A Japanese manufacturer will bring to market from 2010 a moped "hybrid" powered by a battery and also equipped with pedals to help up hills, to be ten times cheaper than a traditional motorcycle, the company said Prostaff.
The Prostaff noted that the "Miletto" appears in twelve colors, priced at 1,100 euros.
"Normal operation thanks to a battery but a steep hill, the driver will have to help with the pedals," said Ryo Teranishi, an official of the company based in the city of Ichinomiya (center).
"It's a zero emissions vehicle gaseous pollutants but also the hybrid combination of an electric motor and physical strength makes it even more environmentally friendly," he told AFP.
The "Miletto" may travel 35 km without having to resort to the pedals, which means it will consume 0.7 euro cents every two miles, ie ten times less than a classic motorcycle, said the manufacturer.
This does not provide, for the moment, export the new hybrid moped.
viernes, 30 de octubre de 2009
miércoles, 28 de octubre de 2009
Tokyo built the house with the most energy efficient
Please pass the room, make yourself comfortable, let's take a look at the most efficient house, the house without CO2 emissions.
The guests arrive in a street lit by streetlamps zero consumption: they make up a solar panel and a wind minigenerador that keep them in place. Upon entering the room, the motion sensors capture the presence of visitors. LED bulbs, they spend 10 times less than conventional light up before him.
The air conditioning system, operated by sensors, it also adjusts itself to the level of comfort and less spending. Striking examples of home automation are applied, but these automatisms are most important. The real heart of the green house is revealed when you turn on the flat screen. It's a TV, but also the control center building, which presents information about its metabolism. Many appliances, lights or air conditioning systems are in place, how much they spend and how much CO2 equivalent emissions are generated. And how much energy is being produced. Because the photovoltaic panels from the ceiling and the fuel cell generates energy courtyard. And a lithium ion battery that stores the spare. It uses the same electric car to the garage. The display shows the balance between expenditure and consumption. The intention is to be zero.
Pilot House in Tokyo
Science fiction? No. The house can be seen at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo. Opened in April this year has been one of the attractions of the Ceatec technology trade fair, held recently in the Japanese capital. Among the dazzling display of new products from hundreds of companies highlighted the Panasonic booth. In it, the television star was home in three dimensions, which will soon come to market. But what was the other bet green exposition company. Your Eco Ideas initiative, launched in 2007, seeks to implement efficient production equipment and implement the policies of saving the manufacturing system itself.
The Eco Ideas House shows progress in the field of saving and clean energy generation. Washing machines and refrigerators consume up to 40% less than models two years ago. A new panel insulation prevents up to 50% heat loss. Regarding power generation, fuel cell, gas-burning city to produce both heat and electricity heating, achieves 70% more use of the resource and is about to be sold in Japan.
The lithium ion accumulator battery is already on the market: the electric motor which equips the Toyota Prius, the auto manufacturer that is associated with the electronic mark. And solar panels are using proprietary technology. In fact, the company believes that its energy division shall be 10% of its turnover in the near future.
In Europe, Panasonic is known as electronic manufacturer, but in Japan it works many other industries, including construction. However, its executives did not say whether they will offer the house as a complete product to the consumer. But they do say that almost all the elements shown therein are available or will soon.
No wonder that the commitment to efficiency comes from Japan, a country with little land, large population and a superlative urban and industrial development that make it an example of the challenges of the future, a testing ground for the challenge of managing resource scarcity and climate change. In fact, Japan's newly elected government has taken a step on that front by committing to reduce its emissions by 25% by 2020.
Business leaders also are moving towards the green. Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic, said: "A new sense of values is spreading worldwide. When the economy picks up [this crisis], I think the global markets and the type of goods and services demanded by consumers will be very different and will highlight environmental concerns.
The guests arrive in a street lit by streetlamps zero consumption: they make up a solar panel and a wind minigenerador that keep them in place. Upon entering the room, the motion sensors capture the presence of visitors. LED bulbs, they spend 10 times less than conventional light up before him.
The air conditioning system, operated by sensors, it also adjusts itself to the level of comfort and less spending. Striking examples of home automation are applied, but these automatisms are most important. The real heart of the green house is revealed when you turn on the flat screen. It's a TV, but also the control center building, which presents information about its metabolism. Many appliances, lights or air conditioning systems are in place, how much they spend and how much CO2 equivalent emissions are generated. And how much energy is being produced. Because the photovoltaic panels from the ceiling and the fuel cell generates energy courtyard. And a lithium ion battery that stores the spare. It uses the same electric car to the garage. The display shows the balance between expenditure and consumption. The intention is to be zero.
Pilot House in Tokyo
Science fiction? No. The house can be seen at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo. Opened in April this year has been one of the attractions of the Ceatec technology trade fair, held recently in the Japanese capital. Among the dazzling display of new products from hundreds of companies highlighted the Panasonic booth. In it, the television star was home in three dimensions, which will soon come to market. But what was the other bet green exposition company. Your Eco Ideas initiative, launched in 2007, seeks to implement efficient production equipment and implement the policies of saving the manufacturing system itself.
The Eco Ideas House shows progress in the field of saving and clean energy generation. Washing machines and refrigerators consume up to 40% less than models two years ago. A new panel insulation prevents up to 50% heat loss. Regarding power generation, fuel cell, gas-burning city to produce both heat and electricity heating, achieves 70% more use of the resource and is about to be sold in Japan.
The lithium ion accumulator battery is already on the market: the electric motor which equips the Toyota Prius, the auto manufacturer that is associated with the electronic mark. And solar panels are using proprietary technology. In fact, the company believes that its energy division shall be 10% of its turnover in the near future.
In Europe, Panasonic is known as electronic manufacturer, but in Japan it works many other industries, including construction. However, its executives did not say whether they will offer the house as a complete product to the consumer. But they do say that almost all the elements shown therein are available or will soon.
No wonder that the commitment to efficiency comes from Japan, a country with little land, large population and a superlative urban and industrial development that make it an example of the challenges of the future, a testing ground for the challenge of managing resource scarcity and climate change. In fact, Japan's newly elected government has taken a step on that front by committing to reduce its emissions by 25% by 2020.
Business leaders also are moving towards the green. Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic, said: "A new sense of values is spreading worldwide. When the economy picks up [this crisis], I think the global markets and the type of goods and services demanded by consumers will be very different and will highlight environmental concerns.
Bamboo houses to store CO2
The Altran Foundation on Monday presented a natural storage of CO2 through the use of bamboo for building construction material would quickly build sustainable housing and create a new source of business for the producer countries underdeveloped.
The capture of CO2 by using bamboo as a construction project is the 2008 winner of the Altran Foundation for Innovation, which aims to decrease the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere naturally and allow the opening of a source business to producing countries, mainly developing countries.
Its creator, Francis Gallo, explained at a press conference that the system involves the transformation of bamboo into a moldable material with which to build prefabricated modular buildings allow the lifting of very quickly.
Benefit the producing countries
Gallo says, "bamboo absorbs 30% more carbon dioxide than coniferous species commonly used in construction," and added that the project aims the development of bamboo industry whose benefits have a direct impact on the productive population.
The inventor suggests that the limits on the giant bamboo that grows in line with the borders of many underdeveloped tropical countries would find this plant a new source of revenue, plus a quick and natural way to build their own buildings up to five stories.
The first home built with bamboo rate will rise in the Colombian city of Pereira in mid 2010, when another prototype will be ready also to the drivers of Altra Foundation trust that is placed in Barcelona, which also have been built sustainable housing designs .
Gallo notes that CO2 capture is a "technological and economic challenge" expensive if done artificially, so it aims to build on existing natural methods such as capturing carbon dioxide by plants as part of its vital functions.
Although the initial price of bamboo housing will exceed the usual concrete, energy savings outweigh the initial expenditure and be more competitive when placed "immediately" on a large scale, says the creator.
The capture of CO2 by using bamboo as a construction project is the 2008 winner of the Altran Foundation for Innovation, which aims to decrease the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere naturally and allow the opening of a source business to producing countries, mainly developing countries.
Its creator, Francis Gallo, explained at a press conference that the system involves the transformation of bamboo into a moldable material with which to build prefabricated modular buildings allow the lifting of very quickly.
Benefit the producing countries
Gallo says, "bamboo absorbs 30% more carbon dioxide than coniferous species commonly used in construction," and added that the project aims the development of bamboo industry whose benefits have a direct impact on the productive population.
The inventor suggests that the limits on the giant bamboo that grows in line with the borders of many underdeveloped tropical countries would find this plant a new source of revenue, plus a quick and natural way to build their own buildings up to five stories.
The first home built with bamboo rate will rise in the Colombian city of Pereira in mid 2010, when another prototype will be ready also to the drivers of Altra Foundation trust that is placed in Barcelona, which also have been built sustainable housing designs .
Gallo notes that CO2 capture is a "technological and economic challenge" expensive if done artificially, so it aims to build on existing natural methods such as capturing carbon dioxide by plants as part of its vital functions.
Although the initial price of bamboo housing will exceed the usual concrete, energy savings outweigh the initial expenditure and be more competitive when placed "immediately" on a large scale, says the creator.
Freeze the coral to avoid extinction
The prospects for survival of corals crave so rare that scientists have begun to freeze samples for saving these agencies of their total disappearance.
At a meeting in Copenhagen, researchers have claimed that the disappearance of corals seems inevitable even reaching the best estimates of emission reductions in the coming years.
BBC reports, experts are storing samples in liquid nitrogen in order to reintroduce them in the seas in the future, when the ocean temperature to stabilize.
Scientists announced the measure to representatives of 16 major economies in the world who have gathered in Copenhagen to try to move the negotiations for the climate change conference to be held next December in the same city. The event is organized by the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE, by its initials in English).
"It may be our last chance to save the biodiversity of the reef systems that are incredibly diverse," says Simon Hardin, of the Zoological Society of London. "It would be a way to preserve the species and ensure its survival in this way".
Researchers have noted that corals provide a source of income, food and protection to 500 million people worldwide. The progressive deterioration of the oceans are causing serious damage to these sensitive animals. According to recent studies the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia (one of the largest in the world) could be destroyed in less than one hundred years.
At a meeting in Copenhagen, researchers have claimed that the disappearance of corals seems inevitable even reaching the best estimates of emission reductions in the coming years.
BBC reports, experts are storing samples in liquid nitrogen in order to reintroduce them in the seas in the future, when the ocean temperature to stabilize.
Scientists announced the measure to representatives of 16 major economies in the world who have gathered in Copenhagen to try to move the negotiations for the climate change conference to be held next December in the same city. The event is organized by the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE, by its initials in English).
"It may be our last chance to save the biodiversity of the reef systems that are incredibly diverse," says Simon Hardin, of the Zoological Society of London. "It would be a way to preserve the species and ensure its survival in this way".
