Federal Refusal of Hurricane Aid Outrages Louisiana Governor BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, April 30, 2007 (ENS) - Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said today she is "disappointed and frustrated" by the refusal of the federal government to accept millions of dollars in aid and other assistance offered by U.S. allies in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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Arctic Ice Retreating 30 Years Ahead of Projections BOULDER, Colorado, April 30, 2007 (ENS) - Arctic sea ice is melting much more quickly than projected by even the most advanced computer models, a new government funded study has found. Comparing actual ice observations with climate models, the scientists conclude that the Arctic could be seasonally free of sea ice as early as 2020.
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Greenhouse Gas CO2 Sidetracked in Oceans' Twilight Zone WOODS HOLE, Massachusetts, April 30, 2007 (ENS) - Climate experts have relied on the oceans to absorb enough of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to slow global warming, but new research by an international team of scientists shows that the oceans may have little impact on changes in the atmosphere or climate.
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Gore Slams Canada's New Climate Plan as a "Fraud" TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, April 29, 2007 – Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has created a furor in Canada over the Conservative Government's new plan to impose mandatory greenhouse gas emissions targets on industry. The plan supercedes Canada's legally binding commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
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Double Hulled Tankers for Heavy Oil Now Law in Europe STRASBOURG, France, April 28, 2007 (ENS) - European officials Wednesday signed into law a requirement that only double hulled tankers carrying heavy oil can enter European ports. The law was enacted in response to disastrous oil spills from single hulled tankers the Erika in 1999 and the Prestige in 2002.
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European Floods Legislation Attempts to Manage Risks BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 28, 2007 (ENS) - A law to manage flood risks across Europe is one step closer to being passed after an agreement reached this week between the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers. Climate change is expected to lead to more intense rainfall and to a rise in sea levels. As a consequence, floods risks are likely to increase across Europe.
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Indonesian Governors Curb Logging to Reduce Climate Change NUSA DUA, Bali, Indonesia, April 27, 2007 (ENS) - The governors of Indonesia's three most forested provinces have pledged to jointly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from logging and land clearing to reduce the impact of climate change. Tropical rainforests absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global warming.
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Ukraine President Wants to Renew Chernobyl Area KIEV, Ukraine, April 26, 2007 (ENS) - Today, on the 21st anniversary of the explosion and fire at Chernobyl that sent a radioactive cloud across Europe, the president of Ukraine urged the country to support renewal of the uninhabited, contaminated region around the closed reactor.
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European Parliament Told Split Site Damages Climate STRASBOURG, France, April 26, 2007 (ENS) - As the European Parliament Wednesday established a new climate change committee to develop policy options for the 27 member European Union, a new report was released documenting how the Parliament's own setup - with two locations and alternate meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg - is damaging the climate.
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Nanotechnology: How Green Can It Be? WASHINGTON, DC, April 26, 2007 (ENS) – The ability to use nanotechnology to reduce pollution, conserve resources and build a "clean" economy now exists, finds a new report "Green Nanotechnology: It's Easier Than You Think." But environmentalists are at odds about how green nanotechnology can be. Nanotech critics fear that without government oversight harmful particles may escape into the air and water.
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UK Companies, Government Partner to Cut Greenhouse Gases LONDON, UK, April 24, 2007 (ENS) - Eight large British companies have joined with Prime Minister Tony Blair to introduce a campaign that will provide consumers with products and services that make it easier to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The campaign, called "We're in this Together" will provide practical solutions to help consumers reduce their household emissions by one metric ton over three years.
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Ecuador Seeks Compensation to Leave Amazon Oil Undisturbed QUITO, Ecuador, April 24, 2007 (ENS) - The government of Ecuador will wait up to one year to see if the international community offers to compensate the country for not developing a major oil field in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, Energy Minister Alberto Acosta says. The area of lush, primary rainforest shelters a unique diversity of animals and plants.
