The Environment Chronicle

Residents of the Australian town Bundanoon voted to ban the sale of bottled water on 8 July 2009. It was the second blow to Australia's beverage industry in one day: The New South Wales state premier banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources.

Activists of the environmental organisation Greenpeace protest with a banner reading "Nuclear Power Station (AKW) Kruemmel closed because of unreliability of Vattenfall" in front of the access gate of the German atomic power plant Kruemmel in Geesthacht, northern Germany on July 6, 2009.

The path in the Municipal Forest of Baden-Baden which was opened in the summer of 2009 is the first Lynx Path in Germany. It leads through woodlands in which the lynx would feel very much at home. The objective of the Baden-Baden Lynx Path is to inform about the way of life of the lynx, to reduce fear and prejudice and to promote the acceptance of lynxes. The idea of a Lynx Path was first conceived by the NABU Baden-Württemberg. The implementation was shared with the City of Baden-Baden and the Nature Park Back Forest Centre/North.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates beat Bonn and Vienna when representatives from 129 countries met in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh on 29 June 2009 to decide where the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) would be based. Members of the agency decided to place an innovation and technology center in Bonn, the Austrian city of Vienna will be home to an office dedicated to liaising with the United Nations and other international institutions.

The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the Wadden Sea on the World Heritage List as a transboundary property for Germany and the Netherlands. The Wadden Sea comprises the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area and the German Wadden Sea National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It is a large temperate, relatively flat coastal wetland environment, formed by the intricate interactions between physical and biological factors that have given rise to a multitude of transitional habitats with tidal channels, sandy shoals, sea-grass meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats, salt marshes, estuaries, beaches and dunes. The inscribed site represents over 66% of the whole Wadden Sea and is home to numerous plant and animal species, including marine mammals such as the harbour seal, grey seal and harbour porpoise. It is also a breeding and wintering area for up to 12 millions birds per annum and it supports more than 10 percent of 29 species. The site is one of the last remaining natural, large-scale, intertidal ecosystems where natural processes continue to function largely undisturbed.

Sweden is developing standards to help consumers make conscious choices about the impact of their decisions on global warming. Products with at least 25% greenhouse gas savings will be marked in each food category, starting with plant production, dairy and fish products. The label is a joint initiative by the Federation of Swedish Farmers, two food labelling organisations and various dairy and meat co-operatives. Criteria for plant production, dairy and fish were launched on 26 June. Standards for other product categories will follow in October.

The World Heritage Committee decided to remove Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley from UNESCO’s World Heritage List due to the building of a four-lane bridge in the heart of the cultural landscape which meant that the property failed to keep its “outstanding universal value as inscribed.” Dresden was inscribed as a cultural landscape in 2004. Dresden is only the second property ever to have been removed from the World Heritage List. The Oman´s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was delisted in 2007.

On 25 June 2009, the Klimahaus, or Climate House, in Bremerhaven opened. Bob Geldof held a speech at the opening ceremony. The exhibition areas of 11,500 square meters show the visitors the whole world of earth’s climate. It is split into four main areas: Travel, Elements, Perspectives and Chances. Visitors will experience a fascinating journey along the 8th line of longitude around the earth through climate zones. Special rooms will allow visitors to experience minus 35 degrees or 40 degrees plus and 80 percent humidity.

Activists from the environmentalist group Greenpeace staged a protest on top of the reactor dome of the Unterweser nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony on 22. June 2009. Greenpeace said the daylong protest was meant to highlight the “deadly danger” of nuclear power and demanded the immediate closure of the older reactor and six other facilities in Germany.

Krümmel nuclear power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, started to produce electricity again on 21 June. It will take several days before the power plant achieves full capacity. Krümmel was shut down in June 2007 due to a fire in a transformer outside of the reactor building.

The European Commission launched on 16 June 2009 the BUILD UP web portal as a tool for sharing information on reducing energy use of buildings. Content will be regularly updated and enhanced by users themselves to cover a wide range of good practice in energy reduction and of information on legislation.

The European Commission adopted a Communication on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region on 10 June 2009. The strategy takes the form of a communication and an action plan with a list of 80 flagship projects, some of which have already been launched. The four cornerstones of the strategy are to make this part of Europe: Environmentally sustainable (e.g. process waste water); Prosperous (e.g. promoting innovation in small and medium enterprises); Accessible and attractive (e.g. improving transport links); Safe and secure (e.g. better accident response). This is the first time that the EU has developed such a comprehensive strategy at the level of a “macro-region”. It could inspire similar approaches in areas such as the Mediterranean or Danube basin. In particular, it constitutes a first step towards the regional implementation of the EU integrated Maritime Policy. Between 2007 and 2013, the Baltic Sea Region will benefit from more than €50 billion of investment support under the Cohesion Policy and other EU funding, including €27 billion for improved accessibility, nearly €10 billion for the environment, €6.7 billion for competitiveness and €697 million for security and risk prevention.

