SalvaEco

In timp ce ineficienta in generarea si consumul de energie in statele balcanice este la un nivel ridicat, si foarte putina energie este produsa din surse regenerabile, proportia investitiilor pentru promovarea eficientei energetice si a regenerabilelor in regiune a ramas surprinzator de redusa. Aceasta este constatarea studiului ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? , elaborat de Stability Pact Watch (o coalitie de organizatii neguvernamentale din Europa de Sud-Est si CEE Bankwatch Network) ce se adreseaza in primul rand unor institutii financiare-cheie din regiune, precum Banca Europeana de Reconstructie si Dezvoltare (BERD), si le invita sa isi asume un rol mai proactiv in promovarea solutiilor energetice durabile in tarile balcanice.

Studiul arata ca proiectele mari din domeniul nuclear si al combustibililor fosili, determinate de interese politice pe termen scurt, blocheaza adesea initiativele privind eficienta energetica in sectorul de consum, ce ar aduce beneficii sociale si economice atat gospodariilor cat si companiilor. In acelasi mod, sunt mult intarziate reformele legislative si tarifare care sa accelereze investitiile in unitati decentralizate si de mici dimensiuni valorificand surse regenerabile de energie.

Ionut Apostol, din cadrul organizatiei TERRA Mileniul III, a declarat: ?Atat guvernele din Europa de Sud-Est cat si bancile multilaterale de dezvoltare, precum BERD, si-au stabilit in mod gresit prioritatile. Acest studiu arata ca, din nefericire, cuvintele-cheie pentru sectorul energetic in Balcani sunt ?supracapacitate? si ?intensitate energetica mare?, putine investitii fiind facute in eficienta energetica, sectorul cu cele mai mici costuri.?

Studiul ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? a fost publicat inainte de Adunarea Generala BERD, ce are loc saptamana aceasta la Belgrad (22-23 mai). Prezinta ?vocile neauzite? ale celor ce promoveaza eficienta energetica si energiile regenerabile in regiune: de la proprietari de magazine ce vand becuri eficiente, la experti, oameni de stiinta si oficiali guvernamentali.

Pentru o perioada prea mare de timp beneficiarii potentiali ai dezvoltarii eficientei energetice si a sursele regenerabile de energie au reprezentat ?voci de pe margine?. Argumentele prezentate in studiu includ:
#Eficienta energetica mai mare in sectorul de productie va duce la cresterea gradului de competitivitate al companiilor din regiune
#Eficienta energetica duce in mod clar la performante industriale mai bune (prin schimbarea proceselor industriale) si reducerea poluarii din productia energetica (prin scaderea consumului de energie), cu impact pozitiv asupra sanatatii
#Investitiile in eficienta energetica si surse regenerabile de energie vor reduce dependenta statelor balcanice de importurile de petrol si gaze, ce pun in pericol bugetele nationale in contextul cresterii pretului combustibililor
#Eficienta energetica mai mare in sectorul de consum va imbunatati conditiile de viata pentru un numar mare de consumatori, avand in vedere prognozele de crestere a preturilor. Acest fapt este important in special pentru segmentele vulnerabile ale societatii, precum pensionarii sau familiile tinere.

La Adunarea Generala BERD urmeaza sa aiba loc un forum de discutii intitulat ?Unda verde pentru eficienta energetica si regenerabile?. BERD doreste sa arate ca intentioneaza sa isi mareasca portofoliul de proiecte pe ?energie verde?. Referitor insa la actiuni concrete, spre deosebire de alte institutii financiare, precum Banca Mondiala si Banca Europeana de Investitii, BERD nu si-a stabilit inca obiective clare pentru investitiile in eficienta energetica si regenerabile. In acest context, studiul cere retragerea treptata a investitiilor publice in combustibili fosili si energie nucleara pana in anul 2010.

Studiul ?Solutiile energetice durabile blocate? este disponibil pe web la adresa: [url=http://www.bankwatch.org/publications/studies/2005/arrested_development_05-05.pdf]http://www.bankwatch.org/publications/studies/2005/arrested_development_05-05.pdf[/url]

It concluded that alkylphenols, one of the chemicals that come up in water along with oil and gas from subsea wells, did not affect fish populations despite earlier research indicating that small concentrations could damage reproduction.

Fata de perioada anterioara, defrisarile s-au majorat cu 6 procente.

