Shaun ! rest in peace. love from mum and richard

Shaun ! rest in peace. love from mum and richard

New UN climate head demands ambition and transparency

New UN climate head demands ambition and transparency
Page last updated at 14:28 GMT, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 15:28 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version By Steven Duke
Editor, One Planet, BBC World Service

Ms Figueres asked for "ambition, transparency and inclusiveness" The new head of the UN's climate convention has called for ambition and transparency in UN climate talks.

Christiana Figueres also told the BBC that the process used to hammer out a deal at December's Copenhagen summit was "not the most satisfactory".

The Costa Rican diplomat, who has been involved in UN climate negotiations since 1995, said she was "very honoured" to take up the post.

"It's time to make more effort, it's time to be more ambitious," she said.

Speaking to the BBC's One Planet programme, Ms Figueres added: "It is time to be more transparent and it's time to be more inclusive."

Little accord

The immediate challenge facing the new executive secretary will be to rebuild political and public support for UN negotiations, following the perceived failure to deliver a binding agreement at the Copenhagen summit.

A weaker deal - the Copenhagen Accord - was thrashed out by a select group of countries as the summit came to a stuttering end.

Admitting those accord talks were "not transparent and not inclusive enough," Ms Figueres denied that Copenhagen had been a failure, stressing climate change was now "at the top of every political agenda in every country".

The next big summit being organised by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Mexico at the end of the year.

Kim Carstensen, leader of the Global Climate Initiative with WWF, offered Ms Figueres the environment group's congratulations.

"She promises to be an inspiring leader who can keep a high level political dialogue going in order to secure the first critical elements of a climate treaty in Mexico," he said.

"Her background should allow her to foster trust between countries and to push for an ambitious climate deal."

Asked if it was time for the UN to look at ways to control the climate other than by enforcing tough cuts in carbon emissions, Ms Figueres re-iterated that emissions will remain the focus of her efforts.

But she did suggest it was wrong to devote all political attention to curbing harmful gases, saying efforts to help countries adapt to a changing climate had become "relegated to the side, and need to come to the centre and front".

She will take over from outgoing executive secretary Yvo de Boer in July, after the annual two weeks of negotiations between officials in Bonn.

You can hear the full interview with Ms Figueres in this week's edition of the One Planet show on the BBC World Service

gnaw through the nuts'

By Mark Kinver
Science and environment reporter, BBC News
Agoutis are said to the only rodent able to gnaw through the nuts' outer casing A study examining the natural dispersal of Brazil nuts has suggested that intensive harvesting could threaten future regeneration of the trees.

Researchers found that large rodents quickly ate the nuts, rather than caching them, when supplies were scarce.

When supplies were plentiful, almost twice as many nuts were buried, increasing the chance of successful germination, the team added.

The findings appear in the Journal of Tropical Ecology.

The scientists from Norway, Brazil and the UK said that very little was know about the fate of Brazil nuts under natural condition, despite it being one of the most economically important non-timber crops to come out of Amazonia.

Seasonal effect

In order to get a better understanding of how the seeds were dispersed, they tracked 900 marked seeds to see how seasonal food availability affected agoutis' and acouchis' - large scatter-hoarding rodents - caching rates, dispersal distances and how long the seeds were buried before being eaten.

BRAZIL NUT TREE FACTSContinue reading the main story Can grow to 50m (164ft) high
The trees live for about 500 years
The trees' fruit have a hard case, which contains 10-25 seeds (nuts)
The seeds remain trapped, unless the case is gnawed open by agoutis
Trees located in dense tropical forests can take up to 150 years to reach maturity
"We basically found that the seasons had a very strong effect on the dispersal distances and what happened to the seeds themselves," explained Torbjorn Haugaasen, an ecologist at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

"During the wet season (April) - when there are a lot of other fruits in the forest - more seeds were cached for later retrieval," he added.

"In the dry season (September), on the other hand, more seeds were eaten immediately because there was not that much food around and the rodents needed to draw on the food resource.

"Seeds were also taken further away during the dry season, which suggests that the rodents saw them as a more valuable resource than during the wet season," Dr Haugaasen told BBC News.

