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Solar po w er ha s the potential to sup ply electricityto four
bill ion p e o p le by 2030 if pro pe rly su pp or ted ,says the
European Photovoltaic Industry AssociationRock bot tomFrustrated
wit h years o f trying to preservethreaten ed fisheries via im po
tent o fficialchannels, Greenpeace ac tivists aboard thei rBeluga
II vessel too k radical action in Augustto stop illegal fishing in
a Special Area o fConservation in the German N o rth Sea.
The crew used a crane to dump 150 graniteboulders - each
weighing between two andthree tonnes - on to the sea bed. The
graniteobstacle course wi l l effectively preventbottom -traw ling
- a highly destructivefishing technique in which metal gear
isdragged alon g the sea floor, decimating reefsand habitats.
Greenpeace Germany oceans campaignerDr Iris Menn said:'I f the
German gove rnment is not going tohonour its com mitme nts and give
the SyltOuter Reef the pro tection it so badly needsthen it is up
to Greenpeace to act. By placingthese rocky obstacles to stop traw
ling in thearea, we are sending a clear message - thatbusiness as
usual cannot continue.'
IN B R I E F
Greenpeace activists dropped granite boulders tofo rm an
underwater shield against i l iegal trawling
FIXING THE PLANET? GE O ENGINEERING EXPLAINEDT E C H N O
LSulphur dioxide Increase co ncentration o fspraying from aircraft
sunlight deflecting sulphur-dioxide in the atm osphere
Could destroy ozone layer,co ntr ibute to acid rain andaffect
plant photosynthesis
Space-based m irro rs Deflect a few per cent ofinco m ing solar
radiation,slightly reducing globaltem peratureVery expensive, very
energy-intensive to launch. Wouldnot al leviate problems withocean
acidification
Cloud-su
Artificial trees
Pump fine spray o f salt- 'y / Untested at scale necessary;water
into the air to / .-could be affected by weatherencourage form
ation of ' or subject to hijack ''-' .clo uds, reflecting sunlight
., gtSuck COi out o f theatm osphere and bury itunderground
R elies on untested c arbo nstorage tec hnolo gies, andrequires
an abundant,low-carbon energy sourceto power the process
Iron fertilisation
Lim estonefertilisation
Encourage the growth o fm arine m icro-algae, whichabsorb COa as
they grow
Increase t he oc ean's ab ilityto absorb CO] by addingcalcium
carbo nate
Effects o f iron o n the m arineecosystem are unkno wn; iro nis
energy-intensive to produc e.Currently a wo rld m orato riumon the
techniqueLim estone quarrying is highlydestructive; co uld
reduceopac ity of water; cycle of m arinecurrents could make i t to
o slowto be effective
Bottle ban holds fastIn the face of protests from the d
rinksindustry, the Canadian city of London,Ontario, has gone ahead
wi th a ban onthe sale of bott led w ater a t al l i tsmunicipal
sites.The ban has led to a renaissance ofwater fountains at faci l
i t ies, and a mobilewater tanker to dist r ibute water in
thecity's parks.Not-so-green travelBad news for eco tourists.
Research bythe University of California has shownthat even hiking
and wi ldl i fe-watchingcan lead to a sharp decline in popu
lationsof carnivores.
The scientists found that when peoplewere banned fro m an area,
nativebobcats, coyotes and grey foxes were f ivetimes as abundant
as in heavily visitedareas. It is the f irst stud y to show
aneffect across a whole park, rather tha nsingle trai ls.Bad
birdsongWe might see not so much of a'silentspring ' as an
*out-of-tune' one. Scientistsin the Un ited States have found tha
twild chickadees exposed to lega llypermitted levels of
polychlorinatedbiphe nyls (PCBs) can't s ing as well asbirds that
remain unexposed.
The researchers believe that becausefemales choose to mate with
the bestmale singe rs, the histo ric release of PCBsinto the
environment is di rect ly af fect ingbirds' life-cycles.Don't get
left behindI t 's the argument most favoured by thoseadvancing
biotechnology - that consumerfears wi l l lead to the UK being
passed-byin the f ield of technologica l advance.Now, the
nanotechnology industry istry ing th e same tack. Kathy Groves,
aproject leader at Leatherhead FoodInterna t ional , has said that
'nervousness'about nanotec hnology could see the UK' lef t behind'
.Some expect the nanotechnology foodmark et to be wor th S20 bil l
ion by 2020.All grass is not greenwh en is a green roof not so
green? Whenit hasn't been designed wit h the localenvironment in
mind, according toecologists at The Lady Bird JohnsonWild flowe r
Center, Texas.A smal l team compared six di f feren tgreen roofs
and discovered that thoseincorporating piant species native to
thearea were more effective at coolingbui ldings and absorbing
rainwater.
H ww.thiMolaglt t .arg ECOLOGIST October 2008 9
