The purpose of this study is to assess worldwide environmental-related issues in order to identify and analyze events that might trigger future international environmental treaties, conventions, or protocols and/or modifications to the existing ones.
Your views on these items and/or your suggestions of additional items are most welcome. Please email Elizabeth Florescu at millennium-project@igc.org.
The Millennium Project defines environmental security as environmental viability
for life support, with three sub-elements:
· preventing or repairing military damage to the environment,
· preventing or responding to environmentally caused conflicts, and
· protecting the environment due to its inherent moral value.
For an organization of the items in cathegories around the structure of this definition, please download the MsWord document ES-scanning-07.doc --items identified between August 2002 and June 2007, or ES-2006-07.pdf for items identified between July 2006-June 2007.
For a complete version of the monthly reports with Military Implications, see
the Army Environmental Policy Institute web page http://www.aepi.army.mil/rpt-weei.html
Following below, the items are organized by the months they were identified--updated
monthly.
2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
2007
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
2006
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
2005
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
2004
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
2003
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
August-September 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
2002
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
Environmental Damage to Be Criminalized
in the EU
The Permanent Representatives Committee approved the proposal
on the protection of the environment through criminal law. EU national governments
will have to apply criminal sanctions to those causing “deliberate or
negligent damage to the environment.” The list of punishable crimes will
include: unlawful discharge of pollutants which could cause “death or
serious injury to any person” or “substantial damage” to the
environment; illegal waste shipment; killing or possession of protected fauna
or flora; significant deterioration of habitats within protected sites; and
any action related to ozone-depleting substances. The penalties are left to
the discretion of member states as long as they are “effective, proportionate
and dissuasive.” The Directive is pending final approval by the Parliament
and the EU Council, and is expected to enter into force in 2010. [See also Environmental
Crime Could Become a Felony in the EU in February 2007 environmental security
report.]
Sources:
Protection of the environment through criminal law http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/misc/100525.pdf
EU criminal law to protect the environment http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-29450-140-05-21-911-20080520IPR29449-19-05-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm
EU agrees to outlaw 'green' crimes http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MzAxNTU
New International Financial Alliance
to Support Biodiversity
Representatives of 191 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and
over 100 ministers met in Bonn to improve the set of rules that help protect
biodiversity. Plant and animal species are being lost at a rate between 100
and 1000 times the natural extinction rates. One of the results of the meeting
was the establishment of Life Web as a financing mechanism for protected areas.
So far, more than 60 Parties have made financial pledges. For example, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged 500 million Euros for forest protection up
to 2012 and 500 million Euros a year after that.
Sources:
A new universal global alliance for biodiversity protection established in Bonn
http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2008/pr-2008-05-30-cop9-en.pdf
Uruguay Treaty on S&T Cooperation
On April 29th the US and Uruguay signed a treaty to increase government, academic,
business, and NGO scientific cooperation between the two countries. The agreement
gives special attention to the study of biodiversity to improve agriculture,
medicine, and understanding of the impact of climate change on the environment.
Source:
The United States and Uruguay Sign a Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/apr/104151.htm
International Convention on Cluster
Munitions Adopted by 111 Countries
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was formally adopted by 111 countries in
Dublin, Ireland, on May 30, 2008. The Convention is a legally binding instrument
that outlaws the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions,
and commits countries to clear areas contaminated by cluster munitions and assist
victims and affected communities. The President of the International Committee
of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, urged all countries to adhere to the Convention
and noted “these weapons are not only morally unacceptable but also now
illegal under international humanitarian law.” The Cluster Munitions Convention
will be opened for signature in Oslo, December 2-3, 2008, and will enter into
force after 30 ratifications. The U.S., China, and Russia did not participate
in the meeting. [See also Negotiations Continue for an International Instrument
to Ban Cluster Munitions in November 2007 and other related items in previous
environmental security reports.]
Sources:
Dublin Diplomatic Conference, May 19-30, 2008 http://www.clustermunitionsdublin.ie/
Cluster Munitions: Convention a major step forward for the protection of civilians
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/cluster-munitions-news-290508
Cluster Bomb Treaty Breaks New Ground http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/05/30/18976.htm
Cluster bomb ban treaty approved http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7423714.stm
Convention banning cluster bombs adopted http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2008/May/theworld_May1353.xml§ion=theworld
Norway: British support crucial to cluster bomb treaty http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/30/europe/EU-GEN-Norway-Britain-Cluster-Bombs.php
Ban 'delighted' at adoption of new cluster bomb convention http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26859&Cr=cluster&Cr1=
UN refugee agency welcomes adoption of pact to ban cluster bombs http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26868&Cr=Cluster&Cr1=bomb
Indigenous Peoples Demand More Involvement
in Environmental Policies
Climate change was the special focus of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues, held in New York, April 21-May 2, 2008. The approximately 3,300 delegates
representing the 370 million indigenous people from around the world stressed
that indigenous peoples should be included in the international debate on climate
change. The Forum suggested that a working group on local adaptation measures
and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples be established, since they can
provide important insights for designing and implementing sustainable mitigation
and adaptation strategies.
Sources:
Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_seventh.html
Climate Change: Indians Speak Out Against Carbon Markets http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42259
Climate change plea from tribe of herders who face extinction http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-plea-from-tribe-of-herders-who-face-extinction-825424.html
World's Native Peoples Take on Climate Change http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=08-P13-00019&segmentID=4
Indigenous peoples have crucial role in climate change debate – UN forum
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26565&Cr=indigenous&Cr1=
Indigenous peoples most affected by climate change, Assembly President says
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26531&Cr=indigenous&Cr1=
First Species declared Endangered Due to Global
Warming
Polar bears were declared a “threatened” species under the U.S.
Endangered Species Act, becoming the first species officially designated in
danger of extinction because of global warming. Environmental groups are not
pleased with the new regulation, since important greenhouse gas emission-related
activities, such as offshore oil and gas exploitation, are exempted from compliance
with the law. [See also Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice in August 2007
and other similar items in previous environmental security reports.]
Sources:
Polar bear is listed as threatened species http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-polar15-2008may15,0,3225200.story?page=2
Polar Bear Added to List of Threatened Species in U.S. http://www.voanews.com/english/Science/2008-05-16-voa27.cfm
U.S. lists polar bears as threatened species http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/14/polar-bear.html
Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications
New Detection and Cleanup Techniques
Nanotube-based Biosensor Sensitive to Trace Amounts
Early Warning Inc. of Troy NY has licensed from NASA’s Moffett Field Ames
Research Center technology for a nanotube-based biosensor sensitive to trace
amounts of specific bacteria, viruses and parasites. According to a company
release, “The biosensor works when a single strand of nucleic acid comes
into contact with a matching strand of nucleic acid attached to the end of an
ultra-conductive nanotube. The matching strands form a double helix that generates
an electrical signal, which is used to determine the presence of specific microorganisms
in the sample. Because of their tiny size, millions of nanotubes can fit on
a single biosensor chip allowing identification of very low levels.”
Sources:
NASA Nanotechnology-Based Biosensor Helps Detect Biohazards http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2008/08_45AR.html
Early Warning (the company) http://www.earlywarninginc.com/early-warning-profile.php
Emerging Contaminants: Most Effective Treatment Strategies
Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products
(PPCPs) have been discussed as emerging issues for water supply and wildlife
protection for more than a decade. The American Water Works Association’s
(AWWA) May 2008 Opflow carries an article describing three processes for treating
these substances in public water supplies. Additionally, AWWA has added a special
session to its June 8-12, 2008 annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Taken
together, these indicate that public and water industry interest in remedial
action has run ahead of legislation and regulation – leaping over at least
one of the common four steps through which an issue progresses in evolving from
a scientific discovery to become a societal action item. The three processes
discussed in the article are: additional processing of wastewater effluents,
reverse osmosis treatment of potable water, and combined ultraviolet/reverse
osmosis treatment of potable water.
Sources:
Oppenheimer, J., R. Stephenson, and J. Decarolis, Emerging contaminants:Insights
to the most effective EDC and PPCP treatment strategies, AWWA Opflow, May 2008,
pp. 12-16.
Conference session added to address microconstituents http://www.awwa.org/publications/MainStreamArticle.cfm?itemnumber=35946
Technologies for Increasing Energy Efficiency
New Lithium-ion Battery Offers Multiple Advantages
A123 Systems of Watertown MA developed a new lithium-ion battery design with
significant advantages for demanding mobile applications, such as electric vehicles
and portable electronic devices. The new units feature greatly increased safety
(not bursting and igniting, when overheated or damaged), longer life, and greater
energy capacity, stemming from an innovative electrode material that contains
nanoparticles of lithium iron phosphate modified with trace metals.
Sources:
An Electrifying Startup. A new lithium-ion battery from A123 Systems could help
electric cars and hybrids come to dominate the roads (note: requires free registration
to access article)
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=specialsections&sc=batteries&id=20570&a=
Improved Solar Cell Promised in a Year
SUNRGI Company announced the development of a solar cell technology which they
say will deliver power at 7¢/kWh, around the price of coal-fired energy.
Their panels use lenses to concentrate sunlight, and a proprietary cooling system
to prevent consequent cell damage from heating. Start of production is scheduled
for mid-2009. IBM has also released details on a similar technique.
Sources:
Start-up: Affordable solar power possible in a year http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2008-04-28-solar-power-sunrgi_N.htm
SUNRGI Company: http://www.sunrgi.com
IBM today announced a research breakthrough in photovoltaics technology that
could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the Sun's power for electricity
http://physorg.com/news130086323.html
New Inter-electrode Material Yields 50% Fuel Cell Power Increase
MIT Professor Paula T. Hammond and her team produced a new thin film material
for the membrane separating the electrodes in direct methanol fuel cells. The
current material is not impervious to methanol leakage across the boundary.
