THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWSTueday, 6 March 2007 UNEP and the Executive Director in the NewsEthanol may not ease global warming: U.N. (Reuters)Ethanol may not ease global warming: UN (Sydney Morning Herald)U.N. official discusses Brazil biofuel (Associated Press)Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações brasileiras de meio ambiente (Agencia Brasilia)Lula recebe Bush em SP para tratar de etanol (GAzeta do Povo)Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações ambientais brasileiras e etanol (EFE)Brasil vai convocar cúpula para discutir clima, diz ministra (Agência Brasil)Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações brasileiras de meio ambiente (Correio do Brasil) Tighter controls (Malaysia Star)Expert calls for tapping solar energy (Gulf Daily)Other Environment NewsMost Europeans concerned about climate change (Xinhua)Plugging the ozone hole cut global warming too (New Scientist)Bush Climate Report Shows U.S. Greenhouse Gases Skyrocketing (Environment News Service)UK plans to cut CO2 doomed to fail – scientists (The Guardian)Miliband: 'Time for a green industrial revolution' (Independent Online)China Officials Vow Stricter Environmental Curbs (Reuters)Premier hiver sans neige de l'histoire à Tokyo (Agence France-Presse)Ethical Man's top ten tips for ethical living (BBC)The reusable suspects (Guardian Unlimited)FAO sounds warning about overfishing (ANTARA News)Ocean Fisheries Maxed Out (IPS)Environmental News from the UNEP RegionsROAPROAROLACOther UN NewsUN Daily News of 5 March 2007 S.G.’s Spokesman Daily Press Briefing of 5 March 2007 ^ Reuters: Ethanol may not ease global warming: U.N. Mon Mar 5, 2007 By Andrea WelshBRASILIA (Reuters) - It's too soon to say whether ethanol will help slow global warming, the head of the United Nations Environment Program said on Monday, ahead of a meeting by the world's two biggest ethanol producers to discuss building a world market in the biofuel."We're (seeing) the expansion of ethanol production in many parts of the world, and we're in the early stages of understanding the implications of that development," said UNEP director Achim Steiner after meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva."Nobody should take any conclusion as given," Steiner said.Lula is eager to boost global trade in Brazilian sugar-cane ethanol, which is cheaper and eight times more energy efficient than the corn ethanol made in the United States.Lula will meet Friday with President George W. Bush, who wants to replace a percentage of U.S. gasoline with corn ethanol to help farmers and to reduce dependence on oil, especially since U.S. antagonists like Venezuela and Iran depend on oil revenue.The United States is the biggest producer and consumer of ethanol but Brazil is the biggest exporter and has been using ethanol to power cars for 30 years.Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because the heat-trapping carbon gases released when it burns are captured again by new plants. Carbon gases from fossil fuels are almost certainly linked to a rise in global temperatures, climate scientists have said.But Steiner said building a global ethanol market won't necessarily lower the amount of carbon gas released into the air unless there are proper norms for biofuel production and innovations in making ethanol from tough cellulosic materials like grasses and corn husks.Researchers are studying termites to learn how they digest wood to make sugar, a process that could help make corn ethanol more environmentally friendly.Currently, fertilizing and processing corn into ethanol uses almost as much fossil fuel as it saves. Brazilian cane ethanol is far more efficient, but it might lose that edge due to the expense and energy spent in being shipped overseas in fuel-guzzling tankers.Lula has said he will ask Bush to consider lifting a U.S. tariff on Brazilian ethanol and do more to fight global warming and foster fair trade. The White House said the tariff is not up for discussion.Bush has been widely criticized for refusing in 2001 to sign the global Kyoto protocol to lower carbon emissions. The United States emits more carbon gas than any other nation. ________________________________________________________________________^ Sydney Morning Herald: Ethanol may not ease global warming: UN ^ [Also appears in The Age, the West Australian] March 6, 2007 - 2:44PMIt's too soon to say whether the biofuel ethanol will help slow global warming, the head of the United Nations Environment Program says.UNEP director Achim Steiner made the comments ahead of a meeting by the world's two biggest ethanol producers to discuss building a world market in the biofuel."We're (seeing) the expansion of ethanol production in many parts of the world, and we're in the early stages of understanding the implications of that development," said Steiner after meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva."Nobody should take any conclusion as given," Steiner said.Lula is eager to boost global trade in Brazilian sugar-cane ethanol, which is cheaper and eight times more energy efficient than the corn ethanol made in the United States.Lula will meet on Friday with US President George W Bush, who wants to replace a percentage of US, petrol with corn ethanol to help farmers and to reduce dependence on oil, especially since US antagonists like Venezuela and Iran depend on oil revenue.The United States is the biggest producer and consumer of ethanol but Brazil is the biggest exporter and has been using ethanol to power cars for 30 years.Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because the heat-trapping carbon gases released when it burns are captured again by new plants.Carbon gases from fossil fuels are almost certainly linked to a rise in global temperatures, climate scientists have said.But Steiner said building a global ethanol market won't necessarily lower the amount of carbon gas released into the air unless there are proper norms for biofuel production and innovations in making ethanol from tough cellulosic materials like grasses and corn husks.Researchers are studying termites to learn how they digest wood to make sugar, a process that could help make corn ethanol more environmentally friendly.Currently, fertilising and processing corn into ethanol uses almost as much fossil fuel as it saves.Brazilian cane ethanol is far more efficient, but it might lose that edge due to the expense and energy spent in being shipped overseas in fuel-guzzling tankers.Lula has said he will ask Bush to consider lifting a US tariff on Brazilian ethanol and do more to fight global warming and foster fair trade. The White House said the tariff is not up for discussion.Bush has been widely criticised for refusing in 2001 to sign the global Kyoto protocol to lower carbon emissions. The United States emits more carbon gas than any other nation.________________________________________________________________________^ Associated Press: U.N. official discusses Brazil biofuel [Also appears in Howell Times and Transcript, Meadow Free Press, White Rock Reviewer, The Guardian. Forbes and over 30 more news sources.] 2007/3 By MICHAEL ASTOR, RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A proposed ethanol alliance that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to forge with President Bush later this week poses both opportunities and risks for the environment, a top U.N. environmental official said Monday. Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, said growing international demands for ethanol and other biofuels can threaten the Amazon rain forest if safeguards are not put in place because the world‘s largest remaining tropical wilderness is a target area for agriculture. "I think at the end of the day ... it‘s a question of whether the Amazon is sufficiently protected and whether the expansion of the ethanol production happens in the context of government policies that try and direct that growth potential in a sustainable base," Steiner told The Associated Press after meeting with Brazil‘s ministers of environment, energy and foreign relations in the capital of Brasilia. Brazil is the world‘s second-biggest producer of ethanol after the United States, and is the biggest exporter. The country has also taken the lead in producing soybean-based biodiesel. In the near term, soybean growers likely will continue to expand into the Amazon as farmland in Brazil‘s south and central regions move to sugarcane, which requires greater infrastructure. The Amazon region, which covers nearly 60 percent of Brazil, has lost 20 percent of its forest — 1.6 million square miles — to development, logging and farming. ________________________________________________________________________Agencia Brasilia: Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações brasileiras de meio ambienteÉrica SantanaRepórter da Agência BrasilWilson Dias/ABr1910WD728.jpgBrasília - Achim Steiner, diretor-executivo do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente (Pnuma), e Marina Silva, ministra do Meio Ambiente, falam à imprensa após audiência com o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaBrasília - O diretor-executivo do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente (Pnuma), Achim Steiner, disse hoje (5) após audiência com presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, que um dos principais objetivos de sua visita ao Brasil é compreender como o país lida com as questões ambientais. É a primeira vez que Steiner vem ao Brasil desde que assumiu a direção do Pnuma, em junho de 2006. Hoje pela manhã ele se reuniu com a ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, e participou de reuniões no Ministério das Relações Exteriores, para “tentar entender mais efetivamente como o Brasil tem abordado as questões ambientais e para mostrar à comunidade internacional as grandes realizações brasileiras nesse aspecto”. A liderança do Brasil no combate ao desmatamento, na redução de gases poluentes e na produção de energia limpa foram algumas das questões tratadas durante as reuniões. “O que nós temos discutido nas diversas reuniões é o papel de liderança do Brasil e como melhor contribuir para criar um clima diferente na área ambiental, especialmente para lidar com esses problemas drásticos, como por exemplo a mudança do clima”, disse. O diretor do Pnuma destacou a relevância dos relatórios divulgados na semana passada pelo Ministério do Meio Ambiente, que indicam como o aquecimento global provocará impactos negativos nos biomas brasileiros. “As mudanças climáticas não são apenas problemas dos países desenvolvidos, afeta também a realidade da vida como a conhecemos hoje em todas as regiões do mundo”, afirmou Steiner. De acordo com o diretor da ONU, a única forma de tratar essa questão é fazendo com que os países assumam responsabilidades comuns e enfrentem o problema juntos. “Muitos países falam muito, mas poucos tiveram o sucesso do Brasil na redução do desmatamento em 52%”, reconheceu. A ministra Marina Silva disse que a vinda do diretor do Pnuma ao Brasil é um reconhecimento dos esforços feitos pelo país. “A presença dele no Brasil se reverte de suma importância para o nosso país para questão ambiental e, de um modo geral, no contexto de que tudo o que está acontecendo hoje em relação às mudanças climáticas e todos os esforços que vêm sendo feitos, tanto do ponto de vista regional, sub-regional e global”. Segundo Marina Silva, durante o encontro com o presidente Lula A conversa foi sobre o papel do Brasil para a realização de um desenvolvimento sustentável do ponto de vista econômico, social e ambiental. A ministra voltou a ressaltar a importância de integrar esses aspectos. “O desafio do nosso século é exatamente esse: fazer com que meio ambiente, conservação ambiental e desenvolvimento econômico façam parte da mesma equação. Não se trata sequer de compatibilizar as três coisas. Trata-se de fazer com que aconteçam ao mesmo tempo”. Achim Steiner disse ainda que o conhecimento brasileiro em relação aos biocombustíveis é invejado por muitos países. “O Brasil tem uma matriz energética que permite que outros países olhem para ele como uma fonte de tecnologia e de conhecimento”. Amanhã (6), às 10 horas, o diretor-executivo do Pnuma participa de palestra no Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (Ibama) sobre “Os Desafios do Desenvolvimento Sustentável e as Respostas do Sistema Multilateral”. Ele também irá a São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro para discutir questões ambientais com setores públicos e privados. Achim Steiner fica no Brasil até quarta-feira (7).________________________________________________________________________^ GAzeta do PovoLula recebe Bush em SP para tratar de etanolpor REUTERS/BRASIL ONLINENesta semana, o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recebe o colega norte-americano George W. Bush, que faz um giro pela América Latina começando pelo Brasil.Do lado comercial, o foco do encontro será a cooperação no setor de etanol. Do ponto de vista político, Bush deve tentar neutralizar a influência de Hugo Chávez, presidente da Venezuela, na América Latina.Os movimentos do presidente norte-americano em São Paulo, única cidade brasileira que visitará, estão cercados por um forte esquema de segurança. Até agora, é dado como certo que ele visitará na sexta-feira, em conjunto com o presidente Lula, um terminal da Transpetro, empresa de transporte da Petrobras, em Guarulhos, na Grande São Paulo. No local, poderá receber informações sobre o armazenamento e distribuição de álcool.Em seguida, os dois presidentes terão reunião e almoço no hotel Hilton, na zona Sul de São Paulo, quando devem assinar e divulgar um memorando bilateral de cooperação na área de biocombustíveis.Bush visitará também a ONG Meninos do Morumbi, que atende crianças carentes com cursos gratuitos de música, segundo o Consulado norte-americano em São Paulo.O giro de Bush inclui ainda Uruguai, Colômbia, Guatemala e México. A visita será a segunda que o presidente americano fará ao Brasil. Ele esteve antes no país em novembro de 2005, em Brasília. No dia 31, Lula e Bush voltarão a se encontrar, desta vez em Camp David, residência de campo dos presidentes norte-americanos, num contexto considerado ``mais íntimo'' por se tratar de um local isolado.Veja os temas políticos da semana:SEGUNDA-FEIRA- O presidente Lula recebe Achim Steiner, diretor-executivo do Programa de Meio Ambiente das Nações Unidas, com a ministra Marina Silva. Steiner também fará palestra em São Paulo na Bovespa na quarta-feira.- O presidente do PT, Ricardo Berzoini, será recebido por Lula no final da tarde, quando deve levar as reivindicações do partido para o novo ministério que vem sendo articulado pelo presidente.TERÇA-FEIRA- Reunião dos 27 governadores com o presidente Lula, que tem a reforma tributária como um dos focos. Governadores devem reivindicar desconcentração de receitas. Medidas destinadas à segurança pública também devem fazer parte da conversa.