Immigrants in Rosarno: Never forget!

Try yourself no getting angry reading the article written by Frederika Randall.

Something should change in our society and maybe could be a point of start showing a feeling for the suffering of others.

This cunsuming hatred for immigrants is a step backward once a time. Immigrants in Rosarno were "paid some$30 for ten to fourteen hours picking oranges and clementines, minus $7 to $8 in kickbacks to the bus driver and the caporale, the gang boss. Some were new arrivals, undocumented, from Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco"

People should climb down and admit its cliché on immigrants are wrong. Get informed with this document taken by Civati's blog: http://www.civati.it/mandiamoliacasa.pdf and get lost your false impressions on immigrants living in Italy.

-from http://www.thenation.com/

(italian version on http://www.medarabnews.com/)

The Philadelphia Zoo: the story of endangered species

Well-wished Zoo of Creatures made with Lego Brick

"The Philadelphia Zoo invites visitors to enter an extraordinary world of life-size LEGO brick animals with the debut of Creatures of Habitat This extraordinary experience is the first and only conservation exhibition of its kind at any zoo or aquarium. The expansive project, running through October 31, features a series of 10 free-standing habitats, each telling the story of endangered or threatened species around the world through the sculptures of renowned LEGO certified professional, Sean Kenney.

Through the use of amazing LEGO brick sculptures, set designs created to tell each story and informative interactions with Zoo staff, Creatures of Habitat highlights the Philadelphia Zoo’s global role in protecting wildlife. Kenney, one of only six LEGO certified professional artisans in the world, crafted more than 30 life-size animal sculptures from hundreds of thousands of tiny LEGO bricks. Fragile in the wild, some on the brink of extinction, the species represented in these sculptures range from Borneo to Brazil and the Arctic Circle to Africa, and in size from a 500-pound polar bear to the delicate golden lion tamarin, which usually weighs less than one pound. A truly international collaboration, the intricate Creatures of Habitat set designs are the work of the Zoo’s creative team with illustrations provide by Jo Tronc, the famed New Zealand illustrator."

(from http://www.seankenney.com/)

italian translation at http://www.terranauta.it/

Be aware of what goes into making a pair of blue jeans

Honestly speaking Denim jeans are fashionable and worn by almost everybody, but be aware of the environmental impacts on

China’s Pearl River Delta.

Known as the blue jean capital of the world, China’s manufacturing industry is one of the largest polluters on the planet.

Watch the following video:

CNN's Emily Chang comes across piles of trash, many of which contain scraps of blue denim.

The Pearl River Delta is at the center of much of China's manufacturing industry. Its banks are lined with thousands of factories that produce huge amounts of waste, much of which gets funneled into the delta, Chang reported from Guangzhou.

(from http://edition.cnn.com/)

Germany's First Offshore Wind Farm

Germany's energy supply is on the verge of an important turning point. Over the coming months and years, German utility giants plan to build massive offshore wind farms that are expected to produce huge amounts of green energy.

There is a gold-rush mentality in the air. "In the industry, the offshore wind market is seen as the key growth area in renewable energy in our regions," says Frank Mastiaux, CEO of Climate & Renewables at E.on. Politicians are also full of hope.

In 2007, Germany made a commitment to the European Union to substantially reduce its CO2 emissions. Chancellor Angela Merkel promised that her country would play a "pioneering role" in European and global climate protection. The goals were no less ambitious.

By 2020, Germany intends to reduce its emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 30 percent over the base year of 1990. In its bid to reach this goal, the German government is taking an unorthodox approach within the EU. While its European neighbors plan to reduce their CO2 emissions through a mixture of energy conservation programs, the expansion of renewable energy and nuclear power, which has low CO2 emissions, Germany is standing by its plans to phase out nuclear power, which were announced by the administration of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

(from http://www.spiegel.de/)

(italian translation news on http://www.corriere.it/)

Wind energy reduces electricity prices, says independent study

Wind power reduces electricity prices and CO2 emissions, a study published today by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) reveals.

The review ‘Wind Energy and Electricity Prices’, a comprehensive assessment of studies of the impact of wind energy on electricity prices, was carried out by the independent consultancy Pöyry AS on behalf of EWEA. It brings together, for the first time, the findings of case studies in Germany, Denmark and Belgium.

The report finds that in the studies reviewed by Pöyry, electricity prices were reduced by between 3 and 23 €/MWh depending on the amount of wind power. It concludes that the studies “essentially draw similar conclusions” and that “an increased penetration of wind power reduces wholesale spot prices.”

“It has already been well-established that wind reduces CO₂ emissions,” said Christian Kjaer, EWEA’s Chief Executive. “But now we have stronger evidence than ever before that wind power also reduces electricity prices for consumers. The message is clear – if you want affordable CO₂-free electricity, increase the amount of wind power in your electricity mix.”

