Green Options

Michael Mann, the somewhat infamous climate scientist from Penn State, shouldn’t be so infamous after all, we find out yet another time!

“An academic inquiry into the so-called ‘climategate’ email scandal has concluded that a well-known U.S. scientist [Mann] did not directly or indirectly falsify data in his research,” according to Mike De Souza of the National Post.

The investigation made it very clear (as other peer-reviewed analyses have done) that Mann’s “trick,” so horribly taken out of context and demonized by anti-science media and followers, was nothing unscientific, misleading or to be concerned about.

“They were not falsifying data,” said the report. “They were trying to construct an understandable graph for those who were not experts in the field. The so-called ‘trick’ was nothing more than a statistical method used to bring two or more different kinds of data sets together in a legitimate fashion by a technique that has been reviewed by a broad array of peers in the field.”

Furthermore, the report went on to praise Mann for how he dealt with this greatly unfounded skepticism and criticism of his scientific work. “The report praised Dr. Mann for his ‘composure’ and ‘forthright response’ to all questions, finding no evidence that he had attempted to hide or destroy information, emails or data from his research. It also cleared him of allegations of misusing any privileged or confidential information he had access to as an academic scholar.”

If the USA was smart, we would make a massive switch to renewable energy now, while we still can. By 2012 we could be out of luck.

Wildlife conservationists are furious over a senior forest official’s apparent attempt to cover up a tiger poaching incident in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

Suspicion is growing around the investigation of a Goa tiger poaching incident earlier this year which allegedly involved an employee of the home guard department - and now it appears a senior forest official is trying to cover it up.

A director of the Shell Petroleum Company in Nigeria revealed at a conference that oil theft is costing the company and the country tremendously.

“Even with low oil prices, the (Nigerian) government loses between $1 billion and $1.5 billion every year to crude theft,” Mutiu Sunmonu said at the Abuja conference. Nigeria is one of the top producing oil nations in the world with hundreds of miles of oil pipes used for transporting crude.

Police in southern Italy have this week launched a major crackdown on mafia activities following serious allegations of corruption over the awarding of building contracts for a Sicilian wind farm.

According to organized crime investigators, government officials were lavished with bribes, including luxury cars and cash, in an effort to ensure the contract — worth hundreds of thousands of Euros –was awarded to Mafia-backed businesses.

“Leave No Trace” has always been an honored credo of the Boy Scouts of America. The trumpeted tenet is supposed to refer to ethical guidelines which preach having a minimal impact on land, nature and wildlife. But according to a recent investigation, the Boy Scouts have been caught logging over 34,000 acres of pristine forest over the last 20 years, including 60 clearcuts and 35 salvage harvests. They’ve literally left no trace– of the forests.

Furthermore, the survey showed that most of the acreage was logged to turn a backdoor profit, and there’s evidence of corruption. A number of Scout councils submitted inaccurate and misleading logging plans, and allegedly disregarded rules and regulations which were in place to protect wildlife and the watershed. Some of the deals even involve cozy relationships with private companies and state regulators.

Turns out that last month, Blogojevich closed seven state parks in Illinois because of the state’s budget deficit of $2 million. Although the state parks will all still have one on-site staffer and conservationists to patrol the areas, they will close their campgrounds and organized activities,

What do Peruvians think about Barack Obama’s exciting victory? If you are an American, it’s not quite what you might think.

LIMA (EcoWorldly) -  After having successfully negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States, Peru is now strategically positioned to become one of the U.S.’s key allies and trade partners in Latin America. Given the American media’s substantial touting of international interest in the U.S. presidential election, I decided to go out the morning after Obama won and see what I could find out about the reactions among Peru’s newspapers and citizens.

What I found out surprised me. While newspapers wrote articles that I would have expected, the reaction I got from people was different.

A new report says that Big Oil enticed U.S. government employees with sex, drugs, and other “improper” gifts.

If any doubt was left about the complicit corruption of current U.S. energy policy, a report released earlier today by the Interior Department’s inspector general stated that U.S. government employees received what they politely called “improper gifts” from 4 major oil and gas companies.

The $5.3 million dollar investigation found “recreational marijuana and cocaine use” by “a handful” of Interior Department staff and that two federal employees “engaged in brief sexual relationships with representatives from companies doing business” with the department.

We already know about the myriad of problems around the world caused by drought, water delivery restrictions and inadequate access to clean water. And we’ve already heard the argument that global warming is to blame for such water shortages. A report recently released by the advocacy group Transparency International provides another reason for the global water crisis: corruption.

In a press release issued by the global coalition against corruption, Chair Huguette Labelle was quoted, “Water is a resource without substitute. It is paramount to our health, our food security, our energy future and our ecosystem. But corruption plagues water management and use in all these areas.”

The organization’s report which was published last month, entitled Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector, argues that corruption plagues all segments of the water sectors, from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower. The report’s analysis of corruption in 35 countries from different world regions cites examples, such as bribery in water delivery and procurement-related looting of irrigation and hydropower funds, and focuses on the gravity of the situation and urgent need for reform.

The following ten stories, organized by region, made international headlines from April 27 to May 4 for their impact on the environment and society. For more stories that changed the world, see our archive, here.

North American Environmental News

CANADA — Ontario Bans Lawn and Garden Pesticides

Canada has proven once again that it is way ahead of the rest of world with its progressive government. Ontario has banned the use and sale of lawn and garden pesticides for homeowners. Quebec instituted a similar ban on 20 some pesticide products back in 2006.

The new ban is set to take effect by spring of 2009. Home Depot has already agreed to stop selling the pesticides by the end of 2008! This is a huge victory for anti-toxic supporters all over the continent. If only someone in the United States government could take such affirmative action we could all be spared. Ontario will basically phase out some 80 different chemicals and over 300 products that contain them.

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