- Na Câmara, deve ocorrer reunião dos líderes dos partidos para tratar sobre reforma política. Entre os temas que devem ir à votação estão medidas provisórias, o projeto que prevê o fim do voto secreto e planos na área de segurança. Sobre o PAC, nenhum relator apresentou parecer ainda.- O Senado tem em pauta três medidas provisórias que autorizam a abertura de créditos extraordinários para ministérios e órgãos.QUARTA-FEIRA- O presidente Lula vai ao Rio de Janeiro assinar a liberação de 100 milhões de reais para obras dos Jogos Pan-Americanos. Participa de evento comemorativo do Dia Internacional da Mulher.QUINTA-FEIRA- O presidente George W. Bush chega a São Paulo. Horário previsto: 19h30. O ministro das Relações Exteriores, Celso Amorim, oferecerá um jantar para a secretária de Estado Condoleezza Rice.- O presidente da República Federal da Alemanha, Horst Khoeler, tem encontro com o presidente Lula no Palácio do Planalto. Khoeler, que fica no país de 6 a 12 de março, visitará também Foz do Iguaçu, São Paulo, Recife, Olinda e Manaus. A Alemanha é o principal parceiro comercial do Brasil na Europa e o Brasil é o maior mercado para as exportações alemãs na América do Sul.SEXTA-FEIRA- Lula e Bush encontram-se em São Paulo. Pela manhã, visitam terminal da Transpetro, em Guarulhos, e depois participam de um almoço. Em seguida, Bush segue para o Uruguai.DOMINGO- O PMDB realiza convenção para escolher seu presidente. Estão na disputa o deputado Michel Temer, atual presidente da sigla, e Nelson Jobim, ex-presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal.LEIA MAIS________________________________________________________________________^ EFE: Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações ambientais brasileiras e etanol05/03 - 23:08 - EFEBrasília, 5 mar (EFE).- O diretor-executivo do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente (Pnuma), Achim Steiner, elogiou hoje as ações realizadas pelo Brasil em defesa do meio ambiente, na conversa com o presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.Steiner, em sua primeira visita ao Brasil desde que assumiu a direção do Pnuma, em junho de 2006, falou especialmente do sucesso conseguido pelo Brasil no combate ao desmatamento da Amazônia e na redução da emissão de gases poluentes. Outro tema destacado foi a produção de combustíveis ecológicos."Muitos países falam muito sobre meio ambiente, mas poucos tiveram o sucesso do Brasil, que reduziu o ritmo de desmatamento da Amazônia em 52%", afirmou em entrevista após seu encontro com Lula."Nas diferentes reuniões discutimos o papel de liderança do Brasil na área", afirmou.O diretor do Pnuma disse que, após a divulgação de um relatório sobre os graves efeitos que o aquecimento global pode ter no país nos próximos anos, o Brasil deu um grande passo para combater um dos maiores desafios do mundo atual."As mudanças climáticas não são um problema só dos países desenvolvidos. Também afetam a realidade da vida como a conhecemos hoje em todas as regiões do mundo", disse.A única forma de combater o problema, acrescentou, é garantir que os países assumam responsabilidades comuns e se unam para enfrentar o aquecimento. Segundo Steiner, a tecnologia brasileira na produção de biocombustíveis é cobiçada por muitos países."Com a sua matriz energética, o Brasil é visto por outros países como fonte de tecnologia e de conhecimento", avaliou, ao comentar a propagação no país da produção de etanol a partir de cana de açúcar e de automóveis movidos a álcool. EFE cm mf_______________________________________________________________________^ Agência Brasil: Brasil vai convocar cúpula para discutir clima, diz ministra5 de Março de 2007 - 21h58 - last modified em 5 de Março de 2007 - 22h09Érica SantanaRepórter da Agência BrasilBrasília - A ministra do Meio Ambiente (MMA), Marina Silva, no lançamento do relatório "GEO Brasil Recursos Hídricos", da Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA). Primeiro volume de uma série de relatórios sobre o estado e as perspectivas ambientais no país, o documento sistematiza informações sobre a situação das águas brasileiras, além de traçar recomendações para a sustentabilidadeBrasília - A ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, disse hoje (5) que o Brasil está disposto a convocar uma reunião de cúpula de ministros do Meio Ambiente e Relações Exteriores de pelo menos 15 países para tratar da governança ambiental global. De acordo com a ministra, a cúpula não terá caráter deliberativo e deverá reunir informações ambientais sobre os países participantes. A idéia é fazer um evento semelhante à ECO 92, encontro da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), realizado em 1992 no Rio de Janeiro."Nós vamos discutir as questões das mudanças climáticas, buscando um novo acúmulo para um segundo período de compromissos onde nós pudéssemos construir um processo que seja pactuado entre as nações, a exemplo do que nós tivemos em 92, no Rio de Janeiro", afirmou.Caso aconteça, Marina Silva sugere que a cúpula seja realizada no meio do ano, quando se comemora os 15 anos da Rio 92 . Ela ressalta que "a única coisa que nós queremos é que essa reunião já possa refletir um processo interno. Um amadurecimento nos países".O Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente (Pnuma) sugere que seja realizada uma outra reunião para discutir as questões climáticas mundiais, mas segundo a ministra, essa não contará com a liderança do Brasil. "Na reunião de Cúpula que o Pnuma propõe, o Brasil vai participar do esforço, mas aí não é uma convocação do Brasil. Nós participamos como parte do processo".De acordo com a ministra, o presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva disse hoje, durante encontro com diretor-executivo do Pnuma, Achim Steiner, que na reunião do G8 + 5 "vai tratar com muita ênfase a questão das mudanças climáticas e as contribuições que o Brasil já aporta e continuará aportando para essa questão". O G8 é um grupo que reúne os sete países mais desenvolvidos do mundo (Estados Unidos, Japão, Alemanha, Reino Unido, França, Itália e o Canadá), mais a Rússia. Já os cinco diz respeito aos países emergentes: Brasil, China, Índia, México e África do Sul.Achim Steiner está no Brasil para conhecer os projetos brasileiros voltados para a governança ambiental. Segundo ele, as realização dessas cúpulas remetem à discussão sobre uma dinâmica ambiental. "A reunião planejada de ministros de Meio Ambiente e de Relações Exteriores sobre governança ambiental é parte de um processo que está em curso na Nações Unidas sobre a reforma para a governança ambiental", explicou.Ele disse ainda que o Brasil tem um papel importante na criação de uma agenda global. "Quando eu falo em pró-atividade, eu falo no papel que o Brasil pode ter ao convocar essas reuniões; de trazer novas idéias, facilitar novas discussões, fazer novas alianças e traçar horizontes para adiantar a agenda ambiental"._________________________________________________________________________Correio do Brasil : Diretor do Pnuma elogia ações brasileiras de meio ambiente 6 March 2007.Por Redação, com ABr - de Brasília O diretor-executivo do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente (Pnuma), Achim Steiner, disse nesta segunda-feira após audiência com presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, que um dos principais objetivos de sua visita ao Brasil é compreender como o país lida com as questões ambientais. Nesta manhã ele se reuniu com a ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, e participou de reuniões no Ministério das Relações Exteriores, para "tentar