Wind power replaces CO₂ -intensive production technologies, the report finds. The technology that sets the price on the wholesale market is usually hard coal. Wind replaces hard coal power plants during hours of low demand and gas-fired power plants during hours of high demand in all the countries the report analysed.

Wind’s impact comes about because its low marginal costs pushes more expensive technologies, such as gas and thermal plants, out of the market.

(from http://www.ewea.org/)

Wind has the potential to supply the worlds electricity five times over while producing almost no greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the US currently gets less than two percent of our electricity from wind power.

Watch the following video:

Wind: 50% of EU electricity in 2050

Wind energy will meet 50% of the EU’s electricity demand in 2050, top wind energy

personalities told Europe’s largest wind energy conference and exhibition.
Topping the agenda at the opening day of the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC 2010) in Warsaw was Europe’s long-term energy supply.
“2050 might seem like a long way off, but the decisions we take today will have a big impact on our energy supplies in 40 years’ time,” said Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
“A fully renewable power sector is the only solution to reaching 80-95% CO2 reductions by 2050,” he continued. “The remaining carbon emissions will be needed for other sectors, such as agriculture.”
However, we should be talking about a “renewable energy economy” not a low carbon one, Professor Zervos said. “Renewable energies can provide 100% of Europe’s power supplies by 2050 without any further contribution from any so-called low-carbon technologies.”
“Realistically, wind can provide 50% of power supplies by 2050 if the necessary changes to infrastructure and markets are made,” said Christian Kjaer, EWEA’s Chief Executive.

(from http://www.ewea.org)

Watch the following video:The President Obama speaks volumes about Clean Energy:

Many of the world’s richest tycoons and entrepreneurs have embraced environmentalism

The Green List s dominated by America’s wealthiest financiers and entrepreneurs such as Warren Buffett (worth £27 billion) and Bill Gates (worth £26 billion).

(from http://business.timesonline.co.uk)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

This work has deemed worth publishing

Human activities are releasing substantial amounts of gases, including carbon dioxide, that increase the natural greenhouse effect in the Earth’s atmosphere.

There is concern the addition of such gases will cause a further warming of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere, and this warming will have adverse effects on humans and natural ecosystems.

A number of regions are particularly vulnerable. They include: low-lying and other small island states; low-lying coastlines and flood-prone areas; areas liable to drought and desertification and fragile mountain ecosystems.

Countries should protect the world’s climate system for the benefit of present and future generations. Under the United Nations Charter, countries have the right to exploit their own resources, but they have the responsibility to ensure that activities under their control do not cause damage to the environment beyond their borders.

The global nature of climate change requires the widest possible cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and appropriate international response. Countries should enact effective environmental legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions and should ensure the functioning of natural processes that can remove some of the gases from the atmosphere.

The ultimate goal of the climate change Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at levels that will not dangerously upset the global climate system. This should be done within a time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensures that food production is not threatened and enables economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

Most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions have come and continue to come from developed countries, and they should take the lead in combating climate change and its adverse effects.

Developed nations, as well as a number of countries whose economies are in transition, such as in eastern Europe, shall adopt national policies and take measures to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. They shall also protect and improve forests and oceans, that act as sinks and reservoirs for greenhouse gases.

The aim for these nations is to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to 1990 levels. (The emissions of some other greenhouse gases, which also damage the ozone layer, are being controlled under other international agreements.)

On a per person basis, greenhouse gas emissions from developing countries are still relatively low. For these countries, the first and overriding priorities are economic and social development, and eradication of poverty. The developing nations’ share of global emissions will grow as their economies expand, and they use more energy.

Some actions to address climate change can be justified economically, and can also help in solving other environmental problems. But a number of countries, particularly developing nations whose economies are dependent on fossil fuels, may have serious difficulties in switching to alternative fuels.

There are still many uncertainties about the timing, magnitude and regional impacts of climate change, but where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing controls.

Developed countries shall help developing nations deal with requirements of Convention and the effects of climate change by:

• Providing money and technological assistance to help these nations measure flows of greenhouse gases.
• Assisting countries that are particularly vulnerable to harmful effects of climate change to meet the costs of adaptation.
• Providing environmentally sound technologies and know-how, as well as supporting the development of technologies within these nations.

All nations are to:

• Provide information on quantities of greenhouse gases they release, and how much is absorbed by their sinks.
• Publish regular updates on programs to control emissions, and to adapt to climate change.
• Promote the sound management and conservation of such greenhouse gas sinks as plants, forests and oceans.
• Cooperate in planning for the impacts of climate change on coastal zones, water resources and agriculture.
• Cooperate in the protection of areas prone to floods or drought, particularly in Africa.

Although climate change needs to be dealt with, nations should also promote an international economic system that would lead to sustainable economic growth and development in all countries, particularly developing countries. This will make them better able to deal with the problems of climate change. Measures taken to combat climate change should not be used to arbitrarily restrict international trade.

