PlanetLife - January 25th, 2014 (PDF)

8/13/2019 PlanetLife - January 25th, 2014 (PDF)

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UNCHECKED GLOBAL WARMING WILLDOUBLE EXTREME EL NINO WEATHER EVENTSBy Dami en Car rin gto n, The

Guardian, 20th January 2014

T h e w o r l d ' s m o s t

devastating global weather

phenomenon the weather

events associated with "El Nio"

will double in frequency to

once a decade if global warming

remains unchecked, according to

what scientists believe is a major

s t e p f o r w a r d i n t h e

understanding of such events.

The last extreme El Nio, in

1997-98, resulted in the hottest

yea r on rec ord , and t heaccompanying floods, cyclones,

droughts and wildfires killed an

estimated 23,000 people and

cau sed 21b n-28b n in

damage, particularly to food

production. But until now

scientists have been unable to

agree how climate change will

affect the frequency of extreme

El Nios.A study, published in the

journal Nature Climate Change,

concludes that in stark contrast

to earlier work, the current rate

of carbon emissions would mean

twice as many extreme El Nios

over the next 100 years, with

p r o f o u n d s o c i o e c o n o m i c

consequences.

"This is a highly unexpected

c o n s e q u e n c e o f g l o b a l

warming," said Professor Mat

Collins of the University of

Exeter, part of the research

team. "Previously we had

thought that El Nio would be

unaffected by climate change.

Tropical rainfall conditions such

as those experienced in extreme

El Nios have a dramatic

influence on the world [] the

impact therefore on mankind is

substantial."Another team member,

Professor Eric Guilyardi of the

University of Reading, said:

"This research is the first

comprehensive examination of

the issue to produce robust and

convincing results about extreme

El Nios."

El Nios begin with an

unusual warming of the sea

surface at the tropics of the

eastern Pacific and spread to

affect many parts of the world.

Previous attempts to ascertain

the effect of climate change were

inconclus ive , a s d i f f erent

computer cl imate models

produced conflicting results.

For more on this story visit:

theguardian.com

PLANETLIFE

25Janu

ary2015

Genetically Modified Food -

What is it all About?

Page 8

Emergency Management

Lets Plan Together

Page 13

The Social Cost of Carbon-

Questions & Answers

Page 3
http://www.theguardian.com/world/wildfireshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/carbon-emissionshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/carbon-emissionshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2100http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2100http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-changehttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-changehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/wildfireshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/wildfires


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Opinion Piece by Peter Burdon, ABC, 22nd January

2014.

Population growth is often nominated as the

mother of all environmental problems. But it's not

so simple.

"Population growth is the most important

issue we face. If you can't get your head around

that your words are empty and meaningless!"

Surely I am not the only one who has been

harangued by these words. They usually come at

the end of a public lecture from an older wealthy

white man who has been waiting with increasing

agitation for his opportunity to talk. It is usually

also followed by some call to implement punitive

measures for "the breeders".

I really hate this argumentand not just

because I have two children of my own.I hate it because it obscures the complexity of

human impact on the environment. One simple

framework for understanding this impact is the

IPAT formula, which holds that ecological impact

(I) is a function of population (P), affluence (or

consumption levels) (A), and technology (T).

According to this equation, reducing

population is an important part of reducing our

environmental impact. However, population is not

the only, nor necessarily the most important,

factor. Rather, it is absolutely necessary that

people in affluent societies learn how to consumenot just differently and more efficiently, but less

(A). This is supported by the ACF Consuming

Australia Report (pdf) which found that: "Most of

our impact on the environment actually comes

from the pollution created and the water and land

used in the production and distribution of the

goods and services we purchase."

An exclusive focus on population not only

obscures this complexity; it also plays on people's

prejudices about who the "breeders" are and shifts

attention away from our own significant

responsibility for the environmental crisis.Allow me to explain what I mean.

Paul Crutzen, the Nobel Prize winning

chemist described the period from the industrial

revolution to the present as the "anthropocene". If

adopted at the 35th International Geological

Congress in 2016, the term anthropocene would

serve to mark the significant impact of human

activity on the Earth's ecosystem. Speaking in

favour of this descriptor, David Suzuki contends

that "human beings have joined God [as being]

powerful enough to influence" the Earths

geophysical processes.

With respect to population, the number of

human beings on Earth grew from two billion

people in the 1920s to seven billion in 2011. This

number is increasing by over two people per

second or 200,000 people every day and is

expected to peak this century at around 10 billion

people. Each additional life needs food, energy,

water, shelter and hopefully a whole lot more. This

growth has obvious material impacts on the

environment.

