Government support of Spain to GM unleashes controversy

The genetic modification of foods that are the staple diet of mankind and is a fact, though not lacking controversy in that regard. While some believe that GM foods have many benefits, environmental organizations, consumer groups and advocates of the organic farmers questioned its effectiveness and consider it a dangerous practice with a high risk to health, the environment and the economy.

Now, the environmental organization Friends of the Earth has claimed that the Spanish government spends 60 times more money to fund research on GM agriculture, which it devotes to research in organic farming. The latter generates 25 times more jobs and takes 16 times more area in Spain, according to this organization. Given the current moment of economic crisis and high unemployment rates, environmentalists believe that the Government's support to GM is not justified.
A reasoned investment?

Genetically engineered foods are causing alarm among a large segment of the population. The contamination of organic crops and the environment, deterioration of biodiversity and local agriculture, and the possible effects on public health are some of them.
However, since Antama Foundation, which represents some of the leading producers of GM crops, say that "the seeds of transgenic corn (which eliminates the so-called boring insect) 95% reduced pesticide use, making it possible reduce costs and increase productivity of land. In addition, the reduced use of toxic chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides is good for the environment, "says Juan Quintana, spokesman for the organization.

However, this argument is opposed by environmental organizations to ensure that GM crops (eg soybean resistant to glyphosate herbicide), being genetically resistant to pesticides and pests, are sprayed with amounts up to three times higher than crops conventional.
From Friends of the Earth, a determined advocate for organic farming models. "With such high unemployment rate and a state of complete abandonment of rural areas, the Government has to opt for agriculture models that generate employment and social fabric in the field," said David Sanchez, in charge of Agriculture and Food of the association.

    The industry lobbies have this agricultural model as a sure and profitable.

Still, the Government is still committed to promoting through public support of research to agricultural biotechnology. "What we can not afford to bet it all for an agricultural model also presents many problems, and do not lean all the ecological model. We need to be encouraged, not only with aid, but also from the investigation," David Sanchez said.

For its part, the outlook for the majors is quite the opposite, presenting this model of agriculture as a sure and profitable even able to solve world hunger.
"The spearhead of transgenic agriculture is the need of a ultra-advanced investigation. While the ecological base is to maintain a status quo that does not need to introduce advanced technologies. Thus, research comparing the two is like comparing a spacecraft and a bicycle, "says Juan Quintana, director of the foundation Antama. 'Must be investigated, but not equal.
Addressing the regulation of transgenic

Spain is the only country that permits the cultivation of GM maize on a large scale in the European Union, while countries like France, Germany, Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Italy prohibit betting on growing and farming models. What lies behind this confused regulation?

The man-made noise also affects fish

The oceans are no longer the haven of peace we imagined. Noise pollution caused by humans is increasingly affecting the inhabitants. Several investigations had already warned that the noise emitted by ships mislead marine mammals like whales and dolphins, leading to cause death.



However, a new study has analyzed the impact of noise from ships, offshore oil and gas in fish and has demonstrated that affects them as well as vehicle traffic to terrestrial animals.

"The fish make sounds to communicate (for example, to attract mates and deter rivals), bearings, find food and avoid predators. The man-made noise may be masking important sounds and threaten biological reproduction and survival ", explains Hans Slabbekoorn email, the main author of the research, published in 'Trends in Ecology and Evolution'.
Animals clueless

And that noise pollution can confuse animals and away from the best areas to find food or reproduce. And not only that. We also produce stress, which in turn may adversely affect their growth and reproductive ability.

And what are the most affected? Many fish, but not all, emit sounds. Scientists have known about 800 species, although their hearing sensitivity is different. In addition, fish that do emit have been little investigated. Among the best known are the perch, herring and cod. Researchers believe that the eel also occurs even if the reality is as yet unknown details about its ability to emit and receive sounds.

In general, fish detect sounds better in the range of 30 to 1000 Hz, although some may do so at rates of 3,000 Hz and 5,000 Hz, according to this study. For example, Atlantic cod has an average hearing sensitivity while the golden carp or goldfish can hear high frequencies.

Scientists have observed that herring, cod and tuna are developed worse in noisy environments and seek refuge elsewhere.

The World fires

The environmental organization Greenpeace has released a video in which a lawn of matches is destroyed by fire in order to report that the length of a burned match in Spain, a forest area in excess of twenty football fields.

