TABLE OF CONTENTS
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S/N |
Title |
Synopsis |
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I. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulation |
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1 |
Tax Deduction For The Purchase Of Hybrid Cars |
The United States Internal Revenue Service announced that buyers of hybrid cars may claim a one-time income tax deduction for the year the car was first put in use. |
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II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology |
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2 |
Method Developed For Rapid Detection Of E. Coli in Water |
Researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Michigan in the US have developed a rapid method for detecting E. Coli in beach water. |
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III. Subject Area: Recycling and Waste Minimisation |
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3 |
Toyota Sets Up Recycling Network In Europe |
Toyota Motor Corp. has set up a network in Europe to collect used cars for recycling. |
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4 |
New System Uses Mine Waste To Generate Clean Power |
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia and its partners have developed a new system for generating power from coal mining waste. |
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5 |
Shenzhen Recycles Plastic Discs |
Scientists from the Chemistry Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen have developed a method of recycling audio and video compact discs. |
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IV. Subject Area: Green Energy |
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6 |
First Solar Powered Wastewater Treatment Plant |
The Sewerage Commission in Oroville Region has announced that 80% of its wastewater would be treated using solar energy, making it the first predominantly solar powered treatment plant in the United States. |
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V. Subject Area: General Environmental News |
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7 |
Study Details Efficiency Of Hybrid Buses |
A study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States Department of Energy showed that diesel hybrid-electric buses operate with lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency than conventional diesel buses. |
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8 |
Denver Finally Cleans Up Its Polluted Air |
Denver, which was one of the most polluted states in the US, has cleaned up its act to become the first major metropolitan area to fully comply with federal air quality standards . |
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9 |
Russia Stops Production Of Ozone Depleting Substances |
The World Bank announced that it had paid U$17.3 million to seven Russian enterprises that had stopped the production of chlorofluorocarbons and halons which are the most potent ozone depleting substances. |
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10 |
Massachusetts Swelters In Choking Smog |
Seventy communities across Massachusetts, United States, suffered from unhealthy air conditions this summer. |
SUMMARY REPORT
Period Covered: 12 Aug 2002 to 18 Aug 2002
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Item 1 |
Tax deduction for the purchase of hybrid cars |
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Summary |
The United States Internal Revenue Service, a government agency responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement, announced that buyers of the Toyota gas-electric Prius hybrid cars for model years 2001, 2002 and 2003 may claim a one-time income tax deduction of $2,000 for the year the car is first put in use. The Prius hybrid car combines a 70-horsepower four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 44-horsepower electric drive motor that works alternatively or in concert with the engine to reduce smog emissions and increase fuel economy. |
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Reference |
http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=17299 |
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Item 2 |
Method Developed For Rapid Detection Of E. Coli In Water |
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Summary |
Researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Michigan in the US have developed a rapid method for detecting E. Coli in beach water. The new test method uses a process called immunomagnetic separation. Beads coated with antibodies specific to E.Coli are mixed with the water sample. The beads with the attached bacteria are then pulled out with a magnet and mixed into clean water. The bacteria are then broken up to release a substance known as ATP which is found in every living cell. Luciferine, the substance that make fireflies glow, is added to the clean water suspension. The light generated when Luciferine interacts with the bacteria's ATP is measured with a hand-held luminometer and the light reading indicates whether the sample contains E.Coli. The new system had been tested at beaches in Michigan's Genesee, Macomb, Monroe and Washtenaw counties and it could yield results on the spot in 45 minutes. The researchers' ultimate goal is to make the equipment both portable and simple enough so that lifeguards can test the water each morning before allowing the public to swim in the wasters. |
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Reference |
http://www.gnet.org/news/Print.cfm?NewsID=21726 |
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Item 3 |
New System Uses Mine Waste To Generate Clean Power |
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Summary |
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia and its partners have developed a new hybrid coal and gas turbine system that generates electricity from waste coal and gas. The new system works by burning methane and waste coal in a kiln to produce hot air which is then passed through a specially adapted heat exchange unit to drive a gas turbine which generates electricity. The electricity generated could either be used to power the mine's operations or be returned to the grid for general consumption. Australia's underground coal mines produce around 800,000 tonnes of waste coal every year and by recycling the waste and returning it to the generating system as power, the new turbine system would save the Australian industry alone millions of dollars annually. The new system has the potential not only to reduce fugitive emissions from coal mines but also to significantly reduce existing greenhouse effects by displacing hundreds of megawatts of electricity already in the power grid with electricity fuelled by burnt methane which has seven times less greenhouse potential. The hybrid coal and gas turbine system is significantly cheaper and more efficient than steam-powered systems because it does not require water treatment systems, condensers, cooling towers or high-pressure fluid handling systems. |
