· April, 2012

Stories about Environment from April, 2012

China: What is Causing the Death of Endangered Finless Porpoises?

  17 April 2012

More than a dozen corpses of the Finless Porpoise, a species even more rare than the Giant Panda, have been found in Dongting Lake in Hubei and Hunan provinces since March 2012. Chinese micro-bloggers are keeping each other updated on the situation while trying to determine the reasons for the deaths of this critically endangered species, as the government is yet to confirm the death toll and put forward a rescue plan.

Spain: King Juan Carlos and the Elephant in Botswana

  15 April 2012

Days after Felipe Juan Froilan accidentally shot himself in the foot during shooting practice, his grandfather, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, fell while he was hunting and broke his pelvis. This would have been minor news, had it not been for the fact that he was hunting elephants in Botswana on...

Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?

RuNet Echo  13 April 2012

In the city of Omsk, a local activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates, in order to nominate one for the city's June mayoral election. Popular Muscovite photoblogger Ilya Varlamov has emerged as the contest's front runner, but what impact could his candidacy have on regional politics?

Peru: What Is Killing the Dolphins?

  13 April 2012

The news that 3,000 dolphins have been found dead along the coastline of north Peru so far this year has shocked the world. Citizens and activists are using social networking sites to provide information and make people aware of these deaths so that the cause can be investigated.

India: Gearing Up for Better E-Waste Management

  11 April 2012

E-waste dumping and hazardous recycling by the non-formal sector has become a major challenge in India, where e-waste output has multiplied eight fold in the last seven years. A new legislation coming into effect from May 2012 hopes to streamline e-waste management in the country.

Africa: Access to Water and Sanitation Services Still a Burden

  10 April 2012

Babatope Babalobi, Secretary General WASH-JN [Water, sanitation and Hygiene journalists network (WASH)] discusses two meetings on water and sanitation held in Marseilles last month: “It seems that the organisers of the two events wrongly assumed that all citizens are able to access water and sanitation services through public or privately...

Myanmar: Suspended Dam Project May Reopen Again

  10 April 2012

The Democratic Voice of Burma reports about a leaked government document which suggests the reopening of a suspended dam project in Myanmar. The dam construction was suspended after it was actively opposed by local communities.

Philippines: Netizens Unite to Save Pine Trees

  10 April 2012

Filipino netizens are using the hashtag #savebaguiopinetrees to protest the plan of a mall owned by the country's richest man to cut 182 pine trees in order to construct a parking lot in Baguio City in northern Philippines

Pakistan: Stop Dumping On Us

  9 April 2012

Pakistan has become a dumping ground of plastic and medical wastes in the past decades. The people of the country had been exposed too long to harmful diseases due to lack of vigilance. Faisal Kapadia shares netizens' reactions.

China: No Fishes for Chinese Fishermen

  6 April 2012

Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu translated a local feature story about the livelihood of Chinese fishermen who can't find fishes near the China coast because of pollution and over fishing.

Brazil: Indigenous Rights and the Suspension of the Teles Pires Dam

  4 April 2012

Brazilian blogger Sonia Martuscelli reproduces [pt] an open letter on the suspension of the license for the construction of the controversial Teles Pires Dam, in an area of the Amazon forest inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Kayabi, Apiaka and Mundukuru ethnicities. The natives require measures to ensure their rights...