However , wha t concep t s l i k e the

anthropocene and arguments around population

growth often disguise, is that not all human beingsare equally responsible for ecological harm.

Lumping all human beings into a single subject

does great violence to the billions of people who

are actually the victims of the gluttony and excess

of the minority.


www.abc.net.au/environment

POPULATION IS NOT THEPROBLEM

PLANETLIFE

25January2014
https://acfonline.org.au/sites/default/files/resource/res_Atlas_Main_Findings.pdfhttp://simplicitycollective.com/how-to-win-the-wilberforce-award-the-problem-is-overconsumption-not-overpopulationhttp://www.unfpa.org/public/home/sitemap/7Billionhttp://www.unfpa.org/public/home/sitemap/7Billionhttp://www.35igc.org/html/index.htmlhttp://www.35igc.org/html/index.htmlhttp://www.35igc.org/html/index.htmlhttp://www.35igc.org/html/index.htmlhttps://acfonline.org.au/sites/default/files/resource/res_Atlas_Main_Findings.pdfhttps://acfonline.org.au/sites/default/files/resource/res_Atlas_Main_Findings.pdfhttp://simplicitycollective.com/how-to-win-the-wilberforce-award-the-problem-is-overconsumption-not-overpopulationhttp://simplicitycollective.com/how-to-win-the-wilberforce-award-the-problem-is-overconsumption-not-overpopulationhttp://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153641/http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153641/


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PLANETLIFE2

5January2014 T H E P E O P L E V S

CARBON:S O C I A L C O S T O FCARBON Q & A

By The Climate Reality Project, 21st

January 2014

Lets face it the Social Cost of

Carbon (SCC), while an incrediblyimportant policy tool, could be a little

more straightforward. Last Wednesday,

Maggie L. Fox, CEO and President of

The Climate Reality Project explained

what the SCC is all about and laid out

the facts in the case of the People vs.

Carbon during a live webinar. (Watch

the recording on-demand here.)

During the webinar, we spoke

about the future were all working to

create one in which carbon pollution-

fueled climate change is a thing of thepast. To get there, we first have to

understand why carbon pollution is a

problem. We need to be able to

recognize and account for the costs of

carbon pollution to our health, our

livelihoods, our infrastructure and our

climate. Thenwe need to do something

about it and put a price on carbon.

We had time for a few brief

questions, but many more came to us

through the webinars chat function and

Twitter.

Here are some of the top questions

our audience submitted. We hope these

help you better understand whats really

happening with the SCC and that you

submit your comment to the White

House Office of Management and

Budget today.

Q. How far does a price on carbon

go to actually reducing carbon

pollution?

A. Quite far, actually. A price on

carbon does two important things. First,

it shifts the financial responsibility forthe devastation caused by carbon

pollution off ordinary citizens and onto

the fossil fuels responsible for producing

itand making record profits while

they do.

Second, it uses market forces to

trigger a whole series of fundamental

changes in how we think about and use

energy as a society. With a price on

carbon, the economics of fossil fuels

reflects their true cost to all of us.

Meanwhile, clean energy sources thatproduce no or little carbon pollution

become even more cost-competitive and

in the long run much cheaper. They also

become more attractive investments,

which in turn promotes further research

and innovation. As people turn to more

clean energy sources for their power

and also make a greater priority of

energy efficiency, they use less fossil fuels

and so produce less carbon pollution.Think of it as a virtuous cycle of sorts.

Q. Is there a comprehensive body

of data on fossil fuel subsidies?

A. In 2013, the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that

global energy subsidies totaled $1.9

trillion (for more information, see here

and here[PDF]). In the U.S., the White

House committed in October 2013 to

begin publishing an annual tally of

federal fossil fuel subsidies.

Q. The EPA uses a formula which

does not include critical data from

climate science, because that data is not

precisely quantified, and thus uncertain

(economists dont like uncertainty).

However, by ignoring the worst, and

increasingly most likely threats, the EPA

is ignoring the real danger in their

artificially low social cost of carbon

estimates. How is The Climate Reality

Project addressing this (Particularly

when Exxon is already budgeting for a

carbon tax considerably higher than the

EPA estimates)? Our goal is todrastically reduce the carbon in the

atmosphere, not simply make it slightly

more expensive to emit.

