Urge to create plan for treating waste batteries in Mexico

Jose Antonio Guevara Garcia, says that in Mexico there is still a delay in the trafficking of waste batteries

While in other regions of the world as the European Community legislation exists governing the use and disuse of batteries, and Mexico is still a delay in the matter, warned the specialist José Antonio Guevara García.

The member of the Research Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Bioremediation, Faculty of Basic Science, Technology and Engineering at the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala, said that therefore there is an urgent need to develop a plan or model of waste management control of these systems energy.

In a speech on 'Current status of the batteries in Mexico: prevention of pollution today or mass decontamination in the future', in Cuajimalpa Unit of the Metropolitan Autonomous University, the expert provided an overview of the status of these devices in Mexico and the world.

He said the main health problems that generate waste batteries in humans are damaging the brain, kidneys and developing fetuses, as well as nervous and reproductive systems, stomach paralysis, anemia and changes in levels cholesterol.

Based on studies from the National Institute of Ecology, Guevara García added that the battery consumption in the country increased 13 times for the period 1996-2007, and spent two thousand from 500 to 32,000 900 tonnes. In terms of consumption per capita, rose from 5.2 batteries per inhabitant in 1996 to 12.6 cells per inhabitant in 2002.

According to the Mexican Association of BC Cells (Amexpilas), the Mexican market for that product for 2004 was 228 million, representing a thousand 980 million pesos, referred to the specialist.

The chemical industry also announced that the 600 million batteries sold directly in Mexico, every year 200 million (33.3 percent) are illegal devices, so we felt it appropriate to recall that in the national territory and not There are manufacturing these items.

In the past seven years in Mexico, estimated, 35 000 have been discarded 500 tons of batteries.

While from 1960 to 2003 have been released in Mexico 635 000 tons of batteries, of which 30 percent (190 thousand tons) correspond to toxic substances, according to the National Ecology Institute.

Thanks to INFORMADOR.COM

Earthquake 'collapse' to Japan

Japan's economy will slow significantly this year after the earthquake of March and the government needs to redistribute items of expenditure to rebuild the affected areas of the northeast and ensure faster growth next year, the OECD said on Thursday.

Gross domestic product would grow 0.8% this year, well below the 1.7% previously estimated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, due to damage caused by the disaster of 11 March.

Then, the economy would expand by 2.3% in 2012, more than the 1.3% projected earlier, as gains speed reconstruction, the OECD estimated in a report.

Government spending to rebuild damaged infrastructure is inevitable, but the government must show fiscal discipline and at some point will have to raise the sales tax to 20% from 5% now, according to the OECD.

"The immediate impact of the horrendous disaster would be great yse extend beyond the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami," the report said.

"However, the experience of recent disasters in Japan and other countries suggests that the negative impact in the short term económicaserá production followed by a rebound as rebuilding takes hold," he added.

Japan is facing its worst crisis since the Second World War after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami with waves up to 10 meters high struck the northeast coast, leaving 28.000 people dead or missing and causing radioactive leaks at plant nuclear.

The government estimates the damage in only 300.000 million, in what would be the costliest natural disaster in history.

The Government presented in Parliament next week extra budget of 4 trillion yen (48.500 million dollars) to remove debris and build temporary housing.

THANKS TO CNNEXPANSION

MIT scientists solve the mysterious problem of Molyneux

In 1688, the Irish scientist William Molyneux posed in a letter toJohn Locke the following problem: if a person blind from birthbecomes the adult view and see a cube and a sphere, geometric shapes used to know and name recognition thanks to the touchWould it be able to tell by sight what I know identify with their hands? An affirmative answer, according to Molyneux, we meanthat a concept-independent innate sense "of certain concepts,such as the sphere.

Three centuries later, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) have the problem of Molyneuxconseguidoresolver studying a group of Indian children born blind,aged between 8 and 17, who had recovered his sight after anoperation. As they explain in the journal Nature NeurosciencePawas Sinha and his colleagues, subjects initially failed to recognize the look immediately to what previously had beentouched with your hands, indicating that the brain does not create asingle representation of things relating different types of sensory information in this case, visual and tactile. However, acquired thisskill at an amazing speed in a few days of practice, suggesting thatour brain has more plasticity than previously thought even after the first years of life.

