The Environment Chronicle

Increased levels of radioactive Tritium (60 Bequerel/litre) are found in the ground water below the French power station. "Normal" levels are 35 bequerel/litre. (Scores 1 on 7 point INES scale). The facility had been shut down for several months in the previous autumn, following a series of faults (source: Greenpeace).

This ordinance sets out the requirements, for the areas listed in the appendices, to be met when applying for permission to release waste water into water bodies.

Steam escapes from an auxiliary pipe in the turbine system in Block 6. Atomic scientists and station managers write in a letter to President Kuschma that the enduring crisis in Ukrainian nuclear energy is a danger to national security, and that the lack of subsidies is affecting both technology and personnel (source: Greenpeace).

The simplest safety work at the nuclear power station near St Petersburg (of the same type as that at Chernobyl) is now subject to delays of at least 2 years. A burst pipe in the cooling system is still not under control (source: Greenpeace).

On February 4, 1999, the supertanker New Carissa ran aground near Coos Bay/ Oregon leaking about 70,000 gallons of oil and killing 2,300 seabirds.

An employee is killed during a fire at the nuclear power station north of Moscow. The fire was caused by painting work in the ventilation shafts. Both reactors continued to operate, further damage is unknown (source: Greenpeace).

Defects in the earthquake protection system are found in all four reactors in the French power station. In case of an earthquake, this could cause the control systems to fail (source: Greenpeace).

Medicinal Plant of the Year 1999 is the Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum).

The third European Conference on Environment and Health is Europe's largest political event in this area. Ministers for Health, Transport and the Environment from 51 European countries take part. The conference produces: a protocol on water and public health; a charta on transport, the environment and health; a statement by ministers. NGOs, experts and companies take part in the "Healthy Planet" forum.

On 1st of April the "Act on the Introduction of the Ecological Tax Reform" entered into force with the first phase of this reform. The mineral oil tax has been raised and the electricity tax was introduced. The "Act on the Continuation of the Ecological Tax Reform" (16 Dec. 1999) provided for further raisings of the mineral and electricity taxes in four steps from 2000 to 2003.

Flower of the Year 1999 is the Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris).

Tree of the Year 1999 is the White willow (Salix alba).

Fish of the Year: Houting (Coregonus oxyrhynchus)

Insect of the Year is organised by Deutsches Entomologisches Institut; Bundesverband Deutsche Ameisenschutzwarte e.V.; Deutsche Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie; Entomofaunistische Gesellschaft; Förderkreis Waldschule e.V. Eberswalde; Landesforstanstalt Eberswalde; Landesverband für Obstbau, Garten und Landschaft Baden-Württemberg, Kreisverband Heidelberg; Münchner Entomologische Gesellschaft; Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Sparkasse Barnim; Insekt des Jahres Österreich; Österreichische Entomologische Gesellschaft Naturschutzbund Österreich; Institut für Naturschutz; Insekt des Jahres Schweiz

Insect of the Year 1999 is the Green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea).

Landscape of the Year: the Bohemian woods.

Orchid of the Year 1999: Lizard orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum).

Fungus of the Year 1999 is the Devil's bolete or Satan's mushroom (Boletus satanas).

Bird of the Year 1999 is the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella).

Animal of the Year: Otter (Lutra lutra)

After a breakdown in the security lock, the French nuclear power station in Alsace is shut down. The incident rates a 1 on the 7-point INES scale (source: Greenpeace).

As in October, slightly radioactive water leaks from a defective weld in the water feed to Block C (source: Greenpeace).

The Fourth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 4) took place from 2 to 14 November 1998, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Parties reached agreement on the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which specified that the detailed structure of the Kyoto Protocol should be completed by the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties at the latest. establishing deadlines for finalizing work on the Kyoto Mechanisms (Joint Implementation, Emissions Trading and the Clean Development Mechanism), compliance issues and policies and measures.

135,968 Berlin citizens sign BUND's petition against the Hamburg-Berlin monorail (Transrapid). With 122,910 valid signatures, the petition was a success, as the project has been dropped for political reasons.

The purpose of the act is to conserve the marine environment and protect it from pollution by waste and other substances or objects. As a licensing authority, the FEA is able to prevent the disposal of hazardous waste at sea.

A second loose screw is found near the control rods in the pressure tank. The operators concede that the "finding indicates systemic errors" (source: Greenpeace).

During maintenance, for which the station was shut down on the 19th July, a safety screw on the control rods in the reactor's pressure tank was found to be loose, and the thread on the holding bolt was bare. Special tests had earlier found evidence of structural defects in the water feed pipes (source: Greenpeace).

Two leaks appear in separate cooling loops. The Hessian Environment Ministry and the operator RWE differ in their assessment of the seriousness of the incident (source: Greenpeace).

A fuel element becomes jammed during a routine inspection. The Lower Saxony Environment Ministry claims that a radioactive leak could have resulted, if the fuel element had been damaged (source: Greenpeace).

The Aarhus Convention is a international "Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters" by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

During the search for a leak in the turbine oil system, human error leads to a dramatic rise in steam pressure. After an emergency shut-down, it emerged that a valve which had been wrongly shut by hand could not be opened. There were no radioactive emissions, but the incident scored 2 on the INES scale of 1-7 (source: Greenpeace).

The purpose of the act is to safeguard the life and well-being of animals out of responsibility for them as fellow creatures. No person may harm an animal or cause it to suffer without good reason.

The purpose of the act is 1. to protect plants, especially crop plants, from harmful organisms and other harm. 4. to avoid hazards which might arise from the use of crop protection agents or other measures, especially for human and animal health and for the balance of nature. 5. to implement European Community law on crop protection. The legislature extends the competence of the FEA to cover testing the effects of crop protection on the balance of nature in its entirety.

Toxic chemicals in water from a burst dam belonging to a mine contaminate the Coto de Donana nature reserve in southern Spain. C. 5 million m_ of mud containing sulphur, lead, copper, zinc and cadmium flow down the Rio Guadimar. Experts estimate that Europe's largest bird sanctuary, as well as Spain's agriculture and fisheries, will suffer permanent damage from the pollution.

Ordinance on taking back and disposing of used batteries and accumulators: the aim is to reduce pollution from batteries in waste, by removing certain types of battery from circulation, taking back used batteries for proper and harmless disposal, and encouraging the production of reusable, long-lived batteries.

The purpose of the act is to ensure or recover soil function sustainably. Harmful soil change is to be prevented, contaminated land and subsequent water contamination is to be cleaned up and preventative measures against negative impact on soil are to be taken. Where soil is affected, impairment of its natural functions, including as an archive of natural and cultural history, should be avoided where at all possible.

The German Act Implementing the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty (Environmental Protocol Implementation Act) is designed to protect the Antarctic environment and the ecosystems that are associated with or depend on it. This Act transposes into Germany’s national law the international regulations set out in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Environmental Protocol) and names the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) as the national competent authority.

New campaigns for safe meat, environmental tax reform, and against wasting electricity with appliances in "Standby mode".

Flower of the Year 1998 is the Water soldier (Stratiotes aloides).

In recognition of the importance of the ocean, the marine environment and its resources for life on earth and for sustainable development, the United Nations has declared 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean.