Never mind its fearsome image, this little devil needs help

 

The tumors are very devastating. This is a harsh picture to look at. (click on) Page down to picture.


It's a dire set of circumstances for this mammal.

Tasmanian devil dying out

Hamish McCallum, professor of wildlife research at the University of Tasmania's school of zoology, said the disease, which usually results in death six months after the appearance of the first lesions, could lead to the extinction of the species within a decade.


Genetically distinct devils give new hope

Matthew Denholm
February 22, 2007

THE landmark discovery of a small group of genetically distinct Tasmanian devils could save the species from extinction.
Cytogeneticist Anne Maree Pearse has discovered that about 5 per cent of devils have a genetic make-up that, after a breeding program, could produce offspring less susceptible to cancers.
A unique infectious cancer, the fatal devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), has wiped out more than 40 per cent of wild devils.

Ms Pearse said yesterday her discovery, if backed by peer review, could lead to a breeding program to produce genetically superior devils.

These devils could then form a population to give the species "a whole new start" should DFTD destroy the rest of the species.

"Then, in a worst-case scenario of the devils becoming extinct, we may be able to have a group of devils that are a different strain but a lot healthier than the ones we have out there at the moment who are suffering," she said. "There have been people saying that there may be some underlying factor with this disease that makes them more prone. I think I may have found that underlying factor, which - with selective breeding - may be able to be overcome."

Ms Pearse stressed her research, to be submitted for peer review via an international scientific journal within months, was "still very theoretical".

But she said a breeding program using the 5 per cent of devils with the genetic factor could begin quickly once her findings had been validated.

However, she cautioned that further work was needed to ensure it was not leading the rescue effort into a "blind alley".

DFTD is described by scientists as a rogue cell line transmitted between the notoriously feisty devils when they bite each other. It has spread across 59 per cent of Tasmania, resulting in the state and federal governments listing the species as vulnerable.

Scientists are slowly unravelling the mysteries of the globally unique disease, with a trial vaccine developed at the University of Tasmania to be tested later this year.

In another development, researchers believe the lack of genetic diversity among devils means their immune system does not recognise the DFTD rogue cell line as foreign.

This prevents an immune response, leading to an unabated spread of tumours and death within three to eight months.

About 45 disease-free devils have been sent to mainland zoos and wildlife parks as a "Noah's Ark" population.

With killer fungus stalking frogs, zoos unite to save them

 

The American toad, an Ohio native, is considered susceptible to the chytrid fungus.

Morning Papers - continued

Zoos

An elegant affair celebrates the magic of the Staten Island Zoo
Bank official and editor are honored as funds are raised for the facility
Friday, February 16, 2007
By TEVAH PLATT
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's just a facet of zoological magic -- every person finds different favorites among the beasts.
The honorees at last night's ball benefiting the Staten Island Zoo, Advance Editor Brian Laline and Frank Besignano of SI Bank & Trust, have been enchanted by the tropical fish, the prairie dogs and otters, and the turtle who lived into its ancient years at the West Brighton institution.

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/117163260264730.xml&coll=1


Philadelphia Zoo to Officially Debut Baby Tamarin

Feb. 16, 2007 - Kids off from school on Monday, Feb. 19th? The Philadelphia Zoo will host PECO Primate Day in PECO Primate Reserve and officially debut our newest baby golden lion tamarin, born Jan. 22nd.
This birth is another step forward in the conservation success story for this beautiful Brazilian monkey. Keepers will give talks about the Zoo's tamarins, orangutans and lemurs and conservation projects to save these endangered animals in the wild.
Arts and crafts items will be available for children. Free with admission, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=animals_oddities&id=5040133


Vendors sought for Zoo Day flea market
The Clarion-Ledger
Arts and crafts and other vendors are sought by the Jackson Zoo for a limited number of spaces at the zoo’s March 10 AT&T Zoo Day flea market area (no food vendors, please).

Live music, games, face painting, cartoon characters and keeper chats are part of the 10 a.m.-4 p.m. event. This year’s AT&T Zoo Day will raise funds to build a new exhibit for the wreathed hornbills.

Call Amanda Blackwell at 601-352-2500 to reserve space.



Two of zoo's elephants are pregnant

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is expecting some big babies.
Officials announced today that two of the zoo's elephants are pregnant. The zoo plans to release 4-D ultrasound images of the babies in utero and more details about the pregnancies on Tuesday.
"The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is thrilled to announce the pregnancy of our African Elephants," spokeswoman Tracy Gray said in a press release.
The last time an elephant at the zoo was pregnant was seven years ago.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/rss/s_493548.html


LA ZOO Sumatran Rhino Makes Historic Journey to Indonesia
ANDALAS, the first Sumatran rhinoceros born in captivity in over 100 years will leave his Los Angeles Zoo home of three years later this week to go to Indonesia. Andalas will become the first Sumatran rhino ever to be transported from the United States to Indonesia as part of an international breeding program. He will join two female rhinos, at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in the Way Kambas National Park on the Island of Sumatra.

