Ucraina a demarat la inceputul acestui an constructia unui canal navigabil pe bratul Bastroe din Delta Dunarii, proiect extrem de periculos pentru intregul ecosistem al Deltei Dunarii. In incercarea de a avea acces direct pe Dunare la Marea Neagra, autoritatile ucrainene au decis sa construiasca un canal navigabil chiar prin mijlocul Rezervatiei Naturale Delta Dunarii, zona care face parte din patrimoniul UNESCO. Statele Unite, Uniunea Europeana si Romania, alaturi de prestigioase organizatii internationale de protectie a mediului, cum ar fi World Wild Fund, au criticat intentia Ucrainei de a construi acest canal navigabil in Delta Dunarii. Numerosi experti internationali au atras atentia Ucrainei si comunitatii internationale asupra faptului ca zeci de specii de pasari migratoare care tranziteaza Delta Dunarii in fiecare an, alaturi de numeroase specii de pesti, sunt amenintate cu disparitia in urma construirii canalului navigabil ucrainean pe bratul Bastroe. Proiectul a intampinat opozitia puternica a societatii civile din Ucraina, organizatiile de mediu din aceasta tara fiind primele care au protestat fata de constructia canalului.
In ceasul al 11-lea, autoritatile de la Bucuresti au reactionat la randul lor, solicitand Ucrainei sa opreasca lucrarile canalului pana la realizarea unui studiu independent care sa evalueze impactul constructiei asupra mediului inconjurator din Delta Dunarii. Reactia statului roman vine insa foarte tarziu, dupa ce ucrainenii au inceput constructia canalului, cu toate ca autoritatile de la Bucuresti stiau de planul Kievului inca din anul 2001.
Proiectul beneficiaza de sprijinul total al Guvernului ucrainean, care este dispus sa treca peste orice pentru a il duce la indeplinire. De altfel, desi proiectul incalca atat legislatia internationala de mediu, cat si legile interne ucrainene, Kievul considera ca este indreptatit sa finalizeze aceasta constructie.
Prin constructia acestui canal Ucraina incalca urmatoarele angajamente internationale asumate de Kiev: Conventia asupra zonelor umede – Ramsar, 1971; Conventia privind protectia patrimoniului mondial cultural si natural – Paris, 1975; Conventia privind conservarea vietii salbatice si a habitatelor naturale din Europa – Berna, 1979; Conventia privind diversitatea biologica – Rio de Janeiro, 1992; Conventia privind protectia si utilizarea cursurilor de apa transfrontaliere si a lacurilor internationale – Helsinki, 1992; Conventia privind cooperarea pentru protectia si utilizarea durabila a fluviului Dunarea – Sofia, 1994, si Acordul intre Guvernul Romaniei si Guvernul Ucrainei privind cooperarea in domeniul gospodaririi apelor de frontiera – Galati, 1997.
Consideram ca numai impreuna cu societatea civila ucraineana, dornica de o democratizare reala a Ucrainei, societatea civila romaneasca poate actiona la forurile europene si internationale pentru oprirea acestei constructii. De aceea ziarul ZIUA si Asociatia Civic Media incep o campanie mediatica al carei scop este salvarea Deltei Dunarii in fata acestei amenintari. Numai eforturile conjugate ale societatii civile responsabile din Romania si Ucraina pot avea sorti de izbanda. Va asteptam alaturi de noi.
Ziarul ZIUA,
membru al Clubului Roman de Presa (CRP),
al Asociatiei Mondiale a Ziarelor (WAN),
al Federatiei Internationale a Jurnalistilor (FIJ)

Asociatia Civic Media,
membra fondatoare a Conventiei Organizatiilor de Media din Romania (COM),
membra fondatoare a Organizatiei de Media din Sud Estul Europei (SEEMO),
afiliata la Institutul International de Presa (IPI)

Evidence indicates that PM increases deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Even a short-term rise in PM concentrations increases the risk of emergency hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory causes. PM is made up of tiny particles, varying in size, composition and origin. Inhaled, the coarse fraction (PM10 – particles with a diameter smaller than 10 ¦m) may reach the upper part of the airways and lung). What are called fine particles (PM2.5 -with a diameter smaller than 2.5 ¦m) are more dangerous, as they penetrate more deeply into the lung and may reach the alveolar region.

