Environmental brief ~ Arctic nations hold talks on global warming News
Environmental brief ~ Arctic nations hold talks on global warming

[JURIST] Leading Friday's environmental law news, representatives from countries surrounding the Barents Sea have held a meeting in Norway to discuss global warming and the Kyoto Protocol [text]. The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) [official website] consists of representatives from Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and the European Commission. The BEAC adopted a number of resolutions [DOC text] on environmental issues, including calling for the development of bioenergy and other renewable energy sources, combating illegal logging, adopting best available technology standards for industry, and reducing pollution in the region. AFP has more.

In other environmental law news…

  • The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) [official website] announced it will postpone a recommendation to the state Board of Environmental Quality on whether the state should opt-in to the federal "cap and trade" program that seeks to decrease mercury emissions from coal fired power plants. The DEQ had planned to make its recommendation on November 16, 2005, but has decided to postpone it until the US Environmental Protection Agency [official website] concludes its review of the new Clean Air Mercury Rules [EPA backgrounder]. The Idaho Mountain Express has more.
  • The US Bureau of Land Management in Colorado [official website] sold 72,428 acres of public land during its quarterly oil and gas lease auction [official backgrounder] Thursday. A number of groups have notified the agency that they intend to sue over some of the leases, claiming that the land should be listed as wilderness or that endangered species will be threatened. Under terms of the sale, protest issues will be settled before the leases are dispensed. The Daily Sentinel has more.
  • India's Central Pollution Control Board [official website] has issued a regulation conditioning approval of health care centers on their separation of mercury contaminated biowaste. The India government is also undertaking a project to study the emissions from incinerators burning hazardous materials, and will develop techniques and procedures to limit the emissions of mercury and other hazardous materials from health care centers into the environment. The Hindu has more.
THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.