NEWSBRIEFS Worldwide energy consumption is expected to grow 75% between 1995 and 2020, according to the International Energy Outlook 1998 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The report looks at factors affecting energy use, including the Asian economic recession, growth in developing countries, and the carbon dioxide emission limits agreed to in the Kyoto climate change treaty. Even if industrialized countries scale back energy consumption by 20-30 million barrels of oil per day, worldwide emission levels would rise 32% by 2010, EIA reports. The report is available on the Web at http:// www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/contents.html. The world is economically richer and environmentally poorer than ever before, according to WorldWatch Institute's report on environmental indicators, Vital Signs 1998. The report also says that the world is warmer, more crowded and more urban. The burning of Indonesia's forests was one of last year's most visible signs of environmental distress, and the trend toward taxing environmentally destructive activities is gaining momentum. 1998 saw a new record in solar cell shipments, but the world's carbon emissions continue to climb. To order the publication call (202) 452-1999. The fastest mass extinction of plants and animals in Earth's history is underway and is a major threat to humans in the next century, according to an April survey of 400 scientists commissioned by New York's American Museum of Natural History. The scientists ranked biodiversity loss as more serious than global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion. Seventy percent predicted that one-fifth of all species alive today will be extinct in 30 years due to human destruction of plant and animal habitats. For a copy of Biodiversity in the Next Millennium, send an e-mail to
[email protected] Agricultural pollution is the most common threat to U.S. rivers, according to a report from American Rivers, an environmental group. The report ranks the 20 most endangered rivers in the United States, with the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River heading the list. According to the report, 60% of the nation's impaired rivers are degraded by agricultural pollution. Over onethird of freshwater fish are endangered, and most states have lost more than 80% of their river ecosystems. America's Most Endangered Rivers of 1998 is available at http://www.amrivers.org.
China, India, and the United States have already joined, but more are needed. For more information, send e-mail to
[email protected], or visit the Econetworth Web site (http://www.geocities.com/ RainForest/Vines / 5832).
Eleven million childhood deaths occur each year primarily because of preventable, environmentally related diseases such as malaria, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea, according to a report released jointly by the United Nations Environment Program, the U.N. Development Program, and the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank. The report explains why disease levels are higher for the poor, and details dramatic differences in disease outbreaks from region to region. The report, 1998-99 World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment, is available on the Web at http:// www.wri.org.
Particulates emissions from 1991-model diesel engines is 15 to 35 times greater than that of 1988 diesel engines, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC conducted a oneyear study of potential diesel exhaust hazards in California, performing exposure monitoring in communities where diesel truck traffic is heavy. The study estimates that diesel engines emit 100 times more particles than gasoline engines. For a copy of Exhausted by Diesel: How America's Dependence on Diesel Engines Threatens our Health, call (212) 727-4486.
Environmental professionals are needed to review environmental impact assessments in developing countries. Sujatha Byravan and Sudhir Rajan have formed "Econetworth" to address this need through an international network of volunteers. Experts from Australia, Canada,
Industry pollution prevention efforts are more likely to flourish if environmental regulations allow businesses the opportunity to experiment with performancebased innovations, according to a case study report by Resources for the Future. By focusing on Dow, Monsanto, and Du Pont, Searching for the Profit in Pollution Prevention revealed that inconsistent regulatory enforcement can weaken the demand for pollution prevention technologies. The case studies also showed that performance-based regulation was more effective in encouraging pollution prevention than technology-forcing regulation. The researchers called for better environmental accounting methods and measures to be developed. To order a copy, call (202) 328-5000.
People in the news. The 1998 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has been awarded to Anne and Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University for their contributions in population biology and ecology. Gedeon Dagan of Tel Aviv (Israel) University received the 1998 Stockholm Water Prize for his research in subsurface hydrology.
JULY 1, 1998 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 3 0 7 A
