Latest Articles
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A Pain in the Asia
In its first-ever comprehensive report on the state of Asia’s environment, the Asian Development Bank found that environmental destruction is pervasive and growing in the region and that Asia’s governments must act quickly to stop it. S. Tahir Qadri, a senior environmental specialist at the bank, said, “The situation is as bad as it can […]
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Roger Payne, Ocean Alliance
Roger Payne is president of the Ocean Alliance. Ocean Alliance, which includes both the Whale Conservation Institute and the Voyage of the Odyssey, is dedicated to the conservation of whales and their ocean environment through research and education. Monday, 18 Jun 2001 GAROVE ISLAND, Papua New Guinea This is Roger Payne, writing to you from […]
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Good G-reef
Australian Environment Minister Robert Hill announced yesterday that Australia would phase out commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living reef formation. Tourists and private individuals are forbidden from taking coral from the reef, but licensed commercial scuba divers are allowed to chip away at the coral, using hammers and chisels […]
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Peking Our Interest
U.S. President Bush has often pointed fingers at China’s greenhouse gas emissions problems when explaining why he rejected the Kyoto treaty on climate change. Kyoto would require the U.S. to cap its carbon dioxide emissions, but places no such constraints on developing countries like China. However, China’s CO2 emissions have actually dropped in the last […]
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Long Divisions
The wide divide between the U.S. and the European Union on climate change was clear yesterday, even though U.S. President Bush claimed to reporters that there was a “spirit of cooperation” on the issue. After Bush and the 15 leaders of E.U. nations met behind closed doors, European Commission President Romano Prodi emerged to announce […]
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Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink. Who Let the Hogs Out?
The Quebec government said yesterday that it would limit hog production to protect the environment in the province, which is one of the world’s largest producers of pork. Hog production will be capped in 165 rural towns throughout Quebec — an area four times the size of France. The government said it would also clamp […]
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Hitting Hard-rock Bottom
In a small victory for environmentalists, the Bush administration is expected today to endorse tougher environmental rules for hard-rock mining on federal land. The rules, which were finalized at the end of the Clinton administration, set new groundwater and surface-water standards, and allow the feds to turn down a mining permit if the mining would […]
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Beyond the Call
Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone maker, said yesterday that it hoped to develop a phone with biodegradable parts within a few years. Nokia’s Salla Ahonen said that cell phone waste is increasing, with many people changing cell phones every two years and throwing out their old ones. The company has already tested biodegradable clip-on […]
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A Mindo Their Own
The Ecuadorian government earlier this month approved the construction of a billion-dollar oil pipeline project that will go straight through the Mindo ecological reserve, a cloudforest 16 miles northwest of Quito that provides important habitat for more than 400 orchid species and 300 bird species. President Gustavo Noboa celebrated the decision as a great step […]
