Burger King makes cage-free promise

The Jakarta Post, Tracie Cone, Associated Press, Wed, 04/25/2012

The movement by US food corporations toward more humane treatment of animals experienced a whopper of a shift Wednesday when Burger King announced that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017.

The decision by the world's second-biggest fast-food restaurant raises the bar for other companies seeking to appeal to the rising consumer demand for more humanely produced fare.

"So many tens of thousands of animals will now be in better living conditions," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, which has been pushing Burger King and other corporations to consider animal welfare in purchasing policies. "Numerically this is significant because Burger King is such a big purchaser of these products."

The decision by Burger King, which uses hundreds of millions of eggs and tens of millions of pounds of pork annually, could represent a game-change in the egg and pork supply business as a huge new market has opened up for humanely raised food animals. Already 9 percent of the company's eggs and 20 percent of its pork are cage-free.

The Miami-based company steadily has been increasing its use of cage-free eggs and pork as the industry has become better able to meet demand, said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, chief brand and operations officer. He said the decision is part of the company's social responsibility policy.

"We believe this decision will allow us to leverage our purchasing power to ensure the appropriate and proper treatment of animals by our vendors and suppliers," he said.

Earlier this year, McDonalds and Wendy's announced that they have asked their pork suppliers to outline their plans for elimination of gestation crates without setting a timetable.

The issue of the treatment of pigs raised for pork has recently developed. This year, Smithfield Farms and Hormel committed to ending the use of gestation crates by 2017.

"This is an issue that just four to five months ago was not on the food industry's radar," said Paul Shapiro, vice president for farm animal protection at HSUS. "Now it's firmly cemented into the mainstream in a way that I think few people would have imagined.

Last month, the pork industry's trade magazine editorialized for an end to the practice saying "on the issue of gestation-sow stalls, at least, it's increasingly apparent that you will lose the battle."

HSUS has been pushing for more than a decade for large-scale purchasers of animal products to ensure that they are raised humanely. The organization owns stock in 52 companies that use animal products so that it can attend shareholder meetings and submit proposals for improved animal welfare policy.

It also has used undercover operations to show the conditions some food animals endure.

Conventionally raised eggs come from hens confined in battery cages that give them roughly the same footprint as an 8½ by 11 sheet of paper. Most pork comes from sows that are confined during their four-month pregnancies in narrow crates.

"For every cage-free egg or piece of bacon from a gestation-free pork system that Burger King sells, animals have been spared lifelong confinement in a cage so small they can barely even move," said Matthew Prescott, the HSUS food policy director.

In 2007 Burger King became the first major fast-food restaurant chain to incorporate animal welfare issues into its purchasing policies when it began sourcing at least some of its pork and eggs from cage-free suppliers. The hens are still housed in a barn, but they have room to roam and perches and nesting boxes.

While some companies have been responding to consumer demand by incorporating some percentages of cage-free eggs into their purchase orders, the landslide passage by voters in 2008 of California's Proposition 2, which will ban chicken cages and gestation crates by 2015, caused buyers and suppliers nationwide to take notice. Since then studies have shown that shoppers are willing to pay more for products they believe are produced to higher animal protection standards.

Since then Wal-Mart and Costco have transitioned their private-label eggs to 100 percent cage-free. Unilever, which uses 350 million eggs a year in its Hellmann's mayonnaise brand, is switching to 100 percent cage-free, and others such as Sonic, Subway, Ruby Tuesday, Kraft Food and ConAgra Foods are incorporating some percentage of cage-free eggs in their products.

Egg and pork producers have argued that easing confinement standards for animals raises production costs and makes those who adjust their practices less competitive. That prompted the egg industry's largest trade association, the United Egg Producers, to team with HSUS in seeking federal legislation this year that would double the size of the cages in which 90 percent of the nation's 280 million laying hens are confined.

Industry officials who have argued against cage-free eggs say hens are safer and eggs are less likely to be diseased in a cage system of hen housing.

"Our attitude is our producers believe in consumer choice and if that's what their consumers want to buy, they'll produce cage-free eggs for the marketplace provided the customer is willing to pay the additional cost," said Gene Gregory, president of the United Egg Producers.

Some studies have shown that raising hens cage-free adds 1-cent to the cost of each egg. It's unclear how much more it will cost to raise pork outside of gestation cages. 

