Green-News: Thursday 1.22.09
- That dirty bottle with the red cap looks like trash. But it actually holds the first weapons-grade plutonium ever made. And no, it wasn’t found in some war-torn country. It was unearthed in Washington State, at an abandoned 1940s weapons plant; via NewScientist.
- India has drawn a hard line against plastic bags. The capital city has banned all non-biodegradable shopping bags. And now, effective immediately, anyone caught with a plastic bag will face up to 5 years in prison and up to a $2,034 fine; DiscoBlog explains.
- Southern China’s bustling factories are spewing a haze over Hong Kong, covering the famous harbor with pollution and threatening the city’s economy. Officials worry the poor air quality will force people to leave the city and no new people will move in; the AFP reports.
- On the other hand, here in the United States, eco-friendly wind power could create 1 million new jobs by 2010. Now, only 400,000 people work in the wind power industry, but by 2050 it might reach 3 million! And jobs in China and Europe may boom too; from CleanTechnia.
- Creative agriculture may slow global warming. Planting crops, specifically those with waxy leaves, with traditional farm crops will reflect sunlight and reduce temperatures by 2 degrees in central North America and parts of Asia and Europe; via The New York Times.
- President Obama is expected to pass a waiver allowing California and 12 other states to enforce tougher air quality rules. Environmental groups praise the proposal, saying it’ll help combat climate change, but automakers fear the worst; The Los Angeles Times reports.
Image credit: NewScientist
Plastic bags are a relatively new thing in India anyway. Back when I was in India[long ago] People brought their own bags or re-usable plastic totes to buy food. When they gave you a bag, it was often made of newspaper- the funnies or magazine section if you were lucky. Only fancier clothing or other stores used regular paper and never disposable plastic bags. It was shocking the amount of waste in comparison in the U>S>