“Andalas’ journey to Indonesia is vital to the future of Sumatran rhinos” states Zoo Director John Lewis, “This breeding program is just one example of the extent zoos will go to in order to save a species from extinction.”

Andalas (the original name of the Island of Sumatra) received great fanfare when he was born on September 13, 2001, to rhinos Emi and Ipuh at the Cincinnati Zoo. His birth marked the first time that a calf was born at a zoo since 1889 when a live birth was recorded at the Calcutta Zoo in India. His mother Emi, who had several unsuccessful pregnancies prior to having Andalas, has been on loan to the Cincinnati Zoo from the LA Zoo since 1995.

http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=45&a=18145


Baby Gorilla On Display At Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (video)

Reporter: McKenzie Martin
Email: mmartin@kktv11news.com

For the first time since a baby gorilla was born more than 2 weeks ago, The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has re-opened their primate exhibit.
The building has been closed since the birth of a baby to Asha, one of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s female gorillas. Asha immediately picked up her baby after delivery and has been nursing and caring for her offspring since the January 31 birth. Zoo officials have kept the building closed and have not allowed the general public access to the gorilla exhibit since the birth, giving the gorilla troop and the Zoo’s primate keepers an opportunity to adjust to the new arrival.
Large crowds are expected at the Zoo this weekend there will be a limit on the number of guests that can be in Primate Building at any one time.
This gorilla birth comes nearly one year after the birth of Umande, the male gorilla born on February 18, 2006 at the Zoo. Umande was hand-reared by Zoo staff and volunteers after his mother, Kwisha, did not care for him. Umande was sent to the Columbus Zoo in October of 2006 to be united with his surrogate mother, Lulu, who has adopted him.


Zoo family welcomes baby chimp
ALBUQUERQUE -- It was quite a celebration at the Rio Grande Zoo today as everyone welcomed a new member of the family.
The zoo was showing off its baby chimp born Monday to 30-year-old Elaine.
Officials said it's the first chimpanzee birth at the zoo since the new Adventure Africa exhibit opened in 2004.
The birth is extra special for two reasons..
“I've been here 21 years, and this first one since I've been here,” animal curator Rick Janser said. “And anytime you can add a member to the endangered population, that's always a significant event.”
The proud papa Alf is about 20 years old.

http://www.krqe.com/expanded.asp?ID=19902


Manatee Dies At Columbus Zoo
Feb 16 2007 5:10PM
A female manatee died this week at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, zoo officials announced Friday.
The manatee, known as Willoughby and was about 15 years old, came to the zoo in 2005.
According to zoo officials, Willoughby was rescued in June 1995 from the St. Lucie River after being struck with a propeller from a watercraft and was moved to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.
At the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Willoughby and one other female manatee were transported to the Columbus Zoo in October 2005. She was part of a group of manatees at Homosassa infected with a papilloma virus, and Willoughby and another manatee were sent to Columbus as part of a research program on the papilloma virus.
The cause of Willoughby's death is pending and a necropsy will be conducted by the staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Marine Mammal Pathobiology lab, according to a press release issued by the Columbus Zoo.
In the fall of 2006, Willoughby became sick and Zoo staff began to treat her and closely monitor her condition. Despite treatment, her condition continued to decline, the press release said.
Manatees are protected at a federal level by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is one of eleven institutions holding letters of authorization to serve as rehabilitation facilities under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Manatee Recovery Program.
Stay with WBNS-10TV and 10TV.com for more information.

http://www.10tv.com/?sec=news&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200702/1758679243.html


Cops nab zoo wolf on run
ARMED police were called yesterday after a wolf was spotted roaming through a village.
Cops and animal keepers with tranquilliser guns spent hours tracking the animal after it jumped a fence at Dartmoor Wildlife Park and wandered along a road in Lutton, Devon.
The wolf — called Parker — was eventually darted and returned to its enclosure.
Wealthy widow Amelia Mee, 76, bought the park and its animals last year for £1million and gave it to her sons Duncan, 41, and Ben, 46. They want a zoo licence but face fierce local opposition following the escape of a jaguar in October.
Craig Redmond, of the Captive Animals Protection Society, called the brothers “irresponsible”.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007070904,00.html


Oregon Zoo establishes endangered species justice fund
The Oregon Zoo is receiving money from criminals -- criminals who violate wildlife statutes, that is. Community service payments ordered by Oregon's federal court as part of wildlife-crime sentences will now go into an Endangered Species Justice Fund, created by the zoo and the U.S. Attorney's Office in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Money in the fund will be used to help endangered and threatened species.
"It's sad to see crimes that hurt wildlife, but we are pleased with the opportunity to have some good come from tragedy," said Oregon Zoo Director Tony Vecchio. "It's an honor for us to team up with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help endangered wildlife."

http://www.bendweekly.com/Outdoors/2886.html


Zoo Prepares for Freezing Night
By Ryan Duffy
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL --When the king of the jungle has to come in, you know it's cold.