Related Articles:

Burger King becomes first major fast-food chain to pledge that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free animals

Unilever to phase out factory-farmed chicken

Unilever seeks out older, healthier fruit

Nestle becomes first confectioner to ditch all artificial additives from its products

Do Animals Reincarnate? - NOV 22, 2010 (Kuthumi channelled by Lynette Leckie-Clark)

"Animals Consciousness: The Divine of Cats and Dogs" - JUL 31, 2011 (Metraton channelled by Tyberonn)

Maine regulators pave way for US tidal power

San Francisco Chronicle, by DAVID SHARP, Associated Press, April 24, 2012

Maine regulators on Tuesday put three utilities on the path to distribute electricity harnessed from tides at the nation's eastern tip, a key milestone in a bid to turn the natural rise and fall of ocean levels into power.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission set terms for a contract that would be in place for 20 years. The regulators also directed the three utilities to negotiate with Ocean Renewable Power Co. to put electricity onto the grid this summer, the first long-term power purchase agreements for tidal energy in the United States.

"It's a landmark in the commercialization of tidal energy in the U.S.," Chris Sauer, president and CEO of the Portland-based company, told The Associated Press.

Ocean Renewable intends to install its first underwater turbine unit this summer on Cobscook Bay under a demonstration project.

Power production will begin modestly, with the first unit producing enough electricity for 20 to 25 homes; the pilot program calls for additional units at sites off both Lubec and Eastport to bring production to 4 megawatts, enough to power up more than 1,000 homes by 2016.

All told, the company sees up to 50 megawatts of tidal power potential off Lubec and Eastport, home to one of the world's best tidal sites, where the tide rises and falls 20 feet twice a day.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission established what's called a contract term sheet for the project. It sets the rate to be paid for the tide-generated electricity at 21.5 cents per kilowatt hour, a subsidized rate that's far higher than the current standard offer of about 11 to 12 cents paid by most Maine residents.

Central Maine Power, Bangor Hydro Electric Co. and Maine Public Service Co. will negotiate a contract with Ocean Renewable under the framework established by regulators.

Richard Davies, Maine's public advocate, said there were some mixed emotions over setting a rate that's so much higher than the current cost of electricity.

But Davies and his staff came down in support of the project because the cost of energy produced by fossil fuels will likely grow much faster than the cost of tidal energy over the course of the 20-year contract. In fact, he said, the energy could become competitive within five years.

The 21.5-cent rate, which grows 2 percent a year over the contract, makes the project feasible, Sauer said. It'll be subsidized through a previously established state fund.

Ocean Renewable's Maine Tidal Energy Project is one of two tidal programs to receive pilot project licenses earlier this year from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The other company, Verdant Power, is working to advance its own tidal energy system in New York City's East River.

Verdant's design looks a lot like a wind turbine, only it's underwater. Ocean Renewable uses rotating foils that lend the appearance of a manual reel mower for cutting grass.

Officials in Canada are watching the Maine project with interest. Ocean Renewable and Nova Scotia-based Fundy Tidal Inc. hope to install the same units in waters off Nova Scotia, where Bay of Fundy offers even greater tidal power potential, officials have said.

Related Articles:

Isle of Wight Council to invest in tidal power


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !    

'Gaia' scientist James Lovelock: I was 'alarmist' about climate change

MSNBC.com, by Ian Johnston

British environmental guru James Lovelock, seen on
March 17, 2009 in Paris, admits he was "alarmist"
about  climate change in the past. (Jacques Demarthon/
AFP/Getty Images)

James Lovelock, the maverick scientist who became a guru to the environmental movement with his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism, has admitted to being “alarmist” about climate change and says other environmental commentators, such as Al Gore, were too.

Lovelock, 92, is writing a new book in which he will say climate change is still happening, but not as quickly as he once feared.

He previously painted some of the direst visions of the effects of climate change. In 2006, in an article in the U.K.’s Independent newspaper, he wrote that “before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.”

However, the professor admitted in a telephone interview with msnbc.com that he now thinks he had been “extrapolating too far."

The new book, due to be published next year, will be the third in a trilogy, following his earlier works, “Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back – and How We Can Still Save Humanity,” and “The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning: Enjoy It While You Can.”

The new book will discuss how humanity can change the way it acts in order to help regulate the Earth’s natural systems, performing a role similar to the harmonious one played by plants when they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

Climate's 'usual tricks'

It will also reflect his new opinion that global warming has not occurred as he had expected.

“The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened,” Lovelock said.

“The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now,” he said.