Under the slogan 'The world of fire' Greenpeace has taken the World Cup held in South Africa to recall that, only in the last decade it has lost the area equivalent to more than 123,000 football fields, as reported in a statement.
Forecasters have warned that this will be a summer "especially" warm, so from the organization want to appeal for citizens to "extreme" precautions, do not make imprudent and abide by the prohibitions.
110 783 hectares burned in 2009

Last year was particularly bad when burned 110 783 hectares, the third-worst record of the decade, recalled from this organization.

Despite the enormous economic losses, environmental damage, the dead and the alarm that large fires occur every year there are oversights, accidents and other negligence that increase the disaster of the intentional fires, has lamented the campaign leader forests and climate of the environmental organization, Miguel Angel Soto.

Thus, stressed Soto, "Spanish society must win the battle the fire on the mountain and this summer, played a key match."

The UN selected 13 Spanish scientists to develop its weather report

Thirteen scientists from Spain have been selected for the preparation of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will be the key technical document for future decision-making at international level on climate change.

This was announced today the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) United Nations, which has been reported that thirteen Spanish form part of the 831 experts participating in the writing of this report, which is scheduled for 2014.

Of the thirteen Spanish scientists, eight have been selected as lead authors, and one of them, Professor, University of Cantabria Iñigo Losada, will be the coordinator of this group and the other four will be as editorial reviewers.

The Environment Ministry has opined in a statement that the selection of the Spanish specialists as authors for the preparation of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC is a "significant step" in the progressive increase in the participation of Spain in the Assessment and Reporting IPCC activities.

On 15 January the IPCC opened the nomination process by the government, which ended on March 12. In total, the IPCC has received nearly 3,000 nominations and selected 831 experts.

In recent months, the IPCC has been criticized after some calculation errors detected in its latest report. Also, the 'hacking' and filtering emails British scientists at the University of East Anglia gave rise to the so-called 'Climategate'. The scientists were accused of manipulating climate data although research to clarify the facts concluded that they had committed "malpractice."
Three working groups

The Fifth Report will contain the Synthesis Report and the three volumes of the contributions of its three working groups.

Working Group I, "Climate Change 2014: The physical science basis of climate change 'as a leading authority be part Spanish scientists Fidel González-Rouco, Complutense University, Flex-Francisco Reyes, the Catalan Institute for Climate Science , and Prof. Manuel de Castro, University of Castilla-La Mancha.

Your contribution will focus on the chapters on paleoclimatic information, projections and predictability of short-term climate change and climate phenomena and their relevance for the future regional climate.

In Working Group II, "Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability", will be as a leading authority Gerardo Benito, Research Professor of National Research Council, Marta Rivera-Ferre, Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Anil Markandya, scientific director of the Climate Change Centre of the Basque Country.

These experts will participate in the preparation of chapters on water resources, rural areas and the economics of climate change adaptation.

In addition, three scientists will participate as Reviewers editorial, Professor Joan Grimalt Research Council for Scientific Research work in Chapter Europe and Dr. Ana Iglesias, Polytechnic University of Madrid, will in the chapter on economic aspects climate change adaptation.

Professor José Manuel Moreno, who is currently vice-president of the Bureau of Working Group II of the IPCC will also be editorial reviewer chapter on terrestrial ecosystems.

For its part, the Working Group III, "Climate Change 2014: mitigation of climate change 'will be as a leading authority two Spanish experts, Professor Luisa Cabezas, University of Lleida, in the chapter on building, and Professor Xavier Labandeira, University of Vigo, in the chapter on national policies, subnational and institutions.

Also participate as an editorial reviewer chapter on cross-cutting themes financial and investment, Professor Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.

Whales produce millions of dollars without fishing

For countries that do not hunt, the whales that come to its shores has a value that is not measured in tons of meat, but in millions of tourists and billions of dollars.

Last year, more than 13 million onlookers watched them in 119 countries, generating U.S. $ 2,000 million, on Thursday reported Australian Ecology Minister, Peter Garrett, to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Agadir (southwestern Morocco) until Friday.

This organization founded in 1946 to regulate whaling is also the only one who manages the populations of these large whales.

For 14 years, created a working group of scientists dedicated to the "whale watching" or "whale watching, tourism in full expansion to admire the whales from a boat.

According to the first study on this subject, conducted by the Fisheries Center at the University of British Columbia (Canada), the observation of whales, the IWC euphemistically called "non-lethal use of whales" - could generate 3,000 million dollars annually and 24,000 jobs worldwide.

