Did the earth move for you?
By Botho Molosankwe

An Earth tremor measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale hit some parts of Joburg [Wednesday night] - prompting some residents to call radio stations.

It is not yet known what caused the tremor or its exact location, said Michelle Grobbelaar, the unit manager at the Seismology Department of the Council of Geoscience.

However, she said, it was widely felt in areas such as Mayfair, Glenanda and Florida.

"We don't know what caused it but normally it is because of stress build-up in the earth.

"We are in the process of establishing more stations in the Joburg region that will notify us during the tremor so that we will be able to understand what causes them. But in the law of seismology if it happened before it will happen again," Grobbelaar said. More

More wind farms for the Eastern Cape

TRANSKEI could become a site for renewable energy generation now that traditional leaders have signed an agreement with a French company to explore the possibilities.

The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders (ECHTL) and InnoWind yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the company would develop wind power generation facilities in both the former Ciskei and Transkei regions.

The MoU was signed at the Savoy Hotel in Mthatha by ECHTL chairperson Nkosi Ngangomhlaba Matanzima and InnoWind managing director in South Africa Martin Webb.

After signing the agreement, Webb said they would be conducting feasibility studies in various areas in the Eastern Cape.

Once studies in the identified areas are complete, wind turbines would be constructed to generate emission-free electricity for supply to regional power networks. More

Man arrested for harassing dolphins
By Mary-Anne Gontsana

Kalk Bay harbour master Pat Stacey had to restrain angry onlookers who shouted abuse at a man who had been harassing a school of dolphins in False Bay by allegedly driving his boat between the animals.

The man, a British citizen living in Simon's Town, will appear in the Muizenberg Magistrate's Court tomorrow on charges related to harassing and disturbing a school of about 150 dolphins while they were feeding close inshore at Kalk Bay.

The man cannot be named until he has pleaded in court.

Stacey said on Monday: "When I brought him ashore, there was a crowd at the harbour and they really went off at him, shouting at him. We had to restrain them and get the guy upstairs into my office. They were really angry." More

Senators struggling over climate compromise
By Richard Cowan

Washington - United States senators writing a massive climate-change bill struggled on Thursday over how to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the transportation sector, Senator Lindsey Graham said, adding that he did not yet know whether a measure would be ready by Monday.

"The transportation sector is a problem," Graham told reporters. "We're just dealing with that."

Graham, a Republican, has been collaborating with Democratic Senator John Kerry and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman on a bill they hope to sketch out on Monday, but which will face an uphill fight this year.

Asked whether the trio will be able to meet that deadline, Graham responded, "I don't know yet".
The fight over how Congress should reduce pollution that scientists blame for global warming was unfolding as environmentalists celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. More

Climate scientist sues newspaper for 'poisoning' global warming debate

Climate modeler Andrew Weaver launches libel action in Canada for publishing 'grossly irresponsible falsehoods'
David Adam, Uk Guardian environment correspondent

One of the world's leading climate scientists has launched a libel lawsuit against a Canadian newspaper for publishing articles that he says "poison" the debate on global warming.

In a case with potentially huge consequences for on line publishers, lawyers acting for Andrew Weaver, a climate modeler at the University of Victoria, Canada, have demanded the National Post removes the articles not only from its own websites, but also from the numerous blogs and sites where they were reposted.

Weaver says the articles, published at the height of several recent controversies over the reliability of climate science in recent months, contain "grossly irresponsible falsehoods". He said he filed the suit after the newspaper refused to retract the articles.

Weaver said: "If I sit back and do nothing to clear my name, these libels will stay on the internet forever. They'll poison the factual record, misleading people who are looking for reliable scientific information about global warming.More

Ocean chemistry is changing faster – study
By Deborah Zabarenko

Washington - Carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming are also turning the oceans more acidic at the fastest pace in hundreds of thousands of years, the National Research Council reported on Thursday.

"The chemistry of the ocean is changing at an unprecedented rate and magnitude due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions," the council said. "The rate of change exceeds any known to have occurred for at least the past hundreds of thousands of years."

Ocean acidification eats away at coral reefs, interferes with some fish species' ability to find their homes and can hurt commercial shellfish like mussels and oysters and keep them from forming their protective shells.

Corrosion happens when carbon dioxide is stored in the oceans and reacts with sea water to form carbonic acid. Unless carbon dioxide emissions are curbed, oceans will grow more acidic, the report said.

Oceans absorb about one-third of all human-generated carbon dioxide emissions, including those from burning fossil fuels, cement production and deforestation, the report said. More

Algal fuels seen as having potential, but much research still needed
By: Jacqueline Holman

Is the large-scale production of algal biofuels a viable alternative and should South Africa be pursuing it as a liquid- fuels option? Proponents suggest that it could indeed be a viable endeavour, and estimate that an industry could emerge within five to ten years, or sooner, should there be an innovation breakthrough. They add that it could also form an important component of the country’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions.

South Africa is a carbon dioxide- (CO2-) intense economy, with more than 75% of the country’s primary energy requirement sourced from fossil fuels.
For this reason, South African National Energy Research Institute (Saneri) senior manager Dr Thembakazi Mali argued that in a recent discussion on biofuels production in South Africa that the country has an urgent need to reduce fossil fuel dependence, reduce its carbon footprint and diversify its energy mix and supply.

One of the answers may lie in biofuel from algae, which is currently being researched and could form part of the country’s Industrial Policy Action Plan, where a Biofuels Draft Strategy has set a target for a biofuels market penetration of 4,5% by 2013. More