Archive for the ‘Environmental Damage’ category

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The Plight of the Sumatran Wildlife

January 30th, 2012

What do the Sumatran Elephant, Orangutan, Tiger and Javan and Sumatran Rhino have in common? All of them are critically endangered and on the brink of extinction. These are all incredibly beautiful and extremely rare animals that need to be conserved, but many governments choose to see the financial returns that forest clearing will bring, and not the environmental impact that goes with it.

The mass clearing of ancient forests in Indonesia and Sumatra has led to the widespread loss of habitat for many of the indigenous species. This is, however, not only limited to Indonesia. The loss of habitat has caused the extinction of the Javan Rhino in Vietnam.

The Sumatran Elephant has recently been re-classified as ‘Critically Endangered’. This is also due to habitat loss in Indonesia.

Recent estimates are that all these species could be completely extinct in 30 years time.

Many organizations, including the WWF, are calling on the government of Indonesia to stop deforestation to help prevent further habitat loss.

Big corporations, like APP (Asia Pulp and Paper), are among the main culprits when it comes to deforestation. They regularly clear large parts of protected forest and further put the endangered animals at risk of extinction. In a spectacularly dim-witted move, APP cleared a large part of a forest they claimed to have set aside to conserve the habitat of the Sumatran Tiger. This has led to many big name companies, like Mattel and Hasbro, no longer dealing with APP.

The Sumatran Tiger is one of the most beautiful animals in the world, but is in critical danger. It is estimated that there are only 300 of these tigers left in the wild.

This was all due to the efforts by Greenpeace to stop APP from clearing more endangered forests. Credit must go to them for helping prevent further damage and highlighting the fact that even though a company may brand themselves as ‘Green’, it does not mean they are environmentally conscious.

Everyone can do their part. All you need to do is find out where your products that you buy come from and not support any organization that rampantly destroys forests.

(This is a post by our intern Kristian Meijer)

(Image by Daniel Beilinson, CC by-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

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Posted in Conservation, Endangered Species, Environmental Damage

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Why we need to change

January 27th, 2012

Greenpeace recently commissioned a survey to determine the true cost of coal to South Africa. The survey, done by the University of Pretoria’s Business Enterprises unit, delivered truly shocking results.

More than 90% of the electricity in South Africa is generated by coal powered stations, and Eskom isn’t planning on changing that any time soon. Eskom is currently building two more coal powered stations, Kusile and Medupi, which, on completion will be among the largest in the world. The budget to build these new stations is R385 billion and each will have a life span of 50 years! Even worse is the fact that Kusile will produce up to 37 million tons of carbon dioxide every year.

This has led to South Africa becoming one of the biggest polluters in the world. South Africa is the fifth highest producer of coal, and the sixth highest user in the world.

The other side of the spectrum is even worse. Only 2 GWh (Gigawatt) of South Africa’s 237 000 Gwh is produced from wind power. The fact that they are currently building these two massive stations has also meant that there is no funding  available for the development of renewable energy sources .Eskom is lax in it’s efforts to build more solar and wind powered stations, and that needs to change!

The South African government wants to create 111 000 new jobs in the current energy industry, but this study has found that 149 000 new jobs can be created, if government invested in the renewable energy sector.

Greenpeace also recently published a different report entitled ‘The Advanced Energy [R]evolution: A sustainable energy outlook for South Africa’, in which it outlines key aspects of the renewable energy sector. They state that if government gradually phased out coal power, and invested in sun and wind power, half of South Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2030, thus eliminating the need to build the Kusile power station.

Eskom argues that these stations are necessary in order to provide electricity to the nearly 10 million people living without it, but this is not true. It would take much less time and money to build renewable electricity stations close to areas that need it most, and so doing, be able to provide 10 million people with safe, renewable energy.

The easiest way to petition against the building of these coal stations is at http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/use-me-more/ . Here you can sign up to the Greenpeace petition to get government to better utilize sun and wind power.

It is up to you to make the change. So sign up, and help protect our beautiful planet.

(This is a post by our intern Kristian Meijer)

(Image by Senor Codo, CC by-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

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Posted in Alternative Energy & Fuel, Carbon Emissions, Climate Control, Environment, Environmental Damage

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Destroying Canada one barrel of oil at a time

January 26th, 2012

In recent years, Canada has gone from being an environmentally focused, human rights concerned country, to an oil focused, petro-state, hell bent on destroying the environment.