The field study, carried out during 2006, showed that 74.4% of seeds were buried during the wet season, compared with just 38.2% during the dry season.

The team suggested that collecting too many Brazil nuts from an area could replicate "dry season" conditions for the rodents.

"Reduced seed availability due to intensive harvesting could potentially create a dry-season scenario where most seeds succumb to pre-dispersal predation, thereby adversely affecting the natural regeneration of Brazil nut trees," they wrote.

Seeds of hope

The researchers said that populations of two large rodent species were responsible for the dispersal of the Brazil nut tree seeds: agoutis and acuchis.

Up to 25 seeds, what we call Brazil nuts, are contained in the trees' fruit However, they added, only the agoutis were capable of gnawing through the hard, thick outer casing of the fruit and releasing the seeds (Brazil nuts).

Agoutis, which can weigh up to 6kg, are found throughout the same range as the Brazil nut trees in South America.

"The (trees) therefore rely almost entirely on these large terrestrial rodents for the release of their well-protected seeds," the team explained.

"Those seeds not consumed within the germination period (12-18 months) may germinate, and seeds may remain viable for at least six years."

Scatter-hoarding also benefits plants in a number of ways, such as transporting seeds away from the parent plants and increasing the probability of reaching a site more suitable for germination.

Dr Haugaasen explained that the team decided to carry out the study in order to build on the findings of a 2003 paper published in Science, which first identified the link between intensive harvesting and the lack of young Brazil nut trees.

Writing in the 2003 paper, researchers said: "Persistently harvested stands were characterised by larger (and presumably older) trees and few or no juveniles.

But, they observed: "Juveniles were most common in unharvested and lightly harvested stands."

However, Dr Haugaasen said, the people harvesting the nuts could unknowingly be contributing to the regeneration of the trees, as some nuts were accidentally dropped as they were carried out of the forest.

"We actually found seedlings along the path used by the collectors. However, this does not mean that they are all going to reach maturity because they are in (vulnerable) places."

But he warned that restricting nut collecting could prove to be counterproductive because the harvests were a key source of income for local communities.

"Alternative possibilities, such as managed planting of seedlings in natural gaps in the forest might be a better solution," he suggested.

Dr Haugaasen said that the next step for the researchers was to look at the "management implications" of their findings.

"We also need to know how the hunting of these rodents can effect the natural regeneration of these trees," he added.

"You can have a negative impact by reducing the number of these rodents.

"However, if you have a large number of seeds already buried by a rodent before it is shot, no-one else knows where those seeds are.

"So, you could arguably have a positive impact on regeneration."

Further studies on the ecology of Brazil nut trees are expected to be published in the coming 12 months

was the Euro the eternal answer

was the Euro the eternal answer
the finances of Greece illustrate the one size fits all has issues
German stereotype ?
Who kept the U.K out of the euro
Petrol bombs were thrown at police, who responded with pepper spray and tear gas

Greece is "on the brink of the abyss", President Karolos Papoulias has warned, after three people died during protests over planned austerity measures.

"We are all responsible so that it does not take the step into the void," the president said in a statement.

It followed a day of violence during which protesters set fire to a bank, killing three employees.

Greece's government has vowed to pursue the spending cuts - a condition of its 110bn euro ($142bn; £95bn) bail-out.

"We are prepared to pay the heavy political cost," Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou told parliament during Wednesday's debate on the bill.

"We will not take a single step backwards."

The euro hit a fresh 13-month low against the dollar and European stock markets were also hit, amid concerns over Greek bail-out plans.


ANALYSIS

By Malcolm Brabant, BBC News, Athens



The situation in Athens is very tense at the moment - people are pausing and reflecting on what has happened.
Some people think that the deaths of the bank workers will have the impact of dampening down the protests because people will think that losing human lives is not worth it. But there are others who believe that this is the start of a social explosion.

This is a very volatile country.

If the outside markets look at Greece and think it is about to collapse, it may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In video: Reporter overcome

There are also fears Greece's debt crisis could spread to other countries.

