Sitting at the western boundaries of Europe—not to mention at the very end of an energy supply chain—Ireland has many incentives in going green.

The government, with the Green Party as its junior coalition partner, believes it can beat a deadline set by the European Union to have Ireland generate 16 percent of its total energy from renewable sources by 2020. It even announced the possibility for Ireland to exceed the required percentage.

Ireland also set up its own goal of supplying 40 percent of its total electricity using renewable sources by then.

During the Green Party conference last weekend at Waterford, Irish Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Eamon Ryan was quoted as saying: “We have doubled our renewable energy. We can double it and double it again. It is the perfect answer to the recessionary blues”.

Industry estimates point out that to achieve their goals, the government is required to add around 6,000 megawatts (MW) worth of renewable energy—which will come mostly from wind turbines—to the present 6,000 MW coming from conventional energy sources.

Siemens Ireland, a Siemens unit which has seen involvement in renewable energy projects in Ireland since the 1926 establishment of the Shannon hydroelectric power plant in western Ireland, believes the country has ’a fair chance’ of meeting the deadline.

“I am convinced we will get there. The only question mark is will we be fast enough to make the targets? I always go for speed, speed, speed”, said Siemens Ireland CEO Werner Kruckow.

Nicolas Mathevon of the Université Jean Monnet in St. Etienne, France, and Frédéric Theunissen of the University of California in Berkeley, USA, along with a group of researchers, carried out an investigation on the animals at a station in Berkeley.

“The hyena’s laugh gives receivers cues to assess the social rank of the emitting individual. This may allow hyenas to establish feeding rights and organise their food-gathering activities”, said Theunissen.

He and his colleagues found that the changing note frequency of the sound reveals a subordinate or a dominant status, while its pitch encodes information about age. Such vocalisation can be heard especially when the animals spot food. Their hierarchy dictates who gets the package and who submits themselves to others’ authority.

The team also says that the sound may also be a means by which hyenas seek help or express grief during an unpleasant event.

Explaining how forming allies serve beneficial to hyenas, Theunissen explained: “Lions often eat prey previously killed by hyenas. A solitary hyena has no chance when confronted by a lion, whereas a hyena group often can ‘mob’ one or two lions and get their food back. Giggles could therefore allow the recruitment of allies. Cooperation and competition are everyday components of a hyena’s life”.

Theunissen and his team are planning to conduct more field investigation on the sound created by the animals.

Veritas, which evaluates wind turbines for certification, thinks that the industry would need financial support for years since the cost of sea-based wind turbines are around 40%-60% above those on land, stated Chief Executive Henrik Madsen to Reuters.

He said that Veritas, a private organisation, certifies around 75% of offshore wind turbines, excluding those in China. Veritas claims that the organisation and the Germanischer Lloyd of Germany are the major groups establishing industry standards.

The planned surge centred on the North Sea and the UK, which is part of the efforts to slow down climate change, would probably mean larger turbines offshore.

“They can be larger. It’s easier to transport (turbines) on ships and install them”, said Madsen. On land, the blades and heavy cranes usually have to be driven on narrow roads to a remote hilltop, making it more difficult to transport.

“We believe you will see larger turbines up to 10 megawatts offshore”, he added. The American Wind Energy Association stated that a 10-MW turbine will be sufficient to provide electric energy to around 2,250-3,000 households in the US.

“There’s huge potential”, said Madsen, referring to offshore wind. Large turbines currently have a capacity of around 5 MW.

Recently, a pair of carbon trading firms became part of the Trading Emissions and Climate Exchange. But currently, none of them were able to meet the 400 million index threshold market capitalization right after the huge declines in their share values.

The HSBC index monitoring the two firms’ share value went down 37 percent between 1 September 2009 and 19 2010.

The UN climate meeting last December failed to come up with binding caps for carbon emissions, which are needed to pump up demand for carbon emission permits sold in carbon markets operating in industrialized countries.

An agreement from the Senate this year about a US cap and trade system is deemed less likely because of the prolonged delay of the financial expense of implementing carbon emission limits on industry.

“You’ve seen a deterioration in carbon markets globally”, stated Vijay Sumon who is an analyst from HSBC.

The report also says “Comprehensive climate legislation at the (U.S.) federal level may have to wait for a number of years.

“We believe that … the momentum (to fight climate change) will still continue, with a shift in focus from building carbon markets to delivering low carbon growth.”

The poll said that Australia offered the best environment for active and healthy children, with over 75% of expat children spending extra time outdoors compared to those in their home country. These children also had an easier time making friends and adjusting to new school environments, while schools in Britain and the US were found to be the least child-friendly for foreigners.

The survey conducted the study on at least 3,100 expatriates in 50 countries, including the six major expatriate hubs: the UK, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, the US, Australia and Singapore. Respondents evaluated their adopted homes regarding the quality of education, childcare, ease of integration, time spent outdoors, and cost of raising children.

Australia had the most number of expatriate parents who have reported an improved quality of life, while nearly half claimed that moving to the UK would not have a positive effect.

Of the top six, Singapore was ranked second overall, followed by Hong Kong, the UAE, the US, and Britain. However, Singapore was ranked first in terms of safety, whilst Australia was slightly marked down on the quality of childcare.

Parents saw the US and Britain as less healthy countries to live in as kids in these places spend more time playing computer games and watching TV.

Overall, expatriate parents believed that their kids benefited after moving to another country, with 50% making new friends easily, 48% adapting well to new culture, and 49% adjusting well to new school environment.

