African Officials Ask For Climate Reparations Payments at UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December

Environment ministers from Africa have called for more money and support from rich nations ahead of a landmark climate conference in Copenhagen because the continent contributes so little to global warming but suffers disproportionately from its effects. The ministers did not give a figure, but the U.N. says Africa needs at least $1 billion a year to manage the effects of climate change such as sinking islands, changing farming techniques and even relocating people from areas affected by extreme weather. In recent years, the continent has begun to experience the effects of a fast warming planet, which has stirred up a hornet's nest of woes on the poorest continent. For example, malaria, which is widespread in warm lowland areas of Africa and kills millions, has started to be recorded in the continent's cooler highland areas. Climate scientists are now predicting that some African mountains will lose all their snow cover and staple crops such as wheat, may disappear in the 2080s.

The U.S. and China are the world's largest polluters, accounting for about half the world's carbon emissions. But neither country was part of the Kyoto accord, which called on 37 countries to cut carbon emissions by a total of 5 percent below 1990 levels.The United States refused to sign Kyoto, citing the costs to the economy and lack of participation by China, India and other fast-developing countries. But some of those countries have said rich countries are not aggressive enough in cutting their own emissions. U.S. emissions now are 16 percent above what they were two decades ago.

Global temperatures have risen 0.22 degrees (0.12 degrees Celsius) since 1990, according to one U.S. government estimate. The U.N.'s chief panel on climate change estimates that the risk of increased severe weather will rise if the global average temperature increases between 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) and 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius) above 1990 levels.

Scientists attribute at least some of the past century's 1-degree rise in global temperatures to the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, byproducts of power plants, automobiles and other fossil fuel-burning sources.

Experts project that within 11 years some African countries may see farm harvests drop by up to 50 percent because water will be scarce and the continent relies on rain for its agricultural production. In the same period, they say, between 75 million and 250 million Africans are expected to suffer increased water shortages because of climate change. Source: Huffington Post

The last thing African needs to have land on its doorstep are problems associated with global warming. I don't know if demanding reparations will help them very much, but it is a starting point in trying to combat the effects of global warming.

Excessive Cola Consumption Zaps Muscle Power, Can Lead to Mild Weakness to Profound Muscle Paralysis

Flickr/Kwerfeldein

Coca-Cola could use some positive publicity, but instead, a report in the International Journal of Clinical Practice said that excessive cola consumption can lead to anything from mild weakness to profound muscle paralysis and doctors are warning because the drink can cause blood potassium to drop dangerously low. Ouch. That can't be good for business for either Coca Cola and PepsiCo.

The author of the research paper, Dr Moses Elisaf from the University of Ioannina in Greece, said it appeared that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of the most common ingredients in cola drinks - glucose, fructose and caffeine. "The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary in different patients.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE

Komodo Dragon Attacks Terrorize Indonesian Villages, Government Refuses to Allow Erection of Concrete Wall Around Villages

Nobody would have to tell me to run like crazy if I came face to face with a Komodo dragon. There have been a slew of stories in the news lately about the world's largest lizard. Villagers in Indonesia, who have lived for generations alongside the lizards, are now under attack by these dragons. Two people were killed since 2007, a young boy and a fisherman, while others have been severely wounded after being charged, unprovoked, no less. Komodo dragons, with these shark-like teeth and poisonous venom, can kill a person within hours of a bite.Experts have said Komodo dragon attacks are still rare, but have expressed fear is swirling through the fishing villages, along with questions on how best to live with the dragons in the future. Villagers say the dragons are hungry and more aggressive toward humans because their food is being poached, though park officials are quick to disagree. I don't quite know what to make of this, but something has definitely turned these lizards against the villagers.

Komodos grow to be 10 feet long and 150 pounds. All of the estimated 2,500 left in the wild can be found within the 700-square-mile Komodo National Park, mainly on its two largest islands, Komodo and Rinca. The lizards on neighboring Padar were wiped out in the 1980s when hunters killed their main prey, deer. The animals are believed to have descended from a larger lizard on Indonesia's main island Java or Australia around 30,000 years ago. They can reach speeds of up to 18 miles per hour, their legs winding around their low, square shoulders like egg beaters.

When they catch their prey, they carry out a frenzied biting spree that releases venom, according to a new study this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors, who used surgically excised glands from a terminally ill dragon at the, dismissed the theory that prey die from blood poisoning caused by toxic bacteria in the lizard's mouth. The long, jagged teeth are the lizard's primary weapons, said Bryan Fry of the University of Melbourne. Source: Yahoo News

Villagers have reportedly asked for a 6-foot-high concrete wall to be built around their villages, but that idea has been rejected. The head of the park, Tamen Sitorus, said in a recent interview: "It's a strange request. You can't build a fence like that inside a national park!"That's a silly notion because the protection of the villagers should mean something to the powers that be. Residents have made a makeshift barrier out of trees and broken branches, but they complain it's too easy for the animals to break through. I pray that help will be on the way for these villagers. I would hate to live in constant fear of having an encounter with one of these lizards.