Friday night the African plains and grasslands of South America habitats were empty at the Jacksonville Zoo as zookeepers moved animals inside.

"I'd say 75 to 80 percent of animals will be inside tonight. Animals native to Florida, panther, black bear, those will stay outside," says zookeeper Brett Smith.

Zookeepers expect six hours of freeze Friday night.

That's why Smith is leading confused giraffes and elephants into heated rooms.

The lions don't seem happy about it, but they get special heaters, extra hay and stay inside.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=76178


The silence of the frogs
Ponds eerily quiet as mystery fungus kills amphibians worldwide
By Dorie Turner,
Associated Press
Atlanta | Ponds and swamps are becoming eerily silent.

The familiar melody of ribbits, croaks and chirps is disappearing as a mysterious killer fungus wipes out frog populations around the globe, a phenomenon likened to the extinction of dinosaurs.

Scientists from around the world are meeting Thursday and today in Atlanta to organize a worldwide effort to stem the deaths by asking zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens to take in threatened frogs until the fungus can be stopped.

The aim of the group, called Amphibian Ark, is to prevent the world's more than 6,000 species of frogs, salamanders and wormlike sicilians from disappearing.

Scientists estimate up to 170 species of frogs have become extinct in the past decade from the fungus and other causes, and an additional 1,900 species are threatened.

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070216/NEWS/702160336/-1/State


Zoo turning into a plastic dump
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Even though it is a plastic-free zone, the city zoo has turned into a huge dump for plastic items, including carry bags and PET bottles.
Zoo rules stipulate that any plastic item brought by a visitor be kept either in the cloakroom or outside the gate.
Exceptions are often made in the case of plastic feeding bottles and / or water bottles for very young children.
The white-uniformed zoo guards are supposed to be alert enough to prevent people from discarding plastic material near animal enclosure. In spite of this, many carry bags and bottles can be seen thrown near many enclosures.
On Friday afternoon, the zoo officials were alerted to a big plastic bag found in the middle of the lion enclosure.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/17/stories/2007021701110200.htm

continued ...

Jack Murtha holds Bush's "Feet to the Fire"

 

In a very obscure interview held by a "MoveCongress.org," Representative Murtha was absolutely correct in his assessment of this president and his demands on troops of the USA. He stated, Bush is always ready to redeploy and deploy more troops into a war zone, but, never does it with enough protection to better insure their lives while on deployment.

Since the troops were deployed in response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, all the American people wanted from their Commander and Chief was to give the troops the best protection possible that would allow them to do the job and return home safely.

That never happened. Instead, what ensued was a mockery of that demand with little to no funds going for PROPER body armor. Not to mention Humvees properly armored. For years, the newsprint of this nation, primarily lead by The New York Times has repeatedly brought these issues before the public in a demand to better compensate the families of The Fallen and the better protect the troops from injury and death. To some extent the number of injured speaks to the fact the troops minimally had vests that protected their vital organs, but, returned with hugely maiming scars that would last a lifetime. Severed arms and legs have become the hallmark of the Iraq War.

"W"rongly 'sold' to the fearful American electorate after September 11th, Iraq became the next generation Vietnam. Based in fear of weapons of mass destruction of a disarmed and sovereign country, Bush took an understaffed military into battle to defeat a military that virtually didn't exist. With only a few scud missiles still in his command, Saddam Hussein's Iraq was an easy 'initial' victory. But, Bush never planned to secure the country from the volitility that laid latently within it's religious populations.

The Shi'ites of Islam which spans all of Arabia in groups such as Hizbollah all the way to the sovereign country of Iran had become radicalized. Over the many decades through advancing civilizations in Arabia the minority Shia were marginalized into an obscure culture out of the site of Western Journalism or Reality until there exploded an unrest in Iraq after the illegal invasion by Bush's military. The invasion set loose all the fears of all ethnicities and they armed themselves with weapons "W"rongly left unguarded and warehoused in the deserts of Iraq. As time went on the reality of this Civil War was becoming more and more evident and Bush dared to call it an insurgency.

The Central Government of Iraq was mostly exiles that taunted Cheney and Bush into the invasion in the face of every indication by the Global Community otherwise. As a result the people at the top of the government didn't have any contact within the country or it's mood for some time regardless of their claims. Their leadership has been virtually meaningless and to be quite honest, lately, Prime Minister Maliki and Bush colluded to 'paint' a landscape of Baghdad that was 'under control' by some cockamamy new leadership in the USA military including it's Defense Secretary. That deception quickly was put to rest when explosions began within 48 hours of the claim and the most recent attacks included direct assaults on an American compound.

The interview of Representative Murth, which can be viewed here (click on) reveals the most poignant criticism of Bush's lack of commitment to the troops to date. During the entire invasion, from 2003 and including today's date, Mr. Bush has stated the people of the USA should "Support the Troops" and if you support the troops then you support the war. This revealing insight by Representative Murtha brings light to fact, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney never once 'Supported the Troops' in a real way that would insure their lives and the INTEGRITY of the USA miltiary, but, instead cut corners and ignored the most challenging aspect of any war and that is how a Commander and Chief best protects his military while achieving the goals of battle.

