Stories about Environment from February, 2008
Kuwait: A Dusty but Profitable Week
Dust storms are wreaking havoc in Kuwait. But amid the dust, there is a silver lining, with a Cabinet decision to grant an extra KD120 (US $435) monthly bonus for Kuwaitis employed in the public and private sectors. Abdullatif AlOmar has more.
Venezuela: Falling Profits for PDVSA
The Venezuelan blog Otra Expresión [es] writes that profits for the state oil company (PDVSA) has fallen in the past year.
Tunisia: New Wind Farms Soon
From Tunisia, Subzero Blue has some “good eco-friendly news.” Three wind farms with a total capacity of 120 megawatts of electricity will be built by 2009 in Bizerta, Jendouba and Beja.
Ecuador: Government Declares Emergency Due to Flooding
Many parts of Ecuador are suffering from heavy flooding, which led the government to declare a national emergency. Some bloggers write about what this will mean for those affected and the work by some sectors that prepared themselves for this disaster and states, “it is better to prevent, than to lament.”
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Moon Shadow
The Life and Times of Michmac and Caribbean Free Radio post photos of last night's lunar eclipse.
Trinidad & Tobago: Eclipse Tonight
Caribbean Beat Blog reminds stargazers in The Americas, Europe and Africa to look out for the total lunar eclipse tonight!
Russia: BP Closes Sakhalin Office
BP has closed its Sakhalin office, White Sun of the Desert reports.
Madagascar: After the storm Ivan, the aftermath
Tropical Cyclone Ivan has now left Madagascar leaving behind several regions in shambles and thousands of people without homes. The official account by the authorities reports 2 deaths and 15,000 people without homes. Considering that Ivan was classified as a very severe cyclonic storm with winds at up to 137 km/h, many people are wondering what might be the final count of actual casualties and damages.
Tanzania: Paying for electricity without electricity
Pernille writes about media, politics and change in Tanzania: “When the Tanzanians got their electricity bills for January 2008 there was an increase of 30%. Not because they had consumed more electricity, because power is still lacking. When the government ‘bought’ the generator from the Richmond firm, they borrowed 179...
Bolivia: The Real Causes of the Flooding
Bolivida [es], a blog devoted to environmental topics, asks, “What are the causes of the increases in severe floodings, which are affecting thousands of families..?” He points out that some government leaders blaming global warming, but studies by two independent universities are placing blaming on deforestation.
Environment: Learning from the snow crisis in China.
From ChinaDialogue, Tang Hao writes of the lessons gleaned from the snow crisis in China. “Environmental action alone will not combat the social problems that will arise or worsen with greater disasters. Sustainable development requires that politics and the environment are given equal consideration. The efforts we make will not...
Trinidad & Tobago: Vision for Development?
“You turn old Port of Spain into a slum, you block off the city from the sea (you leave the sea in such a mess that no one would want to be exposed to it anyway), and you build enormous faceless towers, and you call it development”: Jeremy Taylor rails...
Madagascar: Cyclone Ivan Wrecking Havoc.
Tropical Cyclone Ivan has landfalled in the Northeastern region of Madagascar on February, 17th and it is now categorized as a category 4 Hurricane. (via meteo france) Even though Madagascar is better prepared for cyclone season, having already taken the blunt of many cyclones (most recently cyclone Fame), the region...
Trinidad & Tobago: Protecting the Ocean
“Whether it's the Buccoo Reef, the Gulf of Paria, Mayaro, or Cap-de-Ville and Otaheite, there has long been concern about the delicate marine ecologies of Trinidad and Tobago's bodies of water in the wake of human activities”: Discover TnT Blog explains.
Puerto Rico: Total Eclipse
The Voice of the Taino People Online reports that there will be a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday: “The entire celestial event will be visible from South America and most of North America on Feb. 20 as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia on Feb. 21.”
Kyrgyztsan: Kyrgyz Authorities Cut Off Tajikistan
Ayan Dane writes that the Kyrgyz authorities have decided to stop supplying electricity to Tajikistan, which, according to the Kyrgyz officials, refused to comply with its commitments. Tajikistan is in grave humanitarian condition now because of the harsh energy deficit.
Kazakhstan: More State Control in Economy
KZBlog reports that one week after the president's Address to the Nation, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced that this year the government will investigate all existing contracts with foreigners in extractive sector to void contracts with companies that have violated the terms.
Japan: Indoor Cultivation
Japundit has a short photo essay discussing the potentials of indoor cultivation.
China: Spielberg, the Olympics, and oil
Chinese bloggers shocked world media and those calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics this week with blog posts revealing a wide variety of Chinese opinions both independent from and more nuanced than that of the Chinese government on its relationship with Sudanese counterparts. Further surprise came when those...
China: Darfur, a reason to say No?
Is the Darfur issue a reason to say No to the 2008 Beijing Olympics? Spielberg nodded recently, while Mr. Bush shrugged, and Beijing frowned. But how about the common people in China?
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
The meanings of Valentine's Day, like love, are multi-faceted. This year had the Palestinian blogosphere thinking about making creative connections, communicating across borders and boundaries, meaningful expressions of love and giving, hard losses, and questions of respect, writes Maya Norton.
