~ The 2006 European heat wave ~

The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany were most affected. In addition Reported deaths reached 1 000 extra deaths in the Netherlands.

More from BBC……….

Temperatures for much of the UK, have been significatly above average recently. It has been the warmest June for thirty years and July has continued the warm trend.
The Met Office have issues a level 3 heatwave warning for England and Wales until Friday 21 July. Remember heat can kill. In the 2003 northwest Europe heatwave 27,000 people died - a stark reminder that it's not a subject to be taken lightly.

Blizzards in Europe!!

Extract from an article dated December 28, 2005.....

Chaos …
Snowstorms caused hundreds of train cancellations in Britain and flight disruptions in Germany, Sweden and Portugal, as well as bringing road chaos to Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Worst hit was north-eastern France, where 5000 to 10,000 people spent a chilly night behind the wheel after traffic ground to a halt on a stretch of motorway between the towns of Toul and Nancy, regional authorities said.

In Turkey, temperatures plummeted overnight to minus 31 degrees in the eastern mountain area of Agri.

More than 1000 villages remained cut off by deep snow that blocked access to about 3300 hamlets earlier that week.

Munich Re is worried =(

Munich Re, the world’s second-largest reinsurance group, joined calls on the world’s politicians and governments to take measures to combat climate change as it reported that the cost of natural disasters had doubled this year to just under $30 billion (£15 billion).

There were 950 natural catastrophes this year, the highest since Munich Re began to keep records in 1974. Despite a total economic loss of $75 billion, the disasters still caused far less damage than 2006, when the combined effects of severe hurricanes, such as Rita and Katrina, caused losses estimated at a record $220 billion, with almost $100 billion of that paid out by insurers.

In Europe, Storm Kyrill caused the greatest chaos, bringing windspeeds of up to 200 km/hour in January, reaching from the mid-Atlantic as far east as Poland and Austria. Kyrill caused about $10 billion of economic damage, according to Munich Re.

Kyrill caused widespread damage across Western Europe, especially in the United Kingdom and Germany. 47 fatalities have been reported as of January 19 as well as extensive disruptions of public transport, power outages to over one hundred thousand homes, severe damages to public and private buildings and major forest damage through windthrow.

Dr Jeworrek, a member of the board at Munich Re gave warning that weather-related losses would rise, pushing up premium costs and acting as a drain on government spending on infrastructure.

Mediterranean would soon be able to form its own Hurricane!!

Studies have shown that the Mediterranean could start generating its own hurricanes if sea temperatures keep rising.

“We have detected for the first time a risk of tropical cyclone [hurricane] development over the Mediterranean based on anthropogenic [man-made] climate change,” said Miguel Gaertner, lead researcher at the environ-mental sciences faculty of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Toledo, Spain
He added: “The scientific record shows global warming is raising sea-surface temperatures. Observation and theory suggest that hurricanes are becoming more intense as the earth warms.”
Moreover, scientists agree, the surface layers of the Atlantic and Mediterranean have warmed by about 0.6C, with most of that change happening since 1970. Some predict a further 2C-3C warming by 2050.

European Union to promote research in clean energy

The European Commission on Thursday proposed a plan to promote research that will liberate the European Union's (EU's) potential for clean energy.

It is proposed that the creation of a European energy research alliance to ensure much greater cooperation among energy research organizations as well as improved planning and foresight at European level for energy infrastructure and systems.

The commission clearly signaled the need for increased funding, and will present its ideas on financing low-carbon technologies during 2008.

It will set up an information system to ensure a clear picture of energy technologies across Europe and establish a process with member states so that energy technology research can be planned together.

A European energy technology summit will be called in 2009 to review progress.

Research and innovation in energy technology are vital in meeting the EU's ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60percent to 80 percent by 2050, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.

Unless there is a major change in the EU's approach to such technologies, there is a serious risk that these objectives will not be met, or the technology to do so will come from outside the EU, it warned.

The energy innovation process, from initial conception to market penetration, suffers from structural weaknesses. There is neither a natural market appetite nor a readily discernible short-term business benefit for such technologies.

