CENN: Weekly Digest – May 17, 2006

May 17, 2006 11:09:40 AM | <;
Archive | <; Russian |
< ot_news.html> Hot News |
<; Vacancies in Georgia |
<; CENN |

17.5.2006

News From Georgia < > >>

IMF will not block poverty reduction program

Source: The Messenger, 2006-05-08

The IMF is not planning to stop its poverty reduction program in Georgia.
Permanent representative of IMF in Georgia Robert Kristiansen mentioned that
the IMF has a certain opinion for the amendments in the Georgian law
concerning illegal incomes, but this is not the reason for stopping the
poverty reduction program in the country. According to him the IMF
positively evaluates the macroeconomic policy carried out in the country.

The IMF recently made some remarks concerning the draft law on fighting
illegal incomes submitted to the parliament by the state minister Kakha
Bendukidze. The major concern of the IMF is the issue on increasing the
level of reported transfers from GEL 30,000 to GEL 50,000. This kind of
change might leave considerable amounts of money beyond the monitoring
scale.

IMF experts think also that if currency exchange offices will not require
any more licensing this will contradict the principles of combating money
laundering and terrorist threats.

Minister of Finance Lexo Aleksishvili states that the draft law already
considered the IMF recommendations and all the projects envisaged by IMF
will be continued. Deputy state minister Vakhtang Lezhava thinks that this
misinformation was disseminated by those who want to oppose the current
draft law and the amendments into legislation.

17.5.2006

News From < jan> Azerbaijan >>

OIL PRODUCTION ON RISE

Source: Azetag, 2006-05-13

Oil production in the State Oil Company’s fields was 746 thousand tons in
April. It is 20 470 tons more than scheduled. Oil production has come to 2
960 000 tons since the beginning of the year, beating the target by 67 670
tons. Oil transfer to the state outstripped the target by 14 960 tons in
April and hit 2 922 000 tons for the past four months.

17.5.2006

News From Armenia < > >>

news bulletin of environmental activities

Dear CENN Readers,

Here comes news bulletin of environmental activities carried out in ten
communities throughout Armenia within the frames of Community Environmental
Action Groups project Armenian Forests NGO is implementing under USAID
auspices.

It is interesting News < >
Bulletin about what local communities have achieved in working to improve
environmental conditions in their settlements.

Mher Sharoyan
Media Coordinator
Armenian Forests NGO
38 Moskovian St., apt. 10
Phone: (374 10) 54-15-29
Fax: (374 10) 58-20-39
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

<file:///C:Documents%20and%20Settingsmariam. tevzadzeMy%20DocumentsInfo%2
0CENNWEEKLY%20DIGE ST20065.17.06;
www.Arm enianForests.am

17.5.2006

International < tional> News
>>

BRAZIL OFFICIALLY STARTS FIRST URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY

Source: ENS, 2006-05-08

Brazil has inaugurated its first uranium enrichment facility to make the
type of fuel for nuclear power plants that Iran is running into trouble for
attempting to produce. There are strong suspicions that the objective of the
Iranian nuclear program is to eventually build a bomb, but Brazil has
managed to assure the international community its intentions are industrial
and commercial, not military.

17.5.2006

International < nce> Seminar /
Conference / Meeting >>

International conference to introduce climate change scenarios in the Baltic
Sea region

Source: Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), 2006-05-16

Gvteborg, Helsinki, Geesthacht – Leading scientist, politicians, journalists
and interested stakeholders from the Baltic Sea countries will take part in
the First International Conference on the Assessment of Climate Change for
the Baltic Sea Basin on 22-23 May 2006 in Gvteborg, Sweden. The Conference,
organised by Gvteborg University, BALTEX and HELCOM, will provide an
assessment of ongoing and possible future climate variations in the Baltic
Sea basin.

The climate in the Baltic Sea basin has changed during the past century, and
current research shows that the area will likely continue to get warmer. In
the past century there has been a marked increase of temperature of more
than 0.70C, with consequences such as shorter ice seasons. This is larger
than the global mean temperature increase of 0.50C. No robust link to
anthropogenic warming and the increased levels of greenhouse gases on
regional scales has been established, although it is plausible that at
least part of the recent warming in the Baltic Sea basin is related to the
steadily increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.
“Continuing analysis is needed to clarify the causes behind the increasing
temperature,” says Anders Omstedt, professor in Geosphere Dynamics at
Gvteborg University.

The observed changes in temperature in the past have been associated with
consistent changes in terrestrial ecosystems, such as earlier spring
phenological phases, northward species shifts and increased growth and
vigour of vegetation. These trends are expected to continue into the future;
induced species shifts may be slower than the warming which causes it.

Scenarios for the climate in the later part of the present century describe
an ongoing general warming, increased winter precipitation almost everywhere
and dryer summers in the southern parts. For the water body of the Baltic
Sea, a tendency towards lower salinity could be expected, which is thought
to have a major influence on the Baltic Sea fauna. The expected changes in
precipitation (and thus river runoff) may have additional detrimental
effects on the problem of eutrophication. The warming will be associated
with earlier spring phenological phases, northward species shifts and
increased growth and vigour of vegetation.

