Environment Report 21 Apr to 27 Apr 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S/N	Title			Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulation
1	Head of EPA reaffirms US commitment to ratify Persistent Organic Pollutants Treaty	The US Environmental Protection agency (USEPA) has announced that for the next several months, it would be working closely with the US Congress to pass legislation to enable US to ratify the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
2	China moves towards ratification of treaty requiring to phase out methyl bromide	China's State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) announced that China is ready to ratify the Copenhagen Amendment (CA) to the Montreal Protocol (MP) which requires the country to phase-out the production and use of methyl bromide by 2015.
II. Subject Area: Waste Management
3	Australian state propose targets for recycling of solid industrial waste		EcoRecycle Victoria, the Victorian state agency in Sydney has submitted to the state government, a draft paper that proposes waste management strategies and targets for recycling of solid industrial waste.
4	Australian state to ban grease trap wastes in landfills by end 2003		EPA Victoria expects to have a ban on the landfill disposal of grease trap wastes by mid to late 2003 to free up the landfill areas.
III. Subject Area: Environmental Research and Findings
5	Innovative types of pavements will help to reduce traffic noise		Researchers from the Purdue University designed a new Tire/Pavement Test Apparatus to help to reduce traffic noise on future highways.
6	Radio energy to zap insect infestations		A research team at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found an ozone friendly way to fumigate stored fruit and nuts.
7	Research shows diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles are primary contributors to smog Particulates		Air quality researchers at Rice University in Houston have completed the first detailed study that attempts to apportion the fine particulate matter measured in the city's smog to their sources of origin.
IV. Subject Area: Renewable and Green Energy
8	OECD nations can cut energy use by 1/3 by 2010			The International Energy Agency said that the world's rich industrial countries could slash nearly a third of their energy use by 2010 by using more energy-efficient electrical appliances.
V. Subject Area: General Environmental News
9	EU readies first ideas on hydrogen fuel dream			Both the European Union and the United States have voiced ambitions to move to a "hydrogen economy" where the carbon-free gas is used in fuel cells to create electricity that one day could replace oil as the main propellant for cars.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period Covered: 21 Apr to 27 Apr 2003

Item 1	Head of EPA reaffirms US commitment to ratify Persistent Organic Pollutants Treaty
Summary	The Head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has reaffirms US commitment to ratify the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at the Global Chemical Regulation Conference in early April. The convention primarily aims to control the production, import, export, use and release of the POPs. It also regulates toxic waste management so that disposal methods do not spread or create new POPs. The USEPA would be working closely with the US Congress over the next several months to pass legislation that will allow US to ratify the treaty. This includes amendments to its Toxic Substances Control Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act to be consistent with the requirements of the treaty. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	International Environment Vol 26, No. 8, Page 406

Item 2	China moves towards ratification of treaty requiring to phase out methyl bromide
Summary	China's government has formally decided in March to ratify the Copenhagen Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs merely to undergo the necessary diplomatic procedures for China to ratify the treaty. Upon ratification, China would be committed to phase-out the use and production of the ozone depleting chemical methyl bromide by 2015. The ratification to the amendment however will make China eligible for funding from the protocol's Multilateral Fund to support reduction initiatives. According to China's State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), it is currently working on an implementation plan to regulate industry and agriculture in accordance to the agreement. The plan would be submitted to the Montreal Protocol Secretariat this September for review and approval. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	International Environment Vol 26, No. 8, Page 399

Item 3	Australian state propose targets for recycling of solid industrial waste
Summary	EcoRecycle Victoria, the Victorian state agency in Sydney, responsible for waste management issues, has submitted a draft strategy paper on waste management to the state government. The strategy proposed the following targets for reducing the amount of waste generated and the amount of waste recovered by 2013: overall solid waste recovery from 48% to 75% recovery rate for industrial waste of 80% recovery rate for municipal waste from 28% to 65% The strategy also proposes focusing on garden waste, food waste, and waste concrete bricks, asphalt, as these materials constitute more than 70% of the amount of waste going to Victoria's landfills. Once approved, the paper will form the basis for waste planning in the state. The paper has also called for partnerships among the government, industry and the community to meet the various targets set out in the proposed strategy. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	International Environment Vol 26, No. 8, Page 402

