INES INFORMATION SERVICE
The International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) is an independent non-profit-organization concerned about the impact of science and technology on society. INES was founded in 1991. INES' efforts focus on disarmament and international peace, ethics, justice and sustainable development. INES is affiliated with the United Nations and with UNESCO as a NON-Governmental Organization (NGO). INES has become a network of nearly 100 organisations and individual members.
The "What's New In INES" (WNII) is one of the main communication instrument of INES. It shall give the member organisations the possibility to publish their articles, and serve at the same time as a general overview of related international news.
Editor: Kristin Kropidlowski, NEW ADRESS ines.news@gmx.de
PLEASE REMEMBER: To meet the WNII-criteria (main communication instrument, general news overview) it is necessarily required that the members of INES use it as a communication tool. Please DO NOT HESITATE of just forwarding important news including conference and activity informations, outstanding documentations as well as announcements.
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Topics, INES, WNII, Issue No. 19/2006, December 2006
1. WAR AND PEACE - ARMS RACE AND DISARMAMENT
- North Korea Not Budging on Sanctions by Burt Herman
- China's real nuclear capabilities by David Isenberg
- Olmert Under Fire For Implying Israel Has Nukes
- Desperate for answers to all-important Iraq riddle by James Carroll
- Pakistan tests ballistic missile
- US "not winning conflict in Iraq"
2. SCIENCE AND ETHICS
- Stopping malaria before the bite
- WIPO Committee To Increase Focus On Genetic Resources
- New Environment Nobel Award Needed, Norwegian Says
- Scientists launch an online global map of malaria
3. SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
- UN to Intensify Africa Climate Change Monitoring
- EU tackles aircraft CO2 emissions
- The year the world woke up by John Vidal
- Green New Year resolutions, FoE Press Release
- Green Gadgets for the Holidays
- Sustainable development: Big not boring by Jonathon Porritt
4. NUCLEAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES
- REC to Build World's Biggest Solar Plant in Norway
- Indian foreign minister defends India-US nuclear deal in parliament
- Greener, cleaner ... and competitive?
- Professor Devises New Form of Solar Cell
- How mirrors can light up the world by Ashley Seager
5. CONFERENCES AND ACTIVITIES SOURROUNDING G8
- Conference "Global Social Rights"; Febr 13, 2007 Frankfurt a.M.
- Alternative Summit to the G8-Summit in Heiligendamm 2007
- other planned events and activities
- Links
6. DOCUMENTATIONS
- The Future of the Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: the UK Manufacturing and Skills Base, SGR Report/Keeping nuclear weapons or tackling climate change? SGR presentation
- Lecture at Princeton University by Kofi Annan
- Reports on the Climatic Effects of Nuclear War
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The Arms Trade is Big Business by Anup Shah
- UN food agency enlists Latin artists, Gulf Arab film festival in war against hunger
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1. WAR AND PEACE - ARMSRACE AND DISARMAMENT
NORTH KOREA NOT BUDGING ON SANCTIONS by Burt Herman
Dec 20, 2006 - North Korea is refusing to back down from its demand at international arms talks that U.S. financial restrictions be lifted before it dismantles its nuclear program, delegates said Wednesday.
Read:
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CHINA'S REAL NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES by David Isenberg
Dec 14, 2006 - It is never hard to find someone worrying about China's nuclear weapons. For example, the recent annual report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission says, "Beijing continues to improve its older intercontinental ballistic missiles and seeks to field increasingly mobile, accurate and survivable and therefore more credible ICBMs ... China's newer longer-range [missile] systems will reach many areas of the world ... including virtually the entire continental United States."
More:
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OLMERT UNDER FIRE FOR IMPLYING ISRAEL HAS NUKES
Dec 12, 2006 - Deliberately or unwittingly, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has broken with Israel's decades-old tradition of keeping quiet about whether it has nuclear weapons. His comments in an interview with a German TV station at the start of his three-day visit to Europe have prompted resignation calls from opposition politicians in Israel.
Read:
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DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS TO ALL-IMPORTANT IRAQ RIDDLE by James Carroll
Dec 11, 2006 - IN MYTHOLOGY, when the ancients were desperate for an answer, they would present themselves to the Sphinx and ask their question. The Sphinx would reply with a riddle. The riddle would reveal the needed wisdom. But to go to the Sphinx was an act of desperation because, if you failed to answer the riddle correctly, the Sphinx would kill you.
More:
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PAKISTAN TESTS BALLISTIC MISSILE
Dec 9, 2006 - Pakistan has successfully test-fired a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the Pakistani military has said.
More:
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US "NOT WINNING CONFLICT IN IRAQ"
Dec 5, 2006 - US Defence Secretary nominee Robert Gates has told a Senate committee that the US is not winning the war in Iraq.
Read:
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2. SCIENCE AND ETHICS
STOPPING MALARIA BEFORE THE BITE
Dec 19, 2006 - Researchers are developing a malaria vaccine which blocks development of the disease-causing parasite while it is still inside the mosquito.
