Environment Report 21 Oct 2002 to 27 Oct 2002

Table of content

S/N		Title	Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environment Policy & Regulation
1	BLM Announces New Wind Energy Policy		The U.S. has announced new guidelines for wind energy projects on public lands in response to growing commercial interest in renewable energy resources.
2	EU Presses 10 States To Adopt Car Recycling Laws		The European Commission had issued warning to 10 EU states for failure to adopt the European Union (EU)'s end-of-life vehicles law due since Apr 2002
3	California Smog Agency Seeks Ban On Dry Clean Chemical		The South Coast Air Quality Management District has proposed to ban the use of perchloroethylene used in dry cleaning that makes cleaners a greater cancer risk than oil refineries or power plants.
4	World May Fail To Meet Greenhouse Targets		The world may not meet its target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions under the Kyoto Protocol unless the United States reduces greenhouse gases.
II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology
5	Cooking Oil Added to Low Sulphur Diesel to Improve Performance		U.S. engineers have found that a specially treated cooking oil added to low sulphur diesel could reduce friction and wear when cleaning engine emissions.
III. Subject Area: General Environmental News
6	People Near Freeways are Exposed to 30 Times The Concentration of Dangerous Particles		People who live, work or travel within 165 feet downwind of a major freeway or busy intersection are exposed to potentially hazardous particle concentrations up to 30 times greater than normal background concentrations found at a greater distance.
7	High Mercury Exposure In 10 Percent Of HK Students		A survey has found that as many as 10 percent of high school students in Hong Kong may be at risk of mercury poisoning because of their high consumption of fish.

Diesel Car Emissions May Increase Global Warming

Diesel-driven cars which emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline-driven cars may still encourage global warming.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period covered: 21 Oct 2002 to 27 Oct 2002

Item 1	BLM Announces New Wind Energy Policy
Summary	Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the U.S. Department of Interior has announced new guidelines for wind energy projects on its public lands in response to growing commercial interest in renewable energy resources. The guidelines are detailed in a Wind Energy Development Policy issued by the BLM and address the following issues: Requirements concerning land use plans for wind energy development; Designation of wind energy projects on public lands as activities authorised under Federal Land Policy and Management Act; Establishment of rental fees for site testing and monitoring activities as well as minimum rental fees for commercial development; Processing and tracking of right-of-way applications in a timely manner; Requirements for due diligence; and, Wind energy activity environmental review requirements.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=22780&image1=2

Item 2	EU Presses 10 States To Adopt Car Recycling Laws
Summary	The European Commission had issued warnings to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Britain, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Finland for failure to adopt the European Union (EU)'s end-of-life vehicles law due since Apr 2002. Under the new law, carmakers must cover the cost of removing toxic parts from old vehicles and recycle most of the waste. The EU dumps an estimated nine million tonnes of cars a year. The EU executive can take the countries to the European Court of Justice if he is not satisfied with the countries' reply. This can lead to fines for every day the law is not adopted. The Bureau of International Recycling said that the average cost of scrapping a car under the new rules could be 50-100 euros. Some countries are planning to follow the Dutch system in which the extra cost of environmentally friendly car-scrapping is borne partially by motorists applying to register a new car.
Reference	http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/18279/newsDate/23-Oct-2002/story.htm

Item 3	California Smog Agency Seeks Ban On Dry Clean Chemical
Summary	The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in California has proposed to ban the use of perchloroethylene or "perc" by 2019. Studies have found perc to be either a probable or known carcinogen and occupational health studies have discovered elevated rates of lung, cervical, esophagus, bladder and other cancers in dry cleaning workers. The proposed Rule 1421 would require dry cleaners to gradually switch to one of several non-toxic alternatives and could reduce 850 tons of perc produced each year. The AQMD had earlier identified perc as one of the key toxic air contaminants in 2000, despite attempts by dry cleaners to reduce the emissions by 80 percent over the last decade. According to the agency, the cancer risk pose by dry cleaners are much greater than that pose by oil refineries, power plants and aerospace manufacturers.
Reference	http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/18292/newsDate/24-Oct-2002/story.htm