Applying the new film produced a 50% gain in power output from the cell. Drexel
University chemical engineering professor Yossef Elabd had earlier investigated
the leakage mechanism in the present membranes, and produced several other alternatives.
Sources:
More-Powerful Fuel Cells http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20813/page1/
MIT Creates New Material For Fuel Cells, Increases Power Output By 50 Percent
http://www.physorg.com/news130078922.html
Chemical Engineer Discovers Way of Increasing Battery Life with Environmentally
Friendly Fuel Cells http://www.physorg.com/news126194529.html
Formic Acid Provides New Fuel Cell Medium
Matthias Beller and colleagues at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, in Rostock,
Germany have developed a technique to convert formic acid into hydrogen at low
temperatures (26°C to 40°C). The new process is suitable for low-power
fuel cell applications, like mobile electronic devices, rather than for vehicle
usage. It does not require a high-temperature steam reforming unit, as methanol
does (instead, it is converted to hydrogen by a ruthenium-based catalyst) and
its power/weight ratio is only one-third that of methanol.
Source:
Hydrogen Fuel from Formic Acid http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20778/?a=f
New Insight into Methane-converting Catalyst
New work reported by the International Consortium for Clean Energy, a collaboration
among DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences'
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, and China's Institute of Coal Chemistry,
sheds light on the optimum structure for a catalytic material, molybdenum oxide
on a zeolite substrate, which can turn methane into benzene.
Source:
Halting methane squanderlust http://www.physorg.com/news130592381.html
Updates on Previously Identified Issues
Non-Proliferation Treaty Deadlock Continues
The second of three sessions of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT) was held from April 28 to May 9 at the UN Office at Geneva, Switzerland.
Participation included delegates of 106 States parties, representatives of specialized
international organizations, and of 64 NGOs. The main issues discussed included:
nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and international security; nuclear-weapon-free
zones; nuclear safeguards; the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and the Middle
East situation. No special agreements were reached. The third session will be
held May 4 15, 2009, and the Review Conference will be April 26–May 21,
2010, both in New York. [See also Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Stalemate
Continues in May 2007, Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in
May 2005, and other related items in previous environmental security reports.]
Sources:
PREPCOM 2008, 2010 NPT Review http://www.un.org/NPT2010/SecondSession
Nuclear States Joint Statement http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/prepcom08/statements/May09Statement%20by%20P5.pdf
Geneva Talks Pave Way to 2010 NPT Review http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/genevatalks.html
NPT Meeting Wraps Up in Geneva http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2008_5_9.html#8360B7DE
European Parliament Passed Resolution Calling for Global Ban of DU
Weapons
The European Parliament agreed, with 491 out of 521 votes, to accept a resolution
calling on the EU to lead negotiations “through the UN or through a 'coalition
of the willing'” for a global treaty to ban depleted uranium weapons.
The resolution “Strongly reiterates its call on all Member States and
NATO countries to impose a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium weapons
and to redouble efforts towards a global ban, as well as systematically to halt
production and procurement of this type of weaponry.” It also recommends
inclusion of this wording in the European Security Strategy, “the need
to give serious thought to the future utility of unguided munitions, as well
as cluster bombs, mines and other weapons of indiscriminate effect, such as
depleted uranium weapons;” and “not to deploy military and civilian
personnel in regions where no guarantee can be given to the effect that depleted
uranium has not been, or will not be, used.” [See also Depleted Uranium
Environmental Concerns Resurfacing in November 2007 and other items on
this issue in previous environmental security reports.]
Sources:
European Parliament passes far reaching DU resolution in landslide vote http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/181.html
Protection of the environment through criminal law http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/misc/100525.pdf
New Mechanisms for Enforcing Biosafety and Biological Diversity Treaties
The focus of the fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety (COP/MOP 4), held from 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, was on enforcement
measures. It adopted 18 decisions on issues related to: the Biosafety Clearing-House;
identification and handling of living modified organisms; notification requirements;
risk assessment and risk management; and monitoring and reporting. The timetable
and framework were set for a liability and redress regime concerning potential
damage caused by the movements of genetically modified organisms, which will
be further discussed at the next meeting of the parties to take place in October
2010, in Nagoya, Japan. An ad hoc technical expert group was mandated to consider
risk assessment and risk management issues. The Rules, Procedures and Mechanisms
Applicable to Processes under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was also published
at this meeting.
The Ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity followed,
May 19-30, 2008, also in Bonn, Germany, assessing mechanisms to reduce loss
of biodiversity. The CBD COP 9 adopted the “Bonn roadmap” that addresses
issues concerning an international regime on access and benefit-sharing; a mechanism
for assessing marine areas in need of protection; a resolution on biodiversity
and climate change, including language cautioning against ocean fertilization;
and an agreement on biofuels. [See also International Biodiversity Meetings
Make Decisions and Tougher Systems to Control GMO Suggested in March 2006
environmental security report.]
Sources:
Fourth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP
4) http://www.cbd.int/mop4/
Agreement Reached to Work towards a Legally Binding Instrument on Liability
and Redress with Regard to GMOs http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2008/pr-2008-05-16-mop4-en.pdf
Rules, Procedures and Mechanisms Applicable to Processes under the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/bs-rules-en.pdf
Loss of Animal Species and Crops Is ‘Devastating’ Secretary-General
Ban http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26756&Cr=biodiversity&Cr1=
Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop9
IMO Sets New Limits on Ship Fuel Pollution
The International Maritime Organization has agreed on severe new limits on ship
fuel pollutants, especially sulphur (sulfur). The restrictions are to be implemented
by 2015, and will impose a change in sulphur limits in special Sulphur Emission
Control Areas (SECA) to 0.1% from the current 1.5%. The set of SECAs, now including
only Baltic and North Sea areas, is likely to be expanded to other coastal regions
in the world.
Source:
Short sea shipping at risk from IMO sulphur laws http://lloydslist.com/ll/news/short-sea-shipping-at-risk-from-imo-sulphur-laws/20017521753.htm
IMO environment meeting to consider revised regulations on ship emissions http://www.imo.org/
U.N. body to slash ship fuel pollution by 2015 http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0487267520080404
EU Airline Carbon Trading to Start in 2011––a Year Earlier
than Planned
The European Parliament's Environment Committee voted to include aviation in
Europe's emissions trading scheme from 2011––a year earlier than
planned. Airlines should bid for at least 25% of pollution permits. Members
of the European Parliament want to set CO2 emissions cap at 90% of the levels
between 2004 and 2006 rather than 100%, with the cap lowered in subsequent years
from 2013. [See also New European Environmental Regulations in December
2007 and Europe to Propose Emissions Targets for All Flights to/from or
within Europe in November 2006 environmental security reports.]
Sources:
EU backs early start for airline carbon trading http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/28/travelandtransport.greenpolitics
Arctic Issues Still at the Debate Stage
Officials from the Arctic coastal countries Canada, U.S., Russia, Denmark, and
Norway met in Ilulissat, Greenland, May 27-29, 2008, to address issues related
to the Arctic territory. The meeting concluded with The Ilulissat Declaration,
by which the five nations reaffirm their commitment for applying the UN Law
of the Sea “to the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims,”
stipulating that there is “no need to develop a new comprehensive international
legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean.” Critics say that this opens
the possibility for a polar “carve up” by the five countries. Other
Arctic Council group nations (Sweden, Iceland and Finland) as well as the indigenous
communities––who are the majority of the population within the Arctic
Circle––were not invited to the meeting. Environmentalists and the
indigenous groups call for an international treaty similar to the one for Antarctica,
which bans all military activity and mineral exploitation. A UN panel is supposed
to rule on Arctic control by 2020. By the Ilulissat Declaration, the Arctic
coastal nations also agree to cooperate on scientific research, improving navigation
safety, and development of environmental monitoring and disaster response systems.
[See also Arctic Disputes Continue in March 2008 and other similar
items in previous environmental security reports.]
However, there is speculation that Russia has the strongest position for increasing
its influence in the region and support for its expansion claims. It has infrastructure
along the North Sea Route (including ports), has for a long time performed extensive
research and possesses essential knowledge about the region. Most of all, Russia
has the most powerful fleet and military potential permanently deployed in the
Arctic. Russia is also working on gathering more evidence to support its claim
for territorial expansion under the Law of the Sea.
Sources:
The Ilulissat Declaration. Arctic Ocean Conference Ilulissat, Greenland, 27
– 29 May 2008 http://www.um.dk/NR/rdonlyres/BE00B850-D278-4489-A6BE-6AE230415546/0/ArcticOceanConference.pdf
Arctic declaration denounced as territorial 'carve up'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/29/fossilfuels.poles
Reaching out in the Arctic http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080514/107378393.html
Canada Prepares to Ban More Chemicals
The government of Canada announced that it is preparing to issue a ban on a
number of chemicals in common use in various applications, because of possible
harm to human health or the environment. The 11 chemicals include vinyl acetate,
ethylene oxide, thiourea, isoprene, and cyclohexasiloxanes. Industry has 60
days to offer countervailing evidence. [See also Questions on Bisphenol
A Risk Raised Again in April 2008 environmental security report.]
Source:
Ottawa prepared to slap toxic label on widely used chemicals http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=b0eeb176-6b3d-4a3e-bb18-29033eb044cc
Reactive Nitrogen Beginning To Be Recognized As Environmental Hazard
Two papers in the May 16 issue of Science discuss the problem of excessive reactive
nitrogen in the environment. According to Univ. of Virginia environmental sciences
professor James Galloway, “We are accumulating reactive nitrogen in the
environment at alarming rates, and this may prove to be as serious as putting
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.” Atmospheric nitrogen can appear as
nitric acid in water and vegetation or can contribute to the greenhouse effect.
The International Nitrogen Initiative ((www.initrogen.org) has been established
to serve as a center for efforts to cope with this problem. [See also New
Predictions for the Atmosphere by 2030 in October 2006 environmental security
report.]