Thanks to the Swine Flu, Soap, Hand Sanitizer, and Spray Disinfectant Products Experiencing Extraordinary Boom

There's a marketer waiting in the wings for every traumatic event that occurs in our lives. I suppose it's the essence of smart marketing and in light of the tight economy, every scary situation is potentially a new income stream. Now they are telling us to use the hand sanitizer or you will get sick or worse, come down with the swine flu. To date, millions of soaps, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, among others, have literally flown off the store shelves. This latest flu outbreak has been a boon for the biocide industry, perhaps, rivaled only by the popularity of the Slinky and the Pet Rock back from the 70's and 80's

Companies such as Henkel, which manufactures Dial Soap, Johnson and Johnson, which makes Purell Hand Sanitizer, and Lysol have began stepping up their marketing since news of the Swine Flu hit. The problem is these seemingly clever marketing schemes have attempted to disguise themselves as public announcements of disease prevention, but what they really offer is a cure, which always features their own product as the saving grace our nation has been waiting for. Right. It's all about capitalizing on a trend.

Though the Swine Flu has potential dangers, there's nothing that will take the place of good old-fashioned precautionary measures and hand washing after being in public areas. That's clearly not what the hundreds of salivating entrepreneurs who have already jumped on the bandwagon of preventative products want to hear. We have seen some crazy concoctions hit the Internet lately. Do a Google search and you will find Swine Flu Protection Kits, going anywhere from $10, on up to $40 on the popular Amazon Website. These kits feature sanitizing wipes, face masks, and rubber gloves. According to the Wall Street Journal, New York ad agency, Digo, has also joined the crowd with a line of whimsical designer face masks, each with its own creative design, catchy slogan ('”It's Not me, It's You”), and $100 price tag (goes to charity they tell us). This is another onslaught of wasted energy and unnecessary products that some gullible consumers will, no doubt, fall for. People wash your hands regularly, cover your mouth when you cough and cover your nose when you sneeze. You will see that most of these products aren't worth your hard-earned money and when the threat level is reduced, they will sit in a bathroom cabinet or under your kitchen sink, until they expire and you throw them out. Waiting, perhaps, for the next traumatic event to occur.

FDA and CDC Warn Against Eating Raw Alfalfa Sprouts Due to Salmonella Outbreak in Several States

News alert. According to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans should not eat any raw alfalfa sprouts, or sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts, until the origins of a salmonella Saint Paul outbreak has been determined. The warning is most important for the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems, who are at high risk of serious complications from a salmonella infection.

So far, 31 people have taken ill since mid-March in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia, and federal investigators warned that illnesses may be present, but as yet undiagnosed in other states.

Federal investigators said that the seeds of alfalfa sprouts may be the source of salmonella, since multiple sprout growers in multiple states all appear contaminated. Additionally, according to the FDA and the CDC, the widespread outbreak also suggests that growers have failed to adhere to voluntary sanitary guidelines because best practice guidelines call for disinfection with calcium hypochlorite before planting, and routing testing to detect salmonella or E. coli contamination before sprouts reach consumers.

"Because suspect lots of seeds may be sold around the country and may account for a large proportion of the alfalfa seeds currently being used by sprout growers, and cases of illness are spread across multiple states, FDA and CDC are issuing this general advisory."

FDA Sprout Consumption Recommendations

In general, the FDA recommends these guidelines for those who continue to eat sprouts, even though it strongly recommends not eating alfalfa sprouts at this time.

• Cook all sprouts thoroughly before eating to significantly reduce the risk of illness.
• Sandwiches and salads purchased at restaurants and delicatessens often contain raw sprouts. Consumers who wish to reduce their risk of food borne illness should specifically request that raw sprouts not be added to their food.
• Homegrown sprouts also present a health risk if eaten raw or lightly cooked. Many outbreaks have been attributed to contaminated seed. If pathogenic bacteria are present in or on seed, they can grow to high levels during sprouting even under clean conditions.

What Is Salmonella?

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, which may be bloody, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare instances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses, such as meningitis and bone infections.

If you are like me, you love alfalfa sprouts, but the we must tread cautiously because compromising our health is not worth it. Green News Beat will keep you posted on the latest developments.