Item 4	World May Fail To Meet Greenhouse Targets
Summary	A 10-day U.N. climate-change conference was held in New Delhi, India involving 185 countries. An U.N. official had said that the world might not be able to meet the target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions under a global pact unless the United States reduces greenhouse gases. Not all countries that had ratified the pact were on course to meet their commitments. The 1997 U.N. Kyoto Protocol on global warming aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries by 2012 to 5.2 percent below the 1990 levels. United States, the world's biggest air polluter, refuses to ratify the treaty because they consider the treaty flawed as it does not bind developing countries. To take effect, the Kyoto pact must be approved by states accounting for at least 55 percent of the industrialised world's 1990 greenhouse gas emission. Without the United States, the pact would still be implemented as Russia would back the treaty and ratify it this year.
Reference	http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/18329/newsDate/25-Oct-2002/story.htm

Item 5	Cooking Oil Added to Low Sulphur Diesel to Improve Performance
Summary	U.S. engineers have shown that as little as 10 percent of a specially treated cooking oil can be added to low sulphur diesel to reduce friction and wear when cleaning engine emissions. These cooking oils include soybean, canola or sunflower. All US states will need to use low sulphur diesel in order for diesel engines to meet the 2004 emission regulations. The vegetable-based additives show equivalent performance in laboratory tests when compared to a commercial petroleum-based oil. The additives have also shown improved lubricity over the petroleum product. The biodegradable oils are effective lubricants and could replace petroleum-based products in various application including engine oils.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=22722&image1=2

Item 6	People Near Freeways are Exposed to 30 Times The Concentration of Dangerous Particles
Summary	Two recently UCLA published studies show that proximity to a major freeway or highway dramatically increases exposure to "ultrafine" particles (tiny particles less than 0.1 micrometers in diameter) which are linked to neurological changes, mild pulmonary inflammation and cardiovascular problems. The US Environmental Protection Agency regulates the particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Los Angeles has the most severe particle air quality problem in the United States and motor vehicle emissions represent the most significant source of ultrafine particles. Recent toxicological studies have also shown that ultrafine particles are more toxic than larger particles. The studies also examined the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC) and particle mass. Both CO and BC concentrations are closely related to vehicle emissions. Like ultrafines, CO and BC concentrations decreased significantly (70 percent to 80 percent) within the first 330 feet downwind of the freeway. This confirms the notion that vehicular exhaust is a major source of these pollutants near a major roadway.
Reference	http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/10/021021052522.htm

Item 7

High Mercury Exposure In 10 Percent Of HK Students

Summary

A HK government survey has found that 10 percent of 903 students surveyed had dietary habits which might expose them to 6.41 µg/m³ per kg of body weight a week. This level exceeds the limit of 5 µg/m³ set by the World Heath Organisation's Expert Committee on Food Additives.

A recent scientific study in Hong Kong found that people with high mercury levels in their blood had frequently consumed deep sea fish such as tuna and shark's fin. It also showed excessive levels of mercury can lead to male and female infertility. Men with high mercury levels were found to have abnormal sperm which swarm backwards or sideways instead of forwards.

Reference

http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/18314/newsDate/24-Oct-2002/story.htm

Item 8	Diesel Car Emissions May Increase Global Warming
Summary	Diesel-driven cars, which emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline-driven cars, may still encourage global warming. Although diesel-driven cars have better mileage and emit less carbon dioxide than similar gasoline-driven cars, they can emit 25 to 400 times more mass of particulate black carbon and associated organic matter or soot per kilometer of driving. The warming due to soot may more than offset the cooling due to reduced carbon dioxide emissions over several decades. Not only does the soot warm the air to a greater extent than carbon dioxide per unit mass, the lifetime of soot in the air (weeks to months) is much less than is that of carbon dioxide (50 to 200 years). As such, removing soot emissions may have a faster effect on slowing global warming than removing carbon dioxide emissions. In Europe, one of the major proposed strategies for complying with the Kyoto Protocol is to promote the use of diesel vehicles and to provide tax advantage for diesel. Tax laws in all European Union countries, except the United Kingdom, favour diesel. Some countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands also tax fuels based on their carbon content which favour diesel. The small amount of black carbon and organic matter emitted by diesel may warm the atmosphere more over 100 years than the additional carbon dioxide emitted by gasoline. However, new particle traps introduced by some European automobile manufacturers in diesel-driven cars may reduce black carbon emissions to 0.003 grams per kilometer. The gasoline/battery hybrid vehicles also have better mileage than diesel-driven cars but emit less black carbon.
Reference	http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2002/2002-10-22-09.asp#anchor4

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