One third of world soils degraded (FAO)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that a third of all soils are degraded, due to erosion, compaction, soil sealing, soil organic matter and nutrient depletion, acidification, pollution and other processes caused by unsustainable land management practices.

Jose Graziano da Silva, the director-general of FAO, made the remarks on Thursday, eve of the first World Soil Day to be celebrated on Dec. 5. Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person will in 2050 be only one-fourth of the level in 1960, he warned.

It can take up to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of soil, and with 33 percent of all global soil resources degraded and human pressures increasing, critical limits are being reached that make stewardship an urgent matter, Graziano da Silva said.

Calling soils a "nearly forgotten resource," he urged more investment in sustainable soil management, saying that would be cheaper than restoration and "is needed for the achievement of food security and nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation and overall sustainable development."

According to FAO, tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi underground act as the primary agents driving nutrient cycling and help plants by improving nutrient intake, in turn supporting above-ground biodiversity as well.

Better management can assure that those usually unnoticed organisms boost soil's ability to absorb carbon and mitigate desertification, so that even more carbon can be sequestered -- helping offset agriculture's own emissions of greenhouse gases, FAO said.
Xinhua - english.cntv.cn
5/12/14

Reducing use of plastic bags: MEPs strike deal with Council Presidency

EU countries would have to reduce the use of the commonest and most polluting plastic carrier bags, under draft rules informally agreed between MEPs and the Italian Presidency of the Council on Monday and confirmed by the member states’ permanent representatives on Friday. Plastic carrier bag litter is a major environmental problem, as it is known to pollute bodies of water and aquatic eco-systems in particular.


 "This is an historic moment for all of Europe. For the first time ever we have agreed on ambitious measures to reduce the amount of plastic bag waste in the environment. This is good news for the environment and all Europeans who expected the EU to take ambitious action on plastic bags”, said Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA, DK), who is steering the legislation through Parliament.

“As front-running countries have demonstrated, dramatically reducing the consumption of these disposable bags is easily achievable with a consistent policy. Swiftly phasing out these bags is a readily-implementable solution to the pervasive problem of plastic waste in the environment", she added.

“We are satisfied with the green light for this important dossier” said Environment Committee chair Giovanni La Via (EPP, IT).

“The European Commission’s new approach demonstrates an important sense of responsibility. We called upon the Commission to act as a real facilitator between the two legislative institutions. Parliament and Council have done a good job for the Environment and the European citizens”, he added.

Reduction targets

If the rules come into force, member states would be able to choose between two policy options: to either take measures to ensure that average yearly consumption of these bags does not exceed, on 90 lightweight bags per citizen by 2019 and 40 by 2025, or alternatively, ensure that, by 2018, they are not handed to shoppers free of charge.

The European Commission would have to evaluate the impact on the environment of oxo-degradable plastic materials, which fragment into small particles, and propose measures accordingly.

Next steps

The agreement between the EP delegation and the Italian Presidency will be put to a vote in the Environment Committee on Monday 24 November in Strasbourg.

Background

Lightweight plastic bags thinner than 50 microns – the vast majority of plastic carrier bags used in the EU – are less reusable than thicker models and become waste more quickly. They are also more prone to litter the environment.

In 2010 every EU citizen used an estimated 198 plastic carrier bags, some 90% of which were lightweight. In a business-as-usual scenario, consumption of plastic bags is expected to grow further. Estimates also suggest that over eight billion plastic carrier bags became litter in the EU in 2010.
 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20141121IPR79835/
21/11/14
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Related:

• EU agrees law to curb plastic bag use ... 

• No more plastic bags polluting our environment. - Should gradually be replaced by biodegradable and compostable bags

• Plastic waste causes $13 billion in annual damage to marine ecosystems, says UN agency

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• Τέλος στη σπατάλη της πλαστικής σακούλας μιας χρήσης. - Ε.Κ.

• Πλαστικά απόβλητα: Τον κώδωνα του κινδύνου κρούει το Κοινοβούλιο

• Λιγότερες πλαστικές σακούλες στην ΕΕ. -«Οι πλαστικές σακούλες είναι ένα σύμβολο της καταναλωτικής μας κοινωνίας»

• Ενα νέο... οικοσύστημα επιπλέει στους ωκεανούς

• Ζωή μέσα σε πλαστικά.

