Tuesday, 14 Oct 2003

Navy Gravy

U.S. Navy Agrees to Reduce Use of Sonar System Linked to Whale Deaths

In a sweet but possibly temporary victory for environmentalists, the U.S. Navy has agreed to dramatically decrease its use of a low-frequency sonar system that has been associated with the deaths of whales and other marine mammals. A court agreement announced yesterday limits the Navy to using the sonar system in less than 1 percent of the global range originally approved by federal authorities. That's the good news. The bad news is that despite accepting the agreement, Navy officials say it will impair military readiness and are pushing to modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other laws to allow it to use the sonar more extensively. Still, sonar systems are rapidly losing favor worldwide: On the same day that the U.S. agreement was announced, a bill was introduced in the European Parliament to limit NATO's use of the technology.

Hey There, Tiger

ExxonMobil Contemplates Cleaning up Its Act

It's tough to think of a company with a worse reputation among environmentalists than ExxonMobil -- so it comes as a pleasant surprise that the world's largest oil and gas company may be preparing to change its tune. Historically, ExxonMobil has dismissed the importance and viability of renewable energy and denied any connection between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change; now, says spokesperson Tom Cirigliano, "We take the issue of global climate change seriously." Some of the potential change may be due to the fact that ExxonMobil Chair and CEO Lee Raymond, the main force behind the company's vociferous opposition to eco-friendly policies, has reached retirement age and is expected to step down next year. Other explanations include hard work by the green group Campaign ExxonMobil to draw attention to the company's environmental rap sheet, and increasing concern among shareholders about the financial implications of environmental negligence.

City Sickers

City Dwellers in Asia Face Rising Tide of Pollution-Related Illnesses

Residents of urban areas throughout Asia will suffer from a broad range of serious health problems unless environmental conditions improve in a hurry, according to the World Health Organization. About 1.5 million Asians die every year from diseases related to air pollution, and many more succumb to sickness caused by water pollution. The brunt of the problem is borne by the poor, who are more vulnerable to environmental health hazards because they lack adequate housing, sanitation, and medical care. Shigeru Omi, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, called for a grassroots effort to protect human and environmental health throughout the region: "There is no longer a need to wait for the central government to take action. People and their leaders can take on tasks on their own."

A Chile Reception

Canadian Mining Company Halts Project in Patagonia

Few places in the world are more synonymous with remote, rugged, and untouched natural splendor than Patagonia, so it was with relief that environmentalists learned that they had triumphed over a proposed mining project in southernmost South America -- at least for the moment. For more than a decade, the Canadian mining company Noranda has sought to build an aluminum smelter and three hydroelectric plants in the Aysen region of Chilean Patagonia, despite strong opposition from enviros, salmon farmers, politicians, residents, and even the president of Chile, Ricardo Lagos. Lagos' opposition was especially significant, given that the $3 billion project would have been the largest foreign investment ever in Chile. Still, enviros say they can't rest on their laurels; the company has halted its plans, not scrapped them, and is looking for another site for the project, possibly elsewhere in Patagonia, which offers abundant hydroelectric resources.

Do Good

Tell Your Senators to Nix the Anti-Enviro Energy Bill

Here are three good reasons environmentalists should be worried about the energy bill currently in joint conference committee at the U.S. House and Senate. First, it includes virtually no conservation measures -- nothing to improve the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, nothing to wean the country off of its unhealthy and unsafe dependence on fossil fuels. Second, it includes plenty of measures that will decimate the environment -- opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and coastal areas to oil and gas drilling, providing billions of dollars in subsidies to established, lucrative extractive industries and energy companies that don't need the boost, weakening policies to hold polluters accountable for their actions. Third, it'll cost you, Mr. or Ms. Taxpayer, a bundle over the next 10 years, adding to the national deficit some $19 billion worth of unsustainable measures. Join a League of Conservation Voters' campaign and tell your senators just what you think of the energy bill.

Coffee Roasting on an Open Fire

Eco-Friendly "Java Log" Aims for More of the Fake Firewood Market

Ah, winter -- icicles on the eves, smoke rising from the chimneys, a crackling fire, and emerging from it, that fragrant, familiar smell of ... coffee? Yep, that's right: A Canadian company is marketing fake logs made of recycled coffee grounds. Other fake logs, made of everything from sawdust and paraffin to corn cobs and peach pits, have been on the market for 50-some years. But the Java Log burns brighter and hotter than sawdust logs and produces 88 percent less carbon monoxide than the real thing, according to Robustion, the company that makes it. Robustion has been manufacturing and selling the logs in Canada for three years, and now hopes to create recycling agreements with major coffeehouse chains such as Starbucks. The company also hopes to expand its market in the U.S., where it currently sells Java Logs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.