Thanks to Muyinteresante

Penguins: disturbing decline in population in Antarctica

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States has just published a report which revealed alarmingfigures on penguin populations in Antarctica. According to thisstudy the root cause of this is climate change, which affected the amount of krill available, the main food of penguins.

The Adélie penguin populations and Chinstrap PenguinsenAntártida come dragging in recent years a disturbing rate ofannual decline of 2.9% and 4.3% respectively. And to extrapolatethis to a longer-term analysis, the result is even worse: somecolonies have been reduced to 50% the number of individuals inthe past 30 years.

The clearest result of this drastic population decline is thereduction of one of their main food source, krill (crustacean). Theamount of krill in the sea has been declining in the 80's and isestimated to have come down between 75% and 80% in the Antarctic Peninsula due to ecosystem changes resulting fromglobal warming.

Thanks to BLOGVERDE

Saolas: create a nature reserve in Vietnam to save these mysterious cattle

For those who never heard of him, the saola is considered theworld's strangest mammals. Only 19 years ago that the specieswas discovered by Western science and are virtually unknownsince it does not survive in captivity. Today the cattle, which islisted as critically endangered, Vietnam will have a protected areain the Natural Park Saola "which is expected to recover itspopulation.

The saolas belong to the family of cattle and are related toantelopes and cows. MontañasAnnamitas live only in Vietnam andLaos, low tropical forest ecosystem that years ago was intended to protect because of the high degree of vulnerability of biodiversity.Like many other animals of their main threats are poaching.Currently it is estimated that the population can go from a fewhundred specimens (at best) until just a few dozen (at leastoptimistic forecasts.)

With this new "Saola Natural Park, located in Quang Nam, east ofVietnam opens a protected corridor that will connect to the Xe SapNational Park in Laos.

Source: WWF

THANKS TO BLOGVERDE

Invasive clams in Great Lake

Several factors tend to alter an ecosystem, and while many of themare related by the action of man, sometimes resulting from a sudden increased occurrence of invasive species that tend to alterthe pre-existing balance, affecting the quality of life native speciesand creating conditions that can cripple even the creatures that live there.



This is exactly what is happening in the U.S. Lake deGreat Lake,where a myriad of fish species are being affected by the advance and rapid reproduction of two invasive species of clams (Zebraand Quagga Type) causing the destruction of algal populations.

There are several factors which caused this sudden invasion froma link to changes in Lake Michigan to the migration of thesespecies reproduced rapidly due to a marked contrast in theamount of food found in Great Lake.

These species of clams have a rather small, so their diet is mainly based on small algae and other unicellular organisms calleddiatoms.

Via: Science Dail

Thanks to BLOGVERDE

The earthquake in Japan: the most expensive natural disaster in history

The violent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 could cost 140,000 million euros ($ 200,000 million) to the third world economy, the highest bill so far for a natural disaster, according to a Thursday bank Goldman Sachs.

"We believe the total cost of damage caused by the earthquake (and tsunami) March 11 could rise to 16 trillion yen,"wrote Goldman Sachs economists.

This bill will be higher than the Kobe earthquake in 1995 (9.6 trillion), considered so far by Goldman Sachs as a "natural disaster" most devastating in economic terms.

The calculation is, however, lower than official estimates by the Japanese government, under which the disaster could cost 200,000 million euros to Japan's economy.

THANKS TO UNIVERSAL

Collecting objects can be pathological?

In principle, provided that this hobby is grown in a controlled manner, collect objects is beneficial from a psychological point of view, allowing skills and develop very positive attitudes to the individual, as the constancy, order, patience or memory , Among others. But doing it in an exaggerated manner is a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (one of its variants is known as Diogenes Syndrome ") and addiction to shopping, two mental illnesses that affect approximately 12% of the population.

Francisca Lopez Torrecillas, a professor in the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Granada and an expert on addictions, warns that in recent years "has encountered a major increase" in cases where collecting has led to exaggerated obsessive-compulsive disorder or an addiction to shopping. The researcher pointed out that features such as an excessive need for control, perfectionism and meticulousness and order "are very common in people who have a hobby collecting objects, but are also closely related to the aforementioned psychological disorders. "

López Torrecillas says that collecting grows into an obsession, and therefore a problem, "in those subjects with a personal vulnerability", ie they have low self-esteem, poor social skills and disorders when face setbacks. When this feeling of ineffectiveness, "the compulsive collecting helps them feel better. "

WWF celebrates its 50 birthday with stamps of threatened animal species

The WWF environmental group, currently one of the leading environmental advocacy organizations in the world, turns 50 in 2011. And to celebrate, in the United Kingdom have launched a collection of ten postage stamps of the most endangered animal species, which include the African elephant, black rhino and polar bear. Also appearing on the stamps commemorating the Lycaon, a mammal of Africa with very similar features to those of a dog deemed the carnivore with a greater degree of sociability and cooperation, and the Russian Amur leopard, the most endangered big cat across the globe, because in order to ensure the survival of the species would need 100 copies and are currently just over 30.

