Luglio 2014 - Futuro Sostenibile

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Australian Repeal Deals Blow to Global Carbon-Emission Plans

Australia’s repeal of a pioneering tax on carbon emissions has dealt a sharp blow to struggling international efforts to coordinate on global warming and comes ahead of key climate-change talks next year. On July 17, Australia’s parliament pulled the plug on the 2012 tax, which charged 348 businesses such as steelmakers and power companies A$25.40 (US$24) per ton of carbon dioxide emitted. The levy was slated to evolve next year into an emissions-trading system that would link to the European Union’s.

Nuclear Plants Should Focus on Risks Posed by External Events, Study Says

Engineers at American nuclear plants have been much better at calculating the risk of an internal problem that would lead to an accident than they have at figuring the probability and consequences of accidents caused by events outside a plant, a report released Thursday by the National Academy of Science said. Accidents that American reactors are designed to withstand, like a major pipe break, are “stylized” and do not reflect the bigger source of risk, which is external, according to the study. That conclusion is one of the major lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, which began after an earthquake at sea caused a tsunami.

Cina e Venezuela, intese petrolifere

La Cina è sempre più presente in America Latina dopo che il presidente cinese Xi Jinping ha firmato una serie di accordi petroliferi con il Venezuela che prevedono una linea di credito di 4 miliardi di dollari in cambio di greggio venezuelano e altri prodotti. La Cina è il secondo mercato per il petrolio venezuelano dopo gli Stati Uniti.

UK Shale Regulation Inadequate for Safety, Report Says

Shale gas exploration in the U.K. lacks adequate regulation to protect public health and the environment including water shortages, according to a report by scientists. Exploitation of the resource may also undermine efforts to tackle climate change, according to the document published today by the Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Air quality improvement in Chinese metropolis

di Davide Triacca

The quick deterioration of the air quality in Chines metropolis, triggered by anthropic activities, causes – according to the World Health Organization statistics – hundreds of thousands deaths per year by respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and high socioeconomic costs. An important contribution to reduce such air pollution can be obtained through a wise and strategic planning of the urban (smart) green infrastructure.