21 Jan 2002 to 27 Jan 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S/N	Title		Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulation
1	UK faces difficulty to meet new EU law on scrap vehicles		UK struggles to meet new EU law on scrap vehicles as recyclers and carmakers debate over the cost of processing the vehicles.
2	Australian state to fine for greenhouse gas emissions		Companies in New South Wales that are not sufficiently cutting their greenhouse gas emissions will be fined under a new plan launched by Premier Bob Carr, who accuses power companies of not doing enough to reduce their emissions.
3	Commission publishes proposal for environmental liability directive		The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a directive on environmental liability, intended to prevent and restore environmental damage, such as water pollution, damage to biodiversity, and land contamination.
II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology
4		Microbes make electricity from harbor sediment	Research conducted by University of Massachusetts' microbiologists found that certain microorganisms can transform organic matter commonly found at the bottom of the ocean into electricity energy.
III. Subject Area: Environmental Pollution and Health
5		Toxic waste landfills pose birth defect risks	Women living within three kilometers of a hazardous waste landfill site have a 40 percent greater risk of conceiving a child with a chromosomal birth defect, such as Down's syndrome, concludes a new study published in the medical journal "The Lancet".
6		Pesticides and herbicides linked to the onset of Parkinson's Disease (PD)	The same herbicides and pesticides many people trust enough to spray on their gardens and crops have been increasingly linked to the onset of Parkinson's Disease (PD) according to a study at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich.
IV. Subject Area: General Environmental News
7		The Netherlands signed the first clean energy deal with World Bank	The Dutch government signed the first international contract with the World Bank to develop clean energy projects in developing countries to help slow global warming.
8		Water reclamation project to filter drugs and pathogens	Officials involved in a large water reclamation project at Orange Country are taking steps to ensure all pathogens and residue of pharmaceutical drugs in recycled water are eliminated.
9		EU passes laws to set up new food safety body	European Union is setting up a new European Food Safety Authority to boost public confidence in the wake of alerts such as mad cow disease and dioxin poisoning.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period Covered : 21 Jan 2002 to 27 Jan 2002

Item 1

UK faces difficulty to meet new eu law on scrap vehicles

Summary

A European Union directive on end-of-life vehicles, which would be implemented on 21 Apr 2002, states that car manufacturers would bear the recycling costs. Discussions between carmakers, recyclers and UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would determine the cost of the operation and the party responsible for covering the costs. One option suggested fees on newly registered cars be directed to a pool of funds catered for covering recycling costs. Another proposal, adopted in Sweden, was a levy on annual vehicle insurance for all cars on the road.

Carmakers believed that the value of non-ferrous metal in cars would be sufficient to cover the cost of processing millions of vehicles going into scrap yards. Carmakers were willing to cover any shortfall faced by the recyclers but there were no agreement between the two parties on the numbers yet. Recyclers and carmakers had met with DTI to discuss the matter and all sides were keen to reach an agreement so that Britain would not be left trailing behind its EU counterparts to comply with the new directive.

Reference

http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14118/story.htm

Item 2	Australian state to fine for greenhouse gas emissions
Summary	Companies in New South Wales that are not sufficiently cutting their greenhouse gas emissions will be fined under a new plan launched by Premier Bob Carr, who accuses power companies of not doing enough to reduce their emissions. The programme replaces a failed voluntary emissions reduction scheme, under which greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased, reportedly to 10% above 1989/90 levels. The government intends to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 1989/1990 levels. Under the plan, households will face increased electricity bills by an average of about AU$3.60 per year.
Reference	http://www.edie.net/news/Archive/5113.cfm

Item 3	Commission publishes proposal for environmental liability directive
Summary	The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a directive on environmental liability, intended to prevent and restore environmental damage, such as water pollution, damage to biodiversity, and land contamination. Under the directive, operators causing damage would have to carry out or pay for the cost of restoration, says the Commission. The proposed directive covers activities such as releasing heavy metals into water or the air, installations producing dangerous chemicals, landfill sites and incineration plants. The proposal also aims to protect biodiversity in areas protected under European and national legislation. However, the proposed directive has been criticized by organizations including the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) for being too weak, with no scope for protection against GMO contamination, and little protection for biodiversity.
Reference	http://www.edie.net/news/Archive/5102.cfm