The Iberian lynx, mountain gorillas, red pandas, golden lion tamarin and the Siberian tiger complete the list.

Thanks to muyinteresante

Harriers option to create a car wash without wasting water

It is "Inova Wash., regional company that uses biodegradable products are a mixture for washing vehicles, leading to savings of up to seven thousand gallons of water per year for every car they will use the new equipment.

With concern about the overexploitation of aquifers in the region and the excessive use of water, a group of entrepreneurs Harriers designed a project that avoids using the liquid when washing cars.

It is "Inova Wash., regional company that uses biodegradable products are a mixture for washing vehicles, leading to savings of up to seven thousand gallons of water per year for every car they will use the new equipment.

Rosalva Carreon Ibarra, creator of the project, said the idea came from the need to create a culture of caring for natural resources.

"With a liquid is sprayed the vehicle and is encapsulated with a microfiber," he said, "another thing we do is that when the cloth is dirty (microfiber) wash them with the same water that washes the clothes at home and therefore does not require additional water.

"The important thing here is that in addition to not use water, do not pollute the ground water and not removed for washing cars, and other liquid used."

He stressed that the least minimize the use of the element water extraction increasingly deeper levels, which means that in some cases are components that exceed the allowable concentrations for human consumption, such as sulfate, nitrate and arsenic.

The car wash through the system "Inova Wash" has the same price as a car wash in which water itself is used.

Carreon Ibarra said this ecological mechanism has already been presented to local authorities so that they in turn manage permissions to use it for government agencies and companies that use and work units in particular.

"Unfortunately it was not given follow-up and there was no response," he said.

However, biodegradable liquid that promote help repel dirt and rain drops over time, creates a protection against ultraviolet rays, which helps prevent oxidation and discoloration of the paint.

Reported that the car wash at home includes spending on average 20 to 30 liters of water, but in companies accounted for trucks up to 200 liters, figures that with this system are unnecessary.

Carreon Ibarra said if you push the bill could generate up to 200 sources of employment.

"The idea is that young working students, single mothers or women who are studying to enter the work force part time so you do not leave school, they provide one meal a day and also give them Social Security," he said.

He said there is still against the project because the companies themselves prefer to give opportunity to the car wash that has long been working.

Thanks to Milenio

The pollution causes seven times more deaths than road accidents

At least 16,000 people die prematurely because of pollution in Spain, according to estimates by the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM). This figure is seven times that of deaths in traffic accidents in 2010. In the whole European Union (EU), the figure rises to 370,000 deaths due to poor air quality. Children, the elderly and the chronically ill or with cardiac pathology are the most vulnerable to this environmental problem.

"The scientific community has no doubt about the harmful effects of pollution on respiratory health and agrees on the need to reduce urban pollution," said Cristina Martinez, coordinator of the environmental area of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR).

"Breathing clean air is a right of all people," said Juan Ruiz Manzano, chairman of the SEPAR. The gases emitted from exhaust pipes of traffic and industrial areas or energy production are the major causes of this environmental health problem.

Another European study, including Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Seville and Valencia, reveals that levels of these particles suspended in air pollutants (less than 2.5 microns) were reduced to 20 particles / microgram per cubic meter each city would prevent 11,375 premature deaths, ie 8,053 deaths from cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer 1296.

Thanks to muyinteresante.es

Biodegradable slippers "planted"

The material used to manufacture the shoes that we fit our feet is well biodegradable.

But what happens if, in addition, once end of life footwear could be planted in our garden? This is what has gotten Christiaan Maats, that the recent international fashion week in Amsterdam (Netherlands) introduced the footwear collection of his company Virgin OAT Shoes. These sneakers made from fully biodegradable materials, whose development has meant two years of research, and are prepared to stop using them when we can grow a tree inside.