New Honda Hybrid, Insight, Unveiled Today at the Detroit Auto Show, To Challenge Champ, Toyota's Prius

The new Honda Insight hybrid has arrived and it promises to revolutionize the hybrid market by making gas-electric cars affordable. But the five-door hatchback with a rock-bottom price isn't the Prius killer Honda might have hoped for. The car was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show and when it rolls into showrooms on April 22, which is Earth Day, it will undercut the Toyota Prius by several thousand dollars. That won't be enough to knock a car that's synonymous with hybrid technology from its pedestal, but the 2010 Insight poses the first credible threat to Toyota's dominance of the hybrid market. It's widely expected to cost no more than $20,000, and Honda almost certainly will sell every one of the 100,000 Insights destined for North America this year.

Analysts say as many as half those sales could be siphoned away from Toyota. The next-generation Prius will debut during the show. But the Insight has more than a great price going for it. With its stellar fuel economy, snappy acceleration and clever interactive dashboard designed to help drivers maximize efficiency, the Insight is the world's first fun hybrid. Source: Wired

Honda spent more than two years developing the car, which gets its name from the two-seater Insight hybrid that was the first gas-electric vehicle sold in the United States when it was introduced in 10 years ago. The car never caught on, while the Prius outsold Honda hybrids by roughly four to one. Ouch. Honda discontinued the vehicle in 2006 and pulled the plug on the Honda hybrid the next year.

To read more about the Honda Insight, CLICK HERE.

Barge Use Decline Spurs Questions on Best Use of Missouri River

Long-haul commercial barges on the Missouri River can be as hard to spot as the endangered pallid sturgeon. In 2002, the amount hauled dipped below 1 million tons and has failed to reach that level again. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that barges hauled about 300,000 tons in 2007 and 350,000 tons in 2008. That compares to the Chain of Rocks Lock on the Mississippi River near St. Louis, where barges hauled 68 million tons in 2007.The corps blamed the lack of barge traffic on a long drought that had depleted reservoirs in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. » read more

Florida to Freeze Land Preservation Program

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In the deepest of sweeping cuts to environmental programs, Florida lawmakers plan to ax the state's premier land-buying program, Florida Forever.The Legislature is moving to freeze the $300 million annual land fund, which has preserved more than a half-million acres of ecologically sensitive lands across the state -- enough to cover a third of Everglades National Park.

They also aim to whack programs that mend injured manatees, clean up polluted waterways and build new gopher tortoise habitat to make amends for those buried alive under development. » read more

Giant Plasma Televisions Face Ban in Battle to go Green in Britain

Those giant flat-screened plasma televisions you see hanging around will soon be banned. Well, in Britain, that is. The energy-guzzlers will be banned as part of efforts to fight against climate change. The ministers told The Independent newspaper that minimum energy standards for televisions are expected to be agreed upon across Europe this spring and should lead to the phasing out of the most inefficient televisions. At the same time, a compulsory labeling system will be drawn up will be drawn up to identify the best and worst devices.

The moves, which follow last week's withdrawal of the 100W incandescent lightbulb, are part of a drive to slow the rapid growth of electricity consumption in homes by phasing out wasteful devices and introducing more efficient ones. Giant plasma televisions – dubbed "the 4x4s of the living room" – can consume four times as much energy as traditional TVs that used cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Source: The Independent

We have used technological advances to our benefit tremendously. Over the past 30 years, the number of electric appliances and gadgets in a typical home has almost trebled – from 17 to 47 – as a host of devices from scanners to security systems, cappuccino makers to computer game consoles have joined the more traditional kettles, irons, vacuum cleaners and cookers. The number of televisions in homes has also grown rapidly. There are reportedly 60 million of them, one for every person in Britain.

There is an obvious downside to this latest explosion of technology at our fingertips. The amount of power needed to run this electronic explosion has more than doubled in the same period, and the official Energy Savings Trust estimates that it will grow by another 12 per cent over the next four years.

The boom in flatscreen TVs, partly spurred by the digital changeover, is helping to fuel the increase, as is the growing size of the screens. The result is a high electric bill. Different makes and models of television vary in their use of power, but a 42in plasma television may use some 822 kilowatt hours a year, compared to 350kWh by an LCD flat screen of the same size. A 32in CRT, the biggest available, would use 322kWh. Manufacturers must respond by making their products greener.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Gypsum Pond Leaks into Widows Creek, Three Weeks After Tennessee Valley Authority Suffered Nation's Worst Spill Ever at a Coal Plant

This is absolutely amazing. Less than three weeks after the Tennessee Valley Authority suffered the nation's worst spill ever at a coal power plant, another pond at another TVA plant has leaked gypsum-laden water into a nearby creek.

At the Widows Creek Fossil Plant, the leak from a pipe at a 147-acre gypsum pond was repaired Friday morning, TVA officials said, but not before enough water and gypsum caused a settling pond to overflow into Widows Creek, which flows into the Tennessee River.

