New York Times: IF you wonder whether hybrid-electric vehicles will ever catch on, simply ask one of the millions of people who ride in them every day. Hybrid-electric buses, that is. Transit systems from New York to Taipei, and from Ames, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Mich., are adding hybrid buses at a rapid clip. New York, by far, has the nation's biggest fleet of hybrid buses, which run on electricity and diesel fuel, with nearly 1,000 in all five boroughs, most in Manhattan. Although the ...

New York Times: A FUNNY thing happened on the way to $4-a-gallon gas, financial collapse and gridlocked city traffic. Americans finally climbed off their Hogs and out of their Hummers and discovered scooters – the zippy, fashion-forward transpo-pods that have long filled the streets and sidewalks of Beijing, Paris, Rome, Shanghai and other cities throughout the world. American city dwellers, from Miami to Seattle, are being lured into Vespa and other scooter dealerships by the prospect of 70-plus ...

Reuters: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned the nation Wednesday to brace for a severe bushfire season as fire crews battled intense blazes stoking memories of infernos earlier this year which killed 173 people. With the fire season barely under way, firefighters from two Australian states have been battling huge blazes threatening the northeastern tropical city of Rockhampton and coastal hamlets further south in New South Wales. "I would urge all Australians to make sure they ...

CNN: There was no mistaking the target: the eight huge cooling towers at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, sending plumes of steam high into the watery blue sky of the English Midlands. A mix of peaceful protest and direct action took place at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, England. Instead the question in the minds of an estimated 1,000 protestors gathered in the surrounding woods and scrubland was how could they get in and shut it down. Surrounded by electrified fences, coils of razor ...

Inter Press Service: Café by the Ruins, a popular rustic restaurant situated in Baguio City, the Philippines' famed mountain city resort, usually caters to tourists and residents who enjoy sipping their cups of brewed coffee while appreciating the artworks displayed on the café's stone walls. These days, however, the quaint café is busy running a soup kitchen – coordinating about a dozen café staff and volunteers in cooking and delivering meals to evacuees whose homes and farms were destroyed by Typhoon ...

Times (UK): India's climate change policy was in turmoil yesterday as its Environment Minister admitted that he had made a proposal to adjust the country's position that caps on greenhouse gases should apply only to rich countries. Jairam Ramesh denied suggesting that India abandon the Kyoto Protocol in a leaked letter to Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, before the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. He also reaffirmed India's commitment to the protocol, which imposes ...

Sydney Morning Herald: THE Federal Government has put more pressure on the Opposition by demanding that a vote on the emissions trading scheme be held this year, and the Coalition leadership has warned its MPs and senators to stop behaving like a rabble over the matter. During a routine party-room meeting yesterday, Malcolm Turnbull said the Coalition was languishing in the polls because of the public squabbling. If it continued, he said, it would jeopardise the party's prospects in the upcoming byelections ...

New York Times: With the clock running out and deep differences unresolved, it now appears there is little chance that the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December will produce a comprehensive and binding new treaty on global warming. The United States and a number of other major emitting countries have concluded that it is more useful to take incremental but important steps toward a global agreement rather than to try to jam through a treaty that is either too weak to address the ...

Business Daily Africa: Kenya will join other African nations in demanding that the industrialised world pays for damages of climate change caused by decades of heavy carbon emissions. It will team up with the developing world in seeking financial compensation for bearing the greatest burden of climate change President Kibaki said, setting the tone for the delegation that will represent Kenya in the UN-sponsored climate change talks in Copenhagen in December. Poor nations have been piling pressure on ...

Sky and WWF have launched a three-year campaign to help save one billion trees in the Amazon.  The campaign, Sky Rainforest Rescue, aims to protect rainforest covering over three million hectares in the state of Acre, Brazil to help combat climate change and preserve the unique habitat and species of the Amazon.

The world’s rainforests are a crucial resource needed to avoid dangerous climate change, as well as a vital ecosystem supporting rich biodiversity. But today in the Amazon alone an area the size of three football pitches is destroyed every minute.

Deforestation is causing more greenhouse gas emissions than all the planes, trains, ships and cars in the world put together. Loss of tropical forests is also threatening the habitat of over 50% of the world’s species and the welfare of some of the world’s poorest populations.

Sky and WWF want to work with the British public to help stop the destruction. They are calling for donations at www.sky.com/rainforestrescue, with every £10 helping to save 500 trees. To kick start the project, Sky will match donations pound for pound, up to a joint target of £4 million. WWF and Sky are also in discussions with funding bodies with the aim of securing further financial support for the project.

