The Environment Chronicle

On 30 July 2010 the World Heritage Committee inscribed the Everglades National Park (United States) on the List of World Heritage in Danger , because of serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem.

The World Heritage Committee holding its 34th session chaired by João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, has inscribed the Rainforests of Atsinanana (Madagascar) on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of illegal logging and hunting of endangered lemurs on the site.

On 29 July 2010 the World Heritage Committee decided to remove the Galapagos Islands from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Galapagos Islands, which have been called a unique "living museum and showcase of evolution" were inscribed on the Danger List in 2007 because of threats posed by invasive species, unbridled tourism and over-fishing. The Committee found that significant progress had been made by Ecuador in addressing these problems. It welcomed the Government's continuing efforts to strengthen conservation measures, especially in dealing with introduced species.

Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared on 28 July 2010, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water. The Assembly resolution received 122 votes in favour and zero votes against, while 41 countries abstained from voting.

On 23 July 2010, an Amsterdam court fined multinational company Trafigura one million euros for violating EU laws on the export of hazardous waste, which the UN says killed at least 15 people, and forced thousands to be hospitalized in 2006. 69 people were hospitalized and over 100,000 others, complaining of nausea and vomiting after inhaling fumes, sought medical treatment after the incident.In July 2006, 500 tons of caustic soda and petroleum residues on board the Probo Koala ship were originally meant to be off-loaded in Amsterdam, but a disagreement about price led to the waste being redirected to Ivory Coast. There, it was dumped on several open rubbish tips in Abidjan.

The European Commission has approved funding for 210 new projects under the third call for the LIFE+ programme (2007-2013), the European fund for the environment. The projects are from across the EU and cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, environmental policy, and information and communication. Overall, they represent a total investment of €515 million, of which the EU will provide €249.8 million.

The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association will be thirty years old on 15 July. Through its innovative scientific and excellent research infrastructure the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) has developed into one of the world’s leading internationally recognised centres for climate research on both polar regions and the oceans. The Alfred Wegener Institute is distinguished by top research on sea ice, the polar oceans and their ecosystems, the North Sea, Wadden Sea, the ice shelves of Greenland and the Antarctic, the polar atmosphere, permafrost regions, the climate history and past of our Earth. Other characteristic features include its strong international network and broad scientific expertise. To solve the questions of today, biosciences, geosciences and climate sciences work closely together. Field research under extreme conditions is just as much part of the everyday tasks as work in modern laboratories, with high-performance computers and methods of remote sensing. Because polar and marine research is always also a logistics challenge, AWI has an excellent infrastructure that it makes available to the national and international scientific community. This includes research vessels like the ‘Polarstern’ and the ‘Heincke’, research stations manned seasonally or throughout the year, such as Neumayer Station III in the Antarctic and the German-French research base ‘AWIPEV’ on Spitsbergen, scientific observatories, innovative measuring systems and the polar aircraft ‘Polar 5’.

On 11 July 2010 at 15.00 PM, hundreds of thousands of Europeans simultaneously jumped into Europe’s major rivers and lakes, all at the same time on the same day, showing their support for protecting and improving the health of Europe’s water. The Big Jump project includes numerous actions on the main European water basins, like the organisation of a serie of transboundary swimming days on different European water basins. Educational events on the theme of water quality or river restoration are always held during these actions. The project will culminate in 2005 , 2010 and 2015 with the “European River Swimming Day” on all the big European river basins or stretchs where the quality standard has been reached.

The competition “German Capital of Biodiversity” is organised by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (German Environmental Aid - DUH) and started on 8 July 2010 in Stuttgart. All municipalities will have four months to fill in a questionnaire by means of which the winners of each category will be selected. The best municipality will also be awarded the “German Capital of Biodiversity” (Bundeshauptstadt der Biodiversität). The questionnaire contains four main topics: ‘Green in the city’, ‘Biodiversity protection’, ‘Water bodies, agriculture and forestry’ as well as ‘Organisation, communication and cooperation’. Within these topics, municipalities can demonstrate their strategies and actions for biodiversity by answering a number of questions and presenting related projects. In addition to the above categories, we also ask municipalities to describe their actions in local environmental justice, i.e. projects that tackle both biodiversity and social challenges simultaneously. In the implementation the competition, DUH will ask for the support of municipality federations, environmental organisations, national agencies and selected local authorities.

The Commission Regulation (EU) No 271/2010 regarding the new EU organic logo was published in April, 2010, thus making it a legal requirement for all pre-packaged organic products to carry the European Union from 1st July, 2010 onwards.

Marine species of July 2010 in the International Year of Biodiversity is the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba in the Southern Ocean.

With the signing of contracts in Berlin at the end of the two-day conference entitled "Financing climate protection in developing countries and threshold countries – instruments and incentives for environmentally-friendly investments in the private sector", the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) and KfW Entwicklungsbank have taken the first steps to set up an innovative global climate protection fund. The fund provides financial support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as private households in developing countries and threshold countries for investment in energy efficiency measures and renewable energies. Together, BMU and KfW Entwicklungsbank have promised more than USD 100 million of initial funding. In addition, further funds are also to be raised from public and private investors.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has granted Greenland the right to hunt humpback whales. Greenland's indigenous people now have the right to add humpbacks to a list of whales they are allowed to hunt, according to a decision made at the end of the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting in Agadir, Morocco on 25 June 2010. They will now be allowed to kill and consume nine of the giant mammals each year through 2012.