Sources of PM air pollution

Transport and use of fossil fuel in households are the major contributors to PM air pollution. In particular, diesel combustion contributes a third of total emissions of PM2.5

International nature of the problem

Owing to the transboundary movement of PM, a substantial part of concentrations in a country originates in emissions from other countries.

What can be done about air pollution?

Activities to manage air quality at the local, regional and national levels need to be integrated to improve air quality in cities. Measures such as traffic management or improved urban design at the local level alone may be very cost-effective in reducing the exposure of people living in hot spots, but of limited effectiveness for the protection of society as a whole. Providing alternatives to private motorized vehicles, particularly public and non-motorised transport such as trains, cycling and walking, may lead to changes in people?s behaviour and would reduce traffic congestion and influence long-term trends in transport demand and pollution emission.

Other measures – such as increasing energy efficiency, using cleaner fuels in households, industry and vehicles, and using end-of-pipe controls such as particle filters – are also important for the reduction of pollution and population exposure. They are not sufficient, however, without society?s commitment to clean air. Long-term planning, fiscal incentives, legislative measures and communication with the public are all necessary to achieve this result.

Orasul Baia de Aries si localitatile din aval ar putea fi grav afectate de o rupere a barajului lacului de decantare de la Valea Sartes. Liderul sindicatului Ariesmin, Luca Moga, a declarat ieri ca galeriile de deviere a apelor din decantor sint colmatate in proportie de 70 la suta, iar
in cazul in care ploile vor continua, blocajul acestora ar putea duce la suprasolicitarea barajului si ruperea acestuia. In acest caz, apa cu steril ar putea ajunge in Aries si, de acolo, pina in Marea Neagra.

Luca Moga, topograf de meserie, s-a deplasat ieri la decantorul Valea Sartes, unde a verificat, impreuna cu directorul decantorului, Gheorghe Plesa, starea colmatarii galeriei de deviere a apelor din decantor. "Pe unele portiuni, gradul de colmatare este de 70 la suta. Acum ploua la
Baia de Aries. Deocamdata, nu exista pericolul de rupere a barajului, dar muncitorii de la decantor au plecat acasa si a mai ramas numai unul la paza cu seful decantorului", a mai spus Moga. El a mai precizat ca nu doreste ca aceste declaratii sa fie privite ca o fatalitate, insa se simte dator sa informeze populatia despre riscurile pe care le-ar putea avea colmatarea
completa a galeriei, care ar putea duce la ruperea barajului. "In conditii normale, decolmatarea dureaza doua saptamini. O ploaie de o ora ar putea inchide complet galeria, sintem ingrijorati de acest aspect. Daca se va rupe barajul, continutul de apa si steril ar fi o adevarata bomba ecologica, care ar rade totul pe o raza de 4 kilometri in amonte si 11 kilometri in aval.
Poluarea de la Baia de Aries ar putea ajunge pina in Marea Neagra, ca si cianurile de la Baia Mare", a mai spus Luca Moga, presedintele sindicatului Ariesmin.