• Πετάμε 4 δισ. πλαστικές σακούλες τον χρόνο

• Καναδάς: Καταργείται η χρήση της πλαστικής σακούλας για ψώνια στον δήμο του Τορόντο

Indigenous Peruvians Occupy Airport, Demand Accountability for Pollution

Hundreds of protesters from Peru’s indigenous community occupied a small airport in the country’s largest oil-producing territory on Monday night in response to unheeded demands that an oil producer clean up pollution that has been seeping into their drinking water, Reuters reports. 

Protesters took over the airport, which is situated in the Andoas district in the north of the country in the Amazon rainforest, in connection with a dispute between Argentinian energy company Pluspetrol and the Peruvian government over pollution and resource use.

Tedy Guerra, a protest leader and Chief of the Neuvo Andoas  community, told Reuters that the protest involves about 500 local natives, and that all flights in and out of the airport have been stopped. The airport services mostly planes used by Pluspetrol.

Guerra said that local police have not taken any action against the protesters.
Aurelio Chino, another representative of the protesters and the president of a local indigenous federation, said that the government’s classification of three Amazonian river basins as “environmental emergencies” due to dangerous levels of oil pollution has had little effect on cleanup efforts. “Neither the government nor the company are cleaning up the spills,” Chino told Reuters, adding that “these problems are building up.”

Pluspetrol operates oil block 1-AB, which produces about 15,000 to 17,000 barrels of oil a day, which comprises about a quarter of Peru’s modest output. The protesters are considering seizing wells and valves as well if the company does not agree to cleanup negotiations and compensation efforts.

Representatives of the company have said that they are “making every effort to reestablish a dialogue with the community,” and that they had already signed an agreement with indigenous leaders in September on the use of a local quarry.

Local indigenous communities have already used similar protest tactics in April of this year, taking control of production facilities for about a week. At that time, protesters had complained that Pluspetrol was not complying with a 2006 agreement to clean up decades-worth of pollution, which was causing sickness among the local population due oil seeping into their drinking water.

In the earlier protest, protest leader Carlos Sandi told the Guardian that his protesters weren’t “against oil exploitation or development,” but were only “calling for our rights to be respected in accordance with international laws.”
(RIA Novosti)
29/10/14
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Tugboat Prepares to Tow Russian Cargo Ship Into Sheltered Waters

A tugboat arrived Saturday night to tow the disabled Russian container ship carrying hundreds of tons of fuel further away from Canada's British Columbia shores and into more sheltered waters, a spokesperson with the Canadian Forces' Joint Rescue Coordination Center said.
"When they get the vessel under tow, they'll first head in a northwesterly direction and get it further from the coastline and eventually into more sheltered waters to the north of Haida Gwaii… Then a decision will be made on where to take it," Navy Lt. Pendergast told Canadian TV news channel CTVNews.

He said the Barbara Foss tugboat arrived in the area after 5 p.m. local time and was hooking onto the drifting Simushir vessel.

Officials said there was no risk of the ship hitting rocks after it was moved 24 nautical miles (44 kilometers) away from the rocky shore. Fears were it could spill its cargo of 400 metric tons of bunker fuel and 60 metric tons of diesel, triggering an environmental disaster.
On Friday, British Columbia Environment Minister Mary Polak said "the province is also contacting its partners in the B.C. Pacific States Oil Spill Task Force both to notify them of the risk and to ask them to provide mutual aid as needed based on the outcome of efforts to restore power to the vessel".

The Simushir carrier ship, with a crew of 11, was going from the US state of Washington to Russia when it lost power on Friday morning. The captain was injured and rescued from the vessel.

British Columbia still remembers the massive oil spill that occurred near Alaska in 1989, when Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef and spilled 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil over the next days.
(RIA Novosti)
19/10/14
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• Emergency: Russian cargo ship with 450 tons of fuel adrift off Canada coast (VIDEO)

Emergency: Russian cargo ship with 450 tons of fuel adrift off Canada coast (VIDEO)

Canadian and US coast guards have been struggling to tow a 135-meter Russian cargo ship after it lost power in gale force wind conditions. As 450 tons of bunker oil and diesel were on board the ship, the situation prompted fears of an ecological disaster.

Cargo ship Simushir went adrift on Thursday off the West coast of Haida Gwaii, located near British Columbia. The vessel left Everett, Washington and was bound to Russia.

As the ship became incapacitated amid the storm, its plight raised an alarm in the regional media, as 400 tons of oil and about 50 tons of diesel fuel it was carrying were deemed enough for an environmental catastrophe, in case the vessel ran aground...............................http://rt.com/news/197192-ship-adrift-oil-canada/

Russian Defense Ministry to Build Arctic Environmental Center. Presence in the Arctic is not to harm the region's ecology

MOSCOW, October 11  - Russia's Defense Ministry is set to build a regional environmental center in the Arctic to prevent pollution in areas where Russian forces are deployed, Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Bulgakov said Saturday.