Representative Murtha has done the USA a great service to point to the gross negligence of this administration to include in requests for military budgets the absolutely necessities of survival in battle that the troops need. The deaths and injuries of our troops falls directly on the shoulders of the Bush White House and it's negligence of their duties as Commander and Chief of USA Forces for never providing the protections our troops needed to bring them home. That resonates through all aspects of this illegal conflict including the recruitment techniques and the fact this war is so illegitimate in all aspects that no one in their right mind would enlist to serve under such men.

The Commander and Chief and his Vice President are incompetent and need to be removed from office. One of the real dangers of such men in powerful positions is that their overt desperation to continue their rhetoric and 'conquer' the very country they lead. I personally hope all 'fail safe' systems of our nuclear arsenal are intact and the remaining Joint Chiefs have a steady hand on the 'cause' to launch as there is a growing hostile dialogue about Iran. With depleted USA military to respond to aggressions it is uncertain the course Bush would take if he feels desperate enough.

I am quite confident the dialogue Representative Murtha has begun is vitally important. It speaks to the issues of how this country values it's troops and their NECESSARY deployments vs. the whims of incompetent leaders.

Rember this entry when Giuilani so frankly states "It will happen again."

 

Bush and Cheney hijacked this country's military to carry out an oil war in Iraq. It's just that simple. While there, they thought they'd help out the Sunnis throughout Arabia and do what they could to annihilate the Shi'ites in the region and pick a fight with Iran.

The Shi'ites have been radicalized for decades because the lineage to their Holy Men has been grossly assaulted and damaged by the Sunnis that would like to seem them all dead.

The Shi'ite minority in Islam needs our promise to restore their dignity and a nation(s) of their own to insure their survival and perhaps that will return civility to their people.

The Sunnis need to behave while stopping the radical Islamists that plague them and the West.

Americans need to be asking themselves, what the USA military is doing in Iraq.

 

Al Qaeda Chiefs Are Seen to Regain Power

Pakistani soldiers monitored the border with Afghanistan in the North Waziristan tribal area. Al Qaeda and the Taliban have strengthened their presence there recently. (click on title for link to article)

Iraqi Sunni Lands Show New Oil and Gas Promise

 

Brig. Gen. John R. Allen, left, at a well atop a deposit of oil and natural gas in the desert of Iraq’s western Anbar Province, near Syria.

 

February 16, 2007

Kansas City, Missouri

Photographer states :: THE SNOW WAS FLYING HORIZONTAL TODAY.HOWEVER,IT DID NOT SEEM TO BOTHER THESE GUYS.

There are a lot of livestock herds buried under snow. When the melt comes it's going to be a mess. More than likely to burn them where they are is a likely disposal of the bodies.

Click on for animation

 

Antarctica

February 19, 2007

Antarctica is still very hot. The winds (click on) are still very dyamic EXCEPT where the images reveal 9AM and 9PM. It would appear to be the same image at both times. The humidity (click on) is high over the entire continent. Eastern Antarctica is less humid than WAIS, but, that is no surprise, now is it. There are far more areas of ice formations that touch a warming ocean.

The Continent is growing colder incrementally. There are far temperate areas and far less above freezing.

Vostok is -48 C and the coldest with 32% humidity at 3240 meters elevation. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at 2830 meters elevation is -44 C. The warmest is Base Esperanza at 1e meters elevation with a temperature of 4C and 54% humidity. The table (click on).

The link to Scott Base is down.

And after converting Old Blogger to New Blogger it has reverted back to Old Blogger. The only thing different is the 'sign in.'

It's just amazing the many 'glitches' I run into in a given week.

Morning Papers - concluded

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

Temperature :: 36 °F / 2 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 70%

Dew Point :: 27 F / -3 C

Wind :: 13 mph / 20 km/h / 9.3 m/s

Wind Gust :: 21 mph / 33 km/h / 9.3 m/s

Pressure :: 29.09 inches / 985 hPa

Windchill :: 27 F / -3 C

Visibility :: 10.0 m / 16.1 km

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Mostly Cloudy 1600 feet / 487 m
Mostly Cloudy 2300 feet / 701 m
Overcast 4700 feet / 1432 m
(Above Ground Level)

 


February 17, 2007

Economy, Indiana

The USA needs to ratify the Kyoto Protocol

The Vegetation of the USA as of 1986.

Things have changed since then.

This image is a mosaic of the United States prepared by using 16 images from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors on the meteorological satellites NOAA-8 and NOAA-9. The images were acquired between May 24, 1984 and May 14, 1986.
On false-color infrared mosaics, vegetation appears in various tones of red instead of green. The "redness" indicates vegetation density, type and whether growing on dry land or in a swamp (a mixture of reddish vegetation and dark blue surface water produces dark tones). Grasslands appear light red, deciduous trees and croplands appear red, and coniferous forests appear dark red or maroon. Desert areas appear white and urban areas (pavement and buildings) appear bluish green. Lakes, rivers and oceans appear in various shades of blue, dark blue for deep water and light blue for shallow or turbid water. Exposed bedrock generally appears as a dark bluish-green or other dark tone.

