Find out what you can do, or check out what’s going on already here.
Loads of information, campaign materials, T-Shirt templates and an events calender which already includes, “The World’s Longest Toilet Queue”.
Pull the chain here http://www.worldwaterday2010.info/ for more on the up and coming events to be held on World Water Day, 22 March. 2010.
By Imran Khan for Thaindian
Patna, Feb 24 (IANS) The Ganges River Dolphin was declared the national aquatic animal last month, but is still in urgent need of being saved from extinction, experts on the subject said. There are only about 2,000 left, down from tens of thousands just a few decades ago.
Participating in a two-day seminar here on conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin, the experts said its numbers continue to dwindle alarmingly due to killing, pollution and the break-up of its habitat by building dams.
“Conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin should be given priority by all,” Wildlife Institute of India director P.R. Sinha told IANS. “It should be given the same importance as conserving tigers.”
He was one of the dozens of national and international experts who attended the workshop Monday and Tuesday. It was organised by the working group for action plan for dolphin conservation, set up by the central Ministry of Environment and Forests to finalise India’s dolphin conservation plan.
The group is likely to submit its report to the ministry by April.
“Conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin must be initiated on a massive scale because freshwater dolphins are found only in some countries in South America and Asia,” said Randall Reeves, chairman of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) specialist group.
IUCN has classified the species as endangered.
Reeves said one way to save the dolphins was to turn stretches of river where they were found into tourist spots, as had been done in South America.
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Juliette Jowit for The Guardian
Report for the UN into the activities of the world’s 3,000 biggest companies estimates one-third of profits would be lost if firms were forced to pay for use, loss and damage of environment
The cost of pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world’s biggest companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major unpublished study for the United Nations has found.
The report comes amid growing concern that no one is made to pay for most of the use, loss and damage of the environment, which is reaching crisis proportions in the form of pollution and the rapid loss of freshwater, fisheries and fertile soils.
Later this year, another huge UN study – dubbed the “Stern for nature” after the influential report on the economics of climate change by Sir Nicholas Stern – will attempt to put a price on such global environmental damage, and suggest ways to prevent it. The report, led by economist Pavan Sukhdev, is likely to argue for abolition of billions of dollars of subsidies to harmful industries like agriculture, energy and transport, tougher regulations and more taxes on companies that cause the damage.
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From Circle of Blue
Climate change is expected to bring less precipitation and more extreme droughts to certain parts of the world, causing electricity shortages in hydro-reliant countries.
On Tuesday Venezuela’s Energy Minister, Ali Rodriguez, said the government would consider purchasing electricity from Colombia, contradicting a statement from the country’s Vice President Elias Jaua given earlier this week. One day before Rodriguez’s announcement, Jaua said he’d reject the Colombian proposal because Venezuela would “power up its own electricity system,” according to Business Week.
These conflicting statements reflect the already confused and poorly managed policies officials have attempted to implement against the country’s worst drought in nearly a century.
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From REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A year after President Barack Obama proposed a plan to clean up the Great Lakes, the government Sunday laid out its plan to improve the ecology of the major bodies of water that support much of U.S. agriculture and industry.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson met with governors of states that touch the inland waterways to describe an “action plan” that will focus on eliminating invasive species, cleaning up pollutants, and remediating more than a half million acres of the area’s wetlands, she told reporters.
“It’s about creating a new standard of care for the Great Lakes system,” Jackson said. “Instead of minimizing harm, our new standard of care is to leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation than the condition in which we inherited them.”
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by Mu Xuequan for Xinhua
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN special envoy, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, on Thursday appealed to the world for 1.44 billion U.S. dollars to render humanitarian and early recovery assistance to the quake-hit Haiti.
The figure, the largest ever natural disaster appeal by the world body, will be used to help some three million people badly affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake, totaling 30 percent of the population in the small Caribben country.
Ban, who was with Clinton, made the remarks at the launch of revised Haiti Flash Appeal at the UN Headquarters in New York.
“Today, we are appealing to the international community for 1.4 billion dollars in humanitarian and early recovery assistance over the coming full year.”
The amount, which will run from January to December 2010, updated an earlier flash appeal of 577 million, which was launched just three days after the quake, which claimed more than 200,000 lives.
“I am pleased to report that the 570-million-dollar Flash Appeal launched on Jan. 15 was 100 percent funded, with more than 41 million dollars pledged beyond that,” Ban said. “To carry our work forward, however, we must again reach deeply into our hearts and resources, with solidarity and compassion.”
More than 1.2 million people are in need of emergency shelter and require urgent sanitation and hygiene assistance. At least two million require food assistance. In addition, host families and communities are bearing much of the burden of supporting displaced people who fled the worst affected cities, and also need help.
“Over the next six weeks, we will deliver a further 30,000 tents and enough water-proof sheeting for 1 million people,” Ban said. “We are also laying plans to build more substantial community shelters that can better withstand tropical storms.”
The appeal seeks funding for the following main sectors: agriculture: camp coordination and management; coordination and support services; early recovery; education; emergency shelter and non-food items; emergency telecommunications; food aid; logistics; nutrition; protection; and water, sanitation and hygiene. About one-third of the 1.44 billion (or 480 million U.S. dollars) is required food.
