BEIJING CLOSES FILLING STATIONS

HOSTING THE OLYMPICS: IT’S A GAS GAS GAS

Beijing will close 144 gas stations and 9 oil depots as part an effort to improve air quality in the Chinese capital, just in time for this summer’s Olympics. Air quality is a big worry for organizers of the Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee has warned that some events could be postponed if pollution levels rise too far. Beijing, the host city, is considered one of the most polluted cities on Earth.

All oil depots and gas stations in the city have until the end of May to comply with vapor recovery rules, which are intended to guarantee air quality during the Olympics. Vapor recovery is used during the refueling of gasoline storage tanks to reduce hydrocarbon emissions: a specially designed nozzle is installed on gas pumps to collect vapors from the vehicle's gas tank and return them to the station's underground storage tank. More than 1,000 filling stations will have new nozzles installed at the pumps. The upgrades are expected to cost US$70,000 per station.

In addition to the gas station closures, many cars are expected to be ordered off the road during the games, and Chinese authorities have already started closing down factories. Work on city construction sites will be suspended from May onward, and thousands, maybe millions of Chinese workers will be given vacation time in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. China Daily – article
2. Forbes – article
3. The Toronto Star – article
4. BBC News – article and photo

EARTH HOUR UPDATE

LIGHTS OUT AT 8 P.M., MARCH 29, 2008

With one month to go, 30 million people are set to participate in Earth Hour 2008. At 8 pm on March 29, people around the globe will shut off their lights and power down their televisions to raise awareness of global warming. Read my original posting for more info.

During last year's Earth Hour, 2.2 million people in Sydney, Australia powered-down for one hour. This year, at least 24 cities have signed up, representing as many as 30 million people. In addition, over 56,000 people have registered on Earth Hour’s website, and over 3,000 businesses.

During last year's Sydney event, restaurants used candles and lights were turned off in homes and major landmarks, including the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. This year, other iconic buildings to be plunged into darkness will include San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Chicago's Sears Tower, and the 553-metre CN Tower in Toronto.

Cities participating include Sydney, Copenhagen, Manila, Suva, Chicago, Tel Aviv, Christchurch, Toronto, Odense, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra, Atlanta, San Francisco, Bangkok, Ottawa, Dublin, Vancouver, Montreal, Pheonix, and others. Of course you don’t have to live in one of these cities to participate in this unique event: click here to sign up for Earth Hour 2008.

¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. Reuters – article
2. Earth Hour - website

U.S. PELICANS UN-ENDANGERED

BROWN PELICANS BACK ON U.S. BEACHES

The brown pelican, once on the brink of extinction, has become so abundant that after 40 years it may finally be removed from the endangered species list.

Pelicans almost completely vanished in the United States in the 1960s because of DDT contamination from poisoned fish. DDT was banned in the U.S in 1972, and the pelican was put on the endangered species list. It was taken off the list in ‘85 along the Atlantic Coast, but remains endangered in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, California, Washington and Oregon. Under government supervision, the brown pelican has made a strong comeback, and this month the U.S. Interior Department announced a proposal to remove brown pelicans from the national endangered species list.

Today more than 70,000 breeding pairs of pelicans live in California and Baja California, and total numbers have surged to about 620,000 along the West Coast, the Gulf Coast, and in Latin and South America. Even without the Endangered Species Act, pelicans enjoy wide protection. The Channel Islands, a primary nesting ground, are a national park, and Mexico has created reserves along the Gulf of California, where the vast majority breed.

Unlike the controversial decision to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list, government and conservationists agree that the pelicans are no longer threatened with extinction, either in the foreseeable future or in the long term, and should be de-listed.

Shoutout to pelicans everywhere.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. Associated Press – article
2. Los Angeles Times – article and photo

KIRIBATI’S OCEAN PARADISE

TINY PACIFIC ISLAND CREATES

WORLD’S LARGEST MARINE RESERVE

The tiny Pacific islands nation of Kiribati declared the world's largest marine protected area last week — a California-sized ocean wilderness that includes pristine reefs and coral atolls teeming with fish and birds.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) lies about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji and will conserve one of the Earth's last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems. More than 120 species of coral and 520 species of fish live in the area. The protected zone also has some of the most important sea bird nesting sites in the Pacific, plus large fish populations and sea turtles.

Kiribati is an impoverished coral atoll nation of about 95,000 people. It's total land area covers 717 square kilometers, spread across 33 coral atolls. Its people are increasingly concerned about coastal erosion caused by rising seas in a nation no more than five meters above sea level. Besides destroying causeways and seawalls, rising waters have begun to topple coconut palms grown along the shoreline that are crucial to islanders' survival. The government stands to lose about US$3 million in fishing revenue with the creation of the reserve, but is hoping to recoup some of the losses by boosting tourism, which now accounts for 20 percent of the country’s GDP.

Kiribati hopes to establish the 410,500-square-kilometer area as a protected zone by the end of this year. It has already applied to have the reserve listed as a World Heritage Site. Shoutout to Kiribati for protecting its resources, and the world's resources, despite the costs.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. Reuters U.K. – article
2. International Herald Tribune – article
3. Telegraph.co.uk – article and photos

PERU PERUSES ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

RENEWABLE POWER = PERUVIAN POWER

Wind and solar power hard at work in Peru.

The Peruvian government has announced a portfolio of 35 renewable energy projects. Though alternative energy has been slow to catch on in Peru, the government wants to take advantage of the country’s rich solar and wind potential, in an effort to diversify away from oil dependency and fight climate change.

One of the proposed projects could make Peru a major exporter of “clean” energy: a hydropower plant located in the Amazon with the potential to generate over 7,500 megawatts per year. Peru uses only 350 megawatts per year.

Fifteen of the proposed projects are for hydropower. Other projects include wind, geothermic, solar and tidal power, as well as the development of a national solar map. The solar map would chart levels of solar radiation across Peru, and would guide the location of solar panels. The government predicts that at some sites, one solar panel could generate as much energy as 15 panels in other sites. The price tag for all 35 projects is expected to be US$35 billion over 15 years.

Peru currently depends on oil for 56 percent of its energy, with more than half of it’s oil imported from other countries. The government plans on replacing much of the imported oil with Peruvian natural gas, and increasing the country’s use of renewable energy from 27 percent to 33 percent. The goal is to reduce the use of oil to 25 per cent of 2004 levels by 2011.

A law on renewable energy aiming to provide funding for research and development was proposed to Peru’s congress on February 1, and should be passed before the end of the month. Shoutout to the government of Peru for jumping on the alternative energy bandwagon.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. latinamericanpress – article
2. SciDevNet – article
3. hotStocked.com - article