Read:
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WIPO COMMITTEE TO INCREASE FOCUS ON GENETIC RESOURCES
Dec 16, 2006 - In a recent meeting, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) committee agreed to increase its activity related to intellectual property rights and genetic resources. This could have significance for negotiations on the issue currently at the World Trade Organization, according to sources in Geneva.
More:
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NEW ENVIRONMENT NOBEL AWARD NEEDED, NORWEGIAN SAYS
Dec 8, 2006 - A new Nobel prize should be created to reward work to protect the environment and combat climate change, a former Norwegian environment minister said on Thursday.
More:
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SCIENTISTS LAUNCH AN ONLINE GLOBAL MAP OF MALARIA
Dec 6, 2006 - Scientists have created an online global map of communities at high risk of malaria, which could prove a valuable tool for policymakers targeting resources to fight the disease.
Read:
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3. SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
UN TO INTENSIFY AFRICA CLIMATE CHANGE MONITORING
Dec 20, 2006 - Global warming is likely to have a profound impact on Africa, but the continent lacks the means to detect and adapt to shifting patterns of drought, floods and disease, United Nations' environmental agencies said on Tuesday.
More:
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EU TACKLES AIRCRAFT CO2 EMISSIONS
Dec 20, 2006 - Airlines operating in the EU should pay for any increase in greenhouse gas emissions above current levels, the European Commission has proposed.
More:
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THE YEAR THE WORLD WOKE UP by John Vidal
Dec 20, 2006 - Not before time, the west awoke in 2006 to the vast economic, political and social implications of climate change - and twigged that it presented as many opportunities as threats to humanity.
Find the full report:
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GREEN NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, FoE Press Release
Dec 8, 2006 - Another year has come and gone and once again it's time to wipe the slate clean. Most of us will probably want to shed those extra pounds piled on over Christmas, get fit and quit bad habits. But when deciding how to better your life, don't forget the planet's. More and more of us are ditching the excesses of previous years to go green - from recycling newspapers to switching to renewable energy. So why not follow Friends of the Earth's eco-friendly resolutions and aim to reduce, reuse and recycle...you're guaranteed to look and feel better for it.
More:
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GREEN GADGETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Dec 2006 - Electronic gadgets are popular holiday gifts, but as their popularity and versatility continue to grow, so does their impact on the environment.
Interested?
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: BIG NOT BORING by Jonathon Porritt
Nov 23, 2006 - Sustainable development is not a "boring catch-phrase for sad gits with nothing better to do with their lives", says Jonathon Porritt. In this week's Green Room, he explains why it holds the key to a better future, and why politicians ignore it at their peril.
Read:
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4. NUCLEAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES
REC TO BUILD WORLD'S BIGGEST SOLAR PLANT IN NORWAY
Dec 14, 2006 - Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) will build the world's biggest solar energy equipment plant in its Heroeya facility in southwestern Norway for 2.5 billion Norwegian crowns (US$407.8 million).
More:
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INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DEFENDS INDIA-US NUCLEAR DEAL IN PARLIAMENT
Dec 12, 2006 - India: India's foreign minister defended a landmark civil nuclear agreement between India and the United States on Tuesday in the face of strong opposition from supporters of the country's ruling coalition and the main opposition party.
Read:
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GREENER, CLEANER ... AND COMPETITIVE?
Dec 4, 2006 - The last time renewable-energy entrepreneurs were this gung-ho, in the early 1980s, subsidies - not sales - buoyed their business plans. This time may be different.
Read:
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PROFESSOR DEVISES NEW FORM OF SOLAR CELL
Nov 29, 2006 - A University of Idaho professor is devising a new form of solar cell she says could lead to a breakthrough that would make solar energy commercially feasible.
Read:
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HOW MIRRORS CAN LIGHT UP THE WORLD by Ashley Seager
Nov 27, 2006 - In the desert, just across the Mediterranean sea, is a vast source of energy that holds the promise of a carbon-free, nuclear-free electrical future for the whole of Europe, if not the world.
Interested?
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5. CONFERENCES AND ACTIVITIES SURROUNDING G8
CONFERENCE "GLOBAL SOCIAL RIGHTS"; Febr 13, 2007 Frankfurt a.M.
Nearly one billion people are suffering from hunger! Meanwhile the earth is producing far more than is needed by the world population. This is the biggest scandal of our days!
The narrow perspective of the G8:
Neoliberalism as the sole basis for all their politics has provoked critical changes in society all around the world. It is as well responsible for diverse struggle of different means. These confrontations and "anti-movements" have a partly high standard but still they happen isolated from each other on all continents. This conference is meant to look for similarities and find conjunctions. As the process of the WTO demonstrates, GLOBAL SOCIAL RIGHTS can as well be a fixed regulation in world economy.