The convention sets up a specific group to help in the transfer of funds and technology to assist nations in controlling greenhouse gases and dealing with climate change. It will include the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

For the convention to enter into force, it must be ratified by the national legislatures of at least 50 countries.

( from http://www.iisd.org)

Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases

Putting everybody wise to the risks on Earth.

The Earth’s temperature depends mainly on the amount of energy received from the sun, the portion reflected back into space, and the extent to which the atmosphere retains heat. Natural forces (e.g., volcanoes and changes in the Earth’s orbit) and human activities (e.g., emissions of so-called “greenhouse gases ” [GHGs] and land use change) affect the amount of energy held in the Earth-atmosphere system and therefore affect the Earth’s climate. Human activities in all countries have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere by the emissions and accumulation in the atmosphere of GHGs. The primary gases that retain heat in the atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and certain manufactured gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆).

Once emitted, gases remain in the atmosphere for varying amounts of time. Very “short-lived” compounds, such as particulate matter (PM), remain airborne on average for only hours or days. CH₄ also has a relatively short average lifetime, though much longer than PM, remaining in the atmosphere for roughly 12 years. The half-life of CO₂ emissions is roughly 100 years (5 to 200 years: IPCC, 2001), but about a quarter of emissions today will still be in the atmosphere after hundreds of years and about one-tenth for hundreds of thousands of years (Archer and Ganopolski, 2005; Archer et al., 1998). Finally, many of the synthetic gases such as halocarbons (or gases that contain the halogens chlorine, fluorine, bromine, or iodine) are extremely long-lived, remaining in the atmosphere for hundreds or even tens of thousands of years. When emissions—from the U.S. (the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions indicator) as well as other countries—remain in the atmosphere over long periods, they accumulate and are measured as atmospheric concentrations. U.S. GHG emissions from 1890 to 2000 are estimated to have contributed about one-fifth of the increase in global GHG concentrations (den Elzen et al., 2005).

(from http://www.epa.gov/)

April 25, 1954 Bell Labs Demonstrates the First Practical Silicon Solar Cell

Solar cells, which convert sunlight into electrical current, had their beginnings more than a hundred years ago, though early solar cells were too inefficient to be of much use.

Bell Labs announced the invention on April 25, 1954 in Murray Hill, New Jersey. They demonstrated their solar panel by using it to power a small toy Ferris wheel and a solar powered radio transmitter.

Those first silicon solar cells were about 6 percent efficient at converting the energy in sunlight into electricity, a huge improvement over any previous solar cells.

Solar cells today are used in all sorts of devices, from handheld calculators to rooftop solar panels. Improved designs and advanced materials have made it possible to build solar cells that reach over 40 percent efficiency, and research and development continues with the goal of bringing the cost down and raising the efficiency to make solar power more competitive with fossil fuels.

from http://www.aps.org

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) will consider the proposal to withdraw his support to whales life

Cruel news

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 22, 2010) -- Today the International Whaling Commission announced a draft proposal that would legalize commercial whaling for the first time in a generation.

Even if commercial whaling was banned globally since 1982, Iceland, Japan and Norway continue hunting more than 2,000 whales each year with any respect for the agreement.

The draft proposal will be voted on in June.

(from http://www.nrdc.org)

“Whales are among the most magnificent creatures ever to inhabit the Earth. This deal would legalize their slaughter, and there is no ethical, moral, political or economic justification for it. Obama Administration officials portray the United States as leading an effort that would be a “step forward” for the whales, but this deal isn’t a step forward at all. It is a step backward, to a time when it was acceptable to kill whales for profit.”

(Joel Reynolds, senior attorney and director of NRDC’s marine mammal protection program)

Give Earth a hand!

Please click the link below and watch the video posted by Greenpeace about Earth day:

Give Earth a hand!

you can do a difference!

Climate Rally Apr 25, 2010- 11:00am - 7:00pm - Washington, DC

Next event:

On Sunday, April 25, Earth Day Network will organize a massive climate rally on The National Mall to demand Congress pass strong legislation. The Climate Rally will include notable speakers Reverend Jesse Jackson, film director, James Cameron, AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist, Billy Demong, producer, Trudie Styler, author, Margaret Atwood, NFL player and television personality, Dhani Jones, environmental photographer Sebastian Copeland and many more.The Climate Rally will also feature live music from Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Willie Colón, Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Booker T,Honor Society and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

(from: http://www.earthday.org)

Earth day

In September 1969 Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a national teach-in on the environment and created the first Earth Day dedicated to a new idea.

The idea was supported by the citizens of Washington and thousand people marched for a clean environment.

(from: http://www.nelsonearthday.net)

On April 22, 1970 rise the modern American environmental movement: Earth Day Network.

Assuming the principle that everybody, regardless of gender, race, income, or geography have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment; Earth Day Network wants to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to be the most effective vehicle for promoting activism campaigns trought more than 20,000 partners and organizations in 190 countries.