Researchers have noted that corals provide a source of income, food and protection to 500 million people worldwide. The progressive deterioration of the oceans are causing serious damage to these sensitive animals. According to recent studies the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia (one of the largest in the world) could be destroyed in less than one hundred years.
martes, 27 de octubre de 2009
Biofuels and hybrid cars, a pioneer in a fair trial in Spain
Alternative to traditional fuels such as natural gas and hydrogen, hybrid and electric vehicles will provide some of the bets that more than seventy experts show at a fair, a pioneer in Spain, to be held 5 to 7 November in Valladolid.
The forum, organized by the Feria de Valladolid in collaboration with the Allies Club, an organization for the promotion and sustainable development of ecological fuels and vehicles, will include technical seminars, lectures and demonstrations.
The aim of this forum is becoming a "meeting" of the officers involved in the manufacture, distribution, promotion adaptation engine and alternative vehicle, said at the press conference of presentation of the conference, CEO de la Feria de Valladolid, Carlos Escudero.
It also stressed that the conference will be present as alternative vehicles already circulating on the road, like others that have been presented in the halls of Frankfurt and Tokyo.
As for alternative fuels, biofuels director of the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDEA), Francisco Jose Dominguez, has insisted that it is important to promote these products because "more than 25 percent of gas emissions greenhouse gases come from transportation. "
At the opening of the conference also spoke to Deputy Minister of Economy of the Junta de Castilla y León, Begoña Hernandez, who noted that such alternatives "open a great future for employment generation, especially in rural areas.
In this respect, has suggested that the regional government will have specific measures for the encouragement of demand for environmentally friendly vehicles from 2010.
It has also announced that in the coming days will begin a pilot program of infrastructure in Castilla y Leon that fits the development of electric vehicle by the manufacturer of the Community.
The Hall of alternative fuel vehicle and with the participation of companies like Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Toyota and Michelin, which will contribute to the knowledge of its products to professionals and citizens.
In addition to the days devoted to the experts, on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 am, visitors can test the vehicles exposed to identify new market, on Friday 6 pm and on Saturday 7
The forum, organized by the Feria de Valladolid in collaboration with the Allies Club, an organization for the promotion and sustainable development of ecological fuels and vehicles, will include technical seminars, lectures and demonstrations.
The aim of this forum is becoming a "meeting" of the officers involved in the manufacture, distribution, promotion adaptation engine and alternative vehicle, said at the press conference of presentation of the conference, CEO de la Feria de Valladolid, Carlos Escudero.
It also stressed that the conference will be present as alternative vehicles already circulating on the road, like others that have been presented in the halls of Frankfurt and Tokyo.
As for alternative fuels, biofuels director of the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDEA), Francisco Jose Dominguez, has insisted that it is important to promote these products because "more than 25 percent of gas emissions greenhouse gases come from transportation. "
At the opening of the conference also spoke to Deputy Minister of Economy of the Junta de Castilla y León, Begoña Hernandez, who noted that such alternatives "open a great future for employment generation, especially in rural areas.
In this respect, has suggested that the regional government will have specific measures for the encouragement of demand for environmentally friendly vehicles from 2010.
It has also announced that in the coming days will begin a pilot program of infrastructure in Castilla y Leon that fits the development of electric vehicle by the manufacturer of the Community.
The Hall of alternative fuel vehicle and with the participation of companies like Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Toyota and Michelin, which will contribute to the knowledge of its products to professionals and citizens.
In addition to the days devoted to the experts, on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 am, visitors can test the vehicles exposed to identify new market, on Friday 6 pm and on Saturday 7
miércoles, 21 de octubre de 2009
The EU failed to reach agreement to help developing countries reduce emissions
Finance ministers of the EU (Ecofin) on Tuesday failed to agree on financial assistance needed by developing countries to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and thus to address the impacts of climate change."It's a disappointing result," he acknowledged at a news conference Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg, whose country chairs the EU this semester.
The Twenty-seven were unable to reach agreement on the needs of non-industrialized nations to curb emissions and on how much each Member State should provide financial assistance from the EU to those countries.
Poland's opposition, meanwhile, prevented adoption of any conclusions that had already withdrawn all the key figures, so the issue will go to European leaders, meeting in Brussels next week.
'Lack of commitment'
According to the Swedish presidency of the EU shift the problem is "lack of commitment" of the EU countries themselves.
The European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia, conceded that, given what happened today and what is happening internationally, "will be difficult" to reach agreement on a UN summit on climate change , held in December in Copenhagen.
Still, Almunia said he was hopeful and said that Tuesday's meeting has ended without a text of conclusions "does not mean that Europe will continue to lead the efforts in search of agreement" to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Until this morning, the European ministers hoped to agree on at least three general figures on funding. First, according to draft conclusions that have been discussing, they recognized that developing countries need between 5,000 and 7,000 million per year to tackle climate change and reducing emissions in the period 2010-2012.
The text also noted that mitigation and adaptation to global warming will cost around 100,000 million per year from 2020, of which between 22,000 and 50,000 million would come from international public funding.
However, strong opposition from several countries, led by Poland, now forced to withdraw all the figures except the most comprehensive document (100,000 million), yet they failed to check the support of member countries.
The U.S. military chooses Acciona major project for renewable
The Corps Army of the United States has selected a consortium of Acciona, through its subsidiary Acciona Solar Power, Energy and Clark, to develop a macro-solar.
The facility will have 500 MW and will entail an investment of 2,000 million dollars in the first phase. Will rise in a most emblematic military facilities from the U.S. military: the military complex of Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert (California), where the largest field of training troops in the country, as well as space communication center NASA's Goldstone.
The Army and the companies just signed a memorandum of understanding that represents the beginning of the project, as reported by the own company Acciona.
The selection corresponds to a process of open competition in March by the Energy Council of the Army (Army Senior Energy Council), a body created in October 2008 to promote a sustainable energy strategy aimed at finding alternative sources for savings and security of supply facilities, crews, vehicles and other assets in the U.S. Army.
By federal mandate, the U.S. military should be reduced by 30% its energy consumption by 2015 (based on 2003) and 25% of demand must be met by renewable sources by 2025.
Different technologies
The joint proposal by Acciona Solar Power and Energy Clark sees the development of a 500 MW solar-expandable to 1,000 MW at a later stage, thermal and photovoltaic technologies, so it represents the largest solar project to date provided by the Department of Defense.
Well exceeds the 14 MW PV installed in 2007 at Nellis Air Force Base, also in Nevada, and 2 MW of Fort Carson, Colorado (the largest of the Army to date).
The facilities will be implemented in five locations previously identified by the military experts, numbering a total area of 5,600 hectares.
The project is in an early stage. By 2013 it expects to produce the first kilowatts in a 20 MW PV plant. The remaining plants will combine photovoltaic and solar thermal technology and would be completed by 2022.
The project of 500 MW will result in a significant boost to jobs in the area. Are estimated at 4,000 direct jobs generated by the project in its construction phase.
Previous experience
The Mojave Desert, which is Fort Irwin, is one of the areas with higher levels of insolation in the U.S.. The resort is situated midway between Los Angeles (California) and Las Vegas (Nevada), in an environment very similar to the host plant Nevada Solar One solar thermal power, 64 MW installed by Acciona Solar Power June aen 2007.
The facility will have 500 MW and will entail an investment of 2,000 million dollars in the first phase. Will rise in a most emblematic military facilities from the U.S. military: the military complex of Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert (California), where the largest field of training troops in the country, as well as space communication center NASA's Goldstone.
The Army and the companies just signed a memorandum of understanding that represents the beginning of the project, as reported by the own company Acciona.
The selection corresponds to a process of open competition in March by the Energy Council of the Army (Army Senior Energy Council), a body created in October 2008 to promote a sustainable energy strategy aimed at finding alternative sources for savings and security of supply facilities, crews, vehicles and other assets in the U.S. Army.
By federal mandate, the U.S. military should be reduced by 30% its energy consumption by 2015 (based on 2003) and 25% of demand must be met by renewable sources by 2025.
Different technologies
The joint proposal by Acciona Solar Power and Energy Clark sees the development of a 500 MW solar-expandable to 1,000 MW at a later stage, thermal and photovoltaic technologies, so it represents the largest solar project to date provided by the Department of Defense.
Well exceeds the 14 MW PV installed in 2007 at Nellis Air Force Base, also in Nevada, and 2 MW of Fort Carson, Colorado (the largest of the Army to date).
The facilities will be implemented in five locations previously identified by the military experts, numbering a total area of 5,600 hectares.
The project is in an early stage. By 2013 it expects to produce the first kilowatts in a 20 MW PV plant. The remaining plants will combine photovoltaic and solar thermal technology and would be completed by 2022.
The project of 500 MW will result in a significant boost to jobs in the area. Are estimated at 4,000 direct jobs generated by the project in its construction phase.
Previous experience
The Mojave Desert, which is Fort Irwin, is one of the areas with higher levels of insolation in the U.S.. The resort is situated midway between Los Angeles (California) and Las Vegas (Nevada), in an environment very similar to the host plant Nevada Solar One solar thermal power, 64 MW installed by Acciona Solar Power June aen 2007.
martes, 20 de octubre de 2009
Hotels also are converted to renewable energy
Soon be launched in Chile the first hotel that works 100% on solar power, while elsewhere in Latin America is already bearing resorts rates of "carbon neutral".
The energy saving and low carbon footprint are concepts that are already reaching the hotel business, and this line is that adopting them means a reduction in operating costs as well as a plus marketing level.
The first example delivers local gallery hotel, just deploy technology for solar water heating, which in practice will mean a saving in energy consumption 80%.
This is how Marco Torres, Head of Chilectra eco-energy, which states that have already detected the interest of other hotel companies to implement this technology in their facilities.
"There are several projects we are working with some companies and not only in Santiago, so we are already at the level of budget and negotiations," he says.
Thompson states that in Galerias Hotel is the first in Chile to operate on solar power, there are 90 collectors installed on the roof of the enclosure, which will reduce annual spending on energy consumption of $ 59 million to $ 11 million approximately.
It is important to record though, that during the first 3 to 5 years of operation of the system could only recover the initial investment, while during the 15 years remaining useful life of the collector collected projected profits.
The Head of eco-energy Chilectra adds that with these measures the hotel center eliminated the use of gas in their units and with it emissions of CO2 to the environment, which is strategic for the company in terms of marketing.
"For the hotel industry, in addition to being profitable is a plus installation of this type of system-level marketing, and indeed Galeries has planned a launch to show this conversion to their customers and the general public," says Torres.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN PERU
The Inkaterra hotel complex is also another case of Latin America showing its transformation to sustainable business development, and actively working to keep carbon neutral rates.