Item 4	Australian state to ban grease trap wastes in landfills by end 2003
Summary	The Environment Protection Agency of Victoria (EPA Victoria) expects to ban the disposal of grease trap wastes in landfills by mid to late 2003. The ban will be brought into force by classifying the wastes under the state's Industrial Waste Management Policy (Prescribed Industrial Waste) 2000. The grease trap wastes are mostly generated by food processing companies, restaurants and fast food businesses. The EPA Victoria wanted to ban the landfill disposal because the large amount of grease trap wastes could be composted to free up the landfill capacity. As composting of such wastes has begun five years ago with a composting rate of more than 90%, the new regulation will not increase financial burdens on the waste generators. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	International Environment Vol 26, No. 8, Page 403

Item 5

Innovative types of pavements will help to reduce traffic noise

Summary

Researchers from the Purdue University, United States have designed a new Tire/Pavement Test Apparatus to help to reduce traffic noise on future highways. The 38,000-pound, 12-foot-diameter circular machine designed at Purdue makes it possible to test numerous types of pavement surfaces and compositions in combination with various tire designs. Curved test-pavement sections fit together to form a circle, and two tires are rolled over the surfaces at varying speeds while microphones and other sensors record noise and data.

Preliminary information showed that the porous pavement generated the least noise. This work will eventually lead to a more precise understanding of the causes of highway noise.

[Back to Contents ...]

Reference

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030421083118.htm

Item 6	Radio energy to zap insect infestations
Summary	A research team at the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in California, has found that radio waves are showing promise as an alternative to using ozone-depleting chemicals like methyl bromide to destroy insect infestations in stored fruit and nuts. To generate the radio waves, the USDA team used a standard industrial food drying system that operates at 27 megahertz, which corresponds to a wavelength of 10 metres. Crucially this did not damage the nuts. Rather the insects are killed because of their high body fluids, which enable them to absorb more of the radio energy. This process however does not work well with fruits compared to dry products. This is because the high fluid content in fruits enabled more absorption of radio energy, leading to spoilage during the treatment. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	New Scientist Vol. 178 No. 2390, 12 April 2003, Page 25

Item 7	Research shows diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles are primary contributors to smog particulates
Summary	Air quality researchers at Rice University in Houston, US have completed the first detailed study that attempts to apportion the fine particulate matter measured in the city's smog to their sources of origin. The researchers found that diesel engines are the primary contributors of fine particles to Houston's air, followed by gasoline-powered vehicles and road dust. Smoke particles from wood burning and fatty acids from meat grilling contributed considerably smaller but nonetheless significant amounts of the particulates in Houston's air. The study is part of ongoing national effort to better characterize and understand the sources of fine particles in the atmosphere. Compared to gas pollutants like carbon dioxide and ozone, relatively little research has been conducted in the area of airborne particulates. Air quality researchers want to know more because a growing body of medical evidence suggests that exposure to fine particulate matter can cause serious health problems. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030422080218.htm

Item 8	OECD nations can cut energy use by 1/3 by 2010
Summary	The International Energy Agency (IEA) said that the world's rich industrial countries could slash nearly a third of their energy use by 2010 by using more energy-efficient electrical appliances. Such a move by members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), would cut the emissions of greenhouse gases by the equivalent of removing 100 million cars from their roads. It said 642 terawatt hours of electricity could be saved and 322 million tones of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduced by 2010 if OECD members took action by 2005 and implemented tougher standards for appliances. Such measures would achieve up to 30 percent of IEA countries' targets under the global United Nations Kyoto protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels by 2008-2012. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=20517

Item 9	EU readies first ideas on hydrogen fuel dream
Summary	Both the European Union (EU) and the United States have voiced ambitions to move to a "hydrogen economy" where the carbon-free gas is used in fuel cells to create electricity that one day could replace oil as the main propellant for cars. For the European Commission (EC), the goal is for renewable energy sources to meet 12 percent of the EU's needs by 2010, as well as contributing 22 percent of its electricity. Hydrogen, a potential source of energy, is key to hitting the target. Most hydrogen is currently produced on a large scale by reforming natural gas, using steam. This is an energy-intensive process and requires temperatures of up to 900 °C. A draft by the EC concludes that fossil fuels are likely to be the main source for hydrogen generation in the short term. In the longer term, nuclear power could be used as a source of cheap heat. [Back to Contents ...]
Reference	http://www.planetark.og/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=20518

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