A. The task force in charge of

developing the SCC estimateswhich

includes representatives from the EPA

utilizes models that incorporate the

latest available science. While these

estimates are a good first step, there is

no doubt that these models omit critical

pieces that would otherwise push the

SCC estimates higher.Here at The Climate Reality

Project, we believe an accurate SCC

value that accounted for the impact of

carbon pollution on everything from

our tax burden to our health care costs

would be significantly higher than the

current estimate of $37/metric ton.

However, we support and applaud

OMBs work to raise it from the initial

$23.80/metric ton. With the fossil fuelindustry and its allies in Congress

actively doing everything they can to

undermine this increase, our first step is

to protect this progress. Taking this first

step, though, doesnt mean that we stop

marching forward.

Q. How is the Social Cost of

Carbon used is there an example you

can provide to illustrate its use?

A. The government uses the SCC

in all cost-benefit analyses where new

regulations could potentially affect

greenhouse gas emissions. Or, to put it

another way, the government can

estimate how much more or less carbon

pollution any new rule would lead to.

Using the SCC, the government then

estimates how much this increase or

decrease would cost or save us as a

society, thanks to the damage carbon

pollution causes.

We saw what this meant in practice

last year when the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE) updated its energy

efficiency standards for microwaves sonew models had to use less power. The

DOE estimated this rule would prevent

the release of over 31 million metric

tons of carbon pollution between 2016

2045. Using the SCC estimates for

these 30 years, the DOE could then

project that preventing these emissions

would result in a societal benefit of a

little over $1 billion, a clear win by any

count.


climaterealityproject.org
http://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2013/012813.pdfhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2013/012813.pdfhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://www.imf.org/external/np/fad/subsidies/index.htmhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/fad/subsidies/index.htmhttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188848-white-house-us-will-publish-fossil-fuel-subsidy-totalshttp://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2013/012813.pdfhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2013/012813.pdfhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/fad/subsidies/index.htmhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/fad/subsidies/index.htmhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/people-vs-carbon?utm_source=PvCBlog&utm_campaign=PeopleVsCarbon&utm_medium=referral&source=bloghttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinarhttp://forms.climaterealityproject.org/page/s/the-social-cost-of-carbon-webinar


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PLANETLIFE2

5January2014

By Tom Clynes, National Geographic, 24th

January 2014.

Canad a ' s Yu kon Ter r i to ry

announced on Tuesday that it has

opened one of the largest unbroken

wilderness areas in North America to

mining and mineral exploration.

The government's decree stunned

indigenous leaders, who support a2011

plan developed under Yukon land

claims treaties that would have

maintained the wilderness character of

80 percent of the area, which is known

as the Peel watershed region. The

government's new plan all but reverses

that figure, opening some 71 percent ofthe watershed to mining.

The Yukon features some of

Canada's highest peaks and largest

glaciers, as well as tremendous expanses

of lake-dotted tundra, boreal forests,

and wetlands. (See "Yukon: Canada's

Wild West" in the February issue of

National Geographic magazine.) It's

also rich in wildlife, with extreme

seasonal shifts that beckon vast herds of

caribou and other animals into motion.

Larger than California but with only37,000 inhabitants, the territory has

been mostly empty of humans since the

Klondike Stampede ended in the 1890s.

In recent years a new gold rush has

brought a spike in population and

prosperity to towns like Whitehorse and

Dawson. But the rush to exploit the

Yukon's mineralswhich also include

zinc, copper, iron, and uraniumhas

unearthed growing tensions between

government and mining interests on the

one hand, and conservation and

indigenous First Nations interests on the

other.

Among the territory's wildest

quarters is the Peel watershed, a

pristine, almost completely roadless

wilderness that drains an area larger

than Scotland.

"The Peel watershed is one of the

few places left where you still have large,

intact predator-prey ecosystems," says

Karen Baltgailis of the Yukon

Conservation Society. "From wolves and

grizzlies and eagles on down, it's a

wildlife habitat of global importance."

The Yukon's Peel First Nations

have signed land claims agreements

with the territorial and federal

governments. The agreements, which

lay out the procedure for land use

planning, are embedded in Canada's

constitution. "We spent seven years on a

well-formed and democratic public

planning process," says David Loeks,

Peel Watershed Planning Commissionchair.

Initially, First Nations leaders

wanted the entire 26,000-square-mile

(67,000-square-kilometer) Peel region to

be off-limits to miners. "Every trickle of

water that runs into the Peel watershed

should be protected," said Jimmy

Johnny, an elder in the Na-cho Nyak

Dun nation. "Taking care of that area is

a traditional value. [It's the source of]

our food, our fruit, our traditional

medicine. It's very important, not onlyfor our future generations but for

everybody."