entender mais efetivamente como o Brasil tem abordado as questões ambientais e para mostrar à comunidade internacional as grandes realizações brasileiras nesse aspecto". A liderança do Brasil no combate ao desmatamento, na redução de gases poluentes e na produção de energia limpa foram algumas das questões tratadas durante as reuniões. - O que nós temos discutido nas diversas reuniões é o papel de liderança do Brasil e como melhor contribuir para criar um clima diferente na área ambiental, especialmente para lidar com esses problemas drásticos, como por exemplo a mudança do clima -, disse. O diretor do Pnuma destacou a relevância dos relatórios divulgados na semana passada pelo Ministério do Meio Ambiente, que indicam como o aquecimento global provocará impactos negativos nos biomas brasileiros. De acordo com o diretor da ONU, a única forma de tratar essa questão é fazendo com que os países assumam responsabilidades comuns e enfrentem o problema juntos. - Muitos países falam muito, mas poucos tiveram o sucesso do Brasil na redução do desmatamento em 52% -, reconheceu. A ministra Marina Silva disse que a vinda do diretor do Pnuma ao Brasil é um reconhecimento dos esforços feitos pelo país. Segundo Marina Silva, durante o encontro com o presidente Lula A conversa foi sobre o papel do Brasil para a realização de um desenvolvimento sustentável do ponto de vista econômico, social e ambiental. A ministra voltou a ressaltar a importância de integrar esses aspectos.- O desafio do nosso século é exatamente esse: fazer com que meio ambiente, conservação ambiental e desenvolvimento econômico façam parte da mesma equação. Não se trata sequer de compatibilizar as três coisas. Trata-se de fazer com que aconteçam ao mesmo tempo _________________________________________________________________________Malaysia Star: Tighter controls^ By ROBERT EVANSEUROPEANS may soon find some of their favourite fish dishes are off the menu while lovers of coral jewellery and consumers of Asian medicines may have to change their ways, the United Nations said last week. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said proposals on the agenda for a key conference in June would, if approved, impose tighter rules on trade in a range of endangered species – animals and trees as well as riches of the sea. The European Union, UNEP said, wanted to see controls on the sale of the spiny dogfish, a small shark often called “rock salmon” and especially popular as a fish-and-chips dish in Britain and eaten with horseradish in Germany. The United States is seeking restrictions on trade in pink coral, the most precious variety of the tiny marine polyp, while Kenya and Mali want a 20-year ban on sales of raw or worked ivory to protect elephants. The proposals will be discussed at the three-yearly gathering of signatory states to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to be held in The Hague from June 3 to 15. CITES, whose secretariat works with UNEP, was adopted by more than 100 countries in 1973 and now has 169 signatories. Among other species for which greater protection is on the agenda are the tiny, wideeyed Asian slow loris primate, European eels, sawfish, Caribbean lobsters and Latin American cedar and rosewood trees. Cambodia, which is seeking a full CITES ban on trade in the loris, argues that the animal – popular as a pet in Asia but threatened mainly because its bones are used in Asian traditional medicines – could soon die out. Countries calling for restrictions on trade in eels, sawfish and lobsters say their numbers are declining rapidly because they are grossly over-fished, while the defenders of tropical trees say they are being logged to extinction. The proposal for a total ban on ivory trade is likely to be fiercely contested by countries from southern Africa, which argue they have been successful in limiting illegal killing of elephants, which CITES experts say has yet to be proved. Botswana and Namibia want an easing of CITES rules on oneoff ivory sales, and Botswana itself is to ask the conference for approval to sell 40 tonnes from its existing stocks and an annual export quota of eight tonnes. Kenya and Mali – which also have elephant populations and have waged a bitter struggle against illegal killing to harvest the animals’ tusks – say any easing of the CITES rules would encourage poachers. Another proposal experts say is likely to cause controversy is one from Uganda to end a total ban on the export of leopard parts and replace it with less onerous restrictions which would allow a limited trade in skins as hunting trophies.________________________________________________________________________^ Gulf Daily: Expert calls for tapping solar energyPublished: Tuesday, 6 March, 2007, 08:51 AM Doha TimeBy Bonnie JamesQatar, which gets abundant sunshine, should tap solar energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels, noted environmentalist and a world leader in sustainable ecology Dr David Suzuki has suggested.“If all your buildings have solar power, it could be used, for example, to heat water, thereby sparing electricity and ultimately reducing the consumption of fossil fuels,” he told Gulf Times in an interview.Dr Suzuki, also an award-winning genetic scientist, broadcaster, and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, was the keynote speaker at Tasmeem Doha 2007, the fourth annual international design conference, which began yesterday.“The government ought to take the initiative to utilise solar power as it is an economic opportunity,” he said while pointing out that sun is the most potential energy source when fossil fuels run out.“It doesn’t make sense if you don’t use renewable energy for yourselves when you have more sunlight than you can use to fuel the economy,” observed the expert from Canada.Dr Suzuki believed that Qatar should increase the price of fuel so as to prompt people to reduce its consumption, leading to conservation of fossil fuel.“In Canada, we pay a dollar per litre. It should be two or three dollars per litre. It is crazy to be burning energy to drive a two-tonne truck just to transport a person weighing 180lb,” he said.Substantiating his recommendation to raise fuel price, Dr Suzuki maintained that such a step could be a driving force in changing behaviour.“Right now, the hard part is getting people to change their behaviour,” he remarked while observing that the global economy, presently focused on consumption, should be fundamentally shifted.“If you look at what most of the consumption is about, it has got nothing to do with the basic ability to live a good life. It is digging stuff out of ground, making something, and throwing it back as waste. This is madness, the way that we live now,” he said.Referring to the environmental and ecological imbalance that the world is facing today, Dr Suzuki termed global warming as the biggest crisis.“For over 20 years scientists have said that the threat of climate change is second only to that of nuclear war as a danger to human survival. And yet where do you see any serious attempt to radically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions?” he asked.Quoting World Wildlife Fund, Dr Suzuki warned that the exploitation of the natural resources had gone past the sustainable limit.“Now it takes the earth 1.3 years to restore all those resources we take out in a year, which means we are drawing down steadily on the earth’s ability to replenish. If we continue at the rate we are going, by 2050 it would take two planets to restore what we remove in a year,” he said.According to Dr Suzuki the real problem is the hyper-consumption of the industrialised world, which accounts for 20% of the world’s population but uses over 80% of the resources.