This is pointed Jose Koechlin von Stein, Chairman of Inkaterra, adding that they promote sustainable tourism through Inkaterra Machu Picchu, in the heart of Andean cloud forest, the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, along the Madre de Dios River in the Amazon rainforest and the Inkaterra La Casona, a few steps from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco.
This pioneering work in South America has allowed them to receive support from the International Finance Corporation World Bank Group, the Global Environmental Facility of the United Nations, and the National Geographic Society.
Thanks to these funds in their resorts promote the use of clean technologies, directly and indirectly protect the forests with the respective offset carbon emissions and teach their guests how to offset the CO2 emitted individually.
"We know that tourists travel because for a unique experience and be a better person, so we offer a trip which is in contact with nature and learn about the natural riches of Peru," said Jose Koechlin Von Stein.
She adds that in Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, for example, not only aims to show guests the imposing work of man but also the environment in which it is constructed this World Heritage Site.
"The Incas built there, although it was a place of difficult access, because for them it was a beautiful natural environment and that's what we tell the tourists too."
The energy saving and low carbon footprint are concepts that are already reaching the hotel business, and this line is that adopting them means a reduction in operating costs as well as a plus marketing level.
The first example delivers local gallery hotel, just deploy technology for solar water heating, which in practice will mean a saving in energy consumption 80%.
This is how Marco Torres, Head of Chilectra eco-energy, which states that have already detected the interest of other hotel companies to implement this technology in their facilities.
"There are several projects we are working with some companies and not only in Santiago, so we are already at the level of budget and negotiations," he says.
Thompson states that in Galerias Hotel is the first in Chile to operate on solar power, there are 90 collectors installed on the roof of the enclosure, which will reduce annual spending on energy consumption of $ 59 million to $ 11 million approximately.
It is important to record though, that during the first 3 to 5 years of operation of the system could only recover the initial investment, while during the 15 years remaining useful life of the collector collected projected profits.
The Head of eco-energy Chilectra adds that with these measures the hotel center eliminated the use of gas in their units and with it emissions of CO2 to the environment, which is strategic for the company in terms of marketing.
"For the hotel industry, in addition to being profitable is a plus installation of this type of system-level marketing, and indeed Galeries has planned a launch to show this conversion to their customers and the general public," says Torres.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN PERU
The Inkaterra hotel complex is also another case of Latin America showing its transformation to sustainable business development, and actively working to keep carbon neutral rates.
This is pointed Jose Koechlin von Stein, Chairman of Inkaterra, adding that they promote sustainable tourism through Inkaterra Machu Picchu, in the heart of Andean cloud forest, the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, along the Madre de Dios River in the Amazon rainforest and the Inkaterra La Casona, a few steps from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco.
This pioneering work in South America has allowed them to receive support from the International Finance Corporation World Bank Group, the Global Environmental Facility of the United Nations, and the National Geographic Society.
Thanks to these funds in their resorts promote the use of clean technologies, directly and indirectly protect the forests with the respective offset carbon emissions and teach their guests how to offset the CO2 emitted individually.
"We know that tourists travel because for a unique experience and be a better person, so we offer a trip which is in contact with nature and learn about the natural riches of Peru," said Jose Koechlin Von Stein.
She adds that in Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, for example, not only aims to show guests the imposing work of man but also the environment in which it is constructed this World Heritage Site.
"The Incas built there, although it was a place of difficult access, because for them it was a beautiful natural environment and that's what we tell the tourists too."
lunes, 19 de octubre de 2009
Brown warning of a 'catastrophe' if no climate change pact
If world leaders fail to reach an agreement on climate change, Britain, like other European countries and the rest of the world will suffer "catastrophes" in the form of natural floods, droughts and deadly heat waves.That's the apocalyptic warning today launched the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on the last day of a meeting of 17 most polluting countries in the world aimed at bringing positions with a view to the forthcoming summit in Copenhagen on the subject.
Brown has warned the congregation that there is no "plan B" if no agreement is reached and have only 50 days to reach it. "Since I announced that I will be in Copenhagen, and I am urging the other leaders to make the same commitment."
From the summit in the Danish capital, under the auspices of the UN should output a document to replace the Kyoto Protocol that have not signed key countries like the U.S. and China. "If we fail in Copenhagen Earth will be in danger," warned the Premiership British.
Brown has assured the delegates meeting in London that heat waves like those in 2003 killed 35,000 people above the usual levels of mortality are much more frequent in the future. "An agreement can and should" put the world in the way of limiting temperature increase to two degrees, "said Brown.
"To maintain the current tenancy, such events could become common in Britain in a matter of decades. And life for our children or grandchildren, high temperatures in 2003 could become standard in much of Europe" , said Brown.
If no agreement is reached in Copenhagen, added the prime minister, the world will face new conflicts fueled by a wave of migrations of people to flee from all types of natural disasters.
For the year 2080, 1.800 million people, equivalent to a quarter of the world's population could suffer water shortages continue as climate change so far.
According to Brown, still "possible" to reach agreement in the Danish capital, but "we must recognize that our negotiators are not reaching the necessary consensus with the speed it would take.The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri, recently warned the U.S. weekly Newsweek that the prospects of the states participating in the Copenhagen summit to reach an agreement seem to be "getting worse".
jueves, 15 de octubre de 2009
The Arctic will be navigable in the summer of 2020
The Arctic ice could melt in the summer of 2020, which would allow its navigation, as affirmed an expert from the University of Cambridge, which considers that this may be the most visible impact of climate change. "It's as if the man was removing the cap from the northern part of the planet," said the British media physics professor Peter Wadhams.This is one of the conclusions of the study conducted Wadhams, the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge, having considered the measures of the ice collected by the British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless' in 2007 and those taken this year by an expedition led by polar adventurer Pen Hadow.
According to Wadhams, freighters do not have to rely on boats to break the ice to cross the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean through the so-called Northwest Passage. This route will be ice free for several months a year, which will reduce the over 4,800-km route to do the boats that are in the Far East to Europe via the Suez Canal, the study adds.
"The North Pole will be exposed in ten years. One can navigate in a Japanese freighter car through the North Pole and into the Atlantic. The ice will retreat to an area north of Greenland and Ellesmere Island in 2020" Wadhams said. According to the expert, "the change in the Arctic ice in summer will be the biggest impact that global warming will have on the physical appearance of the planet."
The explorer Pen Hadow and his two teammates-Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley-spent 73 days between 1 March and 7 May of this year walking 450 kilometers in the Arctic while taking measurements. They made holes and 1500 found that the average thickness of ice floes was only 1.8 meters. Hadow said the newspaper 'The Times', techniques for future expeditions to the Arctic during the summer will have to be modified to adapt to frequent open water areas.
miércoles, 14 de octubre de 2009
An October warmer than normal
This October will go down in history as one of the warmest in recent years. And not by the highest recorded last Monday, when the mercury topped 33 degrees in Seville, 27.7 in Madrid and 28 in Valencia, but by the "high minimum" that are taking place at night in the Peninsula.
The blame for these "night sweats" has had a stream of warm, moist air led to the formation of clouds, which prevented the earth cooled. "This is an October warmer than normal, but we have a perfect record in regard to high temperatures because, for example, Sevilla was 33 degrees yesterday, while the October 1, 2004 recorded 36.6 º "said Angel Rivera, a spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
"However, we can talk generally about record high minimum temperatures, especially in the middle of the Peninsula and in Castilla-León" said Rivera. "A stream of warm, humid air made it possible for the land was not cool at night and the nighttime lows were so high last week.
And while the highest temperature recorded an October at the Observatory of Madrid-Barajas is the year 1930, when the mercury reached 30 °, on Monday said the same observatory 27.7 º. The 26.7 º lived Barcelona fall from October to two degrees warmer lived in Barcelona, which dates from 1971. Also on Monday, Valencia scored 28.3 º peak, while in 1981 came in this month to 34.6 º.
Heat a little softer and the lack of rain (except in the Mediterranean and Balearic Islands) will be the keynote this next week as there is an anticyclone. "You have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to see if there is any indication that it might enter some time to come the Atlantic," said spokesman AEMET.
The blame for these "night sweats" has had a stream of warm, moist air led to the formation of clouds, which prevented the earth cooled. "This is an October warmer than normal, but we have a perfect record in regard to high temperatures because, for example, Sevilla was 33 degrees yesterday, while the October 1, 2004 recorded 36.6 º "said Angel Rivera, a spokesman for the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
"However, we can talk generally about record high minimum temperatures, especially in the middle of the Peninsula and in Castilla-León" said Rivera. "A stream of warm, humid air made it possible for the land was not cool at night and the nighttime lows were so high last week.
And while the highest temperature recorded an October at the Observatory of Madrid-Barajas is the year 1930, when the mercury reached 30 °, on Monday said the same observatory 27.7 º. The 26.7 º lived Barcelona fall from October to two degrees warmer lived in Barcelona, which dates from 1971. Also on Monday, Valencia scored 28.3 º peak, while in 1981 came in this month to 34.6 º.
Heat a little softer and the lack of rain (except in the Mediterranean and Balearic Islands) will be the keynote this next week as there is an anticyclone. "You have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to see if there is any indication that it might enter some time to come the Atlantic," said spokesman AEMET.
The gorillas, forest guards against CO2
In the fight against climate change, any contribution is positive. Therefore, conservation experts have drawn the attention of the world authorities on the protection of great apes in support of reforestation programs, provides a simple and effective tool to combat CO2 emissions.
Gorillas eat fruit and plants, to be digested and redeposited in the soil, help seeds germinate. Although not yet fully known the importance of these apes in their ecosystems, the UN ambassador for the Year of the Gorilla, Ian Redmond, said that many species of trees and plants would not survive without them, the elephants and the other large mammals.
Currently, several industrialized countries work with different programs for the reforestation of forests in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, as a measure to help contain the effects of global warming. In the same vein, several economists have said that the cheapest way to reduce emissions is to invest in the rehabilitation of large forest areas.
Redmond said that the major nations will meet in the forthcoming World Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen would commit a grave error if not commit to specific funds to protect the gorillas. "If we save the trees but not animals, we witness a long agony of forests," said Redmond told The Guardian. "I ask participants in Copenhagen that the gorillas do not consider a luxury item."
Natural sink for CO2
Forests are a natural sink for carbon, absorbing about 4,800 million tonnes each year. "That's what these animals are not mere decoration, or interesting objects of study. They are part of an ecosystem". As reported by the Endangered Species Fund, two gorillas in the Congo die each week and their bodies are sold for their meat consumption. Although most individuals live in National Parks, are rapidly losing their habitat.
The areas inhabited by gorillas are in many cases, the scene of civil wars. It is also an endangered species by poachers and habitat destruction caused by mining and illegal timber used by local guerrillas to finance itself. Nearly two decades of civil war in the Great Lakes area of Africa, which includes areas of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya, have had a serious impact on the population of these animals.
