2- Union for the Mediterranean: Dr. Rafiq Husseini underlines the importance of joint water projects for MENA Region
3- First UfM project to help tackle Gaza water crisis with €310 million desalination plant
4- EU Environment Ministers Address Sustainable Water Management
5- EU Council Conclusions on EU Integrated Flood Management
6- EU Council Conclusions on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
7- EU: Infringement Procedures Related to River Basin Plans
8- UN Secretary-General launches the “Sustainable Sanitation: Five-Year Drive to 2015”
9- Italians voted 'No' to Water Privatization
10- Spanish water investment to hit € 1.2 billion this year
11- Spain: Dow opens Spanish desalination membrane research centre
12- Spain: Government authorizes land for Moncofa desalination
13- France: Nearly 80% of water bodies under their normal level
14- France: 1 billion aid to farmers to cope with drought
15- Turkish-Iraqi discussions about water shortage
16- Egypt: Political change to boost Nile cooperation
17- Palestine: Water Governance Facility Support to the Palestinian Water Authority
18- Palestine: MEDRC-Palestine desalination/reuse scholarship program set up
19- Lebanon: EU launches irrigation and drinking water projects in Southern Lebanon
20- Lebanon: Launching of a hydro-agricultural project
21- Algeria: discussion on water resources in Algiers
22- Algeria: H2020 promotes wastewater treatment and reuse
23- Tunisia: H2020 presents wastewater treatment and reuse solutions
24- Tunisia: National campaign for "Water in the Constitution"
25- Mauritania: The Urban Community of Nouakchott ready to sign the Istanbul Water Agreement
26- Saudi Arabia: Wastewater reuse gains importance
27- FAO calls for better monitoring of water use
28- World Bank: Project aims to improve local and regional management of water and agriculture
29- ESA and the World Bank join forces
30- International Hydropower Association Congress Adopts Sustainability Protocol
31- Solar system designed for water treatment or desalination
32- The World Justice Forum III: The Rule of Law in Environment & Health, Barcelona (Spain)
33- 1st German-Arab Young Scientists Forum, Berlin (Germany)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Program | Canadian Water Summit/June 14th.
Program | Canadian Water Summit
Location: The International Centre is located at 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga – CONFERENCE CENTRE ENTRANCE.
Transportation information can be found here.
Toronto Transit System - TTC
Toronto Transit (TTC) to Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport. Then, take the Mississauga #7N Airport Line which will take you north on Airport Road, to stop in front of the International Centre.
or
Take the Lawrence West Subway Station, then switch to the #58 Malton Line which stops in front of the International Centre (you will be charged an extra $3 Mississauga fare).
Go Transit:
Take the TTC to York Mills Station, then take the #34 GO Bus that stops in front of the International Centre
Location: The International Centre is located at 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga – CONFERENCE CENTRE ENTRANCE.
Transportation information can be found here.
Toronto Transit System - TTC
Toronto Transit (TTC) to Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport. Then, take the Mississauga #7N Airport Line which will take you north on Airport Road, to stop in front of the International Centre.
or
Take the Lawrence West Subway Station, then switch to the #58 Malton Line which stops in front of the International Centre (you will be charged an extra $3 Mississauga fare).
Go Transit:
Take the TTC to York Mills Station, then take the #34 GO Bus that stops in front of the International Centre
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Global food crisis: China land deal causes unease in Argentina | Felicity Lawrence | Global development | guardian.co.uk
Global food crisis: China land deal causes unease in Argentina | Felicity Lawrence | Global development | guardian.co.uk
The attraction to the Chinese of access to an area of land in Patagonia larger than Cornwall is obvious. As China's economy grows and its population becomes more urbanised, diets are changing rapidly. People are eating more industrially produced meat and dairy products, and buying more processed foods.
Soya is the feedstock for this revolution, but demand for it can no longer be met within China. So the Chinese state-owned agribusiness company Beidahuang has joined the global scramble for land and water that has accelerated since food prices spiked in 2008.
Last year it was confirmed that the company had signed an agreement, with the government of Patagonia's Río Negro province, which provides the framework for it to acquire up to 320,000 hectares (790,000 acres) of privately owned farmland, along with irrigation rights and a concession on the San Antonio port.
Details of the deal, alleged to have been kept quiet, have been emerging in recent weeks as Chinese technicians have started work.
Beidahuang has also reported a 2008 deal on 200,000 ha in the Philippines, and says it plans to buy palm oil plantations and grain terminals this year as it pursues the Chinese government's policy of securing food supply lines from abroad.