"To control the ecology of the Russian Arctic zone, a regional environmental center of the Northern Fleet is to be created in the near future, which will carry out ecological monitoring and control compliance with Russian and international environmental legislation," Bulgakov said.

According to the deputy minister, Russia's military presence in the Arctic is not to harm the region's ecology.

He noted that Russian troops have been deployed in the Arctic in accordance with "existing international standards and international law regulations regarding environmental security issues".

Russian forces systematically receive "training and briefings on environmental safety and compliance with legislation", Bulgakov stated.

In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will build a unified network of naval facilities on its Arctic territories to host advanced warships and submarines as part of a plan to boost protection of the country's interests and borders in the region.
(RIA Novosti)
11/10/14
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Related:

• The Battle for the Arctic

• Russia’s military presence in Arctic not to cause region’s pollution...

• Arctic Council Needs Russia, to Continue Working With It

• Russia dispatches naval force to reopen Arctic base

Toxic exports allowed: EU drops labeling of Canadian tar sands as highly polluting

The European Commission has proposed a directive that abandons obligatory labeling of tar sands oil as highly polluting, opening way for Canada's sands crude imports and drawing criticism for putting oil producers' interests above the environment.
In light of recent economic tensions with Russia and the EU's energy dependence on its eastern neighbor, the European Commission has published a proposal, the text of which removes one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of Alberta exporting its oil sands crude to Europe. The revised draft still has to be approved by EU member-states before being passed on to the European Parliament.

“The commission is today (Tuesday) giving this another push, to try and ensure that in the future, there will be a methodology and thus an incentive to choose less polluting fuels over more polluting ones like, for example, oil sands,” EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said in a statement.
“It is no secret that our initial proposal could not go through due to resistance faced in some member states,” Hedegaard added. “I strongly recommend Member States to adopt this proposal and keep the safeguards that will allow cleaner fuels to be used in transport across Europe.”
The desire for a trade deal with Canada had been a factor in revising the draft said EU sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters.
Oil sands crude is more damaging to the environment as it emits more carbon over its life-cycle, but under the new draft that was EU will be counting it in the same category as conventional oil, opening way for larger imports from Canada.
The debate about labeling tar sands crude, in the EU started in 2009 when the block approved legislation aimed at cutting greenhouse gases from fuel by 6 percent by 2020, but failed to agree how to implement it. The law is part of the EUs broader strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels........................http://rt.com/news/194048-eu-sand-oil-imports/
8/10/14
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Related:

• EU Proposes to Stop Labeling Tar Sands Oil as Highly Polluting (Reports)

EU Proposes to Stop Labeling Tar Sands Oil as Highly Polluting (Reports)

MOSCOW, October 7 – The European Commission has proposed eliminating a mandatory requirement to label tar sands oil as highly polluting, Reuters reported Tuesday.

"The commission is today giving this another push, to try and ensure that in the future, there will be a methodology and thus an incentive to choose less polluting fuels over more polluting ones like, for example, oil sands," EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said in a statement as quoted by Reuters.

"It is no secret that our initial proposal could not go through due to resistance faced in some member states," Hedegaard added.

The revised proposal still has to be debated by EU member-states and also needs a sign off from the European Parliament.

The debate about labeling tar sands, also known as oil sands, dates back to 2009 when the European Union approved legislation aiming to cut greenhouse gases from transport fuel sold in Europe by 6 percent by 2020, but failed to agree how to implement it.

In 2011, the European Commission agreed tar sands should be given a carbon value a fifth higher than for conventional oil, but EU member-states could not agree and the Commission has been reconsidering the proposal ever since.

Oil sands crude, found in clay-like sands, is used by major oil companies, such as BP Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil. It costs more to produce than conventional crude, uses more energy and water and emits more carbon over its life-cycle.
(RIA Novosti)
7/10/14
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50 Dirtiest U.S. Power Plants Huge Contributor to Carbon Emissions

U.S. power plants are an outsized contributor to the world’s carbon pollution, a new report released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group says. It found that in 2012, they added more climate change-causing carbon to the environment than the entire economies of any nation other than China. 

The report, “America’s Dirtiest Power Plants: Polluter on a Global Scale,” demonstrated that U.S. power plants produced more than six percent of worldwide global warming emissions.