“The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. Twelve years is a reasonable time… it (the temperature) has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising -- carbon dioxide is rising, no question about that,” he added.

He pointed to Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and Tim Flannery’s “The Weather Makers” as other examples of “alarmist” forecasts of the future.

In 2007, Time magazine named Lovelock as one of 13 leaders and visionaries in an article on “Heroes of the Environment,” which also included Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev and Robert Redford.

“Jim Lovelock has no university, no research institute, no students. His almost unparalleled influence in environmental science is based instead on a particular way of seeing things,” Oliver Morton, of the journal Nature wrote in Time. “Humble, stubborn, charming, visionary, proud and generous, his ideas about Gaia have started a change in the conception of biology that may serve as a vital complement to the revolution that brought us the structures of DNA and proteins and the genetic code.”

NYT: Mosttie extreme weather to global warming, poll finds

Lovelock also won the U.K.’s Geological Society’s Wollaston Medal in 2006. In a posting on its website, the society said it was “rare to be able to say that the recipient has opened up a whole new field of Earth science study” – referring to the Gaia theory of the planet as single complex system.

However Lovelock, who works alone at his home in Devon, England, has fallen out with the green movement in the past, particularly after saying countries should build nuclear power stations to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by coal and oil.

'Perfect recipe' for wildfires as season starts early

Asked if he was now a climate skeptic, Lovelock told msnbc.com: “It depends what you mean by a skeptic. I’m not a denier.”

He said human-caused carbon dioxide emissions were driving an increase in the global temperature, but added that the effect of the oceans was not well enough understood and could have a key role.

“It (the sea) could make all the difference between a hot age and an ice age,” he said.

He said he still thought that climate change was happening, but that its effects would be felt farther in the future than he previously thought. 

“We will have global warming, but it’s been deferred a bit,” Lovelock said.

'I made a mistake'

As “an independent and a loner,” he said he did not mind saying “All right, I made a mistake.” He claimed a university or government scientist might fear an admission of a mistake would lead to the loss of funding.

Lovelock -- who has previously worked with NASA and discovered the presence of harmful chemicals (CFCs) in the atmosphere but not their effect on the ozone layer -- stressed that humanity should still “do our best to cut back on fossil fuel burning” and try to adapt to the coming changes.

Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring and attribution at the U.K.’s respected Met Office Hadley Centre, agreed Lovelock had been too alarmist with claims about people having to live in the Arctic by 2100.

And he also agreed with Lovelock that the rate of warming in recent years had been less than expected by the climate models.

However, Stott said this was a short-term trend that could be within the natural range of variation and it would need to continue for another 10 years or so before it could be considered evidence that something was missing from climate models.

US seeswarmest March, and first quarter, on record

Stott said temperature records and other observations were “broadly speaking continuing to pan out” with what was expected.

He said there did need to be greater understanding of the effect of the oceans on the climate and added that air particles caused by pollution – which cool the Earth by reflecting the sun’s heat -- from rapidly developing countries like China could be having an effect.

On Lovelock, Stott said he had “a lot of respect” for him, saying “he’s had a lot of good ideas and interesting thoughts.”

“I like the fact he’s provocative and provokes people to think about these things,” Stott said.

Keya Chatterjee, international climate policy director of environmental campaign group WWF-US, said in a statement that it was "hard not to get overwhelmed and be defeatist" about the challenges facing the planet, but suggested alarmist talk did not help persuade people to act to reduce climate change.

"While the problem is becoming increasingly urgent, we’ve found that focusing on the most dire predictions does not resonate with the public, governments, or business. People tend to shut off when a problem does not seem solvable," she said.

"And that’s not the case with climate change because we can still avoid its worst impacts. We know that we already have all of the technologies needed to slow climate change down.  We only lack the political will to go up against vested interests," she added.

States wheregreen jobs are going gangbusters

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading body on the subject, the world’s average temperature has risen by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. By 2100, it predicts it will rise by another 2 to 11.5 degrees, depending upon the levels of greenhouse gases emitted.

Asked to give its latest position on climate change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement that observations collected by satellites, sensors on land, in the air and seas “continue to show that the average global surface temperature is rising.”

The statement said “the impacts of a changing climate” were already being felt around the globe, with “more frequent extreme weather events of certain types (heat waves, heavy rain events); changes in precipitation patterns … longer growing seasons; shifts in the ranges of plant and animal species; sea level rise; and decreases in snow, glacier and Arctic sea ice coverage.”