May 9, 2005

AS WORLD WARMS, VEGETATION CHANGES MAY INFLUENCE EXTREME WEATHER (click on)

“Earth’s climate is all about relationships, and this study shows that ground cover plays a significant part in determining changes in climate extremes,” said Diffenbaugh, who is an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences in Purdue’s College of Science. “We are accustomed to hearing that greenhouse gases affect climate, but they are not the only factor we should consider. Our climate models also must incorporate the effect of vegetation if they are to capture the full scope of reality.”

Basically, any candidate that states she/he will reduce the effects the USA has on Climate Change needs to include in their policies a discussion about ratifying the Kyoto Protocol so the business of ensuring future generations environmental safety has a basis of understanding.

Kyoto demands the carbon dioxide limits be reduced to 1990 levels. That is a good benchmark to make permanent in the enforcement of carbon dioxide emission reduction. It also forces the EPA to set standards to meet that goal.

Who enforces it? The Carbon Trading stocks. Who enforces it?

Even the United Nations does not have a mechanism to monitor countries outside of Kyoto. Who are you going trust with monitoring carbon dioxide trading credits in the USA? Bush? Or someone like him?

There is even some problem within the United Nations in effectively monitoring and enforcing progress toward Kyoto's goals. What ramifications should government be levied as a consequence to failure to achieve their reduction limits?

Industry would be better off taxed. Carbon dioxide can be measured at the smoke stack and taxed with those in government at local levels collecting the taxes due to them and their cities or towns.

Basically

I don't believe carbon trading is an effective way of handling a profound danger to Earth's troposphere. I believe it won't be taken with enough brevity to it's TRUE purpose. Would you trust Ambramoff with Earth?

The next generation of Americans will have to take control of their political choices in that they need to move to a responsible direction in regard to Climate Change due to Human Induced Global Warming. We need to move toward an all electric society produced by benign energy sources.

Why should biofuels be added to Kyoto Protocol? Isn't that double dipping?

Ethanol in Canada (click on)

Implementing a 5% blend of ethanol in gasoline will generate hundreds of jobs in rural Ontario, create a market for an additional 50 million bushels of corn every year and reduce greenhouse emissions by the equivalent of 200,000 cars. And it all starts on the farm.

Ethanol is already a 'balance' of carbon (dixoide) credits. The ethanol is produced from plants which is a form of plant (carbon dioxide) recycling.

Additionally.

What form of energy is used in the production of ethanol and what does that mean to Human Induced Global Warming and Climate Change?

If ethanol is produced by a coal fired plant then it no longer is 'carbon dioxide balanced;' now is it?

Now, these folks won't be able to participate on Global Carbon Trading anymore

Farmers Union’s Carbon Credit Program allows ag producers and landowners to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through no-till crop production and longterm grass seeding practices. Farmers Union has earned approval from the Chicago Climate Exchange to aggregate carbon credits. Farmers Union will enroll producer acreages of carbon into blocks of credits that will be traded on the Exchange, much like other agricultural commodities are traded.

Now that math here is easy. So, let's just keep it simple.

Let's say the farm above is given 100 carbon (dioxide) credits. If they raise pigs or cows or dairy cows their carbon credits should be lower as the livestock emits methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas. It is also responsible for Human Induced Global Warming. Actually, Bush eliminated programs that farmers were using to contain methane because he wanted to study them more.

Bush has also given 'breaks' to anti-environmental lobbyists with the assistance of Gail Norton in the area of coal-bed methane development (click on and check under 'Air Pollution' , number 6, where it states that coal-bed methane contributes large amounts of carbon dioxide to Global Warming.)

Trashing the Environment with a Thousand Cuts (click on)

by Walt Hays

The Bush administration, in catering to industries that put America's health and natural heritage at risk, threatens to do more damage to our environmental protections than any other in U.S. history.

BUT, TO RETURN TO THE MATH.

If the coal fired electric plant below uses 1000 carbon credits. Then it needs to purchase 100 carbon credits from 10 farms with a carbon credit rating of 100. That might seem equitable, but, what has changed?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The cost to the utility company will be passed onto the consumer and the effects of Carbon Credit Trading will do nothing than serve to increase the wealth of those in the upper crust of the feeding chain.

The Rich get Richer while the Poor get Poorer.

Those trading in Carbon Credits should be limited to citizens of the countries committed to Kyoto. Close the markets and limit the wealth.

Sen. Kerry bill to halt Texas coal power plant construction (click on)

Last Update: 4:33 PM ET Feb 15, 2007
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Sen. John Kerry said Thursday he would soon introduce legislation that would prevent 16 planned coal-fired power plants from being built in Texas if they don't include technology that would capture carbon dioxide.

