Posts Tagged ‘Environmental Hazards’

24 October International Day of Climate Action

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Did you know that the most important number on the plant is 350.  As in 350 Parts Per Million of CO2.  October 24, 2009 has been declared the International Day of Climate Action and will mark the first time that the event has been held.  The aim of this initiative is to build support for getting the CO2 levels in the atmosphere down to 350 which scientists have said is the safe limit for humanity.  The CO2 levels are currently at 387 ppm and rising.

24 October 2009 is International Day of Climate Action

24 October 2009 is International Day of Climate Action

So the call to action is on October 24th for you to place the number 350 at an iconic place in your community or some creative way and then upload the photo to the 350.org website.  They will collect the images from around the world and deliver the message to the media and world leaders to demonstrate how big and powerful with world wide movement for climate change is.  There is already a lot of creative activities happening to mark the occasion. On October 24th take a stand and do something!  For more information visit www.360.org/plan.

Dunder – Stinks and Kills Fish in Black River, Jamaica

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

rumA massive amount of fish was found dead in Black River, St. Elizabeth this month. Up to 10 miles upstream dead fish were being found. Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) was slow to act and has now admitted that its slow response may have prevented it from identifying the culprit(s) responsible for the environmental mess.

In a statement following the September 1 incident, NEPA said that it suspected that there was a release of dunder. Dunder is the yeast-rich foam leftovers from one batch of rum that is used to start the yeast culture of a second batch. It is the traditional yeast source in Jamaican rum and is known to be a critical step in achieving an authentic rum flavor. The dark-coloured leftover smells like stale sugar and is toxic to fish. Many people who live in the area claim that is an annual event and are concerned about the agency’s lack of power to stop or investigate it. (more…)

Jamaica’s St. Ann Bauxite back to full production in three months

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
 
Published on Friday, September 4, 2009 Email To Friend    Print Version
By Horace Helpsbauxite scarKINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) — Jamaica’s St Ann Bauxite Partners Ltd plans to return to nearly full production within three months, its principals said.The company now operates at 64 percent of capacity, producing 3 million tonnes of bauxite annually at its mine on Jamaica’s northeast coast.

It plans to increase production despite global marketplace challenges that have seen the closure of two other bauxite and alumina companies in Jamaica, company officials said late on Wednesday.

“We will have to watch the market as we move forward and are poised to do everything we need to do to continue bringing production up,” St. Ann Bauxite President Larry Holley told company workers at a function that included Jamaican government officials and bauxite industry technocrats. (more…)