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Kenya is sued over biofuel project

Environmental and community groups have taken Kenya’s government to court over a controversial project to grow sugar in the River Tana Delta.

The $369m project aims to grow sugarcane to produce ethanol and generate power. The project was approved last month, despite concern of possible negative impact on the fragile coastal wetlands.

But last week, a judge ordered work on the project to be halted while the case was being heard. The lawsuit claims that at least five laws and the Kenyan constitution would be broken if the project goes ahead.

The court action is backed by Kenyan Nobel Laureate and environmentalist Wangari Maathai, who warned that the country would regret failing to protect its environment. “We cannot just start messing around with the wetland because we need biofuel and sugar,” Ms Maathai told the AFP news agency.

This is a tricky one, the natural environment for Kenya is key for tourism and to help preserve local ways of life, but Africa needs all the income and support it can get. Maybe help and clean energy development projects from the West would help stop the destruction of natural habitats?

But in a time when the West isn’t doing enough to control it’s own emissions and is having such problems with energy prices, will we really see this happen?

Source BBC Website

7000 new UK wind turbines in £100bn plan

7000 new wind turbines will be built across the UK under a government plan that has been released.

The move is a part of a radical £100 billion blueprint to help the UK reach it’s EU-imposed target of producing 15% of energy rom renewable resources by 2020.

The proposals include an extra 4000 onshore and 3000 offshore turbines. Visible changes to landscapes, towns and cities are ‘inevitable’, the strategy paper admits.

Ministers say that up to 160,000 new jobs will be created by the move to renewable energy.

The news of new turbines will be welcomed by some and criticised by others, who complain that they destroy the landscape. We feel it’s a step in the right direction for sure.

Source The Sun Newspaper, UK

8 Nuclear plants are pledged

At least 8 brand new nuclear power plants will get the go-ahead before the next election as Britain trys to wean itself off oil.

PM Gordon Brown will today pledge to oversee the biggest expansion in nuclear power in one generation so that the UK stands on it’s own two feet.

We wonder if they should work out what to do with the radioactive waste that they can’t get rid of before we start on new ones!

Source The Sun Newspaper, UK

Tories Pledge to pay recyclers £25 per month

Londoners who recycle their rubbish could be paid up to £25 a month under Tory plans to boost the environment. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said he wanted to use USA style schemes to reward people who sort their rubbish.

The new approach would replace the current ‘bin tax’ culture where residents are fined for breaking council rules on what to put in their dustbins.

We reckon it’s a great idea, some people aren’t interested in helping the environment, so encouraging them by any means will surely be more successful than the current schemes…

Source The London Paper, UK

Top polluters snub climate

A reworked climate-change plan has been agreed by the world’s richest countries, after the biggest polluters on the planet opted out. The G8 aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by up to 50% by 2050.

However, China and India have refused to sign up despite accounting for 25% of worldwide harmful emissions. China’s President Hu Jintao said that the rich countries had to lead.

Greenpeace called the G8 talks a ‘diversion from real action on climate change’.

We think that the richest members of the G8 should lead with changesand offer assistance and trade deals to encourage China and India to follow suit quickly.

Source The London Paper, UK