The 62nd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) took place from 21 to 25 June 2010 in Agadir, Morocco. The delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) were unable to reach consensus on a proposal that would see the legitimization of commercial whaling. The moratorium (ban) still stands and Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to whale outside of the sanction of the IWC.

On 23 June 2010 the IPCC released the final list of selected Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors of its fifth Assessment Report (AR5)in Geneva. 36 climate experts from German universities, research institutes and private companies are among the more than 800 contributors from all regions of the world. This means that almost a third of the candidates nominated by Germany have been selected. In total, IPCC has received more than 3000 nominations from governments and observer organisations. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) will be published between 2013 and 2014.

On Saturday, June 19, 2010, oil spread northeast from the leaking Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil appears as a maze of silvery-gray ribbons in this photo-like image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite.

On 18 June 2010 started metroradruhr as the biggest bike sharing system in Germany. Up to 3000 bikes are available to rent in ten cities of the Ruhr: Bochum, Bottrop, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Hamm, Herne, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Oberhausen.

The Zero Race started in Geneva (Switzerland) on 16. August 2010, and continue eastwards for a total distance of about 30 000 km. The event is planned to be completed in 80 days (excluding maritime crossings) across 16 countries with stops in approximately 150 major cities en route. Zero Race will visit places of all sizes, such as major cities including Bruxelles, Berlin, Vienna, Kiev, Moscow, Astana, Shanghai, Vancouver, San Francisco, Austin and Madrid. The Zero Race will visit the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun at the end of November and end it will finish in Geneva at the end of January 2011. The Zero Race is organised by Louis Palmer, who was the first person to drive around the world in a solar powered car called the Solartaxi. The ZERO Race is a “green” event all the way, and any unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions it may create, including the shipping of cars and flights by participants, will be compensated by investments into renewable energy projects through myclimate.

To combat pollution, climate change, acidification, over-exploitation and biodiversity loss in the Baltic Sea, the EU is to co-fund "BONUS", a seven-year joint R&D programme initiated by Baltic coastal states Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. A plan to match their money with €50 million in EU funds was approved by Parliament on 16 June 2010.

History was made on 11 June 2010 in the South Korean port city of Busan, when delegates from close to 90 countries gave the green light to an Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The independent platform will in many ways mirror the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which has assisted in catalyzing world-wide understanding and governmental action on global warming.

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries decided to close the bluefin tuna fishery to purse seiners in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic, due to the exhaustion of the quotas allocated to them. France, Greece and Spain have been informed of this decision which will become effective on 10 June 2010. The closure of the purse seine fishery is necessary to protect the fragile stock of bluefin tuna and to ensure its recovery as envisaged by the recovery plan of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). The Commission has declared a zero tolerance approach towards overfishing and will take all necessary measures to ensure full compliance across the board.

The Commission decided on 10 June 2010 to encourage industry, governments and NGOs to set up certification schemes for all types of biofuels, including those imported into the EU. It laid down what the schemes must do to be recognised by the Commission. This will help implement the EU's requirements that biofuels must deliver substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and should not come from forests, wetlands and nature protection areas. The rules for certification schemes are part of a set of guidelines explaining how the Renewable Energy Directive, coming into effect in December 2010, should be implemented.

The European Aerospace firma EADS presented the world's first airplane thats runs only on algae fuel at the ILA Berlin Air Show (ILA). On June 8, a Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation plane powered by 100 percent algae biofuel took part in the flying demonstration, marking the first time that the technology has been used to power a flight.

Marine species of June 2010 in the International Year of Biodiversity is the Crassostrea gigas, a Pacific oyster in the Wadden Sea.

On 27 May 2010 heads of state and government, ministers and other representatives of some 50 countries concluded an agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Around 4 billion dollars has been pledged for the period 2010–2012 for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. The global forest partnership marks the start of closer global cooperation on reducing deforestation and forest degradation in tropical developing countries. The partnership will support and contribute to the UNFCCC process.

Norway and Indonesia agreed on 26 May 2010 to enter into a partnership to support Indonesia’s efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests and peat lands. Indonesia will take immediate and decisive action to reduce its forest and peat related greenhouse gas emissions. Norway will support those efforts with one billion USD over the next few years.

On 18 May 2010 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), and nine leading environmental organizations, unveiled an unprecedented agreement – the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement – that applies to 72 million hectares of public forests licensed to FPAC members. The Agreement, when fully implemented, will conserve significant areas of Canada’s vast Boreal Forest, protect threatened woodland caribou and provide a competitive market edge for participating companies.

