Environmentalists protest outside Taiwan’s 4th nuclear plant
About eighty environmental activists protested outside the fourth nuclear plant in New Taipei City Dec. 19 as a safety evaluation committee was holding its final meeting of the year. The project, in Kungliao District on Taiwan’s north coast, has taken more than two decades to proceed amid grave concern over the plant’s safety and the handling of its waste.
Oil leak company at odds with environmentalist
ConocoPhillips China said on Dec. 18 that its research and analysis so far show the oil spills in Bohai Bay have caused “minimal lasting impact to the environment.” Not all agree with that assessment, however.
Utah environmental advocacy groups sue Kennecott
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and Utah Moms for Clean Air announced Dec. 18 they are suing Rio Tinto for polluting the Salt Lake Valley air. Dr. Brian Moench, from Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment says Utah Department of Air Quality data shows Kennecott, Rio Tinto is responsible for 30-percent of dangerous particulate air pollution in the Salt Lake Valley.
Brazil official says oil spill may affect environmentally sensitive region
The oil that allegedly leaked from a Japanese-operated rig last week could affect an environmentally sensitive region in Rio de Janeiro, the state environment secretary said Dec. 18. The 2,600 gallons (10,000 liters) of oil that leaked is much smaller than the nearly 3,000 barrels of oil that leaked from a Chevron well off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state in November.
Tibet’s resource curse
China plans to scale up lithium extraction to meet demand for electric cars and smart phones. But environmental damage to the fragile Tibetan plateau will be irreversible.
Alarm as Dutch lab creates highly contagious killer flu
A deadly strain of bird flu with the potential to infect and kill millions of people has been created in a laboratory by European scientists – who now want to publish full details of how they did it. The discovery has prompted fears within the US Government that the knowledge will fall into the hands of terrorists wanting to use it as a bio-weapon of mass destruction.
