Stories about Environment from March, 2011
Barbados, Bermuda: Cost of Development
“As Barbados citizens question the government’s decision to allow development at Cove Bay, our friends to the north in Bermuda are rising against a similar decision by their government to kill green space in pursuit of the almighty dollar”: Barbados Free Press reports.
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago: On Nuclear Power
Guyana-Gyal just doesn't get “the benefits of nuclear power”, while Coffeewallah says: “The nuclear crisis has huge long term implications for the future use of nuclear power world-wide.”
Taiwan: The Reassurance of Nuclear Safety is Not Convincing
Following the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, there are calls now for a review of Taiwan’s nuclear energy policy, particularly as a fourth nuclear power plant is now under construction.
Japan: How dangerous is low-level radiation?
Jake Adelstein reprinted parts of the scientific article entitled “The Uranium Widows: Why Would A Community Want To Return To Milling A Radioactive Element?” by Peter Hessler, hoping to give some perspective on the radiation fear spreading in Japan.
Ecuador: New Developments and Cyber-Activism in Chevron Case
On February 14, 2011, an Ecuadorian judge ruled that oil company Chevron had to pay US$9.5 million in environmental damages. Almost a month later, Chevron has appealed the sentence; citizens and activists are sharing information and taking part in online campaigns for this case.
Japan: Tweeting from Fukushima
At Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor in Fukushima Prefecture, a brave group of workers, dubbed the Fukushima 50, have been left to tame an escalating nuclear disaster. Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (SDF) official and Twitter user @kir_imperial - one of the people on the ground in Fukushima - has been tweeting about day-to-day events at the nuclear power plant.
Tanzania: Getting honest about rural water supply
Tanzanians must get honest about rural water supply: “It's Maji [Water] Week, so a good time for some more analysis of key water supply issues. Several times this blog has presented arguments that the main challenges in rural water supply are political rather than technical or even administrative.”
El Salvador: Investing in Agriculture
Locavore del Mundo reports that El Salvador is investing “on developing productive and profitable agriculture in the northern parts of the country” through funding from the Milllennium Challenge Corporation.
South Korea: Real-time Checkup on Nuclear Radiation Levels
A South Korea's IT company has set up a special web page [ko] which gives real-time data on nuclear radiation levels. The website enlists major cities’ radiation levels by coalescing data gathered from Japanese Ministry of Science and Technology and the IERNet (Integrated Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network). (read more about...
Japan: Citizen Videos of the Earthquake
Citizen videos recorded Friday, March 11 during the earthquake and tsunami that caused mass devastation in many parts of Japan are all over YouTube. Among the many shared online, here are just a few.
Japan: Anime Explains Current Nuclear Crisis
The ongoing disaster unfolding at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power station in the wake of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami has received an anime explanation, courtesy of this video by media artist Kazuko Hachiya (八谷和彦).
Brazil: Great Fishing Against Belo Monte Dam
Traditional populations of the Brazilian Amazon forest ran the “Great Fishing Action” from March 11 to March 14. The campaign, which urged against the Belo Monte Dam while calling for the protection of the Xingu river, gathered around 600 fishermen in the city of Altamira . The Xingu Vivo Committee...
USA: Science Bloggers Explain Earthquakes and Tsunamis
As Japan and the rest of the world struggle to make sense of the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear scare, science bloggers are sharing facts to help explain what happened.
Philippines: Bloggers Dispel Japan Nuclear Scare Hoax
Hoax messages that sow unfounded fear and panic in the public about Japan's nuclear problems like avoiding acid rain and radiation exposure are circulating in the Philippines. Bloggers are quick in coming out to prove that the messages are false
China: Salt Radiation Rumors Fuel Widespread Panic Buying
An official message went out today aiming to reassure people that salt supplies would not be affected by radiation from Japan having leaked into the ocean. This sparked rumors which led to panic buying which gripped major cities which are now out of salt.
Thailand: Cleaning Pattaya Beach
Talen blogs about the clean-up drive in Pattaya Beach, Thailand.
Bahamas: Energy Reform
“So here we are, two years after the last oil shock, and prices are over $100 per barrel again, with some forecasters saying they could pass the 2008 high of $147 a barrel that sent everyone scrambling to cut energy costs”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith looks at alternatives for the...
Japan: Tokyo's Crowded Metro
@MIG22K (RUS) is tweeting from Tokyo's extremely crowded metro – here, here and here (a few pictures and short video).
Ukraine: Comparing Fukushima to Chernobyl?
The media are increasingly present the situation at Fukushima as the world’s worst nuclear accident since the Soviet-era Chernobyl disaster. This news has hit home in Ukraine, where Chernobyl is located and where memories of the terrible events of 25 years ago are still very much alive.
Taiwan: Country's Nuclear Power Plants Are High Risk
The nuclear power plants in Taiwan are not immune to the force that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The panic escalates when the fourth nuclear power plant was ordered to be rush into operation in 2011.
Iran: Four Park Rangers Mourned by Environmental Bloggers
The recent death of four park rangers in Iran has stirred Iranian environmental bloggers. The four men were shot dead in a village in Sanandaj in Iran's Kuridstan. Bloggers were invited by a leading pro-environment website, Green Wave (photo above) to write about the topic: “Iran's nature, a place where...
