Tuesday, 16 Jan 2007

Hey, It's the Thought That Counts

New energy pact signed by 16 Asian and Pacific nations lacks targets

Yesterday, the leaders of 16 Asian and Pacific nations bumped into each other on the street, chatted for a few minutes, then promised to "totally get together for lunch some time." At least, that's one interpretation of the signing of a landmark energy pact that reaches from Australia to India. While the agreement promises an increased emphasis on biofuels and energy efficiency and seeks to cut reliance on oil from the Middle East, it doesn't require compliance or, for that matter, include concrete targets. Some say concerns about the vagueness of the document -- issued just after the conclusion of a summit of Southeast Asian nations that also addressed terrorism, free trade, natural disasters, and nuclear security -- are out of place. "This is very early days in the east Asia context to be talking about targets," said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, somewhat incoherently. Observers worried by the region's booming greenhouse-gas emissions, however, say there's simply no time to waste.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Saw

U.S. Forest Service gets first female chief, trees cower

File this under The More Things Change: On Friday, the 101-year-old U.S. Forest Service named its first-ever female chief. Huzzah! Alas, Gail Kimbell is a pro-industry engineer who helped create President Bush's controversial "Healthy Forests" plan and whose appointment has put conservationists on alert. "She is a strong proponent of turning the clock back ... to the good old days where exploiting and extracting natural resources is the raison d'etre," said Andy Stahl, who heads Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. Fellow greens echoed his concerns, but supporters praised Kimbell's "wealth of knowledge" and willingness to hear all sides. The New England native, now a USFS regional forester in northern Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota, said she was "honored, humbled, excited, and not just a little bit frightened to take the helm" -- a position that puts her in charge of 155 national forests, 30,000 employees, and a nearly $5 billion budget. Hmm, she'll have to work on that roar.


You know how the Bush administration recently proposed endangered-species protection for the polar bear? You can partially thank Kassie Siegel for that. As the director of the Climate, Air, and Energy Program at the Center for Biological Diversity, Siegel drafted the scientific petition which eventually led to the feds' groundbreaking announcement. But her work is far from done. As InterActivist this week, Siegel covers such diverse topics as penguins, cell phones, and, of course, climate change -- "the most severe and pervasive threat to the diversity of life on earth."

Everything Goes Better With Barack

Obama joins McCain, Lieberman to push Senate climate bill

If you follow politics, the phrase "McCain-Lieberman" might make you throw up in your mouth just a little. Since 2003, U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have worked to pass a bill that would cut greenhouse-gas emissions, to no avail. But wrap your tongue around this: McCain-Lieberman-Obama. Has a nice ring, doesn't it? The grizzled senators are hoping the endorsement of rock star Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will help them pass this year's version, which would impose mandatory caps on emissions and lead to a two-thirds reduction of 2004 carbon levels by 2050. Fellow Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is working on a smashing compromise that would introduce possible cuts in ... 2030. And Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) planned to introduce a bill today that would cut emissions 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Sanders' proposal is based on one sponsored in 2006 by former Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), who said he was "proud that the work I did last year will not be lost." Yet.

Boise Will Be Boys

As feds prepare to delist gray wolf in Idaho and Montana, hunters polish their rifles

In Idaho and Montana, the impending removal of Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf has sportsfolk salivating. The wolf, reintroduced to the region a decade ago, is blamed for killing elk and other critters that hunters want around so they can kill 'em themselves. At a rally in Idaho last week, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter pledged to allow the hunt of all but 100 of the state's roughly 650 wolves, saying he'd be first in line for a permit. The riled-up crowd of 300 hunters included one carrying a sign that read, "Wolves are illegal immigrants too." In more promising endangered-species news, the somewhat less bloodthirsty crowd at London's Zoological Society has launched the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project. With the help of students, EDGE will aim to protect 100 of the world's most unusual at-risk species, including the bumblebee bat, the pygmy hippopotamus, the golden-rumped elephant shrew, and the Butch otter. Oh wait, sorry -- got our notes mixed up again.