The report found that a relatively small number of primarily older, coal-fired plants were the main culprits. The 50 dirtiest power plants, less than one percent of all U.S. power plants, produced a whopping 30 percent of power-sector emissions in 2012, 12 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions, and nearly two percent of all the world’s carbon emissions. The U.S. has about 6,400 electricity-generating facilities. Yet a single one—the Scherer Power Plant in Georgia—produced .4 percent of U.S. carbon emissions, equivalent to the entire economy of Sri Lanka, which ranks 86th in the world.

“U.S. power plants are polluters on a global scale,” said Elizabeth Ouzts of Environment America Research & Policy Center. “That’s why clean power now must be part of the solution to the climate crisis.”

The report emphasized how much pollution the dirty plants produce relative to their energy production. Coal-fired plants produced 74 percent of U.S. power-plant pollution in 2012 but only 37 percent of its electricity. The 50 dirtiest plants contributed only 15 percent of the nation’s electricity.

“U.S. power plants make such an outsized contribution to global warming emissions because so many of them are old and inefficient, and because so many of them run on coal, one of the dirtiest fuels on the planet,” said the report, which said that 98 of the country’s 100 most carbon-polluting plants ran on coal.

The report recommended that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “strengthen, finalize and implement the Clean Power Plan,” and that states begin to implement the plan to meet the standards as quickly as possible, working to quickly phase out the older, polluting plants and move to renewable energy sources. Its series of recommendations also includes urging Congress to pass a national renewable energy standard.

The Environment America Research & Policy Center is among many groups pushing for the Clean Power Plan. Six million comments have been submitted to the EPA and more than a thousand people have testified in hearing held across the country this summer in favor of the plan.

“For too long, power plants and other major polluters have enjoyed a holiday from responsibility,” said Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “Rhode Island and some parts of the country have taken steps to cut carbon pollution and invest in clean energy, but this report shows why federal carbon pollution standards are necessary to protect public health, our communities and future generations from the dangerous threat of climate change.”
Anastasia Pantsios
http://ecowatch.com
18/9/14

Τουρκία: Διαμαρτυρία για την Μεταφορά Πετρελαίου στον Βόσπορο ("Bosphorus is not an oil pipeline" demo)

Σε…. πλωτή διαμαρτυρία προέβησαν διαδηλωτές στον Βόσπορο, καθώς είναι αντίθετοι στην μεταφορά πετρελαίου μέσω των Στενών, θεωρώντας ότι απειλεί το περιβάλλον στην περιοχή.

Οι 2.550 διαδηλωτές έπλευσαν με πλοιάρια από την μια άκρη του Βοσπόρου μέχρι την άλλη, κρατώντας πανό τα οποία έγραφαν «ασφάλεια, όχι καταστροφή», «τα Στενά δεν είναι αγωγός πετρελαίου» και άλλα παρόμοια συνθήματα. 

Επίσης, οι διαδηλωτές κράτησαν ενός λεπτού σιγή για τα θύματα στο ανθρακωρυχείο Σόμα τον περασμένο μήνα, αλλά και για τα θύματα στο Γκεζί. 
[energia.gr]
9/6/14
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• "Bosphorus is not an oil pipeline," say Istanbul locals in boat demo to mark Turkish Straits Day

A group of demonstrators put their boats out to sea to call for a safer Bosphorus on June 8, Turkish Straits Day, drawing attention to the danger of oil transportation in the waterway crossing Istanbul.

Around 2,550 participated in the protest, sailing from one end of the Bosphorus to the other, opening banners that read “safety before disaster,” “Turkish Straits are not an oil pipeline” and “No to death boats.”

Demonstrators also held a minute’s silence in memory of the Gezi protest victims and the 301 workers killed in the Soma mine disaster last month. 
[hurriyetdailynews.com]
8/6/14

China, Japan, SK push joint plan for environment

Environment ministers from China, South Korea and Japan on Tuesday discussed a coordinated response to common environmental challenges in Northeast Asia, stressing further strengthening of joint efforts to prevent and control air pollution.

The 16th Tripartite Environment Ministers' Meeting among China, South Korea and Japan (TEMM16) was held in Daegu in South Korea on Monday and Tuesday.


The meeting was attended by Chinese Vice-Environment Minister Li Ganjie, South Korean Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu and Japanese Environment Minister Ishihara Nobuteru.

• The three ministers adopted and signed a joint communiqué at the meeting, reaffirming their willingness to enhance collaboration regarding a wide range of environmental challenges, including water pollution, marine litter, dust and sandstorms, chemical risks, climate change, and loss of biodiversity.

They also reiterated a commitment to cooperation for the success of the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP12) to be held in Pyeongchang in October this year.