It is planned to have three panels:
- Development politics
- Unions
- Migration
The hosts are: Attac - Brot für die Welt - EED - Fian International - Forum Environment & Development - medico international
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ALTERNATIVE SUMMIT TO THE G8-SUMMIT in Heiligendamm 2007
The alternative summit will take place in Rostock; most probably beginning Tuesday afternoon, June 5, lasting until Thursday noon, June 7.
"Events" will give a preliminary overview of all activities during the summit.
More information on the program, registration and accommodation you'll find at the below mentioned homepage in 2007.
On the occasion of the 1984 London World Economic Forum a critical alternative event was organized for the first time : The other Economic Summit (TOES). Since then the civil society held a critical counter conference for every summit.
Also at German summits, there were alternative conferences: 1985 in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, 1992 in Munich and 1999 in Cologne. So, naturally there will be an alternative summit in Heiligendamm 2007. Next to street activities such a conference is an essential part of the critique, because such a platform enables content and alternatives to be transported to the public.
For further information visit:
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OTHER PLANNED EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The International Action Conference on November 10-12, 2006 in Rostock discussed and agreed on events for the G8-summit.
- Action Day on Migration Policies:
During or just before the G8-Summit there will be a huge rally on migration in Rostock. We fight for global rights, freedom of movement and equal rights for everybody.
- Anti-militaristic Action Day:
Tuesday (June 5, 2007) before the summit there will be peaceful activities at the Rostock-Laage airport. The airport Rostock-Laage is a training base for the Eurofighter as well as arrival port for the heads of state.
- Camp:
There will be a big across-the-board camp close to Rostock. The camp team has started looking for the right venue.
See:
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LINKS
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6. DOCUMENTATIONS
THE FUTURE OF THE STRATEGIC NUCLEAR DETERRENT: THE UK MANUFACTURING AND SKILLS BASE, SGR Report
This paper examines the effect that opting for replacement of the UK's nuclear weapons could have on the national skills base. It concludes that such a path could have a significant and detrimental impact on the supply of science and technology staff to the civilian sector. In particular, it expresses concern that this problem could seriously undermine the UK's attempts to play its role in tackling global issues such as climate change and energy insecurity.
Visit:
KEEPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS OR TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE? SGR PRESENTATION
This presentation uses government and industry data to carry out a new analysis of the degree to which Trident replacement could undermine action on climate change. It concludes there is significant threat - due to competition for both funding and skills.
More:
Authors Information: Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) is an independent UK membership organisation of approximately 850 science, design and technology professionals. Our main aim is to promote and support science, design and technology which contributes to social justice, environmental sustainability and the reduction of conflict. The issues raised by the potential replacement of UK nuclear weapons and the related skills base as outlined in the call for evidence obviously have strong links with these concerns.
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LECTURE AT PRINCETON UNINERSITY by Kofi Annan
In short, my friends, the only way forward is to make progress on both fronts - non-proliferation and disarmament - at once. And we will not achieve this unless at the same time we deal effectively with the threat of terrorism, as well as the threats, both real and rhetorical, which drive particular States or regimes to seek security, however misguidedly, by developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.
It is a complex and daunting task, which calls for leadership, for the establishment of trust, for dialogue and negotiation. But first of all, we need a renewed debate, which must be inclusive, must respect the norms of international negotiations, and must reaffirm the multilateral approach - Woodrow Wilson's approach, firmly grounded in international institutions, treaties, rules, and norms of appropriate behaviour.
Read The Full Article:
Source: The Sunflower Newsletter, December 2006
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REPORTS ON THE CLIMATIC EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WAR
These are the abstracts and URLs for the latest research on the climatic effects of nuclear war, with scenarios including the detonation of a single "small" nuclear detonation in an urban center, a regional nuclear war between emerging third world nuclear powers using 100 Hiroshima-size bombs (less than 0.03%of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal) on cities in the subtropics, and a moderate and large exchange of the global nuclear arsenal.
Toon, Owen B., Richard P. Turco, Alan Robock, Charles Bardeen, Luke Oman, and Georgiy L. Stenchikov, 2006: Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism. Atm. Chem. Phys. Disc., 6, 11,745-11,816.
Download (pdf):
Robock, Alan, Luke Oman, Georgiy L. Stenchikov, Owen B. Toon, Charles Bardeen, and Richard P. Turco, 2006: Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts. Atm. Chem. Phys. Disc., 6, 11,817-11,843.
Download (pdf):
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7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE ARMS TRADE IS BIG BUSINESS by Anup Shah
The world spends some $1,000 billion annually on the military. How is this so?
Find out more:
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UN FOOD AGENCY ENLISTS LATIN ARTISTS, GULF ARAB FILM FESTIVAL IN WAR
AGAINST HUNGER
Dec 15, 2006 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has joined some of the most influential artists, intellectuals and business people of the Spanish-speaking world at the launch of the Latin America Solidarity Action Foundation (ALAS), an initiative of Latin Grammy Award winner Shakira to fund the fight against hunger and poverty.
More:
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