Let's move heaven and earthClimate change experts are predicting that there will be 150 million environmental refugees by the end of the century. Currently, there are 10 million people in Bangladesh and 25 million people in China living below one metre of sea level.
These figures were cited by Dr Isabel Carter from the European Christian Environmental Network when she spoke on the urgency of acting on climate change at the European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania earlier this month.
"Poor people have made little or no contribution to the problem of climate change and yet they will suffer the most severe consequences," she said. Dr Carter called on Europe's religious leaders to take the lead.
"We have the capacity to mobilise our churches, to speak
out and bring enormous pressure to bear on our political leaders.
We can do this if we put all our energies and focus into this."
• See
www.ecen.organd
www.eea3.orgfor full details.
Take that to the bank
Bling my Bring Bank is the theme of the seventh annual Repak
recycling week which begins on Monday. Decorated bring banks will
be placed at various prominent locations around Dublin to
heighten people's awareness of bring banks and encourage them to
keep the areas around bring banks clean and litter-free. In another
attempt to increase awareness of what can be recycled, there will
be a dedicated day next week to each type of recycled material:
paper/cardboard, aluminium, glass, plastic, wood and electrical
goods.
• See
www.repak.iefor locations of
local authority recycling facilities.
Get your heritage grant
Community groups, environmental organisations and individuals
keen to play a role in protecting our heritage should get their
applications ready for the Heritage Council's grant scheme for
2008. Projects covering biodiversity, restoration of heritage
buildings, archaeology research and public awareness campaigns will
be considered for funding under seven grant schemes. Applications
must be submitted by November 2nd.
• For full details tel: 056-7770777 or see
www.heritagecouncil.ie.
Walk to the trees
Visitors to Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park tomorrow may like to join one of the tree walking tours led by Dr John McCullen from the Office of Public Works and John McLoughlin of the Tree Council of Ireland, at 3pm and 4pm.
EcoWeb
www.epa.ie
Check out ENVision, the new interactive map section of the environmental protection agency website, which allows people to access environmental information about their local area. The ENVision maps can be used to find out about local air and water quality (river, lake and bathing water quality) as well as where licensed industrial and waste facilities are sited.
