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Pambazuka - Profits before people: The great African liquidation sale

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:48:22 -0000

"it was all summed up clearly for me by members of COPAGEN, a coalition of African farmer associations, scientists, civil society groups and activists who work to protect Africa’s genetic heritage, farmer rights, and their sovereignty over their land, seeds and food. All these knowledgeable people have shown me that the answer is quite straightforward: many of those imported mistakes, disguised as solutions for Africa, are very, very profitable. At least for those who design and make them."

Comments:

"it was all summed up clearly for me by members of COPAGEN, a coalition of African farmer associations, scientists, civil society groups and activists who work to protect Africa’s genetic heritage, farmer rights, and their sovereignty over their land, seeds and food. All these knowledgeable people have shown me that the answer is quite straightforward: many of those imported mistakes, disguised as solutions for Africa, are very, very profitable. At least for those who design and make them." - Arabica Robusta

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

So what do the world’s great investors have their eyes on in Africa, in addition to the usual natural resources – minerals, petroleum and timber – that they’ve always coveted? In a word, land. Lots of it. The land-grabbing 'investors' are purchasing or leasing large chunks of African land to produce food crops or agrofuels or both, or just scooping up farmland as an investment,

Biofuels are not sustainable energy. They do not protect food resources. - Arabica Robusta

At the moment, the grabbing of Africa’s land is shrouded in secrecy and proceeding at an unprecedented rate, spurred on by the global food and financial crises. GRAIN, a non-profit organisation that supports farm families in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems, works daily to try to keep up with the deals on its farmlandgrab.org website.[vi]

Apart from the African governments and chiefs who are happily and quietly selling or leasing the land right out from under their own citizens, those who are promoting the new wave of rapacious investment include the World Bank, its International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and many other powerful nations and institutions. The US Millennium Challenge Corporation is helping to reform new land ownership laws – privatising land – in some of its member countries. The imported idea that user rights are not sufficient, that land must be privately owned, will efface traditional approaches to land use in Africa, and make the selling off of Africa even easier. GRAIN notes the complicity of African elites and says some African 'barons' are also snapping up land.

another big plan is buffeting Africa’s farmers. It’s the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which claims it is working in smallholder farmers’ interests by 'catalysing' a Green Revolution in Africa. Green Revolution Number Two.

Tags: gmos, foodsecurity, food, genetically, modified, agriculture, africa, pambazuka, international, development, crisis, agribusiness, security

by: Arabica Robusta

The Energy Producing Home

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:05:28 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Who says that a home with cutting-edge energy efficiency has to look like an ultra-modern pod? This recently completed Wisconsin home packs so much energy tech that it makes money by selling electricity back to the grid, and it still keeps a low neighborhood profile.

Tags: energy, efficiency, home

by: Colin Bennett

Want fewer power plants? Make outdoor lighting more efficient

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:59:15 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The proposed changes will phase out the least efficient outdoor lighting products by the end of 2012, transitioning to new lighting products that are better for the environment and less costly to run. For example, new outdoor lights will be required to have a sensor that will turn them off during daylight hours, putting an end to wasteful streetlight operation during the day. New parking lot lights must be capable of being dimmed, which can cut their energy use in half.

The agreement also directs the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop even better standards by 2013.

Tags: energy, efficiency, lighting

by: Colin Bennett

Efficiency measures could cut UK manufacturing energy costs by a third

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:56:16 -0000

Tags: carbon, energy, efficiency

by: Colin Bennett

European noise map

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:36:30 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

NOISE is the Noise Observation and Information System for Europe maintained by the European Environment Agency (EEA) through the European Topic Centre on Land Use and Spatial Information (ETC LUSI). It contains data related to strategic noise maps delivered in accordance with European Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise.

Tags: noise, europe, data, statistics

by: Hans De Keulenaer

How to catch the Sahara's sun for Europe - New Scientist

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:03:32 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

An ambitious project called Desertec plans to build huge solar power plants in the Sahara desert to feed clean energy to Europe. Political opposition aside, the scheme's backers also face technical hurdles and must decide which of the solar technologies below can deliver on such a scale.

Tags: solar

by: Colin Bennett

New U.S. finance tool for renewable energy launched

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:35:10 -0000

Tags: no_tag

by: Glycon Garcia

Motors Help Minimising Impact Of Sulphur Dioxide On Environment - Engineer Live, For Engineers, By Engineers

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:42:08 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Chris Bennett, a senior electrical engineer at Ratcliffe, said: "It is always surprising to people who visit the site that we are so efficiency conscious, but they're often even more surprised that we have to pay for the power we use during the generation process so it's essential we don't use more energy than we actually need. Even more important is minimising the environmental impact of the power station and ensuring the reliability of the plant; outages have to be avoided where possible so critical equipment such as the motors have to be reliable."