Gorillas eat fruit and plants, to be digested and redeposited in the soil, help seeds germinate. Although not yet fully known the importance of these apes in their ecosystems, the UN ambassador for the Year of the Gorilla, Ian Redmond, said that many species of trees and plants would not survive without them, the elephants and the other large mammals.
Currently, several industrialized countries work with different programs for the reforestation of forests in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, as a measure to help contain the effects of global warming. In the same vein, several economists have said that the cheapest way to reduce emissions is to invest in the rehabilitation of large forest areas.
Redmond said that the major nations will meet in the forthcoming World Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen would commit a grave error if not commit to specific funds to protect the gorillas. "If we save the trees but not animals, we witness a long agony of forests," said Redmond told The Guardian. "I ask participants in Copenhagen that the gorillas do not consider a luxury item."
Natural sink for CO2
Forests are a natural sink for carbon, absorbing about 4,800 million tonnes each year. "That's what these animals are not mere decoration, or interesting objects of study. They are part of an ecosystem". As reported by the Endangered Species Fund, two gorillas in the Congo die each week and their bodies are sold for their meat consumption. Although most individuals live in National Parks, are rapidly losing their habitat.
The areas inhabited by gorillas are in many cases, the scene of civil wars. It is also an endangered species by poachers and habitat destruction caused by mining and illegal timber used by local guerrillas to finance itself. Nearly two decades of civil war in the Great Lakes area of Africa, which includes areas of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya, have had a serious impact on the population of these animals.
Art to fight for Nature
Marble sculptures that show the evolution of rivers, photos illustrating the movement of water, light boxes that draw in air basins in the land ... They are the proposals of the Austrian artist Eva Lootz (Vienna, 1940) for warn of water shortages and poor utilization of water resources of the planet.
The exhibition 'Travels of water, "House Burning with Madrid, reflects the interest of the artist by nature and by human intervention in the landscape. The exhibition contains many of the works of 'Hydrology', a project in which Eva Lootz works since 2005 and in which the protagonists are the rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. The title, "Travels of water 'refers to the underground tunnels supplying water to Madrid before the construction of the Canal de Isabel II.
Several marble sculptures show the evolution of Spanish rivers through digital technology. With digital sculptures the artist, winner of the National Plastic Arts Prize in 1994, aims to merge art, science and technology.
To make the sculptures Lootz processed through a computer program parameters such as floods, changes in the course of a river or the world traffic density over time and transferred the results into marble.
The exhibition 'Travels of water, "House Burning with Madrid, reflects the interest of the artist by nature and by human intervention in the landscape. The exhibition contains many of the works of 'Hydrology', a project in which Eva Lootz works since 2005 and in which the protagonists are the rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. The title, "Travels of water 'refers to the underground tunnels supplying water to Madrid before the construction of the Canal de Isabel II.
Several marble sculptures show the evolution of Spanish rivers through digital technology. With digital sculptures the artist, winner of the National Plastic Arts Prize in 1994, aims to merge art, science and technology.
To make the sculptures Lootz processed through a computer program parameters such as floods, changes in the course of a river or the world traffic density over time and transferred the results into marble.
martes, 13 de octubre de 2009
Renewable energy can generate 8 million jobs
Around 6.9 million people could work in the renewable energy sector and 1.1 million jobs would be created due to the increased efficiency of electrical appliances.
This is reflected in the report "Working for the weather. Renewable energy and the (R) evolution of green jobs," prepared by Greenpeace and the European Council on Renewable Energy (EREC), which shows that in Spain would have at least 170,000 jobs in the industry if one hundred percent renewable electricity was in 2030.
To this we must add at least another 18,000 jobs created by energy efficiency and renewable technology from dedicated to the export, which could be about 200,000 more.
Therefore, the environmental organization has asked the prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to defend a model of development based on renewable energy in the meeting to be held today with the U.S. president, Barak Obama.
Renewables would employ 6.9 million people by 2030, "if world leaders seize the opportunity to invest in a greener future by ensuring a strong treaty on climate summit to be held in Copenhagen in December.
"It is time that world leaders, starting with Zapatero and Obama's speeches leave empty of content and lead the urgent action against climate change," said Juan Lopez de Uralde, director of Greenpeace Spain.
According to Sven Teske, energy expert of Greenpeace International and author of the report, said: "For every job lost in the coal, the energy revolution creates three new jobs in renewable energy. We can choose jobs and green growth or unemployment, and collapse social and economic development ".
Change coal with renewable energy for electricity generation not only avoid the emission of ten billion tons of CO2, but it would create 2.7 million jobs over 2030, that continued with the current energy system, the report said.
By contrast, the coal industry, which currently employs about 4.7 million people worldwide, will reduce more than 1.4 million jobs by 2030, due to rationalization measures in the mines today.
"Renewables have come to give direct employment to over 80,000 people in Spain, but the refusal of the Government reservation policy has caused many of those jobs are lost," Greenpeace complaint.
This is reflected in the report "Working for the weather. Renewable energy and the (R) evolution of green jobs," prepared by Greenpeace and the European Council on Renewable Energy (EREC), which shows that in Spain would have at least 170,000 jobs in the industry if one hundred percent renewable electricity was in 2030.
To this we must add at least another 18,000 jobs created by energy efficiency and renewable technology from dedicated to the export, which could be about 200,000 more.
Therefore, the environmental organization has asked the prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to defend a model of development based on renewable energy in the meeting to be held today with the U.S. president, Barak Obama.
Renewables would employ 6.9 million people by 2030, "if world leaders seize the opportunity to invest in a greener future by ensuring a strong treaty on climate summit to be held in Copenhagen in December.
"It is time that world leaders, starting with Zapatero and Obama's speeches leave empty of content and lead the urgent action against climate change," said Juan Lopez de Uralde, director of Greenpeace Spain.
According to Sven Teske, energy expert of Greenpeace International and author of the report, said: "For every job lost in the coal, the energy revolution creates three new jobs in renewable energy. We can choose jobs and green growth or unemployment, and collapse social and economic development ".
Change coal with renewable energy for electricity generation not only avoid the emission of ten billion tons of CO2, but it would create 2.7 million jobs over 2030, that continued with the current energy system, the report said.
By contrast, the coal industry, which currently employs about 4.7 million people worldwide, will reduce more than 1.4 million jobs by 2030, due to rationalization measures in the mines today.
"Renewables have come to give direct employment to over 80,000 people in Spain, but the refusal of the Government reservation policy has caused many of those jobs are lost," Greenpeace complaint.
Space science, a weapon against climate change
Space science is an important tool in the fight against climate change, as well as engine of growth through international cooperation. These are the key ideas promoted by the 60th International Astronautical Congress, which got underway today in South Korea involving 3,000 experts.
Berndt Feuerbacher, president of the International Astronautical Federation, said at the opening that despite economic difficulties, has been shown that the space industry has proven to have great potential and contribute to sustainable growth.
It also stressed the importance of space science to combat climate change, which called for cooperation among the agencies present, Yonhap news agency reported.
Feuerbacher recalled the increasingly important role of satellites to monitor CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere and other greenhouse gases as well as the need to cooperate and share information in this regard.
The South Korean city of Daejon gather for five days leading scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives of governments of the first space powers and emerging countries.
Among those attending are the heads of the major space agencies in the world, as the European Space Agency (ESA), the U.S. NASA, the Russian Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, CNSA Chinese or Indian ISRO.
The importance of cooperation
This meeting is the most important of those are held in the field of aerospace science and this year will aim to offer ideas on combating global warming, to promote civilian uses of space and promote cooperation.
In the opening ceremony, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, today called upon the international community to cooperate in space development after the country got its first rocket launch last month with Russian help.
South Korea and its space research agency, KARI, proposed today the creation of a major Asia-Pacific regional group to enhance cooperation in space and intends to expand its ties to Latin America and Africa.
South Korea last month gave the first steps of its space program by launching the rocket Naro-1, which was described as "partially successful" because it failed to orbit the satellite was carrying.
South Korea's cooperation with Russia, which contributed to the construction of the Naro-1 in its space program, but he hopes to build its own rockets by 2018 and send a probe to the moon in 2025.
Return to the Moon
Indeed, the satellite will land one of the themes present in the meeting after last Friday got NASA to perform a controlled impact into a lunar south pole crater to prove the existence of water vapor.
This mission is similar to Chandrayaan-1, India conducted during the past year and that proved the existence of water on the moon thanks to U.S. cooperation last month.
With a long-term, large emerging economies of Asia, China and India, will now join in the conquest of earth satellite with the goal of establishing permanent bases in the future and carry out the exploitation of resources such as helium -3, a compound that could be critical for nuclear fusion.
The increasing prominence of Asia in space research has demonstrated the growing importance of China, which sent its first man into space for 6 years and in 2008 made his first spacewalk.
Thus, the president of the International Astronautical Federation called for increased international cooperation and indicated that countries that still have a space program in its early stages can assert the areas in which they are pioneers.
Feuerbacher gave the example of South Korea and its importance in the field of information technology, while recalling that the funding problems as the ones in times of crisis encourage international collaboration.
Berndt Feuerbacher, president of the International Astronautical Federation, said at the opening that despite economic difficulties, has been shown that the space industry has proven to have great potential and contribute to sustainable growth.
It also stressed the importance of space science to combat climate change, which called for cooperation among the agencies present, Yonhap news agency reported.
Feuerbacher recalled the increasingly important role of satellites to monitor CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere and other greenhouse gases as well as the need to cooperate and share information in this regard.
The South Korean city of Daejon gather for five days leading scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives of governments of the first space powers and emerging countries.
Among those attending are the heads of the major space agencies in the world, as the European Space Agency (ESA), the U.S. NASA, the Russian Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, CNSA Chinese or Indian ISRO.
The importance of cooperation
This meeting is the most important of those are held in the field of aerospace science and this year will aim to offer ideas on combating global warming, to promote civilian uses of space and promote cooperation.
In the opening ceremony, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, today called upon the international community to cooperate in space development after the country got its first rocket launch last month with Russian help.
South Korea and its space research agency, KARI, proposed today the creation of a major Asia-Pacific regional group to enhance cooperation in space and intends to expand its ties to Latin America and Africa.
South Korea last month gave the first steps of its space program by launching the rocket Naro-1, which was described as "partially successful" because it failed to orbit the satellite was carrying.
South Korea's cooperation with Russia, which contributed to the construction of the Naro-1 in its space program, but he hopes to build its own rockets by 2018 and send a probe to the moon in 2025.
Return to the Moon
Indeed, the satellite will land one of the themes present in the meeting after last Friday got NASA to perform a controlled impact into a lunar south pole crater to prove the existence of water vapor.
This mission is similar to Chandrayaan-1, India conducted during the past year and that proved the existence of water on the moon thanks to U.S. cooperation last month.