The planning commission reached

a compromise that would allow 20

percent of the area to be staked and

mined. "Nobody got everything they

asked for," says Loeks, "but we expected

the agreement to be honored."

In the fall of 2011, elections

brought the Yukon Party, which is

heavily supported by mining interests,

into power. Currie Dixon, a member of

the Yukon Legislative Assembly who

serves as Minister of Environment and

Minister of Economic Development,

said, "The vast majority of my

colleagues and I indicated we weren't

comfortable with the plan. The

commission's process wasn't flawed, but

the product produced by the

commission was. And since we won a

majority government, we felt a mandate

to proceed in a manner that was thecorrect one."

The government's new plan sets

aside only 29 percent of the Peel region

as "protected lands." It prohibits new

claim-staking in these areas, but allows

miners to build roads to reach and

develop existing mineral claims.

"How can they even call them

'protected lands,'" asks Baltgailis, "when

the plan allows mines and all-weather

roads for industrial development right

along rivers that are major tourismdestinations? Given that most of the

Yukon is already open for development,

do they not see the need to protect some

large, last great wilderness areas?"

"We don't feel it would be

responsible to take [most of the Peel

region] off the table for any mining

activities at all," says Dixon. "Yukon

protects more land base than any other

province or territory in Canada. And

that 29 percent is more than two

Yellowstones."


news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/

YUKON, CANADA OPENS VASTWILDERNESS TO MINING
http://protectpeel.ca/peel_partners_first_nations.htmlhttp://protectpeel.ca/peel_partners_first_nations.htmlhttp://www.yukonconservation.org/http://www.yukonconservation.org/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/interactive-maphttp://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/1890_klondike.htmlhttp://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/1890_klondike.htmlhttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-releases-its-peel-river-watershed-land-use-plan-1.2505658http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-releases-its-peel-river-watershed-land-use-plan-1.2505658http://www.nndfn.com/http://www.nndfn.com/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://www.nndfn.com/http://www.legassembly.gov.yk.ca/mlas/946.htmlhttp://www.legassembly.gov.yk.ca/mlas/946.htmlhttp://www.nndfn.com/http://www.nndfn.com/http://www.nndfn.com/http://www.nndfn.com/http://protectpeel.ca/peel_partners_first_nations.htmlhttp://protectpeel.ca/peel_partners_first_nations.htmlhttp://www.yukonconservation.org/http://www.yukonconservation.org/http://www.yukonconservation.org/http://www.yukonconservation.org/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/interactive-maphttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/interactive-maphttp://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/1890_klondike.htmlhttp://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/1890_klondike.htmlhttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/yukon/clynes-texthttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-releases-its-peel-river-watershed-land-use-plan-1.2505658http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-releases-its-peel-river-watershed-land-use-plan-1.2505658


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PLANETLIF

E2

5January2014

JAPANESE FISHERMEN

KILL 41 DOLPHINSBy SMH, 22nd January 2014

More than 40 bottle-nose dolphins

were killed during an annual hunt in

Japan, the conservation group Sea

Shepherd said, four days after US

ambassador Caro l ine Kennedy

criticised the slaughter.

A total of 93 animals were taken

from the ocean in the past six days by

hunters in the coastal town of Taiji, and

41 of them were killed yesterday, SeaShepherd activists known as the Cove

Guardians said on an official Facebook

page.

Kennedy, who took up the post of

ambassador to Japan in November, and

singer Yoko Ono Lennon are among

those who have spoken out against this

year's hunt.

Environmental groups decry the

annual dolphin slaughter, depicted in

2009's Oscar-winning documentary

The Cove, as inhumane, while Japan

defends it as a cultural tradition.

" D e e p l y c o n c e r n e d b y

inhumaneness of drive-hunt dolphin

killing," Kennedy said in a post on

Twitter on January 18, referring to the

method by which the animals areherded into a cove before being killed.

For more visit:

www.smh.com.au

WHALING FLEETFOUND AFTERHUNT TRIPBy Andrew Darby, SMH, 25th January

2014

The Japanese whaling fleet is said

to be on the run again in the Antarctic

after being found by activists who

followed up a tip from the Federal

Environment Minister, Greg Hunt.

The factory ship Nisshin Maru

was re-located in the Ross Sea, far

south-east of Australia, by the Sea

Shepherd activists after it gave them

the slip earlier in January.

