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ENVIRONMENTAL
NEWS
December 2004
November 2004 October 2004
September 2004
30 September 2004:
C h i n a
SPOTLIGHT ON RESOURCE CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENT
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) will enhance cooperation with China to combat environmental degradation in the world’s most populous country, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said in Beijing on Tuesday.
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J a p a n
JAPAN MAKES STRATEGIC MOVE TO CUT WHALE PROTECTION
TOKYO. - The minke whale lay on the heaving steel deck, its vast grey body slack in death.
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P h i l i p p i n e s
SWAMP EYED FOR BIRD PARK
SOME local officials are planning to convert a remote swampy area in Valenzuela City into a bird-watching eco-tourism park.
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ONE PHENOMENON, TWO EXPLANATIONS
(T)here are aspects of our culture that should be cultivated to help promote the conservation of our natural resources.
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FINANCING FOR ODS-USING BUSINESS IN THE WORKS
Good news to all refrigerant manufacturers and service shops. Government is working out a financing scheme for the sector affected by the plan to gradually reduce usage and importation of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in compliance with the Montreal Protocol.
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29 September 2004:
C h i n a
EXPERTS:
ENCOURAGE MEGACITIES
CHINA'S
megacities should be encouraged and developed with people in
mind, experts said during a forum yesterday.
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News
HONG KONG: CLOAKED IN SMOG
TO GAZE across Hong Kong’s harbour at the city’s skyscrapers and soaring peaks is to take in one of the world’s most spectacular urban vistas. When you can see it.
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A 'GREENER' MOON FESTIVAL, A 'GREENER' TOMORROW
All Hongkongers who have the well-being of their future generations at heart ought to throw their weight behind the "green Mid-Autumn Festival" concept, according to an editorial published in Wen Wei Po yesterday. Full text follows.
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ENVIRONMENT SET AS PRIORITY
Environmental protection and rebuilding will be moved up higher on the agenda, vice-premier Zeng Peiyan said yesterday in Beijing.
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CHINA, RUSSIA TO JOINTLY MONITOR BOUNDARY RIVERS QUALITY
China and Russia have decided to jointly monitor water environment on boundary rivers starting from February 2005, say sources with the environmental protection administration in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
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M a l a y s i a
A NEST IN THE SUN
IN THE midst of George Town lies a very ordinary 0.8ha muddy patch of Avicennia mangroves – at least, it used to be so, until it became famous among the birds.
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MATANG MANGROVE FOREST RESERVE 100TH ANNIVERSARY STAMPS OUT MONDAY
KUALA LUMPUR - Pos Malaysia Berhad will be issuing a first day cover in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in Perak on Monday.
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RUMBLE OVER THE RAMIN TRADE
IT may be the last proposal on the long list but it is likely to be the most contentious facing the Malaysian delegation at the 13th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites CoP13) beginning in Bangkok next week.
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T h a i l a n d
TOO MUCH RUBBISH IN BANGKOK
THE booming city of Bangkok comes with lots of full bins. After years of battling pollution, congestion and other big-city evils, the teeming Thai capital is threatened with being swamped by its own garbage.
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28 September 2004:
C h i n a
NORTHWEST TACKLES YELLOW RIVER POLLUTION
As the outcry against pollution of the upper reaches of the Yellow River grows louder, Gansu Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region held working conferences last week to improve regulations and action plans to control and clean up the problem.
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M a l a y s i a
MARINA
WILL PROTECT MARINE LIFE
PUTRAJAYA: The RM40mil marina project on Pulau
Tioman is being built to control and manage yachting
activities that might otherwise cause more damage to the
environment, said Transport Minister Datuk
Seri Chan Kong Choy.
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News
M e k o n g R i v e r
MEKONG RIVER'S PINK DOLPHINS DISAPPEAR IN 15 YEARS: BIOLOGISTS
PHNOM PENH Sept 27 - The famous pink dolphins of Asia's mighty
Mekong River could disappear within 15 years because of threats
ranging from fishing nets to habitat destruction, a biologist said
on Monday.