In addition, public energy research budgets in the EU member states have generally declined substantially since the 1980s, said the commission.

Revision of clean energy proposal in Europe

Following the Pan-European Environmental Ministers meeting in Belgrad in 2007, a revision is ongoing for the Environment for Europe process. The NGOs in European Eco-Forum support continued Pan-European environmental activities, also on ministerial levels.
The group proposes that the environment ministers include sustainable energy (renewable energy and energy efficiency) as important elements in Pan-European environmental activities and that they:
• Promote Pan-European cooperation on renewable energy, including windpower, to strengthen the capacities of involved countries to use and benefit from renewable energy
• Promote Pan-European cooperation on energy efficiency standards,
requirements, and labels on energy using products to reduce energy consumption in cost-effective ways
• Promote cooperation energy efficient cars with standards, requirements, and labels
• Promote Pan-European cooperation on energy efficiency in buildings, linking up with EUs' work on energy efficiency requirements for houses

Societal Treatment of Aged in Eastern Europe

INTRODUCTION

The ageing of population is becoming a reality in developed and in less developed countries too In EE countries, around 10-12% from general population are over 65, comparatively with Northwest Europe where are 14-16% over 65. In USA 10%, Canada 9%, but in Japan only 7% are over 65 (In India only 2-3%). The increased frequency of mental health problems of the elderly, require re-adaptative approaches of the development of old age psychiatry.
All elderly people in Europe, regardless of sex, race, religion, life conviction, income, disability or sexual preference, have the right to lead valued and independent lives and to participate in social and cultural life.
The rights of the elderly also emphasise their personal responsibility to fellow human beings as well as to the community and future generations.
European society is aging, maturing, greying and becoming more individualistic. People’s life expectancy is increasing. The combination of post-war baby boom with the increase in number of aging immigrants has resulted in a growing number of elderly in Europe. In recent decades, couples are having fewer children and, as a consequence of this, there is increased strain on the working population- (the percentage of people between the ages of 15 and 65) is becoming comparatively smaller.

The standards established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international agreements about human rights also pertain to all population groups. The United Nations International Plan of Action on Aging (Madrid 2002) also applies to seniors living in Europe. These fundamental human rights remain in effect as people age and apply without limitation to the oldest and most vulnerable group of the elderly and to older persons who are restricted in their ability to function.
As a consequence of the better living conditions, seniors remain healthier longer, even well into old age. However, the increased length of life and the greying of the population also cause the number of vulnerable older people to grow.
At advanced age, the elderly can encounter limitations that result in loss of control over their lives or the threat of such loss. Growing older requires adjustment to changed circumstances and the learning of ways to implement practical solutions. Loss of self-reliance must be as far as possible avoided and quality of life must be safeguarded in all phases of life.

In the vision of EURAG, older persons have a responsibility to the community and to the generations that come after them. The responsibilities of the elderly entail the making of productive contributions to society. This is appropriate to a longer active phase of life, one that involves paid work, as well as voluntary activities and informal care. A positive image of the elderly is important because the way in which the community regards it older members partly determines the manner in which they are treated and the extent to which they are able to participate in society.


LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AMONG THE ELDERLY

There are an increasing number of older people living alone. Because older persons usually have lower incomes, with many living below the poverty line, population aging results in increasing poverty in many countries of Eastern Europe. This is particularly the case for the countries of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova) with small pensions, which are generally below the subsistence level. Economic needs may force older people to continue their work beyond the retirement ages. Such data were obtained during a survey conducted by the fund “Public Opinion” in Russia (Vovk 2006). According to this survey, there are no established social norms regarding coresidence of older people with their children in Russia. When asked about benefits of older people coresiding with their children and grandchildren, 40–43 per cent of respondents found more negative than positive aspects in such living arrangements while 34–36 per cent had an opposite opinion.The proportion of older population living in institutions reflects the demand for long-term care but may also reflect constraints related to government ability to provide sufficient funds for this kind of service.