“So the challenge that we in the industrialised world have to recognise is that we have to get our consumptive rates down. And that is a big challenge,” he maintained.Coming back to the fossil fuel scenario, Dr Suzuki, a recipient of Unesco’s Kalinga Prize for Science, and the UN Environment Programme Medal, cautioned about the ‘peak oil’ phase.“Peak oil is the stage when we know where all of the major deposits of oil are and they are developed. Then there is no more new oil coming online. At this juncture, the price of oil is going to skyrocket,” he predicted.“When such a stage is reached, countries like India and China are going to want that oil, and the US would have to compete with them.”“There is going to be a massive shift in everything. But nobody is planning for what you do once oil begins to decline. We have to find an alternative,” he added._____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________^ Other Environment News Xinhua: Most Europeans concerned about climate changeBRUSSELS, Mar. 5 (Xinhua) -- The overwhelming majority of European Union (EU) citizens are concerned about climate change, according to a survey whose results were released on Monday. According to the Euro barometer survey done on behalf of the European Commission, half of EU citizens are very much concerned about the effects of climate change and global warming, while a further 37 percent say that they are to some degree concerned about the issue. Eight out of 10 Europeans are well aware of the impact of energy production and consumption on climate change and global warming. Sixty-two percent feel that the best way to tackle energy-related issues would be at EU level. "This survey clearly shows that EU citizens expect the EU to shape a common European response to face energy and climate change challenges," said European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Climate change is happening. EU citizens expect EU leadership on this issue. The EU must use this political momentum in order to put Europe and the World on the path to a more energy secure and low carbon future." The survey shows that EU citizens are fairly certain that energy prices will increase significantly over the next decade due to ongoing climate change. Seventy-six percent feel that they will need to change their energy consumption habits in the next decade_____________________________________________________________________________^ NewScientist: Plugging the ozone hole cut global warming too 22:00 05 March 2007 Global warming would be much worse if the world had not put a halt to the destruction of the ozone hole above Antarctica, say researchers.They say the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which restricts the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals, will cut warming by five or six times more than the Kyoto Protocol.Previous research has shown the ozone layer is recovering and the protocol was hailed by Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the UN, as "perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date".At the time, it was known that ozone-depleting halocarbons were also greenhouse gases and therefore were contributing to warming the atmosphere. What was not known was how much the cooling effect of phasing out these chemicals would add to the cooling effect of patching up the ozone hole in the stratosphere. The new study, led by Guus Velders of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, calculated that effect: "It was quite a surprise to see it was so large."^ Gigatonnes of carbon The 2007 assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that stratospheric ozone has a cooling effect of 0.05 Watts per square metre and that the halocarbons currently in the atmosphere have a warming effect of 0.34 W/m2. Velders and his colleagues used computer models to simulate how the planet would have warmed had it not been for the Montreal Protocol. They conclude the warming caused by halocarbons would be nearly twice that currently seen, i.e. between 0.60 and 0.65 W/m2.Another way quantifying the effect is to compare it to the amount of carbon dioxide that would have had the same effect. By 2010, the researchers calculate, the Montreal Protocol will have avoided the equivalent of between 9.7 and 12.5 gigatonnes of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere every year. In contrast, Velders calculates that if all countries were meet their Kyoto Protocol targets by 2012, this will have avoided the equivalent of 2.0 gigatonnes of CO2 every year. ^ Rapid growth "The gases that were regulated by the Montreal Protocol were growing very rapidly in the atmosphere, so there was clearly potential for very significant contribution" by limiting them, agrees John Pyle, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Cambridge, UK.Although the Montreal Protocol limited the production of ozone-depleting chemicals, it did not require the removal of equipment containing the gases - refrigerators and air conditioners built before 2000, for instance. Furthermore, some of the chemicals which have replaced CFCs as a result of the Montreal Protocol are also greenhouse gases.Velders says that removing existing equipment that emit CFCs from circulation and replacing "intermediate substitutes" with chemicals that neither deplete the ozone nor warm the planet, would remove the equivalent of a further 1.2 gigatonnes of CO2 per year. That would more than half the impact of Kyoto. ____________________________________________________________________________________________Environment News Service: Bush Climate Report Shows U.S. Greenhouse Gases Skyrocketing ^ WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2007 (ENS) - The United States will emit about 20 percent more greenhouse gases by 2020 than it did in 2000, according to a draft report that the Bush administration was scheduled to submit to the United Nations a year ago. The internal administration report, which was obtained by the Associated Press, estimates that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas will rise from 7.7 billion tons in 2000 to 9.2 billion tons in 2020 - an increase of 19.5 percent. The growth in emissions was expected, but highlights how out of touch the Bush administration is with world opinion and the efforts of other countries to curb climate change. The White House Council on Environmental Quality, CEQ, which is responsible for the draft report, says that how much the administration can do to cut emissions beyond merely slowing the rate of increase will become clear "as the science justifies." The report forecasts increasing droughts and "a distinct reduction" in the spring snowpack covering the northwestern states, which supplies most of the region's drinking water. The United States currently is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases - responsible for about one-quarter of the world's emisssions. