Around the globe in environment pursuit .....

*	FTSE 100 index companies fail to report on the environment --
'Accounting for the Environment', 
a new report by OXERA Environmental, finds that major companies within the
FTSE 100 index 
still do not produce a corporate environmental report. Although standards of
reporting among 
utility companies are good, companies in the banking, and food and retail
sectors still lag behind, 
with a low standard of publicly available information on the environment. A
joint effort is required 
by companies in these and other sectors to agree the framework for a true
account of environmental 
performance, based on impact assessment.

*	Windows 2000 probe by EU competition chiefs -- EU competition
officials 
have launched a surprise investigation into Microsoft's Windows 2000
operating 
system. The action follows allegations from end-users, small and
medium-sized 
IT companies and competitors, that Microsoft had designed parts of Windows 
2000 in a way that could allow it to extend its dominance in PC operating
systems 
to server operating systems and ultimately the fast-growing e-commerce
sector.
(EuBusiness)

*	Environmentalists blame Canada -- Environmentalists have accused
Canada of trying
to block a U.N. forum on protecting the world's forests in a bid to defend
its logging 
interests. Last week, negotiators attending a U.N. meeting finalized a
proposal to 
create a standing U.N. body called the U.N. Forum on Forests, which would
work to 
implement existing international agreements. However, a demand by Canada
that a new
treaty be negotiated stalled final approval for the U.N. forum Thursday
night, and forced 
negotiations to continue through the night Friday. Canada has for years
called for a 
special treaty on forest preservation, saying the existing conventions
aren't working. UN(AP)

*	Salmon linked to watershed ills -- Oregon, Grand Pass: A growing
body of scientific evidence is 
showing that salmon are more than just a majestic sport fish, a tasty
entree, an economic 
resource or a cultural icon. From Alaska to California, they serve as a huge
natural recycler, 
responsible for transporting organic material they eat in the oceans and
store in their bodies 
before swimming to the headwaters of watersheds, leaving their carcasses to
feed insects, bears, 
plants, trees and particularly baby salmon and creating a dramatic shortage
of nutrients derived 
from the ocean. (AP)

*	Global deal reached on GM food -- Global agreement has been reached
on safety 
rules governing imports of genetically modified products. The Biosafety
Protocol, 
agreed at a UN summit in Montreal, Canada, will allow a country to ban
imports 
of GM food, crops, seed and animal feed, if it feels there is not enough
scientific 
evidence to show it is safe. (EuBusiness)

*	French oil spill protestors take to streets -- Tens of thousands of
people demonstrated in Nantes 
on Saturday against oil firm TotalFina and the government's response to an
oil slick ravaging the 
west coast of France. (Reuters)

EU launches Arctic ozone layer probe -- The EU on 21 January launched a
scientific campaign in 
Kiruna (north polar circle in Sweden) to ascertain the extent of the ozone
problem over the Arctic. 
"The European Union has pooled resources with the United States, Japan,
Russia, Norway, Poland 
and Switzerland in the biggest field campaign ever, the Theseo 2000/Solve
experiment", declared 
Philippe Busquin, the EU Research Commissioner. 

*	Hungary hit by cyanide spill, blames Romania --  Hungary on Tuesday
called a cyanide spill in 
the Tisza river ``unprecedentedly serious'' and blamed the disaster on
Romania. (Reuters)

*	Israeli says Dimona nuclear plant should be closed --  A former
scientist at Israel's top-secret Dimona 
nuclear reactor said on Sunday the plant was old and dangerous and should be
closed. (Reuters)

*	Italians ban cars for a day to fight pollution -- Travelling by bus,
bicycle or on foot, millions of Italians 
reclaimed the traffic-plagued streets of their historic city centres on
Sunday as cars were banned for
the day in a fight against pollution. (Reuters)

*	Brazil races to avoid oil spill in Amazon river -- Brazilian
authorities scrambled last Monday to avert an 
environmental disaster in the Amazon jungle after a barge holding nearly
500,000 gallons (1.8 million liters) of 
oil sunk to the bottom of the world's largest river network. (Reuters)

*	EU toughens line in aircraft noise row with U.S. -- The European
Union has warned the United States it 
will go ahead as planned with tough new aircraft noise rules from May after
the two sides failed to reach a
compromise, an EU source said on Monday. (Reuters)

*	U.S., Russia reach deal on plutonium -- Russia has agreed to stop
making plutonium out of fuel from 
its civilian power reactors as part of a deal aimed at safeguarding nuclear
fuel that could make weapons, 
the U.S. Energy Department said on Monday. (Reuters)

*	Pressure seen on UK, French nuclear reprocessing -- Pressure to end
British and French reprocessing of 
old nuclear fuel has increased following a U.S. decision to pay Russia to
halt its civilian nuclear reprocessing 
programme, environmentalists said on Tuesday. (Reuters)

*	Canadian oil industry sabotage trial adjourned -- The trial of two
men accused of sabotage against the 
oil industry in remote northern Alberta got under way briefly on Monday but
the judge quickly postponed 
the proceedings because one of the prosecutors fell ill. (Reuters)

*	Seahorses in peril -- Habitat destruction and overfishing are
becoming increasingly more dangerous to 
continued survival of the seahorse. (BBC)

*	Ivory battle set to reopen -- The future of the world's elephants is
once more up for debate, with several 
countries arguing that they should be allowed to make regular sales of
ivory. (BBC)

