Cross-posted on GreenState
Kyoto Protocal takes effect, first global-warming treaty
The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark treaty requiring cuts in gas emissions which cause global warming, took effect with the support of 141 nations but a boycott by the biggest polluter the United States.
The 34 industrialized countries which have ratified the treaty are legally bound to slash output of greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent before 2012, with targets set for each nation based on their 1990 levels.
note: This is good news for the planet regardless of U.S. participation.
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Brazil creates forest reserves to honor fallen nun
Brazil's president ordered the creation of two massive new rain forest reserves Thursday amid increasing pressure to protect a lawless Amazon region from violent loggers and ranchers after the killing last weekend of an American nun who fought to protect the jungle.
Decrees signed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will form a reserve of 8.15 million acres and a national park of 1.1 million acres in the state of Para, where 73-year-old Dorothy Stang was shot to death in a dispute with a powerful rancher.
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Iraq's marshes recovering
Nearly one fifth of the Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq, almost completely drained by Saddam Hussein, are once again flooded with water, according to experts working on an international effort to restore the wetlands.[...]
With the fall of Saddam following the US-led invasion in March 2003, Iraqi farmers destroyed some of the dams and canals that had turned once lush wetlands into deserts. Contrary to experts' fears, the returning waters did not bring damaging chemicals or salts that could have prevented the renewal of flora and fauna, Richardson said.
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New wilderness protection moving forward in Congress
Three key conservation bills sailed through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Wednesday, and now move to the Senate floor for a vote. One measure will protect the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the lower 48 states, another will preserve the mountains and valleys of Washington's Wild Sky, and the third will create the nation's first tropical rainforest wilderness.
The Senate committee cleared the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, introduced by California Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein to protect more than 300,000 acres and 21 miles of rivers in the northwest part of the state. The Wild Sky Wilderness Act, introduced by Washington Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to conserve 106,000 acres of scenic wild lands in the northern Cascade Mountain Range. And the Caribbean National Forest Act of 2005, introduced by New York Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer to create the El Toro Wilderness, 10,000 acres of tropical rainforest wilderness in Puerto Rico's Caribbean National Forest.
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British cars get "eco-labels"
New car customers in the United Kingdom soon will be able to assess how environmentally friendly any vehicle is through a system of color coded eco-labels displayed on the vehicles in dealers' showrooms. The label will show how much of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide a vehicle emits and relates that figure to the vehicle tax that must be paid.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the fuel efficiency stickers would be similar to those displayed on fridges and would enable consumers to compare brands. They will help buyers decide "how green" a new car is, he said, launching the eco-label plan at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership Annual Conference.
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And last, a new feature: The uplifting quote of the week:
It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that sweet yet lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep the brain in your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound men with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: You will outlive the bastards.
- Edward Abbey