Latin America is very active in the CBI: the observation of whales, increasing more than 11% annually since the late 1990s, three times the world average, represents $ 278 million and attracts a million and a half amateur.

"On the Peninsula Valdes (Patagonia Argentina), over 200,000 tourists come to see the whales between June and December," said Roxana Schteinbarg, director of the Whale Conservation Institute in Buenos Aires. "There is no need to kill them to take advantage of them."

Most countries in the region, he added, observing adopted rules. To be heard, one hundred American and Caribbean operators presented at the initiative of Argentina, a statement to the CBI claiming to maintain the moratorium on commercial whaling, the enforcement of whale sanctuaries and the creation of a new sanctuary in South Atlantic.

In New Zealand, where he sails to see blue whales and sperm whales, "produces more than 80 million dollars," said Karena Lyons, a member of the delegation. "This ensures maximum benefit for local communities and a minimum effect on the whales".

On Thursday, the Commission gave its approval for a five-year strategic plan to observe the whales, whose objective is to frame the development of this activity and reduce impacts on cetaceans.

"The five-year plan estimated Ridoux Vincent, a French expert scientific committee of the CBI, should be possible to assess the discomfort in the different sites and the impacts of the accumulation of these problems."

It should also help the small teams in the best possible conditions. In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, with 25,000 tourists on board a season, is best placed.

The Pacific states are also great applicants and more than a dozen of them created whale sanctuaries.

"This activity could be a billionaire, estimated Sue Taei, the Pew Environment Group of Samoa. "But there is in Fiji and whale watching in Tonga, boats queuing because there are not enough whales due to intensive poaching led by the Russians."

Negotiations fail Whaling Commission on whale hunting

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been postponed until next year a decision on a possible lifting of the moratorium on commercial whaling in the absence of consensus expressed by member countries.

The decision was announced by the chairman of the CBI, Anthony Liverpool, having heard the views of the various national delegations, who requested a period of reflection to allow time to review the positions on the discrepancies.

"We believe the best solution would be to take a pause, a reflection period, and resume discussions next year," the delegation of New Zealand during his speech, endorsed by other countries like Mexico.

After two days of closed meetings, in which the 88 member countries were divided into groups of ten to facilitate the exchange of views, the 62nd annual meeting of the IWC meeting reopened conscious, according to the president, Anthony Liverpool, that "still needs more work."
Moratorium 25 years ago

The most important point on the negotiating table is a consensus proposal of the presidency, in which, although it calls for maintaining the moratorium for 25 years, supports the establishment of catch limits "significantly below current, "which critics interpreted as legitimizing commercial whaling.

Representatives of several countries, including Norway's whaling and showed on Tuesday, his pessimism about the negotiations, but tried to play down dramatically to the fact that the meeting of Agadir is closed without agreement, as happened in the previous summit held in Madeira (Portugal).

The appointment remains divided to the nations in favor of hunting, such as Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland and Japan, and conservationists, led by Latin America and Australia, and is being closely monitored by environmental groups, who complain they are hunted annually outside the control of the 1500 IWC whales.

The dark side of solar panels

Solar panels, considered one of the most effective devices for generating renewable energy may even cause the disappearance of entire communities of aquatic insects.

This is the conclusion of a study carried out by Hungarian and U.S. researchers, highlighting at least one of the problems that can lead to cleaner energy sources.

The potential loss of aquatic insects is serious, because these are the first step in the aquatic food chain. If you decrease the population of aquatic insects, fish populations and other organisms living in water will suffer.

Confusion

Aquatic insects such as ephemeral, mistake the black surface, smooth and shiny solar panels with a pond or large puddle of water.

Having spotted the "fake lake", the insects go there to breed and lay eggs, which they are not in the appropriate way, they end up dying.

"They feel so attracted by the solar panels that are unable to escape its influence," he told BBC Bruce Robertson, an ecologist from the U.S. Department of Energy of the Great Lakes in Michigan, a coauthor of the study.

This effect, by which an organism habitat prefer one good over evil, is known as ecological trap. "It's one of the most dangerous phenomena of nature," says Robertson.

The confusion occurs because both the water and the panels reflect horizontally polarized light and insects use the vibrations of these light waves to detect water.

How is it possible that once they come into contact with the solar panel does not realize that there is a lake?

"It's amazing, but true," says the researcher. "As the only natural element in the world that polarized light is water, the insects evolved in such a way that the only information that is used to recognize polarized light."