Source:
Addressing the 'nitrogen cascade' http://www.physorg.com/news130081079.html
Climate Change
Scientific Evidence
A comprehensive study conducted by an international research team from 10 institutions
around the world, led by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, found conclusive
evidence of the link between human-caused climate change and the trends of change
of Earth’s natural systems. The research analyzed a database of more than
29,000 data series of physical and biological systems, and natural phenomena,
on land and in water, with at least 20 years of records between 1970 and 2004.
In about 90% of the cases from North America, Europe, and Asia, a link could
be established between warming and changes of the systems’ patterns or
behavior. The results for Africa, South America, and Australia are not conclusive,
due to lack of enough historical scientific data.
Scientists from Switzerland, France and Germany, working on the European Project
for Ice Coring in Antarctica, found that “today's concentrations of carbon
dioxide and methane are 28% and 124% higher respectively than at any time during
the last 800,000 years," increasing the likelihood that human activity
is a cause of climate change.
Chinese and Australian scientists are examining possibilities for deeper drilling
in parts of Antarctica to find atmospheric records dating back 1.5 million years.
The Living Planet Index reveals dramatic biodiversity reduction since 1970:
land species have declined by 25%, marine life by 28%, and freshwater species
by 29%. Scientists estimate the current extinction rate being 10,000 times faster
than the historical rate. The main causes of species decline are consequences
of human behavior: climate change, pollution, destruction of animals’
natural habitat, spread of invasive species, and overexploitation of species.
The Arctic is warming at about twice the global average and the changes of climate
and moisture highly impact the region’s vegetation, with possible negative
consequences that will further influence global climate. The tundra is shrinking
due to the expansion to the north of the boreal forests, which creates large
dark surfaces that will absorb––instead of reflecting––
solar heat. Reduced moisture increases wild fire potential in the tundra (in
2007, about 250,000 acres of Alaskan tundra burned), further improving the conditions
for forest expansion. However, due to likely future drought in the region, the
death of trees will be releasing carbon into the atmosphere instead of absorbing
it, thus increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Natural Disasters
Tens of thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands lost everything in
Myanmar as tropical cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian country, also known
as Burma. The tragedy was increased by the lack of preparedness and response
capability of the country and the ban on intervention by foreign aid agencies.
Although there is no consensus on linking storms’ number and strength
to climate change, some experts say that there is evidence of a probable trend
that storms are becoming more powerful as global warming heats up the oceans.
Professor Kerry Emanuel, an MIT meteorologist says that the power of tropical
cyclones has roughly doubled since the 1950s, with the most increase occurring
over the last three decades, consistent with man-made global warming.
Considering the rate so far, 2008 might be the year with the most tornadoes
in the U.S. since 1950––when modern recordkeeping began––and
the deadliest in a decade, reports The Weather Channel. In some states, the
number to date of such storms already exceeds the yearly average: Mississippi
had 49 tornadoes compared to an annual average of 39 twisters average; Alabama
45 versus 42, and Arkansas 49, compared to 48.
Food and Water Security
As the food crisis intensifies around the world over the past few months, an
additional 100 million people began suffering from hunger and there were food
riots in some 30 countries, including recently conflict-torn countries such
as Haiti, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Somalia. Some argue that the Security
Council should consider the issue in order to stop escalation into larger global
security crises. "The Security Council would be remiss in carrying out
its responsibility for maintaining peace and security if it fails to take the
much needed preemptory steps to stop further deterioration of the security dimensions
of the global food crisis," says Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, a former Bangladeshi
ambassador and UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries (LDC). He
compared the food crises to others––such as HIV/AIDS––that
were discussed at the Security Council level and recalls that the bodies dealing
with the food situation (ECOSOC and FAO) do not have security-related mandates.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a new international UN Task Force on
the Global Food Crisis, composed of the heads of key UN agencies and institutions,
to prepare a comprehensive plan of action to tackle the global rise in food
prices. The elements of the task force’s plan will be presented at the
UN and FAO High-Level Conference on World Food Security, Climate Change and
Bioenergy to be held in Rome, June 3-5, 2008.
The International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty suggests the creation
of a UN Commission on Food Production, Consumption and Trade, as a more inclusive
mechanism to replace the UN Task Force. It also advocates that the food emergency
situation should override previous trade and international agreements and a
new trade dialogue should begin under the auspices of the UN.
At this time, when food security threatens stability around the world, a few
agricultural biotechnology companies are trying to concentrate corporate power,
gain a monopoly over a large part of global food, undermine small farming and
farmers rights, and most likely drive up costs. “Globally, the top 10
seed corporations already control 57% of commercial seed sales. This is a bid
to capture as much of the rest of the market as possible,” explains Hope
Shand, Research Director of ETC Group. According to ETC Group's report, Patenting
"Climate Genes"...And Capturing the Climate Agenda, Monsanto, BASF,
DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow––along with some biotech partners––have
filed 532 patent documents on genes related to environmental stress tolerance
at patent offices around the world. In the meantime, poor countries complain
that unfair policies are threatening their local seeds, undermining agricultural
productivity and jeopardizing national food security. Some Indian farmers are
giving up planting rice, because it is not cost-effective anymore, due to the
high prices of fertilizer, seeds and pesticides.
Global warming is most probably the cause of changing rainfall patterns in Australia,
concluded scientists gathered to discuss recent findings by the South-Eastern
Australia Climate Initiative (SEACI). Assessing specifically the decline of
rainfall and inflows into the Murray-Darling river systems over the past decade,
SEACI, a three-year project that began in 2006, reveals that the Southeast Australian
water system will most likely be increasingly stressed in the future as rainfall
is expected to be significantly reduced, concomitantly with suspected warmer
temperatures. Dr Wendy Craik, chief executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission,
notes that in some parts of the basin the drought is more severe than the worst
climate change predictions for 2055. Since future prospects are not encouraging,
drought-adaptation strategies should be considered.
Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice
Arctic sea ice has declined by about 10% in the past decade, note scientists
from the University of Colorado’s Center for Astrodynamics Research. They
estimate that there is a 59% chance that this year in September the ice cover
will reach a new record low, as currently the ice is thinner and younger than
at any time since observations have been recorded. In September 2007, the extent
of Arctic sea ice was the smallest on record.
Scientists are increasingly confident that human activity is the cause of the
new weather patterns seen at both poles. Their findings are based on computer
models that analyzed natural and human-caused variables, and were compared with
the observed real conditions. The models revealed an ice-free Arctic by 2030––about
two decades ahead of the predictions in the United Nations' Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change reports.
Rising Sea Levels
Six of the 18 inhabited low-lying Australian Torres islands have little or no
elevation and are in danger of being swallowed by the sea. The islanders are
already suffering because of abnormally high tides, land erosion, shifting seasons,
and increasingly scarce marine life that traditionally constitutes their food
source. Aborigines and Torres Strait islanders regained ownership of their traditional
lands in 1992. Already socially and economically marginalized, the roughly 7,000
people are unhappy with the lack of attention and care on the part of the Australian
government.
The Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason 2 mission to be launched in
June will provide data for better understanding ocean currents and the rises
in sea levels. Current marine measurements show that sea levels have risen on
average by 0.3 centimeters since 1993, twice that, in the whole 20th century.
The Jason 2 mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES),
and the European satellite agency EUMETSAT.
Computer Modeling
Climate scientists and modelers warn that climate change forecasting abilities
are still relatively weak and that some of those considered in policymaking––such
as the IPCC assessments––are highly debatable, being too conservative
and not taking into account the latest research.
Climate modelers from around the world met at the World Modelling Summit for
Climate Prediction, held in Reading (UK), May 6-9, 2008, to try to improve forecasting
abilities, including measures that will allow a better understanding of how
the climate will be affected locally as well as globally. At the end of the
four-day summit, scientists made the case for a climate-prediction project on
the scale of the Human Genome Project. A key component of this scheme would
be a world climate research facility with computer power far beyond that currently
used in the field.
Post-Kyoto Negotiations
Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii found that the levels of CO2
are at least 34% higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels and near the suspected
climate-tipping point of 400 ppm. They note that the rise was 2.14 ppm in 2007,
while from 1970 to 2000 the concentration rose by an average of about 1.5 ppm
each year.
“Present global mean CO2, 385 ppm, is already in the dangerous zone”
and “prompt policy changes” are needed, suggests the Target Atmospheric
CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim? paper by a group of scientists led by Jim Hansen,
director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Based on an analysis
of paleoclimate data and ongoing climate change, the authors argue that CO2
should be reduced to a maximum of 350 ppm in order to avoid reaching irreversible
tipping points and maintain the Earth conditions supporting life as we know
it. The main policy suggestions include increasing efforts to find energy sources
beyond fossil fuels, and ending fossil fuel exploitation and use without adequate
CO2 capture and sequestration. The ultimate task is phaseout over the next 20-25
years of coal plants that are not equipped with carbon sequestration technology.
The paper admits that establishing a clear time frame of climate change is difficult,
since the models are still deficient. Nevertheless, it underlines the urgency
of the situation and concludes that although the task of curbing man-made CO2
emission is difficult, it is “feasible when compared with the efforts
that went into World War II.”
The meeting of the environment ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized
nations held in Kobe, Japan, concluded with an agreement on the long-term goal
of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, but without any specific
emissions reduction targets for 2020.
The State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2008 report of the World
Bank shows that the global carbon market grew to $64 billion in 2007, more than
double the 2006 level. The European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) also
saw a doubling of both value and number of allowances transacted.
The report From Bali to Poznan: New Issues, New Challenges summarizes
the discussions and outcomes of the conference with the same name held at the
European Parliament in Brussels, December 18, 2007, convened by the Institute
for Environmental Security in cooperation with other interested organizations.