This is all thanks to Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. The son of an oil executive, Harper’s political career was supported by the big oil companies, and, as a result of this, became the leader of the conservative party. In 2006, he became the Prime Minister, and this is when things started going south.

Harper has been notorious for ignoring environmental issues and funding big oil companies.

The most recent showing of Canada’s lax stance towards curbing climate change was at last year’s COP17 climate talks in Durban. Their Environment Minister, Peter Kent announced that Canada would be abandoning the legally binding Kyoto Protocol.

Minister Harper has also announced big tax cuts and subsidies for big oil companies, leading to further exasperation of climate change and environmental destruction. In the last decade, the Canadian government has given more than $14 billion worth of subsidies to big oil companies.

Canada’s biggest contribution to climate change comes in the form of tar sands oil deposits. It is a 142, 000 square kilometre area, rich in oil deposits. See why the oil companies promoted Harper? Currently only 602 square kilometres have been unearthed. The tar sands are highly destructive, with as much as four tonnes of soil and forest being removed for every barrel of oil being produced. A picture of the tar sands can be seen on the National Geographic website.

This debacle has sparked outrage from the citizens of Canada, many of whom have expressed that they are against many of these regulations.

It is up to the citizens of a country, especially here in South Africa, to ensure that destructive policies are not passed. If every person stands up to do their part and, if needed, protest against laws favouring polluters like the big oil companies, we can carve out our own future. A better, brighter and cleaner future is only possible with YOUR help.

(This is a post by Kristian Meijer)

(Image by sundstrom, via stock.xchng)

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Posted in Climate Control, Environment, Environmental Damage

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What is needed to save our forests?

February 8th, 2011

Deforestation has been a hot international conservation topic for decades. We’ve all seen the images of swathes of barren land eating into lush green trees, sad stunted trunks and the smoking stacks of wood pulping industries. We’ve heard the stories of endangered species threatened with extinction as their natural habitats shrink. Yet, it’s difficult to associate such total devastation with our daily lives. It’s particularly difficult when you consider our dependence on wood.

We use it to build houses, furniture, make paper and burn it for fuel. It’s a precious natural resource but it’s also a valuable commodity.

The UN has declared 2011 to be the International Year of Forests with the intention of raising awareness of the danger of deforestation, as well as the conservation and sustainable development of the forests that we have left.

According to a BBC article, we’ve already made some in-roads into forest conservation as the rate of deforestation has slowed, particularly in Asia, where significant reforestation efforts have been made. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has released a report called State of the World’s Forests, in which they state that gains have been made in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Europe and North America but that deforestation still occurs at an alarming rate in Africa and South America. It’s in these areas where the world’s oldest forests live, and where increased focus should be given to preserving the age-old ecologies and biodiversity spheres within them.

It’s for this reason that the FAO is doing its utmost to convince governments and industry players to find ways to make their forests work for them without resorting to chainsaws. They would also like to see locals make better use of the land available, as is happening in East Asia where communities are adopting specially drafted land use plans.

It’s not enough to plant trees where old ones have been felled; man-made forests are not the answer. The old, natural forests need to be encouraged to reclaim their land and this can only happen when man willingly concedes it and ceases to infringe on natural boundaries. This is difficult in areas where agriculture is of prime importance and in rural communities where people depend on wood for fuel. However, forests play a far greater role in the continued survival of these communities than they may be aware of, which is why education programmes are needed to teach them how to proactively conserve the forests while still meeting their needs.

Seeing forests for their holistic value rather than just as sources of oxygen and carbon consumers is vital to ensure their preservation. This is one of the primary criticisms levelled at the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestations and forest Degradation (REDD) plan. According to Conservation International and a number of other forest conservation organisations, to save the forests people have to take into account their immediate benefits to wildlife and the local people.

Something which Asia seems to have got right, and which Africa and South America should try to emulate.

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Posted in Climate Control, Conservation, Environmental Damage, Informative, Responsible Industry, Sustainable

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BP pours salt on the environment’s wounds

January 20th, 2011

If reputation could be denoted by colour, BP’s would be black; like its oil that coated the Gulf of Mexico. It’s one of the most reviled companies in the world and even though it’s managed to survive the last few months without major scandal, the public has not forgotten the devastation caused by arrogance and negligence. But that is of little concern to the British oil company, which has just finalised a deal with a state-owned Russian firm called Rosneft to explore the untapped fuel reserves contained within the Arctic.