At the meeting, Li acknowledged that China faces tough environmental problems, adding that the central government has realized that reducing air pollution is a tough task that requires long-term hard work.

Li emphasized that China's new environmental protection laws, which have been revised for the first time in the past 25 years, are a major breakthrough in clarifying the responsibility of governments at all levels, strengthening environmental supervision and management, enlarging access to information and encouraging public participation.

But he warned that strict and continuing implementation was needed to make the law really work.

Yoon Seong-kyu, South Korea's environment minister, emphasized the urgent need to reduce air pollution in the Northeast Asian region while proposing "air quality improvement" as a priority area for future environmental cooperation among the three countries.

Yoon introduced South Korea's national policies to address trans-boundary air pollution including PM2.5, and suggested coordinated action among the three countries.
[globaltimes.cn]
30/4/14 CT

US Navy SEALs take control of oil tanker hijacked in Libya: Pentagon

U.S. Navy SEALs boarded and took control of an oil tanker that had was seized earlier this month at a Libyan port by three armed men, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

No one was hurt in the boarding operation conducted late on March 16, approved by U.S. President Barack Obama, requested by the Libyan and Cypriot governments and conducted in international waters southeast of Cyprus, said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.

"The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra," his statement said. 

The ship, which departed from the eastern Libyan port of Al-Sidra - controlled by rebels seeking autonomy from the authorities in Tripoli - is reported to have loaded at least 234,000 barrels of crude.

Pyongyang last week however denied any responsibility for the tanker. The ship was operated by an Egypt-based company that was allowed to temporarily use the North Korean flag under a contract with Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA said March 12.

Pyongyang had "cancelled and deleted" the ship's North Korean registry, as it violated its law "on the registry of ships and the contract that prohibited it from transporting contraband cargo."
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-navy-seals-take-control-of-oil-tanker-hijacked-in-libya-pentagon.aspx?pageID=238&nID=63677&NewsCatID=357
17/3/14
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Related:

• U.S. Navy SEALs board rogue Libyan oil ship...

• Libyan troops seize North-Korea-flagged oil tanker ... 

• Possible navy attack on North Korea-flagged tanker a "declaration of war". - Libyan rebels

 -------

• Libya threatens to bomb N Korea-flagged oil tanker if it ignores Navy orders

• Threat Issued in Libyan Oil Export Dispute ...

• Libya sends navy to stop North Korean tanker...

• Libya to intercept or strike oil tanker: MP...

Turkish ship that ran aground in Aegean Sea may cause ‘catastrophe’

A Turkish cargo ship that ran aground off the Greek island of Mykonos may lead to an “environmental catastrophe,” officials have warned.

The vessel, named the Yusuf Çepnioğlu, had been anchored at a port in the western province of Izmir en route to Tunisia. It was abandoned by its crew after it ran into rocks off the coast of Mykonos and began taking in water on March 7. The ship was carrying 200 tons of fuel.


The container ship remains pinned to the rocks, coast guard authorities. There are concerns that strong winds and waves may cause some of its cargo to come loose and cause a spill near the island.

Responding to a distress call on March 8, a U.S. ship sent a search and rescue helicopter to the location where the vessel had run aground. The Bataan is in the Aegean Sea on a regular deployment in the 6th Fleet area of operations.

Officials said a joint operation to tow the ship to safety and ensure that there was no leakage was currently underway.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-ship-that-ran-aground-in-aegean-sea-may-cause-catastrophe.aspx?pageID=238&nID=63399&NewsCatID=340
10/3/14
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Related:

• Turkish container ship runs aground off Greek island of Mykonos. -Marine pollution near the shore?

• Μύκονος: Μετά τη βελτίωση του καιρού η επιχείρηση απομάκρυνσης του τουρκικού κοντέινερ (VIDEO)

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Possible navy attack on North Korea-flagged tanker a "declaration of war". - Libyan rebels

An armed movement which has seized oil ports in eastern Libya said on Sunday any attempt by government forces to attack a North Korea-flagged tanker loading crude at a terminal under its control would be "like a declaration of war".

Abb-Rabbo al-Barassi, self-declared prime minister of the movement, warned Libya's navy not to "harm" the tanker docked at Es Sider, according to a statement.


"Such a move would be a declaration of war," said the statement, sent to Reuters by a spokesman.

Reuters
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_03_09/Possible-navy-attack-on-North-Korea-flagged-tanker-a-declaration-of-war-Libyan-rebels-4940/
9/3/14
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Related:

• Libya threatens to bomb N Korea-flagged oil tanker if it ignores Navy orders

• Threat Issued in Libyan Oil Export Dispute ...

