Monday, 13 Nov 2006

Fund, Fund, Fund 'til Daddy Took the T-Note Away

U.N. climate talks continue, but dissension rules the day

As week two of the U.N. climate talks kicks off in Nairobi, Kenya, debate is raging over how to manage a fund that will help poorer countries adapt to climate change. Western countries want the $3 million fund -- which is expected to grow to $750 million -- to be run by a group allied with the World Bank. But developing countries want to run it themselves or use a less restrictive manager, so they can access the money more quickly. (Next thing you know, they'll be asking for the car keys.) Observers worry that the feud is distracting from the real issue: what to do when the Kyoto Protocol expires. "After last year's relatively successful [U.N. climate] meeting, there is a feeling here of people resting on their laurels," says Andy Atkins of the relief agency Tearfund. "Unless they get agreement here on when to start discussions on post-2012 targets, they're in danger of not having post-2012 targets." Members of the Subcommittee on When to Start Discussions On Targets had no comment.


Last year, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched a campaign to get hundreds of mayors to meet or beat Kyoto Protocol targets in their own cities. Now Julian Dautremont-Smith, head of an organization advocating for sustainability in higher education, is working to convince university presidents to commit to a similar goal. As InterActivist this week, Dautremont-Smith chats with Grist about developing a green rating system for campuses, taxing foreign-exchange transactions to fund energy projects, and more. Send Dautremont-Smith a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Too Hot to Handle

Toxic exposure gives firefighters higher risk of some cancers, study says

Rushing into infernos seems risky enough, but new findings suggest flames may be the least of a firefighter's worries. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say blaze-battlers face a higher risk of developing some cancers than the general population, likely due to their exposure to chemicals, including benzene and styrene. In a review of 32 U.S. and European studies, researchers found a 100 percent higher rate of testicular cancer, 50 percent higher rate of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma, and 28 percent higher rate of prostate cancer in firefighters. The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, is the largest to date looking at cancer risk in this profession. "This research highlights the need to constantly monitor and assess people's workplace exposure to cancer-causing chemicals," said Henry Scowcroft of Cancer Research U.K., "so that firefighters and other at-risk groups are properly protected whilst carrying out their jobs."


A law student in Washington, D.C., wants to sell durable coffee mugs to encourage her peers to stop their endless use of disposable paper cups. But which material is best -- plastic, stainless steel, or some other alternative? Advice maven Umbra Fisk holds court, defending an answer that's never moot. Ergo thereby quid pro quo.

What's in Your Wal-let?

Wal-Mart issues a progress report on its experimental eco-store

The company greens hate to love is releasing a report today on progress at its year-old, experimental eco-store in Aurora, Colo. Wal-Mart is trumpeting its successes, from waterless urinals to LED lights in its freezers, and acknowledging its, uh, challenges, such as wind turbines that have short-circuited and recycled rubber sidewalks that have warped and faded. The mega-behemoth has also met with Target, Costco, and other competitors to try to gain allies (and drive costs down) as it seeks to green its other stores. While progressives shiver at the company's labor record, they're praising these new steps. "None of this is 'greenstanding,'" says Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. "They deserve the chance to show that their business model is compatible with high standards, not just low prices." High standards are swell and all, but Wal-Mart execs emphasize that the real reason for the shift is to save the company and its customers money. And the good press doesn't hurt.