News wrap
Paul Allen, Wed 30 Apr 2008
The big green stories of the week and how they were reported in the press
In this article
Food fears
With global food prices rising by at least 50 per cent in the past year, BBC News reports that United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is setting up a task force to tackle the global food crisis.
For developing world communities, squeezed by rising energy and fertiliser costs, as well as constraints on land use, the situation is looking increasingly desperate. There are currently 3 billion people living on less than two dollars per day. The soaring costs of staple foods, such as rice, grain and sugar, mean that many people are struggling to feed themselves or their families.
Mr Ban said the world needed to support farmers to help bring prices down. Unless the UN World Food Programme receives an extra $775m (£382m), he says, we will face “widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale".
While efforts remain focused on a financial solution, the BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva argues that money alone may not solve the problem. Given the “current impasse in global trade talks, general economic weakness and profound differences over the use of agricultural land for biofuels”, there are many other factors influencing the plight of poorer nations.
Carbon counting
Food shopping could change forever - this week, Tesco became the first supermarket to use a carbon label, showing products’ carbon footprints, allowing shoppers to compare them.
Developed by the Carbon Trust, the label will initially be used on 20 of Tesco’s own-brand products. As well as displaying the total grams of CO2 produced from growing, manufacturing, transporting and storing a product, the label will also include the impact of using and disposing of it.
Fans of organic food may be surprised that organic potatoes and tomatoes do not show drastically lower carbon figures than their non-organic counterparts. But the Soil Association have been quick to explain why.
“Tesco have been clear that their researchers were not able to include what we believe is one of the main advantages of organic compared to non-organic farming,” writes Peter Melchett, Soil Association Policy Director. “Organic farming has a reduced carbon footprint as it stores carbon in the soil, as well as using less fossil fuel energy. Given this omission, the Tesco findings for the carbon footprint for organic [products] are particularly positive.”
Despite winning green points at home, Tesco have been drawing criticism for their global activities. A leader article in the Times this week accuses the company of “behaving like a tyrant” over its business expansion in Thailand.
The report comes after Tesco Lotus, the company’s Thai operation, launched lawsuits against three critics who suggested its expansion is unpopular and damaging local business.
In its defence, Tesco says the right to free speech does not imply the right to defame it. The Times, however, says its reaction has been extreme. “In Thailand, Tesco is trying to silence critics using tactics that are more familiar to dictatorships than to corporations.”
Green chic
Does eco-awareness begin at 30? A survey by Marie Claire magazine reveals that the most women in their thirties will spend more on designer fashion items, beauty products and luxury goods if they know they are ethically sourced.
The survey of almost 3000 women found that thirty-something women feel it is “cool” to care about the environment. More than 80 per cent of respondents wanted companies to be clearer over their ethical stance. Almost nine out of ten said they recycle at home, while 40 per cent now use the car less often and 75 per cent refuse plastic bags in supermarkets.
The poll, which features in this month’s eco-chic issue of Marie Claire, reveals that women don’t just hold strong principles but often the purse strings too. More than half the women surveyed said they were the major decision makers when it came to spending in the household.
“Women now combine ethics with aesthetics when they shop,” says editor Marie O’Riordan. “Even in the current financial climate, women are making informed choices, spending on fair trade or giving to charity to make a difference.”
And finally...
Eco blog Earth2Tech reveals that computer manufacturer Dell will be soon appealing to eco-conscious internet users with a brand new bamboo computer. Due to launch in the US later this year, the green gizmo is cased in wood and contains recycled materials. It is also 80 per cent smaller than an average laptop and uses 71 per cent less energy than regular desktops.
“I'm slightly concerned that it uses 70 per cent less power because [that means] it’s 70 per cent less powerful,” writes a sceptical Daniel Sung at Yahoo News. “And I'm more than a little worried that its innards are filled with recycled materials like old bottles, milk jugs and detergent cases. But assuming my cynicism is unfounded, this is excellent.”
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