IN THE NEWS: Palin Views on Oil, Polar Bears May Be Liabilities Washington Post Joe Environment Grist Arctic Ice on the Verge of Another All-time Low Environmental News Network New Orleans Repeating Deadly Levee Blunders Washington Post Cut Greenhouse Gases to Save Coral Reefs: Scientists Reuters CURRENT ACTIONS : Thank Vice President Al Gore for His Leadership Give Administrator Johnson His Walking Papers INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Forests Are More Than Carbon! Friends of the Earth International at the UN Climate Talks in Accra Renewed Request for Action! Demand an End to the Increasing Violence against Indigenous Leaders and Communities in Guatemala. Friends of the Earth International Watch the Online Movie, Poison Fire, about Gas Flaring in Nigeria Friends of the Earth Nigeria   Subscribe to Real World Radio's Podcasts

Three News Developments on Climate Front

If you've been reading the news over the past week, you may have come across several stories that illustrate the impacts of global warming.  First, late last week, as Arctic sea ice continued to melt at near-record levels, scientists spotted nine polar bears swimming in the open ocean, raising the specter of polar bear drownings.  These bears usually hunt on Arctic ice, but with the ice rapidly disappearing, polar bears were officially listed as a "threatened species" this spring.  Shortly after that news arrived, we learned that massive new melting was taking place in Greenland, threatening to disintegrate one of Greenland's largest glaciers.  And now, on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, yet another devastating storm -- Gustav -- appears to be headed toward our Gulf Coast.  While we can't attribute any individual storm to the climate crisis, we do know that on the whole, global warming is making such events more frequent and severe.  These events are a clarion call.  We must act boldly and rapidly to limit our use of fossil fuels and reduce the emissions of heat-trapping gases that are causing this crisis.

Also in this issue:

• Negotiations in Ghana
  
• Voice Your Choice
• FDA or FDéjà vu?
• Ship Shape: Reducing Vessel Speed
• Friends of the Earth's New RSS Feeds

Negotiations in Ghana

Friends of the Earth's International Team has been very involved with the international climate negotiations. Kate Horner, our International Climate and Energy Campaigner, has been in Accra, Ghana for the past week, where she is working to influence the  negotiations under way there.

Read Kate's reports from the talks here, describing Friends of the Earth's collaboration with our international partners to push for a just and effective global climate deal.  If you would like to know more about last year's climate talks in Bali, Indonesia, which set up the framework for this meeting in Ghana, click here to read Elizabeth Bast's reports from those meetings.

Kate's Updates | Press Release

Which of the recently reported climate-related events alarms you most? a) Loss of Glaciers and Polar Ice b) Hurricanes and Floods c) Drought and Famine d) Migration of Invasive Species or e) Other (Something we missed? Let us know!)

FDA or FDéjà vu?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced yet another public meeting on nanotechnology set for September 8, 2008. This public meeting is a "request for comments" regarding the agency's oversight of nanomaterials in various products, such as foods, food additives, animal drugs and feeds, cosmetics, human drugs and biologics, and medical devices. The public meeting will be held with an eye towards implementing the FDA Task Force's "guidances" -- which evaluate the "effects of nanoscale materials on quality, safety, and, where relevant, effectiveness of products subject to FDA oversight."

If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. The FDA had this meeting in October 2006. Many scientists and NGO representatives gave presentations and submitted detailed comments about why FDA oversight was inadequate. Friends of the Earth sent the word out to our activists, which resulted in tens of thousands of public comments being sent to the FDA expressing concern and demanding adequate oversight. Now, two years later the FDA is still all talk and no action. Our Health and Environment Campaigner, Ian Illuminato, will speak at this meeting to pressure the FDA to do its job to regulate risky nanotechnology.

FDA Rejects Nanotechnology Safeguards | Read the Announcement

Reducing vessel speed represents one important way in which ships can limit air pollutants including greenhouse gases. A 10% decrease in fleet speed can translate into more than a 20% reduction in emissions. In California, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have incentive-based vessel speed programs that have proven successful, with participation rates of over 90%. Additionally, due to the high price of marine fuel, many shipping companies such as Maersk, Torm, Hanjin, and Hyundai have voluntarily embraced fleet speed reductions to save on fuel costs, which now account for over half of shippers' overall expenses.

Yet, even greater emission reductions through vessel speed reductions are possible, and Friends of the Earth has urged bodies such as the International Maritime Organization and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to begin crafting and implementing these measures as soon as possible. In fact, due in part to Friends of the Earth's advocacy, CARB will soon hold a public meeting to explore possible statewide measures for reducing vessel speed. Click here to learn more.

Friends of the Earth Feeds

You can now keep on top of Friends of the Earth news and actions with our new RSS feeds!  An RSS feed is a web format that brings updated content right to you.  We have created a feed for this newsletter as well as our media releases and campaign actions. You can also keep in the loop with the Friends of the Earth International Network by subscribing to Real World Radio. Simply click on the previous links and they will bring you to subscription pages. Have any questions? Contact Becca at rconnors@foe.org.