It assesses the impact of climate change on international security and sustainable
development, a switch to solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, implications
of illegal trade in natural resources, and the ways climate change influences
European foreign policy. The report can be seen as background policy information
for the next UNCCC to be held in Poznan in December 1-12, 2008.
Sources:
Earth Impacts Linked to Human-Caused Climate Change http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20080514/
Warming world altering thousands of natural systems http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080514/full/news.2008.823.html
Greenhouse gases highest for 800,000 years http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINL1440399320080514
Response to cyclone in Myanmar ‘unacceptably slow’ – Ban Ki-moon
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26634&Cr=myanmar&Cr1=
Tornado season deadliest in a decade http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2008-05-12-tornado_N.htm?csp=DailyBriefing
Food Crisis Escapes Security Council Scrutiny http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/10984
Secretary-General convenes inaugural meeting of food crisis task force http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26632&Cr=food&Cr1=crisis
Gene Giants Grab "Climate Genes" http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=688
Global Warming Linked to Rainfall Decline in South-East Australia http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/seaci/SEACImedia-release-May08.pdf
CU-Boulder Researchers Predict 59 Percent Chance Of Record Low Arctic Sea Ice
In 2008 http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/1fb96a0f5e60677e20ddafee67219e8d.html
French-US satellite set for June launch to track sea levels http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gv2lwkG8qxbEaQ-wL1FaeDj0RIxA
They say they want a revolution http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080514/full/453268a.html
Greenhouse gas hits record level http://www.metro.co.uk/news/climatewatch/article.html?in_article_id=147343&in_page_id=59
Clock Running Out on Irreversible Climate Change – Part I http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=10657
From Bali to Poznan: New Issues, New Challenges http://www.envirosecurity.org/activities/diplomacy/gfsp/climate
Nanotechnology Safety Issues
New Study Raises Asbestos-type Health Worries for Nanotubes
According to a story in PhysOrg.com, “A major study … in Nature
Nanotechnology suggests some forms of carbon nanotubes … could be as harmful
as asbestos if inhaled in sufficient quantities.” Reporting experiments
carried out on mouse tissue, one of the researchers, Prof. Kenneth Donaldson
of the University of Edinburgh, stated, “Long, thin carbon nanotubes showed
the same effects as long, thin asbestos fibers”, causing pathological
responses known to be precursors of mesothelioma. The scientists noted that
it is still unknown if the tubes can be inhaled and reach sensitive portions
of the lungs.
Petition to Stop Nano-silver-containing Products
A petition filed by a citizens’ coalition with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is demanding the agency exercise its pesticides’ regulating
authority and stop the sale of about 260 products containing nano-silver, due
to the compound’s possible risks to human health and the environment.
The coalition of consumers, health, and environmental groups is led by the nanotech
watchdog International Center for Technology Assessment.
Sources:
Carbon nanotubes that look like asbestos, behave like asbestos News story: http://www.physorg.com/news130510729.html
EPA Petitioned to Stop Sale of 260 Products Containing Nano-Silver
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-02-093.asp
Reports and Sources Suggested for Review
Twenty Years of Environmental Security
An Uncommon Peace: Environment, Development, and the Global Security Agenda
by Geoffrey D. Dabelko, ECSP Director, published on the 20th anniversary of
Our Common Future (commonly known as the Brundtland report) is an assessment
of the evolution of our understanding of environmental concerns with implications
for national and international security. It addresses changes in the traditional
state-centered approach to new security threats such as: the possible environmental
consequences of nuclear war replaced by the increased threat of dirty bombs;
new threats such as genetic mutations; and health and poverty. Dabelko notes
that these new realities outline the pathway to “one facet of our common
future: environmental peacemaking.”
Source:
An Uncommon Peace: Environment, Development, and the Global Security Agenda,
by Geoffrey D. Dabelko http://www.heldref.org/env-dabelko.php
Tools for Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
A Review of Decision-Making Support Tools in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Sector, a study directed by Peter H. Gleick at the Pacific Institute and by
Geoffrey D. Dabelko at the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security
Program, evaluates 120 existing resources in the sector, analyses the world’s
situation on access to water and sanitation, and assesses existing technologies
and methodologies. The report recommends development of a set of tools to help
decision-makers with infrastructure development, available technologies, and
possible approaches. The tools would also outline specific needs of geographic
locations, evaluate community particularities, and use case studies to demonstrate
available technologies.
Source:
A Review of Decision-Making Support Tools in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Sector http://www.pacinst.org/reports/WASH_tool/index.htm
Improved Database for Stormwater Best Management Practices
Improvements in the International Stormwater BMP Database (www.bmpdatabase.org)
were recently announced. They will ease BMP searches, data collection and uploading,
and access to BMP performance analyses. The changes include more data, new data
analysis results, easier Web site navigation, and simplified data entry.
Sources:
Bigger and Better Stormwater BMP Database http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2480
WERF website http://www.werf.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Briefings on Environmental Security at NATO Conference
Prior to the NATO Summit in April, the NATO Security Science Forum on Environmental
Security held in Brussels on March 12th addressed security implications of environmental
issues such as climate change, water, energy security, and natural catastrophes.
It also looked at environmental security forecasting and cooperation with other
international organizations to increase environmental security. Webcasts of
the presentations are available on the first website listed below. After the
NATO Summit in April in Romania, Russian President Vladimir Putin and NATO leaders
agreed to cooperate in several areas, including environmental security.
Sources:
NATO Security Science Forum on Environmental Security http://www.nato.int/docu/comm/2008/0803-science/0803-science.htm
NATO-Russia Council Concludes 2008 Bucharest Summit http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2008/April/20080404162813idybeekcm0.9275629.html
Half of Transported European Hazardous
Waste Could Be Illegal––How Much More Elsewhere?
Hazardous substances such as ozone-depleting substances and toxic chemicals
are increasingly profitable, difficult to tackle, and involve international
organized crime. Estimates from the early 2000s suggest that 10-20% of the ozone-depleting
substance trade was illegal (a value of $25-60 million). The Basel Convention
estimates international hazardous waste movement to be at least 8.5 million
tonnes per year. Although it is difficult to estimate the illegal portion of
this, a project undertaken in 13 European countries found that over 50% of the
waste shipments examined were illegal. One could imagine higher percentages
in countries with fewer inspection capabilities and in failed states. E-waste
(electronic waste, some of which is hazardous) is growing worldwide. About 70%
of it is dumped in developing countries in Asia and Africa. At a recent high-level
meeting on enforcement issues held by the World Customs Organization, representatives
of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), customs administrations,
and other interested organizations agreed on an Action Plan to improve enforcement
and tackle increasing environment crime. The Plan calls for increased detection
efficiency by customs offices, creation of environmental crime units, and international
co-operation and information exchange.
Sources:
UNEP correspondence with Millennium Project staff
Environment crime now high on the world agenda http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=530&ArticleID=5764&l=en
The Growth and Control of International Environmental Crime––Background
papers http://www.illegal-logging.info/uploads/Intenvcrime2007backgroundpapers.pdf
Climate Change and Access to Water
Addressed as Human Rights
The seventh regular session of the Human Rights Council adopted 36 resolutions
on a wide range of issues, including two major reports to be delivered in three
years to the tenth session of the Council: one on water as a human right, and
another on the relationship between climate change and human rights. In the
meantime, 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which will also increase reflections on these two topics.
Sources:
U.N. human rights body turns to climate change http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2778449820080328?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&sp=true
Human Rights Council Adopts 36 Resolutions and Extends Mandates of 13 Special
Procedures at Seventh Regular Session http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/AADEFF2389520CC0C125741A0071BB93?opendocument
International Alliance of Forest Peoples
The International Alliance of Forest Peoples was established by the participants
in the Peoples of the Forest and Climate Change workshop held in Manaus, Brazil.
The scope of the Alliance is to improve international collaboration to guarantee
the respect of forest people’s rights to land and natural resources and
to their traditional livelihoods, facilitate their adaptation to climate change,
and improve their participation in the mechanisms for the reduction of emissions
from deforestation and forest degradation. The Declaration was signed by 11
countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, French Guyana, Paraguay,
Nicaragua, Venezuela, Suriname, and Panama. Delegations from Africa (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) and Asia (Indonesia) and observers from the UN and NGOs
from Brazil, England and the U.S. also attended the meeting.
Source:
International Alliance will unite the forest peoples of the world http://forestnewswire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122:international-alliance-will-unite-the-forest-peoples-of-the-world&catid=1:latest
Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications
Chemical Agent Cleanser Developed in Canada
A new non-toxic method for rapidly and safely destroying toxic agents, such
as chemical weapons and pesticides, has been developed by researchers from Queen’s
University, Canada. The alcohol-based system is non-corrosive, acts within minutes,
and proved to be more than 99% effective in eliminating organophosphorus agents,
such as Tabun, Soman and VX. It might represent a safe and environmentally friendly
option for destroying stockpiles of chemical weapons, environmental spill cleanup,
and rapid response to possible terrorist attacks using chemical weapons agents.
It is safe in most conditions and has no special storage requirements.
Sources:
“Green” method decontaminates deadly nerve agents http://qnc.queensu.ca/story_loader.php?id=47fb870ea02f1
New nerve agent cleansing method created http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/04/15/new_nerve_agent_cleansing_method_created/8254/
Animal-Robot Team Effective for UXO Clearance
Animal-robot teams can be a safe and efficient alternative for post-conflict
area scanning and clean-up. A remotely controlled robot leading a dwarf mongoose
(Helogale parvula) trained to sniff out explosives is an approach demonstrated
by Thrishantha Nanayakkara and colleagues at the University of Moratuwa in Sri
Lanka. The group APOPO in Tanzania has been training Gambian giant pouched rats
for similar manually-led operations, but the robot guidance eliminates the human
risk factor. The two animals mentioned are more easily trained and perform better
than dogs.
