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New book examines global trends in environmental aid

27 06 08 - 05:30 New book examines global trends in environmental aid



By Cheryl Ntumy Washington - Denmark gives more in environmental aid funding than other countries, according to a new book unveiled Wednesday at a lecture in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The book, "Greening Aid? Understanding the Environmental Impact of Development Aid," analyzes the environmental impact of development aid and is based on a database called Project-Level Aid, created by the authors in response to the limitations of existing data.

Between 1995 and 1999, Denmark increased environmental aid funding from 11.2 percent to 21.9 percent of its total bilateral aid package, the book reports, while the U.S. went from 5.3 percent to 11.2 percent in the same time.

The study indicates that environmental aid has increased between the 1980s and 1990s, while what the authors call "dirty aid" - aid for industrial activities such as mining, logging and dam construction - remained relatively the same.

Robert Goodland, former environmental adviser to the World Bank Group and a speaker at the lecture, condemned the bank for increasing finance for projects that harm the environment. "World Bank Group is de-greening itself fast," he said.

He accused the World Bank of funding projects such as industrial logging and livestock production and blasted the organization for its lack of transparency. He also lamented the trend toward funding "methane-producing dams" and "dams which displace people."

In a time when the world is battling a food crisis, Goodland said, "The bank makes cows fly," by funding cheese production in India, he said, and flying the products to Japan "to supply Pizza Hut."

The World Bank responded in a statement, saying the bank has in place a group of policies "considered by many to be the gold standard when it comes to environmental and social safeguards surrounding development." The statement added that the policies "are the cornerstones of projects that developing country governments decide to implement with the support of the World Bank" and "identify and then prevent or mitigate undue harm to people and their environment in the development process. We stand by these policies and work daily to see that they are applied faithfully."

The authors gave some examples of development projects that had a positive effect on the environment, including reforestation, the conservation of biodiversity and the exploration of renewable energy.

"Greening Aid" was written after about five years of work by Robert L. Hicks, associate professor of economics; J. Timmons Roberts, chancellor professor of sociology; Michael J. Tierney, associate professor of government, and Bradley C. Parks, research fellow, all of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.

In selecting recipients for aid, Parks said evidence exists that environmental aid is being allocated according to "eco-functional criteria," which he said differs according to the recipient country's environmental situation. He also said, however, that factors such as political loyalty and previous trade relationships appeared to "loom very, very large in the environmental aid process."

When the authors compared actual aid with Agenda 21 prescriptions - a document designed at the 1992 Earth summit in Rio, calling for an increase in aid for environmental issues - they discovered that some types of projects received less than 10 percent of the recommended funding. In addition, the study found that several of the poorest countries received less environmental aid funding combined between 1990 and 1999 than China, which received almost five times more.

The book also analyzed several donor countries to "try to explain which ones are the most green and why that might be," Tierney said. Potential factors in determining a country's interest in environmental projects include national wealth, environmental groups or groups that might benefit financially from projects and international environmental policy preferences.

Another issue discussed at the lecture was tied aid, foreign funding that must be spent on products made either in the donor country or another country selected by the donor. Tierney said that supporting local businesses would be more effective for the recipient country than buying from the donor, but there are political concerns as well.

"The principle is we should untie aid," he said, but "there's a double edge on this sword."

The authors admitted there are flaws in their study and said they would welcome further research into the subject. They said that one of the main reasons for their research was a need for accountability.

Parks said that donors "make a lot of claims" about how much they fund environmental projects. "There needs to be some sort of independent evaluation of what's going on," he said.

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Chitika | Owna

Used tags: biodiversity, conservation, development_aid, environment, environmental_impact, exploration_of_renewable_energy, reforestation

Toward a greener economy

Friday 17 October 2008 at 2:55 pm Toward a greener economy




By Moises Velasquez-Manoff





New York - Market bubbles occur when goods are traded at prices that greatly exceed real value. They burst when they grow so bloated that they become unstable. The current economic turmoil, widely viewed as the worst since 1929, is one example of what can happen when the difference between market value and actual value becomes too great.

Environmentally minded economists have long warned that equally burstable ecological bubbles can occur if humanity lives beyond earth's capacity to regenerate. The problem, they say, is that we're addicted to economic growth. Mainstream economics assumes that the economy, the engine of modern civilization, can grow perpetually. more

Renewable Electricity Surges by 32 percent-Provides 11 percent of U.S. Net Generation

Sunday 12 October 2008 at 06:23 am Renewable Electricity Surges by 32 percent-Provides 11 percent of U.S. Net Generation




Washington - According to the latest "Monthly Electricity Review" issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (October 3, 2008), net U.S. generation of electricity from renewable energy sources surged by 32 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007.

