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Antarctic glacier 'thinning fast'

One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago, according to research seen by the BBC.

A study of satellite measurements of Pine Island glacier in west Antarctica reveals the surface of the ice is now dropping at a rate of up to 16m a year.

Since 1994, the glacier has lowered by as much as 90m, which has serious implications for sea-level rise.

Calculations based on the rate of melting 15 years ago had suggested the glacier would last for 600 years. But the new data points to a lifespan for the vast ice stream of only another 100 years.

Professor Andrew Shepherd of Leeds University, said that the melting from the centre of the glacier would add about 3cm to global sea level.

"But the ice trapped behind it is about 20-30cm of sea level rise and as soon as we destabilise or remove the middle of the glacier we don't know really know what's going to happen to the ice behind it," he told BBC News.

Full Storyfrom BBC NEWS

Added 15th, August 2009 by Roger

Sea Temperature Rise

"Monitors say the water temperature in Piura, off the coast of northern Peru, has risen from 17C to 23C over the last 10 years."

The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around the Galapagos Islands, which averages about 25C and has encouraged a colony of sea lions, endemic to the Galapagos Islands to have travelled 1,500km.

Full Storyfrom BBC NEWS

Added 8th, February 2010 by Roger

Update Sugar Price 14th Aug 2009

 Raw sugar reached 23.55 cents a pound.

Sugar price reaches 28-year high

Raw sugar futures added 3% on Monday 10th Aug 2009, to 21.55 cents a pound.

The price of raw sugar has increased to its highest level since March 1981, as supply concerns grow.

"The main problem is a deficit in sugar supplies," said Nick Penney, a trader with Sucden Financial, a firm that focuses on sugar trading.

Growing demand in Brazil for sugar to be turned into ethanol, coupled with a sharp fall in Indian production, have both prompted worries, he explained.

From dailyfutures.com 

Added 11th, August 2009 by Roger
Updated 14th, August 2009 by Roger

Trees are 'crucial famine food'

Trees can serve as a vital "famine food" to keep drought-hit communities alive when all other food crops fail, according to campaigners.

Food insecurity is a routine fact of life for many of the world's poorest people, Miranda Spitteler, chief executive of Tree Aid told BBC News.

She said the West needed to recognise the important role trees could play in reducing the need for conventional aid.

She also called for support for a local tree-based solution to food shortages.

In an article for the BBC News website's Green Room column, she added: "'Conventional' crops are often not native and require expensive inputs, significant irrigation and land preparation in order to produce a successful harvest."

"Trees, on the other hand, often survive when other crops fail."

Self-sufficiency

The leaves of Moringa oleifera, which is cultivated across Africa, India and South America, for example, have more beta-carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk, the head of Tree Aid wrote.

She said the fight against hunger, especially in drought-hit times, must target those at the epicentre of of world poverty - smallholder farmers in rural Africa.

" . . . They need support to adopt agro-forestry techniques, which boost soil fertility and provide tree food crops to supplement nutrition."

Ms Spitteler added: "This approach can increase self-sufficiency for both rural communities and national economies. It can increase environmental security, diversify livelihood options and reduce the vulnerability of poor households to climate change and external shocks."

Global food production needs to double over the next 40 years if the world's population is to be fed, according to UN estimates.

Jacques Diouf, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), says the massive challenge will require a global effort.

Fruit could make 'powerful fuel'.

The sugar found in fruit such as apples and oranges can be converted into a new type of low carbon fuel for cars, US scientists have said.

The fuel, made from fructose, contains far more energy than ethanol, the scientists write in the journal Nature.

Separately, a British report on biofuels says all types of waste products, including plastic bags, can be used to make biodiesel fuel.

Critics of biofuels made from plant crops say they drive up food prices.

anti-fur campaign against the fashion chain MaxMara

A new international anti-fur campaign against the fashion chain MaxMara has just been launched today by the Italian group AIP (Smash the Fur Trade). In recent years the international anti-fur movement has had some excellent results persuading large international companies to go fur-free by co-ordinating campaigns in many different countries.

As always CAFT will be taking part in the MaxMara campaign with protests in the UK. We will be protesting at the head office in London this Friday 14th (following on from the Norwegian embassy protest nearby), and the following weekend, November 21-23, we will be taking part in the first international days of action.

More details to come, or email back if you want to know more, but in the meantime, please read the short text below, and use the details to contact MaxMara and ask them to adopt a fur free policy. Remember the fur industry is a ruthless, multinational business, only by working together with other activists throughout the world can we hope to fight back for the animals.

