power of the big Banana: A court of appeals in the Philippines recently sided with the banana growers and exporters of the country and allowed the continuation of aerial spraying of pesticides. The city government of Davao had banned aerial spraying of pesticides saying aerial spraying of toxic chemicals harms environment and people's health. The ban was to force the country's multi-billion dollar banana industry to follow sustainable agriculture and environment-friendly farming practices.
Eskimos sue energy giants over global warming: A tiny Alaskan village is suing two dozen oil and power companies, including the energy giant ExxonMobil, for contributing to global warming that threatens the community's existence. Inhabited by 390 people, KivalinaIn is a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village, situated about 1,000 km northwest of Anchorage.
In the lawsuit, the villagers said that sea ice traditionally protected the community, whose economy is primarily based on salmon fishing. "We normally had ice starting in October. But now, because of higher temperatures, we have open water even into December," contends the lawsuit. Due to global warming, the community says it now faces increased autumn and winter storm waves and surges that lash their island.
agent Orange leaves a sour taste: The Viet Nam Bar Association has called a recent decision by the US Court of Appeals confirming the dismissal of the case of Agent Orange victims seeking damages from manufacturers of the chemicals as "erroneous and unjust". The decision ignored the fact that the chemical--sprayed as defoliant by the US troops during the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1970--left serious consequences on the people and environment in the southeast Asian country, the association said in a statement.
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