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Reference |
http://www.sciencedaily.com/print/2002/08/020812070617.htm |
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Item 4 |
Shenzhen Recycles Plastic Discs |
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Summary |
In China, over 90 million illegal audio and video compact discs have been confiscated since the launch of a nationwide campaign in 1996. Most of these products were disposed of by burning and the toxic fumes given off resulted in air pollution. Scientists from the Chemistry Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen have developed a method of recycling the confiscated compact discs. The compact discs are cut up and immersed in a chemical to erase the audio and video signals. The processed discs are then crushed and recycled into materials for making computer keyboards, telephones and outer casings of air conditioners. Shenzhen is the only region using this pollution-free approach in the country and 95% of the crushed plastic discs can be reused after processing. |
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Reference |
http://www.pollutiononline.com |
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Item 5 |
First Solar Powered Wastewater Treatment Plant |
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Summary |
The Sewerage Commission in Oroville Region announced that its wastewater treatment plant, now powered entirely by the public utility grid would be the only wastewater treatment plant in the United States to be powered primarily by the sun. A massive 520 kilowatt solar power system would be installed at the plant and the power generated from the solar array would provide enough electricity to treat 80% of the wastewater. The solar power system is composed of photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity. The plant's pioneering solar array would save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in electrical costs and help avoid large rate hikes in the future. |
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Reference |
http://www.pollutiononline.com |
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Item 6 |
Study Details Efficiency Of Hybrid Buses |
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Summary |
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the United States Department of Energy conducted a yearlong evaluation of 10 prototype diesel hybrid-electric buses of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's New York City Transit fleet of 4,489 buses. The results showed that these hybrid buses were 10% better in terms of fuel economy and emit 36% lower oxides of nitrogen and 50% lower particulate matter compared to conventional diesel buses. NREL noted that although the hybrid buses achieved a greater fuel economy than diesel buses, maintenance costs were significantly higher due in part to the maturity level of the hybrid propulsion system. These costs were expected to drop as the technology advances. |
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Reference |
http://www.earthvision.net/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=21729 |
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Item 7 |
Toyota Sets Up Recycling Network In Europe |
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Summary |
Toyota Motor Corp has set up a network in Europe to collect used cars for recycling. This is to prepare for the scrapped car recycling regulations which would be implemented in 2007. Over 560 recycling sites in four European countries including Germany and Holland have been set up and the company is also considering using the recycling network of Germany automaker Volkswagen AG in the hope of lightening up the cost of collecting used cars which could amount to about 10 billion yen per year. |
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Reference |
http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=17279 |
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Item 8 |
Denver Finally Cleans Up Its Polluted Air |
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Summary |
Denver, which was one of the most polluted states in the United States, has cleaned up its act to become the first major metropolitan area to fully comply with the federal air quality standards. The state implemented the first anti-smog bill in 1964 and the following year, a state law was passed requiring pollution control devices on cars. A few years later trash burning was banned in Denver. Pollution from automobiles today is about 5% of what it was in 1970. Denver's air quality progress is an enormously important success and demonstrates that concerted public and private action can achieve cleaner and healthier air. |
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Reference |
http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=17254 |
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Item 9 |
Russia Stops Production Of Ozone Depleting Substances |
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Summary |
The World Bank announced that it had paid $17.3 million to seven Russian enterprises that had stopped the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons which are the most potent ozone depleting substances (ODS). The funds for the compensation payment to the seven enterprises come from a group of donors organised by the World Bank known as the Special Initiative for ODS Production Closure. This final payment brought the total disbursed to the companies to $25 million and completed the phaseout of CFCs in developed countries as stated in the Montreal Protocol. The end of ODS production in Russia represents a major milestone in international efforts to eliminate substances destroying the world's stratospheric ozone layer. |
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Reference |
http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=21728&image1=2 |
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Item 10 |
Massachusetts Swelters In Choking Smog |
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Summary |
Seventy communities across Massachusetts, United States, suffered from unhealthy air conditions this summer. The United States Environmental Protection Agency data showed that 11 monitoring stations across the state reported unhealthy air quality. The state was also ranked the 33rd in air quality nationwide, based on the federal standard for bad air or ozone exceedance days. Massachusetts had suffered from the combination of congested traffic and heat combining to form ground level ozone or smog which was responsible for the poor air quality. According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the health effects associated with increased ozone concentrations may vary but may include coughing, nose and throat irritation, chest pain, aggravation of asthma, shortness of breath, increased susceptibility to respiratory infection, decreased lung function and other respiratory ailments. |
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Reference |
http://ens-news.com/ens/aug2002/2002-08-14-09.asp |