BP says it has learnt its lesson very well and that environmental safety will be of paramount importance during the exploration; it cites the fact that included in the deal is the establishment of an Arctic technology centre which will focus on safety, the environment and emergency procedures. But environmentalists aren’t convinced.

Commenting on the deal, Greenpeace spokesperson Ben Stewart said, “The Arctic is the most fragile environment in the world in which to drill for oil and there can be no confirmation yet that BP has learned the lessons for the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Any company that drills for oil in the Arctic forfeits any claim to environmental responsibility. An oil spill in the cold waters of the Arctic would be catastrophic and extremely difficult to deal with.

“BP is the last company that should be operating there.”

The World Wide Find for Nature (WWF) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) have also voiced their disgust with FoE branding BP “environmental villain number one”. The Arctic has great biodiversity, which makes the exploration for oil and gas bad enough, but combine it with nightmarish weather conditions and you’ve got an accident waiting to happen: an accident that would be far more catastrophic than the Gulf of Mexico.

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Mike Childs, FoE’s head of climate change, said, “The Arctic should be a no-go for fossil fuel extraction as it’s one of the few pristine environments we have left. It’s very fragile and we should be looking at ways to protect it, not seemingly trying to find ways of wrecking it.”

In the same article Dax Lovegrove, head of business and industry relations at WWF-UK, said, “Oil spill response plans in the Arctic are even less adequate than we saw in the Gulf of Mexico. There is less infrastructure-like equipment to ring-fence oil spills and ships to skim off oil on the surface of the water.”

The move has been welcomed by some who hail BP for putting the Deep Horizon disaster behind them and focusing on new areas and bringing new technology to the industry. But it seems to environmentalists that the company is intent on doing as much harm as possible. Consider its decision to continue with a project in Alberta, Canada, during which it will extract oil from tar sands in a process notorious for its high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, Russia claims that BP’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the lessons it has learnt, are the primary reasons it choose the company for its partnership.

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Posted in Climate Control, Environmental Damage, Responsible Industry

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It’s Noah’s Ark but not as we know it

January 17th, 2011

In the movie 2012 (roundly criticised

By Rene Ehrhardt, via Wikimedia Commons

by scientists for being wildly unrealistic), the world as we know it ends in a great flood and people only survive by virtue of giant

arks – in the same vein as Noah’s famous vessel but infinitely

more advanced. Old Noah has done more than inspire

Hollywood; he has also provided the basic idea from which other great minds have leapt, such as Russian architect Alexander Remizov, who has designed an eco-friendly dome capable of withstanding biblical floods.

Remizov’s dome, unimaginatively called “The Ark” is designed to be constructed in a very short period of time (under six months), uses eco-friendly materials and is entirely self-sustaining. It can be built for life on land or on water and is capable of withstanding earthquakes and tornados.

Remizov designed the dome with one of his colleagues, Lev Britvin, in connection with the International Union of Architects’ Disaster Relief programme. In line with the principles of the union’s “Architecture and Renewable Energy Sources” programme, the Ark doesn’t require external support systems, can be constructed quickly in adverse climate conditions and its construction has minimal impact on the environment.

The Ark is built from wood, steel, high-tech plastic, and solar panels and can be scaled to accommodate between 50 and 10 000 people. Instead of glass, Remizov uses a high-tech durable and self-cleaning foil, which is transparent so that indoor plants can grow. An indoor jungle will help establish a microclimate, while energy will be generated from the sun and wind.

In an email interview with the Star, Remizov said, “I like the idea of creating an independent-from-power-networks building that can be constructed in the most beautiful places, including the water surface, while respecting the environment. The building (would have an) organised community which has everything necessary for its prosperity and growth.”

Remizov is currently in discussions with investors and the Russian Council of Sustainable Buildings, to bring his vision to life.

Other ideas for futuristic, self-sustaining biospheres include:

Lilypad, a floating ecopolis is designed by Vincent Callebaut Architects as an “auto-sufficient amphibious city”. It is based on the capable design of the lily pads found in the Amazon River basin and incorporates all aspects of eco-living to achieve a “positive energetic balance with zero carbon emission”. It will be able to accommodate up to 50 000 people.

The Magic Mountains designed by the CEBO/Chongqing University architect team is a series of green buildings in the business district in Chongqing, China which are built to mimic the surrounding mountainous landscape. The unique design is not simply for aesthetics but will also optimise the passive heating and cooling system and reduce energy consumption. The Magic Mountains are effectively a self-contained city in which only walking and cycling will be permitted.

For more futuristic eco-buildings visit Design Swan.

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Posted in Carbon Emissions, Climate Control, Energy, Environmental Damage, Sustainable

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Will China lead the fight against climate change?

January 17th, 2011

When Beijing hosted the Olympics in 2008 much hue and cry was made of the appalling pollution and the fact that one very seldom saw blue sky. There were rumours that the government went to extreme measures to bring the level of contamination down, at least temporarily, such as limiting the number of cars on the city’s roads and shooting chemicals in the sky (which seems counter-productive). Whatever it did, worked and very few athletes complained of the conditions. But after the crowds left the smog and smoke were back and Beijing’s citizens dug out their surgical masks.

China is notorious for its carbon emissions, as well as its apparent reluctance to do anything about them. The perception is not helped much by public statements like those issued in February 2010 by Su Wei, the chief negotiator of China for climate change talks in Copenhagen and the director of the department for combating climate change under the National Development Reform Commission. According to Su Wei, China would not set an upper limit on greenhouse gas emissions as “China’s greenhouse gas emissions have to grow correspondingly as the country still has a long way to go in improving people’s livelihoods and eradicating poverty”.

Su Wei added, however, that the country would do everything it could to fight the negative effects caused by global warming and cut carbon intensity. Not many people took comfort in that.

That was then

By November 2010, China seemed to have changed its tune when, one week before the UN Cancun Conference, it vowed to “effectively control” emissions over the next five years. It also reiterated its dedication to reduce its carbon intensity by 40 – 45% by 2020.

According to Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China has cut carbon emissions by about 1.5 billion tones. This is a result of energy-saving and emission-reduction measures in its 11th Five-Year Plan (2005-2010). “The size of the emission reduction is greater than any other country in the world. This is China’s contribution (to preventing global climate change),” said Xie. Considering that China is the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, this is less impressive than it sounds.

Looking ahead

What is heartening is the fact that China is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions, carbon intensity and the effects of climate change. It’s been suggested that China might even provide a leading example for the rest of the world. It starts with engaging local municipalities, education and incentives and is being driven by a government that really has no choice.

Pollution is expensive; it costs the country 8 – 12% of its GDP annually, it’s estimated that 460 000 people die from pollution-related causes every year and it has led to large-scale desertification, which will probably never be reversed.

Jonathan Watts, Asia Environment correspondent for the Guardian, says that China’s environmental problems are worse than assumed, but that it’s “doing more to try and solve them than people give them credit for”.

This can be seen in the country’s recognition of its dire water problem (50% of China’s water is considered too contaminated for human consumption), its programme to try and reclaim desert land (which is a very long-term plan – at least 300 years), its intention to address problematic farming methods and the tightening of environmental laws, which are currently vague, ambiguous and not adequately enforced.

China’s environmental problems are many, and attempts to combat them will be fraught with challenges, most notably the continued need for development, but with the government and NGOs finally agreeing to certain measures, and growing public awareness there could be blue skies on China’s horizon.

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BP & Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill – An Update

September 20th, 2010
934777_florida_gulf_coast

A Floridian beach, untouched by the oil so far

I haven’t posted about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in a while so thought I’d just quickly update myself and give you a short summary of what’s going on.

The oil well has now been permanently sealed (finally!) but the damages already made and potentially still to be made are still an issue that needs attention.

The globs of oil that have washed up on beaches and in and around near (and sometimes far) ecosystems have resulted in a slow tourism season. More serious is the fact that the wildlife has been affected with dead fish crowding rivers and oiled birds needing care.

A woman who owns and rents a townhouse on Navarre Beach in Florida speaks about some of the effects of the oil spill she has seen so far here.

It’s really scary to think of the massive consequences that this one spill have had on residents all along the coast as well as the defenseless animals whose lives are at risk because of human negligence.