Working with the State Government of Acre, Sky and WWF aim to create economic incentives for the local communities that help make the trees worth more alive than dead. The project will enhance Acre’s monitoring capabilities against threats including illegal logging and forest clearance; help local producers to secure fair prices and find new market opportunities for sustainable goods; and establish payments for environmental services, including support for community enterprises. The initial phase will comprise research and consultation with local groups, before a pilot project is launched in early 2010, which will then be grown to scale.

To support Sky Rainforest Rescue, Sky1 documentary maker Ross Kemp will visit the Amazon rainforest to investigate the reality of deforestation for two documentaries to be broadcast on Sky1 HD in Spring 2010.

This is an example of the wide range of rainforest-focused programming that Sky and its channel partners will be broadcasting across the duration of the campaign. The first programmes to hit the air include ‘Children of the Amazon’ (on Sky 1 and Sky Anytime) and ‘Rivers and Life’ (on Nat Geo Wild HD and Sky Anytime), part of Sky’s ‘Rainforest Week’, which starts on Monday 26 October 2009.

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Chief Executive, said: “Rainforests are crucial to the fight against dangerous climate change. Yet, an area the size of three football pitches is being destroyed every minute in the Amazon alone. We’re asking everyone to join us to help stop this destruction by donating to Sky Rainforest Rescue. To kick start the project we’re committing to match your donation pound for pound until we reach our target of £4 million.”

David Nussbaum, Chief Executive of WWF-UK, added: “Deforestation is not only threatening the survival of species and habitats but is also exacerbating the devastating effects of climate change. WWF and Sky together with the help of the public, can take real steps to halt rainforest destruction, benefit communities and provide a blueprint for future forest management.”

Binho Marques, State Governor of Acre, said: “With 88% of Acre covered by rainforest, we are the stewards of a precious global resource. Our aim is to ensure we develop a sustainable model for protection which works with the needs of our 2,000 isolated rural forest local communities. Sky Rainforest Rescue is critical to our ability to do that.”

The project forms part of a new set of commitments from Sky to help tackle climate change, including an overall target to cut its CO2 emissions by 25% (per £m/turnover) across its business by 2020. In addition, the company plans to make its buildings 20% more energy efficient and to obtain 20% of its energy requirements for all its owned buildings from onsite renewable energy in the same time frame. By 2012, Sky will cut the carbon emissions from its fleet of vans by 25% (per van) and carbon emissions from employee business travel by a further 20% (per FTE).

Sky also committed today to cut the total energy consumption of newly installed Sky+HD boxes by 30% by 2012, and will be working with 50 of its most carbon intensive suppliers to help them measure their carbon footprint and reduce emissions further.

For more detail of Sky’s new targets go to: www.sky.com/environment/whatsskydoing

The premiere of a musical for schools commissioned by WWF-UK – One Sun One World – will take place on Thursday 22nd October at 4.45pm, involving over 1,500 school students from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. WWF has an ambitious goal of 50 performances of the musical in schools across the UK leading up to WWF’s 50th anniversary year in 2011.

The composers of the work are Peter Rose and Anne Conlon, highly experienced musicians who have created five environmental musicals for schools and who have a long track record of working with WWF. The Royal Albert Hall production will include world-class talent from the English Chamber Orchestra and the Royal College of Music.

For the past year, every school in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been involved in cross-curricular project work based on the themes of One Sun One World. Many schools have received music and movement workshops from the Royal College of Music and the English Chamber Orchestra. Artist Billie Evans has worked as artist-in-residence in several schools, drawing on the visual themes of the piece. All of this work has been leading up to the premiere, an exciting celebration of the project work completed in schools.

The project has been made possible by a strong partnership involving WWF, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College of Music and the English Chamber Orchestra.

The 1,500 strong choir from RBKC will be joined on stage by St Augustine’s School in Blackburn which has been involved in every musical by Peter and Anne. They will be supported by an orchestra made up of musicians from the Royal College of Music and English Chamber Orchestra, with Rodney Clarke providing the part of lead solo.

Characters within the musical including the Wise Oak Tree (Clarke), Panda and Cacao (chocolate plant) remind us of the great wonders of our natural world and the amazing threads of life which link every living creature. The Children of The World highlight the interconnecting human threads of trade and communication, which have produced our exciting modern world. As the musical unfolds the characters begin to doubt the sustainability of our life but it ends on an upbeat note with a powerful reminder that we really do have the power to change the world. Former CBBC presenter, Gemma Hunt will provide the narration between the songs.