The austerity measures - which the Greek parliament is due to vote by the end of the week - include wage freezes, pension cuts and tax rises. They aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years, with the goal of cutting Greece's public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.

The general strike is the third to hit Greece in as many months. The protest became violent, with petrol bombs thrown at police who responded with pepper spray and tear gas.

The bodies of two women - one pregnant - and a man were found inside the Marfin bank branch on Stadiou Avenue in central Athens. They were among 20 people working there when the petrol bomb was thrown.

Most of the employees managed to escape the fumes as the flames took hold, but the three found their way blocked as they tried to escape to the roof and they suffocated.

Prime Minister George Papandreou told MPs in parliament the killings were a "murderous act".


GREEK AUSTERITY MEASURES
Public sector pay frozen till 2014
Public sector allowances cut by 20%
State pensions frozen or cut
Average retirement age up from 61 to 63
VAT increased from 19% to 23%
Taxes on fuel, alcohol and tobacco up 10%
One-off tax on profits, plus new gambling, property and green taxes


In pictures: Greece protests
Angry Greeks 'left carrying the can'
Greek economy 'to shrink by 3%'
Hewitt: Europe's days of anxiety
"Nobody has the right to violence and particularly violence that leads to murder. Violence breeds violence."

But one of the protesters told the BBC it had been the fault of the police, whose "brutality" had led to the escalation.

"It's something tragic but I think that the responsibility in the last instance lies with the government because the government unleashed a tremendous amount of police violence against a huge demonstration," Panayotis Sotiris said.

Europe future 'at stake'

Meanwhile, the German parliament has begun considering the bail-out plan for Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel urged MPs to back the emergency loan package agreed by European finance ministers at the weekend.


What went wrong in Greece?

Greece's economic reforms that led to it abandoning the drachma in favour of the euro in 2002 made it easier for the country to borrow money.

Greece went on a debt-funded spending spree, including high-profile projects such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, which went well over budget.

It was hit by the downturn, which meant it had to spend more on benefits and received less in taxes. There were also doubts about the accuracy of its economic statistics.

Greece's economic problems meant lenders started charging higher interest rates to lend it money and widespread tax evasion also hit the government's coffers.

There have been demonstrations against the government's austerity measures to deal with its 300bn euro (£267bn) debt, such as cuts to public sector pay.

Now the government has announced that it needs to access the 30bn euros (£26bn) in emergency loans it has been offered by other EU countries.
BACK 1 of 6 NEXT It requires Germany to pay the largest proportion of the loans.

"Quite simply, Europe's future is at stake," she said.

The EU has agreed to provide 80bn euros (£69bn) in funding - of which around 22bn euros would come from Germany.

Another 30bn euros will come from the International Monetary Fund and the remainder from other eurozone members.

European Council President Herman van Rompuy said the European Union was watching events in Greece.

"We are all concerned by the Greek economic and budgetary situation, but at this moment our thoughts are with the human victims in Athens," Mr van Rompuy said

"A major programme has just been finalised. This programme is ambitious and credible in efforts that it represents towards the budgetary plan and competitiveness."

The bail-out deal is designed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its massive debt.

However, it must first be approved by some parliaments in the 15 other eurozone countries.

Uganda's highest ice cap splits on Mt Margherita

Uganda's highest ice cap splits on Mt Margherita

Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains in 1987 on the left and in 2005 on the right
The ice cap on Uganda's highest peak has split because of global warming, Uganda's Wildlife Authority (UWA) says.

The glacier is located at an altitude of 5,109m (16,763ft) in the Rwenzori mountain range, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The authorities say a crevasse has blocked access to the Margherita summit - the third-highest peak in Africa, and a popular destination with climbers.

Scientists say glaciers in the Rwenzori range could disappear within 20 years.

UWA officials said a team had been sent to the mountain to assess the extent of damage on the route to Margherita.

According to researchers, the ice cap covered 6 sq km (2 sq miles) 50 years ago. It is now less than 1 sq km.

The mountain range, which is one of the few places near the equator to have glaciers, was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1994.