Sources:
Mongoose-robot duo sniff out landmines on the cheap
http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19826535.900?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg19826535.900
Video of the mongoose and robot pair sniffing our landmines http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQpzh02JaA
Giant Hero Rats Being Trained to Sniff Out Land Mines http://www.buzzle.com/articles/giant-hero-rats-being-trained-to-sniff-out-land-mines.html
Trained Rats Sniff out TB, Land Mines in Tanzania http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/TANZANIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:21462478~menuPK:287357~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:258799,00.html
All-Electric cars coming from Norway and China with More than Hundred
Mile Ranges
An all-electric car is expected to be available for purchase next year (2009)
in the U.S.; it is called “Think City” from Think North America,
a Norwegian-California joint venture startup. The car runs on sodium or lithium
batteries and can travel up to 110 miles on one charge. In 3-5 years BYD Auto
Co. of Shenzhen, China, plans to market its all-electric car in the U.S. with
a 185-mile range on a single full charge.
Sources:
BYD Company www.byd.com
China's BYD Auto Co. to Unveil All-Electric Car http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120849294773525787.html
Kleiner Perkins Venture to Sell Electric Car in US http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48084/story.htm
New Solar Cell Design Raises Efficiency
Prof. Ely Sachs and colleagues at MIT have developed a solar cell design that
offers a 27% increase in efficiency over existing devices. They predict that
the cells’ present cost of $1.85/watt can be reduced to about $1.35/watt.
The new multi-crystalline silicon cells embody several improvements, which increase
the amount of light reaching the active elements in the cells. Commercialization
of the development is being done by 1366 Technologies. [See also New Project
for Nanowire Solar Cells in January 2008, Reducing Military Footprint
with Solar Energy at 30 Cents per Watt in November 2007, and other similar
items in previous environmental security reports.]
Sources:
MIT spinoff shoots for solar power at $1 per watt http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9903728-54.html
MIT spin-off plans to manufacture cheap, efficient solar cells http://www.physorg.com/news125842769.html
New Material for Storing Hydrogen
Physicists Adam Phillips and Bellave Shivaram of the University of Virginia
have found a new class of materials, transition metal-ethylene complexes, which
may offer a much more efficient way of storing hydrogen for fuel cell applications
than previous substances. An example uses titanium with an ethylene nanostructure,
which their measurements indicate will hold 12% by weight of hydrogen, more
than twice the target of 5.4% set by DOE to support the development of hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles.
Source:
Physicists find new material for storing hydrogen http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/33614
(Registration required)
NanoRadio Offers Low Impact Environmental Monitoring and Communications
Prof. Alex Zettl of the Univ. of California’s Berkeley Nanosciences &
Nanoengineering Institute and his group have developed a nanoscale radio, in
which the key circuit consists of a single carbon nanotube. This work derived
from an effort to create inexpensive wireless environmental sensors.
Source:
TR10: NanoRadio http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=specialsections&sc=emerging08&id=20244
Antigenic Maps Help Trace Development of Diseases
Derek Smith, professor of infectious disease informatics at Cambridge University’s
Department of Zoology, and colleagues at Los Alamos National Laboratory and
Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, have developed software that, according
to a Scientific American article, “create[s] an antigenic [stimulates
the production of antibodies] map that documents 13,000 human flu strains isolated
over the past five years When these results are plotted on a digital antigenic
map, researchers can see in fine detail how the body’s immune system responds
to different mutations of the virus.”
Source:
Maps Point the Way to Fighting the Flu Virus http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=antigenic-cartography-maps
Updates on Previously Identified Issues
Chemical Weapons Convention Gets New Boost
The Second Review Conference for the Chemical Weapons Convention was held in
The Hague, April 7-18, 2008, attended by delegates from 114 of the 183 treaty
states. The main issues brought up by participants were: threats posed by the
use of chemical weapons by nonstate actors; deadlines for chemical weapons destruction
(specifically named were Russia and the U.S., which have to destroy their chemical
warfare agents by April 29, 2012, and Japan for destruction of its chemical
weapons stockpiles in China); and universal adherence to the treaty. Delegates
produced a report that reviews the treaty procedures and implementation issues,
and urges the 12 countries that are not yet Party (Angola, the Bahamas, Dominican
Republic, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, North Korea,
Somalia and Syria) to join the international disarmament and nonproliferation
treaty “as a matter of urgency and without preconditions.” The report
does not address the convention’s relation to some new science and technology
developments that could produce new threats––such as development
of new incapacitating agents, advances in biology and nanotechnology, and industry
verification mechanisms. It was proposed that, from now on, the Scientific Advisory
Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons meet twice
a year, not just once as it has previously. [See also New Concerns Rising
over Chemical Weapons in April 2007 and other related items in previous
environmental security reports.]
In the meantime, Pacific Consultants International warns that Japan is not on
schedule for meeting its obligations towards China in the recovery and destruction
of hundreds of thousands of chemical weapons abandoned at the end of World War
II and will most probably not meet the April 2012 deadline, due to management
problems. [See also Japanese Chemical Weapons Cleaning in China Yet to be
Completed in June 2007, and other previous environmental security reports
on this issue.]
Sources:
Second Review Conference http://www.opcw.org/rc2/index.html
Nations Demand Adherence to CW Disposal Deadlines http://204.71.60.36/d%5Fnewswire/issues/2008/4/8/9cb5bc8a%2D5136%2D4594%2Da750%2Dc5108a7b58ec.html
Chemical arms disposal pricey / China project hit for opaque management, exorbitant
costs http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080424TDY02307.htm
Japan’s efforts toward early destruction of ACW in China http://www.opcw.org/docs/csp/rc2/en/rc2nat20(e).pdf
African Countries Call for International Ban on Cluster Bombs
The first meeting of African countries on cluster bombs adopted the “Livingstone
Declaration,” endorsed by 38 out of 39 countries (South Africa, one of
the continent’s two producer states was the exception.) The strong political
declaration is formally committing the African countries to the negotiations
for a global cluster munitions ban treaty to be held in Dublin, Ireland, May
19-30, 2008. There was widespread support for a broad definition of cluster
munitions to avoid exceptions based on so-called ‘technical fixes,’
and on the need for comprehensive liability provisions for the affected communities.
The Dublin meeting should conclude the Oslo process and agree on the final terms
and language of a cluster bombs ban treaty, which would then be opened for signature
before the end of 2008. [See also Negotiations Continue for an International
Instrument to Ban Cluster Munitions in November 2007 and other items on
this issue in previous environmental security reports.]
Sources:
Strong Landmark African Declaration to Ban Cluster Bombs - Only South Africa
Calls for Exceptions to the Ban http://www.icbl.org/news/zambia_pr
The Cluster Munitions Process http://www.clusterprocess.org
Questions on Bisphenol A Risk Raised Again
The Canadian health ministry is said to be ready to declare BPA a dangerous
substance, and the US National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes
of Health, has expressed concern over its effects on the very young. [See also
Possible Risk with Bisphenol A Receiving Increased Attention in December
2007 environmental security report]
Sources:
Canada Could Ban Baby Bottles Containing Bisphenol A http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-22-05.asp
Plastic bottle chemical may be harmful: agency http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1513929320080415?sp=true
Climate Change
Scientific Evidences
Scientists have detected dilution in salinity of the sea around Antarctica and
warn that this could have significant effects on the world's climate and ocean
currents. The so-called Antarctic bottom water of this region controls the system
of ocean currents spanning the Southern, Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans
that shift heat around the globe. The phenomenon might be due to global warming,
and jn its turn will influence climate change.
For the past 20 years, no significant correlation can be established between
climate change and the Sun’s activity, found UK Lancaster University scientists,
using three different research methods. The findings support the assessment
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that man-made greenhouse gas
emissions outweigh solar activity variations as a cause of global warming.
Climate change-induced effects might prove costly for the US. Although there
is no consensus on the link between global warming and the number of hurricanes,
scientists agree that climate change could increase storms’ damaging forces.
The National Hurricane Center estimates that the US might be hit by a hurricane
that could cause more than $100 billion in damage. Highly populated coastal
areas are at highest risk. A category 5 hurricane could produce at least $140
billion in damage to South Florida.
Food and Water Security
Continuous escalation of food prices worldwide increases distress in poor regions,
raising the danger of social and political unrest. Demonstrations and/or riots
due to unaffordable basic needs have already erupted in Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti,
Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal. FAO
says that six countries have an “exceptional shortfall” of food
supplies: Lesotho, Somalia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Iraq, and Moldova, while another
six suffer of “widespread lack of access” to food: Eritrea, Liberia,
Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and North Korea. Out of the estimated
~40 countries at “food crisis” risk, some 20 are or were recently
affected by internal conflicts, and 21 have suffered from floods, droughts,
and other weather disasters.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development
Synthesis Report presents statistical analyses of basic food prices,
an assessment of the state of world agricultural regions and threats to production;
suggests several strategies and methods to increase agricultural efficiency,
such as how to produce food that is less dependent on fossil fuels and favors
natural fertilizers and traditional seeds; and offers suggestions for rational
use and preservation of soil and water supply.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched
a new five-year food security strategy in Africa focussing on long-term investments
to improve food security programmes in 15 African countries. The new plan will
include new technologies, seed banks and soil nutrient management, and the establishment
of community-based food security monitoring systems.
The Twenty-Fifth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development
(COTED) on the Environment held in Greater Georgetown, Guyana, April 17-18,
2008 focused on critical environmental issues that affect the lives of people
of Small Island Developing and Low-Lying Coastal States. It was agreed that
the Caribbean Community Environmental and Natural Resource Framework should
address adaptation to climate change effects and food security and freshwater
resources.
In Australia, a six-year-long drought reduced Australia’s rice crop by
98% affecting local population, prices, and importing countries’ food
source.