Cea mai grava situatie se inregistreaza in statul brazilian Mato Grosso, unde intinse suprafete de jungla au fost defrisate pentru a face rost de pamanturi pentru agricultura.

Ministrul brazilian al mediului a anuntat ca pierderea a 26.000 de kilometri patrati de padure tropicala inseamna ca o cincime din toata jungla Amazonului a disparut.

Din aceasta suprafata defrisata, jumatate se afla in Mato Grosso, unde copacii sunt inlocuiti cu culturi de soia.

Exportul de soia, mai ales catre China si Europa, a permis anul trecut Braziliei sa inregistreze un excedent in balanta dintre importuri si exporturi.

in acest timp, organizatiile ecologiste atrag atentia ca taierea padurii amazoniene inseamna o grava pierdere si o amenintare la nivel planetar.

Organizatia Greenpeace chiar l-a numit pe guvernatorul statului Mato Grosso "regele defrisarilor".

Guvernatorul este unul dintre cei mai mari cultivatori de soia la nivel mondial.

Tinerii au conceput proiecte de mobilizare a cetatenilor in vederea pastrarii Dunarii curate. Tarile participante la eveniment sunt Bosnia si Hertegovina, Romania, Ucraina, Republica Moldova, Serbia, Austria, Bulgaria si Germania.
Acest eveniment international doreste sa pregateasca Ziua Dunarii care se va desfasura, ca in fiecare an, pe 29 iunie. Delta se distinge atat ca suprafata ? 580 mii de hectare, cat si ca nivel al diversitatii biologice. In perimetrul ei exista cea mai vasta suprafata acoperita de stuf din Europa.

Jagger, who first became famous for her eight-year marriage to rock star Mick Jagger, shares the 2004 Right Livelihood Award with two others.

Russian human rights and civil liberties lobby group Memorial was also awarded the prize along with Argentine environmentalist Raul Montenegro, for his work with indigenous people and conservation of natural resources.

The award, founded in 1980, tries to compete with the prestigious Nobel prizes, set up in 1901 by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel who invented dynamite.

The Right Livelihood Award, worth 2.0 million Swedish crowns ($297,300) this year, was set up by Swedish- German philatelist and former European Parliament member Jakob von Uexkull.

Von Uexkull found the peace, medicine, physics, chemistry, economics and literature Nobels too academic and narrowly focused on the industrialised world.

He set up his alternative prize to recognise efforts to tackle pollution, poverty, human rights abuse and the danger of nuclear war. Joint awards are frequently made.

"Bianca Jagger has shown over many years how celebrity can be put at the service of the exploited and disadvantaged," the Right Livelihood Award Foundation said in a statement.

Past winners include Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, Britain’s anti-nuclear lobby Trident Ploughshares and Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai, who will receive the 2004 Nobel peace prize in Oslo on Friday.

[b]Cum poate fi celebrata Ziua Mondiala a Mediului?[/b]
Ziua Mondiala a Ecologiei poate fi marcata pe mai multe cai si anume parade ale biciclistilor, raliuri stradale, Concerte ecologice, concursuri scolare de eseuri si postere, plantare a arborilor, eforturi de reciclare, campanii de colectare a deseurilor si multe altele. In multe tari acest eveniment e utilizat pentru a atrage atentia politicienilor si a populatiei de rand la problemele de mediu existente pe plan local, national si regional. Astfel se reaminteste anual omenirii cat de grave pot deveni lucrurile daca nu se manifesta grija pentru patrimoniul natural.
Acest eveniment este un prilej de semnare sau ratificare a conventiilor internationale ecologice. Oficialitatile statale desfasoara activitati ce tin de managementul si dezvoltarea durabila in context ecologic.
Marcarea Zilei Mondiale a Mediului reprezinta un binevenit semnal asupra necesitatii de a actiona unitar pentru salvarea patrimoniului nostru natural pe care avem datoria de a-l lasa nealterat generatiilor viitoare.

[b]Despre activitatile in 2005[/b]
Ziua Mondiala a Protectiei Mediului, marcata pe data de 5 iunie, este unul din principalele cai de promovare a dezvoltarii durabile a oraselor cu denumirea ?Green Cities? si sloganul ?Plan pentru Planeta?. Activitatile si celebrarile principale vor avea loc in San Francisco, California, USA.
In agenda evenimentelor sunt incluse activitati care ar contribui la promovarea principiilor ecologice si dezvoltarii durabile a vietii umane in centrele urbane in scopul asigurarii unui viitor prosper si sigur din punct de vedere ecologic. Ziua Mediului este o sarbatoare a tuturor cetatenilor indiferent de tara, rasa sau de alta natura.