Tags: energy, efficiency

by: Colin Bennett

IEA members ‘not on track’ on energy efficiency

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:25:24 -0000

Tags: Energy, Efficiency, IEA

by: Glycon Garcia

Shop Class for Future Wind Engineers in Plains States

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:02:49 -0000

Tags: wind

by: Colin Bennett

Business Journal of Milwaukee: A lot of wind over Lake Michigan

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:25:43 -0000

A Michigan public university plans to test a floating wind turbine platform to demonstrate how wind energy could work on Lake Michigan.

Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center received $1.4 million in federal funding to conduct the study. The university plans to have the platform installed by the fall of 2010.

Meanwhile, We Energies plans to issue a request for proposals in early November that will be the start of a $3 million study sanctioned by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to determine the feasibility of wind turbines on Lake Michigan.

We Energies spokesman Brian Manthey said the energy utility is not involved in the Michigan study, but will collaborate with Grand Valley State to share information

Comments:

A Michigan public university plans to test a floating wind turbine platform to demonstrate how wind energy could work on Lake Michigan.

Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center received $1.4 million in federal funding to conduct the study. The university plans to have the platform installed by the fall of 2010.

Meanwhile, We Energies plans to issue a request for proposals in early November that will be the start of a $3 million study sanctioned by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to determine the feasibility of wind turbines on Lake Michigan.

We Energies spokesman Brian Manthey said the energy utility is not involved in the Michigan study, but will collaborate with Grand Valley State to share information - Energy Net
A Michigan public university plans to test a floating wind turbine platform to demonstrate how wind energy could work on Lake Michigan.

Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center received $1.4 million in federal funding to conduct the study. The university plans to have the platform installed by the fall of 2010.

Meanwhile, We Energies plans to issue a request for proposals in early November that will be the start of a $3 million study sanctioned by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to determine the feasibility of wind turbines on Lake Michigan.

We Energies spokesman Brian Manthey said the energy utility is not involved in the Michigan study, but will collaborate with Grand Valley State to share information - Energy Net

Tags: energy, energy.news, windpower

by: Energy Net

Solar outlook set to dim in 2010

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:36:38 -0000

Tags: solar

by: Colin Bennett

Precision Nanoparticles Technology to Revolutionize Solar Cells

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:36:11 -0000

Tags: Photovoltaic

by: Colin Bennett

Can A Number Solve the Climate Change Conundrum?: Scientific American

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:46:10 -0000

Organizers of 350 Day aim to stabilize the planet and prevent disaster. Turns out many more are paying attention than expected.

Comments:

Organizers of 350 Day aim to stabilize the planet and prevent disaster. Turns out many more are paying attention than expected. - Michael G

Tags: green, sustainable, carbon

by: Michael G

EUROPA - Press Releases - Antitrust: Commission fines producers of power transformers € 67.6 million for market sharing cartel

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:48:57 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The European Commission has imposed fines totalling € 67 644 000 on seven companies – ABB, AREVA T&D, ALSTOM, Fuji Electrics, Hitachi and Toshiba - for violating the EC Treaty’s ban on cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 81). Siemens also participated but was not fined because it revealed the existence of the cartel in question to the Commission. Between 1999 and 2003, Japanese and European producers of power transformers operated an oral market sharing agreement, referred to as a "Gentlemen's Agreement", where they agreed that the Japanese members would not sell power transformers in Europe and that the European members would not sell power transformers in Japan. The power transformers in question are used to modify the voltage in electricity transmission networks. The fine for ABB was increased by 50% because it had previously taken part in a similar infringement.

Tags: energy efficiency, transformers, europe, antitrust

by: Hans De Keulenaer

Google and Microsoft eye wind farm investments

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:15:12 -0000

Tags: wind

by: Colin Bennett

Solar Report Shows 30% Decrease in Cost of Solar Over 10 Years

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:11:08 -0000

Tags: Photovoltaics

by: Colin Bennett

The ‘hidden’ costs of fossil fuels? $120 billion in US alone

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:10:10 -0000

Tags: health

by: Colin Bennett

Industrialised nations' CO2 emissions rose in 2007: UN

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:04:51 -0000

Tags: CO2

by: Colin Bennett

EUROPA - Press Releases - How is Europe doing in clean technologies? Visit the new Commission's online assessment system

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:11:47 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Today, the Commission launches "SETIS", the online Strategic Energy Technologies (SET-Plan) Information System, which provides the latest research results on the status, forecasts and R&D investment figures for low-carbon technologies. It underpins the effective strategic planning, conception and implementation of EU energy technology policy and serves notably to the implementation of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). SETIS assesses and monitors those technologies that have a significant potential to help Europe meet its energy and climate change targets, such as wind power, solar power, CCS or bioenergy. The Information System offers interactive tools to compare the maximum potential and energy production costs foreseen for the different technologies over time.

Tags: electricity, costs, europa, tools

by: Hans De Keulenaer