Last Updated:
February 28, 2007

GCRIO Program Overview

Library 
Our extensive collection of documents.

Privacy Policy

Archives of the
Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 1, NUMBER 4, OCTOBER 1988

NEWS...
NEWS NOTES

Item #d88oct3

"Atmosphere May Rise to the Top of the West German Agenda," S. Dickman, Nature, p. 459, Aug. 11, 1988. Bernd Schmidbauer, member of the West German Bundestag (Parliament), chairs an inquiry commission which will release a report, Precautions for the Protection of the Earth's Atmosphere, this fall. His draft of the report calls for stricter international guidelines on release of CFCs because of their effect on ozone depletion and greenhouse warming, and will likely cause political repercussions when the Bundestag convenes in autumn.

Item #d88oct4

"Growing Reaction to Ozone Hole in Soviet Union," V. Rich, Nature, p. 645, Aug. 25, 1988. The Soviet newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya recently appealed to the USSR State Committee for the Protection of Nature against those who violate ecological laws, citing a study that observed more than 50 cases of ozone reduction above major cities in the western Soviet Union, including Moscow. This attitude differs considerably from those taken by Soviet scientists in recent interviews with the news agency TASS. Nevertheless, the Soviet Union has signed the Montreal protocol on ozone-depleting substances, and its scientists are reportedly eager to cooperate with western colleagues in studying the problem. Suggestions for cooperation include cooperative arctic monitoring stations, and the "internationalization" of a Soviet iceflow station.

Item #d88oct5

"Japan Wakes Up to the Environment," M. Cross, New Scientist, pp. 38-39, June 23, 1988. The Environmental Agency's 1988 White Paper, presented to the cabinet in May, acknowledges Japan's role in environmental crises such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion and tropical rainforest destruction. This official approval of a global view of the environment and Japan's responsibilities is unusual in a country marked by rapid industrial growth and an apathetic view toward the environment. Japan's extensive coastal population is especially vulnerable to possible sea level rise. The report urges measures to control CFCs and develop substitutes, the application of Japan's science and technology to research on global warming and ozone depletion, and a change in the attitudes of wealthy Japanese consumers.