Paris plan to fell trees near Eiffel Tower opposed

PARIS, France - Paris is aiming to redevelop the area around the Eiffel Tower in time for the 2024 Olympic Games, but the city's residents are beginning to rebel over a plan that would see 22 trees ripped up. 

The Paris mayor's office wants to build tourist facilities and offices at the foot of the world-famous landmark.

Architect's projections show semi-submerged buildings covered in greenery.

But campaigners have launched a petition urging the mayor's office to ditch the plan, expressing particular concern over the fate of some very old trees.

"We reject the felling and endangerment of dozens of healthy trees, in particular the 200-year-old and 100-year-old trees, which really are the city's green lungs," says the petition, launched by four environmental groups.

Around 35,000 signatures have been gathered so far.

Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire sought to mollify opponents of the scheme.

"No 100-year-old tree will be cut down," he said.

His aides told AFP they were working to reduce the number of trees to be felled for the project, having already cut back from 42 to 22.

They also stressed the redevelopment was part of a plan that involved planting dozens of trees and creating a green space across the clogged centre of the French capital.

But campaigners remain unconvinced.

"They are creating some vegetation, but they are destroying a lot of it at the same time," said Philippe Khayat of the SOS Paris association, one of the backers of the petition.

The tower is one of the world's most famous buildings and welcomes some seven million visitors a year.

Agence France-Presse

China premier pledges: ‘We will make our skies blue again’

BEIJING — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged Sunday to make the country’s skies blue again and “work faster” to address pollution caused by coal burning.

His words to delegates at the opening of the annual National People’s Congress highlight how public discontent has made reducing smog, the most visible of China’s environment problems, a priority for the leadership.

In a report to China’s ceremonial legislature, Li said that “people are desperately hoping for” faster progress to improve air quality. “We will make our skies blue again,” he declared to almost 3,000 delegates in the Great Hall of the People.

He said the government intends over the next year to step up work to upgrade coal-fired power plants to achieve ultra-low emissions and energy conservation, and prioritize the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.

Building on publicly available real-time and hourly readings from coal plants and other factories, Li said: “All key sources of industrial pollution will be placed under round-the-clock online monitoring.”

Environmental groups welcome the disclosure of such data because it allows the public to directly supervise the emissions of plants in their areas.

Lauri Myllyvirta of Greenpeace said they had expected the government to announce a speeding up of measures because air pollution is supposed to hit targets this year that were laid down in 2013. They include a 25-percent reduction in the density of fine particulate matter — a gauge of air pollution — in Beijing and the surrounding region from 2012 levels.

“It will require very dramatic steps to achieve those targets for this year,” Myllyvirta said.

He said they also hoped to see a measurable target for reducing wasted wind and solar-power generation capacities, “because that’s when different parts of the government will be really held accountable for integrating wind and solar fully into the grid.”

Li also said the government would ramp up efforts to deal with vehicle emissions by working faster to take old vehicles off the roads and encourage the use of clean-energy cars.

He said that they will “strictly enforce” environmental laws and regulations and that officials who do a poor job in enforcing the law or respond inadequately to worsening air quality will be held “fully accountable,” without giving details. Local officials have often been lax at enforcing regulations on companies that contribute to economic growth in their areas.

Official data show an improvement in China’s air quality since 2013, when the government brought out its air pollution action plan. However, residents in cities including Beijing still regularly breathe in levels of pollution several times higher than the recommended safe limit, and use apps to monitor air quality./rga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Firecracker sales booming

BLASTS BAD FOR PETS. Pet owners and environmentalists take part in a campaign by EcoWaste Coalition and animal welfare groups to remind the public that loud explosions during New Year revelries are harmful to animals like dogs, which have an acute sense of hearing. ALEXIS CORPUZ

The sale of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic products in Bocaue, Bulacan, the country’s fireworks capital, has picked up a few days before the New Year, pushing prices up by 40 to 60 percent.

The booming business coincided with more Filipinos using firecrackers and the rising number of fireworks-related injuries nationwide, mostly from “piccolo,” an illegal firecracker.

Assistant Health Secretary Eric Tayag has noted that firecracker use among Filipinos this year is up from 2012.

