News Watch

UN warns biofuels may eat up crop and forest land and increase poverty

Yesterday UN-Energy released a report titled, Sustainable energy: A framework for decision-makers. While speaking at a press conference, senior UN Energy officials warned the media about bio-fuels eating up precious agriculture and forest land.

The report warns, " At their best, liquid bio-fuel products could enrich farmers by helping to add value to their products. At their worst, however, bio-fuel programmes could result in concentration of ownership that could drive the world’s poorest farmers off their land and into deeper poverty".

On the positive side, bio-fuels can meet the energy requirements of a large segment of the earth’s population. Alexander Muller, Assistant Director-General for the Sustainable Development Department of FAO says that modern bio-energy can serve as a useful energy source to 1.6 billion people who have no access to electric power.

However, making bio-energy a profitable and sustainable source of power is challenging. The report outlines a framework for countries and policy makers to follow and warns that there are no rigid rules that can be applied. Each country will have to work out it’s own policy.

Source: http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070508_Energy.doc.htm
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An interesting link on the World Digital Library Initiative

You can explore it at http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org/project/english/

This link was sent in by ATREE Librarian, Nithin. If you have an interesting idea about digital libraries and would like to discuss it further, please email Nithin at nithinl@atree.org

The objectives of the World Digital Library are to promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research.

WRI launches How to Guide for Restoring Ecosystems

The World Resources Institute released a 101 page report titled, Restoring Nature's Capital: An Action Agenda to Sustain Ecosystem Services.

Reproduced below are the main points of the synopsis from the report.

The report identifies 5 barriers to working effectively in ecosystem restoration work

· People fail to make the connection between healthy ecosystems and the attainment of social and economic goals.

· Local people often lack clear rights to use and make decisions about the ecosystem services they depend on for their livelihoods and wellbeing.

· The management of ecosystem services is fragmented among many different agencies and bodies that often work at cross-purposes and fail to coordinate across levels.

· Government and business accountability mechanisms for decisions about ecosystem services are frequently absent or weak.

· Responsible management of ecosystem services does not always pay.

Here's a 5 point Action Agenda from the Report to reverse ecosystem degradation

· Develop and use information about ecosystem services : That includes efficient monitoring, spread of information, use of local knowledge and development and use of effective ecosystem management tools

· Strengthen the rights of local people to use and manage ecosystem services : through supportive services, good rules, strong social networks and enhanced local participation.

· Manage ecosystem services across multiple levels and timeframes : through dialogue and efficient resolve of conflicts and having a good knowledge of the ecosystem and applying good management practices at all levels

· Improve accountability for decisions that affect ecosystem services : by aligning taxation policies along with ecosystem stewardship and making elected leaders more accountable

· Align economic and financial incentives with ecosystem stewardship : by including ecosystem stewardship goals in facility managers’ performance objectives and supporting and participating in markets and payments for ecosystem services

You can download the complete 101 page report here at http://www.wri.org/biodiv/pubs_description.cfm?pid=4309

Source: http://www.wri.org/newsroom/newsrelease_text.cfm?nid=383
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Encyclopedia of Life to list out all living creatures

It's an honor to Carl Linnaeus. If he were alive today, he would be 300 years old and he would be so thrilled to read this news.

Today, senior biologists, environmentalists, taxonomists, engineers and fund managers from the MacArthur Foundation, Field Museum, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Smithsonian and Biodiversity Heritage Library will hold a press conference to announce the launch of a very ambitious project.

They are going to create an Encyclopedia of Life that will list out all of earth's creations. This ambitious ten year old project is being funded by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Other universities collaborating on this project include Missouri Botanical Garden and the Biodiversity Heritage Library which includes Natural History Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England.

Now, here's a question. Why are there no collaborators from Australia, Asia and Africa on this project?

Source: http://www.eol.org/media_advisory.html

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Canon Europe celebrates 50 years with website to teach kids about climate change

Canon Europe's 50th birthday celebrations included the launch of a new web site called ' Save the Polar Bear'. The site uses two animated polar bears called Auro and Borea to help children learn about climate change and what they can do to minimize the harmful effects.

The children’s microsite will be available in several European languages and will target 7- 11 year old children staying in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK.

You can check out more details about this news at
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=101100
newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=101100
newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=101100

Hey, Canon Europe, India is listening and waiting for Canon Europe's goodwill gesture to hop over and come flying to flag off the climate awareness campain for kids in India.

image source: IMSI Clip Arts

Two Indians get prestigious US EPA Award

Atul Bagai and Dr Sachidananda Satpathy have received the US EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award. Atul Bagai, Regional Network Coordinator for South Asia for UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) Ozone Action Programme has been instrumental in helping India implement the ODS (ozone depleting substances) phase-out action plan. Mr. Bagai is currently organizing for ODS phase-out activities in 38 countries via the Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP).

Dr Sachidananda Satpathy has been instrumental in helping India score an 85% reduction in CTC consumption and also implement a licensing system to control the ODS trade in India. Dr. Sachidananda Satapathy works with India's Ministry of Environment and Forests' Ozone Cell.

The awards were given on May 1st 2007 in Washington.

Sources: http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=504&ArticleID=5567&l=en
http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/awards/winners_2007.html

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Film footprints endangered tiger's vanishing habitats

Delhi based wildlife film production house called EarthCare Productions released a film on the tiger on May 3rd 2007 at the India International Centre Auditorium.

Called Tiger: The Death Chronicles, the film attempts to bring together different voices of support for tigers and their fast disappearing forest homes. The film has been produced and directed by Krishendu Bose, director of EarthCare Productions and managing trustee of Earthcare Outreach Trust.

If you would like to watch the film, you can get in touch with Earthcare Films at B-91, Defense Colony, New Delhi - 110 024, IndiaYou can call at 91-11-24334171, 24332005 or email the studio at earthcare1@vsnl.com.

For more information about EarthCare Films you can visit their website at http://www.earthcarefilms.com

image source: IMSI Clip Arts