Solution in sight

To test the impact of the panels on insects researchers installed a series of panels in a wooded area dotted with lakes in Hungary.

He observed the phenomenon described above, but also, almost by chance, found how to lessen the impact.

"If you divide the panel in small portions, or you add in between white lines in a grid, the effect is much smaller. The panel continues to polarize the light, but doing it in smaller parts, not as attractive for insects, "says Robertson.

Researchers do not know exactly why: "Maybe they think they are smaller pools and they do not interest them. But the interesting thing here is that this data gives us a clue of how to eliminate this pollution, which is possible also a very low cost, "he says.

Robertson stresses the importance of taking this information into account when designing solar panels, but also emphasizes the need to further study its effect on all living organisms.

While this study reveals some of the effects that solar panels on aquatic animals, the investigator said, nothing is known about the impact it will acquire any insects or animals on land, especially in desert areas, which are the main stage most of the clean energy projects based on solar technology.

Aggressive fishing kills millions of marine species in the Coral Triangle

Millions of sea turtles, sharks, birds and other endangered species are killed accidentally each year in the Coral Triangle, which includes the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and East Timor "," collateral damage "methods aggressive fish that do not distinguish between species, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Given the scale of this silent killing one of the richest marine ecosystems and fragile world, the WWF has launched a campaign to combat so-called accidental or indiscriminate fishing."His impact is huge. Especially in protected animals, such as sea turtles. The number of accidental deaths is enormous," Efe said Lida Pet-Soede, head of the Coral Triangle Programme of WWF.

The problem lies in the fishing techniques used, which, not being selective, catching many more species of those pursued in the region bounded by the Philippines, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.Some are protected animals, whose marketing is illegal, others are not and the remaining edible can be eaten if they are not economically profitable.

The vast majority of these catches, including sometimes there are also whales, dolphins and dugongs, are thrown back into the sea, but almost always already dead or dying."This kind of wasteful management have potentially damaging implications not only for biodiversity but also for food security of millions of people," said Keith Symington, a specialist in bycatch WWF.

The organization says this is one of the most pressing issues in marine conservation and resource management.

"The problem is global, but the Coral Triangle is a particularly sensitive ecosystem and it is time to take the measures already being implemented in other parts of the world, highlights Pet-Soede.

WWF and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia organized a seminar this week on the island of Bali to explain the problem to the big fishing companies and traditional fishermen and to propose sustainable alternatives.Several international experts have come to the meeting to explain what changes can be made to the fisheries systems to maintain catch levels without affecting endangered species.

Among the non-aggressive methods that promote the hook is circular or "C" over the "J".
Fishing efficiency

The technique reduces by 80% by-catch of sea turtles "by tuna longline fishing" Fishing without compromising efficiency, "says WWF.

Another possibility is a special nets to catch small crustaceans that allow larger animals, like turtles, escaping unscathed.

"This technique is not new. But now he has improved a lot and the networks are much lighter and easier to use," explains the program manager of the Coral Triangle World Wide Fund for Nature.

The meeting also aims to show a fisherman, a priori reluctant to make changes, these changes more expensive the product but will not harm their way of life, which verges on survival.

"Several European distributors have offered to cover the cost of replacing the fishing methods. It is essential the support of industry and the role of consumers," said Pet-Soede.

The Posidonia alert our sea pollution

Spanish researchers have studied the chemical composition of the marine plant Posidonia oceanica to determine changes in pollution of the Mediterranean in the last 30 years.

Antonio Tovar-Sanchez, lead author and researcher in the Department of Global Change Research at the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), claims in science news portal SINC that the Posidonia is "capable of reflecting the different degrees local and regional pollution "of our sea, to identify the metals deposited in the Mediterranean for several decades.

The Posidionia can live for several decades and stored grow metals (nutrients and toxic) in their tissues. "Thus, a Posidonia 30 or 40 years of age provides us with information of the last three or four decades," said Tovar-Sanchez.

The CSIC team has done a complete collection of more than 50 oceanic Posidonia Balearic archipelago. The analysis of metal concentrations in Posidonia oceanica has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences shows the index of aluminum, cadmium, copper and silver, among others, present in the Mediterranean.

The study has led to a temporary record of historical environmental changes on a large scale, key to addressing climate change in general.

NASA launches new system to predict tsunamis

A research team at NASA has presented the principles of a prototype system to predict tsunamis that measures large terremototos quickly and accurately and get estimate the size of a subsequent tsunami.

