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Archive for February, 2011
Discourse: Lukewarm efforts stall REDD
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 21st, 2011
Jakarta Post: Question: Could you explain what the taskforce would do with the so-called “forest mafia”? Answer: Indonesia suffered vast deforestation when destruction and encroachments were seemingly done in “legal” ways. Natural forests and peatland containing high-value environmental resources were reduced to only some 28 million hectares in the country. The forests became incapable of providing for forest-dependant people. Forest destruction increased as permits were carelessly issued after regional autonomy....
If I ran the UNFCCC COP process..
Posted by Hydro: None Given on February 21st, 2011
Hydro: This started as something of a rant on the ill logic of the UNFCCC COP process, following on my post on 14 December 2010, but I have elected to reframe this conversation in a more constructive tone. Hopefully this will be better-received in the community than the mere rantings of a young(ish), topically- and socially-aware scientist with global aspirations. I developed much of this discussion while gathering information for the beginnings of a timeline for use in my research, using Dipity, putting...
Environmentalists Say Moratorium on Forest Conversion an Empty Promise
Posted by Jakarta Globe: Fidelis E. Satriastanti on February 21st, 2011
Jakarta Globe: Green activists said on Wednesday that the government’s much-hyped plan for a moratorium on new logging concessions would only apply to forests that were already protected in the first place.
The two-year moratorium on new concessions in peatland and primary forests is part of a bilateral agreement with Norway, in exchange for which Indonesia will receive $1 billion in funding for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD-plus) activities.
In order for the moratorium...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Environmentalists Say Moratorium on Forest Conversion an Empty PromiseWild swans under threat as numbers begin to decline
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 21st, 2011
Independent: Britain's two species of migratory wild swans, which come from the far north to spend the winter here and add grace and charm to many lakes and pools, are undergoing contrasting fortunes which are beginning to worry conservationists.
Both birds, the whooper swan and the Bewick's swan, are similar -- being snow-white with yellow on their bills, in contrast to the orange-billed and more familiar mute swan which lives in Britain all year round.
But while numbers are soaring of the big whooper...
United Kingdom: Planning changes ‘put forests at risk’
Posted by Independent: Mark Hughes on February 21st, 2011
Independent: Some forests could be stripped of protection under planning reforms being considered by the Government, the Woodland Trust has warned.
The conservation charity says the changes to planning guidance could slip through unnoticed in the aftermath of the row that forced the Government into a U-turn over its plans to privatise public forests.
According to the trust, a review that aims to consolidate the 25 clauses in the current legislation as part of an attempt to hand power back to local communities,...
Climate projections show human health impacts possible within 30 years
Posted by Science Centric: None Given on February 20th, 2011
Science Centric: A panel of scientists speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) unveiled new research and models demonstrating how climate change could increase exposure and risk of human illness originating from ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, with some studies projecting impacts to be felt within 30 years.
'With 2010 the wettest year on record and third warmest for sea surface temperatures, NOAA and our partners are working to uncover how...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate projections show human health impacts possible within 30 yearsGore tells Aspen audience beetle-kill outbreak plaguing Vail, American West stems from climate change
Posted by Real Vail: Troy Hooper on February 20th, 2011
Real Vail: Forty years ago this spring, Al Gore first felt the magic of the forests around here. He had been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and decided to motor west from his home in Tennessee.
“I put a tent in the trunk of my Chevrolet Impala and drove to the White River National Forest, no kidding, and camped there,” the former U.S. vice president told a room packed with cultural, scientific and political leaders at the Aspen Institute on Friday night. “In the following years I came back and I’ve...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Gore tells Aspen audience beetle-kill outbreak plaguing Vail, American West stems from climate changePermafrost timebomb
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 20th, 2011
Climate Central: For tens of thousands of years, huge amounts of plant matter--roots, leaf fragments and the like--have been kept in cold storage underground in the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Europe and Siberia. They're embedded in permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. Even when the top few inches of ground thaw out in the Arctic summer, permafrost never does. As the planet continues to warm, however, the "perma" in permafrost is looking less eternal. Scientist have known for years, in fact, that rising...
Global Warming To Have Human Impact Within 30 Years
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 20th, 2011
redOrbit: US scientists, speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington Saturday, said climate change could increase exposure to water-borne diseases originating in the world’s oceans, lakes and coastal ecosystems, adding that the impact will most likely be felt within the next 30 years, and as early as the next 10 years.
Numerous studies have shown that shifts from climate change make ocean and freshwater ecosystems more susceptible to toxic...
Indonesia: Moratorium to preserve only protected forest areas: Draft
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 20th, 2011
Jakarta Post: Deforestation would continue in the country despite the pledged two-year moratorium, since it would only take effect in areas categorized as protected under the Forest Law, a civil society group said on Wednesday.
After analyzing drafts of presidential decrees on the forest moratorium, Greenpeace said the target of the moratorium would only be 41 million hectares of forests. “The 41 million hectares have been designated as protected areas under the 1999 Forest Law,” geographic information center...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Indonesia: Moratorium to preserve only protected forest areas: Draft