SalvaEco

[b]Programul de valorificare a terenurilor noi si de sporire a fertilitatii solurilor pe anul 2005[/b]

Download [url=%%dir[1]%%HG_428_din_16_05_05.rar]Hotararea Guvernului 428 din 16_05_05 (*.rar – 20KB)[/url]

One of the main themes of Planet Under Pressure is the way many of the Earth’s environmental crises reinforce one another.

Pollution is an obvious example – we do not have the option of growing food, or finding enough water, on a squeaky-clean planet, but on one increasingly tarnished and trashed by the way we have used it so far.

Cutting waste and clearing up pollution costs money. Yet time and again it is the quest for wealth that generates much of the mess in the first place.

Living in a way that is less damaging to the Earth is not easy, but it is vital, because pollution is pervasive and often life-threatening.

# Air: The World Health Organization (WHO) says 3 million people are killed worldwide by outdoor air pollution annually from vehicles and industrial emissions, and 1.6 million indoors through using solid fuel. Most are in poor countries.

# Water: Diseases carried in water are responsible for 80% of illnesses and deaths in developing countries, killing a child every eight seconds. Each year 2.1 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases associated with poor water.

# Soil: Contaminated land is a problem in industrialised countries, where former factories and power stations can leave waste like heavy metals in the soil. It can also occur in developing countries, sometimes used for dumping pesticides. Agriculture can pollute land with pesticides, nitrate-rich fertilisers and slurry from livestock. And when the contamination reaches rivers it damages life there, and can even create dead zones off the coast, as in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chronic problem

Chemicals are a frequent pollutant. When we think of chemical contamination it is often images of events like Bhopal that come to mind.

But the problem is widespread. One study says 7-20% of cancers are attributable to poor air and pollution in homes and workplaces.

The WHO, concerned about chemicals that persist and build up in the body, especially in the young, says we may "be conducting a large-scale experiment with children’s health".

Some man-made chemicals, endocrine disruptors like phthalates and nonylphenol – a breakdown product of spermicides, cosmetics and detergents – are blamed for causing changes in the genitals of some animals.

Affected species include polar bears – so not even the Arctic is immune. And the chemicals climb the food chain, from fish to mammals – and to us.

About 70,000 chemicals are on the market, with around 1,500 new ones appearing annually. At least 30,000 are thought never to have been comprehensively tested for their possible risks ?o people.

Trade-off

But the snag is that modern society demands many of them, and some are essential for survival.

So while we invoke the precautionary principle, which always recommends erring on the side of caution, we have to recognise there will be trade-offs to be made.

The pesticide DDT does great damage to wildlife and can affect the human nervous system, but can also be effective against malaria. Where does the priority lie?

The industrialised world has not yet cleaned up the mess it created, but it is reaping the benefits of the pollution it has caused. It can hardly tell the developing countries that they have no right to follow suit.

Another complication in tackling pollution is that it does not respect political frontiers. There is a UN convention on transboundary air pollution, but that cannot cover every problem that can arise between neighbours, or between states which do not share a border.

Perhaps the best example is climate change – the countries of the world share one atmosphere, and what one does can affect everyone.

For one and all

One of the principles that is supposed to apply here is simple – the polluter pays.

Sometimes it is obvious who is to blame and who must pay the price. But it is not always straightforward to work out just who is the polluter, or whether the rest of us would be happy to pay the price of stopping the pollution.

One way of cleaning up after ourselves would be to throw less away, designing products to be recycled or even just to last longer.

Previous generations worked on the assumption that discarding our waste was a proper way to be rid of it, so we used to dump nuclear materials and other potential hazards at sea, confident they would be dispersed in the depths.

We now think that is too risky because, as one author wrote, "there’s no such place as ‘away’ – and there’s no such person as the ‘other’".

Ask not for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for thee, and for me.

Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) este detinuta in proportie de 80% de catre Gabriel Resources (TSX: GBU), o companie miniera canadiana de mica dimensiune, limitata financiar si neexperimentata care intentioneaza sa stramute localnicii din Rosia Montana pentru a realiza cea mai mare mina de aur de suprafata din Europa. Restul de 20% din actiuni sunt detinute de Minvest, o companie miniera de stat. Inca de la inceputul sau, acest aranjament a fost asaltat de scandaluri, probleme operationale si opozitie vehementa pe plan local, national si international. Compania miniera Newmont (NTSE: NEM) a achizitionat recent 10.8% din actiunile Gabriel Resources.