The assessment is a result of a recently established Assessment of Climate
Change for the Baltic Sea Basin Project (The BACC Project). It integrates
available knowledge of historical, current and expected future climate
change. The unique feature of BACC is the combination of evidence on climate
change and related impacts on marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems
in the Baltic Sea basin, which encompasses the entire water catchment with
runoff into the Baltic Sea. It is the first systematic scientific effort for
assessing climate change in a European region. More than 80 scientists from
12 countries have contributed on a voluntary basis. As such, the results
have not been influenced by either political or special interests.

The BACC Project is a joint venture of the BALTEX (Baltic Sea Experiment)
Program and HELCOM (Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission) as an
example of a dialogue between the scientific community and environmental
policy makers. BALTEX is a continental-scale experiment within GEWEX (Global
Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) and WCRP (World Climate Research
Program).

The first day of the Conference will be devoted to scientific discussions
and the individual chapter lead authors will present the BACC results both
as oral lectures and posters. The second day discussions will be dedicated
to bridge science, policy and the general public and includes a panel
discussion. The objective of the panel is to discuss issues of climate
change related to the entire water catchment of the Baltic Sea; possible
impacts of these changes on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and on
society; and means how to improve the dialogue between scientists,
politicians and the public at large with regard to issues related to climate
change. The panel will consist of leading climate researchers, politicians
and journalists.

The Conference is open to the press.

For details on the BACC Project and the Conference, please visit:

BACC website <; ,
also see the Conference announcement flyer
< _flyer.pdf>
f2006_flyer.pdf,
and program < html>
dule.html

Information for TV journalists:

TV-footage is available at the BACC website.
For information about BACC, please visit:
For information about Gvteborg University, please visit
<;
For information about BALTEX, please visit <;
de/baltex
For information about HELCOM, please visit <;

For any additional information, please contact:

Prof. Dr. Hans von Storch
Chair of BACC
Institute for Coastal Research
GKSS Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH, Germany
Phone: +49 171 212 2046
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

Prof. Dr. Anders Omstedt
Earth Sciences Center-Oceanography
Gvteborg University, Sweden
Phone: +46 31 773 2881
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

Dr. Markku Rummukainen
Rossby Centre
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrkvping, Sweden
Phone: +46 11 495 8605
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

Camilla Carlsson, informatvr,
Fakultetskansliet fvr naturvetenskap,Gvteborgs universitet
Phone: +46 31 773 28 64
Mobil: +46 70 146 39 61
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]>
cami [email protected]

Dr. Torsten Fischer,
Presse- und Vffentlichkeitsarbeit
GKSS Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH
Phone: +49 (0) 41 52 / 87 – 1677
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

Nikolay Vlasov,
Information Secretary, HELCOM
Phone: +358 (0)207 412 635
E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

17.5.2006

Subscribing Information

CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus
Environmental NGO Network members. CENN has been distributing information
since 1998.

All the published digests and bulletins issued in both English and Russian
languages present incredibly rich environmental information base that give
the reader the whole picture of the environmental process taking place
during the recent 5 years in the South Caucasus region as well as abroad.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please send an
email to <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] and place the “subscribe” or
“unsubscribe” command as the first line of the message body.

If you would like the information about your organization and activities to
be distributed via the CENN mailing lists (the current number of CENN
mailing list members represents 11049), if you want your voice to be heard
around the world, please send your information at the following email:
[email protected].

For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page:

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network 2006

< l?cipdd&0&digest> BannerDots
Network
< pl?digest>

CENN INFO

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel:+995 32 75 19 03/04

Fax:+995 32 75 19 05

E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

URL: <;

http://digest.cenn.ge/archive.html&gt
http://digest.cenn.ge/index_ru.php&gt
http://www.cenn.org/announcements/hot_news/h
http://digest.cenn.ge/vacancy.php&gt
http://www.cenn.org&gt
http://digest.cenn.ge/digest_en.php?ca=Georgia
http://digest.cenn.ge/digest_en.php?ca=Azerbai
http://digest.cenn.ge/digest_en.php?ca=Armenia
http://digest.cenn.ge/docs/News%20Bulletin.doc
http://digest.cenn.ge/digest_en.php?ca=Interma
http://digest.cenn.ge/digest_en.php?ca=Confere
http://www.gkss.de/bacc&gt
http://www.gkss.de/bacc
http://dvsun3.gkss.de/bacc/BACC_Conf2006
http://dvsun3.gkss.de/bacc/BACC_Con
http://dvsun3.gkss.de/bacc/ConferenceSchedule.
http://dvsun3.gkss.de/bacc/ConferenceSche
http://www.gkss.de/bacc
http://www.gu.se/english/&gt
http://www.gu.se/english/
http://www.gkss.de/baltex&gt
http://www.gkss.
http://www.helcom.fi/&gt
http://www.helcom.fi
http://www.bannerdots.com/cgi-bin/bd/adcrdst.p
http://www.bannerdots.com/cgi-bin/bd/adcclick.
http://www.cenn.org/&gt
www.ArmenianForests.am&gt
www.cenn.org.
www.cenn.org