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News
V I e t N a m
KOREAN FIRM MARKETS NANOTECHNOLOGY-BASED WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT
Ha Noi (VNA) – A seminar on applying nanotechnology to producing water treatment and filtering equipment was held in Ha Noi last week by the municipal Association of Sci-Tech Information, the Vietnamese firm Vivina and the Republic of Korea’s Biocera group.
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27 September 2004:
P h i l i p
p i n e s
REGAINING THE GLORY OF MANILA BAY
At the heart of the country’s capital city lies an age-old natural
legacy that is reflective of the Filipino soul – the Manila Bay. A
semi-closed estuary, it hosts a diverse range of fisheries,
aquaculture, agricultural and mineral resources, forests and urban
ecosystems, and boasts of rich cultural, recreation, historical and
tourism values. The Bay also serves as a vital engine of economic
growth of the country, especially in Region 3 (Central Luzon),
Region 4 (Southern Tagalog), and
National Capital Region (NCR). Its location also enables the country
to easily gain access to transboundary
development with neighboring Asian countries.
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News
A s i a
BRITAIN TO UPSET ASIAN DINERS OVER GIANT FISH
Britain is to support restrictions on international trade in the humphead wrasse, a huge coral reef fish that is highly prized in restaurants in the Far East.
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W o r l d / G e n e r a l
PLANTS PERFORM "GREEN CLEAN" OF TOXIC SITES
Many plants employ natural processes to clean contaminated soil and groundwater. One such process is phytoremediation, by which plants remove heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, from soil. Researchers are now helping plants do a quicker, better job of rehabilitating polluted sites through phytoremediation.
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23 September 2004:
P h i l i p p i n e s
SEA TURTLE FREED IN KUDARAT
Bioengineering is a mix of natural and civil works interventions that make use of natural elements to prevent flooding, erosion, and other disturbances in riverbanks, gullies, mountain trenches and similar sites. Bioengineering emphasizes the use of natural elements like plants and natural land and stone formations to protect communities and farms and prevent further ecological damage.
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OCEANOGRAPHY
THE archipelagic condition of the Philippines dictates that more attention than what has been done up to the present time should be directed to the marine waters surrounding the various islands of the country as well as the oceans that link us with our immediate neighbors. These oceans include the South China Sea, the Sulawesi Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Thus far, scientific efforts toward understanding and appreciating the role of these oceans in our national development are limited.
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T h a i l a n d
THAI CAMPAIGN TARGETS ANIMAL LOVERS
A US conservation group has launched an advertising campaign to persuade Thais to report traders in protected wildlife.
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W o r l d / G e n e r a l
ANTARCTIC GLACIERS MELTING
WASHINGTON. - Glaciers once held up by a floating ice shelf off Antarctica are now sliding off into the sea - and they are going fast, scientists said on Tuesday.
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SHAMPOOING TO STOP OIL SPILL BIRD DEATHS
Every year at least half a million water birds die from encounters with spilt oil, according to Jay Holcomb, executive director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Fairfield, California. But on occasion rescue teams arrive on scene in time to scrub the birds' feathers clean and prevent calamity.
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21
September
2004:
C h
i
n a
ITALY
LENDS
A
HAND
IN
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Two
of
the
most
barren
areas
of
the
Inner
Mongolia
and
Xinjiang
Uygur
autonomous
regions
are
experimenting
with
the
sustainable
agricultural
development
with
the
help
of
the
Italian
government.
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News
P h
i
l
i
p
p
i
n e
s
REHABILITATING
A
RIVER
BANK
Bioengineering
is a
mix
of
natural
and
civil
works
interventions
that
make
use
of
natural
elements
to
prevent
flooding,
erosion,
and
other
disturbances
in
riverbanks,
gullies,
mountain
trenches
and
similar
sites.
Bioengineering
emphasizes
the
use
of
natural
elements
like
plants
and
natural
land
and
stone
formations
to
protect
communities
and
farms
and
prevent
further
ecological
damage.
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News
PUBLIC
CALLED
TO
DO
SHARE
IN
PROTECTING
OZONE
LAYER
As
the
world
celebrates
the
International
Ozone
Day
today,
Environment
Secretary
Michael
T.
