson announced a C$120.2 million (US$79 million) clean air package on February 20. “Our goal is simple,” he says. “To meet or exceed the standards that the U.S. Government is bringing in – standards that are recognized as amongst the toughest in the world. The package is part of a C$1.1 billion (US$715 million) fund the government set up last year to pay for air quality and climate change measures. The money will be used to reduce industrial emissions (C$20 million, US$13 million), upgrade air quality monitoring stations (C$30 million, US$19.5 million), and expand the National Pollutant Release Inventory – a database of pollutants and polluters – from the present 2,100 companies to 7000 companies in 2005 (C$23 million, US$15 million). But the emphasis is on reducing the impact of transportation (C$50 million, US$32.5 million). Canada will expand emissions testing programs, cut the sulphur content of fuel starting in 2005, and cars and trucks will be required to meet tougher emissions standards. The standards will also apply to snow blowers, portable generators, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed trimmers and chain saws. Transportation is the biggest source of air pollution in Canada. In 1998, nearly 18 million […]
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SONY Electronics is launching the first plan in the U.S. to take-back its electronics equipment from individuals for recycling. During a successful pilot program they collected almost 600 tons of used equipment in Minnesota.
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A group of socially concerned shareholders are pressing the Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. to live up to their 1990 announcement that they would use 25% post-consumer plastic in their bottles. Concerned amount the enormous environmental problems posed by millions of discarded plastic bottles, Walden Asset Management, As You Sow Foundation, Domini Social Investments, Trillium Asset Management, and lifelong Coke shareholder Lewis Regenstein are also asking the companies to support or institute programs to achieve a recycling rate of 80 percent for their beverage containers sold in the United States. The shareholders hold about $50 million worth of Coke shares. Working Assets has printed action alerts on 300,000 customer phone bills and numerous local governments have passed resolutions targeting Coke’s recycling waste. We decided to take this action because the plastic bottle waste problem is growing rapidly and overall beverage container recycling is dropping, said Conrad MacKerron, director of the Corporate Accountability Program at As You Sow. Investors have engaged Coca-Cola management in a substantive dialogue about these problems over the past year but the company has not agreed to commit publicly to recycling goals.Technology is not the problem. Coke uses 25 percent recycled plastic in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland […]
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The Sydney Futures Exchange and its subsidiary, the New Zealand Futures and Options Exchange are launching a global exchange market for carbon credits. Initially, these credits will be sourced from certain forest sequestration activities. Credits are available for forests planted after January 1 1990 that result in a land use change (for example, from grazing to forestry). As of January 2001, residential and small business customers will be able to choose their electricity supplier in Australia. Large companies already have this choice. 15 Australian energy companies have joined to form the agreed to Green Electricity Market (GEM) Project on the Internet to facilitate member green power trades. a major boost to Australias renewable energy sector as it prepares to meet requirements arising from the federal Renewable Energy Target, as well as to meet retail customer demand for green power. It will be online by early 2001 and is expected to give a real boost to the renewable energy market in Australia. GEM will allow members to meet the mandatory target of providing 9,500 GWh of renewable energy. They will be able to track their generation and build an efficient market for renewable energy certificates. The company developing the exchange is […]
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Dexia, a French-Belgian banking group, is launching a venture capital fund to invest in companies that mitigate global warming. The fund is raising 150 million euros to invest in projects in central and eastern Europe. Investors will earn carbon emission credits in addition to typical equity returns. Bank Sarasin, a leading bank in Switzerland, is setting up a $113 million fund to finance renewable energy businesses worldwide. It plans to list New Energies Invest on the Zurich stock exchange by 2003. They plan to fund 10-20 businesses with a special focus on Germany and the U.S. Merrill Lynch recently announced a $281 million fund to finance companies in this field, with a focus on publicly listed businesses. For Dexia, contact envirobank@aol.com
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Since 1988, Canada’s “Environment Choice” ecolabeling program has certified environmentally sound consumer and commercial products. TerraChoice Environmental Services Inc., based in Ottawa, runs the program and has published “The EcoBuyer Catalogue: The Official Guide to Environmental Choice Products and Services”. It lists certified products from 180 suppliers in categories such as: green power, automotive, construction , office, cleaning, marine, and printing. http://www.environmentalchoice.com
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