Following the first AustralianCustoms aerial monitoring flight of

the fleet, on 14 January, Mr Hunt said

the aircraft located Nisshin Maru over

1,000 nautical miles away from the

Australian Search and Rescue Zone.

"From this, Sea Shepherd was able

to deduce the location of the whaling

fleet," the activists said in a statement.

They finally chased down Nisshin

Maru by following a trail of butchered

whale parts in the water, according to

Peter Hammarstedt, captain of the Sea

Shepherd ship, Bob Barker.

"After the weather cleared, on

Friday we saw a piece of whale blubber

in the water and knew that we were

close," Mr Hammarstedt told Fairfax

Media. "We followed it up for 10 hours

and there it was.

"I am about 13 nautical miles

behind them with the Bob Barker, and

the Steve Irwin is about 12 nautical

mi les in f ront o f them," Mr

Hammartsetd said on Saturday.

"We have them boxed in. We seem

to be quite steady with them, matching

speed. There really should be no way of

them getting away from us."

The activists intend to chase the

fleet out of the International Whaling

Commission's Southern Ocean Whale

Sanctuary.

Mr Hammarstedt said there had

been no contact between the two sides,

but it appeared the Nisshin Maru was

low on fuel, and it might attempt to

refuel soon.

Last season there were multiple

collisions when the Sea Shepherd vessels

blockaded the factory ship from

refuelling by the tanker Sun Laurel in

ice-strewn waters off Australia's Davis

station.

J a p a n ' s c o n s u l g e n e r a l i n

Melbourne, Hidenobu Sobashima, said

the whaling fleet was conducting lawful

research in the Antarctic, and the

Japanese Government condemned the

dangerous and obstructive activities of

Sea Shepherd.

OCEANLIFE


6/12

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By Economic Times, 25th January 2014

DAVOS: India has been ranked at a low 155th position

in a global list that places countries on how well they performon high-priority environmental issues.

The 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI),

released today here, has ranked 178 countries in total.

Among them, India is placed at the 155th position, with an

index score of 31.23 points. Its rank is also much lower than

BRICS peers.

Among the BRICS, South Africa was placed at the 72nd

rank with an index score of 53.51, followed by Russia (73rd

rank, 53.45 points), Brazil (77th rank, 52.97 points) and

China (118th rank, 43 points).

Besides, India has fared poorly compared to

neighbouring countries like Nepal and Pakistan -- which are

ranked 139th and 148th, respectively.The overall list is topped by Switzerland followed by

Luxembourg, Australia, Singapore, and Czech Republic.

"Emerging economies, including China, India, Brazil,

Russia, and South Africa, have had modest improvement

over the past decade, but they have also paid an

environmental price for their rapid growth," the report said.The emerging economies represent 55 per cent of global

growth from the end of 2009 to 2012.

Urbanisation without sufficient investment in

environmental safeguards is a key reason for emerging

economies' poor showing when it comes to air quality,

biodiversity and habitat protection.

The 178 nations in the index represent 99 per cent of

the global population, 98 per cent of the world's total land

area, and 97 per cent of the global GDP, the report said.

"The EPI reveals that improved environmental results

are possible when measurement and management practices

align. When data and measurement are poor or not in

concert with policy priorities, natural and human systems

suffer," Yale University Professor Daniel Esty said.


www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

INDIA RANKED 155TH IN GLOBALENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE LIST

PLANETLIF

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http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com/http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com/http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com/


7/12

7

PLANETLIFE

25January2014 EARTHQUAKES AROUND

THE WORLD THIS WEEK5.0 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

5.4 BANDA SEA

5.3 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND

5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS

5.0 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR

5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION5.9 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

5.1 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA5.5 FLORES SEA

5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS

5.0 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR

5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

5.9 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

5.1 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA

5.5 FLORES SEA

5.0 KURIL ISLANDS5.5 VANUATU REGION

5.4 TONGA

5.0 KURIL ISLANDS

5.5 VANUATU REGION

5.4 TONGA

5.0 WEST CHILE RISE

5.2 KURIL ISLANDS6.0 TONGA

5.2 STATE OF YAP, MICRONESIA

6.2 NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND

5.1 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

5.0 NORTH INDIAN OCEAN

5.0 KURIL ISLANDS

BRITISH ISLES: 41

EARTHQUAKES IN 50DAYS

By BBC, 21st January 2014.

A town which has experienced 30

earthquakes in 50 days is currently the

"most seismically active" area in the

British Isles, seismologists have said.