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, one of his first acts was to repudiate the Kyoto Protocol signed by President Bill Clinton, and it has never been sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification. The protocol, an amendment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, requires most industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by the end of 2012. The latest projections from pre-2004 EU Member States (EU-15) show that greenhouse gas emissions could be brought down to eight percent below 1990 levels by 2010. An October report by the European Environment Agency, EEA, shows that "if all existing and planned domestic policy measures are implemented and Kyoto mechanisms as well as carbon sinks are used, the EU-15 will reach its Kyoto Protocol target." The next 10 new EU member states also are on track to achieve their individual Kyoto targets, despite rising emissions, largely due to economic restructuring in the 1990s, says the EEA. The two most recent EU member states were not part of the block last October when the report was produced. President Bush has said that abiding by the Kyoto Protocol would hurt the U.S. economy. He has argued that voluntary emissions reductions and better technology such as clean coal, nuclear power, and energy efficiency would do the job of limiting global warming. U.S. scientists, businesses and environmental groups say that if irreversible global warming is to be avoided, binding targets even more stringent than those of the Kyoto Protocol should be set. On April 14 campaigners will be demonstrating in cities across the United Sttates to call for 80 percent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The CEQ says its final version of the report will "show that the president's portfolio of actions and his financial commitment to addressing climate change are working." The draft U.S. report comes one month after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, issued their strongest warning to date - finding that global warming is occurring, that humans are "very likely" responsible, and that warming is expected to continue for centuries, even if greenhouse gas emissions are curbed at once. Average global temperatures could rise by over six degree Celsius (11 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, the panel said. The IPCC report was endorsed by 113 governments, including the United States. The U.S. states are taking the initiative from the federal government with four regional programs to curb reenhouse gas emissions. California has led the field by aiming to cut its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to meet the target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. A variety of bipartisan legislation establishing controls on greenhouse gas emissions and cap-and-trade plans for the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide are making their way through the Democrat-controlled Congress. James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has said the administration stands firm on its belief that regulating carbon emissions would undermine the U.S. economy. "We still have very strong reservations about an overarching, one-size-fits-all mandate about carbon," he said in November. Connaughton said most bills in Congress aimed at cutting emissions of carbon dioxide probably would raise energy prices. A CEQ spokesperson blamed the delay in submitting the report to the United Nations on an "extensive interagency review process." The Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science warned at its annual meeting in February that, "Delaying action to address climate change will increase the environmental and societal consequences as well as the costs. The longer we wait to tackle climate change, the harder and more expensive the task will be," the scientists said.________________________________________________________________________ ^ The Guardian: UK plans to cut CO2 doomed to fail – scientists James Randerson, science correspondentMonday March 5, 2007 An independent scientific audit of the UK's climate change policies predicts that the government will fall well below its target of a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 - which means that the country will not reach its 2020 milestone until 2050.The report condemns government forecasts on greenhouse gas emissions as "very optimistic" and projects that the true reduction will be between 12 and 17%, making little difference to current CO2 emission levels.The report is based on an analysis of the government's attempts to meet climate change targets. The authors argue that because much policy is based on voluntary measures, the predicted outcomes cannot be relied upon. It is released on the day the environment minister, David Miliband, delivers a speech on the UK's transition to a "post-oil economy".He will tell an audience at the University of Cambridge: "Al Gore says climate change is a planetary emergency. It is. But it is more than that. It is a humanitarian emergency - a threat to the security and survival of people, not just nature."The time is right to look at what it would mean for the UK over the period of 15 to 20 years to create a post-oil economy - a declaration less of 'oil independence' and more the end of oil dependence."But critics of the government's record on climate change argue that despite the green-friendly rhetoric, it has failed to deliver sufficient reductions. "The policies are all going in the right direction and are all relatively well thought out, they just have to be enforced," said Mark Maslin, director of University College London's Environment Institute and one of the audit study's authors. "In most sectors all the policies at the moment are voluntary. So basically nobody bothers." The study was commissioned for Channel 4's Dispatches, which will screen a documentary -Greenwash - on the findings presented by George Monbiot tonight.The 30% cut by 2020 is a self-imposed government target that goes beyond the UK's obligations under the Kyoto protocol - the figures are relative to 1990 levels. The UCL team's 12 to 17% figure is based on downgrading the predictions considering the likely effects of policies.For example, the government predicts that national transport emissions will rise by 4m tonnes. But this assumes that car manufacturers deliver on voluntary fuel efficiency targets. Such milestones have never been hit. The team also believes the government's projections for the number of car journey's in 2020 are an underestimate. The report predicts that emissions from national transport will actually rise by between 7m and 13m tonnes.In the domestic energy sector, one much-trumpeted government policy is a set of new building regulations to make all new homes built after 2016 "zero carbon". However, the UCL auditors are sceptical that this policy will deliver because of poor enforcement.The researchers also believe domestic energy consumption will continue to rise faster than the government predicts due to demand for more energy intensive products, such as plasma televisions.A Defra spokeswoman said the UK had already beaten its 2012 emissions target of 12.5% under the Kyoto protocol and that the latest figures for 2005 show a reduction of 15.3% on 1990 levels. "The action we have taken to cut our greenhouse gas emissions at the same time as maintaining economic growth makes us an exemplar. But we are not complacent and recognise that to reach our long term goals we need to do more," she said.