European Union energy costs the American double

The difference between the cost of energy in the European Union (EU) and its major trading partners is increasing more and more. The conclusion is a report which will be published by the European Commission this week and which indicates that the cost of electricity in the Community zone exceed double the prices charged in the United States and exceed 20% in the prices recorded in China.

Industrial gas prices are between three to four times higher than the prices Americans and Russians, being still of 12% higher than those of China, points to the report of the Committee to which the Financial Times had access.

"Although Europe has never been a place of cheap energy prices, in recent years the difference in costs between the EU and the main economic partners has increased," the report reads. The document, which is expected to be released this week, is part of the energy and climate package that will shape energy use in Europe until 2030.

The new package of measures have promoted the debate a bit by all Member States on the possibility of the energy and climate policies, which apply until 2020, they affect the competitiveness of the European bloc.

As for the factors that are promoting this deepening of the price differences between the EU and the United States, the document is not very specific, indicating only that the differences have increased due to several reasons, including domestic subsidies of some producer countries and the increase of shale gas exploration in American territory.

Another of the conclusions set out in Brussels report is the possible stabilization of energy prices after 2020, followed by a slight decline as renewables are replacing fossil fuels.

The Financial Times indicates that the Commission is to announce later this week the targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030, as well as introduce regulation for exploration of gas and oil from shale.

Foto:  EdinburghGreens / Creative Commons

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Bill Gates: in 2035 there will be poor countries

Earlier in the day we published a study of the non-governmental organization Oxfam that realizes that the 85 richest people in the world â€" which includes Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft-hold a fortune equivalent to the resources of the poorer half of the world's population, about 3.5 billion people.

However, poverty may be moving towards the end â€" or at least the existence of poor countries. That's the vision of Bill Gates, Melinda & in its annual letter, freshly shed, tries to demystify three ideas linked to the economies of the countries: poor countries are destined to remain poor; foreign aid is a waste; and save lives generate overcrowding.

"We believe the opposite, and we think [these three realities] are transforming the planet for the better. Thus, in two decades will be even better ", can be read in the letter.

According to Bill Gates, who wrote the first debunking idea, "in 2035 there will be almost no poor countries in the world".

"Almost all countries will be in what we now call ' low-middle income ', or even richer. The countries will learn from its neighbors more productive and benefit from innovations like vaccines, better seed and the digital revolution. Their new work forces, encouraged by the expansion of education, will attract new investments, "Gates continued.

According to the World Bank, a poor country has a per capita Gross national product of $ 1,035 or less. There are about €765 ($ 2,425).

Today, according to these parameters, there will be 36 poor countries worldwide: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Kyrgyzstan (pictured), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Somalia and Myanmar.

In many of these cases, it will not be hard to climb one step in the table. The Kyrgyzstan have just upped their standard of living in 5%, over the next two decades, to leave this group. Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, will have many difficulties in leaving the group. Also North Korea, by political issues, countries with civil war or isolated within Africa are unlikely to leave.

Bill Gates is still optimistic. "It will be a memorable event. When I was born, most countries of the world was poor. Over the next two decades, desperately poor countries will be an exception â€" and not the rule. Millions of people out of extreme poverty, and the idea that all this will happen in the course of my life let me on cloud nine, "Gates concluded.

Foto:  FeedtheFuture / Creative Commons

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Species of shark that was thought extinct rediscovered in a market of Kuwait

The Carcharhinus leiodon, species of shark that was thought extinct for several decades, was rediscovered in a market of Kuwait (see below), with several individuals dead and for sale. According to the international press, is the first time in 110 years that an individual of this species is found.

Scientists were alerted to the presence of a rare species of shark in the markets of Kuwait, having found 37 copies of the "mysterious shark", already dead and ready to be sold. Still, researchers have collected enough information to prepare a conservation plan, said the international press.

Before this episode, only two identical sharks had been identified. Although the species has been recorded only in 1985, the proof came from a specimen collected in the early twentieth century, by naturalist Wilhelm Hein, in Yemen.

Until 2008, this shark of 1902 was the only of the species Carcharhinus leiodon identified, even though scientists have sought other Middle Eastern waters.

During a meeting of Shark Conservation Society, in 2008, it was revealed a copper shark with "many similarities but different" from Carcharhinus leiodon. The analyses revealed later, proved that the fish was actually a Carcharhinus leiodon, but this possibility had been ruled out because the specimen was purchased in a market of Kuwait, 2,900 kilometres from the site where Huh discovered your, in Yemen.

Thus, scientists went through various markets in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, looking for other examples. After 47 varieties in the markets of Kuwait, they were able to study how these fish grow, how many children they have and what their habitat.

Still, the new shark remains rare, so a conservation plan to increase the population will now boot.

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What is the real aspect of the grains of sand?

Microscopic shells, crystals gnawed and shards of colorful corals. Is this panoply of abstract forms that we can see if we boosted the sand between 100 to 300 times. Responsible for this meticulous work â€" you can see below â€" is the photographer, inventor and scientist Gary Greenberg, who spent his life to "reveal the secret beauty of nature".