Beidahuang, based in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, is the leading soya producer in China and one of the country's five largest soya processors. It also raises more than 600,000 cows, 1.3m pigs and more than 6m chickens at any one time
The attraction to the Chinese of access to an area of land in Patagonia larger than Cornwall is obvious. As China's economy grows and its population becomes more urbanised, diets are changing rapidly. People are eating more industrially produced meat and dairy products, and buying more processed foods.
Soya is the feedstock for this revolution, but demand for it can no longer be met within China. So the Chinese state-owned agribusiness company Beidahuang has joined the global scramble for land and water that has accelerated since food prices spiked in 2008.
Last year it was confirmed that the company had signed an agreement, with the government of Patagonia's Río Negro province, which provides the framework for it to acquire up to 320,000 hectares (790,000 acres) of privately owned farmland, along with irrigation rights and a concession on the San Antonio port.
Details of the deal, alleged to have been kept quiet, have been emerging in recent weeks as Chinese technicians have started work.
Beidahuang has also reported a 2008 deal on 200,000 ha in the Philippines, and says it plans to buy palm oil plantations and grain terminals this year as it pursues the Chinese government's policy of securing food supply lines from abroad.
Beidahuang, based in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, is the leading soya producer in China and one of the country's five largest soya processors. It also raises more than 600,000 cows, 1.3m pigs and more than 6m chickens at any one time
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The coming water wars/Mcgill Meet April 26,2011
The coming water wars
"They have substituted rain- fed agriculture along the Atlantic coast -- because good farmland is being covered up by urban sprawl -- for an unsustainable irrigation-based agriculture in the Midwest. When the aquifer runs dry, which it absolutely will, what will they do? It seems likely that they will start looking to Canada, and say 'You have all this water, and you're not using it.'
"They have substituted rain- fed agriculture along the Atlantic coast -- because good farmland is being covered up by urban sprawl -- for an unsustainable irrigation-based agriculture in the Midwest. When the aquifer runs dry, which it absolutely will, what will they do? It seems likely that they will start looking to Canada, and say 'You have all this water, and you're not using it.'
Friday, March 25, 2011
Renner Responds to Water Monitoring Plan
Renner Responds to Water Monitoring Plan :: My News :: Fort McMurray's News Portal
Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner issued the following statement in response to the release on March 24 of a water monitoring plan for the oil sands region, led by Environment Canada.
“The plan presented by the federal government is the result of a lot of work within a short timeframe, with input from Alberta Environment. This is a technical monitoring plan about when and where to monitor surface water quality.
Although this work is a good starting point, physical monitoring of water is only one piece of the overall system needed. We need to build on this plan to develop a system that is robust, verifiable, transparent and governed appropriately. Most importantly, it must be credible, which is exactly what Alberta’s independent Provincial Monitoring Panel is working on.
The provincial panel will incorporate this work led by the federal government into its own review, as well as the work previously submitted by the province’s data review committee and report back to me with initial recommendations in June.
I want to assure Albertans that we all have the same goal in mind - a world-class monitoring system that encompasses air, land, water and biodiversity for the entire province. By drawing on expertise from across Canada - including our federal counterparts - we are certain we have the best information to build the best system.”
Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner issued the following statement in response to the release on March 24 of a water monitoring plan for the oil sands region, led by Environment Canada.
“The plan presented by the federal government is the result of a lot of work within a short timeframe, with input from Alberta Environment. This is a technical monitoring plan about when and where to monitor surface water quality.
Although this work is a good starting point, physical monitoring of water is only one piece of the overall system needed. We need to build on this plan to develop a system that is robust, verifiable, transparent and governed appropriately. Most importantly, it must be credible, which is exactly what Alberta’s independent Provincial Monitoring Panel is working on.
The provincial panel will incorporate this work led by the federal government into its own review, as well as the work previously submitted by the province’s data review committee and report back to me with initial recommendations in June.
I want to assure Albertans that we all have the same goal in mind - a world-class monitoring system that encompasses air, land, water and biodiversity for the entire province. By drawing on expertise from across Canada - including our federal counterparts - we are certain we have the best information to build the best system.”
Lower Athabasca Water Monitoring Program
I am pleased to be here today to release our plan for the Lower Athabasca Water Quality Monitoring Program.
The plan proposes a design for monitoring water quality along the main stem of the Athabasca River and its major tributaries, from Fort McMurray to the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park.
Let's be clear: this plan to enhance surface water monitoring in and around the Athabasca River is a first step, not the end of our effort.