Defensor
appealed
to
the
public
to
do
their
share
in
protecting
the
Earth's
thinning
ozone
layer.
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News
16 September 2004:
J a p
a n
JAPANESE NATURE
LOVERS PLANT TREES
AT WETLANDS
DENGKIL - Visitors
to the
Paya
Indah
Wetlands today may
be forgiven for
thinking that they
are in Japan as an
army of 1,000
Japanese nature
lovers converged to
green the area with
some 30,000 trees.
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News
JAPAN SAYS WHALING A
RIGHT
TOKYO
(Reuters) - Whaling
is a Japanese right
and some whale
species are so
abundant they are
"rampant," posing a
potential threat to
the ecological
balance of the
oceans, a key
Japanese fisheries
official says.
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News
M a l a y s
i a
LABEL THEM GREEN
MALAYSIANS wanting
to purchase
earth-friendly
products will soon
get a helping hand
in identifying such
items – four
range of
products can now
apply for labels
touting their
environmental
benefits.
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News
P h
i l
i p
p
i n e s
RP IS WORLD'S CENTER
OF MARINE
BIODIVERSITY
The Philippine
Islands, located in
the Southeast Asian
marine biodiversity
golden triangle, has
the riches
concentration of
marine life on the
entire planet,
according to a study
conducted by Kent
Carpenter, associate
professor of
biological sciences
at Old Dominion
University,
Virgnia,
USA. The results of
these findings will
be published in the
journal
Environmental
Biology of Fishes
under the title,
"The Center of the
Center of Marine
Shorefish
Biodiveristy:
The Philippine
Islands."
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News
V
i e
t N a m
VIET NAM STRIVES TO
PREVENT USE OF
OZONE-DEPLETING
SUBSTANCES
Ha
Noi (VNA) –
Viet Nam is striving
to eradicate the use
of ozone-depleting
substances (ODS) by
2010, the Ministry
of Natural Resources
and Environment told
a press briefing
held in Ha
Noi on
Wednesday in
anticipation of the
International Day
for the Conservation
of the Environment
(Sept. 16.
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News
W o r l
d /
G e n e r a l
AUSTRALIAN-AUSTRIAN
PROJECT TO FIGHT
CANCER WITH SEA
SPONGES
SYDNEY Sept 15 -
Australian marine
scientists joined up
with an Austrian
drug company
Wednesday to develop
cancer-fighting
medicines from
chemicals found in
sea sponges and
ocean algae.
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News
ISRAEL'S RED SEA
FISHERY IS KILLING
CORAL REEF,
SCIENTISTS SAY
JERUSALEM -- A panel
of experts from
Israel and abroad
urged the government
this week to
immediately halt
fish farming in
Israel's Red Sea
coastal waters,
saying pollution
from the fish cages
is killing off a
unique coral reef.
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News
POLAR BEARS ARE
SUFFERING FROM
INDUSTRY CHEMICALS,
SAYS WWF
OSLO -- New evidence
shows that polar
bears are suffering
from industrial
chemicals swept to
the Arctic from
nations thousands of
kilometers (miles)
to the south, the
WWF global
conservation
organization said
this week.
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News
15 September 2004:
Malaysia
PUBLIC OUTCRY BLOCKS MARINA PROJECT
THAT THREATENS CORAL ON IDYLLIC
MALAYSIAN ISLAND
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A public
outcry has temporarily blocked a
multimillion dollar marina project
that environmentalists say threatens
to destroy a delicate coral reef at
one of Southeast Asia's favorite
diving spots.
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News
World/General
ACID OCEANS SPELL DOOM FOR CORAL
The increasing acidity of the
world's oceans could banish all
coral by 2065, a leading marine
expert has warned.
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News
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1: AIR
POLLUTION DAMAGES TEEN
LUNGS
A
long-term study on the effects of
air pollution on children’s lungs
has concluded that polluted air
stunts the growth of teens' lungs
and could cause health problems when
they are adults.