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) have started their cooperation in human biomonitoring, in order to improve the knowledge of substances taken up by the human organism. The focus is on substances that might involve increasing exposure of the public at large or can have special relevance to human health without, however, being measurable in the human body with currently available methods. Against this backdrop, there are plans to develop over the next 10 years adequate analytical methods for up to 50 jointly selected substances or substance groups and to apply newly developed methods in relevant studies. Joint activities begin with a three-year trial and pilot phase. The VCI is in charge of the development of detection methods, which the BMU will put to the test in suitable studies. In these efforts, the BMU will closely work with the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

On 14 May 2010, the “Gardens of the World” in the Marzahn Recreational Park were honored with the British Green Flag Award. The Green Flag Award® scheme is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. It was first launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country. The first awards were given in 1997.

To protect water resources and biological diversity, MEPs want the Commission to propose a complete ban on the use of cyanide mining technologies in the EU before the end of 2011. They also believe companies dealing with the management of waste from the extractive industries should be forced to take out insurance to cover costs in the event of an accident and that mining projects in the EU involving cyanide technology should receive no support from the Commission or Member States. In a resolution adopted on 6. May 2010 by 488 votes to 48 with 57 abstentions, Parliament argues that a complete ban "is the only safe way to protect our water resources and ecosystems against cyanide pollution from mining activities". It urges the development and application of safer – in particular cyanide-free – mining.

On 5 May 2010 the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and KfW Banking Group celebrated the 30th anniversary of the BMU’s Environmental Innovation Programme. The Programme supports pilot projects applying state-of-the-art technologies in Germany on a large scale. Around 700 million euros have been provided for more than 700 pilot projects since the start of the Programme. The Environmental Innovation Programme was launched in 1979. At the time, the aim was to achieve "blue skies over the Ruhr". At the beginning, the focus of support was on end-of-pipe cleaning technologies, such as air filters and waste water treatment facilities. Today, this focus has shifted to integrated environmental protection measures and activities in the areas of renewable energies and energy efficiency. These projects will improve the environmental situation, contribute to achieving the German Government’s climate protection goals, offer insights for updating environmental legislation and give fresh impetus to economic and employment policies.

The children from the student initiative Plant-for-the-Planet are seeking to plant a million trees in every country, each tree symbolizing climate justice. In Germany, their goal has been achieved: On the 4th of May, 2010 the millionth tree was planted on Mt. Petersberg. This occurred alongside the Petersberg climate dialogue, the preparatory meeting for the climate summit in December 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Marine species of May 2010 in the International Year of Biodiversity is the diatom Guinardia delicatula.

United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have airlifted four endangered gorillas to a safer habitat to keep them from being illegally trafficked or eaten before they are released back into the wild. Three young females and a male named – all eastern lowland gorillas – flew by helicopter for 50 minutes on Tuesday with veterinarians and other caregivers from Goma to a village near the heavily forested Tanya Nature Reserve in north Kivu province. The decision to move the gorillas by air was made after scientists said ground transportation would be too difficult and traumatic. The four gorillas, victims of illegal trafficking in wildlife and bushmeat, will be joined in early June by six adolescent orphans flown by MONUC from Rwanda.

Germany’s first offshore wind farm "alpha ventus" officially starts up on 27 April 2010 in the North Sea. Alpha ventus was constructed 45 kilometres off the coast of the island of Borkum.

On 24 April 2010 around 120,000 nuclear protesters formed a 120-kilometer human chain that stretched from a nuclear power plant in Brunsbuettel, through Hamburg along the Elbe River to another plant in Kruemmel. The protest come just days before 24th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.

After intensive negotiations, two German environmental groups – BUND Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania and WWF Germany – have reached an agreement with Nord Stream AG on further far-reaching environmental steps to protect the Baltic Sea. Plans for the long-term storage of excavation material from construction works at the landfall, and for environmental monitoring during construction have been modified. Furthermore, an additional “close season” of ten days for herring has been agreed for next year.

Professor Peter Lemke of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven has been awarded the 50,000 € “Bayer Climate Award 2010” by the Bayer Science & Education Foundation. He is being honoured for his groundbreaking research and pioneering contributions to the understanding of the role of sea ice in the climate system. Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Bayer AG, presented Lemke with the award at the international climate conference “Continents under climate change” organized by the Humboldt University, in Berlin on April 22, 2010. An independent international board of experts selected the winner from 16 candidates, nominated by the presidents of major European research associations.

Europe's first mission dedicated to studying the Earth’s ice was launched on 8 April 2010 from Kazakhstan. From its polar orbit, CryoSat-2 will send back data leading to new insights into how ice is responding to climate change and the role it plays in our Earth system. The CryoSat-2 satellite was launched at 15:57 CEST (13:57 UTC) on a Dnepr rocket provided by the International Space Company Kosmotras from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The signal confirming that it had separated from the launcher came 17 minutes later from the Malindi ground station in Kenya. CryoSat-2 replaces the original CryoSat satellite that was lost in 2005 owing to a launch failure. The mission objectives, however, remain the same: to measure changes in the thickness of the vast ice sheets that overlie Antarctica and Greenland, as well as variations in the thickness of the relatively thin ice floating in the polar oceans.

On 7 April 2010 the Solar Impulse HB-SIA underwent an extended 87 minute test flight. The flight reached an altitude of 1,200 m (3,937 ft). The Solar Impulse is designed by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard's team - there are plans to fly it around the world in 2012.