Following the premiere, WWF aims to work with other partners and schools across the UK to stage 50 performances in WWF’s 50th anniversary year which begins in April 2011.

Karen Gates, WWF project manager for One Sun One World said: “WWF is calling on schools and potential partners across the UK to come forward and register their interest. We will be providing comprehensive resources and support to help schools across the country realise this fantastic work. 50 performances across the country would engage a huge number of children with these important issues and could have huge impact in spreading the word about the work of WWF.”


For full information go to www.wwf.org/onesunoneworld or contact Karen Gates kgates@wwf.org.uk.


Ends



Editor's notes

1. WWF has a rich history of producing musicals for secondary schools. The first – Yanomano (exploring the lifestyle Yanomano tribe and their relationship with rainforests around them) – was premiered in London in 1983 with narration by David Attenborough. Subsequent performances took place on the Smithsonian Institute, World Trade Centre and The Kennedy Centre in America with Sting providing the narration.

Further productions included African jigsaw, Ocean World, and Arabica.

2. One Sun One World is a very strong partnership:
- English Chamber Orchestra: providing orchestral musicians, and leading the creative music programme.
- Royal College of Music: providing the soloists, orchestral musicians and musicians to support the creative music programme.
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: involvement of schools, co-ordination of cross-curricular projects, responsible for event production and vision, producing the programme, film, and event management..
- Royal Albert Hall: administrative co-ordination and support, donating the use of the Hall, providing technical support and event expertise, running the event logo and visioning challenge in schools.
- The schools of Kensington and Chelsea: rehearsals, in-school linked curriculum activities, the performance.

3. The One Sun World logo was devised by Glorival Orpilla, from Sion Manning RC Girl’s School as part of a competition run by The Royal Albert Hall in association with WWF

4. If everyone used natural resources and generated carbon emissions at the rate we do in the UK we would need three planets to support us. The way we live is leading to environmental threats such as climate change, species extinction, deforestation, water shortages and the collapse of fisheries. WWF’s One Planet Future Campaign is working to help people live a good quality of life within the earth’s capacity. For more information visit www.wwf.org.uk/oneplanet

For further information, please contact:
Simon Forrester, tel: 07932 755515, email: simon@fcom.demon.co.uk

Flagship species revisited

The WWF Marine Health Check series, published in 2000 and 2005, aims to provide an evolving overview of the well-being, including any change in status, of flagship habitats and species that live in the seas around the UK. This 2009 update provides a snapshot of six of the marine life features covered in the 2005 report. The findings reveal mixed fortunes, but clearly highlight the fact that much of our marine biodiversity resource remains under threat from a multitude of human-induced activities including fishing, oil and gas exploitation and renewable energy work, and emerging threats such as the impacts of climate change.

A High Court judge today blocked a request for permission to hold a Judicial Review over what campaigners say is the Treasury-s lack of adequate environmental and human rights consideration of Royal Bank of Scotland-s investments.

A High Court judge today blocked a request for permission to hold a Judicial Review over what campaigners say is the Treasury-s lack of adequate environmental and human rights consideration of Royal Bank of Scotland-s investments.

Associated Press: A new Vermont renewable energy program has more applications than it can handle. The state recently established a program that sets guaranteed prices for energy produced at plants powered by the sun, wind, water and methane gas as a way to encourage developers to build them. When bids were opened Monday, officials had proposals to provide more than four times the amount of renewable energy that they had wanted. "I'm absolutely delighted that what the Legislature intended has ...

Mongabay: In part one we explored the humanitarian impact of the drought, now we look at how the drought--and other crises--are affecting Kenya's wildlife. Not many years ago if you were planning a trip to Africa to see wildlife, Kenya would be near the top of the list, if not number one. Then violent riots in late 2007 and early 2008 leaving a thousand dead tarnished the country's image abroad. When calm and stability returned, Kenya was again open for tourism, and it's true that most ...

Guardian

Reuters: Space agencies and Google Inc are helping an international project to monitor forests by satellite to fight global warming, the head of an international earth observation group said on Tuesday. Deforestation from Brazil to Indonesia is blamed for emitting about a fifth of all greenhouse gases from human activities -- plants soak up carbon as they grow and release it when they burn or rot. "The only way to measure forests efficiently is from space," said Jose Achache, director ...

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