Text from the website:  maxmara campaign website  All over the world campaigning networks and organizations are fighting to make designers and clothing companies "fur-free". We think it is time to ask the same ethical stand of Max Mara Fashion Group, owners of world renowned brands like Max Mara, Max and Co, and many more like Maxsport, Marina Rinaldi, Marella, Pennyblack, Newpenny, Persona, Iblues. In Italy Campagna AIP managed to make fur-free all department stores and some clothing companies like Stefanel, Diesel, Miss Sixty and Belstaff. Department stores like La Rinascente, Upim, Coin and Oviesse, have a big portion of the italian clothing retail and some of them have concessions of the most important designers and fashion companies inside their stores, forced too not to sell any fur products.

The Max Mara campaign is similar to those waged at department stores, or similar to the internationally coordinated campaigns that have made important fashion companies like Zara, Guess and Stefanel fur-free. The campaign is based on regular demos, communication with Max Mara's customers and a spreading boycott.

With their 2000 shops all around the world Max Mara Fashion Group is one of the biggest retail companies worldwide. Among their brands the most known and widespread are Max Mara and Max and Co. This is a campaign with international support and demos in front of Max Mara stores in different countries.

You can find reports, events and more updates (in italian) at:  here 

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

* First of all do not buy any fur and boycott all Max Mara Fashion Group brands' stores untill they will not be fur-free. Talk about this campaign to anybody you know and spread the message.
* Contact the company and tell them what you think. You can either send them a letter, a fax, an e-mail or make a phone call. Each of these communications could be a lost customer for them, do not underestimate its impact. You can find all their contact details here
* Spread the campaign by distributing leaflets. You can find pdf leaflets in different languages in our resources section. Fell free to download and copy it.
* Organize demos or leaflettings at your local Max Mara or Max and Co shop.

Contact us at info@campagnaaip.net for more infos.

* You can contact the company at this address: (UK addresses below) MAXMARA FASHION GROUP Via Giulia Maramotti, 4, 42100 Reggio Emilia (RE) Tel:0039-522-3991 Fax: 0039-522-3993993

Head of Press Office - Magnolia Laurenzi laurenzi.m@maxmara.it

Public Relations - Larisa Fasi proffice@maxmara.it fasi.l@maxmara.it

Public Relations - Giorgio Guidotti guidotti.g@mmfg.it

More E-Mails: info@maxandco.com franchisingita@maxandco.com franchisingexp@maxandco.com info@marella.it otb.iblues@marella.it

All e-mails to cut and paste: guidotti.g@mmfg.it, info@maxandco.com, franchisingita@maxandco.com, franchisingexp@maxandco.com, info@marella.it, otb.iblues@marella.it, laurenzi.m@maxmara.it, proffice@maxmara.it, fasi.l@maxmara.it, guidotti.g@mmfg.it

Maxmara Ltd in the UK (No email addresses yet, please email MaxMara head offices in Italy, see above)

Head Office: Melrose House 4-6 Savile Row, London, W1S 3PD

Stores MaxMara Ltd 5, Albemarle St, London, W1S 4HF Tel: 020 7518 8010

MaxMara Ltd 19-21, Old Bond St, London, W1S 4PX Tel: 020 7499 7902

Max Mara 37, High St, Wimbledon, London, SW19 5BY Tel: 020 8944 1494

Max Mara 32, Hill St, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1TW Tel: 020 8332 2811

Maxmara Ltd Bicester Village, Pingle Drive, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX26 6WD Tel: 01869 354928

Marina Rinaldi 5, Multrees Walk, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH1 3DQ Tel: 0131 557 6676 Fax: 0131 558 1232 Marina Rinaldi 2, Lislea Avenue, Belfast, County Antrim BT9 7HQ Tel: 028 9066 2990 Marina Rinaldi 39, Old Bond St, London, W1S 4QP Tel: 020 7629 4454 Sample letter:

To the attention of Max Mara Fashion Group,
I send this message to show my support for the campaign against the presence of fur trims and fur jackets in the collections of Max Mara and the other brands of your company.

As you may be aware every year dozens of millions animals are raised in small cages and awful conditions to be skinned and transform their pelts into trims, hats or jackets sold in shops and collections like yours.

There is a growing number of companies and designers refusing to use real fur and i think the same decision is a choice that also Max Mara Fashion Group should consider, to create a fashion free of this appalling cruelty.

Until i see this ethical decision i will take part in the boycott of all your brands products and shops and will invite all the people i know to do the same.