NOAA reports its data in monthly U.S. and global climate reports and annual State of the Climate reports. 

Its annual climate summary for 2011 said that the combined land and ocean surface temperature for the world was 0.92 degrees above the 20th century average of 57.0 degrees, making it the 35th consecutive year since 1976 that the yearly global temperature was above average.

“All 11 years of the 21st century so far (2001-2011) rank among the 13 warmest in the 132-year period of record. Only one year during the 20th century, 1998, was warmer than 2011,” it said.

In the interview, Lovelock said he would not take back a word of his seminal work “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth,” published in 1979.

But of “Revenge of Gaia,” published in 2006, he said he had gone too far in describing what the warming Earth would see over the next century.

“I would be a little more cautious -- but then that would have spoilt the book,” he quipped.

Related Articles:

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Some Asian glaciers 'putting on mass'

Karakoram glaciers have grown over last decade, new research shows


"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

GLOBAL WARMING – NOT LONG TERM (WATER CYCLE)

New Mini Ice Age

"The weather you have today, and all the alarming attributes of it, is a scenario of what was scheduled to happen on Earth anyway. I review again that the weather changes you are seeing prophesied by myself, 21 years ago, are not a surprise. The changes are not caused by the pollutants you put in the air. You call it global warming and that's a nice phrase, and perhaps that will get you to put less pollutants in the air – a very good thing. But what you are seeing in the weather shift today was not caused by Humans putting things into the air. It would have happened anyway in about 300 years."

"We've called this process the water cycle, since it's all about water, not about air. The water is the predominant attribute of Gaia and of the weather cycle you're seeing. More predominant is the temperature of it. The cycle is ice to water and water to ice, and has been repeated on this planet over and over and over. It is not new. It is not exceptional. It is not frightening. But it's a cycle that modern humanity has not seen before, and it's a long cycle that is beyond the life span of a Human Being. Therefore, it tends to be overlooked or not seen at all !"

"In the days of the Lemurians, the water level of the Pacific Ocean was almost 400 feet lower, and that's only 50,000 years ago. [Kryon invites science to check this out – the water level at that time.] That was a water cycle working, and the reason it was lower was due to so much of the water being stored as ice. Today you're going through another water cycle that will eventually lead to cooling. The last one was in the 1400s."

"Science sees that at about 1650. As mentioned, they are so slow there is no remembrance that a Human has of them except in past writings and in the rings of the trees. The time span of the changes is so great that environmental record keeping does not exist in the form that it does today. But you can still look at the rings of the trees and at the striations of the rocks and can generally figure out that a few hundred years ago, you had a mini-ice age. Now you're going to have another one."  Read more .....(THE RELATIONSHIP TO GAIA - April 2010 (Kryon Channeling))

Wind energy blowing away nuclear power

Deutsche Welle, 22 April 2012

Wind energy supplies 3 percent of global electricity needs and will soon supply more electricity than nuclear power. In 2011, some 50 billion euros were invested in wind, leading some to say it's cheap and creates jobs.

Wind energy is booming and it is gaining in significance worldwide. It supplies some 20 percent of electricity in Spain and Denmark as well as about 10 percent in Germany. By 2020, the share of wind energy will have risen to between 20 percent and 25 percent in Germany, according to estimates.

Last year, new wind power plants with a total capacity of some 40 gigawatts (GW) were installed worldwide, according to the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA). This puts wind energy's global capacity at 237 GW by the end of 2011- the equivalent of what some 280 nuclear power plants generate. Currently, there are some 380 nuclear power plants producing electricity worldwide.

Four times more wind power by 2020 

The harvested wind makes
a generator turn inside

Wind energy has expanded at a remarkable speed worldwide, WWEA said. There has been an annual 20 percent increase in wind turbine installations. The WWEA said it expects a four-time increase in wind power capacity by 2020, bringing performance up to more than 1,000 GW.

China is pushing expansion of wind power like no other country in the world. In 2011, nearly half of all wind turbines produced were set up in China. Despite covering 3 percent of all energy used in China, the country is still the world leader in use of wind energy. In per capita terms, European nations, including Denmark, Spain and Germany, lead in wind energy use.

Cheapest source of energy

Wind power is environmentally and climate friendly, but the real reason for its boom lies in the price. Electricity generated from wind energy is often the cheapest form available.