The leak was found about 6 a.m. at one of the ponds -- about a mile from the plant -- used to store residue from the air scrubber at the Widows Creek plant. An employee found the leak during one of the twice daily walk-throughs conducted by TVA personnel, which have doubled since the Kingston, Tenn., spill, TVA spokesman Gil Francis said.

This latest leak at a TVA coal plant in such a short period of time raises some very serious concerns about the integrity of the ash ponds where, as you know, potentially toxic coal ash is dumped.

U.S. Evangelicals Divided Over "Green Bible"

As if we need another controversy, U.S. evangelicals have said that they are divided over a new "Green Bible" which embraces environmentalism and a need to protect the Earth. Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing.

The Green Bible has been endorsed by secular groups such as the Humane Society and the Sierra Club. It shows people that "God is calling us to care for the world around us," said Rusty Pritchard, editor of Creation Care Magazine, a publication for evangelicals.

Other evangelicals are concerned the Green Bible will mislead Christians because it does not interpret Scripture literally, said James Taylor, a founding elder at Living Water Christian Fellowship in Palmetto, Fla.

"These groups don't have a religious focus; they have a desire to spread their environmental message," Taylor said of the essayists who contributed to the Green Bible, which contains a foreword from Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

According to The Arizona Republic, an estimated 25,000 copies have been sold by HarperOne since the book's release in October.

British Scientists Plan to Ignite Tiny Man-Made Star

Man's quest for knowledge is limitless and it shows in profound ways. It seemed like an impossible feat eons ago, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, today now believe that they are on the verge of harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, which is the reaction that burns at the heart of the sun. A team of scientists will begin attempts to ignite a tiny man-made star inside a laboratory and with the goal of triggering a thermonuclear reaction.

Its goal is to generate temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius and pressures billions of times higher than those found anywhere else on earth, from a speck of fuel little bigger than a pinhead. If successful, the experiment will mark the first step towards building a practical nuclear fusion power station and a source of almost limitless energy.

At a time when fossil fuel supplies are dwindling and fears about global warming are forcing governments to seek clean energy sources, fusion could provide the answer. Hydrogen, the fuel needed for fusion reactions, is among the most abundant in the universe. Building work on the £1.2 billion nuclear fusion experiment is due to be completed in spring. Source: UK Telegraph

This is absolutely fascinating. Scientists at the NIF will use a laser that concentrates 1,000 times the electric generating power of the United States into a billionth of a second. The result should be an explosion in the 32ft-wide reaction chamber which will produce at least 10 times the amount of energy used to create it.

"We are creating the conditions that exist inside the sun," said Ed Moses, director of the facility. "It is like tapping into the real solar energy as fusion is the source of all energy in the world. It is really exciting physics, but beyond that there are huge social, economic and global problems that it can help to solve."

Inside a structure covering an area the size of three football pitches, a single infrared laser will be sent through almost a mile of lenses, mirrors and amplifiers to create a beam more than 10 billion times more powerful than a household light bulb. Housed within a hanger-sized room that has to be pumped clear of dust to prevent impurities getting into the beam, the laser will then be split into 192 separate beams, converted into ultraviolet light and focused into a capsule at the center of an aluminium and concrete-coated target chamber.

When the laser beams hit the inside of the capsule, they should generate high-energy X-rays that, within a few billionths of a second, compress the fuel pellet inside until its outer shell blows off. This explosion of the fuel pellet shell produces an equal and opposite reaction that compresses the fuel itself together until nuclear fusion begins, releasing vast amounts of energy. Scientists have been attempting to harness nuclear fusion since Albert Einstein’s equation E=mc², which he derived in 1905, raised the possibility that fusing atoms together could release tremendous amounts of energy. Under Einstein’s theory, the amount of energy locked up in one gram of matter is enough to power 28,500 100-watt lightbulbs for a year. Until now, such fusion has only been possible inside nuclear weapons and highly unstable plasmas created in incredibly strong magnetic fields.

The work at Livermore could change all this. The sense of excitement at the facility is clear. In the city itself, people on the street are speaking about the experiment and what it could bring them. Until now Livermore has had only the dubious honour of being home of the US government’s nuclear weapons research laboratories which are on the same site as the NIF. Souce: UK Telegraph

This is fascinating and bodes well for the world. If all goes well, the NIF will be able to fire its laser and ignite a fusion reaction every five hours, but to create a reliable fusion power plant the laser would need to ignite fusion around 10 times a second. According to the UK Telegraph, the scientists are already working with British counterparts on the next step towards a fusion power station. A project known as the High Powered Laser Research facility aims to create a laser-powered fusion reactor that can fire once every couple of minutes. This experiment just proves what the mind can conceive, it can achieve.