Incepand cu anul 2000, Consiliul Local Rosia Montana a adoptat numeroase hotarari al caror beneficiar direct este RMGC. Acestea se refera la concesionarea si cumpararea de terenuri, utilitati publice, modificarea planurilor urbanistice ale comunei si la protocoale de colaborare. De exemplu, in iulie 2002 Rosia Montana a fost declarata zona industriala rezervata exclusiv planurilor RMGC. Cel mai frapant efect al acestei hotarari este acela de interzicere a oricarei propuneri noi de dezvoltare incompatibile cu proiectul minier al RMGC.

La initiativa Alburnus Maior, Centrul de Resurse Juridice a solicitat Prefectului judetului Alba sa constate nulitatea absoluta a acestor hotarari dat fiind faptul ca majoritatea consilierilor locali din Rosia Montana care au participat la vot s-au aflat in conflict de interese. Potrivit sesizarii trimise Prefectului, conflictul de interese se datoreaza faptului ca numerosi consilieri precum si sotiile si/sau copiii lor sunt angajati ai RMGC si/sau Minvest. Potrivit articolului 47 (2) din Legea Administratiei Publice Locale, nu poate lua parte la deliberare si la adoptarea hotararilor consilierul care, fie personal, fie prin sot, sotie, afini sau rude pana la gradul al patrulea inclusiv, are un interes patrimonial in problema supusa dezbaterilor consiliului local.

?Orice proiect de asemenea proportii provoaca ilegalitati si este timpul ca autoritatile sa-si ia ochii de la brosurile lucioase ale RMGC si in schimb sa tina cont de ce sunt aici in primul si in primul rand?, a declarat Eugen David, Presedintele Alburnus Maior.

?Primarul Rosiei Montane si unii consilieri locali au incalcat legea si am sesizat in consecinta autoritatile competente. Daca nu iau masurile adecvate in termenul prevazut de lege, o sa actionam fiecare dintre aceste cazuri in instanta,? a adaugat Radu Nicolae, manager de proiect in cadrul Centrului de Resurse Juridice.

Centrul de Resurse Juridce este un ONG cu sediul in Bucuresti, infiintat in 1998. Actioneaza pentru crearea si functionarea unui cadru legal si institutional care sa asigure respectarea drepturilor omului si a egalitatii de sanse, pentru accesul liber la un act de justitie echitabil si contribuie la punerea in valoare a expertizei juridice in interesul tuturor persoanelor.

* * *

Pentru mai multe informatii, va rugam contactati: Eugen David, Presedintele Alburnus Maior la 0740 280 309 si Radu Nicolae la Centrul de Resurse Juridice la 021 212 05 20.

Anuntul a fost facut miercuri de ministrul federal pentru consum Renate Kuenast, care a precizat ca parlamentul federal urmeaza sa adopte o lege in acest sens pana la sfarsitul lunii iulie.

Producatorii de tigari vor putea totusi sa-si faca reclama pe panouri publicitare si in salile de cinematograf, dar numai dupa ora 19.00.

Germania s-a opus multa vreme interzicerii publicitatii la tutun, iar in 2003 a facut un apel la Curtea Europeana de Justitie impotriva directivei UE, ramas inca nesolutionat.

Un nou studiu dat publicitatii miercuri a dezvaluit ca, in Germania, tinerii din grupa de varsta 12-17 ani fumeaza mai putin decat in urma cu cativa ani, datorita unui nou sistem de accizare care a ridicat pretul pachetului de tigari pana la 3,50-4,00 euro.Aceeasi politica a determinat scaderea vanzarilor la tigari cu aproape 16% in 2004.

Intr-o nota a CMP, prezentata Consiliului raional, se arata ca in teritoriul raionului functioneaza doar 36 din cele 96 de fantani arteziene, iar calitatea apei furnizata prin ele consumatorilor s-a inrautatit la toti indicii verificati, dar mai ales la componenta bacteriologica.

Potrivit studiului, cea mai poluata apa o beau locuitorii din localitatile rurale Buda, Tibirica, Dereneu, Niscani si altele.

In nota CMP se mai mentioneaza ca ?toate acestea se intampla in conditiile cand Consiliul raional a aprobat in 2003 un program de aprovizionare cu apa si canalizare a localitatilor raionului pe o durata de trei ani, care insa nu este executat de factorii de raspundere?.

