Until recently, pickups, minivans and the now notorious sport utility vehicles have been able to dodge the strict emission standards to which passenger cars are held. But as the sport utility vehicle craze has exploded (50% of new vehicle purchases in California are now trucks and SUVs), so has the demand for higher emission standards from environmentalists and public health officials. Now, recommendations of the California Air Resources Board to tighten regulations are to be adopted by the state. New rules will require vehicles weighing up to 8,500 pounds to adhere to the same standards as passenger cars and will also establish an intermediate class for vehicles weighing between 8,501 and 14,000 pounds.

To borrow a cliché, as goes California, so goes the EPA. Experts anticipate other states and the federal government will soon follow in California's tire tracks. The auto industry is stalling, claiming these new standards will be impossible to meet without seriously compromising performance or raising the sticker price by thousands. (Not such a bad thing for the air!) However, given that the new rules allow the manufacturers until 2004 to comply and the fact that scientists from the Air Resources Board have successfully converted existing vehicles for only a few hundred dollars, it is hard to buy the industry pitch. With five years and a prototype, surely the industry can meet the standards? When the new rules are fully implemented by 2010, California can expect to see daily pollutant emissions drop by 155 tons!

Visit the following site for more information:

• California Air Resources Board
• STAPPA & ALAPCO
• Bio Science Library

In Living in the Environment see:

• Chapter 17 - Air and Air Pollution

The poplar tree has never achieved the status of the mighty oak or noble fir, but it certainly deserves recognition as a phytoremediator. Phytoremediation, the use of biological agents to remove contaminants, is rapidly emerging as a popular method of clean up. Environmental engineers at the University of Missouri certainly recognize the value of this tree, particularly "designer" hybrids, for removing soil contaminants. This fast growing species literally sucks toxic substances out of the soil in an economical, aesthetic and environmentally friendly manner, preventing potential health problems and groundwater contamination. For example, researchers have found the tree to be effective at removing the agricultural herbicide atrazine from the soil. Within the tree's tissues, the substance is then converted to a less toxic substance, hydroxyatrazine.

Other examples of phytoremediation include the use of pumpkins in the northeastern United States to cleanse "brownfields" of heavy metals and the use of tobacco to clean up strontium 90. Caution must obviously be used. Harvesting the plants for use or allowing animals to graze is a concern. Although toxic substances are often rendered harmless, some remain toxic and can accumulate in the food chain. (One only has to consider certain pesticides.) The use of plants is even beginning to extend beyond cleaning. Research is also being conducted to study the potential for using plants to "mine" the soil for materials!

Phytoremediation is similar to bioremediation which exploits microbes to clean oil spills and toxic waste. A recent promising experiment at the University of California at Davis involving MTBE clean-up was covered in last month's Of Microbes and Men article.

Visit the following sites for more information:

• Phytoremediation
• The Green Clean
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phytoremediation Research
• UC Berkeley Phytoremediation Research Lab

In Living in the Environment see:

• Chapter 21 - Solid and Hazardous Waste

In 1999, December 31st will seize the headlines. The year 2000 will arrive and Armageddon, in the form of the Y2K computer meltdown, will grab the spotlight. But another date in 1999 may be a more significant milestone. If the United Nations has its calculations right, on October the 12th, 1999 we can expect the planet's population reach 6 billion. It has taken us only 12 years to add another billion, despite all the wars, famines, plagues and disasters. Ironically, harsh as it sounds, the biggest disaster of all is population growth, with all its implications for the planet and mankind.

But there is some good news. Fertility rates are declining every where as women increasingly take charge of their reproductive lives and family planning becomes more widespread. In 1950, fertility stood at a global average of 5 births per woman, today the number is down to 2.7 (stabilization will be achieved at 2.1). In the developed world, most nations see fertility rates below the replacement rate, with population growth attributable to immigration. Progress has been made; originally 6 billion were expected on June 16th, almost 4 months earlier than now projected. Of course everything could change, but 2050 is when we expect our species to top 9 billion and hopefully level off!

In 2050, the US population is expected to reach 374 million (about a 50% increase from 1998). Although a developed country, the US experiences huge waves of immigration from less developed nations. In addition to themselves, immigrants also bring higher fertility rates, making US population dynamics extremely complex compared to other developed nations, a topic that caused controversy earlier this year for the Sierra Club.

