Wednesday, 27 Jul 2005

Switch Emitters

Led by U.S., five nations craft new climate-change pact

Australia, China, India, South Korea, and the U.S. have secretly negotiated a global-warming pact that could steal the spotlight from the Kyoto Protocol -- or so the U.S. hopes. According to advance word from a meeting of Asia-Pacific nations in Laos, this fledgling "Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate" emphasizes the development and sharing of as-yet-unspecified new technologies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, rather than Kyoto-style emissions caps. South Korea, China, and Australia are all major coal exporters with much to gain from continued global reliance on fossil fuels, while both the U.S. (the world's biggest greenhouse-gas polluter) and Australia have long objected to Kyoto as unfairly giving a pass to developing nations. Reactions are just starting to emerge: The chair of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the new deal "does not interfere with the Kyoto Protocol," and lauds plans for technology exchange. Japan has also voiced support. But the leader of Australia's Greens says the new pact would divert taxpayer money "from developing clean renewable technologies to try and make burning coal less dirty."


You love that your new car doesn't greedily gulp gas, and you might even secretly savor that new-car smell. But do you ever wonder what happened to your good old Buick LeSabre, the one you abandoned at Big Al's Auto Junkyard? Is Big Al treating it with the gentle dignity it deserves, carefully recycling each axle, carburetor, and, uh, other car part (hey, cars aren't our thing)? A reader about to part ways with his trusty steed asks Umbra what the future holds for cars put out to pasture.

Let Down Your Giardia

Filtering water may not be the answer to most backcountry illnesses

Went to the backwoods and ended up with a case of the runs? You probably blamed the water. But according to some medical and wilderness professionals, it is poor personal hygiene, not unsafe water, that usually bedevils the bowels of wilderness backpackers. Medical researcher and avid outdoorsnik Bob Derlet has tested water at 100 sites in California's Sierra Nevada mountains for giardia, cryptosporidium, and other microbes that can cause intestinal illness and diarrhea. Derlet's findings suggest that water in the High Sierra is actually quite safe to drink in many areas long thought to be contaminated with the micro-critters. While most would call this good news, Derlet's position is considered controversial because it contradicts long-established health directives about treating water before drinking it -- and also because water pumps, filtration systems, and chemical treatments reap big profits for the outdoor-products industry. But making smart choices about water sources -- and avid use of soap -- may be just as effective as fancy filters at keeping regular folks, uh, regular in the wild.

Brown vs. Sword of Education

Law students help eco-groups for free and get educated in the process

When a nonprofit environmental group with a shoestring budget seeks to confront big government or corporate foes in court, where can it turn? Increasingly, the answer is: law students. Some 30 law schools around the country now host environmental law clinics (nearly half founded in the past decade), where students get real-world experience working on behalf of clients that frequently can't afford to hire professional lawyers and expert witnesses. Such experience can sometimes include riling up powerful adversaries: When lawyers-to-be at the University of Pittsburgh represented a citizens' group opposing a $2 billion highway construction plan, irked state lawmakers retaliated by cutting the clinic's state funds. Faculty rallied about the clinic in the name of academic freedom and it survived -- with private funding. One student summarized the clinic experience this way: "It's not about getting a grade; it's about winning a case."

Hail the Cabs!

Hybrid taxis to hit the streets of New York City this fall

Six different hybrid models will debut in New York City's taxi fleet this fall, thanks to a recent vote by the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Some commissioners had previously expressed reservations about the leg room (or lack thereof) in hybrids, but after test drives, one termed Toyota's Prius and Highlander "surprisingly roomy." The commission didn't have much of a choice -- Mayor Mike Bloomberg forced its hand by signing a bill last week that gave it 90 days to approve hybrids -- but commission chair Matthew Daus seems converted to curbing gasoline use, saying, "Pardon the pun, but I think bigger cars need to take a back seat." Allowing six different models into the fleet will enable the commission to learn which hybrids stand up best to the beating they're likely to take on the streets of the Big Apple.