Desmatamento na Amazônia sobe para 7.000 km2

A taxa de desmatamento na Amazônia em 2010 foi revisada para cima: em vez dos 6.450 km2 anunciados pelo governo no fim do ano passado, foram 7.000 km2, como a Folha adiantou em 17 de agosto.

Ainda assim, o número continua sendo o mais baixo desde que o Inpe (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais) começou a fazer a medição, em 1988.

Dados divulgados nesta segunda-feira pela ministra do Meio Ambiente, Izabella Teixeira, também sugerem que a tendência de alta de 2011, medida pelo sistema Deter (que informa a devastação mês a mês, mas de forma menos precisa que o sistema que dá as taxas anuais), pode ter sido sustada.

O desmate registrado pelo Deter em agosto foi de 164 km2, comparado a 265 km2 em agosto de 2010. “É o menor agosto da história”, disse a ministra.

O Deter apontou uma explosão no desmatamento a partir de abril de 2011, especialmente em Mato Grosso.

O governo considera que expectativas de agricultores em relação à flexibilização do Código Florestal, somadas a mudanças na lei de zoneamento do Estado, explicam a alta. Em resposta, o governo endureceu a fiscalização na região amazônica.

Mesmo com a queda de abril para cá, o desmatamento medido pelo Deter em 12 meses (agosto de 2010 a julho deste ano) ainda é maior do que o de agosto de 2009 a julho de 2010.

Questionada sobre a taxa final de 2011 (a ser divulgada em novembro) poderá não refletir a alta, a ministra disse estar “esperançosa”.

Autor: CLAUDIO ANGELO
Fonte: FOLHA
Original: http://goo.gl/s1S9u

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A New Standard for Carbon Footprints

In an article in Tuesday’s Times, I write about new protocols that have been developed to help companies measure their greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to guide them in tallying emissions across the entire life cycle of a product and the value chain of a corporation. (That’s company-speak for the emissions resulting from gathering the raw materials for the product, using the product and eventually disposing of it.)

It’s a complicated idea, which is why the creators of the standards prepared this video to explain the advantages. The notion is that a corporation can’t even start to manage a problem until it measures it.

Author: LESLIE KAUFMAN
Source: The New York Times
Original: http://bit.ly/mY9eOC

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Universidade do Minho projeta novos pavimentos para reduzir ruído do tráfego rodoviário

Universidade do Minho projeta novos pavimentos para reduzir ruído do tráfego rodoviário

Braga, 03 out (Lusa) – Especialistas da Universidade do Minho estão a desenvolver uma nova geração de pavimentos silenciosos, um projeto pioneiro em Portugal e que pretende reduzir o ruído do tráfego rodoviário, foi hoje divulgado.

Segundo Elisabete Freitas, investigadora responsável pelo projeto, a ideia é construir pisos “com propriedades acústicas melhoradas, através da integração de camadas de desgaste duráveis, mas sustentáveis na sua relação custo-benefício”.

Designado “Noiseless — Perceção, modelação e redução de ruído através de superfícies de pavimento inovadoras e duráveis”, o projeto está a ser desenvolvido pelo Centro de Território Ambiente e Construção do Departamento de Engenharia Civil da Universidade do Minho.

Autor: Margarida Cotrim
Fotografia: Euopean Pressphoto Agency
Fonte: LUSA – Agência de Notícias de Portugal, S.A.
Original: http://goo.gl/RMfxW

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China to tighten air pollution standards

Ministers bow to pressure in agreeing to monitor tiny yet dangerous PM2.5 particles and combat pollution, local media reports

Air traffic control … despite government claims of ‘blue sky’ conditions, the US embassy has detected high levels of PM2.5 particles.

It cannot come too soon for the choking residents of China’s cities, but the country’s government may finally be turning its attention to its primary and deadliest source of smog.

Tiny particulate matter known as PM2.5 – which is linked to lung disease, heart attacks and atmospheric haze – will be added to a list of air quality indicators in an upcoming revision of national standards, the Chinese media reported on Monday.