*	Chesapeake Bay Pollution Cleanup Starts To Pay Off -- Efforts to
reduce the amounts of nutrients carried 
into Chesapeake Bay by its major tributaries are beginning to pay off, the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 
has reported. (UniSci)

*	Aerosol Measurements Crucial For Global Warming Models -- The
environmental effects of man-made 
atmospheric particles, known as "aerosols," are of growing concern. Aerosols
are now thought to significantly 
affect Earth's energy balance, throwing a wrinkle in climate-change
forecasts. (UniSci)

============================================================================
===
Research-Studies-Reports

CO2 EMISSION FROM ELECTRIC UTILITY AND KYOTO PROTOCOL: STUDY OF POLICY
ANALYSIS
AKIM RAHMAN
Ohio State University; Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

Abstract. The purpose of this study is to analyze the basic issues of CO2
emission from electric utility in terms of marginal damages and marginal
benefits. It clarified the disparity between social and private costs and
examined how the Kyoto Protocol considering efficiency losses and gains that
might be generated if the agreement enters into force. The neo-classical
partial equilibrium demand and supply theory is used for measuring the
magnitudes of the efficiency losses and gains. Ohio's electric utility is
used as a paradigm to capture the entire nation's scenario of social loss
that could be reduced domestically under different market and non-market
bases options.   

Date the complete paper (28 pages) first published in a SSRN Journal :
February 07, 2000 

You may view the abstract and download at the URL: 
  http://paers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=208393

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Alsema, E.A. - Understanding Energy Pay-Back Time: Methods and Results -
 in IEA Expert Workshop on "Environmental Aspects of PV Systems", Utrecht,
 1997 (No. 97090). 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Abstract
 
 In this paper methods for determining the energy requirement and energy
 pay-back time of PV systems are discussed and applied to investigate
 published results for thin-film PV modules. First we give a short
 introduction into methodological issues related to energy analysis (of PV
 systems) such system boundary definition, treatment of different
 (secondary) energy types and the choice of functional unit.
 Subsequently we review results from a number of energy analysis studies
concerning a-Si modules (6 studies) and CdTe modules (2 studies). The aim
 was to present results in a unified format, compare them and try to
 clarify observed differences. Although significant differences were found,
 many of these differences could be explained by the choice of materials
 for the module encapsulation. For categories with large observed
 differences we performed additional analysis to enhance the understanding
 of these aspects. 
 Finally we present >best estimates of the energy requirement of a-Si and
 CdTe thin film modules which are between 600 and 1500 MJ (primary energy)
 per m5, depending on cell and encapsulation type. This means that the
 energy pay-back time is below two year for a grid-connected module under
 1700 kWh/m2/yr irradiation. In the near future an energy pay-back time
 below one year seems feasible. 
 
 Order publications
 Last update: Tue Feb 24 06:54:17 1998 
 
Also here is previous posting from Richard Corkish
Below is the article referred to by Alan Ristow.  Since I wrote it there has
been a very compehensive and detailed article on payback times for single- 
and multicrystalline silicon cells by J. Nijs et al., in Advances in Solar 
Energy, vol. 11 (ed. Karl Boer), (American Solar Energy Soc., 1997), chapter

6.  They find a payback of 2.58 years for multicrystalline and 2.66 for 
monocrystalline Si modules in sunbelt climates.

Regards,
Richard Corkish
UNSW
[log in to unmask]

==========================================================================
UN Financing for Development - First report on Stakeholder Participation
The first report of the Secretary-General on the views of stakeholders on
their
preferred mode of participation in the preparations for a high-level
inter-governmental event of political decision-makers on financing for
development in 2001 is attached in pdf. (PLS DROP NOTE for .pdf rpt) or
contact Harris Gleckman [log in to unmask]  directly for attachment.

     The report provides information on the preliminary consultations with
institutional stakeholders (the World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO), other
official international partners and civil society.  In its conclusion the
report
notes that "the initial consultations indicated a willingness to
stakeholders to
participate in the financing for development process. Time did not permit
many
stakeholders, however, to formulate specific replies on the modalities of
participation. Some stakeholders with specific areas of interest were
awaiting
the outcome of ongoing discussions in the preparatory process before
proposing
specific modalities for participation"

===========================================================================

Events of the Year

MILLENNIUM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

12th Asia-Pacific and 3rd Commonwealth Congress of Environmental
Journalists, Fiji Islands, June 05-09, 2000. Theme -  "CLIMATE CHANGE AND
SMALL ISLANDS"

JUNE 4 - 9 

# For more information about the Suva congress;
Contact :"DINESH"[log in to unmask]  OR  "NINA"[log in to unmask]

==========================================================================
GLOBE 2000 http://www.globe.ca/conferences.htm
March 22-24, 2000
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

> GLOBE 2000 is the world's premier International Conference and Trade Fair
> on developing the business of the environment. It is comprised of a unique
> blend of activities and events designed to showcase new technologies in
> the environment sector, provide a forum to highlight corporate
> environmental achievements, forge new partnerships, and encourage trade,
> investment and overall business development within a new and changing
> competitive arena. GLOBE 2000 is made up of the following key components: 
> *	International Conference 
> *	Technology Marketplace 
> *	Networking Functions & Business Leaders Forum 
> *	International Delegations and Business Matching 
> *	Industrial Site Visits 
> *	Satellite Events 
> 
> 
> 
Disseminated to members via RIET www.riet.org


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