“The overall security situation in Haiti remains calm,” Ban said. “As you all know, the rainy season will soon be upon us. That puts a premium on shelter, sanitation and health.”
For his part, the Haitian UN ambassador, Leo Merores, said, ” Much more needs to be done,” and “the need for tents, shelter has become extremely urgent.”
Clinton said, “A lot of good work is being done. There is a plan in place that will be amended. the money will be spent in a transparent way.”
“The biggest problem, in the short-term, is sanitation because everyone is moving into makeshift camps,” Clinton said. “I wanted originally, compost toilets for everyone because you treat the waste you remove the disease and then turn it into fertilizer.”
Clinton said that he met with young Haitian architects on Thursday, “who believes he has developed a plan for housing which is earthquake and hurricane resistant.”
“Haitians aspire to have you come to Haiti as tourists, not donors,” Clinton said. “They want to build a country that can stand on its own two feet.”
The emergency phase of humanitarian relief operations will have to continue for many months. While improvements have been made in the ability to reach those in need with food, water, healthcare and shelter, humanitarian needs in Haiti remain great. Until the situation stabilizes, and given the urgent need to prepare for the rainy and hurricane seasons, relief and early recovery must increase and be expanded to more people and to so far unreached parts of the country.
“The particular complexity of an earthquake on this scale is that wee need to embark on early recovery, even as we provide emergency relief,” he said. “Before last month’s disaster, we had a plan for Haiti’s long-term development and reconstruction. Our challenge today is to reformulate that plan to help Haitians ‘ build back better.’”
“We have to be engaged in Haiti for the long haul, for life- saving relief as well as reconstruction,” said John Holmes, the UN under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator. “To meet the needs of the people of Haiti will require more o the generous global support that we have seen so far.”
Since the initial Flash Appeal was fully funded, with those funds being put against the new revised Humanitarian Appeal, and with some projects already having funding, unmet requirements for this emergency in 2010 are 768 million U.S. dollars.
The size of the revised appeal reflects the scale of the catastrophe, the unmet needs, and the necessity of putting into place the right early recovery basis for reconstruction. Like all appeals, this revised Haiti Humanitarian Appeal will be reviewed mid-year, and if necessary revised.
Previously, the largest natural disaster appeal was issued in 2005 for the Indian Ocean Earthquake-Tsunami, which sought some 1. 41 billion U.S. dollars.
Historic Klamath River agreements resolve decades of disputes, are models for collaborative solutions
February 18, 2010
Washington, DC — It’s official. After years of negotiations, American Rivers will join Interior Secretary Salazar, Oregon Governor Kulongoski, and California Governor Schwarzenegger today to sign historic agreements to mount an unprecedented restoration effort on the Klamath River, one of America’s greatest river systems. In what will be the world’s biggest dam removal project, the agreements will restore access to over 350 miles of salmon habitat, resolve decades-long disputes over water in the basin, and provide greater economic security for fishing, tribal, and agricultural communities.
The president of American Rivers, Rebecca Wodder, who is joining officials and conservation partners for the signing ceremony in Salem, Oregon said, “Today, the road to recovery begins for the Klamath River and its tribes, fishermen and farmers. River communities around the country will find inspiration in the collaborative solutions forged on the Klamath. It marks a significant new chapter in our country’s environmental history.”
This achievement also serves as a model for how federal agencies can work together to overcome seemingly conflicting purposes to address their mutual obligation to advance the recovery of species protected by the Endangered Species Act. The Administration should motivate federal agency representatives across the country to strive to replicate the successful approach taken in the Klamath.
Nearly a decade ago at a time when the Klamath was considered one of the most intractable environmental disputes in the nation, American Rivers had a vision that river restoration was not only possible but that it could be a catalyst for a comprehensive solution to the fighting. Throughout the many years of negotiations that followed, American Rivers played an instrumental role in reaching these settlements. American Rivers conducted the first study on the potential removal of Klamath River dams in 2004 and continually insisted that removal of the dams be part of a more comprehensive basin-wide solution that these two historic settlements now represent.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement settles many disputes concerning water and fisheries resources and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement calls for the removal of PacifiCorp’s lower four Klamath River dams. The next step is passage of federal legislation to implement the two agreements.
The four dams produce a nominal amount of power, which can be replaced using renewables and efficiency measures, without contributing to climate change. A study by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Department of the Interior found that removing the dams and replacing their power would save PacifiCorp customers up to $285 million over 30 years.
American Rivers is a national leader in dam removal and works across the country to remove outdated dams and other stream barriers. The organization’s expertise and advocacy have contributed to the removal of more than 200 dams nationwide. Removing an obsolete, harmful dam can help a community by improving public safety, reducing flood damage, saving money, increasing economic opportunities, restoring overall river health, improving water quality, and boosting community resiliency to climate change.
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American Rivers is the leading conservation organization fighting for healthy rivers so communities can thrive. American Rivers protects and restores America’s rivers for the benefit of people, wildlife and nature. Founded in 1973, American Rivers has more than 65,000 members and supporters, with offices in Washington, DC and nationwide.
Contacts:
Amy Kober, American Rivers, 206-213-0330
Steve Rothert, American Rivers, 530-478-5672