These ultra-fine particles account for more than half the weight of industrial dust in the air of northern China, according to the Jinhua Daily. Until now, their absence from the national pollution index created an absurd discrepancy between official claims of “blue sky” conditions and the reality of air so putrid and murky it could be tasted.

“At present, the public’s feelings about air quality are different from the monitoring data,” environment vice-minister Zhou Jian acknowledged during a speech at a recent forum. “To prevent haze, we will improve the air quality standards as soon as possible and include PM2.5.”

Starting with a handful of cities, the revised index is expected to be introduced nationwide during the current five-year plan. Along with government moves earlier this year to crack down on nitrogen oxide, the new step is likely to result in tighter curbs on tailpipe and chimney emissions. It should have a major impact on health. PM2.5 – most of which comes from cars – is so small that it can enter the lungs and bloodstream. Currently, the index measures only bigger PM10 particulates from industry, which are less dangerous because they tend to get stuck in nasal passages or pass directly through the body.

Academics, environmentalists and foreign governments have long called on the government to improvfe standards.

US embassy officials noted in 2006 that China was failing to release data on PM2.5 and ozone because the levels were unsafe and politically sensitive, according to a US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks.

China’s omission has been made more glaring by real-time data on PM2.5 and ozone released via the @Beijingair twitter account by the US embassy in Beijing. Contrary to the local authorities’ claims of “blue skies”, it has revealed how often the pollution is “hazardous” and “crazy bad”.

Overall, the authorities insist the situation is improving – a claim strengthened earlier this year by a unusually long run of clear skies – but boasts of progress have long been clouded by doubts about missing data.

Author: Jonathan Watts
Photography: Adrian Bradshaw / EPA
Source: The Guardian
Original: http://gu.com/p/32bhm/tf

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Dubai usa energia solar para iluminar parques

O Plano Estratégico do Município visa aumentar a área verde per capita da cidade para 23,4m2

Dubai também está trabalhando para converter todos os seus carros oficiais de gasolina para gás

São Paulo – Em breve todos os parques em Dubai usarão luzes movidas a energia solar, em uma tentativa de reduzir o consumo de eletricidade e minimizar o consumo de recursos naturais.

“Todas as luzes em nossos parques serão solares. Nós já começamos a implementá-las e, gradualmente, irá abranger todos os parques. Esta é uma das nossas muitas iniciativas para o desenvolvimento sustentável”, disse Hussain Nasser Lootah, diretor-geral do Município de Dubai ao site Gulf News.

Lootah disse que as cidades do século 21 devem evoluir para centros de progresso, que servem como forças para o avanço nacional e global. Nenhuma entidade pode fazer isso sozinha, disse, mas terá indivíduos, empresas e todos os níveis de governo trabalhando juntos para alcançar essas metas. Os líderes do futuro têm a responsabilidade de fazer essa transição acontecer, acrescentou.

O município terminou o trabalho em um parque na zona de Al Sofouh que utiliza sistemas de iluminação solar. Construído em uma área de 1,55 hectares, o parque foi o primeiro a usar esta tecnologia em Dubai.

Lootah também destacou a visão e a estratégia para a cidade nos próximos anos, incluindo as áreas de foco e que iniciativas serão postas em prática para levar adiante uma estratégia sustentável.

O Plano Estratégico do Município visa aumentar a área verde per capita da cidade para 23,4m2. Ele também pretende aumentar a proporção de terras cultivadas em áreas urbanas públicas para 3,15% até o final de 2011.

“Dubai é uma das cidades mais bonitas e tem visto um grande desenvolvimento no passado. Isso tem dado uma boa qualidade de vida, mas houve efeitos colaterais deste desenvolvimento, como o aumento da produção per capita de lixo, o alto consumo de gasolina e alto consumo de eletricidade”, disse ele.

“Precisamos garantir um desenvolvimento sustentável e adotar maneiras mais respeitadoras do meio ambiente, como reciclagem de água de esgoto para usá-la na irrigação” disse Lootah.