Item 4	Microbes Make Electricity from Harbor Sediment
Summary	According to microbiologists with the University of Massachusetts, certain microorganisms can transform organic matter commonly found at the bottom of the ocean into electrical energy. Describing the findings in the current edition of Science, the researchers added a layer of common mud to water in the jars, put one graphite electrode in the mud, another in the overlying water. The simple setup generated enough electricity to activate a light bulb, or a simple computer. Finding out how microbes generate and use electrical energy may also prompt the development of new technologies to decontaminate polluted water and sediment containing organic materials, including petroleum and other aromatic hydrocarbons.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=19313&image1=2

Item 5	Toxic waste landfills pose birth defect risks
Summary	Women living within three kilometers of a hazardous waste landfill site have a 40 percent greater risk of conceiving a child with a chromosomal birth defect, such as Down's syndrome, concludes a new study published in the medical journal "The Lancet." The findings are a companion to 1998 results suggesting a 33 percent increase in the risk of non-chromosomal birth anomalies such as spina bifida. Both studies were carried out under the European Commission funded "Eurohazcon" project, and involved epidemiological research in the vicinities of 23 landfills accepting hazardous waste in Denmark, Italy, Belgium, France and England.
Reference	http://www.ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-25-03.html

Item 6	Pesticides and herbicides linked to the onset of Parkinson's Disease
Summary	The same herbicides and pesticides many people trust enough to spray on their gardens and crops have been increasingly linked to the onset of Parkinson's Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder that turns the simplest movement into a battle between the brain and the nerves. A large case-controlled study at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich., confirmed that connection. "Contact with herbicides gave people a four times greater chance of developing Parkinson's," said Dr. Jay M. Gorell, head of the Movement Disorders Clinic in the Neurology Department. And people exposed to insecticide were 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's disease than people with no history of pesticide exposure.
Reference	http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/01/01182002/s_46080.asp

Item 7	The Netherlands signed the first clean energy deal with World Bank
Summary	The Dutch government signed the first international contract with the World Bank to develop clean energy projects in developing countries to help slow global warming. The three-year $40 million contract with the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) would also provide the Netherlands with credits toward its carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction target laid out in the Kyoto treaty. Under the Kyoto treaty, industrialised nations must reduce CO₂ emissions, the main greenhouse gas, by an average of five percent from the 1990 levels by 2012. The treaty, however, would not be legally binding until 55 nations representing 55 percent of the industrialised states' carbon dioxide output ratify it. So far none of the major industrial powers had agreed upon any contracts and the United States, the world's biggest polluter, had declared that it would not take part in this treaty. Under the terms of the new contract, the Netherlands would receive credits for 10 megatonnes of CO₂ toward its total reduction target of 250 megatonnes. The new projects would fall under the Kyoto treaty's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows states to earn credits toward their own pollution targets by helping fund clean energy projects in developing countries. The CDM also contains provisions for emissions trading regimes, which would allow states that failed to meet pollution targets at home to buy excess capacity from nations that meet the Kyoto threshold.
Reference	http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14110/story.htm

Item 8

Water reclamation project to filter drugs and pathogens

Summary

Officials involved in a large water reclamation project at Orange Country are taking steps to ensure that in turning sewage into drinking water, all pathogens and residue of pharmaceutical drugs are eliminated.

The US$600 million project will thoroughly treat millions of gallons of sewage to kill viruses, bacteria and other disease-causing agents. It will also subject treated wastewater to extra levels of treatment to ensure that the chemicals present are neutralised. The sewage will undergo microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light treatment to produce cleaner water. Reverse osmosis, which forces water through membranes with tiny pores, is a highly regarded form of treatment that can ensure chemicals present are neutralised.

The treated wastewater will be sent through pipes to holding ponds, where it will percolate into a large aquifer for about two years. The water will then be pumped out of the ground, chlorinated and sent for use. By turning sewage into beverage, Orange Country will reduce dependency on expensive imported water by creating their own supply.

Reference

www.lexis-nexis.com

Item 9

EU passes laws to set up new food safety body

Summary

The European Union farm ministers had passed laws to set up a new European Food Safety Authority, designed to boost public confidence in the wake of alerts such as mad cow disease and dioxin poisoning.

The main objective of the body is to provide scientific advice to policy makers and to give the public information on potential risks in the food chain. It will also operate the rapid alert system which collects information on possible food risks from national authorities.

The system will be extended from food to cover animal feed such as contamination with chloramphenicol - an antibiotic that can cause a potentially lethal form of anaemia.

Reference

http://www.planet.ark.com.au/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14161/story.htm