The team, led by Y. Tony Song of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, used data in real-time earthquake of magnitude 8.8 in Richter scale in Chile last February to predict the size of the resulting tsunami. The measurement system combining regional data globables hundreds of GPS points, considering their positions in second, with a motion detection capability of even a few centimeters. The accuracy of GPS-based prediction was subsequently confirmed by measuring the height of the sea surface by satellite.
Differences with previous systems

The prediction method Song, published in 2007 and recently confirmed in a new study estimates the energy an earthquake under the sea transfers to the ocean to cause a tsunami, and is based on data from coastal GPS stations near the epicenter and measurements of the slope. For its part, the tsunami warning systems rely mainly on conventional location, depth and magnitude of the earthquake, although history shows the lack of reliability of the scale as an indicator of a subsequent tsunami, reports the JPL laboratory.

Moreover, previous models assumed that detection of tsunami force is determined by the amount of seafloor shifted vertically, while Song theory explains that the horizontal movements of the continental slope failure also contribute to determine the strength, transmitting kinetic energy to the ocean.

In the case of the earthquake in Chile, Song's team correctly predicted that this quake, the fifth strongest that has been registered by measuring devices, would lead to a tsunami with almost no significant effects in the Pacific.

Inventor Wins solar cells Finnish technology

Michael Graetzel Federer won the Millennium Technology Prize for inventing low-cost solar cells used in the generation of renewable energy.
Innovation "provides a more cost effective to use solar energy" and led to the development of windows generating solar electricity and phones, said the Finnish Academy of Technology in granting the award of 800,000 euros ($ 960,000).

The academy said that finding ways to replace the diminishing fossil fuel reserves is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, adding that the Sun "is the most obvious source of energy."
"The limitation of solar energy has traditionally been cost. Graetzel cells will provide a more cost effective to use it," said Ainomaija Haarle, president of the academy. "The innovation of Graetzel almost certainly going to have an important role in low-cost solutions and large scale to produce renewable energy."

It was the fourth time in Finland awards the biennial Millennium Technology Prize, which was launched by the government and industry in 2004. It is awarded for achievements in energy and environment, communications, and information, new materials and processes, and health and life sciences.
The previous winner, in 2008, was the American professor Robert Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for developing biomaterials used in combating cancer and heart disease.
Other winners were the Japanese Shuji Nakamura's inventions laser and LED technology, and Tim Berners-Lee, an MIT scientist who is credited with creating the Internet.

It confirms the existence of underwater oil stains in the Gulf

Jane Lubchenco, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed the existence of offshore oil stains in the Gulf of Mexico. "They are very small concentrations," he said, "but definitely there is oil under the surface."

The news comes ten days after the chief executive of BP, Tony Hayward, denied the existence of underwater spots and after three weeks that the very head of the NOAA said it was "premature" to reach that conclusion.

"I suspected, but it's good to have confirmation," Jane Lubchenco has qualified, part of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico today, the International Ocean Day "does exactly 50 days.The existence of spots submarine was first detected by scientists at the University of South Florida, who collected samples at great depths and over 60 kilometers of where the platform exploded Deepwater Horizon.

At least half a dozen researchers from many other universities in southern United States, aboard the Pelican, certified the presence of oil in the middle layers of the Gulf of Mexico and blamed the controversial use of dispersants."Oil is on the surface," said however, the BP chief executive Tony Hayward on an expedition chartered on May 30 and who had access to various media. "Oil has a specific gravity, which is half that of water," said Hayward, as an expert and geologist. "And it tends to rise to the surface by the difference of gravity."

A researcher involved in the group of scientists that advises the Obama Administration, Ira Leifer, has meanwhile raised the alarm to the latest BP maneuvers to try to contain the spill.
Liefer, who works at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, says that the amount of oil spilled may have increased substantially since BP decided to cut the oil well tubing to implement containment hood.
The British company says that urgent action is serving to capture and 2.4 million liters of oil per day. Leifer believes however that the flow of oil escaping from under the hood is "well above" that was poured before the operation carried out last weekend.

Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen admitted yesterday that the new flow of the spill is still "a mystery" and that one of the priorities for the next few days will be just "reevaluate" the latest estimates, made three weeks ago.