With a long-term, large emerging economies of Asia, China and India, will now join in the conquest of earth satellite with the goal of establishing permanent bases in the future and carry out the exploitation of resources such as helium -3, a compound that could be critical for nuclear fusion.
The increasing prominence of Asia in space research has demonstrated the growing importance of China, which sent its first man into space for 6 years and in 2008 made his first spacewalk.
Thus, the president of the International Astronautical Federation called for increased international cooperation and indicated that countries that still have a space program in its early stages can assert the areas in which they are pioneers.
Feuerbacher gave the example of South Korea and its importance in the field of information technology, while recalling that the funding problems as the ones in times of crisis encourage international collaboration.
Greenpeace activists climb the Parliament of London
Middle hundred Greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of the Palace of Westminster, seat of the British Parliament, where displayed banners calling for "a policy change to save the climate".
Police sources said the activists entered the precincts of Parliament using ropes and ladders with which jumped the fence.
The group's intention, as stated by one member of Greenpeace, is to stay all night on the roof and to require lawmakers, who meet again Monday after the summer recess, to sign a manifesto on climate change.
In a statement, the environmental organization said the protest aims to "raise the temperature" of the debate on what must be done to stop climate change.
"Parliament opens tomorrow and elections looming (the UK goes to the polls in June 2010), so this is a golden opportunity for parties to really think about the future and what they will face the next generations, "said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven.
Little attention in Congress
The NGO said in her statement has caused alarm to the little attention that the Labor Party and the Conservative Party has given the climate change issue during their annual conferences held in the past two weeks.
Although security in the British Parliament rose substantially in 2004, members of Greenpeace managed to climb to the top of Westminster without major obstacles.
In recent years, Greenpeace also got a group of activists scaled the Big Ben, while demonstrators in favor of hunting their way into the House of Commons and threw purple powder at then prime minister Tony Blair.
Police sources said the activists entered the precincts of Parliament using ropes and ladders with which jumped the fence.
The group's intention, as stated by one member of Greenpeace, is to stay all night on the roof and to require lawmakers, who meet again Monday after the summer recess, to sign a manifesto on climate change.
In a statement, the environmental organization said the protest aims to "raise the temperature" of the debate on what must be done to stop climate change.
"Parliament opens tomorrow and elections looming (the UK goes to the polls in June 2010), so this is a golden opportunity for parties to really think about the future and what they will face the next generations, "said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven.
Little attention in Congress
The NGO said in her statement has caused alarm to the little attention that the Labor Party and the Conservative Party has given the climate change issue during their annual conferences held in the past two weeks.
Although security in the British Parliament rose substantially in 2004, members of Greenpeace managed to climb to the top of Westminster without major obstacles.
In recent years, Greenpeace also got a group of activists scaled the Big Ben, while demonstrators in favor of hunting their way into the House of Commons and threw purple powder at then prime minister Tony Blair.
lunes, 12 de octubre de 2009
Climate Summit in Bangkok concludes without agreement against CO2
The negotiations in the UN framework on climate change have ended without progress on key issues, including setting a new cut in gas emissions by industrialized countries.
After the meeting in Bangkok two weeks, the executive secretary of the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change, Yvo de Boer, confirmed that during the negotiations the delegations avoided taking tough political decisions, although advanced in technical aspects of the text to be presented at the December summit in Copenhagen.
"All the ingredients for success are on the table," said De Boer at a press conference.
Before the summit in the Danish capital, the delegations will meet again next November in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
De Boer, annoyed by the lack of progress in negotiations on Thursday urged rich nations to improve their offerings, particularly in reducing greenhouse gases and funding to developing countries.
Reviews of emerging countries
Developing nations led by China, and the NGOs go even further and accused the United States, European Union, Japan and Canada of trying to "kill" the Kyoto Protocol and negotiate another agreement, perhaps less ambitious.
"We want to keep the Kyoto Protocol. We believe the only way to achieve this is to find a new framework within a simple legal structure," he told reporters Anders Turesson, head of the Swedish delegation, which holds the rotating presidency the EU.
Developed nations, also known as Annex 1, were committed to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce by 5.2% gas emissions by 2012, with reference to 1990 levels.
Over 2,000 delegates from 178 countries in Bangkok discuss new targets for the period 2012-2020, and the inclusion of developing countries and the United States, which has not signed the Kyoto agreement.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recommended that rich countries lowered between 25 and 40% emissions by 2020 compared to 1990.
So far, the EU has proposed a cut of up to 30%, Japan 25 per cent and the United States 7 percent, although not officially.
After the meeting in Bangkok two weeks, the executive secretary of the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change, Yvo de Boer, confirmed that during the negotiations the delegations avoided taking tough political decisions, although advanced in technical aspects of the text to be presented at the December summit in Copenhagen.
"All the ingredients for success are on the table," said De Boer at a press conference.
Before the summit in the Danish capital, the delegations will meet again next November in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
De Boer, annoyed by the lack of progress in negotiations on Thursday urged rich nations to improve their offerings, particularly in reducing greenhouse gases and funding to developing countries.
Reviews of emerging countries
Developing nations led by China, and the NGOs go even further and accused the United States, European Union, Japan and Canada of trying to "kill" the Kyoto Protocol and negotiate another agreement, perhaps less ambitious.
"We want to keep the Kyoto Protocol. We believe the only way to achieve this is to find a new framework within a simple legal structure," he told reporters Anders Turesson, head of the Swedish delegation, which holds the rotating presidency the EU.
Developed nations, also known as Annex 1, were committed to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce by 5.2% gas emissions by 2012, with reference to 1990 levels.
Over 2,000 delegates from 178 countries in Bangkok discuss new targets for the period 2012-2020, and the inclusion of developing countries and the United States, which has not signed the Kyoto agreement.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recommended that rich countries lowered between 25 and 40% emissions by 2020 compared to 1990.
So far, the EU has proposed a cut of up to 30%, Japan 25 per cent and the United States 7 percent, although not officially.
Spain is by Antarctica 'green'
400 years ago, an admiral named Gabriel de Castilla Palencia peered from his boat while chasing pirates, a frozen landscape we know today as the sixth continent, Antarctica.
A Spanish research base on Deception Island along the Antarctic peninsula, was christened 20 years ago with his name. In these two decades, the Base Gabriel de Castilla, managed by the Army, has become a modern science facility that this year will receive environmental certification for their special care with the environment.
This is one of the objectives which starts in a few weeks, the campaign of 2009-2010 in Deception Island, with a duration of 107 days. It is expected that this year 18 soldiers passing by, in charge of logistics, and 52 researchers from different institutions, with 11 scientific projects.
Not far away is another Spanish Antarctic installation, the Base Juan Carlos I, managed by the CSIC, and both are complemented by the oceanographic vessel Hesperides and the vessel Las Palmas.
Located 13,000 miles from Spain, the Gabriel de Castilla today has little to do with this little haven of his early years within the flooded bay crater of a volcano.
Extension of living space
The successive enlargements of their flag (the last will end this year) have increased the accommodation to the 28 seats, having a deposit of 12,000 water and 10,000 liters of diesel (for eletrógenos groups that provide electricity and vehicles) and separate leisure and work, which has greatly facilitated the hard life on the base.
This was recognized many of their guests in the Antarctic I Forum, organized by the Ministry of Defense, held a few days ago in Zaragoza. Many pointed out that the feeling on the outside is the same as "inside a refrigerator, with temperatures ranging between 5 and 50 degrees below zero.
General Alvaro Cuesta de la Peña, coordinator of the mission, recalled the demanding selection of the military each year go to the Base, this time under the baton of Commander Joseph Gonzálvez Vallés. The 18 elected (including two women, cooks) have had to take special training courses for this campaign. They have even learned to make bread.
To achieve the environmental certification a priority for control of the base, has adapted the garbage collection: everything that is not burned in an incinerator that have (ie, everything that pollutes the air), we obtain from The island also has set a maximum water consumption (180 liters per person per day) and try to minimize emissions.
Renewable energy
So far, attempts to install renewable energy have not been successful. "Wind turbines are broken by the tremendous wind gusts to 300 km / h, and the energy from the Sun comes so weak that not enough", recognizes the vet Angel Santos, head of the Support Environment. Another problem is how to get these great teams there.
Still, having a sustainable energy supply is the challenge that every country wants to achieve. Belgium introduced this year a base that, in theory, works only with clean energy. But apparently they're having difficulty.
Several of the experts meeting in Zaragoza betting on the potential of geothermal energy in a volcanic region, such as Deception Island.
Juan Jose Dañobeitia, Base Juan Carlos I, noted that there does using renewable energy to keep active all year a website that sends information about the installation, but acknowledged that "there must be a balance between renewable and sustainable for everything works.
That environmental protection high on the Antarctic Treaty, is also the focus of many of the scientific work performed in the base. This was explained Margarita Yela, coordinator of Polar Research Program, who stressed the importance of the Gabriel de Castilla in climate change studies, chemical ecology, volcanology, astrobiology and so on.
Geologist Jeronimo Lopez was on hand to highlight the importance of being present in Antarctica: "The areas of most planets have warmed in 50 years are the poles. Up to 3 º C in parts of Antarctica, although both increases the sea ice, and this could change global ocean circulation, "he argued.
The impact of tourism
"Besides," he continued, "thanks to the work carried out there discovered the hole in the ozone layer, and limited the use of CFCs. Finally made it clear that "the poles are in place to have an eye and Spain must be there," but always in a coordinated manner among all institutions involved because there "is not going to go."
For its part, the biologist Javier Benayas the Alamo, which last year launched a project on the human impact on Antarctica, put his finger on commercial tourism that threatens the continent: over 45,000 tourists passed by on the campaign 2007/08 gigantic ships.
His trail of litter, graffiti and hydrocarbons are impacts that, according Benayas, "will end up with greater control, which could be undertaken by those responsible for research bases that there are countries.
Gen. Jaime Dominguez acknowledged that vessel traffic control, which could have an accident in an area that is very dangerous, it is necessary, but clarified that requires an international agreement.
A Spanish research base on Deception Island along the Antarctic peninsula, was christened 20 years ago with his name. In these two decades, the Base Gabriel de Castilla, managed by the Army, has become a modern science facility that this year will receive environmental certification for their special care with the environment.
This is one of the objectives which starts in a few weeks, the campaign of 2009-2010 in Deception Island, with a duration of 107 days. It is expected that this year 18 soldiers passing by, in charge of logistics, and 52 researchers from different institutions, with 11 scientific projects.
Not far away is another Spanish Antarctic installation, the Base Juan Carlos I, managed by the CSIC, and both are complemented by the oceanographic vessel Hesperides and the vessel Las Palmas.
Located 13,000 miles from Spain, the Gabriel de Castilla today has little to do with this little haven of his early years within the flooded bay crater of a volcano.
