Day: 8 January 1999

News in brief

North American news briefs

Water UK opposes disconnection ban

Brian Duckworth, chairman of water industry body Water UK, has protested against government plans to ban the disconnection of domestic water supplies. Labour proposed the ban during a second reading of the Water Bill in Parliament by Michael Meacher.

IPPC paves way to single pollution control regime

A new Bill which paves the way to the creation of a single pollution control regime, implementing the requirements of the Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control (IPPC) Directive, was introduced into the House of Lords in November 1998.

Technology transfer essential to avoid natural resources conflicts

With fast increasing pressure on limited natural resources, modern technologies that use resources more efficiently will be essential to avoid overloading the capacity of the environment, says UNEP Director General, Klaus Toepfer, in an in-depth interview with Environmental Science and Technology.

Australian mines are environmental time bombs, say researchers

Mining companies and governments have been increasingly aware that an environmental time bomb is ticking away at hundreds of mine sites around Australia through acid mine drainage, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) - Australia's largest scientific research organisation.

Global surface temperatures set new record in ’98

1998 was the hottest year on record ever, according to a report by researchers at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

Wind power is world’s fastest growing energy source

Preliminary estimates by the Worldwatch Institute have found that the world added 2,100 megawatts of wind generating capacity in 1998, 35 percent more than was added in 1997 - making wind power the world's fastest growing energy source.

News in brief

European news briefs

Commission approves Dutch energy efficiency aid

The European Commission has approved aid of NLG 37.5 million (Euro 17 million) to stimulate investment in energy saving equipment in sectors unable to benefit from fiscal energy allowance.

Scientists track radiation in Russian groundwater

Pacific Northwest scientists are investigating how water moves under the ground's surface in Russia's West Siberian Basin to better track and predict the future path of radioactive waste in the area. Radioactive waste from nuclear weapons material production in the West Siberian Basin is currently traveling in the groundwater there and may be threatening the health of humans and the natural ecosystem.

Russian paper mill phases out ancient forest wood

A major paper producer in Russia, Svetogorsk pulp and paper mill has announced it will phase out the use of ancient forest wood in its production entirely. Svetogorsk's announcement is the first of its kind in the world.

Huelva River spill highlights industrial waste risks

A spill of many thousands of cubic metres of highly acidic wastewater into the Rio Tinto in Huelva, Spain, has drawn attention to local concerns over the security of an estimated 80 million tonnes of industrial wastes stored on tidal marshlands in the Region.

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