The injuries were not only from firecrackers but also from stray bullets.

In Nueva Ecija, Alieya Sto. Domingo, 6, survived after a .45-cal. bullet hit her in the head as she sat on a bench in Barangay (village) Bertese in Quezon town at 11 a.m. on Dec. 27.

Sto. Domingo was taken to a hospital in Cabanatuan City where she was declared out of danger.

Amid the rising cases of injuries, Malacañang on Sunday asked the public to heed the Department of Health’s warning to stay away from firecrackers in welcoming the new year.

“The government again appeals to all our people to follow the Department of Health’s reminder against the use of harmful firecrackers to ensure a safe and peaceful welcome to the new year 2014,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said in Filipino in his weekly media briefing aired over Radyo ng Bayan.

Alternative noisemakers

The Palace earlier urged parents and guardians to promote the use of alternative noisemakers, such as toy trumpets and sound systems.

“Children should not be allowed to handle [firecrackers]. We can prevent injuries,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte earlier quoted Health Secretary Enrique Ona as saying.

The Department of Health (DOH) warning may have fallen on deaf ears.

Heavy traffic has beset Bocaue’s “pyro zone,” the designated area for firecracker stalls in Barangay Turo, as motorists drive in from MacArthur Highway to buy firework products.

Brisk sales

Sales have been brisk since Friday, said Linda de Guzman, an employee of Jay-R Fireworks Store, which opened a stall in the country’s fireworks capital.

“Sales pick up right after Christmas, which has been the trend year after year,” De Guzman said.

The increased demand this holiday season prompted traders to raise prices.

Skyrockets, or “kwitis,” sell for as high as P350, up 40 percent from P250, for a bundle of 100 pieces.

People buy 1,000 pieces of firecrackers (called “sawa,” or snake) for P350 to P400, up 40 to 60 percent from the usual P250.

Dancing dragon, which traders described as child-friendly, sells for P25 each.

‘Different high’

Francisco Castillo of Pangasinan province drove to the pyro zone at 3 a.m. on Saturday. Castillo said he spent as much as P20,000 on firecrackers and pyrotechnic products.

“The family contributes to buy our supply. My children already work and it’s a different high when we celebrate the New Year with fireworks,” he said.

Even before New Year’s Eve, people have been playing with firecrackers, resulting in injuries.

Tayag, head of the National Epidemiology Center, said the number of people injured because of firecrackers had shot up to 198 as of Sunday 6 a.m. from the 179 recorded in the same period last year.

Of the total number of injuries, 62 percent was caused by “piccolo,” an illegal firecracker.

Stray bullets

Five were injured by stray bullets and one was hospitalized after ingesting a firecracker, Tayag said in his twitter account @erictayagSays.

In Metro Manila, among the top three cities that have the biggest number of injuries caused by piccolo are Manila, Quezon City and Mandaluyong, according to Tayag.

The DOH said 88 percent of those injured were males while 32 percent were children below 10 years old.

In Central Luzon, at least 65 people have been injured by firecracker blasts as of Dec. 28, according to the DOH.

A 44-year-old woman from Tarlac province and a six-year-old girl from Nueva Ecija were wounded when they were hit by stray bullets.

DOH Central Luzon data showed that Bataan recorded the highest number of blast victims at 19, followed by Bulacan (13); Pampanga (14); Tarlac (11); Nueva Ecija (4); Aurora (3); and Zambales (1).

In the Cordillera region, government doctors recorded 10 cases of injuries attributed to firecracker blasts as of Dec. 28. One victim was a two-year-old.

Hospitals all set

Coloma said around 1,800 hospitals nationwide, including 721 facilities under the DOH, were all set to deal with the expected injuries from New Year’s Eve revelries.

The Philippine National Police has been placed on heightened alert “to intensify patrol in populated areas,” such as churches, transport terminals and shopping malls.

As part of safety measures against indiscriminate firing, Coloma said the PNP leadership had begun sealing the muzzles of service firearms issued to its 148,000-strong force.

“At the end of the [New Year’s] celebration, precinct chiefs will again inspect the firearms to see if anyone among their men violated the policy [against indiscriminate firing],” Coloma said.

Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez, Cordillera police director, did not require the police personnel to tape the muzzle of their guns with tape, which he described as an impractical and ceremonial gesture when he spoke to city police officials on Dec. 23.

Instead, Nerez asked the police to conduct an inventory of PNP-issued firearms and ammunition, and to monitor their use throughout the holidays.

Nerez, however, directed the Baguio police to enforce Mayor Mauricio Domogan’s ban on firework sales.

Director General Alan Purisima, the PNP chief, directed lawmen to be vigilant against illegal firecrackers.

Purisima on Saturday inspected two major trading areas for firecrackers and pyrotechnic products in Bocaue.

Raids

The Bulacan police said officials had made certain that no illicit products would get out of the province’s firework manufacturing centers.

Senior Supt. Joel Orduna, Bulacan police director, said the police had undertaken several raids on illegal pyrotechnic manufacturers in Bocaue, Sta. Maria, San Miguel and Baliwag towns, and arrested 11 suspects.

Seized in a recent police operation in Sitio (settlement) Daang Riles in Barangay Bundukan, Bocaue, were large quantities of chemicals and unlicensed firecrackers and pyrotechnic products, he said.—With reports from Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Armand Galang and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon; Vincent Cabreza and Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Christian V. Esguerra

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis

HONG KONG—Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on Saturday in a step towards reducing the city’s high levels of roadside pollution.

The 45 bright red cars were launched by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD, which is partly backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett.

Called the BYD e6, the five-door crossover sedans are powered by iron phosphate batteries and take two hours to charge, a statement from BYD said, adding that they can then travel for 300 kilometers (more than 180 miles).

The cars have been rented by the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, which is testing them over the next six months.

“The idea of being environmentally friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example,” said Wong Chung Keung, president and chairman of the association.

“An electric car saves the cost of fuel and will allow our taxi drivers to earn more,” he added, saying that a normal taxi would cost HK$0.8 (10 US cents) to run per kilometer (0.6 miles) while an electric car would cost HK$0.2-HK$0.3.

He called for more charging stations around the city to encourage taxi drivers to go electric — BYD said it is setting up 47 chargers in nine charging locations near car parks.

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary John Tsang was quoted in a BYD statement as welcoming the electric car and saying he was committed to “promoting environmental sustainability by laying the foundation for Hong Kong to become a zero emissions city”.

The government announced revisions to its air quality objectives for the first time in 25 years in January 2012, after University of Hong Kong research showed pollution-related illnesses killed more than 3,000 residents a year.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Musician protests earth balling by tying self to a tree

MANILA, Philippines – Protests come in many forms—demonstrations, rallies, noise barrages—but former Yano frontman Dong Abay chose a unique form of expression: he tied himself to a tree.

Dong, in a report by “TV Patrol,” had himself tied up to a tree on Session Road in Baguio for one hour. Throughout his protest, he held up a banner that read, “Dong cut the trees.” This was his way of showing his concern for the environment and to display his protest over SM Baguio’s uprooting of more than 200 trees on Luneta Hill.

“Pakikisama [ko ito] sa mga tao dito sa Baguio sa pursige nila na hindi maputol itong mga pine trees,” Dong said.

The news program tried to get a statement from SM Baguio through text but the company had not responded yet.

On April 23, Sun Star Baguio posted a short report about Dong’s scene-stealing protest.

“This is my way of supporting the Earth Day celebration and my way of protesting for the environment,” Dong was quoted to have said.

The report noted, however, that, “his act is in no connection to the environmental protests against SM’s plans of expansion, which have bombarded the Baguio City the past few days.”

The news report added that Dong isn’t connected with any organization although he’s giving his full support to other environmental activists.

Apart from music, Dong is occupied with writing blogs about problems faced by Filipinos.

“I have a website where I write about every Filipino’s problem, about your problems” he said in the Sunstar Baguio interview.

An avowed environmentalist, Dong performed in a show “Dong Cut the Trees” at the University of the Philippines-Baguio Auditorium last Saturday, April 21.

Yano is known for its hits “Banal na Aso, Santong Kabayo,” “Senti,” and “Esem.”

source: mb.com.ph