The recent tremors in and around

New Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, have

been attributed to mining.

The British Geological Survey

(BGS) said the "swarm" of tremorswere not likely to cause damage and

could soon reduce again.

The earthquakes have all been

small, with the largest magnitude being

1.7.

The BGS said it had recorded 41

earthquakes around the British Isles

over the last 50 days with the majority

happening in Nottinghamshire.

BGS seismologist Glenn Ford said

many people would not have realised

the tremors were earthquakes and

would have disregarded them.

"People often think it's traffic noise

or a train," he said.

Mr Ford said the last significant

earthquake in the British Isles was in

Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, on 27February 2008.

The 5.2 magnitude quake was over

30,000 times larger than the ones in

and around New Ollerton and was felt

across England and Wales.

T h e a f f e c t e d a r e a o f

Nottinghamshire has a history of

seismic activity related to coal mining.

UK Coal sa id the recent

earthquakes could have been caused by

mining at Thoresby Colliery, but

people should not be concerned.
http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/recent_uk_events.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7266136.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7266136.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7266136.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7266136.stmhttp://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/recent_uk_events.htmlhttp://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/recent_uk_events.htmlhttp://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/recent_uk_events.htmlhttp://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/recent_uk_events.html


8/12

8

By Space.com, 22nd January 2014

Editor's Update for Jan. 23: Skywatchers

around the world are taking a look at the new

supernova in galaxy M83.

An exploding star has suddenly appeared in

the night sky, dazzling astronomers who haven't

seen a new supernova so close to our solar system

in more than 20 years.

In just the last few days, a the supernova

emerged as a bright light in Messier 82 - also

known as the Cigar Galaxy - about 12 million

light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major,

or the Great Bear. The supernova, which one

astronomer described as a potential "Holy Grail"

for scientists, was first discovered by students at the

University College London.

Positioned between the Big Dipper and the

Little Dipper, the new supernova should be easy

for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere tospot; it may even brighten enough to be visible

through a small pair of binoculars, said

astronomer Brad Tucker, of the Australian

National University and the University of

California, Berkeley. Beyond creating a

skywatching spectacle, the cosmic event may also

afford astronomers a rare opportunity to study an

object that might help them understand darkenergy.

The supernova was first observed Tuesday

(Jan. 21) at 7:20 p.m. local time (19:20 UTC) by a

group of students led by Steve Fossey at the

University College London.

"It was a surreal and exciting experience

taking images of the unidentified object as Steve

ran around the observatory verifying the result,"

UCL studentGuy Pollack said in a statement.

The only closer star explosion in the last three

decades wasSupernova 1987A, which wasspotted

in February 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud,

a dwarf galaxy companion of the Milky Way

about 168,000 light-years from Earth. Another

star explosion discovered 21 years ago, 1993J in

Messier 81, was essentially at the same distance as

the new supernova, sa id International

Astronomical Union General Secretary Thierry

Montmerle.

"Although it is not visible to the naked eye

there is a considerable interest as Messier 82 is

such a nearby galaxy," Montmerle said in an email

to SPACE.com. "Many telescopes around the

world are now taking measurements (light curves

and spectra) to determine which kind of star wasthe progenitor (the 'mother star')."


www.space.com

SPACELIFEEXPLODING STAR: NEW SUPERNOVADISCOVERY IS CLOSEST IN YEARS

PLANETLIFE2

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2014

UFO SIGHTINGS THIS WEEK

By UFO Sightings Daily

Date of sighting: January 25, 2014

Location of Sighting: International Space

Station.

Date of Sighting:January 24, 2014

Location of Sighting: Brazil.

Date of Sighting: January 23, 2013

Location of Sighting: Sakurajima Volcano,

Japan.

Date of Sighting: January 21, 2014

Location of Sighting: Homer Glen, Illinois,

USA.

For more details on these sightings visit:

www.ufosightingsdaily.com
http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/http://www.space.com/24165-supernova-1987a-dust-alma-photos-aas223.htmlhttp://www.space.com/24165-supernova-1987a-dust-alma-photos-aas223.htmlhttp://binoculars.toptenreviews.com/binoculars-review/?cmpid=ttr-sdchttp://binoculars.toptenreviews.com/binoculars-review/?cmpid=ttr-sdchttp://www.space.com/24373-supernova-explosion-seen-in-nearby-galaxy-video.htmlhttp://www.space.com/24373-supernova-explosion-seen-in-nearby-galaxy-video.htmlhttp://www.space.com/24373-supernova-explosion-seen-in-nearby-galaxy-video.htmlhttp://www.space.com/24373-supernova-explosion-seen-in-nearby-galaxy-video.html


9/12

9

By World Wildlife Fund

On a map of Southeast Asia, the island of Borneo

the third largest in the world - stands out as an imposing

mass in the middle of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago.