Visit the following sites for more information:

• United Nations Population Fund
• Zero Growth
• US Census Bureau
• Population Resource Center
• Population Studies Center

In Living in the Environment see:

• Chapter 11 - Population Dynamics: Influencing Population Size

The wreck of the freighter, Pallas, this October is posing environmental problems for the Wadden Sea, north-west of Germany, a threat disproportionate to the statistics. A leak of some 15 tons of fuel oil from the vessel may not sound impressive compared to the titanic numbers chalked up by the Exxon Valdez and other super tankers, but the fact is a little fuel oil goes a long way (as compared to crude oil). As a result, Europe's largest coastal wetland is in danger. Sensitive mudflats, a grey seal colony and a proposed porpoise sanctuary are in jeopardy, with as many as 20,000 birds already oiled. Ultimately, the impact of the wreck will be contained, but the incident sends up some warning flares for what could happen if larger vessels containing hazardous materials were to flounder in this region. The World Wildlife Fund's North-East Atlantic Program has responded by demanding stricter measures to control the volume and routes of shipping, as well as salvage procedures, in one of the world's most traveled seas. What is more, greater efforts are needed by authorities to clamp down on the most glaring loophole, the so-called "flags of convenience." Many companies register their freighters with nations that adhere to much lesser environmental standards in construction and operation practices.

Visit the following sites for more information:

• Common Wadden Sea Secretariat
• WWF Endangered Seas Campaign
• Oil Spill History

In Living in the Environment see:

• see Chapter 19 -Water Pollution

Methane hydrates may not mean much today but that seems likely to change. They may just power the next century, as oil has fueled the 20th century and coal the 19th. It is a word of substance rising to the surface at the US Department of Energy, Congress, oil company boardrooms and university laboratories. Japan, Canada, Norway, India Korea and the US are all maneuvering to position themselves for the commercial exploitation of this emerging energy resource.

Briefly, methane hydrates are a combination of methane and water found in crystalline form deep beneath the ocean floor and polar permafrost. Indications are the reserves of methane hydrates dwarf all existing reserves of fossil fuels combined. However, so far there are few that believe that methane hydrates occur in sufficent concentrations to make them economically viable. But if they can eventually be economically extracted and developed into a usable form, they could be the answer to the looming energy crunch of the 21st century. But are they a solution? Are they preferable to the innovative technologies and cleaner, sustainable energy sources under development? Will they simply fuel expanded growth? Despite being cleaner, will they compound global warming further? Do we want our ocean ecosystems subjected to the stress of offshore drilling? Will they perpetuate the notion of continuous growth?

Visit the following sites for more information:

• Science News - The Ice That Burns
• The National Gas Supply Association
• Drilling in Canada's Mackenzie Delta

In Living in the Environment see:

• Chapter 15 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Chapter 16 - Nonrenewable energy resources

EnviroUpdates has reported regularly on the accumulating evidence for global warming. (See September's article The News Gets Hotter ). Latest indicatons of a rise in global temperature come from the Pacific, where islanders are reporting a rise in the sea level. This has resulted in saltwater incursion of low-lying farmland and the disappearance of tiny islets long used as navigation aids. More gradual seems to be progress toward international agreement on what measures to enact. A year ago in Kyoto broad agreements were made. Goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries were set alongside voluntary goals for developing nations (including China and India). The latter has been a point of deep political contention in the US Congress.

Almost a year later, governments reconvened in the aptly named Buenos Aires to establish the "how to" of Kyoto. The politicking continues, but progress has been made as some developing nations have gestured cooperation, a move that may help the Clinton administration push this hot topic through a reluctant Congress. A deadline of 2000 has been set to put international enforcement mechanisms into place; create a market-based framework of trading emission credits; and finance clean air projects in developing countries by their richer neighbors. As pressure for action mounts in the wake of 1998's record temperatures, reports of shrinking ice packs and waning species, the hot air of Kyoto may finally be converted to action. As they say, energy can never be destroyed. Perhaps governments are finally ready to quit fiddling in order to prevent the Earth from burning!

Visit the following sites for more information:

• The Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• The EPA Global Warming Site
• Linkages Coverage of the Buenos Aires Meeting

In Living in the Environment see:

• Chapter 14 - Global Warming and Ozone Depletion