And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: February 8, 1999 On the web at: http://www.envirolink.org/environews/ Environmental Headlines from Around the Internet: ALL OF THE FOLLOWING NEWS STORIES MAY BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: http://www.envirolink.org/environews Report criticizes vinyl in toys -- The sweet, smiling faces of some popular toys could contain a hidden chemical hazard, the environmental activist group Greenpeace warned Friday. Many manufacturers continue to use a common vinyl additive despite fears that it could seep into children's mouths when they chew or suck on toys, according to Greenpeace. Ivory Coast rain forests dwindling -- Forestry agents burned down his village and chased his family and neighbors from the protected forest where they had carved out a new home. But Sep Djekoule just came back and rebuilt. "I have 10 children, and we must eat," he said. "There is no way they can keep me away from my livelihood." Throughout the dwindling tropical rain forests of Ivory Coast, thousands of illegal hunters, loggers and small farmers like Djekoule are waging a bitter struggle against environmentalists and armed government officers. Conservationists warn the remaining forests, still the largest in West Africa, are in danger of disappearing all together, wreaking long-term damage on the region's tropical ecosystems and weather patterns. China Promises Better Environment -- Beijing will fight smog by scrapping old cars and tearing down ramshackle housing mainly rented to migrant workers, top city officials said today. Zero-Emissions Automobile a Dream Machine Driven by Air -- It sounds too good to be true, but that hasn't stopped a handful of engineers from trying to produce a car that runs, quite literally, on air. That would be a true zero-emissions vehicle. Here's the idea: Compressed air fed into an expander (much as in the old steam engine) would drive a shaft that turns the wheels, and the only byproduct would be very cold air. That cold exhaust could also provide air-conditioning. Dupont won't mine swamp titanium -- The DuPont Co. agreed to accept tens of millions of dollars Friday to abandon plans to mine titanium in the piney woods along the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. The roughly $90 million plan, worked out with environmentalists and other interests, also prevents anyone else from ever mining there. Dupont would get the largest single share of the $90 million. Much of the rest of the money would go to area municipalities to make up for the tax revenue they would have received from the mining project. The price tag drew criticism from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who said it was inflated and unfair to taxpayers. Officials must still figure out where the money will come from. Former mine hunting dolphin dies -- A 20-year-old dolphin trained to hunt mines, sniff out enemy swimmers and retrieve torpedoes for the Navy has died of a stomach infection. Jake, a bottlenose dolphin the Navy donated to a Florida sanctuary and then retrieved after an illegal release, died Wednesday during emergency surgery. Jake and two other military trained bottlenose dolphins were retired and donated to a dolphin sanctuary in the Florida Keys in late 1994. They were among 20 animals offered to marine parks and aquariums after the Navy reduced its marine mammal programs. However, Jake and another dolphin were returned to Navy pens at Point Loma in 1996 after the animals were illegally released and were later found offshore, undernourished and dehydrated. Thailand issues new cock-fight rules -- Bloody and battered, the Thai fighter from the red corner lost courage, turned from his opponent and flew out of the ring. Behind until then, the Vietnamese winner from the blue corner was awarded a TKO and crowed victory - literally. They were among 26 fighting cocks from 11 countries pitted against each other Sunday under a new set of rules the Thai organizers hope will promote a more humane style of the popular - if much-criticized - blood sport. Losers will now be allowed to fight another day, rather than finish in a pot. The rules were drafted by the Thai Native Chicken Conservation and Development Association for what was billed as the First International Amateur Cockfighting Competition. UN sees severe water shortage -- A severe water shortage could have "catastrophic consequences" in some developing countries unless global solutions are found soon, the U.N. weather agency said Friday. Almost 1 billion people could be living in countries with moderate to severe water shortages caused by climate change, contamination and population growth by the year 2025, according to the World Meteorological Organization. That could double again by 2050. Although developing countries make up most of those with severe water shortages, potential problem areas in the future include the west coast of the U.S. More than 150 experts from around the world will hold a U.N.-sponsored meeting in Geneva next week to discuss safeguarding water supplies. African elephants almost extinct -- Keepers at the Indianapolis Zoo are treating two pregnant African elephants - Kubwa and Ivory - as if they were their species' last hope. They almost could be. Fewer than 500,000 of the creatures remain in the wild, and fewer than 300 are in zoos worldwide, according to the International Species Information System. Although past efforts to breed the animals in captivity have largely failed - only four have been born at zoos in the past decade - zookeepers hope a new artificial insemination technique could reverse the dwindling numbers. Without a successful breeding program, "in 20 years we may not have any elephants left in captivity," said Debbie Olson, the Indianapolis Zoo's director of elephant conservation. ALL OF THE NEWS STORIES IN THIS E-MAIL MESSAGE MAY BE FOUND ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: http://www.envirolink.org/environews This edition of the EnviroLink News Service is sponosored by Knauer Communications (http://www.knauer.com). If you would like information on how your company or organization can become a sponsor, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