And the insurance industry says this year will face unprecedented claims for damage from weather-related disasters.

Both sets of figures were released as ministers from 180 countries heard a message from the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urging an end to doubts and delays on action to combat climate change.

The WMO reported that the average temperature of the world’s surface for 2004 was expected to be 0.44C higher than the mean for the period 1961-1990, making it the fourth hottest year since 1861, just behind 2003, but still well below the all-time record year of 1998.

New risks

And this year has been the most expensive ever for the insurance industry in terms of payouts for damage from natural disasters such as hurricanes and typhoons.

According to preliminary figures compiled by the leading re-insurer Munich Re, insured damage for the first 10 months of 2004 amounted to $35bn, with the United States facing the biggest bill of $26bn.

Overall economic losses, the majority of which were uninsured, are expected to be about $90bn.

Among the disasters singled out in the report are Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the island of Grenada in September, killing 28 people and causing an estimated $1bn in damaged homes, buildings and agricultural losses.

The report says the insurance industry is also worried that new climate-related risks may be emerging, such as Hurricane Catarina, which hit southern Brazil earlier this year.

It developed in the south Atlantic where the sea temperatures are normally too low for tropical cyclones to form.

homas Loster, a climate expert with Munich Re said: "As in 2002 and 2003, the overall balance of natural catastrophes is again clearly dominated by weather-related disasters, many of them exceptional and extreme.

"We need to stop this dangerous experiment humankind is conducting on the Earth’s atmosphere."

The figures were released as ministers gathered for the final stage of the UN conference to discuss future action on climate change.

‘Seize this moment’

The executive director of the UN environment programme Klaus Toepfer read a message from Mr Annan saying the eyes of the world were on the governments gathered in Buenos Aires.

Mr Annan said: "People ar?und the world want to know that you are working together, on a multilateral basis, to address this challenge with all your creativity and will.

"They want genuine signs that the days of delay and doubt are behind us. I call on you to seize this moment."

While it did not mention the US by name, the apparent reference was to the refusal of President George W Bush to take on targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions set by the Kyoto protocol, which comes into force next year.

A more obvious attack on the US position came from the President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner.

He accused rich countries of double standards by insisting on the repayment of financial debt from the developing world, while refusing to acknowledge their own "environmental debt" – since it was the industrialised economies which created the build-up of greenhouse emissions, but the poor who will suffer the worst impacts of global warming.

Denumita ?HELP¬, campania isi propune sa ?debanalizeze acest obicei ucigas¬, punand ?accentul pe ridicolul tigarii¬, fara insa a-i condamna pe fumatori, mentioneaza documentul Comisiei.

Spoturile, in numar de trei, vor fi difuzate pe canalele de televizune din cele 25 de state-membre ale Uniunii Europene incepand din data de 7 iunie si vor fi reluate in luna septembrie.

Comisia Europeana isi propune, de asemenea, sa oblige producatorii de tagari sa insciptioneze pe pachete ?avertismente ilustrate¬, printre care fotografii cu plamani innegriti si dinti cariati de nicotina.