 Generating the Renewable Energy of Hope - The Earth Charter Guide to Religion and Climate Change 

Coalfinger - a new supervillain

Take Action - Help expose Coalfinger and his carbon cronies to the world - tell your friends!

 greenpeace website 

Just in time for the latest Bond film, we've unleashed our own special agent on the world. Graverson Green is on a mission: to expose the dastardly plot of supervillain Coalfinger and his carbon cronies, who plan to cover the world in coal-fired power stations and destroy the climate in Operation Browncloud.

Along with his dopey sidekick Dr. Anthracite, Coalfinger (played by Brian Blessed) plans to cover the world in coal-fired power stations and destroy the climate. Can Green (David Mitchell) stop him? Is a top secret hideout involved? Are there plenty of double entendres?

 Watch the film to find out 

It may be an animation, but I’m sure you recognise the inspiration for the film. Like Coalfinger, E.on and other energy companies around the world are trying to bring about a coal resurgence, despite the evidence of the impact burning coal has on our climate and our planet. Green on the other hand, reminds us that we need to work together to stop dirty coal plants and fight for clean and renewable energy.

With the very substantial help of TellyJuice, Blue Zoo, Brian Blessed, David Mitchell, David Arnold and BiroCreative, we made Coalfinger so we could get the word out to an ever wider audience, helping the campaign against new coal ahead of the government’s decision on Kingsnorth.

You can help us expose the coal villains. Please share Coalfinger with your friends.

Thank you for watching, and supporting our campaign for a healthy planet.

Aussie's Stoke China's Furnace

"An Australian firm has signed a $60bn (AUS$69bn; £38bn) deal to supply coal to Chinese power stations."

Under the deal, the firm will build a new mining complex to give China Power International Development (CPI) 30m tonnes of coal a year for 20 years.

The plan involves building a huge new mining complex in the Australian state of Queensland, and laying 500km (311 miles) of railway line to move the coal to the coast.

Full Storyfrom BBC NEWS

Added 8th, February 2010 by Roger

Ecoveganism

For far too long, those that campaign on environmental matters have ignored the critical issue of animal agriculture, but that situation is swiftly changing!

We predict that in years to come, the 8th December 2007 (the date of the first ever Vegan Climate March) will be seen as the dawn of a new, more enlightened environmental movement.

This new movement will fully embrace plant based diets as the solution to many of the catastrophes facing the planet. For anyone who really cares about the environment, the consumption of animal carcasses will become a distant memory and the natural progression from this will be veganism.

The Campaign for Eco-Veganism aims to be the catalyst for this environmental revolution! Last year, we made history by staging the world`s first ever Veg*n Climate March and we`ll continue to make history in London on Saturday 6th December 2008. Be there and be part of history!!

The Campaign for Eco-Veganism

Because our choice of diet is critical to the survival of the planet

 Ecoveggie website 

Herbs 'can be natural pesticides'

Common herbs and spices show promise as an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional pesticides, scientists have told a major US conference.

They have spent a decade researching the insecticidal properties of rosemary, thyme, clove and mint.

The "plant essential oils" have a broad range of action against bugs. Some kill them outright while others repel them. These new pesticides are generally a mixture of tiny amounts of two to four different herbs diluted in water.

The research was led by Dr Murray Isman, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Some spice-based commercial products now being used by farmers have already shown success in protecting organic strawberry, spinach, and tomato crops against destructive aphids and mites, Dr Isman explained.

But the herb-based pesticides also have shortcomings. Since the essential oils made from these herbs tend to evaporate quickly and degrade rapidly in sunlight . . . Some last only a few hours, compared to days or even months for conventional pesticides.

 Full Story from BBC NEWS:

Added 17th, August 2009 by Roger

Big Polluters should pay, but who are they?

Time is running short to agree a new treaty on global warming amid deep divisions over key issues

About 1,000 officials are meeting in Bonn for a week of informal talks. The aim is to clear the way for the adoption of a new UN climate treaty in Copenhagen in December.

One of the toughest disputes is over which countries should commit to reducing their levels of greenhouse gases.

The industrialised nations say that big polluters in the developing world, notably China and India, must be included in any treaty commitments.

But developing countries point out that most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere came from the industrialised world; whereas societies such as India remain desperately poor.

"[India] is a country where half the rural population does not have a light bulb in its home or a gas ring," said Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, the senior Indian negotiator here. "So to describe this country as a large emitter is absurd - there's no other word for it."