Speaking at a Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment summit hosted by the Senate, Kerry, D-Mass., said the planned coal-fired power plants would be contributing too much of the greenhouse gas emissions thought to cause global warming if the plants were allowed to be built without capturing carbon dioxide.

Kerry's office declined to elaborate on the details of the bill, saying the Senator was still drafting the legislation.

TXU Corp. (TXU) plans to build 11 of the 16 power plants planned for Texas.

Environmental groups have criticized TXU's planned coal plants, saying the plants will emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Some investors have also expressed concern over the growing possibility that new federal rules limiting carbon dioxide emissions will burden TXU's plants with new and potentially exorbitant costs.

The proposed plants will use conventional coal-burning processes that can't be adapted to reduce carbon dioxide gases.

The company said, however, that it has set a goal of reducing the carbon dioxide output of these plants by 2020 to levels equal to an efficient natural gas-fired power plant. That target will require the development of new technologies that aren't now on the market to reduce the output of a conventional coal-burning plant.

-Contact: 201-938-5400

This is the
effort of the USA? Texas is going to glut the troposphere with carbon dioxide while this is occurring in Canada? Oh, really? Am I proud of my country yet?

Ont. claims coal-fired emissions below 1990 levels (click on)

Feb 15, 2007 02:09 PM Canadian Press
Ontario's greenhouse gas emissions are below 1990 levels and almost a third lower since the Liberals took office in 2003, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said today but the Opposition disputed those figures and claimed the government has done little to reduce emissions.

Duncan said the province has engineered a 32 per cent drop in power generation from coal-fired plants over the past three years and is the only North American jurisdiction committed to closing such plants.

While the Conservatives claimed the decrease in emissions is simply a result of more nuclear power coming online and not due to any government strategy, Duncan said the Liberals are getting the job done.

"The coal numbers are going down, period, even though demand is going up," Duncan said in an interview.

"Wind, biomass, solar – and yes, nuclear – all of them are going up ... because we're getting out of coal. When we came to office, coal accounted for 25 per cent of our energy mix. Today, it's 16 per cent. That's a reduction of a third, and we're going to keep going in that direction."

But Conservative Leader John Tory said it was disingenuous for the Liberals to take credit for lowering emissions when they simply benefited from more available nuclear energy and didn't work to make the coal plants cleaner.

"It takes a lot of gall for the McGuinty government to take credit for reduced emissions when they've done absolutely nothing proactive on their own to bring about a reduction on emissions," Tory said in an interview.

"It's good news of a sort, but when I think of how much could have been done in terms of cleaning up some of the emissions from those (coal) plants, and actually making some real progress as opposed to posturing behind a promise they've broken so many times you can't keep track, I think it's scandalous."

Premier Dalton McGuinty originally promised to close the coal plants entirely by 2007, but later changed the date to 2009 and then again to 2014, Tory noted.

Duncan admitted the reduced power generation from coal plants won't speed up the government's plan to close the facilities, but insisted progress is being made.

"We think the target dates as laid out by the (Ontario Power Authority) are realistic ones: 2011 for closure, probably to 2014 to keep some of them open as insurance," Duncan said.
"But the point here is that even though we aren't able to close them right away, we're making steady and measurable and dramatic progress in terms of emission reduction."

The government says emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide last year were at their lowest levels since 1983, when Ontario began collecting data.

Since 2003, the government says, carbon dioxide emissions are down 29 per cent, sulphur dioxide has been reduced 44 per cent, and nitrogen oxide emissions have declined 46 per cent.
In December, Environment Canada released figures indicating coal-fired power stations were among Canada's biggest polluters in 2005.

The agency said Canada's single largest polluter was the Nanticoke power station owned by Ontario Power Generation, where emissions rose 20 per cent in 2005 over 2004 levels to 17.6 million tonnes.

Nanticoke is one of the largest coal-fired electricity producers in North America.

OPG spokesman John Earl has said Nanticoke's emissions appeared more substantial because it is a massive 4,000-megawatt plant made up of eight regular-sized power-generating units joined together.

Duncan said he intends to cut back on the need for nuclear power and wants to harness more wind energy.

"Nuclear as a percentage of our overall supply is going to go down under our plan from 50 to 41 per cent," Duncan said.

"We're going to maximize wind power, we're going to work with our communities, with First Nations, to ensure everybody shares in the benefit and everybody understands the benefits."

CCX - The Chicago Climate Exchange

Basically what the Bush White House has been 'up to' is dumping the responsibility for Carbon Dioxide Emissions on China in projects allowed under Kyoto Protocol called Clean Development Mechanisms (click on).

Clean Development Mechanisms Watch (click on)

Literally, Bush is dumping the responsiblity of reducing carbon dioxide on China. However, this is not what it seems.

The interest by the USA is not about containing carbon dioxide, it's about profits.