Emissions down in Spain out of the economic crisis

Emissions of greenhouse gases in Spain have fallen in the past two years on the sidelines of the economic crisis. It is known that the decline in industrial activity occurred in recent months also was associated with a decrease in emissions of CO2 and other gases into the atmosphere. However, the Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa, said during the presentation of the "Environmental Profile of Spain 2009", that emissions have fallen regardless of whether the crisis.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the environmental profile of Spain is "satisfactory whole." And the reduction of greenhouse gases or CO2 emissions by 7.5% in 2008 compared to 2007 and 8.2% in 2009 compared to 2008.

At the launch, Environment Minister said that Spain "expect" to meet the commitment of the Kyoto Protocol, which limited its growth in emissions of greenhouse gases by 2012 in 15% of 1990 levels. After this date must reduce these emissions by 20% until 2020.

Espinosa stressed that the present edition, the sixth, includes two new chapters, one devoted to Coastal and Marine, and another, the Green Economy and stressed that in 2008 increased green jobs, particularly those related to renewable energy.
Lights and shadows of environmental profile

The Environmental Profile addresses the environment from two perspectives, the situation of the natural environment in its different areas (air, water and biodiversity, among others) and human activities that take place in the natural environment, represented by various productive sectors (industry, fisheries, energy, tourism).

According to the report, water consumption continues to decline in homes since 2007 and reserves of water stored in the year 2009 increased 23%, which has led to a decrease in the production of desalinated water.

Also continues to decline municipal waste generation per capita waste going to landfill, with slight increase of incineration and an improved collection, although we are still above the European average.
Diffuse sectors

One of the areas of greatest concern to the ministry, are called diffuse pollutants in cities, mainly due to transport.
In 2008, irrigated agriculture continues to increase its efficiency in water use, increasing the surface using drip irrigation systems by 28% in the last five years. It has also been a significant increase in the area devoted to organic farming, increasing the latter that the Minister has described as "encouraging."

According to the profile, stabilizes the forest area, close to 28 million hectares of land remains rural tourism activities and visits to National Parks and fell by 8% overall aquaculture production, dragged by lower mussel production.

In the transport sector in 2008 has produced the greatest reduction in energy consumption (3.1%) since 1990. Regarding the energy consumption of each household, the year 2008 presented a decrease of 5% compared with 2007, and was more pronounced decrease in thermal applications in the electrical.

Singapore subject to a public warning to those who throw garbage on the street

Singapore will give a warning to citizens that dump waste into the streets forcing them to work as scavengers in crowded areas wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.
The measure is part of a new campaign of the city-state against dirt including police patrols at points where there is usually more stools and installing new and larger containers.

"We will continue to be tough on incivility while improving container infrastructure," said the head of the National Agency for the Environment, Andrew Tan"Despite progress in recent years cleaning remains a problem," he added.

The measure will be applied against those who are caught twice or more throwing garbage in public areas.

The Government hopes that the embarrassment of being forced to clean public spaces as community centers or bus stations serve as an incentive for Singaporeans throw garbage where it belongs.
Higher finesAnother inducement is provided by the authorities increased the fines that could reach the $ 3,535 (2951 euros). To date the financial penalties were between 141 and $ 212 (117 and 176 euros).

The package is the result of a survey conducted last year over 4462 people reveals that the main causes of incivility are the difficulties to find paper, look for the laziness or lack of habit.Over 90% of those fined over the last five years were for throwing cigarette butts on the floor.

During the same period, the number of complaints increased from 3819-41392.

Palm oil 'burn' the forests of Indonesia

Palm oil is not good news. Each year, millions of hectares of forest and forest are destroyed to cultivate oil palm, with terrible consequences for the environment. Furthermore, it is a little healthy oil because of its high content of saturated fatty acids.

Despite its bad reputation, the production of this plant is key to the economy of many tropical countries, who this week defended their crop during the International Environment Forum held in Bali.Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil and also the country with the highest rate of deforestation of the planet. In the ranking of nations that emit greenhouse gases, the China ranks third, behind China and USA.

Thus, while some western countries their culture is perceived as one of the causes that contribute to climate change, this tropical plant in Indonesia is considered a "blessing of nature that employs three million people and contributes to the eradication of poverty ", as stated this week in Bali Gatot Irianto, one of the officials of the Ministry of Environment of the country.
Widely consumed in Europe

Its bad reputation contrasts with the high consumption of palm oil in many European countries, including Spain. Because, although you do not have in your pantry, probably consume many products that do contain it. Palm oil is used to make cosmetics (creams, soaps, shampoo, toothpaste) in the food sector (industrial pastries, chocolates, preserves, margarine, etc..) And other products such as candles, paint, detergents or shoe polish.