Election: Vote battle intensifies for final three days

Election: Vote battle intensifies for final three days

Cameron denies he is 'over-confident'
Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are into the final three days of election campaigning.

The Tories are ahead in the polls but not by enough to get a majority - Mr Cameron says they will campaign through the night in a final push from Tuesday.

Mr Brown said he would fight "every inch" and said "judgement and wisdom" were needed after the financial crisis.

Mr Clegg told supporters in south-east London "the sky's the limit" and they had "three days to change Britain".

The three leaders are spending the bank holiday visiting numerous seats they hope to win on 6 May.

'No complacency'

Three days before the closest election since 1992, an ICM/Guardian poll puts the Conservatives on 33%, Labour and the Lib Dems on 28% while a YouGov poll for the Sun puts the Tories on 34%, Lib Dems on 29% and Labour on 28% - which continue to point to a hung parliament.

BBC News Channel chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said despite the final TV debate and Mr Brown having to apologise after being overheard calling a pensioner "bigoted", the polls had not really shifted over the past week.

In Blackpool on Monday, Mr Cameron said there was not "one ounce of complacency" in his campaign and pledged a through-the-night campaign from Tuesday night to Wednesday night, in which he is expected to meet fishermen, bakers and florists who work in the early hours of the morning.


In this country you don't inherit power, you have to earn it

Nick Clegg


Clegg warns of Tory 'arrogance'
He said he was taking "no vote for granted" and recognised that millions of people were still making up their minds.

In a message to his parliamentary candidates he said: "This is the vital time. You need to go door to door, street to street, house to house. We have a huge amount of work to do, a lot of people left to convince."

"If we get out there we can... win it and win it for our country," he said.

On Sunday he said his party had the "momentum" - and was criticised by Labour's Lord Mandelson who said Mr Cameron was "desperate to give the impression that he is home and dry" but in fact voters were "firmly resisting his soft soap campaign".

'Sky's the limit'

Addressing supporters in Blackheath, south-east London, Mr Clegg accused Mr Cameron of "breathtaking arrogance" and of "measuring up the curtains" at 10 Downing Street before the election had taken place.

Urging activists to "campaign every minute of the day", he said: "Anything can happen. The sky's the limit."


I'm going to fight every inch of the way and every second of the day

Gordon Brown
Mr Clegg said: "We have got three days in this most exciting election campaign, three days to change Britain for good. Three days to deliver the fairness... for the families and communities of Great Britain."

He acknowledged a change in Lib Dem strategy - campaigning in seats like Streatham and Lewisham that the party would not have expected to win. Mr Clegg told the BBC: "We are reaching deeper into parts of Britain that have been let down by Labour in particular for so long."

The Lib Dems have also released a list of celebrity supporters - which includes actors Colin Firth and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, satirist Armando Ianucci and campaigner Bianca Jagger.

Meanwhile Mr Brown has been joined by his own celebrity supporter, Dragons' Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, in visits to Basildon and Ipswich on Monday morning.

Equality plans

He acknowledged he was "fighting for my life" in what he described as "a post global-financial-crisis election".

He said the government needed to make the "right calls" and "judgement and wisdom" were needed while the Tories had been on the wrong side of the arguments during the economic crisis.

"It is a Labour majority government we need," he said.

"I'm going to fight every inch of the way and every second of the day to tell people in Britain that fight for the future must mean people look at our plan and what we're proposing."

The Conservatives have unveiled plans for a "contract for young people" - to guarantee them help with training and getting jobs and are setting out plans for new rules aimed at forcing listed companies to hire more female directors, proposals to close the gender pay gap and set up mentoring schemes for female and ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

Labour is concentrating on its "seasides manifesto" to boost resort towns and help them benefit from opportunities in low carbon businesses and economic regeneration.

The Lib Dems will turn their fire on the Conservatives arguing they would not reform the banks and rebuild the economy because they are "in hock to the City of London".

The three leaders will also address a CitizensUK election "assembly" of about 2,500 people in London. Each will speak for 10 minutes before taking questions from a panel about "civil society".