To display your creation on the catwalk, models wore Maats representing Adam and Eve naked pushing a cart with shoes and a tree growing inside. The shoes, which won second prize in the category "Green Fashion" will soon be on sale in shops in Europe in a limited edition of 900 pieces.

Thanks to muyinteresante.es

Madrid in 2010 had the best air quality data

The Minister of Environment, Housing and Planning, Ana Isabel Mariño, said today that the Community of Madrid in 2010 had the best air quality data for the last fifteen years.

This was stated after the meeting of the Environment Sector Conference, where the owner of the field, Rosa Aguilar, has sought the cooperation of all the regions to present in July a national plan for pollution control and all autonomy have shown their willingness to cooperate with this initiative.

In the region of Madrid, in recent years, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has been reduced by 51.8 percent, sulfur dioxide at 72.9 percent, particulate matter PM 10 by 34.7 by percent and carbon monoxide, a 68.8 per cent.

In the case of the Spanish capital, nitrogen dioxide was reduced by 32.30, the sulfur dioxide by 69.7 percent, particulate matter PM 10 by 46.3 percent and carbon monoxide by 71 , 43 percent.

Marino emphasized that this indicates that the region of Madrid is "doing homework", but added that "pollution is not good" and must "move forward to improve air quality."

After the controversies that have been created in recent days about air pollution in Madrid, the Minister of Environment has set out the measures being taken in the Community in recent years.

Highlighted the existence of 6,000 park and ride, the operation of 100 kilometers of Metro and 85 new underground stations, 13 million trees planted, support for energy efficiency in buildings, helps to remove the coal-heating development of 30,000 eco-driving courses.

He also alluded to the 75 percent bonus for electric cars in road tax in the city of Madrid and the creation of large parks like Forest South, in San Sebastian de los Reyes.

Marino explained that the national plan for pollution control is pending since 2007, as the Air Quality Act required the Department to make plans for prevention and control of pollution and the Law of Mobility.

He noted that in the working committees which are believed to form the national plan for pollution control should be present representatives of the Ministries of Finance and Development because environmental policies are transverse.

Has justified the presence of Development and Finance at these meetings by stating that "national infrastructure greatly affect the traffic in big cities" and defend the review of fiscal policy with respect to hydrocarbon contaminants.

EFE

Thanks to ABC

Youth are more creative hyperactivity

Chicago .- The disorder of young adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have more creativity than individuals who are not affected by this disease, according to a study by the University of Michigan (UM).

The research, coordinated by professor of psychology at UM, Holly White, says that adults with ADHD also prefer different styles of thinking and like to generate ideas, but are not good when it comes to completing tasks.

In the study, implemented in 2006 and whose findings are published in the current issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences, involving 60 undergraduates, half of them with ADHD.

The participants answered a questionnaire about their performance in areas such as music, visual arts, culinary arts, inventions and writing. People with ADHD had better scores than individuals without the disorder.

ADHD is a neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe distractibility, short attention span, restlessness, emotional instability and impulsive behaviors.

The researchers felt that their results could be attributed, in part because the examinees are university that can form a group of motivated people with ADHD peculiar and successful, although the study ensured that the two types of participants had similar academic achievements.

Thanks to PRENSALATINALASVEGAS

Wind farms

Recently explain things about wind energy in this blog. It wasnecessary for a blog about renewable energy deal with this issue.But often happen that when we talk about something, the need to investigate and discover, becomes another issue more. And as Iasked myself where this precious energy out of the future, I decided to talk about wind farms.

Remember that wind power is any
delviento obtained and is transformed into other useful forms of human activities.

Wind energy is obtained medianteaerogeneradores. Here aresome generators that are driven by a turbine which in turn is drivenby the wind. They use a system similar to its predecessors, thewindmills. Are so similar to the latter, that a general and vulgar terms are generally called, windmills.

These generators are considered a source of clean, renewable energy and that energy production does not require combustion to produce residual contaminants. Thus, we can say that a wind farmdoes not pollute the environment, becoming the means of producing cleaner energy that man has discovered.

Wind farms
As mentioned before, a wind farm can be the means of producingcleaner energy that exists. But we are clear that wind farms. Theseare a set of turbines that convert wind energy into electrical energy.

Wind farms are often built in open spaces, both on land surfacesand in water. It is more common to find them buried, but it seems that in recent years has become popular as they are built in the sea, presumably because the sea floor is not as expensive as theland.

