Stories about Environment from January, 2008
Turkmenistan: U.S. Active in Ashgabat
Maciula writes about increasing levels of American diplomatic activity in Turkmenistan and the prospects of building the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.
Japan: Whale as Food Culture
Lee from Toyko Times blogs about Japan Prime Minister Fukuda's defence for whale research while public discourse is about food culture.
South Africa: No Light at the End of the Tunnel…
South Africa's main electricity provider, Eskom, has recently been getting a lot of flak from the South African population due to the "load-shedding" tactics being implemented to make sure supply meets demand.
Brazil: Amazon, deforestation and the future
“If you want to see what would happen to Amazon if deforestation does not come to a halt, you can see a simulation developed by the Institute of Environmental Research in the Amazon, the Federal University of Minas Gerais and The Woods Hole Research Center”. See the links at the...
Sustainable development: all talk, no action
In Madagascar, Blog d'hiver mocks the “incessant” seminars and colloquiums on sustainable development [Fr], which the blogger suggests “masks [industry's] fundamental difficulty to take action and change its practices.”
China: Xi Hu's White Winter
ShaoShilong posts some great pictures of Xi Hu or West Lake in white winter.
Trinidad & Tobago: On Not Eating Meat
“I am not the preachy sort of vegetarian,” declares Trinidadian Nicholas Laughlin, as he links to an article that “summarises so succinctly the good reasons to stop eating meat–or at least reduce the amount one eats…”
Tajikistan: Energy Crisis at the Boiling Point
Vadim says that Tajikistan is going to have more problems with electricity supply in the beginning of February.
Using Web2.0 tools for Environmental Activism
To borrow a leaf from the Global voices Sub Saharan Editor's post on cyber-activism in the aftermath of the elections in Kenya; we take a look at how environmental bloggers and activists are using web 2.0 tools to bring attention to issues ranging from deforestation, conservation and global warming, and...
Morocco: The Big Cities
Morocco is well-known for lots of things: mint tea, couscous, a film mostly unrelated to the country...And of course, its big cities, several of which were the topic of posts in the blogoma this week, writes Jillian York, who takes us to Fez, Tangier, Marrakesh and Meknes.
Palestine: Qassams, Gas or Hamas?
Is it the Qassams, gas or Hamas that brought on the latest crisis in Gaza. Palestinian Haitham Sabbah spells out his thoughts in this post.
Israel: Gaza's Electricity Consumption
From Jerusalem, Gideon Lichfield writes about how much electricity Gaza consumes.”Assuming 1.4m people live in Gaza (some say 1.5m), and that its peak wintertime electricity consumption — ie, when Israel isn’t cutting off the fuel — is 250MW (UN figures, though 240MW has also been reported), then that’s 180W per...
Tajikistan: Energy crisis aggravates
Vadim reports that Uzbekistan is limiting supplies of natural gas to the already freezing Tajikistan because of big debt.
Costa Rica: Environmental Rankings
Costa Rica ranked 5th in the world and 1st in the Americas according to an environmental index released by Yale and Columbia universities. The study, which looked at each country's policies in preserving the environment is celebrated by the blog Out of Costa Rica [es]
MENA: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr…It's Freezing
Brrrr... It's freezing in the Middle East is the message that has been popping up on blogs recently. Here's a round up of what some of the region's bloggers had to say about the cold spell, in the otherwise warm and sometimes explosive hotspot of the world.
Burkina Faso: Rites, festivals and a new book
Like anywhere else in the world, there is a season to everything in Burkina Faso: rites of passage, camel and horse racing, literature and death.
Portugal: Getting ready for critical mass bike day
This Friday, there will be a Critical Mass bike gathering in many parts of the world, showing how easy and enjoyable traveling in a sustainable way can be. Pimenta Negra [pt] has the local ride info for Portugal.
Nepal: Beyond the fuel crisis
Nepal Monitor on why it's important to look beyond the issue of price hike of fuels, and think about the actual reasons for the crisis.
Environment: Global roundup of Enviroblogs.
Environmental blogs around the world are addressing a myriad issues specific to their region, but of global concern. In DRC the Gorilla Protection blog is pondering what a peace deal would mean for Gorillas. From China Dialogue, a look at what is next after the Bali climate change conference, and from South Africa, we have reactions to the recent power shortages and an eco-car competition.
Environment: Nobel Laureate speaks out on security in Kenya
From Pambazuka:Prof. Wangari Maathai, a nobel laureate (Environment) speaks out against the loss of lives and property in Kenya. “She said although such clashes had a history, the Government had failed to deal with its instigators and perpetrators. Prof Maathai said the Government should ensure the rule of law is...
Mozambique: Yet another case of deforestation
Carlos Serra [pt] reports on yet another case of interception of illegally felled hardwood for exportation in Mozambique. This time, seven ten tonne trucks were seized by the Mozambican police in the district of Meconta. The ongoing deforestation in the country is a recurrent issue in the blog, says Carlos,...