A conference hosted by the European Water Forum in the European Parliament on
16 April increased the warnings of growing water scarcity concerns, calling
for speedy solutions to combat water shortages, which might include higher water
prices to deter overuse.
In order to assist countries to adopt a new strategy for addressing food and
water security by engaging international action to combat desertification, land
degradation and drought, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Secretariat
is convening a high-level policy dialogue to be held in Bonn, Germany on May
27.
Water security will also be affected by earlier melting of glaciers and mountain
snow, leaving millions of people in need during the summer when rainfall is
lower, warn scientists. The earth's sub-tropic zones, home to 70% of the world's
population, are the most vulnerable. The areas most at risk include parts of
the Middle East, southern Africa, the United States, South America and the Mediterranean.
The fast melting high altitude glaciers in Andean mountains alter eco-systems,
affecting the livelihood of people of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. The IPCC estimated
that rising temperatures could melt most of Latin America’s glaciers by
2022. In some regions, demand for water might exceed supply as soon as 2009.
Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice
Melting ice caps because of global warming may trigger more volcanic eruptions,
scientists estimate. Thinning ice and thus reduced weight on the earth’s
crust changes the geological stresses inside the crust in general, and also
intensifies the rate of magma melting, increasing the possibility of eruptions,
explain scientists Carolina Pagli of the University of Leeds, UK, Freysteinn
Sigmundsson of the University of Iceland, and Bill McGuire of University College
London in the UK.
Arctic permanent ice shelves are breaking off or cracking at a higher rate than
feared, noted polar ice researchers who accompanied Canadian Rangers on a patrol
around Ellesmere Island. They estimate that the High Arctic ice shelves could
all be fragmented in a matter of years. Another study, by scientists of the
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Colorado State University
(CSU), reveals that new Arctic sea ice is on average so extremely thin, that
it melts under the sunshine of clear summer skies it once could survive. U.S.
submarines’ readings reveal a 40% reduction in sea ice thickness since
1960.
The Arctic Climate Impact Science – An Update Since the Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment report, produced for the World Wildlife Fund, presented
to the Arctic Council, says that there could be factors contributing to climate
change that were not even considered, since the real changes are happening much
faster than predicted by computer models and scientists. The report estimates
that the summer ice pack could be gone in 5 to 32 years.
Release of long-stored methane gas from the thawing of the Arctic is one of
the phenomena that could have catastrophic warming effects. At the annual conference
of the European Geosciences Union held in Vienna, Russian polar scientists presented
evidence that the first stages of melting have already begun off the coast of
Siberia, as well as on land in northern Siberia.
There is research underway for the use of this methane as fuel. The state-owned
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation announced that it wants to extract
some 7 trillion tonnes of methane estimated to exist in Japanese coastal waters.
However, there are fears that this might release huge volumes of gas with possible
disastrous environmental consequences.
Computer Modeling
The results of a new study by MIT researchers reinforce the connection between
climate change and the intensity of storms. The new findings, based on pure
theoretical computer simulation analysis using the Global Circulation Models,
are consistent with the results of an earlier study, based on historical data,
which showed a near doubling in the intensity of Atlantic storms over the last
30 years. Both studies confirm an increase in the intensity and duration of
tropical cyclones, but, as for the future, many clarifications are still needed
to determine the effects of global warming and CO2 on storms’ number and
intensity.
Post-Kyoto Negotiations
The first session of the working groups for negotiating a post-Kyoto treaty
to address greenhouse gas emissions reductions took place from March 31 to April
4, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. Delegates from 163 countries participated. The
main outcome is a work plan to advance the Bali roadmap. Many delegates proposed
workshops on issues they wanted to be addressed by the new treaty. Generally,
the discussions went well, the main disagreement area being the Japanese proposal
on a “sectoral approach” for greenhouse gas emissions targets based
on energy-efficiency standards by industry, and the concept of “measuring,
reporting and verifying.” Seven more sessions will be held––three
this year and four in 2009.
The next meeting will be held in June, in Bonn, addressing developing countries’
adaptation strategies and clean technology transfer. In-depth discussions of
the Japanese proposal on greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency targets
were postponed to the August meeting to be held in Ghana. China, India, and
other developing countries strongly oppose the Japanese plan that would require
developing countries to stabilize greenhouse gases over the next 10–15
years and cut them in half by 2050. Significant disagreements remain over demands
from the U.S. and Japan for developing countries to accept binding targets as
part of a pact to stabilize greenhouse gases in the next 10–15 years and
cut them in half by 2050.
Aviation and shipping industries account for some 5%-8% of greenhouse gas emissions
and are sectors not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, due to the difficulty in
classifying them under individual nations. However, the European community estimates
that emissions might grow by 32% from shipping and 90% from aviation. Therefore,
Europe is advocating clear and meaningful greenhouse gas emission reduction
targets for the two sectors.
The newly elected Australian government sponsored a 2020 summit during April
2008. One thousand selected invitees spent two days considering ten themes,
including Australia’s long-term role in the region. A detailed response
to the summit is expected from the Government by the end of 2008. The new Australian
government has taken a more aggressive approach to CO2 emissions reduction and
the 2020 summit held in April 2008 encouraged the government to further take
a regional lead in this area. The government has committed Australia to a carbon-trading
scheme by 2010.
Governors of 20 U.S. states signed the Governors’ Declaration on Climate
Change at the 2008 Conference on Climate Change held at Yale University. The
Declaration is establishing a partnership between the states and the federal
government to increase efforts to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same meeting, Premier Jean Charest of Quebec, Canada, announced that
Quebec is joining the Western Climate Initiative, which calls for a 15% reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2020.
While negotiations for a post-2012 treaty continue, questions are growing about
better enforcement mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol to compel governments to
respect their commitments. Change of government shouldn’t allow policy
changes relative to a country’s international commitments and ratified
regulations. Canada, Japan and some southern European countries are all well
behind their targets. “The biggest concern comes from countries like Canada
that have openly begun voicing doubts about whether they will comply or even
care about complying,” said Antonio Hill, from Oxfam.
Sources:
Freshening of deep Antarctic waters worries experts
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/34921
'No Sun link' to climate change http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7327393.stm
Scientists downplay global warming’s effect on hurricanes http://www.sott.net/articles/show/153074-Scientists-downplay-global-warming-s-effect-on-hurricanes
Global Hot Spots of Hunger Set to Explode http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41976
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development http://www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=IAASTD%20Reports&ItemID=2713
International Federation launches new five-year food security strategy in Africa
focussing on long-term investments http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr08/1508.asp
Region urged to make the environment a priority http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-7280--39-39--.html
A Drought in Australia, a Global Shortage of Rice http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/business/worldbusiness/17warm.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Melting mountains a "time bomb" for water shortages http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL14573335.html
Town in the Andes faces crisis as glaciers melt http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/MNSDVIN7E.DTL
Melting ice caps may trigger more volcanic eruptions http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn13583-melting-ice-caps-may-trigger-more-volcanic-eruptions.html
(by subscription)
Arctic ice melting fast in summer sun http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/416901
A Storehouse of Greenhouse Gases Is Opening in Siberia http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,547976,00.html
'Flammable ice' could be mined for fuel http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/mg19826523.400-methane-could-be-mined-from-beneath-permafrost.html
New MIT study validates hurricane prediction http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/emanuel-paper-0417.html
Bangkok Climate Change Talks - 31 March to 4 April 2008 http://unfccc.int/meetings/intersessional/awg-lca_1_and_awg-kp_5/items/4288.php
Australia 2020 http://www.australia2020.gov.au/
Governors Call for Federal-State Climate Change Partnership http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-18-01.asp
Do global warming pledges matter? http://www.terradaily.com/2007/080403023938.mw16xxva.html
Nanotechnology Safety Issues
Some noteworthy nanotechnology safety activities from this month are:
• EU Establishes Nanotech Advisory Research Project. The EU FP7 (EU’s
Seventh Research Framework Programme) project “ObservatoryNANO”
has begun operation. According to nanoforum.org, it is funded for four years
and “will collate and analyze data regarding scientific and technological
(ST) trends and economic realities and expectations. The ST and economic analysis
will be further supported by assessment of ethical and societal issues, impacts
on health, environment and safety, as well as regulation, standardization, and
legislative issues.”
• New Analysis of Nanotech Risk Assessment Funding by the Project
on Emerging Nanotechnologies, analyzing nanotech spending for fiscal year 2006,
found that only $13 million––representing less than 1% percent of
the $1.4 billion U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative budget––was
spent on federal research projects highly relevant to addressing possible environment,
health and safety risks related to nanotechnology. The same year, European countries
invested nearly double––$24 million ––on similar nanotech
risk-assessment projects. Draft legislation proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives
Science Committee would require that in the future, a minimum 10% of the NNI
budget be devoted to risk assessment research.
• The NSTI Nanotech 2008 Conference is scheduled to be held in Boston
1-5 June. Two sessions on “Environmental [sic], Health and Toxicology”,
including a paper on “Legislative, Regulartory [sic] and Risk Management
for Nanotech EHS”, are on the program for 5 June.
Sources:
Observatory-NANO project http://www.observatory-nano.eu
ObservatoryNANO project kicks off in London http://nanoforum.org/nf06~modul~showmore~folder~99999~scc~news~scid~3573~.html?action=longview&
(free membership required)
ObservatoryNANO: responsible nanotechnology for socio-economic benefit http://www.safenano.org/SingleNews.aspx?NewsID=382
Project on Emerging Nanotechnolgies [sic] – Risk Research Inventory Update
Analysis http://www.nanotechproject.org/process/assets/files/6691/ehs_risk_research_inventory_080416_final.pdf
Europe Spends Nearly Twice as Much as U.S. on Nanotech Risk Research http://www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/ehs-update/
NSTI Nanotech 2008 http://nsti.org/Nanotech2008/
Reports Suggested for Review
Addressing Security Aspects of Climate Change
Delivering Climate Security: International Security Responses to a Climate Changed
World, by Nick Mabey, published by Britain’s Royal United Services Institute
for Defence and Security Studies, outlines a framework for climate security
analysis and some of its implications for security policy, practice and institutional
change. Noting that international response to climate security threats has been
‘slow and inadequate’, it recommends that nations integrate climate
change into their security policy to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Otherwise,
says the author, climate change might have security implications of “similar
magnitude to the World Wars, but which will last for centuries.”