Before building a wind farm takes into account differentcharacteristics of the environment and the existing soil. It usually takes a period of time important to take steps that make it suitable for building a wind farm, taking into account especially ladirecciónand wind power.

Despite all this, we have started to consider a wind farm at sea ismuch more efficient. Here's the link to an interesting article,explaining in detail how to build a wind farm at sea.

Situation in Europe
Looking at the overall situation in Europe. You could say that the biggest investors in wind farms are: Germany, Scotland, Spain andPortugal.

Germany has the largest number of wind farms in the world, we see that know how to invest in renewable energy.

Spain, little by little makes a big hole in this area that has a great future. has 11,615 MW of installed wind power accounting for 9%of total demand.

Conclusion and future
The human being has a set limit, that is something inexplicable butexistent, we have no direction, much less a ceiling. Forward, andthis presumably will be the century of renewables.

Have long been consumiente exhaustible resource, and that issomething that must inevitably permeate society. It is a matter of life or death.

In the field of renewable energies such, we find a like wind, very clean and inexhaustible. There is only recoup a large investment inthe future will become the only we do on energy. The shift to clean energy is inevitable, mainly because the land itself that will neverend it, with limited resources.

Thanks to erenovable

A year later, helping the animal victims of Haiti

A year after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) takes stock of all the hard work to provide assistance to animals and rebuild the veterinary infrastructure of that country, looking for that Haitians are better prepared to protect animals from which both depend.

After the earthquake, the WSPA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) came together to form the Coalition for Animal Rescue in Haiti, an effort to better coordinate the work of animal welfare organizations. Acting as one, members of the coalition worked closely with Haitian government officials, United Nations and other international agencies to address the country's most pressing problems in their animals. When organizing a team of mostly Haitian, the Coalition established a rapport with government officials.

In one year, the Coalition for Animal Rescue in Haiti has established a mobile veterinary clinic that allows veterinarians trained to move through the earthquake-affected areas and provide medical care to tens of thousands of dogs, cats, goats, horses, cattle and other animals. Through the clinic, the team offered the vaccine and treatments directly to more than 50,000 animals, thus ensuring economic recovery of the families who depend on them for sustenance. The coalition also has helped rebuild vital infrastructure in Haiti, as the National Veterinary Laboratory facilities, and has also established 12 refrigeration units powered by solar energy, which are of vital importance for the storage and distribution of vaccines to temperatures appropriate, making possible vaccination of any animal, even in the remotest parts of the country.

By vaccinating animals against serious zoonotic diseases such as rabies and Newcastle disease, the Coalition for Animal Rescue in Haiti has indirectly protected humans as well. By offering treatment for animal parasites, have prevented outbreaks of diarrhea, which may have exacerbated the problem of cholera.

The Coalition for Animal Rescue in Haiti also launched a public awareness campaign to educate Haitians about disaster preparedness and health issues related to pets and livestock, and has worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Development Rural to build capacity to support and monitor animal health. The team has worked with the ministry when surveillance of suspected cases of rabies and will be able to react quickly in the event of another emergency. It has also begun training to veterinarians in order to build a risk-reduction efforts based on the community to help prepare for the future.

Thanks to ELESPECTADOR

A website reports the impact of climate change and its effects on birds

Disclose the impact of climate change on habitats of Catalonia, Spain from its effects on bird populations is the aim of the new website www.ecco.cat, driven by the Catalan Institute of Ornithology

Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia has also collaborated on this project, which has been dubbed Information Server on the Effects of Climate Change.

The ultimate aim of the project, according to its leaders, is to facilitate public understanding and awareness of social problems through examples coming on the consequences of global warming.

Thus, on page explains what climate change and its effects and provide data on their involvement on bird populations in Catalonia, predictions and mapping of the distribution provided for four species at mid-century under different scenarios emission of carbon dioxide (CO2).

In addition, users can perform a test of personal attitude toward global warming "and leave your comments and questions, which will be answered personally.

Climate change is considered the main environmental problem facing humanity and more and more apparent effects on ecosystems.

The birds are emerging as good indicators of these effects, as indicated by the results that are beginning to see, in Europe and in Catalonia.

"That's why this project has been developed to disseminate how through the birds and the studies that have been made can have a state of affairs on the effects of climate change on our country", say project leaders .

Thanks to ELESPECTADOR