When it comes to science, meaningful results typically come from a sequence of well-designed, small, deliberate measures. Getting the science right might not always be particularly glamorous or dramatic, but it's absolutely essential We are committed to taking actions and making decisions based on science, not politics or public relations.
The foundation for the environmentally responsible development of the oil sands needs to be based on strong science.
This plan gets the science right.
This plan outlines a strategy to take measurements more frequently, in more places, to ensure sufficient data is available to track changes in water quality; it will link with other monitoring like air and biodiversity to ensure a holistic view of environmental quality.
It outlines an adaptive approach, so monitoring and data interpretation can continuously improve. It proposes to assess cumulative effects so that the environmental quality is maintained within desired levels. And all data will be publically available and accessible to all Canadians.
This plan is the first step towards an improved surface water monitoring program. This will take time, but we are on track, and are committed to getting it right. We have already begun work on monitoring plans for air quality and biodiversity. Our monitoring, research and other actions rise to the challenge of protecting the environment and ensuring the responsible development of the oil sands.
The plan proposes a design for monitoring water quality along the main stem of the Athabasca River and its major tributaries, from Fort McMurray to the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park.
Let's be clear: this plan to enhance surface water monitoring in and around the Athabasca River is a first step, not the end of our effort.
When it comes to science, meaningful results typically come from a sequence of well-designed, small, deliberate measures. Getting the science right might not always be particularly glamorous or dramatic, but it's absolutely essential We are committed to taking actions and making decisions based on science, not politics or public relations.
The foundation for the environmentally responsible development of the oil sands needs to be based on strong science.
This plan gets the science right.
This plan outlines a strategy to take measurements more frequently, in more places, to ensure sufficient data is available to track changes in water quality; it will link with other monitoring like air and biodiversity to ensure a holistic view of environmental quality.
It outlines an adaptive approach, so monitoring and data interpretation can continuously improve. It proposes to assess cumulative effects so that the environmental quality is maintained within desired levels. And all data will be publically available and accessible to all Canadians.
This plan is the first step towards an improved surface water monitoring program. This will take time, but we are on track, and are committed to getting it right. We have already begun work on monitoring plans for air quality and biodiversity. Our monitoring, research and other actions rise to the challenge of protecting the environment and ensuring the responsible development of the oil sands.
Minister Peter Ken/Water Monitoring
Minister Peter Kent | Member of Parliament Thornhill - Environment Canada Responds to Oil Sands Recommendations with Water Monitoring Plan
Speaking Notes
The Honourable Peter Kent
Minister of the Environment
Environment Canada Responds to Oil Sands Recommendations with Water Monitoring Plan
Ottawa, Ontario
March 24, 2011
Good afternoon. I'm pleased to be here today and to update you on Environment Canada's latest work in the oil sands.
Let me begin with some background.
Last December, the Government of Canada responded to the report produced by the Federal Oil Sands Advisory Panel report. The Panel had been struck in September to review the environmental monitoring systems of the Athabasca River Basin in response to credible scientific concerns related to possible impacts on water as a result of oil sands development.
In its report, the panel called for the development of a scientifically-credible water monitoring system that will provide assurance to Canadians about the environmental performance of the oil sands. The Panel noted Environment Canada as trusted science organization well equipped to lead in the design, implementation and scientific oversight of such a monitoring system.
The Department was certainly pleased at the recognition of its scientific capacity, but we also needed some time to develop a plan that incorporated the panel's guidance on improving monitoring in the oil sands.
Speaking Notes
The Honourable Peter Kent
Minister of the Environment
Environment Canada Responds to Oil Sands Recommendations with Water Monitoring Plan
Ottawa, Ontario
March 24, 2011
Good afternoon. I'm pleased to be here today and to update you on Environment Canada's latest work in the oil sands.
Let me begin with some background.
Last December, the Government of Canada responded to the report produced by the Federal Oil Sands Advisory Panel report. The Panel had been struck in September to review the environmental monitoring systems of the Athabasca River Basin in response to credible scientific concerns related to possible impacts on water as a result of oil sands development.
In its report, the panel called for the development of a scientifically-credible water monitoring system that will provide assurance to Canadians about the environmental performance of the oil sands. The Panel noted Environment Canada as trusted science organization well equipped to lead in the design, implementation and scientific oversight of such a monitoring system.
The Department was certainly pleased at the recognition of its scientific capacity, but we also needed some time to develop a plan that incorporated the panel's guidance on improving monitoring in the oil sands.
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