Organizatia Ecologica de Tineret ?SalvaEco? in colaborare cu ?Viitorul Verde? desfasoara in ziua de 5 iunie o campanie de informare cu genericul ?Ia-ti deseurile acasa!?. Activitatea va purta caracter de diminuare a impactului negativ al deseurilor menajere in centrele urbane.

Si TU poti contribui la celebrarea acestei sarbatori prin participare si sustinere. Daca te-ai decis si vrei sa fii parte a acestei manifestatii te rugam sa ne contactezi.

Impreuna putem schimba lumea!
VA MULTUMIM !

Now, with US oil executives busy laying the foundations for a huge gas import terminal on the shoreline beneath her home, she fears those days are numbered.

"It breaks my heart," she said of Sempra Energy’s project to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.

ChevronTexaco plans an offshore terminal nearby.

In a classic spat between big business and environmentalists, major oil companies and Mexico’s government say LNG could be the solution to North America’s power shortage. They say Mexico will benefit from a new and potentially more economical source of gas than US imports.

But locals in Ensenada, just south of the border town of Tijuana, are seething that foreign-owned gas plants will be plonked in their sparkling, unspoiled bays — home to rare fish, seals and sea birds and a key whale migration route.

A ragtag group of protesters gathers once a week near the Sempra site and is routinely ignored by oil executives driving by. Local newspapers are filled with angry editorials.

Many locals refuse to believe the gas will benefit Mexico, convinced the bulk will be piped north to energy-guzzling California, which imports around 85 percent of its gas.

"This will not benefit Mexico as they would have us believe, and we were never asked if we wanted it. We are worried about safety too. One fear is accidents, another is terrorism," Imana said.

A bustling fishing town on the northwestern edge of the little-developed Baja California peninsula, Ensenada — strategically located near the US-Mexico border — is nurturing a growing tourism industry that locals say will be shattered if the area turns industrial.

Eco-tourists come to see whales, paddle canoes next to dolphins or scuba dive in pristine waters that team with fish.

"One issue is the environment, the other is sovereignty," said conservationist Alfonso Aguirre who works preserving endangered species on Baja’s islands, like the Coronado Islands where ChevronTexaco plans an offshore gas terminal.

"In terms of size, our islands are twice as rich in biodiversity as the Galapagos," Aguirre said.

"The area is a jewel. Its vocation is small-scale fishing and tourism. To industrialize it is madness and these aren’t even Mexican companies so they won’t bring us any benefits."

ISLAND REFUGE TO BE BREAKWATER

The terminals will ship in super-cooled LNG from as far off as Asia, restore it to a gas and pipe it to power plants and factories in Mexico and the United States, where demand for power is soaring beyond what local producers can supply.

ChevronTexaco and Sempra say the environment will not be hurt and the gas will supply Mexico before the United States.

"This facility will be built to the highest recognized international standards for health, safety and environmental compliance," says Sempra Energy President and Chief Operating Officer Donald Felsinger on the company’s Web site, adding that half the imported gas will stay in Baja California.

"We will sell Baja every molecule it can buy," Carl Attah, ChevronTexaco’s Mexico vice president, said recently.

Supporters say that not only is gas cleaner and more efficient than other fuels, but that without LNG, Mexico will grow ever more dependent on costly US gas imports.

"These plants will help Mexico diversify its energy supply," energy undersecretary Carlos Garza told Reuters.

But opponents say that with nothing in writing to guarantee where the gas goes, wildlife is being sacrificed for corporate profits.

They say noise from ships unloading LNG will disturb wildlife a?d floodlights will upset nocturnal birds. They also fear contamination of the seawater used to warm up the LNG.

Locals say fishermen will be hit by exclusion zones, and the Sempra project, in which Royal Dutch/Shell is a partner, will trample on archeological remains.

Mexico’s CRE energy regulator has given Sempra permits to start construction and will soon decide if ChevronTexaco can build a plant using the tiny Coronado Islands, a refuge for seals and a dozen species of sea bird, as a breakwater.

That has also upset conservationists. "It costs $10 million to build an artificial breakwater. Is that all the Coronado Islands are worth?" Aguirre said.

Most Ensenada locals are already resigned to losing the battle over the proposed terminal.