Stefan Gsänger, CEO of World Wind Energy Association, said the price for one kilowatt hour of electricity from onshore wind turbines to be between 5 euro cents and 9 euro cents. That's the reason, he told DW, "that wind energy has become one of the most popular sources of energy." 

Stefan Gsänger (WWEA)

In comparison, electricity generated in new coal power stations costs some 7 euro cents in Europe. But the real price for electricity from coal is far higher, according to the EU and the German Ministry for the Environment. They said that factoring in soot from coal power stations causes high costs in the health sector that should be included in calculating the price of energy. Their figures showed that electricity from other new fossil power plants and new nuclear reactors also costs more than onshore wind power when secondary costs are factored in.

Legal conditions are vital

Wind power may already be one of the cheapest sources of energy, but Gsänger said it still needs political support - not by fixing costs but by guaranteeing feed-in tariffs. The price paid to producers has to be fixed by law in order for banks to give out loans.

Gsänger added that Turkey was a good example because "the feed-in tariff is lower than the market price. And still the feed-in tariff is necessary in order for banks to finance wind turbines. That would also be an option for other countries."

Setting up offshore wind farms is a logistics challenge

Custom-made facilities

Wind energy technology has been advanced further over the last few years. In areas with less wind energy potential, taller turbines and turbines with larger blades are used to harness the wind more efficiently. Meanwhile, gigantic offshore power plants are also being built. Off-shore installation and maintenance are particularly difficult, which means prices for electricity are consequently twice as high as onshore, at between 18 euro cents and 20 euro cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).

Small wind turbines will gain in
significance, say experts

Small wind power plants for houses, small villages or industrial complexes are also on the rise. More than half a million such plants have been installed, with most of them in China and the United States. Small-scale wind power facilities could be used in developing countries and in remote areas. In developed countries, small-scale wind power turbines are also gaining in significance with consumers because the electricity generated with them costs less than that offered by many energy providers. Experts see a long-term growth potential in small wind technology.

Citizen participation raises acceptance

More than half the wind turbines in Germany are run by private citizens, farmers and local communities. This is important for wind power's overall acceptance and success, according to Hermann Albers, president of Germany's federal association of wind energy. Over the last 20 years, he has set up several citizen wind farms in the region where he lives, together with other farmers and citizens.

"There is a high degree of acceptance with the communities," he told DW. "In many cases, half the population wants to invest in wind power there. The people have understood that it represents a big opportunity."

Author: Gero Rueter / nh

Editor: Sean Sinico

Related Articles:

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China builds wind farms in renewable energy boom – video
China to boost offshore wind power to 30 gigawatts by 2020

Dong to Spend $1.8 Billion Annually for Offshore Wind Projects

Windfarms that float – or fly – could be the future of energy generation

Japanese government criticized for downplaying nuclear disaster


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !  

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

US introduces $60 LED light bulb

BBC News, 22 April

Related Stories 

• Nuclear fissions green movement
• LEDs 'offering a brighter future'
• Wave and tidal power 'need boost'

LED bulbs should last about
 100,000 hours - giving them a
life of about 20 years

A prize-winning light bulb that lasts for 20 years is going on sale in the US on Sunday - also known as Earth Day.

Made by Dutch electronics giant Philips, the bulb swaps filaments for light-emitting diodes to provide illumination.

Using LEDs endows the light with a long life and a hefty price tag. The first versions are set to cost $60 (£37).

Philips has arranged discounts with shops that will sell the bulb meaning some could buy it for only $20 (£12).

Production ban

The bulb triumphed in the Bright Tomorrow competition run by the US Department of Energy that aimed to find an energy efficient alternative to the 60-watt incandescent light bulb.

The DoE challenged firms to develop a design that gave out a warm light similar to that from an incandescent bulbs but was much more energy efficient.

Philips was the only entrant for the competition and its design underwent 18 months of testing before being declared a winner.

A cheaper and less efficient version of the LED bulb is already sold by Philips in the US and Europe.

LED bulbs face competition from compact fluorescent lights which are almost as energy efficient and cost a lot less.

Sales of more energy efficient bulbs are being aided by official moves to end production of higher wattage incandescent bulbs.

Production of 100 watt bulbs has ceased in the US and Europe. Production of 60 watt bulbs has been stopped in Europe and is being phased out in the US. From 2014, incandescent bulbs of 40 watts or above will be banned in the US.