________________________________________________________________________ ^ Independent Online: Miliband: 'Time for a green industrial revolution' By Ben Russell, Political Correspondent Published: 05 March 2007 Britain needs a new industrial revolution to transform itself into the low carbon economy needed to make radical cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, will say today. He will call for drastic action to cut oil consumption to combat the "humanitarian emergency" of global warming. And Mr Miliband will insist that Britain needs to pioneer new technology such as "capturing" carbon emissions from power stations, developing biofuels and new electric cars, and to radically cut demand for domestic power to hit the Kyoto target to cut carbon by 60 per cent by 2050.The Environment Secretary will use a lecture at Cambridge University to call for radical action to transform the economy as he prepares to publish a draft Climate Change Bill next week. The Bill will set out tough interim targets for cutting emissions and commit the Government to an annual progress report to increase political pressure for change. Ministers have ruled out binding annual targets for cuts in carbon dioxide emissions as unworkable, but insist that they will have tough interim benchmarks to ensure there is no let-up in the drive to cut greenhouse gases. Sources said that a full Climate Change Bill will be debated by MPs before the autumn, possibly before Easter.Mr Miliband will say: "In the 19th century, Britain pioneered the transition to an industrial economy. The Industrial Revolution brought together invention and science, a culture of enterprise, and political leadership from our great cities and national government. In the 21st century, we are again a transition economy. We need the same combination if we to make a new transition: from a high carbon to low-carbon society."We need political leadership at a local, national and European level prepared to make bold, long term, decisions."He will add: "It is clear finally that if we carry on with business as usual, with more countries growing in wealth and population, the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will increase dramatically, with catastrophic consequences."He will argue that the "vast majority" of carbon emissions must by covered by a global carbon market.Mr Miliband will praise the Swedish government for setting up a commission on oil independence which aims to cut petrol consumption by 50 per cent by 2020 and called on Britain to create a "post-oil economy" within 15 to 20 years. And he will call for all new coal-fired power stations to be capable of using carbon capture technology and the promotion of wave, wind and solar generation. _____________________________________________________________________________ ^ Reuters: China Officials Vow Stricter Environmental Curbs CHINA: March 6, 2007BEIJING - Chinese officials fanned out at the start of the annual session of parliament to pledge concrete steps to implement Premier Wen Jiabao's demand that China do more to protect the environment while keeping the economy growing. China last year missed its goals of cutting by 4 percent the amount of energy it uses to generate each unit of national income and of reducing emissions of key pollutants by 2 percent. Wen said in his work report at the opening of the National People's Congress on Monday that those were steadfast aims that could not be compromised. A senior official with the Ministry of Land and Resources said several government agencies were working on a plan to completely halt issuing land-use permits for new investment projects in highly polluting, energy-intensive industries. The ministry had already set up a task force to inspect such projects and had sent teams to nine provinces to check whether newly approved investment projects met the necessary criteria, the official told Reuters. "Last year, we already introduced many measures to control the supply of land, but they weren't implemented very effectively. So this year, one of our biggest priorities is to make sure they are effectively carried out," he said. China last year said it would make less land available for resource-hungry projects that cause pollution, but the official said the new initiative would be much stricter. Other officials promised further measures in their own areas. ^ PERFORMANCE REVIEWS Speaking over the weekend, Pan Yue, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, called for officials to be evaluated according to their environmental record. "Given the way things work in China, if you really put such things into officials' appraisals, that can help effect a fundamental change in the system," Pan told reporters. China has experimented with a system for assessing local officials on the basis of "green GDP", a measure of economic output that takes into account the environmental costs of growth. Beijing has also begun to make energy-saving and control of air pollution key to officials' career prospects, aiming to reverse the single-minded focus on economic growth that has long been the ticket to success. But Pan said more needed to be done. Because the green GDP concept was not yet mature, he said the government should judge officials by existing, measurable criteria such as air quality, investments in environmental technology and their record in implementing regulations. Beijing was planning to roll out a scheme, which has already been piloted, whereby it would withhold approval for projects in regions or industries that had missed their environmental targets, he said. The government might repeal honorary titles for environmental performance, such as "green city", if local governments slacked off on pollution and energy targets -- a potentially potent weapon in a face-conscious country like China. To show that the agency was serious, Pan said it had rejected 160 billion yuan in investments on environmental grounds last year in response to public complaints. Zhang Jianyu, China programme manager for US-based non-governmental organisation Environmental Defense, said that while it was good to improve enforcement of environmental laws, Pan's proposals did not cut to the root of the matter. What China really needed to do, Zhang said, was to increase what he called "tragically low" penalties for violators -- currently capped at 200,000 yuan for normal violations under the Water Law, and at 1 million yuan for extreme cases. Story by Jason Subler and Eadie Chen _____________________________________________________________________________ ^ Agence France-Presse : Premier hiver sans neige de l'histoire à Tokyo TokyoLa ville de Tokyo a connu le premier hiver sans neige de son histoire, aucun flocon n'étant encore tombé sur la capitale au 28 février, date officielle de la fin de l'hiver au Japon, a annoncé jeudi l'Agence météorologique nationale. C'est le premier hiver sans neige observé à Tokyo depuis que les relevés météorologiques ont commencé à être archivés en 1876. «Le phénomène El Nino pourrait être une cause. Une autre théorie est que le flux saisonnier vers le sud des masses d'air froid des régions arctiques a été faible et irrégulier», a expliqué un porte-parole de l'Agence. «C'est un raccourci un peu hâtif que de relier ça au réchauffement climatique mondial. Mais ce qui est sûr, c'est que l'hiver a été très doux», a-t-il souligné. On enregistrait jeudi une température de 13,2 degrés dans le centre de Tokyo, alors que la moyenne pour un 1er mars est de 11,0 degrés. L'Agence a toutefois averti de la possibilité de neiges tardives, en raison de l'arrivée prévue de masses d'air froid vers la mi-mars. Des chutes de neige pourraient même se produire après la floraison des cerisiers, auxquels les Japonais vouent un véritable culte. «Dans le passé on a vu de la neige à Tokyo jusqu'au 17 avril», a rappelé le météorologiste. Un récent rapport de l'ONU a estimé que le facteur humain dans le réchauffement du climat est certain