· January, 2009

Stories about Environment from January, 2009

DRC:Virunga Gorilla Population Has Grown

  27 January 2009

On Tuesday, 27 January 2009, D.R of Congo's Virunga National Park authorities issued a press release declaring that the population of habituated – or human tolerant – mountain gorillas in the Park had increased by 12.5% in the last 18 months (from August 2007 to January 2009) despite the fierce...

Russia, Ukraine: “Gas War IV”

  27 January 2009

Leopolis analyzes the Ukraine-Russia gas dispute and the agreement signed: “There is a natural temptation to assess the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of the Russian-Ukrainian Gas War IV, which emerged from a commercial crisis to a political game.”

Russia, Ukraine: “Far From Over”

  27 January 2009

Streetwise Professor writes: “In short, the Gas War is just the surface of things. Under the surface one finds the true dynamic–Russian imperial ambition resisted by a nation struggling to realize an independence long denied, but doing so under a confused, divided, and corrupt leadership.”

Czech Republic: News and Culture Roundup

  26 January 2009

A few updates from CzechFolks.com: Josef Lada‘s drawings; Karel Capek‘s life and writings; Vaclav Havel‘s health problems; the launch of a new Czech TV station; the 20th anniversary of Czech and Slovak ATMs; the gas dispute and the former Eastern Bloc countries’ dependency on Russia.

EU, Russia, Ukraine: “Everyone A Loser”

  26 January 2009

Michael Berendt of Blogactiv.eu writes that “[a]ll those directly affected [by the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute] were the biggest losers of all,” but that “[o]n the other hand the long-term case for a proactive EU energy policy has received a major boost.”

Ukraine, Russia, EU: Gas Politics

  26 January 2009

Antal Dániel of Central Europe Activ believes that Ukraine is “one of the most corrupted countries, a quasi-bankrupt and quasi-failed state” and quotes Gazprom's deputy chairman to emphasize that “the EU must find out what it want to do with Ukraine.” Hugo Lane of Lands Far Away… argues in the...

Hungary: New Flickr Group With CC-Licensed Photos

  26 January 2009

Antal Dániel of Central Europe Activ writes that he has started a Flickr group that “has only Creative Commons licensed photographs taken in Hungary.” One of the photos there was taken by Flickr user vi4kin at the Great Market Hall in Budapest, and is accompanied by a description (ENG, RUS)...

Guatemala: Experiences in Birdwatching

  26 January 2009

Guatemala is a major destination for birdwatchers from around the world. The number of species of birds in the country's diverse habitats is more than 700. Many of these birdwatchers are writing about their experiences in blogs, while others are worried about the bird habitats due to environmental destruction.

Taiwan: Photos of industrial town

  25 January 2009

Daliao Township in Kaohsiung County has been the site of several poisonous gas leaks in the past two months. The EPA came under fire for its poor handling of the case and a protest by locals turned violent. Shan Ding Lu has a photo essay of the town showing the...

Ukraine: “The EU Neighbour ‘Reality’ Problem”

  24 January 2009

Wu Wei writes about the EU and “the Ukrainian (or Georgian) reality”: “I speak from experience in working on oil stocks in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian “reality” apparently required to set up an agency for oil stocks first, then worry about what it would do later (legislation, finance, ownership of...

Russia, Ukraine: Gas Deal and Gazprom's Stock

  24 January 2009

Streetwise Professor writes this about the Russian-Ukrainian gas deal: “So, if the masterful Gasputin has really engineered such a coup, one that in addition to pulling Ukraine into Russia’s orbit, also secures Gazprom’s economic interests, why has the company’s stock performed so badly? The market certainly doesn’t seem to think...

Jamaica, Barbados, U.S.A.: Bonne Chance!

  23 January 2009

Jamaican diaspora blogger Pamela Mordecai holds high hopes for the Obama administration and wishes the new President well, while Notes From A Small Rock [Barbados] sums up her sentiment like this: “Now we wait. We wait to see if the words match the deeds. We all want so much of...

Uganda: Mountain Gorilla Population May Have Declined

  23 January 2009

We have always known that there are around 700 Mountain Gorillas still alive in the wild today – 336 of which are in Uganda - but a new study published in the journal New Scientist indicates that that might be a little optimistic. The 336 individuals said to be resident...

Philippines: The root cause of the flooding

  22 January 2009

In the Philippines, media reports have cited weeks of heavy rain brought by a cold front as the immediate cause of the massive flooding and landslides. Some Filipino bloggers have started asking more questions. What was the root cause of the flooding? What is really happening? Here are some efforts of Filipino bloggers to make sense of the disaster.

Trinidad & Tobago: The Fourth Summit of the Peoples

  22 January 2009

Trinidad and Tobago sees the launch of a new blog about “the upcoming fourth Summit of the Peoples, the alternative to the fifth installment of the Summit of the Americas conferences…where emerging…voices from the Caribbean—farmers and fisherfolk, anti-smelter and gender activists—can connect with themselves and others across the globe, and...

Conservation Through People

  22 January 2009

The core of conservation is the people who live adjacent to or inside conservation areas. It has therefore always been the goal of forward thinking conservationists to involve the local communities that surround the conservation areas that are under their charge. In Lubumbashi, DR of Congo, a chimpanzee rescue center,...

Barbados: Oil Rights

  22 January 2009

Keltruth Corp. is worried about the fact that Barbados has awarded its first offshore oil-exploration rights: “If there is a substantial oil discovery off Barbados, tremendous sums of money will change hands. Who will benefit? Unfortunately with no rules, all we can do is sit back, and blindly trust the...

Brunei: Rainy days and flooding

  21 January 2009

It is the middle of the annual North-East Monsoon season and Brunei has been experiencing strong winds and rainfall. It was just ten days ago that part of the country was submerged by waters. Blogs, no doubt play an important role in informing the public on the state of the rain and the aftermath.