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An independent expert, commissioned by Greenpeace, has concluded that two nuclear reactors, currently under construction in Finland and France, suffer from serious safety flaws. The EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) design, which is supplied by the French company AREVA, fails to adequately separate different reactor control systems. Greenpeace is calling on the Finnish and French governments to immediately halt work at the EPR construction sites in Olkiluoto and Flamanville.

According to independent nuclear safety analyst Dr. Helmut Hirsch the flaws in the reactor safety systems “in the worst case, can lead to a minor incident developing into a severe accident.” [...]

President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as part of his first state visit, jointly launched a new U.S.-India Green Partnership aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations on a wide range of environment and climate initiatives.

Among these initiatives is the creation of an Indian National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA), intended to enhance the authority of Indian environmental agencies, improve public information and transparency, demonstrate progress in environmental compliance and enforcement, and ultimately result in improved environmental quality for all Indian citizens. [...]

Following a week of potentially crippling budgetary reviews and a high-profile visit from US President Barack Obama to Japan, shortly after 10am today the so-called ’scientific’ whaling fleet crept out of port, as Greenpeace called for today’s departure to be the programme’s last.
Earlier, the environmental group unveiled a ‘Yes We Can’ banner in front of the factory ship Nisshin Maru, calling on new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the visiting US President Barack Obama to work together to end whaling. [...]

Greenpeace welcomed today’s decision by Indonesia’s Forest Minister, Mr. Zulkifli Hasan, to temporarily stop paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Limited (APRIL) from destroying the carbon-rich forest peatlands of Indonesia’s Kampar Peninsula, Sumatra, pending a review of the company’s permits.

The move follows a Greenpeace protest on 12 November to prevent the company destroying the forest and peatland in the area, in order to grow acacia plantations for the pulp and paper it supplies to the global market. Containing 2 billion tonnes of carbon, the endangered Kampar Peninsula is one of the planet’s largest natural carbon stores. (1) It is under threat of destruction by APRIL and Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). (2) [...]

For the first time in nearly 40 years, EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation’s sulfur dioxide (SO2) air quality standard to protect public health. Power plants and other industrial facilities emit SO2 directly into the air. Exposure to SO2 can aggravate asthma, cause respiratory difficulties, and result in emergency room visits and hospitalization. People with asthma, children, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to SO2’s effects. [...]

Today six activists from the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise boarded the cargo ship Happy Ranger in the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany. The activists are carrying banners reading “Nuclear Madness, made in France”. The ship is carrying steam turbines supplied by the French nuclear company AREVA to the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor currently under construction in Finland.

Today’s action was taken to highlight the fact that nuclear energy not only exposes the public to radiation hazards, but undermines effective climate protection. Greenpeace is calling on the Finnish government to stop the work at Olkiluoto 3.

“Construction of the EPR reactor in Olkiluoto has been a disaster. This dangerous mistake has cost Finland years of action on climate protection. By choosing nuclear power the Finnish government shut the door on investments in renewable energy and energy saving projects.” said Lauri Myllyvirta , Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace Nordic. [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today reaches a milestone for the Energy Star program by passing the 1 millionth Energy Star qualified home mark. With more than 15,000 partners in sectors all across the economy, Energy Star has been enormously successful at saving consumers money by reducing the energy usage of products used in the home and office everyday. Since the program began labeling new homes in 1995, Americans have saved $1.2 billion on their energy bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22 billion pounds. This year alone, families living in Energy Star qualified homes will save more than $270 million on their utility bills, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 370,000 vehicles. [...]

There is something about a chopper which is quintessentially American in nature signifying the American way of like no other. Whether it is the commanding supremacy, the sassy attitude, the notion of speed or a kind of rugged masculinity, it seems that the very essence of American identity is etched on every point of a chopper. Thus, the fact that a show like American chopper will gain an almost instant popularity among a major section of the American population is hardly surprising. [...]