Extension of living space
The successive enlargements of their flag (the last will end this year) have increased the accommodation to the 28 seats, having a deposit of 12,000 water and 10,000 liters of diesel (for eletrógenos groups that provide electricity and vehicles) and separate leisure and work, which has greatly facilitated the hard life on the base.
This was recognized many of their guests in the Antarctic I Forum, organized by the Ministry of Defense, held a few days ago in Zaragoza. Many pointed out that the feeling on the outside is the same as "inside a refrigerator, with temperatures ranging between 5 and 50 degrees below zero.
General Alvaro Cuesta de la Peña, coordinator of the mission, recalled the demanding selection of the military each year go to the Base, this time under the baton of Commander Joseph Gonzálvez Vallés. The 18 elected (including two women, cooks) have had to take special training courses for this campaign. They have even learned to make bread.
To achieve the environmental certification a priority for control of the base, has adapted the garbage collection: everything that is not burned in an incinerator that have (ie, everything that pollutes the air), we obtain from The island also has set a maximum water consumption (180 liters per person per day) and try to minimize emissions.
Renewable energy
So far, attempts to install renewable energy have not been successful. "Wind turbines are broken by the tremendous wind gusts to 300 km / h, and the energy from the Sun comes so weak that not enough", recognizes the vet Angel Santos, head of the Support Environment. Another problem is how to get these great teams there.
Still, having a sustainable energy supply is the challenge that every country wants to achieve. Belgium introduced this year a base that, in theory, works only with clean energy. But apparently they're having difficulty.
Several of the experts meeting in Zaragoza betting on the potential of geothermal energy in a volcanic region, such as Deception Island.
Juan Jose Dañobeitia, Base Juan Carlos I, noted that there does using renewable energy to keep active all year a website that sends information about the installation, but acknowledged that "there must be a balance between renewable and sustainable for everything works.
That environmental protection high on the Antarctic Treaty, is also the focus of many of the scientific work performed in the base. This was explained Margarita Yela, coordinator of Polar Research Program, who stressed the importance of the Gabriel de Castilla in climate change studies, chemical ecology, volcanology, astrobiology and so on.
Geologist Jeronimo Lopez was on hand to highlight the importance of being present in Antarctica: "The areas of most planets have warmed in 50 years are the poles. Up to 3 º C in parts of Antarctica, although both increases the sea ice, and this could change global ocean circulation, "he argued.
The impact of tourism
"Besides," he continued, "thanks to the work carried out there discovered the hole in the ozone layer, and limited the use of CFCs. Finally made it clear that "the poles are in place to have an eye and Spain must be there," but always in a coordinated manner among all institutions involved because there "is not going to go."
For its part, the biologist Javier Benayas the Alamo, which last year launched a project on the human impact on Antarctica, put his finger on commercial tourism that threatens the continent: over 45,000 tourists passed by on the campaign 2007/08 gigantic ships.
His trail of litter, graffiti and hydrocarbons are impacts that, according Benayas, "will end up with greater control, which could be undertaken by those responsible for research bases that there are countries.
Gen. Jaime Dominguez acknowledged that vessel traffic control, which could have an accident in an area that is very dangerous, it is necessary, but clarified that requires an international agreement.
viernes, 9 de octubre de 2009
Crean washer that uses almost no water or chemicals
Wash clothing and almost no water without using chemicals. This is the proposal of a company in the UK working on a prototype machine that saves water, energy and does not harm the environment.
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The machine developed by the company Xeros and based on research conducted by experts from the University of Leeds-consumes 90% less water than a traditional washing machine uses 40% less energy.
Taking the example the U.S. case, if you replace all traditional washing with this model, they say its creators, would save 1,200 million metric tons of water per year, equivalent to 17 million pools.
In terms of the ecological footprint, would like to remove from circulation about five million cars.
For laundry, the machine requires a small nylon balls, a small measure of detergent and a minimal amount of water.
These bumps act like water when mixed with wet clothes in the drum of the machine, absorb the dirt trapped in the materials.
The process was discovered by Professor Stephen Burkinshaw, a specialist in textile chemistry, that after studying for years how the polymers absorb the dye to change color, tested them to assess their ability to absorb stains.
Recyclable
After the cycle, no need to remove the balls from the washing machine. "They withstand up to 500 passes," he told BBC News Steve Jenkins, technical director of Xeros. "Once I sucked all the dirt possible, they can be recycled or reused," he added.
This means that they can be melted again to extract the dirt, and in cases where this is not possible, they can be used in other applications where color is not an issue.
"Basically, it never goes to waste."
In practical terms the Xerox machine offers the same results as the others: "Removes stains such as ketchup, grass and dirt in general, although, like the other devices-is less efficient when it comes of coffee or tea stains, "says Jenkins.
Although "says" has an additional advantage: "As used very little water, dry clothes and almost out unwrinkled.
Currently, experts working in the final phase of a prototype for an industrial machine, but believe that the washing machine for domestic use may be ready within about three years.
As for the cost, estimated that the price can exceed 10% or 15% that of a traditional washer.
»How to use gadgets and be" eco-friendly "while
"PC board, including gadgets greener
»Accessories for charging mobile ecological photos
»View more brands and less ecological photos
The machine developed by the company Xeros and based on research conducted by experts from the University of Leeds-consumes 90% less water than a traditional washing machine uses 40% less energy.
Taking the example the U.S. case, if you replace all traditional washing with this model, they say its creators, would save 1,200 million metric tons of water per year, equivalent to 17 million pools.
In terms of the ecological footprint, would like to remove from circulation about five million cars.
For laundry, the machine requires a small nylon balls, a small measure of detergent and a minimal amount of water.
These bumps act like water when mixed with wet clothes in the drum of the machine, absorb the dirt trapped in the materials.
The process was discovered by Professor Stephen Burkinshaw, a specialist in textile chemistry, that after studying for years how the polymers absorb the dye to change color, tested them to assess their ability to absorb stains.
Recyclable
After the cycle, no need to remove the balls from the washing machine. "They withstand up to 500 passes," he told BBC News Steve Jenkins, technical director of Xeros. "Once I sucked all the dirt possible, they can be recycled or reused," he added.
This means that they can be melted again to extract the dirt, and in cases where this is not possible, they can be used in other applications where color is not an issue.
"Basically, it never goes to waste."
In practical terms the Xerox machine offers the same results as the others: "Removes stains such as ketchup, grass and dirt in general, although, like the other devices-is less efficient when it comes of coffee or tea stains, "says Jenkins.
Although "says" has an additional advantage: "As used very little water, dry clothes and almost out unwrinkled.
Currently, experts working in the final phase of a prototype for an industrial machine, but believe that the washing machine for domestic use may be ready within about three years.
As for the cost, estimated that the price can exceed 10% or 15% that of a traditional washer.
Using gadgets and be "eco-friendly" while
If you are a lover of technology, certainly has many electronic devices. If not, you may also have several: a cell phone, a TV, computer or camera. Have you ever thought how much energy wasted with these devices?
"Believe washing machine without water or chemicals
"PC board, including gadgets greener
»Accessories for charging mobile ecological photos
»View more brands and less ecological photos
The technology industry has a great debt to the environment. It only consumes resources and generates toxic waste in the manufacture of products, these products also quickly become garbage that is not always recycled.
Although in comparison to large companies, end users are a small part of the problem, we can contribute our grain of sand with little effort. Here, five tips for acquiring habits "eco-friendly" in the use of the gadgets we all have.
- Buying "green" products
Typically, a consumer takes into account criteria such as quality, price and even the prestige of the brand when buying a gadget. Include a list of criteria that energy efficiency is important to start being environmentally conscious.
Some TV screens, desktop monitors and other electronic products have the seal of energy efficiency called Enery Star This seal is awarded by a U.S. organization that promotes the manufacture of products that consume a responsible amount of energy. It's a good idea to look if the device you want to buy any.
- Disconnect the charger
Something as simple as unplugging the phone charger when it finishes loading is essential for energy savings. Shippers absorb large amounts of energy even when the phone battery is full. Leave it plugged in is a waste we can avoid, not only to care for the planet, also helps reduce the monthly bill.
This product is a great ecological challenge for modern man. The most recent study by the International Telecommunication Union found that in late 2009 in the world there are at least 4,600 million mobile telephone lines. That is, two out of three people have one or more cell phones.
That's an exorbitant amount of equipment that has a relatively short shelf life. The amount of electricity they consume is massive and if each user in the world to acquire certain habits of saving, the environmental impact would be less negative.
Finally, use the option to hibernate when it will stop using the computer for a while, it consumes fewer resources than the option of stopping.
- Learn to use the notebook
If you have a laptop, "stretch" the performance of the battery can be a good way to save energy. To do this you can reduce the brightness of the screen. That yes, please note that the opacity does not become a nuisance to their eyes.
APC recommends connecting USB devices only as needed. These fixtures are fed from the charge contained in the battery. If you are not using these devices, disconnect them to avoid loss of energy.
Do not run more programs than you need. The performance of the machine and its power consumption varies depending on the applications being used. The program you use to surf the internet, for example, may spend more or less energy. To know which browser is the most "green", click here.
- Use Multitake
Surely you've seen those strips Multitake for connecting various electronic devices. Some of these devices help protect appliances such as TV or desktop computer, because they regulate the flow of energy. An added benefit is that you have to turn them off, leave connected appliances use less electricity.
"All users are unplugging electrical devices when not in use," says Liliana Grisales, Marketing Manager, APC by Schneider Electric, company energy management specialist.
Grisales advised consumers to avoid "phantom load". One way is to buy products for efficient use of energy. APC, for example, makes UPS and ecological strips designed for home and SME. According to the company, these accessories can help save us from 8 to 40 dollars a year on electricity bills.
- Recycling old gadgets
Whenever there are new initiatives by companies in the technology sector to provide alternatives for consumers to recycle old equipment. For example, some printer manufacturers who receive old as part payment for a new one. Some of the materials that compose the old printers are reused in products such as clothes hangers, roof tiles, other plastic products.
Mobile operators have special bins in some offices for people to deposit the old cell phone battery. The batteries are highly polluting and require special handling at the time of disposal.
Curiously enough, there are companies that handle waste recycling technology to convert it into pieces of design and fashion accessories.
"Believe washing machine without water or chemicals
"PC board, including gadgets greener
»Accessories for charging mobile ecological photos
»View more brands and less ecological photos
The technology industry has a great debt to the environment. It only consumes resources and generates toxic waste in the manufacture of products, these products also quickly become garbage that is not always recycled.
Although in comparison to large companies, end users are a small part of the problem, we can contribute our grain of sand with little effort. Here, five tips for acquiring habits "eco-friendly" in the use of the gadgets we all have.