• Libya sends navy to stop North Korean tanker...

• Libya to intercept or strike oil tanker: MP...

Libya threatens to bomb N Korea-flagged oil tanker if it ignores Navy orders

Libya will bomb a North Korea-flagged oil tanker trying to load crude at an eastern port controlled by armed protesters if the vessel fails to follow orders from the Navy, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said on Saturday.

"The tanker will be bombed if it doesn't follow orders when leaving (the port). This will be an environmental disaster," Zeidan told reporters, calling the docking of the tanker a criminal act violating Libyan's sovereignty.

Authorities had ordered the arrest of the tanker's crew, he said. His comments were the first government reaction since the tanker reached Es Sider port, where protesters earlier said they had started exporting oil, bypassing Tripoli.

Voice of Russia, Reuters
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_03_08/Libya-threatens-to-bomb-N-Korea-flagged-oil-tanker-if-it-ignores-Navy-orders-8327/
8/3/14

Turkish container ship runs aground off Greek island of Mykonos. -Marine pollution near the shore?

Crew rescued by coastguard after water floods engine room.
KOMOTINI, Greece
Fourteen sailors had to be rescued after a Turkish cargo ship ran aground near the Greek island of Mykonos on Friday night.
The 6,928-deadweight tonne container ship, the 'Yusuf Cepnioglu', had been anchored at a port in the western Turkish city of Izmir [Σμύρνη] en route to Tunisia.
The ship, with 14 personnel aboard, ran aground on the northwestern shore of Mykonos at 03:30 GMT on Friday night.

The Greek coast guard announced that 11 of the crew were rescued by coast guard boats. Helicopters were sent to the scene to rescue the remaining three. There were no reports of any injuries.
The ship, which was carrying 204 containers, ran ashore after its engine room took on water.

• An Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene has reported seeing marine pollution near the shore.

 http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/298342--turkish-container-ship-runs-aground-off-greek-island
8/3/14
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• Την εγκατάλειψη του τουρκικού εμπορικού πλοίου που προσάραξε το απόγευμα της Παρασκευής σε βραχώδη περιοχή βόρεια των ακτών της Μυκόνου ανακοίνωσε το πρωί του Σαββάτου το Λιμενικό Σώμα.

Σύμφωνα με τις τελευταίες πληροφορίες, στο πλοίο προκλήθηκε μεγάλη εισροή υδάτων και έχουν κατακλυστεί από νερά το μηχανοστάσιο, οι δεξαμενές καυσίμων και ο χώρος του φορτίου.

Στο σκάφος επέβαιναν συνολικά 14 άτομα πλήρωμα, όλοι Τούρκοι υπήκοοι, εκ των οποίων οι 11 παραλήφθηκαν από πλωτό σκάφος του Λιμενικού και οι άλλοι τρεις από ελικόπτερο Super Puma.

To πλοίο, που ήταν φορτωμένο με 204 κοντέινερ, είχε αναχωρήσει από τη Σμύρνη με προορισμό την Τυνησία.

• Έως στιγμής δεν έχει αναφερθεί θαλάσσια ρύπανση στη θαλάσσια περιοχή, ενώ πλωτά σκάφη του λιμενικού βρίσκονται στο σημείο.

http://cyprusnews.eu/skai-ellada/1942693
8/3/14

U.S.-China Joint Statement on Climate Change. -Office of the Spokesperson U.S. State Department

Washington, DC .- In light of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change and its worsening impacts, and the related issue of air pollution from burning fossil fuels, the United States and China recognize the urgent need for action to meet these twin challenges. Both sides reaffirm their commitment to contribute significantly to successful 2015 global efforts to meet this challenge. 

Accordingly, China and the United States will work together, within the vehicle of the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) launched last year, to collaborate through enhanced policy dialogue, including the sharing of information regarding their respective post-2020 plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions. 


Regarding practical cooperative actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, the two sides have reached agreement on the implementation plans on the five initiatives launched under the CCWG, including Emission Reductions from Heavy Duty and Other Vehicles, Smart Grids, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage, Collecting and Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data, and Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Industry, and commit to devote significant effort and resources to secure concrete results by the Sixth U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in 2014.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/02/221686.htm
15/2/14
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Naples : des milliers de personnes contre la pollution des terres par la mafia

Des dizaines de milliers de personnes – 30 000 selon la police, 100 000 selon les organisateurs – ont manifesté samedi 16 novembre dans l'après-midi à Naples pour protester contre la pollution de terres par des déchets toxiques enfouis illégalement par la mafia.

