As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the US EPA today announced a series of actions on four chemicals raising serious potential health or environmental concerns, including phthalates. For the first time, EPA intends to establish a “Chemicals of Concern” list and is beginning a process that may lead to regulations requiring significant risk reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. The agency’s actions represent its determination to use its authority under the existing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to the fullest extent possible, recognizing EPA’s strong belief that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform.

Though sparklers are not exactly green, they seem the lesser of all pyrotechnic evils. In fact, what would the festive season be without them? We’ve found some revelers who’ve taken sparkler burning to a whole new level. Holding forth the glowing s…

Brazil’s President introduced national legislation that will guide efforts to reduce projected emissions by 36.1 to 38.9 percent by 2020. This legislation comes on the heels of the COP-15 climate change conference held in Copenhagen earlier this month, and demonstrates Brazil’s eagerness to make significant and immediate progress against global climate change.

Following negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the two U.S. producers as well as the primary exporter to the U.S. of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) have agreed to a three-year phaseout of the chemical.

DecaBDE is a brominated flame retardant that, along with other polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), has long been targeted by environmental and health advocates (see “Flame Retardants Under Fire” in EBN June 2004).

Two chemicals in the PBDE family, the penta- and octa- forms, were eliminated earlier in the decade, but decaBDE has remained in widespread use especially in hard (durable) plastics for consumer electronics and office equipment, upholstery textiles, drapery backings, and plastic pallets. Annual North American consumption was about 50 million pounds (23 million kg) in 2001, according to industry sources, though usage has dropped as much as 50% since then.

The C$16.2 billion ($15.4 billion) Mackenzie pipeline in Canada’s Arctic should be allowed to proceed, provided 176 recommendations aimed at securing socioeconomic benefits and minimizing environmental damage are followed, regulators ruled on Wednesday.

In a much-anticipated report, the Joint Review Panel said it believed the huge gas project would bring overall benefits to Canada’s Northwest Territories and avoid major ecological impact if the oil companies proposing the line and governments follow its list of measures.

Ah, New Year’s Eve. It’s time to say goodbye (though some would prefer good riddance) to 2009 and welcome 2010 with open arms, stupid hats and copious amounts of alcohol. We had some really amazing times in the past year – like President Obama’s inauguration – and really disappointing ones (did someone say Copenhagen?).
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Its keen brown eyes and coal black nose could be stones in the snow-white landscape to those unaware they are the points of a triangle formed by its characteristic snout. Merging imperceptibly with its colourless environment, and able to withstand some…

Here’s an opportunity to wisely spend some of the $100 billion that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised at Copenhagen to cut the greenhouse gases of developing nations by aiding in the development of renewable energy infrastructure to by-pass fossil fuel dependence.

Apparently one in four Chinese cities and seven out of 10 counties are without sewage-treatment plants, according to the People’s Daily. While there are many ways to treat sewage or municipal waste; one of the newest is the use of municipal solid waste to make renewable energy.

The US Geological Survey will use Recovery Act funding to improve its ability to monitor volcanoes and to predict their eruptions. Some of the funds will be used to modernize instrumentation and information systems to state-of-the-art, providing the necessary tools to communicate hazard information quickly to those who need it.

The United States and its territories contain 169 volcanoes considered capable of erupting. One, Kilauea in Hawaii, has been erupting continuously for the past 26 years, at times inundating residential areas with lava and at other times requiring national park closures due to explosions and toxic gas.

Hopes for a viable agreement in Copenhagen may have collapsed, but hope for climate change action that can make a real difference didn’t – especially among the youth of the world. The international youth climate movement has a message for world leaders: you’re not done yet. Neither are we.

Check out this inspiring video:

Link [YouTube]