You can see a shocking photo here of the Mississippi River – the surface looks solid, almost as if you could walk across it because of the amount of dead fish floating in the water!

It is suspected that the toxins in the water that caused this are as a result of the oil spill, and officials of the area of where it occurred (Plaquemines Parish of Louisiana) have asked state wildlife officials to investigate the matter. It’s hard to imagine this large fish kill being the result of anything else considering that this area was the first affected by the spill and the heaviest.

Let’s all just hope that now the leak has been sealed that officials and BP can somehow work together to quickly (well as quickly as is possible in this situation) come up with some solutions for the issues that have come about as a result of the spill.

Jade

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Greenpeace UK & Open Planet Want Your Ideas

September 9th, 2010

1307312_bee_drinkingGreenpeace UK is concerned about the downward trend of species: biodiversity is at risk.

According to them the international attempts through the Convention on Biological Diversity to reverse this downward trend have filed and the new goals set for this year have not been hit.

It is not the CBD’s fault however, it is rather the fault of the parties to the Convention: the nations of the world. The CBD has little power really as issues of national capitals and political power get in the way.

Thus the Biodiversity 100 Campaign. They explain it as “an excellent opportunity to attempt something practical”.

The idea:

Compile a list of practical steps individual nations can take to stop the loss of biodiversity under their respective jurisdictions. It’s a “rallying cry, a challenge and an affirmative action all in one.” It is also a chance for everyone (Everyone) to get involved.

Here’s how:

Fill in the form on the Guardian‘s website with your challenging, ambitious and bright ideas.

Your ideas need to be backed up by some solid peer-reviewed science. Try provide references.

This is a way to succeed where the CBD has failed. Preserving one species will not bring back another, but if we don’t start taking action, eventually there ‘will be no species left to preserve.

Open Planet have also got an initiative up and running that requires your ideas.

Open Planet want to know what your thoughts and inspirations are relating to environmental challenges that can be addressed by the smarter use of technology.

Your idea can relate to global environmental reference or even be something is specific to the part of the world that you come from.

They are currently in the initial stage of their campaign and want to focus only on the environmental issues. They want to shape the challenge before they attempt to tackle the conceptualisation and solutions via technology.

Your ideas, thoughts and inspirations can be submitted as images, words, stories, drawings or videos; pretty much any medium that you feel with express your idea clearly and passionately.

To find out more about this initiative visit their website here.

Let’s try work together to save our planet’s biodiversity.

Jade

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BP Update – Things Are Not Looking Good

July 14th, 2010

800px-BP_petrol_station_1Seems the BP are just not equipped to physically and publically handle the big mess they’ve made over in the Gulf Of Mexico.

Just yesterday they had supposedly begun a new effort that seemed to be a saving grace – the new sealing cap (weighing 75 tonnes) they were installing was expected to potentially be able to siphon the entire flow of the oil from the leakage to the surface of the sea for collection. Now it seems this won’t happen for a while.

After the cap was installed yesterday BP’s engineers conducted tests and a seismic (pertaining to the movement of the earth whether artificial or natural) survey. Apparently they are considering the consequences of blocking the leak – this might create leaks elsewhere. There is what they are calling “an unstable area around the wellbore” and it is this along with unknown gas pockets within that have caused the oil siphon efforts to halt.

They will be analysing the possible situation further before continuing with the cap testing in which case they will shut the openings of pipes and valves gradually, watching pressure gauges to ascertain whether whether the caps will hold or if there are any leaks elsewhere.

In other distressing BP news, it seems the fuel giant is upsetting the media, not a good enemy to have BP.

It appears that journalists trying to cover the oil spill disaster are meeting with strong opposition being kicked off public beaches and islands, screamed at and threatened with arrest by federal officials and the local police, even though the government had promised media access would be improved.

The Associated Press seniour managing editor, Michael Oreskes, put it best when he says “So far, I think the government has done a better job of controlling the flow of information than controlling the flow of oil in the Gulf.”

To read more about the obstacles the media are facing in trying to report on this issue visit these two sites: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/barriers_to_news_coverage_of_g.html#_login

http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/07/you-are-not-authorized-to-see-these.html#comment-form

C’mon BP, step it up!

Photo by Oxyman from Here.

Jade

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