Renewable energy (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) totaled 41,160,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) in June 2008 up from 31,242,000 MWh in June 2007. Renewables accounted for 11.0 percent of net U.S. electricity generation in June 2008 compared to 8.6 percent in June 2007. more

City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy

Sunday 12 October 2008 at 06:15 am City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy




Washington - Tomorrow's household garbage might be blended with after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards to make ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are investigating this straightforward, eco-friendly strategy in their laboratories at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif. more

Big Help in Biofuels Research

Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:52 am Big Help in Biofuels Research


Washington - A short little grass known as purple false brome may speed discoveries about switchgrass, its famous cousin and energy-crop hopeful.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists like John Vogel and Yong Gu at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are probing the genetic makeup of purple false brome, or Brachypodium distachyon, as a faster way to learn more about the genes inside switchgrass. more

Precedent-setting carbon auction Thursday

Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:43 am By Mark Clayton


For almost as long as people have worried about global warming, economists have called for taxing carbon emissions. As long as sending CO2 skyward was cost-free, they argued, the practice would continue.

Starting Sept. 25, for the first time in US history, a price tag will begin to be placed on millions of tons of carbon dioxide spewing from every major power plant from Maine to Maryland.

Just what that price will be won't be known until after Thursday's computerized auction of about 12.5 million tons of "carbon allowances," essentially permission slips to pollute.

Utility companies will bid on the allowances. They may be used, saved, or traded so that any company with a need to send more CO2 up the stack can buy more - at the market price. The amount of CO2 to be cut over the next decade is modest - about 18 million tons annually (US power plants collectively emit about 2.8 billion tons of CO2 yearly). But the auction and process of setting a price for carbon are critical first steps, many say. more

Dispelling The “Twisted Truths” Of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:18 pm Dispelling The “Twisted Truths” Of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs







For more than 129 years, people have used the incandescent light bulb as the primary light source for the home. With more consumers searching for products that are good for the environment, a new light bulb is revolutionizing lighting around the world. Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have become the symbol of the “green” movement. They use 75 percent less energy and last as much as 10 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. Plus, they help reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming. more

Campaign Plants Trees At Schools Across The U.S.

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:08 pm Campaign Plants Trees At Schools Across The U.S.






Schools are generally seen as the place to plant the seeds of knowledge. Yet thanks to a one-day environmental campaign, schools and parks across the country became places to plant something a little greener.

Sixteen schools across the country, from Long Island to Hawaii, participated in the initial “Trees for Success” campaign, with more than 800 trees planted in schools and neighboring parks in a single day. The schools were selected by the Arbor Day Foundation out of more than 200 applications based on need, civic and local support, student involvement, a plan for upkeep, and location. more

Wind Power Is Poised To Support U.S. Jobs

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:50 pm Wind Power Is Poised To Support U.S. Jobs

The U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030.

Experts say there is a renewable source of energy that is capable of becoming a major contributor to America’s electricity supply over the next three decades--wind power.

In 2007, wind was already one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in U.S. households, and the U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030 and be a critical part of the solution to global warming. more

Weathering Rising Costs With Free Program

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:41 pm Weathering Rising Costs With Free Program





AEN News




Spiking energy costs are prompting many Americans to find ways to conserve energy.

Escalating energy costs have affected low-income Americans the most, says a recent study by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, forcing them to cut staples such as food and medicine. more

Algae-To-Energy Tests Planned

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:23 pm Algae-To-Energy Tests Planned



AEN News




For decades, scientists and energy executives have sought to unlock the energy potential of algae. Best known as the green pond scum that befouls rivers, lakes and streams, the single-celled plants are also a potentially prolific source of renewable fuels that could be used to power engines in cars, trucks, generators and many other machines.

Because algae use carbon dioxide to grow and reproduce, releasing oxygen in the process, systems that use them to produce renewable biofuel supplies are also being eyed for their promise in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other sources generally believed to promote global warming.

Despite the promise of this approach in a world searching for renewable alternatives to limited fossil fuel supplies, attempts to develop algae-derived biofuels in commercially viable volumes have not been successful.

Now, that could be changing. more