The grains of sand used for the experiment came from several beaches from around the world â€" from Okinawa, Japan, to Maui, Hawaii, and Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, United States.

In addition to grains of sand, Greenberg already expanded flowers, body parts or food, for example. You can view all the galleries here.

With the help of grid-quality microscopes, the photographer takes on the creation of "spectacular landscapes, worlds beyond our perception of everyday life-worlds where reality is seen with abstract forms of color, movement and textures".

Here are some sand grains increased.

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Tetra Pak allied himself to the project 80 and alert young people to the responsible management of forests

Tetra Pak will alert thousands of young Portuguese to the responsible management of forests, an action which will be part of the roadshow 80 project. In this initiative, which will traverse 18 schools from North to South, Tetra Pak proposes that young people put on the shoes of a young Forester, Pako, protagonist of the game Mission Tetra Pak. The initiative kicked off today in high school d. Pedro V, in Lisbon.

Throughout the game, the character will face several villains, which represent some of the most common dangers to forests, such as illegal logging, fires or pollution. The Pako and students will have the Mission of keeping threats out of the Woods. At the end of each game, the number of trees saved will dictate the outcome of each user. The three best results will be offered an Ipad mini (first classified), a smartphone (second) and two tickets to a summer festival (third).

The score ranking can be consulted on Tetra Pak ' s page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/protegeoqueebom) where you will be also notified the three winners at the end of the roadshow 80 project. See here the rules of participation.

Along the roadshow, Tetra Pak will also streamline studios for the reuse of packaging material, teaching techniques for creating useful objects from packaging.

"Forest sustainability is a critical concern for Tetra Pak ' s activity, since it is in the forest that the company gets raw materials for their packaging. To support the project 80, we wanted to demonstrate to young people the importance of responsible management of forests, "explains Ingrid Hawk, head of Tetra Pak ' s environment in Portugal.

The project 80 's promoted in partnership by the Portuguese Environment Agency, Directorate General of education, Directorate General of Schools, sport and Portuguese Youth Institute, Quercus and Green Project Awards supported by the Government of Portugal.

The initiative will visit 18 schools in 18 cities, from North to South of the country, over almost four months of road. Through the 275 hours of activities, the Roadshow 80 Project aims to encourage young people to develop projects that promote entrepreneurship, green economy, citizenship and volunteering, thereby contributing to the welfare and sustainable development of the communities.

Learn more at the gate Protects What's good.

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Norway: fire destroyed the historic village of Laerdalsovri

About 52 people were hospitalized as a result of a fire that partially destroyed the historical village of Laerdalsovri, this weekend. The fire started on Saturday night and affected 23 buildings, 16 of which were totally destroyed.

The village of Laerdalsovri is situated in the region of the Western Fjords in the South of the country and is a tourist destination famous for 160 wooden homes in the 18th and 19th century which, until now, were impeccably preserved.

During the fire, which still breaks out, hundreds of residents had to be evacuated due to strong winds which made feel, which boosted the spread of flame.

Among the destroyed buildings are industrial facilities, community centers and holiday homes. Three of the ravaged buildings belonged to the protected area of Laerdalsovri. The village of 1.13 square kilometers, has about 1,150 inhabitants. According to the Daily Mail, the authorities haven't been able to determine the cause of the fire.

Laerdalsovri is an important tourist centre and eco-Norway, getting close to Sognefjorden, the longest and deepest Norwegian Fjord.

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The history of the extinction of the passenger pigeon

If you think there are currently many pigeons â€" also popularly known as air rats â€" try to imagine a flock of these birds with about one mile wide and five miles long.

This would be the existing totality of passenger pigeons, a species of pigeons native to North America and the most common in the United States in the mid-19th century. However, the species is now extinct. The last copy of these animals, Martha, died in September 1914 with 29 years at the Cincinnati Zoo.

But what caused the extinction of this animal? The answer is simple: the animal knew well. On the other hand, it was also easy to capture and kill.

The animal served as food for humans for several centuries, but its massive consumption began in the 18th century. "In 1781, after a failed harvest, a flock of pigeons saved much of the population of New Hampshire of hunger," said Joel Greenberg in his book about the history of the animal â€" "the Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"-cites the Dodo.

While the United States remained a rural country and free of expressways, hunting these animals had no major consequences. However, after the Civil War the scenery began to change with the advent of the Telegraph, easily if you knew where they were flocks of these animals and their nests. In this way, the hunters quickly arrived at the site and killing the animals to sell in cities thousands of miles away.

Due to intensive hunting of this animal as a snack, in the early 20th century the species was virtually extinct. "The passenger pigeon Hunted to death, even if you don't understand at the time what we were doing. We could have saved him if our technological genius and our awareness of conservation â€" two aspects that set us apart from other animals â€" had been matched earlier, "Greenberg writes.

Foto:  Seabamirum / Creative Commons

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