The EU Allowances (EUAs) dated 10 December were reduced to 11 cents at 1200 GMT, selling at €13.12 per tonne.

According to a trader, “I think people are selling ahead of the auction, it feels like its going short.” He also added that the industrials activity was very little, pointing out to buyers who have to purchase carbon permits to stabilise their emissions classified under the emissions trading scheme of the European Union.

Most of the time, the carbon prices in Europe rally during the British auctions of emissions permits every month. The next auction that will showcase 4.5 million EUAs is scheduled on 18 March.

A trading pattern had materialized every month in which market participants put up large volumes of EUAs for sale before the scheduled auction to lower prices in order to buy back and make additional money in the next scheduled rally, the trader claimed.

On the other hand, the future of oil increased by almost eight cents, with $82.17 per barrel that stayed under an eight-week high hit a day before as increase in Chinese inflation had investors consider tightening their budgets during the energy demand growth.

The contracts for British natural gas increased by .46 pence or 1.5% per therm and is currently priced at 30.50 pence. Also, the German Calendar 2011 baseload power had a five cent increase, reaching €46.35 for every megawatt hour.

During his speech at a convention on forests, the French president repeated his plea for an improved effort on climate change following the ‘frustrating’ conference last December in Copenhagen, Denmark, aiming his words to “all those who, behind their fine words, want to do nothing.”

He stated that new funding sources would be required for the $100 billion pledged at the climate conference in Copenhagen. He also said that he will push for taxation on financial transactions once France heads the G20 in 2011.

“Only innovative financing will allow us to meet this challenge,” said Sarkozy. “I will take, with others, initiatives at the G20 to ensure a tax on financial transactions is rapidly adopted.”

Over a hundred nations have approved the Copenhagen Accord, the December summit’s main outcome, which is aimed at limiting global warming to under two degrees Celsius and forecasting around $30 billion to help developing countries from 2010 to 2012, marking an increase to $100 billion yearly from 2020.

“The division isn’t between the North and the South but between countries that want to act and those that want to wait for the storm to pass,” Sarkozy stated.

Without mentioning any countries, the French president said that France would need to prevail over the opposition within G20 and asked for support from nations that are committed to change.

Kiyoshiro Yamamoto and the mother company of The Hump restaurant in Santa Monica, California were charged of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which illegalises the trade of any kind of meat from whales.

The case was hinted by customers who ate at the restaurant last October. Having officials from the US wildlife and customs informed about the inclusion of the whale’s meat to the menu, a sting operation last week was done at the restaurant.

“Someone should not be able to walk into a restaurant and order a plate of an endangered species”, said US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr in a statement.

The informants, whose identities are confidential, helped in last week’s sting operation. According to their affidavit, they saw the sushi chef taking a package of meat from a vehicle at the restaurant’s parking lot. The chef then brought the meat to the bar for preparation.

The affidavit also said that when the chef was asked by a customer regarding the meat, he divulged that it came from a whale.

So far, no legal statement has been released on the part of the chef and the restaurant.

If Chef Yamamoto would be proven guilty, he might be incarcerated for one year and pay a fine of $100,000. Meanwhile, the restaurant may be fined with $200,000.

In draft guidelines proposed on Wednesday, the government agency said that industrial plants suck over 16 billions of gallons of water each day from the waterways of New York for cooling, and this results to the deaths of 17 million fish and their eggs yearly. The department said steam electric power plants have been causing the damage.

With the use of “once-through” cooling technology, creatures are destroyed when they are sucked in the water intakes, overheated in water that’s warm and flushed back to the lake or river or trapped against screens.

New plants are now required by the state to utilize closed-cycle cooling, which reuses and recycles water. Moreover, the new guidelines would demand closed-cycle cooling to be used in all current facilities that are created to suck at least 20 million gallons of water everyday.

Entergy Corp.’s Indian Point nuclear plant is one of the facilities possibly affected by the new set of regulations. Advocates of environmental protection have been pushing for the installation of a new cooling technology at the plant.

Manna Jo Greene, the director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, said: “Ten of the 13 signature Hudson River fish are in decline, and power plants are a major contributor to that decline.”

The researchers found out that a bacterium called Cupriavidus basilensis could break down harmful by-products produced when wood releases sugar. They were also able to incorporate the bacteria degradation process. The discovery, published in the March issue of the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA (PNAS), could encourage the removal of methods that are considered harmful to the environment and raise awareness of waste wood as a useful form of resource.

Using plant or wood waste to produce chemicals and biofuels like bioethanol is advantageous as these raw materials are not affected by food production. But these “second generation raw materials” are not ideal. Lignocelluloses, which pertain to the sugar found in wood, cannot be digested well by microorganisms that turn biomass into raw materials that can be utilized. Initially, these complex sugars have to be emitted and broken down into units that can be digested. Harmful by-products, including furans, can be produced through this process.

However, cupriavidus basilensis can breakdown furans into waste products that are safe, according to researchers Nick Wierckx and Frank Koopman.

Supervisor Han de Winde, an Industrial Microbiology professor at TU Delft’s Biotechnology Department, commented:

“The fact that we now have a process for breaking down furans, not to mention one that can be successfully incorporated into other organisms, paves the way for removing these kinds of compounds during the production of second-generation chemicals and fuels from waste wood. This enables us to avoid the costly and environmentally unfriendly methods which are currently used to remove furans. That makes using wood waste as a sustainable raw material a much more attractive proposition”.