O município também está trabalhando para converter todos os seus carros oficiais de gasolina para gás. “Nós já convertemos cinco carros. Todos os nossos mil carros serão movidos a gás natural comprimido (CNG),” disse o diretor geral do município.

Fotografia: Stinkie Pinkie / Flickr
Fonte: Exame
Original: http://bit.ly/nr7KrZ

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Work starts on solar bridge at Blackfriars station

Blackfriars station to host London’s largest solar array when it opens next year

A computer-generated image of Blackfriars railway station across the Thames, covered with 4,400 solar panels.

Work on the world’s largest solar bridge formally begins today as the first of more than 4,400 solar panels are installed above the new Blackfriars station platform.

The historic London site is undergoing a multi-million pound refit, which includes extending the platform along Blackfriars Bridge, a structure built in 1886.

When complete in 2012, the Victorian bridge will play host to some 6,000 square metres of photovoltaic (PV) panels, making it London’s largest solar array.

Solarcentury, the UK company managing the installation, expects the panels to generate around 900,000kWh of electricity a year, providing half of the station’s energy and reducing annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 511 tonnes.

“Blackfriars Bridge is an ideal location for solar; a new, iconic large roof space, right in the heart of London,” said Solarcentury chief executive Derry Newman in a statement.

“Station buildings and bridges are fixed parts of our urban landscape and it is great to see that this one will be generating renewable energy every day into the future. For people to see that solar power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy future.”

Other energy saving measures, such as rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting, are also being fitted at Blackfriars, as part of Network Rail’s plans to reduce carbon emissions by 25 per cent per passenger kilometre by 2020.

Lindsay Vamplew, Network Rail’s project director for Blackfriars, said that the refurbishment will make the station a template for green stations around the world.

“The Victorian rail bridge at Blackfriars is part of our railway history,” he said. “Constructed in the age of steam, we’re bringing it bang up to date with 21st century solar technology to create an iconic station for the city.”

One other solar bridge is known to exist, the Kurilpa footbridge in Brisbane, Australia, although 16,000 solar panels were laid on the top of a train tunnel in Belgium earlier this year. The array is capable of powering all of the country’s trains for one day a year.

Photography: SolarCentury
Source: The Guardian
Original: http://gu.com/p/32cxe/tf

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Maior parque aquático do Rio é interditado por pirataria de água

Oito poços artesianos utilizados pelo Rio Water Planet, na zona oeste da cidade, foram lacrados por falta de outorga pelo Instituto Estadual do Ambiente

Aberto em 1998, parque ocupa uma área de 455 mil m2 na zona oeste do Rio de Janeiro

São Paulo – O maior parque aquático do Rio de Janeiro foi interditado nesta segunda feira por utilizar em suas piscinas água pirateada. De acordo com o Instituto Estadual do Ambiente (Inea), os oito poços artesianos utilizados pelo parque Rio Water Planet foram lacrados por falta de outorga – documento que autoriza a captação de água.

Cada um dos poços fornece, em média, 5 mil litros de água por hora. Além disso, os fiscais do órgão constataram o despejo irregular de esgoto na rede pluvial de água na zona oeste do município fluminense, o que é ilegal, uma vez que existe uma rede de esgoto na região, a Cedae.

“É um crime ambiental inaceitável e ainda coloca em risco as pessoas já que não há estudo da análise da água”, afirmou em nota à imprensa Marilene Ramos, presidente do Inea.

Aberto em 1998, o Rio Water Planet será multado por crime ambiental pela utilização sem licença de recursos hídricos. O valor da multa ainda não foi definido, mas poderá variar entre R$ 5 mil e R$ 1 milhão, de acordo com a legislação ambiental.

Notificado, o parque exibe em sua página na web a informação de que está fechado, sem explicar os motivos. Mesmo assim, a venda de ingressos online continua ativa.

Autor: Vanessa Barbosa
Fonte: Exame
Original: http://bit.ly/oQuzgo

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Setting the Stage: Worldwatch Highlights Renewables in Haiti

This week, Xing Fu-Bertaux and Matthew Lucky of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy team are meeting with senior policymakers and educators in Port-au-Prince at a high-level workshop on Haiti’s energy future. They will be writing an in-depth post about the conference for ReVolt next week. As part of our ongoing work in the Caribbean, Worldwatch is currently focusing on the electricity sector in Haiti and the development of a low-carbon growth strategy.