Still swathed in extensive tropical rainforests and

inhabited by endangered animals such as orang-utans and

pygmy elephants and critically endangered rhinos, theisland continues to reveal new biodiversity wonders as

more species are constantly discovered.

A TREASURE TROVE WORTH SAVING

There are few other places on Earth where you can

see large, animals such as orang-utans, elephants, clouded

leopards, sun bears and rhinos in the wild.

Borneo has lured scientists for over 150 years, and has

played a key role in the theory of evolution.

There are thousands of other animal and plant

species and many species yet to be discovered.

THREATS TO BORNEO FORESTS

Beyond the intrinsic values of the Heart of Borneo,

there are manyother reasons to protectthis area.

Forestry: Over one quarter of the Heart of Borneo is

covered by logging and plantation concessions. Forests

inside these concessions can be logged according to

national sustainability certification standards. Theseconcessions can provide a sustainable source of timber

while bring employment opportunities and revenue for

district and provincial governments.

Water Catchment: Well-managed natural forests

provide high-quality drinking water to urban and rural

populations. With 14 of Borneos 20 major rivers

beginning their journey from the Heart of Borneo, the

area is a source of clean freshwater for people, industry

and wildlife.

Fires:Borneos natural forests are not usually prone to

fires if left undisturbed. However as forests are cleared or

logged, they dry out and become susceptible to fires.

Large-scale fires in Borneo have serious impacts on

human health across the Region, as well as having a severe

impact on natural habitats. The Heart of Borneos forests

need to be properly managed so that fires are avoided or

prevented from running out of control.

Oil Plantations: Malaysia and Indonesia account for

over 85 per cent of the global palm oil supply. As palm oil

is the cheapest vegetable oil, the demand for this

commodity as a source of food and energy is expected to

rise rapidly. The demand for food alone is expected to

double in the next decade, and the Indonesian

Government has responded by setting a target to increase

oil palm production from 20 million tonnes in 2009 to 40

million tonnes in 2020. If not properly managed, the

demand for palm oil could lead to widespread clearing in

the Heart of Borneo. Fortunately, ample already-cleared

land is available in Borneo for new palm oil development,

and there are good opportunities to intensify production

on existing plantations.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE HEART OF BORNEO

The fate of 220,000 km"of equatorial rainforest is at

stake!!

WWF is aiming for a network of protected areas and

sustainably-managed forests in the Heart of Borneo, to be

achieved through international co-operation led by the

Bornean governments, supported by a global effort.

The future of this trans-boundary area depends on

the collaboration of all three governments. No one

country can protect these unique uplands alone.

Together this presents a unique opportunity to

conserve pristine tropical rainforest on a huge scale; saving

almost 30% of the forest on the worlds third largest

island.

ANIMALLIFETHE HEART OF BORNEO: ASIAS LAST GREAT RAINFOREST

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http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/threats/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_mammals/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/rhinoceros/borneo_sumatran_rhinos/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/threats/illegal_logging/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/elephants/borneo_pygmy_elephants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/palm_oil/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/palm_oil/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/threats/illegal_logging/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/threats/illegal_logging/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/threats/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/threats/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_plants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/rhinoceros/borneo_sumatran_rhinos/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/rhinoceros/borneo_sumatran_rhinos/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_mammals/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/borneo_mammals/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/clouded_leopards/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/elephants/borneo_pygmy_elephants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/elephants/borneo_pygmy_elephants/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/borneo_orang_utans/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/wwf_global_work/wwf_global_flagship_species/borneo_orang_utans/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/forests/forests_work/heart_of_borneo/borneo_wildlife/


10/12

10

By Better Health (Victoria)

GM foods are genetically modified using biotechnology.Common GM foods include maize, soybeans, oilseed rape

(canola), chicory, squash, potatoes, pineapples and

strawberries. GM foods are designed for greater resistance to

pests and viruses, higher nutritional value and longer shelf

life. However, their safety, potential risks and ethical concerns

are still being debated. Laws to regulate labelling of GM

foods vary.

Foods genetically modified using biotechnology are

known as GM foods. Genetic material is altered using non-

traditional, laboratory-based methods; this is known as

genetic engineering. Individual genes with specific desirabletraits are transferred from one organism to another.