Outsize Profits, and Questions, In Effort to Cut Warming Gases (click on)

By KEITH BRADSHER
Published: December 21, 2006

Foreign businesses have embraced an obscure United Nations-backed program as a favored approach to limiting global warming. But the early efforts have revealed some hidden problems.
Under the program, businesses in wealthier nations of Europe and in Japan help pay to reduce pollution in poorer ones as a way of staying within government limits for emitting climate-changing gases like carbon dioxide, as part of the Kyoto Protocol.

Among their targets is a large rusting chemical factory here in southeastern China. Its emissions of just one waste gas contribute as much to global warming each year as the emissions from a million American cars, each driven 12,000 miles.

Cleaning up this factory will require an incinerator that costs $5 million -- far less than the cost of cleaning up so many cars, or other sources of pollution in Europe and Japan.

Yet the foreign companies will pay roughly $500 million for the incinerator -- 100 times what it cost. The high price is set in a European-based market in carbon dioxide emissions. Because the waste gas has a far more powerful effect on global warming than carbon dioxide emissions, the foreign businesses must pay a premium far beyond the cost of the actual cleanup.

The huge profits from that will be divided by the chemical factory's owners, a Chinese government energy fund, and the consultants and bankers who put together the deal from a mansion in the wealthy Mayfair district of London.

Arrangements like this still make sense to the foreign companies financing them because they are a lot less expensive, despite the large profit for others, than cleaning up their own operations.

Such efforts are being watched in the United States as an alternative more politically attractive than imposing taxes on fossil fuels like coal and oil that emit global-warming gases when burned.
But critics of the fast-growing program, through which European and Japanese companies are paying roughly $3 billion for credits this year, complain that it mostly enriches a few bankers, consultants and factory owners.

With so much money flowing to a few particularly lucrative cleanup deals, the danger is that they will distract attention from the broader effort to curb global warming gases, and that the lure of quick profit will encourage short-term fixes at the expense of fundamental, long-run solutions, including developing renewable energy sources like solar power.

As word of deals like this has spread, everyone involved in the nascent business is searching for other such potential jackpots in developing countries.

As for more modest deals, like small wind farms, ''if you don't have a humongous margin, it's not worth it,'' said Pedro Moura Costa, chief operating officer of EcoSecurities, an emissions-trading company in Oxford, England.

The financing of the chemical factory's incinerator here and other deals like it are now drawing unfavorable attention. Canada's environment minister, Rona Ambrose, announced in October that her government would withdraw from the trading program.

''There is a lot of evidence now about the lack of accountability around these kinds of projects,'' she said.

Another concern is that the program can have unintended results. The waste gas to be incinerated here is emitted during the production of a refrigerant that will soon be banned in the United States and other industrial nations because it depletes the ozone layer that protects the earth from ultraviolet rays.

Handsome payments to clean up the waste gas have helped chemical companies to expand existing factories that make the old refrigerant and even build new factories, said Michael Wara, a carbon-trading lawyer at Holland & Knight in San Francisco.

Moreover, air-conditioners using this Freon-like refrigerant are much less efficient users of electricity than newer models. The expansion of large middle classes in India and China has led to soaring sales of cheap, inefficient air-conditioners, along with the building of coal-fired plants to power them, further contributing to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer.

The program is at the forefront of efforts to address the most intractable problem in climate change: how to limit soaring emissions from the largest developing countries. Sometime in 2009, China's total emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important global warming gas, are expected to surpass those from the United States, according to the International Energy Agency.

While the challenge of addressing global warming is daunting, so are the consequences of inaction. Scientists warn that rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases could result in more severe storms, wide crop failures, the spread of tropical diseases and rising sea levels endangering some coastal cities.

Programs like the one the United Nations supports are increasingly common in Europe. In general, they allow companies to buy rights on the market to exceed their limits on global warming gases from other companies prepared to reduce emissions elsewhere at a lower cost. Many economists consider emissions-trading systems, which are driving participants to the cheapest cleanups with the biggest impact, as the most efficient way to address pollution.

But a study commissioned by the world organization has found that the profits are enormous in destroying trifluoromethane, or HFC-23, a very potent greenhouse gas that is produced at the factory here and several dozen other plants in developing countries. The study calculated that industrial nations could pay $800 million a year to buy credits, even though the cost of building and operating incinerators will be only $31 million a year.

The situation has set in motion a diplomatic struggle pitting China, the biggest beneficiary from payments, against advanced industrial nations, particularly in Europe. At a global climate conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in November, European delegates suggested that in the case of Freon factories now under construction in developing countries, any payments for the incineration of the waste gas should go only into an international fund to help factories retool for the production of more modern refrigerants that do not deplete the ozone layer.

But the Chinese government blocked the initiative, insisting that money for Chinese factories go into the government's own clean energy fund. Negotiators ended up setting up a group to study the issue.

Even as hundreds of millions of dollars from the program are devoted to the refrigerant industry, countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which were originally envisioned as big beneficiaries of emissions trading, are receiving almost nothing. Just four nations -- China, India, Brazil and South Korea -- are collecting four-fifths of the payments under the program, with China alone collecting almost half.