Sous une pluie battante, les manifestants, regroupés derrière des banderoles dénonçant le "biocide" en cours dans les environs de Naples, ont réclamé que terrains et eaux souillées soient assainis. Brandissant pour certains des photos de leurs proches décédés du cancer, les manifestants ont crié "non à la Camorra", la mafia napolitaine, à l'origine de ces enfouissements massifs. Une minute de silence a été observée à la mémoire des enfants "morts trop tôt". En tête de la manifestation, le père Maurizio Patriciello, l'un des premiers à dénoncer le scandale, et le chanteur napolitain Nino d'Angelo.


Le mouvement, qui se veut comme "un fleuve en crue" que rien ne pourra arrêter, entend dénoncer la nocivité des fumées toxiques issues de l'incendie des déchets, qui ont conduit les habitants à surnommer cette zone, située entre Naples et Caserta, "la terre des feux" ou "le triangle de la mort".

De nombreux élus locaux, dont le maire de Naples Luigi di Magistris, ont participé à la manifestation, ainsi que des associations de défense de l'environnement. Selon l'association Legambiente, en vingt-deux ans, plus de 440 entreprises, situées essentiellement dans le centre et le nord du pays, ont enterré quelque 10 millions de tonnes de déchets industriels à cet endroit.
http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2013/11/16/naples-des-milliers-de-personnes-contre-la-pollution-des-terres-par-la-mafia_3515146_3214.html#xtor=RSS-3208
16/11/13

Καναδάς: Επιστολή-έκκληση προς τον Ομπάμα για τον αγωγό Keystone. -Προσφέρει ως αντάλλαγμα μείωση εκπομπών / Canada implores Obama for Keystone XL decision

Ο πρωθυπουργός του Καναδά Στίβεν Χάρπερ υπογράφει επιστολή με παραλήπτη τον αμερικανό πρόεδρο, ζητώντας του να συμφωνήσει στην κατασκευή του αμφιλεγόμενου αγωγού Keystone XL με αντάλλαγμα στενότερη συνεργασία για τη μείωση των εκπομπών αερίων του θερμοκηπίου από τον κλάδο του πετρελαίου και του φυσικού αερίου, επιβεβαίωσαν καναδοί αξιωματούχοι, τους οποίους επικαλούνται τα μέσα ενημέρωσης της χώρας.

Οι δύο ηγέτες συναντήθηκαν για λίγη ώρα στο περιθώριο της συνόδου των G20, στην Αγία Πετρούπολη, όμως το θέμα της Συρίας κυριάρχησε στη συζήτηση. Σύμφωνα με το καναδικό δίκτυο CBC, ο Λευκός Οίκος δεν απάντησε στην επιστολή, η οποία εστάλη στο τέλος του περασμένου μήνα.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι ο Μπαράκ Ομπάμα δεν έχει ακόμη λάβει την τελική απόφαση, λέγοντας ότι θα δώσει το «πράσινο φως» για την κατασκευή του αγωγού μόνο εφόσον «δεν επιδεινώνει σημαντικά το πρόβλημα της ρύπανσης από άνθρακα». Υπό καθεστώς ανωνυμίας, καναδοί αξιωματούχοι εκφράζουν κατά καιρούς τη δυσαρέσκειά τους για το γεγονός ότι ο αμερικανός πρόεδρος δεν έχει διευκρινίσει τι ανταλλάγματα επιθυμεί.
Το έργο, που αναμένεται να στοιχίσει 5,3 δισεκατομμύρια δολάρια, θα μεταφέρει καθημερινά έως και 830.000 βαρέλια αργού πετρελαίου από την πετρελαιοφόρο άμμο της Αλμπέρτα στα διυλιστήρια του Κόλπου του Μεξικού.

Περιβαλλοντικές οργανώσεις και στις δύο χώρες επέκριναν τον καναδό πρωθυπουργό, μετά από τις αναφορές για την επιστολή. Σε ανακοίνωσή της, η 350.org έκανε λόγο για μια «απελπισμένη», «ύστατη απόπειρα εξαπάτησης από την κυβέρνηση του Καναδά», ενώ το καναδικό παράρτημα της Greenpeace υποστήριξε ότι, έπειτα από χρόνια αδράνειας στο μέτωπο της κλιματικής αλλαγής, κάθε υπόσχεση από την πλευρά του Καναδά φαντάζει πολύ «ρηχή».