Sources:
Delivering Climate Security: International Security Responses to a Climate Changed
World http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=g792406239~db=mass
Climate change 'may put world at war' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/04/23/eaclimate123.xml
Terrorists Could Tap Pharmaceutical Toxins
Old Plagues, New Threats by the Cooperative Nonproliferation Program at the
Stimson Center is a comprehensive analysis of the state of monitoring and regulation
of emerging products and technologies. It uses the pharmaceutical industry as
a case study and outlines the threats—from research and distribution to
injection into patients of products derived from select agents. The growing
interest in dangerous pathogens and toxins increases the potential of their
use in biological weapons by nefarious actors. Lack of adequate regulations
increases the possibility of such scenarios. [See also Accelerating Synthetic
Biology Applications Need Better Monitoring and Regulation in July 2007
and other similar items in previous environmental security reports.]
Source:
Pharmaceutical Terrorism—The Bane of Biotech http://www.stimson.org/pub.cfm?ID=596
Continually Rising Food Prices Threaten Long-Term
Global Stability
According to UN data, global food prices rose 35% this year and have already
risen 65% since 2002. Biofuels competition for land and water, climate change,
oil prices, and increasing population and incomes all contribute to the long-term
increases in food prices. The Food and Agriculture Organization found that dairy
prices rose nearly 80% and grain 42% in 2007. With nearly 3 billion people making
$2 or less per day, long-term global social conflict seems inevitable without
more serious food policies, scientific breakthroughs, and dietary changes.
Source:
Tensions Rise As World Faces Short Rations http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47716/story.htm
EU, Latin American and Caribbean Countries
Environment Cooperation
The first meeting of the EU, Latin American, and Caribbean countries’
environment ministers took place in Brussels, March 4, 2008, in a pre-meeting
to the high level summit to be held in Lima, in May. More than two dozen environment
ministers attended the meeting aiming to identify common priorities in order
to increase environmental efforts and better integrate them in the EU–LAC
countries’ areas of cooperation. The focus was on collaboration strategies
between the two regions for addressing climate change, renewable energy, biodiversity
loss, and deforestation. The EU has already pledged considerable funds to help
the region in domains such as natural resource management, renewable energy
and energy efficiency, forest management, climate change mitigation, greenhouse
gas reduction, carbon sequestration, and governance.
Source:
First ever meeting of environment ministers from EU and Latin America and Caribbean
countries held in Brussels http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/381&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
United Arab Emirates Establish Nuclear
Agency
The United Arab Emirates’ governing Cabinet approved the establishment
of the new Nuclear Energy Authority, with “the mandate to evaluate and
develop a peaceful nuclear energy program in line with the recommendations of
the International Atomic Energy Agency” as part of its civilian nuclear
power program.
Source:
UAE to set up nuclear agency http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Government/10199893.html
Shipwrecks Removal Treaty Received
First Signature
The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks adopted in May
2007 provides an international legal framework to deal with shipwrecks presenting
possible safety and/or environmental hazards. According to the International
Maritime Organization, the number of abandoned shipwrecks worldwide is estimated
to be 1,300, and the threat they represent has been increasing. The convention
provides the legal basis for States to remove the wrecks, or have them removed,
and have the registered owner liable for costs incurred. The Convention is open
for signature until November 18, 2008, thereafter being open for ratification,
accession or acceptance; it will enter into force 12 months after the date it
receives ten ratifications (or accessions or acceptances).
Sources:
Estonia the first to sign UN-backed sea wreck treaty http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26130&Cr=maritime&Cr1=
New international treaty on wreck removal adopted in Nairobi http://www.imo.org/About/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1472&doc_id=8070
Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications
Ionic Liquids Provide Safe Alternative to Mercury
Robin Rogers of Queen's University, Belfast, UK, and his colleagues have discovered
that ionic liquids (IL)––salts in liquid form––are an
environmentally safe substitute for mercury in thermometers. Gary Baker, of
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the U.S., also points out that ILs are
potentially green replacements for conventional solvents in other applications.
Source:
New ionic liquid in thermometers beats mercury on range, performance and safety
http://www.rsc.org/AboutUs/News/PressReleases/2008/ILThermometers.asp
New Rapid Portable Chemical Sensor
Guardion-7, a 28-pound, briefcase-sized unit is a portable chemical sensor that
can identify nerve agents, explosives and other substances within five minutes,
with high accuracy, even in extreme climates, apparently without false-positive
readings found in current sensors. It was developed by Brigham Young University
scientist Milton Lee and has been successfully tested at the Dugway Proving
Ground in Utah. The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency certified its accuracy
in February. Research continues to make the device even smaller and lighter.
Source:
BYU scientist creates chemical detector http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695263396,00.html
Reusable Carbon Aerogel Adsorbs Organic Solvent Pollutants
A monolithic carbon aerogel that will adsorb organic solvent pollutants such
as benzene, toluene and xylene, and that can be easily regenerated and used
repeatedly has been produced by David Fairén Jiménez and other
researchers at the Univ. of Granada in Spain.
Source:
Creation of a new material capable of eliminating pollutants by the hydrocarbon
industry http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/udg-coa022608.php
New Material Strips out Radioactive Debris
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory
and Northwestern University developed a layered sulfide compound, which very
efficiently strips out radioactive strontium-90 from nuclear waste. They are
now experimenting with the compound’s ability to isolate such other common
radioactive elements as cesium and uranium.
Source:
Compound removes radioactive material from power plant waste http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2008/news080313a.html
New Type Nanoscale Transistor Would Aid DNA Detectors
A mathematical simulation developed by Samuel Afuwape of National University,
in San Diego, helps to design a new type of nanoscale transistor for a portable
DNA detector for testing contaminated sites. The new nanoscale ion-selective
field-effect transistor (ISFET) could be integrated into a biosensor containing
thousands of DNA sequences that would bind with DNA sequences in a sample, producing
changes in conductivity detectable by the ISFET. The miniature DNA detector
would have broad application, including bioweapons detection.
Source:
A handheld DNA detector may soon be a reality http://www.topnews.in/health/handheld-dna-detector-may-soon-be-reality-21411
New “Green IT” Software under Development
A group at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute started
development of “software that is free and easy to download, which will
make networked computers more energy-efficient and reduce carbon emissions by
saving on electricity needs.” The software will eventually be available
from the project website: http://projects.oucs.ox.ac.uk/lowcarbonict.
Sources:
Oxford University launches research project for low carbon computing http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/press-releases/080317low-itc.pdf
Oxford University to Develop Free Green Computing Software http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55791
Energy/Performance Benchmark for Workstations under Development
A new, environmentally-oriented project of the Standard Performance Evaluation
Corporation (SPEC) Graphics and Workstation Performance Group is “working
on the benchmark for performance in relation to power consumption, incorporating
current benchmarks for 3D graphics as well as looking at workloads for rendering,
financial modeling, video encoding and other processes” announced a Greener
Computing news story. SPEC will be submitting the benchmark to EPA for use in
its Energy Star rating system.
Source:
SPEC Developing Benchmark for Workstation Power Use, Performance http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55773
Chemical Emission Certification Extended
to Electronic Devices
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), the country’s largest certifier
of chemical emissions from building products and furnishings, is expanding its
certification efforts to include computers and other electronic devices. According
to an Institute announcement, “The GREENGUARD program measures chemical
‘outgassing’ of the product during normal use and operation. Measured
emissions are then compared to an extensive list of publicly available short
term and long term health risk exposure levels available from the US Environmental
Protection Agency, Occupational Safety Health Administration, the state of California,
and CDC’s Registry of Toxic Substances.”
Source:
GREENGUARD Expands into Certifying Computers & Electronics http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid=43&ItemId=451
Updates on Previously Identified Issues
Biological Weapons Convention Lacks Enforcement Mechanism, Warns Russian
General
Col. Gen. Vladimir Filippov, commander of Russia’s WMD protection force,
warned that the Biological Weapons Convention lacks enforcement mechanisms that
would help prevent nations and terrorists from producing biological warfare
agents. The issue was also previously raised by the Nonaligned Nations Movement
at the 2007 meeting of states parties. The next Meeting of States Parties is
scheduled for December 2008 and the review conference of the BWC is planned
for 2011. [See also Progress for Enforcing Biological Weapons Convention
in December 2007 and Sixth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons
Convention in December 2006 and other related environmental security reports.]
Source:
Enforcement Needed for BWC, Russian General Says http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2008_3_12.html#9729B07E
Arctic Disputes Continue
An authoritative report, Climate Change and International Security,
to the European Council, among other recommendations for addressing security
issues in the new context of climate change, recommends “Develop an EU
Arctic policy based on the evolving geo-strategy of the Arctic region, taking
into account i.a. [inter alia] access to resources and the opening of new trade
routes.” It notes, “The increased accessibility of the enormous
hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic region is changing the geo-strategic dynamics
of the region.” A recent U.S. survey revealed that the Alaska continental
shelf might extend more than 100 nautical miles farther from the U.S. coast
than previously assumed, therefore eventually giving the U.S. the right to claim
access to extra seabed resources if it were party to the Law of the Sea treaty.
In the meantime, the US-based Arctic Oil & Gas Company has filed a claim
with the UN to act as the sole “development agent” in the Arctic
region, with exclusive rights to extract oil and gas from the central Arctic
Ocean currently beyond the territorial control of the polar nations. [See also
Disputes over Polar Regions Expands in October 2007, Arctic Debate
Intensifies in August 2007, and other similar items in previous environmental
security reports.]