Two-thirds of the payments are going to projects to eliminate HFC-23.

Those payments also illustrate conflicting goals under Kyoto and the Montreal Protocol, a 1987 agreement that requires the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances. The problem is that the trading program backed by the United Nations, known as the Clean Development Mechanism, is helping support an industry that another international organization is trying to phase out.
And while ozone depletion is a separate problem from global warming, some gases, like HFC-23, make both worse. The separate secretariats under the protocols have little legal authority to resolve this quandary.

''It's tricky in that we don't have a mechanism other than the Security Council, and who cares there about HFC's?'' said Janos Pasztor, the acting coordinator of the organization that oversees the program.

In the end, officials say, there should be more projects aimed at providing renewable energy and sustainable economic development for the world's poorest people.

''If people only do HFC-23 projects, then they miss the whole idea,'' Mr. Pasztor said.
Richard Rosenzweig, chief operating officer of Natsource, a company in Washington arranging emissions deals between poor and rich countries, said it was not fair to look only at incineration costs and compare them with the size of payments from industrial nations. The administrative costs of the program are high, he said, and at least disposal of the waste gas is taking place.
If the world tried to reduce emissions through an outright ban or regulation alone, as many environmentalists recommend, it might not happen at all, he said. The United Nations-favored program may have flaws, he added, but ''it's a pilot phase -- this is a 100-year problem.''

Environmental groups say that governments in developing countries should either require factories to incinerate the waste gas as a cost of doing business, or receive aid from wealthier countries to cover the relatively modest cost of incinerators.

''Couldn't we pay for the cost, or even twice the cost, of abatement and spend the rest of the money in better ways?'' Mr. Wara asked.

DuPont produces HFC-23 as part of its output of Teflon, but has routinely burned the colorless, odorless waste gas without compensation for many years, even though it is not required by law to do so, a DuPont spokeswoman said.

The secretariat of the Clean Development Mechanism estimates that a ton of HFC-23 in the atmosphere has the same effect as 11,700 tons of carbon dioxide. James Cameron, the vice chairman of Climate Change Capital, which organized the chemical factory deal here, said there were considerable costs and risks in setting up plans that required elaborate certification by consultants, acceptance by developing-country governments and approval by a United Nations secretariat.

For small projects involving less than $250,000 worth of credits, fees for deal makers, consultants and lawyers can far exceed the cost of installing equipment to clean up emissions.
Even the Chinese government, the main seller of carbon credits and a defender of the program, is expressing some misgivings.

''We do not encourage more HFC projects,'' a statement by Lu Xuedu, deputy director of the Office of Global Environment Affairs at the Ministry of Science and Technology, said. ''We would prefer to have more energy efficiency and renewable-energy projects that could help alleviate poverty in the countryside.''

But for now, the projects involving industrial gases like HFC-23 are where most of the action is.
''You can do those quickly,'' Mr. Rosenzweig of Natsource said, ''and it's worth the investment.''

The Energy Challenge

Articles in this series are examining the ways in which the world is, and is not, moving toward a more energy-efficient, environmentally benign future. Previous articles are at nytimes.com/energychallenge.

Carbon trading is playing a large role in decreasing the effects of Kyoto Protocol

This is not a long and difficult task tonight. It's pretty straight forward to understand the 'sales pitch' we have all been handed to reduce the threat of Climate Change due to Human Induced Global Warming.

The Kyoto Protocol is currently the treaty to address Climate Change caused by Human Induced Global Warming. During the proceedings of Kyoto the USA wanted more flexibility in negotiating the emissions it was responsible for and so entered into 'amendments' to the protocol. Those amendments have proven to negate mostly the demands of countries to reduce the yield of carbon dioxide in the troposphere.

The Carbon Offset programs of Kyoto did not entice the biggest CO2 polluter, namely the USA to be a signatory of the Climate Change agreement. The option is being abused by government and business in the USA. If a country is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, it should be eliminated in trading in Carbon Credits AT ALL.

There is a great deal of folly in Carbon Trading and the average person 'get's it.'


I'm afraid this carbon offsetting doesn't wash with me. Yes, I see how you can balance carbon emissions against carbon uptake by trees, but it takes tens of years for trees to grow and offset all this carbon. And these trees, like humans and other animals are susceptible to the negative effects of acid rain and other pollution caused by burning fossil fuel. The trees don't offset that.
It's a neat idea to pay for the planting of trees and to raise cash to invest in renewable energy, but does it give people the incentive to cut down on their energy usage? I don't think so. It seems as much a white-wash as hybrid SUVs.

And what trees are these companies planting - and more importantly, where?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/survey_of_carbo.php


The candidates that advocate carbon credits without first LIMITING the amount of carbon the USA can produce by signing Kyoto is playing any electorate for fools. If the USA is to be allowed to trade in carbon credits is needs to FIRST sign Kyoto and then set LIMITATIONS the amount of carbon any industry in the USA can produce.

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