Haiti has a population of nearly 10 million with a significantly underdeveloped energy infrastructure. Over 70 percent of Haiti’s people have gone without access to the electricity grid for years. The 2010 earthquake further exacerbated Haiti’s infrastructure challenges, leaving over 80 percent of the population without access to electricity and the many vital services that require power. For those Haitians that do have electricity access, service is often intermittent and unreliable.

Haiti’s current predicament has received ample media exposure since the earthquake. Although international aid and emergency relief programs are providing invaluable support, they are only part of the answer. Haitian leaders are searching for long-term solutions that promote sustainability, growth, and access to electricity. The Haitian Parliament’s recent approval of Garry Conille, President Martelly’s appointment for Prime Minister, has provided a measure of direction for the public sector in pursuit of its development and reconstruction goals. In anticipation of this new government, energy professionals are eager to set Haiti on a sustainable growth trajectory. Earlier this week, Worldwatch researchers Xing Fu-Bertaux and Matthew Lucky joined decision makers from all over the country for a special two-day workshop in Port-au-Prince organized by Dr. René Jean-Jumeau, Presidential Advisor for Energy, to discuss ways in which they can work together to promote the Haitian energy sector. Energy policy, procurement, rural electrification, and sustainability received particular emphasis at the workshop.

As in many island nations, Haitian electricity consumers suffer from the high costs associated with a long-standing reliance on imported oil for generation. These high costs, as well as a lack of access to the grid, are major impediments to economic growth and the social wellbeing of Haitian communities. Haiti currently imports costly fossil fuels to generate roughly 65 percent of the country’s electricity. The cost of imported oil leaves Electricité d’Haiti’s (EDH), Haiti’s state-owned utility, with little resources to invest in infrastructure. Confronting these challenges will require a synthesis of various policy approaches, including regulatory development that enables concentrated investments in sustainable energy. The recent $35 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) grant for Haitian electricity infrastructure has come at an ideal time for the country to implement the systemic changes needed to improve the electricity sector. With funds delegated for both policy reforms and capacity building, this grant offers the Haitian government a prime opportunity to execute a holistic approach to developing and incorporating renewable energy. In particular, solar and wind-based generation used in micro-grid applications and distributed generation can offer solutions to Haiti’s grid insufficiency.

Several months ago, the Climate and Energy team began investigating the Haitian energy sector and the unique challenges Haiti faces as a developing island country. While attending the workshop, Xing and Matthew were invited to present our work on renewable energy as a supply option for Haiti’s energy sector. Haiti’s 2007-2017 Energy Sector Development Plan outlines a lack of data on solar potential as a barrier to solar energy development. With the support of our recently completed 3TIER renewable energy resource assessments, Xing and Matthew provided the needed solar data and laid out the many ways in which solar and other renewable energy opportunities can benefit the Haitian electricity sector, as well as the additional policies and financial mechanisms needed to realize that promise.

Worldwatch is committed to partnering with the Haitian people to maximize the country’s renewable energy potential. While Haiti’s lack of electricity infrastructure poses very real challenges for development, it can also been seen as an opportunity for the country to leapfrog more developed economies and invest in a sustainable and efficient electricity infrastructure. Wind potential near Lake Azuei and widely available solar irradiance are just two examples of how Haiti’s natural endowments allow for renewable energy to play a much larger role in the overall energy mix. However, none of these resources will be harnessed without a clear energy policy and strong engagement of the government. In his closing remarks to workshop participants, Dr. Jean-Jumeau, quoting Xing Fu-Bertaux, reiterated that “policy drives investment.” Moving forward from this successful workshop, Worldwatch will continue working with leaders in Haiti to develop policies and public incentives that attract investment and enable the country to take advantage of its renewable energy potential.

Author: Zack Baize
Source: WorldWatch Institute
Original: http://goo.gl/bIxPL

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