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News
BLAIR WARNS OF CLIMATE CHANGE'S
THREAT
LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair
warned on Tuesday of the threat
posed by climate change and urged
support for the principles of the
Kyoto accord on global warming, a
treaty rejected by President Bush as
unfair toward U.S. industry.
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News
13 September 2004:
China
SHANGHAI TURNS WASTE INTO ENERGY
About
120 thousand residents in Shanghai have been able to
enjoy a cool summer after benefiting from the city's
successful practice of turning waste into
electricity.
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News
UN PROJECT IMPROVES LIVING
ENVIRONMENT
Starting
this year, the United Nations Human Settlements
Program will launch projects in China to help
upgrade safe drinking water and urban sanitation
programs for the country, according to senior UN
officials.
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News
Malaysia
SCIENTISTS
SEE US AS BIO-DIVERSITY KEEPERS
PETALING JAYA: International scientists are paying
special attention to the country's waters as they
see Malaysians as keepers of bio-diversity, said an
expert in marine environment.
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News
EXPERT: LOSS OF MARINE LIFE WILL HARM HABITAT
TIOMAN: Unsustainable development of
Tioman’s marine park
will have an adverse effect on the island’s unique
plant and animal life, according to a US-based
evolutionary biologist.
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News
EFFECTS TO BE MINIMISED'
KUALA LUMPUR: The conditions contained in the
environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the
Pulau
Tioman marina will be
followed to ensure minimal effect on coral reefs,
Transport Minister Datuk
Seri Chan Kong Choy said.
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News
MINISTRY TO REVIEW TIOMAN'S EIA
PETALING JAYA: The Natural Resources and Environment
Ministry is reviewing the details of the Environment
Impact Assessment (EIA) of the controversial marina
project off Pulau
Tioman’s marine park.
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News
TIOMAN DIVE SITE SET TO BE DESTROYED
PETALING JAYA: One of the country's world-renowned
marine dive sites just off
Pulau Tioman is
set to be destroyed to make way for a RM40mil marina
project despite objections from environment
authorities.
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News
Manila
WHAT MANILA NEEDS NOW ARE TREES, MORE TREES
THE NEWS that a construction crew from the National
Housing Authority (NHA) had bulldozed over 6,000
trees in the garden and nursery of the Manila
Seedling Bank Foundation (MSBF) in
Quezon
City saddened a lot of people, not just
environmentalists.
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News
General/World
WHY
YOU NEED A WEATHERMAN TO KNOW WHICH WAY THE WIND
BLOWS
THERE is really no such thing as bad weather, only
different kinds of good weather, John Ruskin
(1819-1900) was quoted as saying.
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News
ONE BILLION PEOPLE LACK CLEAN WATER AROUND THE WORLD
Two United Nations agencies say more than one
billion people around the world drink unsafe water,
while over 40 percent of the world's population
lacks basic sanitation. The World Health
Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) say more needs to be done to provide
clean water and basic sanitation to those in need.
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News
POLLUTION EATING PLANTS
Underwater plants are being chopped and then flown
by helicopter in an experiment to hasten the cleanup
of the Everglades in Florida, USA.
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News
EXTINCTIONS COULD HAVE DOMINO EFFECT, STUDY SAYS
In
a study released today, researchers warn that the
loss of plants and animals currently listed as
threatened or endangered could have a domino effect
on other species that depend on them
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News
DINOSAURS WERE DOTING PARENTS, FOSSIL FIND SUGGESTS
A
newly announced dinosaur discovery in China suggests
that the prehistoric creatures put in some quality
parenting time.
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News
DEEP DRILLING AT SEA
Beakers and chemical bottles sit on shelves, just
like in a normal science lab. High-powered
microscopes, incubators for growing bacteria, and
other equipment line the room, just like in a normal
science lab.
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News
LUCRATIVE, RARE SPECIES NEED TRADE PROTECTION, SAYS
WWF
GENEVA -- Booming global trade in rare forms of
wildlife ranging from tropical fish and trees to
African lizards is threatening many of them with
extinction, conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund
for Nature) said on Thursday.
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News |