"Every year from the porch we watch the whales come by frolicking with their babies. And at night you can see stars," said Imana. "The noise and lights will ruin everything. No more whales. No more starry nights."

Blocul de metal de 800 de tone, dupa ce a fost ridicat din apa cativa metri, a fost rasucit si lasat pe fundul apei pentru a fi curatat mai bine de sedimentele care ii maresc greutatea. Specialistii firmelor din Olanda si din SUA apreciaza insa ca in primele zile ale saptamanii viitoare portiunea de epava care cantareste 800 de tone va fi preluata in ciocul macaralei "Cormorant" si, cu ajutorul a doua remorchere de mare capacitate de care va fi ancorata, aceasta parte din epava va fi transportata spre depozitul de fier vechi organizat pe malul Bratului Sf. Gheorghe, la cativa kilometri distanta in aval de bifurcarea Bratelor Sulina si Sf. Gheorghe.
Operatiunea de ranfluare a fost favorizata in ultimele zile de masura luata de autoritatile navale din Tulcea de a opri circulatia navelor pe Canalul Sulina, cu exceptia catorva ore, pentru a preintampina producerea unor accidente in zona Partizani din cauza curentului acvatic foarte puternic.

In cadrul activitatii Institutul de Instruire in Dezvoltare ?MilleniuM? a avut intruniri cu publicul, reprezentantii primariei or. Cricova, consiliului orasenesc si de tineret din localitate, agentii economici, institutiile publice, etc.
Educatia si activitatea de constientizare a publicului privind luarea deciziilor sunt componente cheie a oricarei strategii, deaceea Institutul de Instruire in Dezvoltare ?MilleniuM? a incercat sa obtina o sustinere din partea publicului si o promovare a dezvoltarii durabile in contextul dezvoltarii socio-economice a localitatii, prin imbunatatirea gradului de cunoastere si intelegere a problemelor de mediu in randurile populatiei.
Participantii au fost ajutati sa identifice problemele ecologice din comunitate si sa gaseasca solutiile. De asemenea au fost prezentate istorii de succes in solutionarea problemelor ecologice, deoarece informarea cetatenilor asupra problemelor de mediu si a solutiilor lor este primul pas in constientizarea si participarea publicului in luarea deciziilor.
In cadrul activitatii a fost trasat un plan de activitati pentru ameliorarea starii actuale a mediului si au fost identificati actorii interesati de solutionarea problemelor ecologice si au fost create grupurile de initiativa care sa preia responsabilitatea pentru anumite probleme.
Credem ca datorita aceste activitati problemele de mediu au fost constientizate, au atins sufletele si inimile oamenilor si lucrurile vor evolua spre bine.
Schimbul de opinii si discutiile despre starea ecologica au adus la orgaizarea unor masuri practice de ameliorare a mediului. Astfel, in perioada 18 mai ? 5 iunie isi desfasoara activitatea olimpiada ecologica scolara in or. Cricova, care prezinta caracter de atractivitate pentru implicarea aspectelor actuale si critice de catre tineri in analiza problemelor de mediu.

Pentru contact:
Vitalie Cirhana

Directorul
Institutului de Instruire in Dezvoltare ?MilleniuM?

It said Blair had held lengthy discussions with US President George W. Bush over a fresh initiative that would bypass Washington’s opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to curb climate change.

The United States has not signed up to the Kyoto pact, which will go into effect in February after Russia ratified it last month.

Blair has made the environment and Africa his two top issues for next year when Britain assumes the presidency of the G8 group of rich nations.

"It is being given the highest priority," a Downing Street source was quoted as saying. "There is an awful lot of work going on in the background on this."

Blair’s spokesman later told reporters that discussions with Washington on climate change were no secret, and that the search was on for a consensus.

"We have always been involved in dialogue not only with the Americans but also with our European partners, with developed countries like Japan and also developing countries like China," he said.

"While we believe Kyoto is very important … we also have to recognise that Kyoto by itself is not enough to tackle this issue. What we have to do is push forward on the technological front … at the same time as not harming economic growth in the world," he added.

Environment pressure group Greenpeace said it welcomed any move to get America even to accept the reality of climate change.

"Too often we see Tony Blair standing side-by-side with Bush and not even mentioning what he has called the biggest threat we face," director Stephen Tindale said in a statement.

"On global warming Bush isn’t with us, he’s against us. It’s time the Prime Minister spent some of the political capital he’s amassed in Washington and demanded not just agreement on the science but huge cuts in US emissions," he added.