Σημειώνεται ότι οι Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες βρίσκονται σε τροχιά επίτευξης του στόχου που έχουν θέσει για μείωση των εκπομπών αερίων του θερμοκηπίου έως το 2020, όμως με τα σημερινά δεδομένα ο Καναδάς φαίνεται πως θα πιάσει μόλις το 50% του δικού του στόχου. Πολέμιοι του Keystone XL προειδοποιούν ότι οι στόχοι θα παραμείνουν άπιαστο όνειρο με την κατασκευή του αγωγού.
 http://www.naftemporiki.gr
9/9/13
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• No peace pipe: Native American tribes on warpath over Keystone XL pipeline

• Obama conteste les arguments des partisans de l'oléoduc Keystone XL...

  • ΗΠΑ: Διαμαρτυρία κατά του πετρελαιαγωγού Keystone XL

• Canada implores Obama for Keystone decision..

Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper sent President Obama a letter in August that all but begged him to OK the Keystone XL pipeline project.

Citing high-level sources, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the letter indicates "the prime minister is willing to accept targets proposed by the United States for reducing the climate-changing emissions and is prepared to work in concert with Obama to provide whatever political cover he needs to approve the project."

Obama has yet to respond to the letter.

The $7 billion project would build a pipeline from Canada south through the plains states to the Gulf of Mexico. While privately funded, it requires the approval of both governments......http://washingtonexaminer.com/canada-implores-obama-for-keystone-decision/article/2535419
8/9/13

No peace pipe: Native American tribes on warpath over Keystone XL pipeline

Leaders from 11 Native American tribes stormed out of a meeting with US federal officials in Rapid City, South Dakota, to protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which they say will lead to ‘environmental genocide.’
Native Americans are opposed to the 1,179-mile (1,897km) Keystone XL project, a system to transport tar sands oil from Canada and the northern United States to refineries in Texas for various reasons, including possible damage to sacred sites, pollution, and water contamination.
Although the planned pipeline would not pass directly through any Native American reservation, tribes in proximity to the proposed system say it will violate their traditional lands and that the environmental risks of the project are simply too great.

Russ Girling, CEO of TransCanada, the company that hopes to build the pipeline, has promised in the past that Keystone XL will be “the safest pipeline ever built.”
The Indian groups, as well as other activist organizations, doubt the claim, saying the risks involved in the project are too high.
In an effort to ease their concerns, officials from the Department of State agreed to meet with tribal leaders on Thursday in the Hilton Garden Inn in Rapid City, Michigan.
Before the talks could begin, however, tribal leaders walked out, angered that the government had sent what they considered low-level representatives.
In a press conference following the walkout, tribal leaders took turns criticizing the project, as well as the Obama administration.
"I will only meet with President Obama," Bryan Brewer, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, told the Rapid City Journal.
Others mentioned environmental concerns with the proposed pipeline, which echo the concern of environmental groups across the country.

President Barack Obama speaks at the southern site of the Keystone XL pipeline on March 22, 2012 in Cushing, Oklahoma (AFP Photo / Tom Pennington)

Casey Camp-Horinek, an elder with the Southern Ponca Tribe based in Oklahoma, compared the pipeline and other environmental damage to the historical events that had decimated her people during European colonization.
"We find ourselves victims of another form of genocide, and it's environmental genocide, and it's caused by the extractive industries," she said.
Charles LoneChief, vice president of the Pawnee Business Council, headquartered in Oklahoma, said the public was misinformed about the pipeline's environmental risks.
Unlike a traditional crude oil pipeline, Keystone XL will pump oil that is collected from tar sands. To turn this substance into a transportable liquid, oil companies must add chemicals that environmental groups warn are highly toxic.
"That gets into our waterways, our water tables, our aquifers, then we have problems," LoneChief said.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that the Keystone XL pipeline will increase annual US carbon pollution emissions by up to 27.6 million metric tons – the impact of adding nearly 6 million cars on the road, according to the Environment News Service.
Robin LeBeau, a council representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe based in South Dakota, pledged to protest against any construction, even if that meant standing in front of bulldozers.
"What the State Department, what President Obama needs to hear from us, is that we are going to be taking direct action,"she said.
I believe this is going to be one of the biggest battles we are ever going to have, LeBeau added.
This is not the first time that Native American groups have spoken out on the project.
Leaders from ten Canadian and US indigenous groups gathered in Ottawa, Ontario in March to protest the construction of pipelines.
“Tar sands pipelines will not pass through [our] collective territories under any conditions or circumstances,” the tribes said at a press conference.
.rt.com
18/5/13
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