- Buying "green" products
Typically, a consumer takes into account criteria such as quality, price and even the prestige of the brand when buying a gadget. Include a list of criteria that energy efficiency is important to start being environmentally conscious.
Some TV screens, desktop monitors and other electronic products have the seal of energy efficiency called Enery Star This seal is awarded by a U.S. organization that promotes the manufacture of products that consume a responsible amount of energy. It's a good idea to look if the device you want to buy any.
- Disconnect the charger
Something as simple as unplugging the phone charger when it finishes loading is essential for energy savings. Shippers absorb large amounts of energy even when the phone battery is full. Leave it plugged in is a waste we can avoid, not only to care for the planet, also helps reduce the monthly bill.
This product is a great ecological challenge for modern man. The most recent study by the International Telecommunication Union found that in late 2009 in the world there are at least 4,600 million mobile telephone lines. That is, two out of three people have one or more cell phones.
That's an exorbitant amount of equipment that has a relatively short shelf life. The amount of electricity they consume is massive and if each user in the world to acquire certain habits of saving, the environmental impact would be less negative.
Finally, use the option to hibernate when it will stop using the computer for a while, it consumes fewer resources than the option of stopping.
- Learn to use the notebook
If you have a laptop, "stretch" the performance of the battery can be a good way to save energy. To do this you can reduce the brightness of the screen. That yes, please note that the opacity does not become a nuisance to their eyes.
APC recommends connecting USB devices only as needed. These fixtures are fed from the charge contained in the battery. If you are not using these devices, disconnect them to avoid loss of energy.
Do not run more programs than you need. The performance of the machine and its power consumption varies depending on the applications being used. The program you use to surf the internet, for example, may spend more or less energy. To know which browser is the most "green", click here.
- Use Multitake
Surely you've seen those strips Multitake for connecting various electronic devices. Some of these devices help protect appliances such as TV or desktop computer, because they regulate the flow of energy. An added benefit is that you have to turn them off, leave connected appliances use less electricity.
"All users are unplugging electrical devices when not in use," says Liliana Grisales, Marketing Manager, APC by Schneider Electric, company energy management specialist.
Grisales advised consumers to avoid "phantom load". One way is to buy products for efficient use of energy. APC, for example, makes UPS and ecological strips designed for home and SME. According to the company, these accessories can help save us from 8 to 40 dollars a year on electricity bills.
- Recycling old gadgets
Whenever there are new initiatives by companies in the technology sector to provide alternatives for consumers to recycle old equipment. For example, some printer manufacturers who receive old as part payment for a new one. Some of the materials that compose the old printers are reused in products such as clothes hangers, roof tiles, other plastic products.
Mobile operators have special bins in some offices for people to deposit the old cell phone battery. The batteries are highly polluting and require special handling at the time of disposal.
Curiously enough, there are companies that handle waste recycling technology to convert it into pieces of design and fashion accessories.
jueves, 8 de octubre de 2009
Drought could affect more the production of Colombian coffee
Drought and poor fertilization provoked an increase in pests of rust and drill the country's coffee crop, the government said, which could aggravate the already low grain harvest.
Colombia's coffee production fell 44 percent yoy in August to 397,000 bags of 60 kilos, while exports fell 26 percent year over year to 472,000 bags, according to latest statistics from the National Federation of Coffee Growers.
"The strong summer that is being registered in the country, especially in the coffee zone, added to problems in gathering the harvest and the failure of procedures for the renewal of coffee plantations are causing increased levels of infestation in field "said the general manager of the health authority ICA, Luis Fernando Caicedo.
Colombia is the third largest global supplier of coffee after Brazil and Vietnam, and his crop has been hit this year by the strong rainy season of 2008 that affected the flowering of trees, and by a facilities renovation plan to raise production in the next decade.
The country, which produced 11.4 million bags of 60 kilos of coffee in 2008, is also affected by intense sun season caused by El Nino, a warming of Pacific Ocean.
In a statement, Caicedo added that the aftermath of winter last year, coupled with poor fertilization, also caused a serious deterioration of the coffee planted with susceptible varieties to rust, a fungus that attacks the leaves of the plant, in areas of Caldas, Tolima and Antioquia.
The rust and the drill, the latter an insect that eats the coffee fruit, have been present in Colombia affecting coffee production, but have been controlled.
However, in recent years, the price of fertilizer and used to control insects have been increased by higher prices of oil, which has made it difficult for peasants to buy, so let down their guard in the combat pests.
Colombia's coffee production fell 44 percent yoy in August to 397,000 bags of 60 kilos, while exports fell 26 percent year over year to 472,000 bags, according to latest statistics from the National Federation of Coffee Growers.
"The strong summer that is being registered in the country, especially in the coffee zone, added to problems in gathering the harvest and the failure of procedures for the renewal of coffee plantations are causing increased levels of infestation in field "said the general manager of the health authority ICA, Luis Fernando Caicedo.
Colombia is the third largest global supplier of coffee after Brazil and Vietnam, and his crop has been hit this year by the strong rainy season of 2008 that affected the flowering of trees, and by a facilities renovation plan to raise production in the next decade.
The country, which produced 11.4 million bags of 60 kilos of coffee in 2008, is also affected by intense sun season caused by El Nino, a warming of Pacific Ocean.
In a statement, Caicedo added that the aftermath of winter last year, coupled with poor fertilization, also caused a serious deterioration of the coffee planted with susceptible varieties to rust, a fungus that attacks the leaves of the plant, in areas of Caldas, Tolima and Antioquia.
The rust and the drill, the latter an insect that eats the coffee fruit, have been present in Colombia affecting coffee production, but have been controlled.
However, in recent years, the price of fertilizer and used to control insects have been increased by higher prices of oil, which has made it difficult for peasants to buy, so let down their guard in the combat pests.
Countdown to the end of the oil era
The decline of the oil industry could be closer than expected. The Council of Energy Research in the UK, in a study from 500 papers on the subject, asserts that there is "significant risk" that the production reaches its maximum in 2020, when it would begin its decline.
The authors of this study warn that most governments are not sufficiently aware of the magnitude of the problem. The last existing estimate, conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted that most experts place the output ceiling ten years later, in 2030.
However, the report of the British Research Council describes this forecast "optimistic at best." He also warns that given the difficulty of the search process for alternative energy sources, 2030 is not far.
The study also raises the possibility that more than two thirds of production capacity have to be replaced for the same year, claiming that the ten largest oilfields in the world have begun to decline in terms of production.
International Debate
The subject is under a stormy debate. On the one hand those who say that global reserves have already reached the zenith and we are not sufficiently prepared for the crisis that hit the economy in coming years. In addition, energy companies and analysts who deny that stocks are running low.
The study authors say it is difficult to prove what the correct posture and that currently there is no accurate method for measuring the reserves. The problems stem from "inconsistent definitions, lack of reliable data and the absence of third party review and the resulting insecurity figures on these data." The resulting confusion creates an obvious risk for governments that can not be being properly advised on this matter.
Part of the difficulties come from the barriers imposed by some countries and companies that refuse to disclose the entirety of its reserves relying on the economic implications of disclosing this information. The report adds that the greatest difficulties are in OPEC countries.
The authors of this study warn that most governments are not sufficiently aware of the magnitude of the problem. The last existing estimate, conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted that most experts place the output ceiling ten years later, in 2030.
However, the report of the British Research Council describes this forecast "optimistic at best." He also warns that given the difficulty of the search process for alternative energy sources, 2030 is not far.
The study also raises the possibility that more than two thirds of production capacity have to be replaced for the same year, claiming that the ten largest oilfields in the world have begun to decline in terms of production.
International Debate
The subject is under a stormy debate. On the one hand those who say that global reserves have already reached the zenith and we are not sufficiently prepared for the crisis that hit the economy in coming years. In addition, energy companies and analysts who deny that stocks are running low.
The study authors say it is difficult to prove what the correct posture and that currently there is no accurate method for measuring the reserves. The problems stem from "inconsistent definitions, lack of reliable data and the absence of third party review and the resulting insecurity figures on these data." The resulting confusion creates an obvious risk for governments that can not be being properly advised on this matter.
Part of the difficulties come from the barriers imposed by some countries and companies that refuse to disclose the entirety of its reserves relying on the economic implications of disclosing this information. The report adds that the greatest difficulties are in OPEC countries.
miércoles, 7 de octubre de 2009
Discovered seven new mushrooms that glow in the dark
Researchers at the State University of San Francisco in the U.S. have discovered seven new species of mushrooms that glow in the dark and increasing the number of species of luminescent fungi from 64 to 71. The discoveries include two new species that have been named after two movements 'Requiem' by Mozart. The findings, published in the journal Mycologia, 'also shed light on the evolution of the luminescence.
The researchers found mushrooms in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. The discoveries include four new and three reports of luminescence in known species. Three quarters of luminous fungi, including those described in the study belong to the genus 'Mycena', a group of fungi that feed on decaying organic matter.
Explains Dennis Desjardin, director of the study, "what interests us is that within the 'Mycena' luminescent species come from 16 lineages, suggesting that the luminescence evolved into a point and that some species after they lost their ability to shine. "
Desjardin think some mushrooms glow to attract nocturnal animals to help disperse the spores and seeds that allow them to grow new bodies.
The researchers found mushrooms in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. The discoveries include four new and three reports of luminescence in known species. Three quarters of luminous fungi, including those described in the study belong to the genus 'Mycena', a group of fungi that feed on decaying organic matter.
Explains Dennis Desjardin, director of the study, "what interests us is that within the 'Mycena' luminescent species come from 16 lineages, suggesting that the luminescence evolved into a point and that some species after they lost their ability to shine. "
Desjardin think some mushrooms glow to attract nocturnal animals to help disperse the spores and seeds that allow them to grow new bodies.
martes, 6 de octubre de 2009
CO2 emissions are reduced by 3% in 2009 by the economic crisis
Global emissions of CO2, the main global warming gas, is reduced by 3% in 2009 as a result of the economic crisis. This is the main conclusion of a study presented in Bangkok by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
This fall will be the most powerful recorded in 40 years as director clarified the IEA, Faith Birol, during a press conference in which so far has emphasized the development of emissions has increased 3% each year.
In his view, the drop in emissions represents a "single window" to achieve a reduction of CO2 it possible to halt climate change, if applied immediately the appropriate policies to achieve this.
"The economic and financial crisis has created an opportunity for transition from the global energy system. It is a unique opportunity, but we must act now," said secretary of the UN Climate Change Yvo de Boer, in his foreword to the report.
The energy, which accounts for two thirds of global emissions of greenhouse gases, is "the heart of the problem and therefore should be central to the solution," says the IEA. The organization presented a proposal that would limit the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million, which the scientists said, would serve to limit the global temperature increase to +2 degrees.