Bonn, 08 June 2009: Climate change experts from leading non-governmental organisations unveiled their blueprint for a legally binding Copenhagen agreement on the second Climate Change Talks in Bonn. The 160-page “Copenhagen Climate Treaty”, which has been distributed to negotiators from 192 states, took some of the world’s most experienced climate NGO’s almost a year to write and contains a full legal text covering all the main elements needed to provide the world with a fair and ambitious agreement that keeps climate change impacts below the unacceptable risk levels identified by most scientists.

A highlight of the World Environment Day 2009 is the launch of the Climate Heroes which supports individuals who are undertaking exceptional personal feats, high-profile expeditions, and other acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness for one simple idea: Your planet needs You! Their projects focus on environmental “hot topics” like CO2 output, finding smart solutions to beat waste and tree planting.

An opening ceremony for the launch of Germany's Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) was held on 3 June 2009 in Berlin. The German PRTR presents 2008 reports by large industrial enterprises, for example, in energy and chemical industries, intensive livestock facilities and large wastewater treatment plants, information about their pollutant releases to air, water and soil, if specified thresholds have been exceeded. In addition, pollutants in the effluent and the waste to be disposed are contained in the annual reports. From June 2009, this information PRTR in Germany for all citizens free of charge and without restriction on the Internet.

Germany has officially opened an eco-friendly power plant near Munich. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel inaugurated the new power station in the Munich municipality of Unterhaching on 2 Juni 2009. The plant, which will supply energy from deep within the earth's crust, is the first in the country to use what is known as the Kalina system.

Up-to-date, quick and reliable information on chemical substances and their environmental impact is important for the sake of environmental protection and when fire departments and the police must avert danger. A database on substances jointly operated by the Germany’s federal government and the Laender Gemeinsamen Stoffdatenpool Bund/Länder, or GSBL, has been in place since 1995. With immediate effect, the data on some 400,000 chemical substances have been improved and made available on the Internet to the public. On 28 May 2009 the two GSBL partners announced the launch of their new online application. Eight Laender and the Federal Government operate a central substance information search application. The data can be accessed via the Internet from anywhere that is connected to the web. The general public will now have direct and free access to GSBL.

On 26 May, 2009 the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) decided to add 22 new sites from 17 countries to the UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) which now counts 553 sites in 107 countries. Bliesgau and Swabian Alb in Germany have been added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). Altogether there are 15 UNESCO biosphere reserves in Germany.

Australia has lifted protection levels for the Tasmanian devil, the world's largest surviving marsupial carnivore, from vulnerable to endangered. The devil population, which is found on the island state of Tasmania, has been decimated by a facial tumour disease. The new conservation status will give the animals greater protection under national environment laws.

On 21 May 2009 the world record mountaineer Apa Sherpa reached the top of the Mount Everest for the record 19th time and placed a WWF banner urging the world to take action against climate change. The banner which he brought to the top calls to "Stop Climate Change - Let the Himalayas Live!"

US President Obama has announced a new national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program with a fuel economy gain averaging more than 5 percent per year and a reduction of approximately 900 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions. This would surpass the CAFE law passed by Congress in 2007 required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020.

Two years after the cruise ship Sea Diamond sank off the coast of the island of Santorini, Greek authorities are to begin the operation to pump hundreds of tons of fuel out of the vessel. Three remote controlled robotic submarines will carry out the operation, pumping out the approximately 450 tons of fuel contained in the ship. The Sea Diamond hit a reef on April 5, 2007 close to the island and sank early the following day. The ship's owner, Cyprus-based Louis Hellenic Cruises will pay estimated six million euros for the operation.

"Climate change - our future is in your hands" the words of an 11-year-old schoolgirl have been transformed into a giant human sign calling for Government action on climate change. The human sign was formed by more than 5000 school children and community groups stretching across the length of St Kilda Beach. The sign was a reminder that the next generation will bear the brunt of policies implemented now.

A new six-country Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) was launched on 15 May, 2009 at a Leaders Summit in Manado, North Sulawesi. In their Leaders Declaration, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste formally adopted one of the most comprehensive and specific plans for ocean conservation. The 10-year Regional CTI Plan of Action sets time-bound steps to address growing threats to the region’s coral reefs, fisheries, mangroves, threatened species and other marine and coastal living resources.

Thursday Veggie Day is a campaign invented by EVA (Ethical Vegetarian Alternative, Belgium’s biggest vegetarian organisation) and since mid may 2009 officially supported by the city of Ghent. Ghent thus became probably the first western city in the world officially stimulate people to go vegetarian one day a week.

(May 8, 2009) Nine persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were listed under the Stockholm Convention. Over 160 Governments concluded a conference with decisions to strengthen the global effort to eradicate some of the most toxic chemicals known to humankind. The Conference of the Parties (COP) Convention was amended for the first time to include nine new chemicals still widely used today as pesticides, flame retardants and in a number of other commercial uses. The new toxic chemicals added expand the original ’’dirty dozen’’ covered by the 2004 Convention.