à plus de 90%, contre 66% en 2001 lors de la précédente estimation. Les températures moyennes du globe devraient augmenter de 1,8 à 4 degrés Celsius d'ici la fin du siècle et le niveau des océans devrait monter de 18 à 59 cm sur la même période._____________________________________________________________________________BBC: Ethical Man's top ten tips for ethical living 5 March 2007Justin Rowlatt and his family were told to "go green" for an entire year to see by how much they could cut their carbon footprint. You can find out how they got on by watching BBC One's Panorama at 2030 GMT on Monday. In the meantime, here are Justin Rowlatt's top 10 tips for ethical living (in no particular order): 1. GIVE UP YOUR CAR Experiment with giving up your car, you may find it easier than you think. Our cars produce 11% of the country's carbon emissions so there are big savings to be made here. We never thought that we would be able to give up the family car permanently but that's what we've done. Of course adjusting to a life without our motor took a bit of time - and a few stressful moments - but shank's pony and public transport have seen us right. Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember cars cost a lot of money - I reckon we're saving £2,000 a year - so don't worry about treating yourself by jumping in the odd taxi when you can't face the bus. Why not join the local car club so you've got wheels on hand when you really need them and, if you want a weekend away and taking the train isn't practical, just hire a car. ^ 2. INSULATE YOUR HOME Our homes produce a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions. You should consider insulating your home but, as I discovered, that can be expensive. So why not try draught-proofing your windows and just turn down the thermostat by a degree or two and put on a jumper. If you can afford it you could line your curtains - that'll stop draughts and save almost as much heat as double glazing your windows. Consider buying a rug or carpeting your floors, that also helps keep rooms warm. We did all these things and cut our gas usage by 15%. That has saved us real money - I reckon over £50 in one year. ^ 3. MOVE THE ELECTRICITY METER FROM UNDER THE STAIRS I've bought a little gadget on the internet that has certainly cut our electricity use - proving that gadgets can help save the world. It's a little device that takes the electricity meter out from under the stairs to tell you how much electricity you are using as you are using it. It has found a permanent home on the kitchen worktop and I can now tell which appliances and lights are on around the house just by looking at it. ^ 4. START COMPOSTING I have taken great delight in my compost bin. It doesn't save much carbon but cuts the amount of waste we send to landfill. The handful of worms I was given by the country's composting king, John Cossham of York, have multiplied and now happily devour all our kitchen waste. We are a family of five but thanks to the efforts of my worms, a year of green living and the compost bin is still less than half full. ^ 5. EAT MORE VEGGIES Our veggie box has proved a revelation. It is delivered once a week and contains locally produced organic vegetables. We've had vegetables delivered that I have never heard of before so it forces you to try things you'd normally walk straight past in the supermarket. It also means I have developed quite a repertoire of recipes for cabbage and courgettes. 6. EAT LESS MEAT Farming animals produces an astonishing 18% of world emissions of greenhouse gases - much of it from the burps, farts and poos of the world's three billion cows and sheep. I tried going vegan for a month. It wasn't easy, you'd be amazed how many products contain animal products in one form or another. I shed two kilos and saw my cholesterol levels fall from a worrying 5.5 to just 3.4. But I love meat and am eating animals again, though not so many. ^ 7. USE WASHABLE NAPPIES The weather is now too bad to hang out our bamboo nappies on the line for our new baby Elsa. We now get washable nappies delivered by a local company, Nappy Ever After. I'm still learning some of the more complicated folds. ^ 8. BUY ENERGY-SAVING LIGHT BULBS I was very sceptical about energy-saving light bulbs when we launched this project at the end of February last year. I thought the light they gave out was cold and couldn't believe that they'd make any significant savings in power use. But the bulbs have got much better and our electricity bill shows the difference they can make. We changed most of our bulbs - we've still got six halogens in the kitchen (down from 12) - and, thanks to my portable meter gadget (see tip 3), we've got much better at turning appliances off stand-by and we've slashed our electricity use by 22%. That's £100 worth. 9. TRY TO FLY LESS What my year of green living really brought home was just how polluting the culture of cheap flights is. I pretty much bust my family's carbon budget, undoing many of the careful carbon savings we'd made, by jetting off to Jamaica to explore carbon offsetting. My carbon guru was very strict: he said if you've pumped the CO2 into the atmosphere it has to be counted, even if you pay someone else to cut their carbon by the same amount. So my advice is to try to fly less. Instead of jetting off to some European capital why not take a break here in Blighty? 10. TURN OFF THE TAPS As climate change alters weather patterns, water use is increasingly becoming an issue as well as carbon. In The Gambia people use an average of 4.5 litres of water a day. Here in Britain we use an average of 150 litres a day. I've got water butts in the garden and have tried (not always successfully) to remember to do the little things like turning the tap off when I brush my teeth. My composting guru even persuaded me that we could use the toilet less by urinating in our compost bin. I did try this out but since our compost bin is in the front garden it wasn't - how shall I put this - something you'd want to do every day. _________________________________________________________________________ ^ Guardian Unlimited: The reusable suspectsRecycling is good, but every green-minded person knows that reusing is even better. We want to hear about the creative uses that you find for those tricky household items that might otherwise end up in the bin Hilary Osborne^ Monday March 5, 2007 You recycle as much as you can, and reuse pretty much everything. Your lunch travels to work in an old ice cream tub alongside a water bottle you have been refilling for weeks - you have even washed and reused the foil from yesterday to wrap your sandwiches. But there are still some things that catch you out, because you just don't know what to do with them when they've served their original purpose.Recently, I found myself with six small bottles that once contained a well-known probiotic yoghurt drink. I knew when I bought them that they weren't environmentally friendly, but reasoned there would be some way to reuse them so that all that plastic wouldn't have been produced and shaped in vain. But try as I might I couldn't think of anything to do with them. Until I went online, and discovered they could be used to create Japanese kokeshi dolls. Made with a ping pong ball and an empty probiotic drink bottle, they probably don't look quite as pretty as the real thing, but they look a lot better than empty bottles on a landfill site.If you have any ideas for reusing yoghurt bottles, or any other items that usually end up in the bin,