Sources:
Climate Change and International Security. Paper from the High Representative
and the European Commission to the European Council http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/reports/99387.pdf
U.S. firm lays claim to 'potentially vast' Arctic oil resources http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=2699b272-8fed-4da6-8c2a-d54390f7d54b
Arctic Melt Yields Hints of Bigger U.S. Seabed Claim http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/arctic-melt-yields-hints-of-bigger-us-seabed-claim/
Continental Slope Off Alaska 100 Nautical Miles Further Off Coast Than Assumed
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211134449.htm
China’s New Ministry of Environmental Protection
China announced the creation of five new “super ministries”: Ministry
of Industry and Information, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security,
Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction,
and Ministry of Transport, and a ministerial-level national energy body to oversee
energy policy across all ministries. Establishing the new environment ministry
is intended to help tackle China’s growing pollution problems. Environmental
monitoring and law enforcement will be high priorities, said future minister
of environmental protection, Zhou Shengxian, at the 2008 National Environmental
Law Enforcement Conference. [See also China May Restructure Environmental
Effort in October 2007, and other related items in previous environmental
security reports.]
Source:
China's parliament adopts government reshuffle plan http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008npc/2008-03/15/content_6538946.htm
China announces 'super-ministries', including one for environment http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5giPUHFKPnbJWleDQdRstP-tEg-0w
Environment chief vows to add muscle http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-03/25/content_6563818.htm
EU Leaders Support the 20/20/20 Energy Plan
At the recent EU summit (March 13-14), member states’ leaders indicated
support for the EU’s 20/20/20 energy plan. The package should receive
full political backing by all governments by the end of 2008 in order to be
discussed at the EU Parliament in the first week of 2009. In spite of the tight
deadline, EU officials are confident that the plan will pass in time to give
the EU a better negotiating position at the December 2009 UN climate change
summit. At the same time, despite some countries’ disagreements and complaints,
the European Commission reaffirmed that it is not willing to change the timetables
and national targets. However: 1) some concessions were agreed for energy intensive
industries such as steel and cement factories, which could get free pollution
permits––instead of having to buy them by auction, and 2) foreign
companies might also be made to take part in the emissions trading system (ETS).
[See also European Commission’s New Low-carbon 20/20/20 by 2020 Energy
Plan in January 2008 environmental security report.]
EU to commit to tight legislative deadline for green goals http://euobserver.com/9/25832/?rk=1
Brussels defends EU burden-sharing on climate change http://euobserver.com/9/25829/?rk=1
Brussels to grant some concessions to industry in environment proposals http://euobserver.com/9/25839/?rk=1
7.5 Waste Disposal a Matter of Discord or Cooperation between Palestine and
Israel
Waste disposal might additionally fuel the increasingly tense relations between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority as waste is transferred from Israel to
areas of the West Bank. The main problem is that large quantities of building
waste are deposited in pirate sites near Palestinian villages. Some contain
toxic substances polluting the environment, leaking into the water system, and
endangering the public health of both Palestinian and Israeli people. Scientists
and environmentalists call on the two parties to leave aside diplomatic disagreements
and develop collaborative relations on environmental issues generally and on
solving the waste problem specifically. [See also Water Scarcity in
March 2007, and Iran and Iraq Sign Environment Protection Agreement
in January 2008 environmental security reports.]
Source:
Apart from the security problems http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/960889.html
Plastic Threats to the Marine Environment
Researchers are increasingly warning of the long-term threat from plastic waste
to the marine environment as studies confirm the risks from hidden contamination.
While most attention is focused on dangers that visible items of plastic waste
pose to wildlife, new researches investigate the impact of underwater microscopic
plastic fragments on tiny marine organisms. Researchers note that all continents
experience plastic contamination and plastic particles could represent as much
as one-quarter of the total weight of sandy material samples gathered on shorelines
at the high tide mark. [See also The Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention
of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter Enters into Force
in March 2006 and other previous environmental security reports on similar issues.]
Source:
Warning on plastic's toxic threat http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7316441.stm
Water Footprint Measuring System
On the occasion of World Water Day, reminding of possible conflicts over water,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to create
strategies for using water more efficiently and sharing it more fairly. Similarly,
researchers suggest that it is timely to use a system to measure water footprint
similar to that used for carbon footprint. A symposium held by the UNESCO-IHE
(Institute for Water Education) discussed the “virtual water” issue
specifically related to the world energy markets. It was pointed out that present
practices are not sustainable and therefore it is necessary to introduce a system
to measure water footprint in order to help better understand water issues,
identify areas with highest impact, and develop adequate policies. Calculating
a water footprint might increase awareness and influence practices, similar
to the impact that carbon footprint has. [See also World Leaders Discuss
Environmental Security Policies at Davos in January 2007, Water Scarcity
in March 2007, World Water Forum in March 2006, and other previous
environmental security reports on the water issue.]
Sources:
World's Water Needs Grow More Urgent http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-17-01.asp
Experts Seek Answers on Water Footprint http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/27/AR2008032702567.html
Waterfootprint http://www.waterfootprint.org
Water Trade–A Virtual Reality? UNESCO-IHE symposium http://legacy.citg.tudelft.nl/wmg/dispuut/symposium/index.html
Kyrgyzstan’s Deforestation Threatens Central Asia’s Security
The Kyrgyz government’s Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry
and environmentalists have issued warnings about the country’s rate of
deforestation and its consequences. It is estimated that over the past 50 years,
half of the forest cover was lost, and illegal logging continues at a rate about
at par with the legal one, maintained by corruption and the population’s
low living standard. Kyrgyzstan forests are crucial for the whole Central Asian
ecosystem, their disappearance causing water scarcity, health problems, and
more frequent natural disasters such as floods, landslides and droughts. Experts
demand better enforcement of international environmental regulations to which
the country is party. [See also UN General Assembly Adopts Global Forest
Agreement in December 2007 and Environment and Security Program in
the East-Caspian Region in September 2007, Network of Environment Centres
in Central Asia in February 2004, and Prospective International Agreements
for Mountain Regions in October 2002 environmental security reports.]
Source:
Kyrgyz Greens Warn of Deforestation Risks http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-11-02.asp
Climate Change
Food and Water Security
An EU report, Climate Change and International Security, warns that
water scarcity and food insecurity caused by rising prices and diminishing harvests,
particularly in the Middle East, are likely to cause “serious security
risks” for Europe and internationally.
African Environment Day, organized by the African Union (AU) Commission to raise
awareness of the impact land degradation and desertification have on Africa’s
development, was observed under the theme “Adapting to Climate Change
for Livelihood Security in Africa.”
Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice
At the southwestern edge of the Wilkins Ice Shelf of western Antarctica, a chunk
of ice with an area of about 400 sq km broke up into icebergs. This might trigger
the disintegration of a larger part of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, which totals about
14,500 sq km, and is now connected by only a 6 km strip of ice.
According to data of UNEP’s World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), the
average rate at which the world’s glaciers are melting and thinning has
more than doubled between the years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Analyzing data
from around 100 glaciers, with continual annual data series for 30 reference
glaciers since 1980, WGMS found that average ‘water equivalent’
loss has risen from 0.3 meter per year between 1980 and 1999, to about 0.5 meter
per year after the year 2000, and estimates of 1.4 meters in 2006. Out of the
30 reference glaciers only one (Echaurren Norte in Chile) thickened in 2006
compared to 2005, while all the others shrank, with European glaciers being
among the most affected. Glaciers represent the only fresh water source for
millions of people around the globe.
Rising Sea Levels
Bangladesh, chair of the Least Developed Countries, insists that developed countries
increase LDC’s access to investment, resources and technologies needed
to adapt to climate change effects. Of more than $1 billion pledged at the 2002
Johannesburg Earth summit for improving preparedness of vulnerable countries,
less than $180 million have been delivered, and no contributions were yet made
to the investment fund set at Bali. Being the most at risk, LDCs demand to take
an active part in the global climate talks. At Bangladesh’s request, Britain
offered financial support for LDCs participation in negotiations and will host
a conference in May addressing Bangladesh’s vulnerability. A one-meter
sea level rise would flood about one-third of Bangladesh, affecting about 25–30
million people.
Recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey warns of the danger that rising
sea levels over the next 50 years represent to the U.S. coastal population.
Among the most threatened are the islands of California’s Sacramento-San
Joaquin delta, the islands in Chesapeake Bay, parts of the Louisiana coast,
and the New York subway system. However, the 5,000 residents of the California’s
delta islands are likely to become the first environmental refugees in the United
States. The threat is the result of the interplay of two factors both effects
of climate change: rising sea levels, and increased rainfalls over snow in the
Sierra Mountains as a result of warming temperatures, thus raising the risk
of floods.
Adaptation
“The UN estimates that all but one of its emergency appeals for humanitarian
aid in 2007 were climate related,” notes the Climate Change and International
Security report.
The Kyoto Protocol’s Adaptation Fund Board held its inaugural meeting
in Bonn, Germany, on March 28, 2008. The Fund will finance concrete adaptation
projects and programs in developing countries. The fund now estimated at about
$58.4 million is expected to increase to $80-300 million over 2008-2012. The
finance source is a 2% levy of the Clean Development Mechanism, so it is “not
reliant on donor funding or overseas development assistance. This is the climate
regime beginning to become self-financing,” noted Yvo de Boer, Executive
Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Caribbean states agreed to set up a joint tsunami early warning center by
2010. The center will relay information from national geological institutes
across the region. Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela were named as possible
hosts of the center, which would have a $250,000 annual budget funded by national
governments, France, the U.S., and UNESCO.
Post-Kyoto Negotiations
The first meeting since the December Bali co