June 2012

Despite Drop from 2009 Peak, Agricultural Land Grabs Still Remain Above Pre-2005 Levels 28 Jun 12

An estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide have been sold or leased to private and public investors since 2000, according to new research conducted for WorldWatch’s Vital Signs Online service. The bulk of these acquisitions, which are called “land grabs” by some observers, took place between 2008 and 2010, peaking in 2009.

History of the Garrigue 28 Jun 12

Contrary to the what most people think there is very little natural about the garrigue that covers the hills of the Aude and the Languedoc. It is very much the product of the agricultural development of the land, the history of this ecology can be traced back over 4500 years but the last 60-70 years have been the most dramatic. The garrigue is very much a product of man’s over exploitation of the dry Mediterranean landscape.

Green MEP calls on EU Agriculture Ministers to take urgent action for farmed pigs 27 Jun 12

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England, has called on Agriculture Ministers across the EU to implement legislation that will improve the lives of Europe’s pigs. In response to a question from Keith Taylor MEP, the European Commission has recently revealed that 14 member states will not be ready to comply with the 2013 legislation that will ban confining pregnant pigs to sow stalls for their entire pregnancy.

RIO+20 - EPIC FAIL 26 Jun 12

“Rio will go down as the hoax summit. They came, they talked, but they failed to act. Paralysed by inertia and in hock to vested interests, too many [world leaders] are unable to join up the dots and solve the connected crisis of environment, equality and economy.”writes Brendan Montague of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism on the Green Left website.

New review of evidence about onshore wind power to dispel myths for MPs 13 Jun 12

Onshore wind power clearly has a role in supplying the UK’s future electricity needs despite a number of myths about its costs and reliability, according to a new report by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy.

Monsanto’s “DroughtGard” Corn Barely a Drop in the Bucket 07 Jun 12

Monsanto’s new drought tolerant corn, DroughtGard, reduces crop losses only modestly during moderate droughts, and will not reduce the crop’s water requirements, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

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