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Six Extraordinary Conservationists Win 2007 Goldman Prizes SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 24, 2007 (ENS) - An Irish farmer jailed for his work in opposing Shell Oil's gas pipeline through his land and an Icelandic entrepreneur saving North Atlantic wild salmon by brokering innovative fishing rights buyouts are among the winners of this year's prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.
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NASA Releases First 3-D Images of the Sun GREENBELT, Maryland, April 24, 2007 (ENS) - Two NASA spacecraft orbiting the Sun together have recorded the first three dimensional images of the Sun and beamed them back to Earth. For the first time, scientists will be able to see structures in the Sun's atmosphere in three dimensions, helping them to better predict space weather that could disrupt Earth's satellites and power grids.
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New York Mayor Unveils Multi-Billion Dollar Green City Plan NEW YORK, New York, April 23, 2007 (ENS) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Sunday presented a plan to cope with climate change and a fast-growing population in a sweeping policy speech containing 127 initiatives. PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York, has been in the works since December but the mayor issued it on Earth Day to underline his goal of making America's largest city also the greenest by 2030.
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Court Upholds New Jersey's Tough Mercury Rule TRENTON, New Jersey, April 23, 2007 (ENS) – In a unanimous decision, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey has affirmed the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's regulations that area aimed at protecting people from the impacts of mercury emissions from iron and steel melters.
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Polls: Water, Warming, Travel, Youth and Green Guilt WASHINGTON, DC, April 23, 2007 (ENS) - Earth Day is a trigger for all kinds of public opinion polls on the environment. In recent weeks, Americans have had their attitudes surveyed on everything from water pollution to global warming, from recycling to travel. Here we survey the pollsters to find out what Americans really think about protecting the planet.
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Earth Day Events Spring Up Around the World WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2007 (ENS) - On Sunday April 22, singer Sheryl Crow headlines an Earth Day service at Washington National Cathedral. Earth Day Network and Green Apple Music & Arts Festival offer music all weekend in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. A bike ride to support eco-transport in Moscow, a "Bye-bye throw-away culture!" week in Beijing, and an underwater clean up in Egypt are a few of the thousands of Earth Day events happening around the world.
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U.S. Government Insurers Ill Prepared for Climate Perils WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2007 (ENS) - The federal government flood and crop insurance programs have failed to address the increased risks likely to result from global warming, finds a new report prepared by the investigative branch of Congress, the Government Accountability Office. Taxpayers could end up paying billions to cover the losses.
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Murray-Darling Water Crisis Leaves Farmers, Environment Dry CANBERRA, Australia, April 20, 2007 (ENS) - Record low water inflows to the Murray-Darling Basin this year mean that water will not be available for irrigation, the environment or any purpose other than critical drinking water supplies, Prime Minister John Howard and the premiers of three Australian states said today.
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Democrats Pledge to Green the U.S. House of Representatives WASHINGTON, DC, April 19, 2007 (ENS) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today said Democrats would start to operate the House buildings "in a carbon neutral manner" at the earliest possible date with a deadline of the end of this Congress in late 2008 or early 2009. The House and its three office buildings will shift to 100 percent renewable energy and become more energy efficient.
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Inefficiency, Costs Gobble Up U.S. Emergency Food Aid WASHINGTON, DC, April 19, 2007 (ENS) - Despite the growing global demand for food aid, rising business and transportation costs over the past five years have cut the average tonnage of U.S. food aid delivered in half, Congressional investigators report.
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Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change Front Lines OXFORD, UK, April 19, 2007 (ENS) - The Inuit of the Arctic can no longer hunt safely as the ice is breaking up around them. Pacific Islanders are losing coral atolls beneath rising seas. Caribbean islanders are battered by violent storms. Tribes in Borneo watch as their rainforests catch fire. Tibetans wonder why their sacred glaciers are melting and why the alpine medicinal plants are disappearing.
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Kindness to the Earth Focus of Dalai Lama's Australia Tour SYDNEY, Australia, April 19, 2007 (ENS) - When His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, travels Australia in June as part of his ongoing world tour, many of his talks will have an environmental focus, and for the first time, a portion of the tour will be carbon neutral.
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