Este vorba de teritoriul nostru si de ariile protejate", avertizeaza ing. Romulus Stiuca, directorul Institutului National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare "Delta Dunarii" Tulcea (INCDDD). Solutiile propuse de institutul tulcean au fost aprobate deja de Guvern. Prioritatile ar fi decolmatarea a peste 300 kilometri de canale si a lacurilor afectate de excesul de aluviuni, aduse in partea romaneasca de lucrarile de constructii ale canalului ucrainean. Totodata, se au in vedere imbunatatirea circulatiei apei, reactivarea unor stavilare etc. "Pasarile, pestii si animalele din zonele distruse dincolo se indreapta spre noi. Or, noi trebuie sa extindem habitatele Deltei, ca zone de reproducere a pestilor si pasarilor. Un calcul minim arata ca acest canal va costa Romania peste 30 milioane de euro, in urmatorii 10 ani, pentru a-i rezolva efectele. Canalul Bastroe este, in fapt, vectorul excedentului de marfuri dinspre Occident spre Orient si al importurilor de materii prime din Orient. De aceea, suntem convinsi ca Uniunea Europeana ne va sprijini pentru a face fata acestui impact".
Vanatoarea a fost interzisa in Delta
"Efectul Bastroe" poate sa mai insemne si deteriorarea echilibrului biodiversitatii mediului deltaic. "In acest moment nu exista inca specii pe cale de disparitie. Avem in schimb specii periclitate. Cele 6 specii de sturion – nisetru, morunul, cega, pastruga, sipa si viza – in primul rand. Se stie, pentru reproducerea naturala ele migreaza din mare in Delta. Numai Marea Neagra si Marea Caspica mai detin aceste relicve vii ale planetei". SOS-ul lansat de specialistii tulceni pentru salvarea Deltei nu ocoleste nici activitatile cu grad mare de risc asupra mediului. "Demersul facut de noi la Ministerul Agriculturii pentru ca, prin lege, vanatoarea sa fie oprita cu desavarsire in ariile protejate n-a ramas fara raspuns. S-a aprobat, ceea ce este un lucru bun. Cat priveste pescuitul sportiv, marea atractie a turistilor de altfel, restrictiile se refera doar la folosirea uneltelor pescaresti. Pescuitul sportiv cu undita si lanseta este permis. Pentru pescuitul industrial s-a stabilit un plafon fix, de 3.000 de tone de peste recoltate de catre cei 1.500 pescari abilitati"

Carmen Chihaia

The life of the average Antarctic penguin chick is harsh enough at the best of times. But if predators and appalling weather were not enough to worry about, the birds now face something rather more menacing: a giant iceberg with the ominous name BI5A.

And its 1,200 square miles of ice and snow is floating between them and their next square meal.

According to scientists, as many as 50,000 penguin chicks face a cold, lonely and very hungry Christmas because B15A has blocked the birds’ route to open water and forced their parents to waddle more than 60 miles to find food.

The iceberg also threatens supply routes to three Antarctic research stations on the McMurdo Sound coast, where a US icebreaker and three cargo ships are scheduled to arrive next month.

Lou Sanson, chief executive of Antarctica New Zealand, called the iceberg "the largest floating thing on the planet right now".

It is part of an even bigger iceberg that broke loose from the mainland in 2000 and split into two in November 2003.

US experts reckon B15A contains enough fresh water to supply Egypt’s Nile River complex for 80 years – or to satisfy the water requirements of the UK population for 60 years.

It was drifting north at about 1.2 miles a day when it wedged between the land and a tiny island, where it now stops the wind and currents breaking up the thick layer of ice covering coastal waters. "There is more blocked ice in McMurdo Sound than we’ve ever recorded in living history for this time of year," Mr Sanson said.
The blocked ice causes real problems for the 50,000 breeding pairs of Adele penguins stranded miles from the open sea, where they catch krill to feed themselves and their growing chicks.

Keith Reid, a penguin expert with the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, said: "Adeles will often walk a long way back to their colonies to breed in the expectation the ice will disappear during the time they are incubating the eggs. But that’s not been happening, the ice hasn’t been blowing out."

Thousands of eggs are now hatching. "The adult penguins commute across the sea ice to the sea for food and this big iceberg has created a much longer walk," said Dr Reid. "It costs them a lot of energy to walk instead of swimming."

The adults will use all their food in the struggle back to the nests. And when they realise they cannot feed their chicks they will abandon them.

Biologists in New Zealand predict that only 10% of the breeding penguins will raise a chick this season – bird numbers in the?colonies could fall by up to 70%. Dr Reid said populations should recover in time.

Rescue is out of the question. "The Americans, New Zealanders and Italians are having difficulty getting their ships in to resupply their bases," Dr Reid said. "So it’s difficult to imagine them flying down a few tins of pilchards to feed several thousand penguins."

In parcurile Tineretului, Herastrau, Bazilescu, Cismigiu, National, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Obor si Carol. Vor fi organizate concursuri de desene pe asfalt, se vor distribui pliante si fluturasi cu mesaje privind riscurile fumatului.

In anul 1988 Organizatia Mondiala pentru Ocrotirea Sanatatii a declarat ziua de 31 mai – Ziua Mondiala fara Fumat. De atunci anul in diferite orase ale lumii se organizeaza campanii pentru promovarea conceptului "Societate eliberata de tutun".

Fumatorii, cu aceasta ocazie, pot zice "[b]Renunt Acum[/b]" (Quit Now) !!!