Central African Countries Sign Plan To Toughen Enforcement of Elephant Anti-Poaching Laws

Nearly a dozen countries in Central Africa signed a plan this month to toughen anti-poaching laws designed to fight against escalating illegal wildlife trade, especially decimating elephant populations in the thousands each year.

Cameroon Elephants. Stock Photo.

In March 2012, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that the Cameroon military entered a national park in the north region of the country where poachers had slaughtered hundreds of elephants since January.

The WWF added that “up to 12,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory, most in Central Africa.”

This new plan to combat the problem has been adopted by 10 member countries of the Central African Forest Commission, which are: Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Gabon. Rwanda, and Sao Tome e Principe. The commission is also known as COMIFAC.

This plan includes provisions to increase anti-poaching efforts in each of the participating countries and enable joint-country patrols in transboarder areas.

The wildlife ministers from the COMIFAC countries have also pledged to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, including police, customs, and judiciary systems in order to address the problem.

There is also a conference planned for sometime next year for the heads of state to address the wildlife losses and strategize on efforts to maintain biodiversity in the continent, said the WWF, which together with TRAFFIC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has provided technical and financial support toward the development of the plan.

The WWF will also said that it will continue provide ongoing support for the implementation of the plan. Elephant poaching on the continent has been an escalating problem.

The poachers suspected of killing the elephants in North Cameroon’s Boube N’Djida National Park are “believed to be foreigners who entered the country illegally across its boarder from Chad,” said the WWF.

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BP Signs Settlement To Limit Air Pollutants From Its New Whiting, Indiana Refinery Expansion

BP signed a settlement agreement last week with the state of Indiana, federal agencies, and environmental and community groups that will reduce the amount of air pollution emitted from the company’s expansion of its Whiting, Ind. oil refinery.

Canadian tar sands oil extraction. Image courtesy of the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin John Muir Chapter.

Local communities in Northwest Indiana as well as Chicago residents would be the most immediately effected by any pollution coming from the refinery.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said that “BP’s air permits did not accurately reflect the pollution realities of the Whiting refinery’s expansion” in including tar sands.

“Tar sands are a nasty source of oil that threaten our climate and they also emit dangerous pollution into the communities where they are refined,” said Ann Alexander, NRDC lead attorney for the community and environmental groups fighting the permits.

The settlement agreement calls for millions of dollars in added pollution controls and monitoring equipment to address increased emissions associated with the facility’s use of tar sands oil.

The NRDC estimates that the controls will eliminate about 4,000 tons of regulated pollutants annually, including volatile organic compounds such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides.

BP will also be required to put air monitors in place that will help increase information about emissions from refineries processing heavy oil.

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Sewage Feeding Slimy Green Algae Bloom in North Central Florida’s Santa Fe River System

Any of North Central Florida’s residents and tourists that were planning to spend some time either on or near the Santa Fe River System are going to have to make other plans for this Memorial Day weekend and for some time to come.

Sections of Florida’s Santa Fe River System being covered in slimy green algae created by sewage runoff and other pollutants. Photo courtesy of stateofwater.org.

Pollution from sewage, manure, and fertilizer runoff has created an outbreak of a thick slimy bright green algae bloom, and local authorities are recommending that no one swim, fish, or drink the water near the outbreak.

The Santa Fe is normally known for its clear springs and river bottoms filled with limestone and sand. It has been a haven for fish and other wildlife such as turtles, manatees, and an array of birds.

“Last weekend, boaters witnessed water that looked like thick, florescent green pea soup near Poe Springs” country park, according to a report by the Earthjustice, which is a nonprofit public interest environmental law firm.

Florida’s Lee County health department has had to issue warnings for people avoid contact with the waters and to keep their pets and livestock away too!

A drinking water plant on the county’s Caloosahatchee River – that serves about 30,000 people – has also been shut down due to pollution. The pollution is also affecting popular tourist beaches on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers.

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Airplane-Car Hybrid Makes Successful First Test Flight On The Road To Production Next Year

Terrafugia Inc. successfully completed the first test flight of its production prototype Transition Street-Legal Airplane. The Transition flight lasted eight minutes and reached an altitude of over 1400 feet, while staying in the vicinity of New York State’s Plattsburgh International Airport.

Photo courtesy of Terrafugia Inc.

The flight showcased the two-seater’s maneuverability and maximum speed of 115 mph. The plane has a flight range of 490 miles. Six additional phases of flight testing are still being planned to continue development and demonstrate compliance with the light sport aircraft standards.

The plane is scheduled for commercial production beginning next year, with about 100 planes already reserved, which the company says is “a backlog of over $25 million.” Marketed to pilots and those wanting to become pilots, the estimated retail price for one of these planes will be about $280,000.

So far, the company is only pursuing U.S. regulatory compliance, where the plane will be certified as both a light sport aircraft and a multipurpose passenger vehicle.

Terrafugia says that since the plane will be certified as a light sport aircraft, “the Transition will require at least a sport pilot license to fly, which requires a minimum of 20 hours of flight time and passing a simple practical test in the aircraft.”

“You will also need a valid driver’s license for use on the ground. Terrafugia will provide familiarization training to every customer,” the company added.

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A Sneak Peek at the Environmental Working Group’s Household Cleaners Hall of Shame

While we know that most household cleaners can be dangerous – which is why we put the safety latches on the cabinets to keep babies out– we may not realize just how dangerous they are even when properly used.

Image courtesy of enviroblog.org.

These days a lot of greenwashing (labeling products as natural) and other safety claims are made in advertisements to sell products by putting consumers’ minds at ease. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a consumer advocacy non-profit group, decided to take a look at these claims and found some frightening results.

Jane Houlihan, EWG senior vice president for research and co-author of the EWG Cleaners Hall of Shame, said that, “Cleaning your home can come at a high price with cancer-causing chemicals in the air; having an asthma attack from fumes; or getting serious skin burns from an accidental spill.”

“Almost any ingredient is legal and almost none of them are labeled, leaving families at risk,” she added.

This Cleaners Hall of Shame is a preview of a more comprehensive EWG Cleaners Database project that is due for release in fall 2012.

Stock photo.

The current report defines greenwashing as cleaners being labeled non-toxic, green, or safe, while containing hazardous ingredients.

Among the worst offenders is Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner, which the EWG says is labeled non-toxic and biodegradable, but contains the solvent 2-butoxyethanol that can irritate eyes and if absorbed through the skin, can damage red blood cells.

“Worse, the company website instructs the user to dilute the product significantly for even the heaviest cleaning tasks. Yet it comes in a spray bottle that implies it should be sprayed full-strength. Such use would result in higher exposure (and risk),” said the report.

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