Continua protestele

Marti dimineata, pentru a doua zi consecutiv, angajatii exploatarii miniere au refuzat sa intre in subteran in semn de protest. Contactat telefonic de EVZ, liderul sindicatului Ariesmin, Luca Moga, a declarat ca peste 100 de mineri s-au adunat in cursul diminetii pe peronul minei si au refuzat sa reia lucrul, solicitind garantii ca isi vor primi salariile. "Azi dimineata (ieri – n.r.) ne-am adunat pe peronul minei pentru a-i informa pe angajati de cele discutate la Prefectura Alba, iar vestile nu au fost de natura sa-i bucure. Practic, le-am spus ca nu s-a rezolvat nimic concret si nu avem garantii ca se va rezolva", a precizat Moga. El a mentionat ca numarul de protestatari a fost mult mai mic, intrucit directorul Ariesmin a dat dispozitie ca autobuzele societatii sa nu-i mai imbarce pe oameni. "Directorul a spus ca nu vrea sa mai cheltuiasca bani pe motorina, daca oamenii nu muncesc", a precizat Luca Moga. Minerii din Baia de Aries vor picheta miine Prefectura judetului Alba, pentru a-si exprima nemultumirile legate de neincasarea salariilor aferente lunii trecute. Cererea sindicalistilor a fost aprobata de Primaria municipiului Alba Iulia,
astfel incit, in cazul in care nu se vor rezolva problemele, pichetarea se va desfasura incepind cu ora 10.00.

"Daca se va rupe barajul, continutul de apa si steril ar fi o adevarata bomba ecologica, care ar rade totul pe o raza de 4 kilometri in amonte si 11 kilometri in aval. Poluarea de la Baia de Aries ar putea ajunge pina in Marea Neagra, ca si cianurile de la Baia Mare".

Luca Moga, liderul sindicatului Ariesmin

"The total number (of bird species) considered to be threatened with extinction is now 1,212, which when combined with the number of near threatened species gives a total of exactly 2,000 species in trouble–more than a fifth of the planet’s remaining 9,775 species," BirdLife recently reported. The 1,212 figure represents 10 more species than were on the list last year.

That said, the organization also reported some good news: five bird species have been downlisted from endangered to threatened status, meaning their populations have begun to rebound. One such example is Kirtland’s Warbler, a small and brightly colored songbird whose limited range makes it particularly sensitive to even a slightly warming climate.

"This is a credit to the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others, who have brought this species back from the brink of extinction," said BirdLife’s Stuart Butchart. "Today, there are more than 1,200 Kirtland’s Warblers, from a low-point of 167 in the 1970s, so its future certainly looks rosier."

Am sustinut si sustinem in continuare ca Proiectul de exploatare la suprafata a aurului propus de compania mixta Rosia Montana Gold Corporation nu este in interesul statului roman si nici al locuitorilor din zona Rosia Montana. Analiza raportului dintre beneficii si pierderi arata clar ca
proiectul trebuie respins; el nu asigura dezvoltarea durabila a zonei, ci distrugerea ei durabila. in plus, atragem atentia ca problema treneaza de prea mult timp, blocand alte initiative economice in zona.

14 iulie 2004

Scrisoarea a fost semnata de urmatoarele 322 cadre didactice din Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti.

The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament strongly welcomed the adoption today of a report on energy efficiency that included mandatory targets for energy savings, and urged the Council to also endorse such targets.

Speaking immediately after the vote took place in Strasbourg, Greens/EFA Group energy coordinator and MEP for Luxembourg, Claude Turmes, said:
"The EU is facing an energy crisis. But more importantly our planet’s entire climate system is at stake. With today’s vote, all of the Parliament’s political families demonstrated the importance of putting efficiency at the heart of European energy and climate policy."

The European Commission conservatively estimates that, ?without reducing comfort or standards of living, it is possible to reduce energy consumption by at least one-fifth at no extra net cost ? and in many cases negative costs?. The technical potential could be as high as 40%. The Parliament, in its vote today, requires member states to save, on average 1% of its final energy consumpt?on in the next three years. This increases to an average obligatory target of 1.3% for period 2009-2012, and 1.5% for 2012-2015.

Commenting on the targets, Turmes added:
"While we warmly welcome the results of the Parliament’s vote in favour of targets, we believe that there is huge existing energy efficiency potential still untapped. Although I am disappointed that MEPs did not follow our Group’s more ambitious proposals, we strongly call on the Council to stop simply paying lip-service and join us in adopting these obligatory targets."

"Saving energy is a win-win situation. It addresses climate change and the security of energy supply. It helps to create jobs and boosts innovation and the transfer of technologies. We should challenge the Council, and the EU Presidency, to understand these benefits and move towards ambitious mandatory energy saving targets."