At its fourth meeting held from 4 to 8 May 2009, the Conference of the Parties adopted amendments to Annexes A, B and C to the Stockholm Convention to list nine new persistent organic pollutants (SC-4/10-SC-4/18). Lindane listed under Annex A with a specific exemption for use as a human health pharmaceutical for control of head lice and scabies as second line treatment.

The city of Mannheim is offering a scrapping bonus for old bicycles. The program is a joint initiative between the city government and nonprofit organization Biotopia, which offers job training for the unemployed and for disadvantaged youth. The old bikes, which have to be in more or less rideable condition, will be collected at Biotopia's workshop at the Mannheim main train station and refurbished.

On 29 April 2009 German cabinet approved the National Biomass Action plan (Energy). With this plan the Federal Government is supporting the EU Commission which, in its Biomass Action Plan published in 2005, called upon the EU member states to draw up national action plans for the energy use of biomass. "The Biomass Action Plan will expand the use of bioenergy in Germany in an efficient and sustainable way. This will make an essential contribution to value added, in particular in rural areas," said Federal Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner.

European Inventor of the Year 2009: Lifetime achievement: Adolf Goetzberger (Germany) for his work on the commercial use of solar energy, helping to make solar cells a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

US seed manufacturing giant Monsanto filed a suit against the German government's ban on the company's genetically modified maize on Wednesday at the administrative court in the city of Braunschweig. Monsanto is hoping for a decision by mid May, which would allow it to plant GM seed this spring.

In celebration of International Earth Day, the Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) declared Band-e-Amir as Afghanistan's first internationally recognized national park. The park will protect one of Afghanistan's best-known natural areas - a series of six deep blue lakes separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit.

German Agriculture Minister Isle Aigner announced a ban on the cultivation of US biotech giant Monsanto's genetically modified corn strain MON 810 on Tuesday 14 April 2009 after considering a number of studies.

The research aircraft Polar 5 belongs to the Alfred Wegener Institute. It will start on an Arctic measurement campaign which will last about four weeks. Measurements of sea ice thickness and atmospheric variables in an area between Spitsbergen, Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska are at the centre of the project PAM-ARCMIP (Pan-Arctic Measurements and Arctic Climate Model Inter comparison Project). Up to twenty German and international researchers will carry out investigations in those areas of the Arctic where no data are yet available. Six research institutes from Germany, Canada, the USA and Italy are involved in the project.

Germany achieves its Kyoto target. Overall emissions of greenhouse gases in Germany declined by nearly 12 million tonnes in 2008 as compared to 2007 (minus 1,2 percent). The total emissions at 945 million tonnes CO2-equivalent are within the target corridor of the Kyoto protocol. Since 1990 Germany had achieved, by the end of 2008, an overall reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions of 23,3 percent. These are the results of the short term forecasts carried out by the Federal Environment Agency for 2008 emissions of greenhouse gases.

On March 28th, 8.30pm local time, almost 4000 towns and cities across 88 countries visibly demonstrated their growing concern over climate change by turning off their lights for 1 hour. Global icons including Sydney Opera House, the Acropolis, the Bird’s Nest stadium in China, the pyramids of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Big Ben were plunged into darkness for one hour for the largest global action on climate change ever.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India, has been named the 2009 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. He will formally receive the 2009 Stockholm Water Prize at a Royal Award Ceremony and Banquet during the World Water Week in Stockholm this coming August. Since he established the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in 1970, Dr. Pathak has worked to change social attitudes toward traditional unsanitary latrine practices in slums, rural villages, and dense urban districts, and developed cost effective toilet systems that have improved daily life and health for millions of people.

The United Nations new website on climate change, CoolPlanet2009 is online. It is a part of its European public information campaign on Climate Change. The website is the centrepiece of the CoolPlanet2009 campaign, a year-long campaign to raise awareness on environmental issues and to mobilize citizens in support of a new climate agreement in Copenhagen in December this year.

The Indo-German team of scientists from the National Institute of Oceaonography and the Alfred Wegener Institute has returned from its expedition on research vessel Polarstern. The cooperative project Lohafex has yielded new insights on how ocean ecosystems function. But it has dampened hopes on the potential of the Southern Ocean to sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and thus mitigate global warming. The scientists fertilized a 300 square kilometre patch of ocean inside the core of an eddy (a clockwise rotating water column with an area of about 10,000 square kilometres) with six tonnes of dissolved iron. They followed the effects of the fertilization on the plankton continuously for 39 days. Additionally they investigated ocean chemistry, particularly concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

March 18th, 2009 marks the seventh International Polar Day, this time focusing on Polar Oceans. This includes marine biodiversity, physical oceanography.