| I Pity the Fuel Oxfam warns Europe's biofuel boom likely to worsen plight of world's poor The anti-poverty charity Oxfam said this week that the European Union's rush to biofuels could hit the world's poor quite hard. The group released a report about the issue suggesting that without proper controls to make the biofuels boom sustainable and more just, it's likely to threaten the food supply and provide a large incentive to heavily concentrate land ownership for biofuels production, pushing many poor subsistence farmers and others off their land. Oxfam suggested that the E.U. work to ensure land rights, labor standards, and food security are protected in the countries that produce its biofuels, including Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Tanzania. "In the scramble to supply the E.U. and the rest of the world with biofuels, poor people are getting trampled," said Oxfam's Robert Bailey. "The E.U. proposals as they stand will exacerbate the problem. It is unacceptable that poor people in developing countries should bear the cost of questionable attempts to cut emissions in Europe." [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: Associated Press, BBC News, The Register straight to the report: Bio-Fueling Poverty [PDF] |
TODAY'S NEWS
| Finally, U.S. Agencies Handling Toy Recalls Get Some Teeth U.S. recalls 440,000 more leaded toys, including novelty teeth If Halloween itself wasn't the fright-fest you'd hoped for, maybe the most recent round of leaded-toy recalls will do the trick. This week's list includes 1,500 Ribbit board games, 16,000 sets of Elite Operations action figures from Toys 'R' Us, 380,000 Galaxy Warriors figures, and 43,000 sets of novelty teeth. The teeth were found by independent testers to contain about 100 times the permissible level of lead. The scary part: there's a permissible lead level for novelty teeth. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: Agence France-Presse, Associated Press |
| Two Become One Major car-sharing companies will merge Major car-sharing companies Flexcar and Zipcar announced Tuesday that they plan to merge. Zipcar, the larger of the two, has had strong growth mainly in large cities on the U.S. East Coast; Flexcar is more widely available on the West Coast. In both schemes, members can reserve a car over the phone or the internet, pay an hourly rate for use, then return it to its same location. Gas, repairs, parking, and insurance are all covered; a survey of Zipcar members indicates that they save some $5,000 a year by car-sharing instead of owning a vehicle. The new car-sharing company -- to be called Zipcar, disappointing those of us who think ZipFlex sounds much saucier -- will have 180,000 members with access to 5,000 vehicles in 48 cities. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Maui-Go-Round Hawaii legislature allows Superferry to resume voyages The Hawaii legislature has approved a bill allowing resumption of voyages by the Hawaii Superferry, halted by court order in August because a state-required environmental-impact assessment had not been completed. The new legislation, which is backed by Gov. Linda Lingle (R), will allow the ferry to make its Oahu-to-Maui and Oahu-to-Kauai treks while the assessment is being made. The ferry is strongly supported on Oahu, but county councils on Kauai and Maui raised concerns about heavy traffic, invasive species, and depleted fish stocks. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: The New York Times |
| So, Um, He Didn't Like Them? Canadian government's eco-strategies not working, says audit Sustainable development strategies introduced regularly by the Canadian government since the mid-1990s have largely failed to produce results, according to a new audit. A report by Environment Commissioner Ron Thompson notes that officials seem to just go through the motions, that there is no accountability, and that there has been no provision of "baselines or targets against which departments could monitor or report on their progress." Says Thompson, "We have found little evidence that the strategies have encouraged departments to integrate protection of the environment with economic and social issues in a substantive or meaningful way." He adds that "the ambition and momentum that existed in the early stages of sustainable development strategies has faded." To sum up: "The strategies are a major disappointment." Environment Canada says it will review its policies and practices. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Edward Scythe-Hands Former N.D. governor nominated as agriculture secretary President Bush has nominated Edward Schafer, a former North Dakota governor (and Republican, natch), to replace resigning Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. Schafer must be confirmed by the Senate. Schafer's nomination was unexpected by Big Ag -- said one farm lobbyist, "Who's that?" [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters |
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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
 Botched Alaska An unseasonably warm night and a doomed-to-melt dessert What do oil spills, climate change, and meringue have in common? They all converged recently in the kitchen of Roz Cummins, whose attempt to make her patented Baked Alaska met with more than a few hitches. Still, she pulled it off, and today she offers some tips for the rest of us -- as well as a recipe for a vegan pumpkin cake that puts the perfect seasonal spin on this elegant dessert. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Grist: An unseasonably warm night and a doomed-to-melt dessert |
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