Guvernul SUA, prin Agentia pentru Comert si Dezvoltare (USTDA), a acordat pe 21 iulie un grant de 281.105 de dolari Ministerului Mediului si Gospodaririi Apelor (MMGA) pentru a dezvolta un plan de modernizare a retelei de laboratoare de mediu. Romania apropiindu-se de aderarea la UE in 2007, va fi introdus un volum mare de legi in legatura cu mediul. USTDA, care a numit anul trecut Romania "Tara anului", a oferit acest grant ca parte a angajamentului continuu al Statelor Unite de a asista Romania in efortul de a oferi un mediu mai curat si mai sigur pentru cetatenii sai.

Grantul a fost acordat in cadrul unei ceremonii de semnare la sediul MMGA. Din partea americana a semnat domnul Jonathan Marks, atasat comercial la ambasada SUA din Bucuresti, in timp ce partea romana a fost reprezentata de doamna Liliana Bara, secretar de stat pentru integrare europeana in cadrul MMGA.

Romania are 42 de laboratoare locale si regionale si unul national, toate avand ca responsabilitati testarea aerului, a apei si a solului, ca si diverselor deseuri. MMGA a propus expansiunea si imbunatatirea retelei de laboratoare si crearea a opt laboratoare regionale noi prin imbunatatirea unor laboratoare locale existente deja. Grantul va finanta un studiu asupra organizarii si structurii personalului si fluxului de informatie in cadrul retelei de laboratoare. Studiul va defini si nevoile de echipament si procedurile standard, va dezvolta cererile de training si va asista la acreditarea laboratoarelor.

USTDA are ca scop promovarea dezvoltarii economice si a intereselor comerciale ale SUA in tarile in curs de dezvoltare sau cu venituri medii.

in ceea ce priveste continutul de fluor in apele freatice din s. Ghidighici, constatam ca numai 5 din toate fantanile investigate se incadreaza in limita admisibila 0,75-1,2 mg/dm3. in 14 fantani concentratia fluorului este mai mica de 0,75 mg/dm3.Utilizarea apei cu continutul fluorului mai mic de 0,75 mg/dm3 provoaca caria dentala.

O alta problema privind calitatea apei folosite in scopuri potabile din s. Ghidighci o constituie duritatea excesiva a apei care variaza in limitele 12,4 ? 49,0 mg/dm3, norma fiind sub 10 mg/dm3, numai in 5 fantani duritatea apei corespunde normativelor in vigoare. Apa foarte dura provoaca patologii in sistemul cardiovascular si nu este buna chir si pentru utilizarea ei in scopuri tehnice. Sapunul in apa dura nu face spuma, transforma spalatul rufelor intr-o procedura dificila, ingreuneaza fierberea rufelor, conduce la aparitia calcarului pe vase si in sistemele de apeducte. Un strat oricat de mic de calcar, depus la fierbere, conduce la pierderi mari de caldura si la un consum suplimentar de combustibil. Particolele mici de calcar sunt nu numai impuritati mecanice, dar devin si componenti activi ai apelor naturale. Ele deterioreaza garniturile, contribuind la defectarea aparatelor de uz casnic.

Gradul de contaminare microbiana in apele freatice din satul Ghidighici este foarte inalt. Numarul total de germeni coliformi variaza de la 110 cel/dm3 pana la 3000 cel/dm3, ceea ce poate provoca eruptii hidrice manifestandu-se prin bolile diareice acute (BDA), dizenteria, si hepatita virala A.