US, Russian energy giants cooperate for Arctic resources

Deutsche Welle, 21 April 2012

Two years after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, energy groups Exxon and Rosneft plan to cooperate in exploiting the Arctic's oil reserves. It's a big challenge - not least for the region's vulnerable ecosystems.

Some 13 percent of the world's untapped oil reserves and almost a third of untapped gas reservoirs are estimated to be stored in the Arctic - a region that was long deemed inaccessible to the machinery needed to extract the resources.

But since climate change has caused sea ice to melt, there has been a virtual oil rush by the industry's giants to tap these reserves. Rising oil prices and the desire to be independent from oil imports are adding to a growing wish to extract new sources of energy.

Cooperation in the cold instead of 'Cold War'

An agreement between Russian state group Rosneft and BP was cancelled last year. After a year of negotiations, Rosneft signed a deal Monday with American giant Exxon, agreeing to concessions in the field of energy taxes and tariffs.

"Experts describe the project as just as ambitious as manned space travel or the journey to the moon," Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said at a presentation in New York.

Energy groups Exxon and Rosneft plan to invest a total of more than 380 billion euros ($502 billion) in their cooperation. At least 15 sea platforms would be built on the Arctic Kara Sea, Sechin told reporters. The Kara Sea is estimated to hold 36 billion barrels of recoverable reserves.

"Today Rosneft and Exxon Mobil enter offshore projects of unprecedented scale," said Rosnef President Eduard Khudainatov.

Oil rigs used in the Arctic Ocean have to be iceproof - like here in the
Caspian Sea

Environmental groups have warned about the dangers of a possible oil disaster in the region with its sensitive ecosystems. According to Greenpeace, the Arctic ecosystem is the ultimate loser in the deal between Rosneft and Exxon, which was initially made public in August 2011 and has only now been presented with all its details.

"An oil spill like the one we saw in the Gulf of Mexico would have far worse consequences in the Arctic," said Greenpeace's oil expert Jörg Feddern.

Scientists blame the chemicals that were used to dissolve the oil after the accident for reports about diseases and disfiguration of fish and shrimps in the Gulf of Mexico. And more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spill the waters in Alaska still carry traces of oil.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
killed many animals

A study by the international insurance company Lloyds warned about the high risks entailed in economic endeavors in the Arctic. Charles Emmerson of the Chatham House think tank which conducted the study on behalf of Lloyds, said there are "imminent costs, environmental risks, and uncertainties" to developing the Arctic and that strong political guidance, risk management and enhanced scientific research are necessary to cope with the project's unique risks and challenges.

Education vs. extraction

John Farrel, CEO of the US Arctic Research Commission, said additional data about the Arctic needed to be collected. The region is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the planet and he added that research was losing in significance as the race for resources picked up speed.

Aqqualuk Lynge, a Greenlander and chairman of the Inuit organization Circumpolar Council, which represents some 160,000 Inuit who live in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka (Russia) and calls for caution and sustainability when accessing the Arctic's natural resources, criticized the speed with which the project has been pushed forward. He said he doubted the technology was in place to drill safely in Arctic waters without harming seals and whales.

Infrastructure with flaws

Safety and infrastructure represent big challenges when drilling and transporting oil across the Arctic, according to Jörn Harald Andersen, a consultant with Norwegian Clean Seas Association (NOFO), which supports the operating companies in Norwegian waters in charge of cleaning away oil spills. 

Less ice because of climate change
 means the Arctic is more accessible

"The further north we go for work the less daylight there obviously is in winter," Andersen said, adding that the companies also have to deal with restricted visibility because of fog, low temperatures and a lack of proper infrastructure.

"We have to transport lots of equipment and staff there. There's hardly any local support and logistics is more difficult than elsewhere," he said. But he also said he is convinced that his group could cope with a potential oil spill in the Arctic.

Ecosystem under pressure

Environmental groups, however, disagree. WWF and Greenpeace both said they doubt the oil industry is sufficiently prepared for a large oil spill in the Arctic.

Signing a sea rescue operation agreement by the Arctic Council last year is not enough to guarantee safety when expanding oil exploitation and oil transport activities in the Arctic, according to Frida Bengtsson of Greenpeace Norway.

The Arctic's enormous territory is difficult to access, making it difficult to react appropriately in the event of an oil disaster caused by drilling activities or tanker transport, she said.

"I think it's the biggest imminent threat to the Arctic ecosystem," Bengtsson said.

Author: Irene Quaile / nh      

Editor: Sean Sinico

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