The decline in the projected emissions in 2009 caused by the crisis means that "it is easier to achieve the goal of 450 ppm of this year than last," said Birol. According to the IEA, three quarters of this decline would be related to the economic crisis and the fourth is related to the measures implemented by governments to combat climate change.
The next December in Copenhagen next global climate summit, which will attempt to find a replacement for under the Kyoto Protocol.
This fall will be the most powerful recorded in 40 years as director clarified the IEA, Faith Birol, during a press conference in which so far has emphasized the development of emissions has increased 3% each year.
In his view, the drop in emissions represents a "single window" to achieve a reduction of CO2 it possible to halt climate change, if applied immediately the appropriate policies to achieve this.
"The economic and financial crisis has created an opportunity for transition from the global energy system. It is a unique opportunity, but we must act now," said secretary of the UN Climate Change Yvo de Boer, in his foreword to the report.
The energy, which accounts for two thirds of global emissions of greenhouse gases, is "the heart of the problem and therefore should be central to the solution," says the IEA. The organization presented a proposal that would limit the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million, which the scientists said, would serve to limit the global temperature increase to +2 degrees.
The decline in the projected emissions in 2009 caused by the crisis means that "it is easier to achieve the goal of 450 ppm of this year than last," said Birol. According to the IEA, three quarters of this decline would be related to the economic crisis and the fourth is related to the measures implemented by governments to combat climate change.
The next December in Copenhagen next global climate summit, which will attempt to find a replacement for under the Kyoto Protocol.
lunes, 5 de octubre de 2009
Eastern Africa is suffering its worst drought in decades
East Africa is suffering its worst drought in decades. Over 23 million people in seven countries can lose everything. All the experts point to the same culprit: the indiscriminate felling of trees in just 15 years has eroded the Mau forest (Kenya), the real drain of East Africa.
The illegal settlement of over 20,000 families since the 90s, and the resulting deforestation and land use for agriculture, is creating a truly "ecological disaster", according to experts. In just two decades, a quarter of the reserve of 100,000 hectares Mau-have been treeless and "invaded" by settlements.
Before the alarm about the current lack of rain, which has forced water restrictions and power never seen in the entire region, the Government has launched a campaign to relocate the occupants of the nature reserve. So far, efforts have fallen on deaf ears. Mau dwellers refuse to leave the land they say was given them in the past.
And in Africa is that many do not understand why blame deforestation and water shortages, hence the lack of food and the death of livestock. But the truth is that experts agree that deforestation has destroyed the "natural mechanism" that keeps the living ecosystem.
According to a UN report, the importance of the Mau forest for Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Sudan, Djibouti and even Egypt is the "natural regulation makes the ecosystem of river flows, preventing floods, lack water and reduces soil erosion.
"It rains a lot in Kenya, but only in the rainy season. Then come four months in which not a drop falls," said Christian Lambrechts, the Program office of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi. "It is essential to have a buffer zone, a system for dispensing the water and gradually release into the rivers during the dry season. That buffer zone is the Mau forest," says the expert, who warns that "if it is removed this ecosystem, reducing the moisture in the reserve, resulting in the absence of water during the dry season.
"Elements intrusive"
The UNEP has joined the Government's efforts to save it as "the largest ecosystem in the world of dense foliage. In a few years, UN complaint that has lost more than 25% of its natural species "because of intrusive elements.
Bigger than the reserve of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Park, the Mau forest feeds six lakes (Lake Victoria, one of the sources of the Nile, Nakuru, Natron, Baringo and Magadi). Furthermore, water is the source of eight wildlife reserves, including the famous Masai Mara and Serengeti, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. In total, an estimated 10 million people depend directly on the water it contains.
The impact of many seemingly innocent African coal used for cooking and boiling water (source of disease) is chilling, as recalled by Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize and one of the most respected voices in Kenya. "I keep telling people that if they continue destroying the forests, the rivers will dry up and die of hunger and thirst," said recently the leader of the Green Belt Movement, which calls for the resettlement of African forests
But many critics who blame everything on the poorest Africans, those who are in the coal its largest single source of power generation. And is that only 7.5% of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa have access to electricity. Unless action is radically and immediately, the wood from the trees will remain the largest single source of energy for many African families.
The illegal settlement of over 20,000 families since the 90s, and the resulting deforestation and land use for agriculture, is creating a truly "ecological disaster", according to experts. In just two decades, a quarter of the reserve of 100,000 hectares Mau-have been treeless and "invaded" by settlements.
Before the alarm about the current lack of rain, which has forced water restrictions and power never seen in the entire region, the Government has launched a campaign to relocate the occupants of the nature reserve. So far, efforts have fallen on deaf ears. Mau dwellers refuse to leave the land they say was given them in the past.
And in Africa is that many do not understand why blame deforestation and water shortages, hence the lack of food and the death of livestock. But the truth is that experts agree that deforestation has destroyed the "natural mechanism" that keeps the living ecosystem.
According to a UN report, the importance of the Mau forest for Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Sudan, Djibouti and even Egypt is the "natural regulation makes the ecosystem of river flows, preventing floods, lack water and reduces soil erosion.
"It rains a lot in Kenya, but only in the rainy season. Then come four months in which not a drop falls," said Christian Lambrechts, the Program office of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi. "It is essential to have a buffer zone, a system for dispensing the water and gradually release into the rivers during the dry season. That buffer zone is the Mau forest," says the expert, who warns that "if it is removed this ecosystem, reducing the moisture in the reserve, resulting in the absence of water during the dry season.
"Elements intrusive"
The UNEP has joined the Government's efforts to save it as "the largest ecosystem in the world of dense foliage. In a few years, UN complaint that has lost more than 25% of its natural species "because of intrusive elements.
Bigger than the reserve of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Park, the Mau forest feeds six lakes (Lake Victoria, one of the sources of the Nile, Nakuru, Natron, Baringo and Magadi). Furthermore, water is the source of eight wildlife reserves, including the famous Masai Mara and Serengeti, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. In total, an estimated 10 million people depend directly on the water it contains.
The impact of many seemingly innocent African coal used for cooking and boiling water (source of disease) is chilling, as recalled by Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize and one of the most respected voices in Kenya. "I keep telling people that if they continue destroying the forests, the rivers will dry up and die of hunger and thirst," said recently the leader of the Green Belt Movement, which calls for the resettlement of African forests
But many critics who blame everything on the poorest Africans, those who are in the coal its largest single source of power generation. And is that only 7.5% of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa have access to electricity. Unless action is radically and immediately, the wood from the trees will remain the largest single source of energy for many African families.
viernes, 2 de octubre de 2009
Climate change will not feed 25 million children
Some 25 million children go hungry in the next four decades by the food shortages that cause rising temperatures, have warned at the meeting of the UN climate change being held in Bangkok source International Research Institute for Food Policy (IFPRI, for its acronym in English).
"This tragedy can be avoided with an investment of about 6140 million per year to increase agricultural productivity and help farmers to address the effects of global warming," said Gerald Nelson, an author of the report of IFPRI.
"Better roads, irrigation systems, access to potable water and schooling for girls are essential," added Nelson, under the climate change conference held in Bangkok to prepare for the Copenhagen summit in December.
The study says that people in developing countries have access to 2410 calories per day in 2050, 286 calories less than in 2000; in Africa will be 392 less, and in industrialized countries below 250.
Revueltas polulares by food shortages
Last year, the rising price of basic foods at the news of production shortfalls caused popular riots in various parts of the world, from Egypt to Thailand and the UN decided to hold an urgent meeting.
The G-20 leaders agreed last week in Pittsburgh (USA) 1,400 million euros donated to fight hunger, while the UN announced a summit on the issue in November.
The secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon pressed the weekend World Bank and other multilateral institutions to increase their contributions to the third world, in a time when "most people still lack access to food because prices are incredibly high because of the economic crisis and lack of rain. "
Nelson believes that the food crisis last year, when reports of shortages of basic foods sparked protests in many poor and emerging countries, was a wakeup call.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda suffer from soaring food prices because of poor harvests and drought, because there are parts of the world that show signs of vulnerability to climate change and changing rainfall cycles, according to IFPRI.
"The Earth's population will be 50% higher than today in 2050 (...) the challenges are enormous even without climate change," added the researcher.
For Lester Brown, founder of Earth Policy Institute, food is also the most worrying issue of climate change and noted that Asia is at the epicenter of the crisis.
First, some 2,500 million people or about half of the economically active population in rich countries depended on agriculture for their livelihoods, according to 2005 data.
And on the other, 75% of the poor worldwide live in rural areas most vulnerable to climate changes. "If we continue doing things as we have done until now, we certainly ensuring disastrous consequences," Nelson warned.
Some 4,000 delegates from 179 countries are attending the Bangkok conference, which began last Monday and ending on October 9. The achievements and obstacles to the Bangkok meeting will be held in Barcelona in November to finalize and close the agenda of the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
"This tragedy can be avoided with an investment of about 6140 million per year to increase agricultural productivity and help farmers to address the effects of global warming," said Gerald Nelson, an author of the report of IFPRI.
"Better roads, irrigation systems, access to potable water and schooling for girls are essential," added Nelson, under the climate change conference held in Bangkok to prepare for the Copenhagen summit in December.
The study says that people in developing countries have access to 2410 calories per day in 2050, 286 calories less than in 2000; in Africa will be 392 less, and in industrialized countries below 250.
Revueltas polulares by food shortages
Last year, the rising price of basic foods at the news of production shortfalls caused popular riots in various parts of the world, from Egypt to Thailand and the UN decided to hold an urgent meeting.
The G-20 leaders agreed last week in Pittsburgh (USA) 1,400 million euros donated to fight hunger, while the UN announced a summit on the issue in November.
The secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon pressed the weekend World Bank and other multilateral institutions to increase their contributions to the third world, in a time when "most people still lack access to food because prices are incredibly high because of the economic crisis and lack of rain. "
Nelson believes that the food crisis last year, when reports of shortages of basic foods sparked protests in many poor and emerging countries, was a wakeup call.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda suffer from soaring food prices because of poor harvests and drought, because there are parts of the world that show signs of vulnerability to climate change and changing rainfall cycles, according to IFPRI.
"The Earth's population will be 50% higher than today in 2050 (...) the challenges are enormous even without climate change," added the researcher.
For Lester Brown, founder of Earth Policy Institute, food is also the most worrying issue of climate change and noted that Asia is at the epicenter of the crisis.
First, some 2,500 million people or about half of the economically active population in rich countries depended on agriculture for their livelihoods, according to 2005 data.
And on the other, 75% of the poor worldwide live in rural areas most vulnerable to climate changes. "If we continue doing things as we have done until now, we certainly ensuring disastrous consequences," Nelson warned.
Some 4,000 delegates from 179 countries are attending the Bangkok conference, which began last Monday and ending on October 9. The achievements and obstacles to the Bangkok meeting will be held in Barcelona in November to finalize and close the agenda of the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
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