Calitatea apei din sondele arteziene examinate este buna si corespunde cerintelor GOST-ului 2874-72 ?Apa potabila?. Orizonturile acvifere adanci sunt straturi suficient protejate de impactul factorilor antropogeni de la suprafata terestra. Aceste fantani pot fi recomandate, pentru alimentarea cu apa potabila in special pentru gradinitele de copii, scoala, spitalul etc. .
Astfel putem conchide ca apele freatice din satul Ghidighici, dupa continutul de nitrati 65% din fantanile analizate depasesc valoarea maxima admisibila, dupa duritatea totala ?75% , fluor ? 40%, dupa continutul de sulfati 11 %,dupa indici microbiologici ?89%. Majoritatea fantanilor nu corespund standardelor nationale pentru apa potabila. De aceea noi recomandam curatirea tuturor fantanilor si utilizarea apei centralizate din sondele arteziene, deoarece numai aceste fantani corespund cerintelor in vigoare.

Aceste investigatii au fost posivile gratie finantarii Agentiei Ecologice Centru 22.06.2004. mun. Chisinau

President’s George Bush’s decision not to sign the United States up to the Kyoto global warming treaty was partly a result of pressure from ExxonMobil, the world’s most powerful oil company, and other industries, according to US State Department papers seen by the Guardian.

The documents, which emerged as Tony Blair visited the White House for discussions on climate change before next month’s G8 meeting, reinforce widely-held suspicions of how close the company is to the administration and its role in helping to formulate US policy.

In briefing papers given before meetings to the US under-secretary of state, Paula Dobriansky, between 2001 and 2004, the administration is found thanking Exxon executives for the company’s "active involvement" in helping to determine climate change policy, and also seeking its advice on what climate change policies the company might find acceptable.

Other papers suggest that Ms Dobriansky should sound out Exxon executives and other anti-Kyoto business groups on potential alternatives to Kyoto.

Until now Exxon has publicly maintained that it had no involvement in the US government’s rejection of Kyoto. But the documents, obtained by Greenpeace under US freedom of information legislation, suggest this is not the case.

"Potus [president of the United States] rejected Kyoto in part based on input from you [the Global Climate Coalition]," says one briefing note before Ms Dobriansky’s meeting with the GCC, the main anti-Kyoto US industry group, which was dominated by Exxon.

The papers?further state that the White House considered Exxon "among the companies most actively and prominently opposed to binding approaches [like Kyoto] to cut greenhouse gas emissions".

But in evidence to the UK House of Lords science and technology committee in 2003, Exxon’s head of public affairs, Nick Thomas, said: "I think we can say categorically we have not campaigned with the United States government or any other government to take any sort of position over Kyoto."

Exxon, officially the US’s most valuable company valued at $379bn (206bn) earlier this year, is seen in the papers to share the White House’s unwavering scepticism of international efforts to address climate change.

The documents, which reflect unanimity between the company and the US administration on the need for more global warming science and the unacceptable costs of Kyoto, state that Exxon believes that joining Kyoto "would be unjustifiably drastic and premature".

This line has been taken consistently by President Bush, and was expected to be continued in yesterday’s talks with Tony Blair who has said that climate change is "the most pressing issue facing mankind".

"President Bush tells Mr Blair he’s concerned about climate change, but these documents reveal the alarming truth, that policy in this White House is being written by the world’s most powerful oil company. This administration’s climate policy is a menace to humanity," said Stephen Tindale, Greenpeace’s executive director in London last night.

"The prime minister needs to tell Mr Bush he’s calling in some favours. Only by securing mandatory cuts in US emissions can Blair live up to his rhetoric," said Mr Tindale.

In other meetings documented in the papers, Ms Dobriansky meets Don Pearlman, an international anti-Kyoto lobbyist who has been a paid adviser to the Saudi and Kuwaiti governments, both of which have followed the US line against Kyoto.

The purpose of the meeting with Mr Pearlman, who also represents the secretive anti-Kyoto Climate Council, which the administration says "works against most US government efforts to address climate change", is said to be to "solicit [his] views as part of our dialogue with friends and allies".

ExxonMobil, which was yesterday contacted by the Guardian in the US but did not return calls, is spending millions of pounds on an advertising campaign aimed at influencing politicians, opinion formers and business leaders in the UK and other pro-Kyoto countries in the weeks before the G8 meeting at Gleneagles.