Day: 12 January 2001

Greece begins to pay dumping fine

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has announced that Greece has begun to pay its fine for the uncontrolled dumping of waste at a site on Crete.

Government assessment shows despite recent improvements, environment remains under threat

The latest comprehensive governmental study of the environment in England and Wales shows real improvement in the quality of water, air and the populations of some wildlife over the past two decades, but also that many outstanding and emerging challenges remain.

United Nations body calls for all Kosovo bomb sites to be sealed amidst growing fears concerning depleted uranium

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called for all areas hit by depleted uranium (DU)-tipped shells during the 1999 Kosovo conflict to be cordoned off following reports of at least 21 leukaemia deaths among troops, but NATO has denied any link between DU and cancer.

UK must do more to cut emissions from vehicles, says new report

Too little is being done to cut emission of carbon dioxide from the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide in the UK, the transport sector, says a new report.

Environmentalists and MSP demand cleanup of depleted uranium test site

Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland and a member of the Scottish Parliament have demanded the cleanup of the Solway Firth, where the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it had fired more than 6,000 shells containing depleted uranium (DU).

Brazil moves to claim ownership of Amazon rainforest, improving hopes of protection

The Brazilian government has seized control of vast tracts of the Amazon rainforest as part of a massive criminal investigation into land totalling the size of France and Spain which is illegally occupied or sold.

Low-income groups more likely to live near environmental hazards

Minority and low-income groups in society stand a greater risk of living near environmentally hazardous industrial facilities and sites, says a new report.

EPA lowers threshold for reporting on lead emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a tightening of the reporting requirements for industry’s emissions of lead into the environment.

EPA to protect beaches and waterways from raw sewage

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new programme of improvements in the operation and maintenance of sewer systems in order to prevent waterway contamination and beach closures caused by contamination from the 40,000 raw sewage overflows occurring annually.

New aviation fuel additive could cut emissions

A commercial airline is to begin trials of a new jet fuel performance-enhancing additive aimed at improving fuel efficiency, lowering maintenance costs, and cutting exhaust emissions.

Mixed blessings for US wetlands

Two new governmental reports show that the last decade has witnessed a dramatic slowdown in the loss of wetlands, but on the same day, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling restricting federal protection of these areas.

Scientists discover one enzyme in peat bogs prevents massive CO2 emissions, and that global warming would have a further serious effect.

The activity of a single enzyme in peat bogs from Scotland to Siberia is the only thing preventing a massive release of carbon dioxide, but global warming causing peat bogs to dry out would increase temperatures further still.

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