British Defense Ministry is now supporting the fight against climate change

TRT English, Turkey, 23 February 2012, The ministry decided to disclose some secret documents of the Navy regarding environment. British Navy 's ships and submarines are constantly collecting environmental data. Yet only a limited number of people can access these data. Or else, the location of the Navy elements would be exposed. But the British Defense Ministry took a positive step for science. The secret data will be made public step by step. First the data collected by submarines that will shed light upon the meltdown in North Pole will be released.  The locations of the measurements will not be disclosed but details of the physical changes in oceans will be shown. Especially information on temperature fluctuations, salt ratio and glacier meltdown in oceans are expected to reveal the process of climate change.

(Source : TRT English, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation)

Good riddance to rubbish helps save climate

Deutsche Welle, Germany, 21 February 2012, Stinking garbage heaps emit large amounts of methane gas, a pollutant far more harmful to the climate than CO2. Indonesia has come up with innovative ways of disposing of trash – benefiting both people and the climate. On the outskirts of the Indonesian city of Tangerang, a waste processing facility plays an important role for the communities in the region. Since 2010, the plant has helped clean up the local roads and streets and provided jobs for many. Trash enters the facility, where it is collected, sorted and processed, either to be recycled or composted. Every day, up to 15 motorcycles make rounds in the city of Tangerang, picking up some 400 kilograms of trash a day.  Employees at the facility sort the trash by hand, carefully separating paper, glass, plastics and organic waste from each other. Anything that can be recycled is sent back to be processed and reused. Some people use the recyclable materials to fashion useful items, creating wallets out of old plastic bags or juice cartons. Organic waste such as fruit peels or leftover vegetables and grains are composted and sold as fertilizer. The long list of buyers includes tree nurseries and gardeners eager to access organic, sustainable fertilizer for their work. In the end, only a third of the trash collected can be neither recycled nor composted, and that ends up back on the landfill.

Oil tax funds climate projects in Brazil

Deutsche Welle, Germany 23 February 2012, Brazil's government is fighting climate change with a special fund flush with cash from a tax on the country's oil industry. The money is to be distributed as loans to climate-friendly initiatives. Brazilhas a new weapon in its battle with climate change. Last week the government launched a climate fund worth 80 million euros ($106 million) that will target projects that reduce greenhouse gases, fight climate change, and implement adaptation strategies for climate change. "The government has fulfilled its role of making the money available. There's a willingness from industry and from private initiatives to participate and to invest in the appropriate technologies," Karen Suassuna, the director of climate change issues at Brazil's Environment Ministry, told DW.