Europe sets benchmark for tackling climate change

Europe became the world leader in tackling climate change on Friday when 27 governments agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, and commit the EU to generating a fifth of its energy from renewable sources within 13 years.

Greenpeace praised it as the biggest decision taken to fight global warming since the Kyoto protocol 10 years ago. European leaders said it was an historic pact and Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was praised for steering it through despite opposition from France and Eastern Europe.

Merkel is due to host a summit in June of leading industrial countries at which she will seek to persuade the United States, China, India and others to follow Europe's example.

The two-day EU summit, which ended in Brussels on Friday, boosted the outgoing French president, Jacques Chirac, and Tony Blair by recognizing nuclear power as one way of reducing emissions.

It also introduced the possibility that millions of homes will have to change from filament light bulbs to more energy-efficient light bulbs by moving to ban traditional bulbs by 2009.

The European commission is starting work immediately on a summit demand to produce proposals to trigger a wholesale switch to modern low-energy fluorescent light bulbs.

Blair said the measures chimed with proposals outlined in a climate change Bill to be tabled in Parliament next week and in the energy white paper being drafted. "These are a set of groundbreaking, bold, ambitious targets," he said.

Comment:

I should be happy? Maybe but most likely this is a temporary. I’m a negative thinker but that’s that. They are just writing a paper about this and that but no rules at all.

Something for Nothing

Yesterday, I was doing some fetching errands to buy some fresh fish on the market. Although I was busy I accepted the task since my brothers already did their fair shares of work. As I walk along the alley, I saw the open field of grass being burned down and you can see and smell the smoke that the fire creates. Add the stench of burned garbage since some of the people there are throwing their garbage for a “free” disposal. I quickly move away since it is really that foul.

I arrived at the market and to be greeted by a pile of garbage near the meat section, Talk about unsanitary… this people have been penalized for such actions already yet here they are again. I guess they are now buying the patrols for a good price. But it’s not my business so I move to the fish section inside the market and thank god that it is clean “in a market sense”. After buying the overpriced fish, which I still bought that made my mom scold me for buying it, I wanted to take another route to avoid the grass field but I got curious as to what is now happening there. A few minutes of walking, I reached the grass field which is now totally burned down. The wind was strong and it carried both debris and smell towards north away from me. You can see some half burned garbage and some melted plastic, also and unfortunately some cooked birds. I asked one of the folks why the grass field was burned down and they said a building will be constructed there.

*Sigh, another progress another scar on Nature…

ge117

Something I found in the net

Officials arrested for Amazon logging

By PETER MUELLO, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 2, 6:49 PM ET FROM YAHOO NEWS

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazilian police arrested 18 people accused of allowing illegal logging in the Amazon rain forest and were searching for 19 others, including environmental protection agents, the environment minister said.

Marina Silva told Agencia Brasil, the official government news agency, that Friday's operation by federal police and environmental officials was aimed at ending violations of government rules limiting deforestation of the vast rain forest in the eastern Amazon state of Para.

The suspects include loggers, members of the environmental protection agency, Ibama, and government workers of the Para state Finance Department and the Department of Science, Technology and the Environment, Agencia Brasil reported.

The accused will be charged with crimes including corruption, forging documents, money laundering and environmental destruction, Agencia Brasil said. The Ibama workers were suspended.

The amount of lumber illegally logged has not yet been calculated, said Antonio Carlos Hummel, Ibama's director of forests. The gang operated in the state capital of Belem and six other cities, he said.

Para is a notoriously corrupt state. On Feb. 12, 2005, 73-year-old nun Dorothy Stang of Dayton, Ohio, was gunned down in Para, where she spent years trying to protect poor Amazon residents from ruthless loggers and developers.

Three men, including two gunmen — have been convicted in her killing. But neither rancher believed to have ordered the shooting has gone to trial — and one was released from jail by a Supreme Court order.

My Comments on this Topic:

Sigh* People are this desperate to get cash, thou I believe right now there are still people who are already logging in the Amazon forest. The most annoying thing about this is they even used their position as members of the Environmental Protection Agency for bypassing the guards for sure.

I know its hard to guard a huge rainforest like the Amazon so it’s a good thing we can catch some if not all.

ge117

Introduction

Let me start my post with a little rant about our society. If you notice our technology are evolving and making our “lives better”. But, I only see that a short term, because for every progress man acquires it weakens the environment of the Earth. Surely, you’ve notice the series of violent weather and some weird weather patterns. I looked up for some latest discoveries and the only good environment friendly technology that I found is the solar batteries and water based fuels.

I hope for every ten new technology at least five is for the environment.

ge117