Traditional breeding can achieve similar effects, but works

over a much longer time span and is not as targeted as GM.

In addition, traditional breeding cannot transfer genes from

unrelated species as is possible with GM foods.

GENETIC MODIFICATION OF FOOD & ANIMALS

Genetic modification of food is not new. Humans have

been altering food crops and animals through selective

breeding for many centuries. However, while genes can be

transferred during selective breeding, the scope for

exchanging genetic material is much wider using genetic

engineering.

In theory, genetic engineering allows genetic material to

be transferred between any two organisms, including

between plants and animals. For example, the gene from a

fish that lives in very cold seas has been inserted into a

strawberry, allowing the fruit to be frost-tolerant. However,

this has not yet been done for currently available commercial

food crops.

Concerns about climate change may lead to increased

development and use of drought-tolerant GM food crops.

EXISTING GM CROPS

Some foods and fibre crops have been modified to make

them resistant to insects and viruses and more able to tolerate

herbicides. The major crops that have been modified for

these purposes, with approval from the relevant authorities,

are:

Maize (corn), Wheat, Rice, Oilseed rape (canola),

Chicory, Squash, Potato, Soybean, Alfalfa, and Cotton.

Foods certified as organic or biodynamic should not

contain any GM ingredients, according to industry

guidelines .

For more on this go to:

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODWHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

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HEALTHYLIFE


11/12

11

By Permaculture Activist

The word "permaculture" was coined and popularized

in the mid 70's by David Holmgren, a young Australian

ecologist, and his associate / professor, Bill Mollison. It is a

contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent

culture." Permaculture is about designing ecological human

habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and

community building movement which strives for the

harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate,

annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into

stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these

elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created

among them by the way we place them in the landscape. Thissynergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in

nature.

Characteristics of Permaculture:

Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated

systems analysis and design methodologies found in the

world.

Permaculture can be applied to create productive

ecosystems from the human- use standpoint or to help

degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness.

Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystem, no

matter how degraded.

Permaculture values and validates traditional knowledgeand experience.

Permaculture incorporates sustainable agriculture

practices and land management techniques and strategies

from around the world.

Permaculture is a bridge between traditional cultures

and emergent earth-tuned cultures.

Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does

not use pesticides to pollute the environment.

Permaculture aims to maximize symbiotic and

synergistic relationships between site components.

Permaculture is urban planning as well as rural land

design.Permaculture design is site specific, client specific, and

culture specific.

Source: Pilarski, Michael (ed.) 1994. Restoration

Forestry. Kivaki Press, Durango, CO. pp. 450.

The Practical Application of Permaculture is not limitedto plant and animal agriculture, but also includes community

planning and development, use of appropriate technologies

(coupled with an adjustment of lifestyle), and adoption of

concepts and philosophies that are both earth-based and

people-centered, such as bioregionalism. Many of the

appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturists are

well known. Among these are solar and wind power,

composting toilets, solar greenhouses, energy efficient

housing, and solar food cooking and drying. Due to the

inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems,

permaculture places a heavy emphasis on tree crops. Systems

that integrate annual and perennial crops-such as alley

cropping and agroforestry-take advantage of "the edge

effect," increase biological diversity, and offer other

characteristics missing in mono- culture systems. Thus,

multicropping systems that blend woody perennials and

annuals hold promise as viable techniques for large-scale

farming. Ecological methods of production for any specific

crop or farming system (e.g., soil building practices, biological

pest control, composting) are central to permaculture as well

as to sustainable agriculture in general.

Since permaculture is not a production system, per se,

but rather a land use and community planning philosophy, it

is not limited to a specific method of production.

Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted tofarms or villages worldwide, it is site specific and therefore

amenable to locally adapted techniques of production. As an

example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques

utilizing cover crops, green manures, crop rotation, and

mulches are emphasized in permacultural systems. However,

there are many other options and technologies available to

sustainable farmers working within a permacultural

framework (e.g., chisel plows, no-till implements, spading

implements, compost turners, rotational grazing). The

decision as to which "system" is employed is site-specific and

management dependent.

For more on permaculture visit:

http://www.permacultureactivist.net/intro/PcIntro.htm

PERMACULTURE:AN INTRODUCTION

PLANETLIF

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SUSTAINABLELIFE


12/12

12

PLANETLIFE2

5Janu

ary2014

1

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PlanetLife - January 25th, 2014 (PDF)

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