MEDICAL CONDITIONS OF ELDERLY

(1) The Prevalence of Depression Among the Elderly in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Background: Depression among the elderly not only causes distress and suffering but also leads to impairments in physical, mental, and social functioning. Despite being associated with excess morbidity and mortality, depression often goes undiagnosed and untreated.
Depression screening among the elderly in Bosnia and Herzegovina positively revealed depression and depressive symptoms in 34% of undiagnosed patients. These findings demonstrate the usefulness and importance of the depression questionnaire. By using this screening tool, primary care physicians could better diagnose depression and depressive symptoms in their patients, and take appropriate action to treat it, thereby improving the mental health of a great many people in the country.

EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR ELDERLY
(1)
Dr Alberto Zanchetti, Italian cardiologist of the Center of Clinical Physiology and Hypertension of the University of Milan participated at the Congress and said, "The European Hypertension Guidelines published in June, 2007, firmly supported hypertension treatment for the elderly, but recognized that the benefits of this treatment had not yet been proven in patients over 80 years of age. Now the HYVET Trial results will allow the guidelines to do away with this limitation".

- The ADVANCE trial that showed a reduction of 18% in the rate of cardiovascular death, whilst the combination of perindopril and indapamide reduced blood pressure down to 134/75mmHg.

- The ONTARGET trial that compared the effectiveness of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ramipril) with the angiotensin receptor blocker (telmisartan) showed that both drugs are similar in terms of their ability to reduce cardiovascular events.

- The ACCOMPLISH trial was the first to find that the combination of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor with a calcium blocker (benazepril /amlodipine, respectively) is significant in reducing cardio-vascular events.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108772.php

(2)
Considerable knowledge has been accumulated in the last decade through retrospective and prospective clinical trials in the various solid tumors and in haematological neoplasias for older patients requiring medical treatment. Further progress has also been made by the establishment of an International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) with an official journal, working groups and task forces on surgery in the elderly, on chemotherapy dose adaptation, on the use of haematopoietic growth factors to treat anaemia and leukopenia, and on Multidimensional Geriatric Evaluation (MGA).
It is found that some antitumor drugs are ‘elderly friendly’ and that some regimes should be modified to avoid excessive toxicity. Research has also been done on the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-related complications in older patients. The specific methodology of the MGA has also been applied to evaluate older cancer patients entering clinical trials. For instance, they pay special attention to comorbidity, functional status, depression and mental impairment before deciding on the therapeutic approach.

By scoring these MGA items, a distinction can be made between older, fit patients who can be treated as adult patients; frail patients handled mostly with palliation only; and patients in an intermediate state, or the vulnerable, treated with reduced or adjusted chemotherapy regimens. In 2005, a grant of a total of 25 million dollars was provided to the National Institute of Cancer and the National Institute of Aging for studies in age-integrated aspects.
In Europe, the French ‘Institute National du Cancer’ has established a Special Research Program on Geriatric Oncology and nine Programs of Geriatric Oncology have been funded with a global grant of 1 273 000 Euros
At present, specific activities for cancer in the elderly worldwide (mainly in USA and Europe) are carried out in some medical oncology departments of general hospitals but also in some cancer institutes, as well as, but to a minor extent, in geriatric departments.


MEDICAL SERVICES

(1) Services for Elderly Care in Turkey, Wednesday, 20 August 2003

In 2000, the Department of Social Work and Care developed a project under the title "taking care of the elderly at their homes". According to this project,the public who would like to care for the elderly at their home will be trained. 3% of the old age population in Turkey are in need of protection and permanent care in an institution.There are few nursing homes for these elderly people.10% of the beds in old age homes run by the the Health Ministry and Municipalities are spared for demented and physically debilitated patients.The staff working with this population is well trained. There are few specialist psychogeriatric services in Turkey. 5% of the psychiatric beds in teaching hospitals are occupied by elderly 60 years and older.The elderly with psychiatric problems are placed in general psychiatry departments and are treated by general psychiatrists.The interest of the general psychiatrists in geriatric psychiatry has increased in recent years. Geriatric psychiatry is one of the main topic in national symposium and congress.


INEQUAL ACCESS TO MEDICAL SERVICES

With regard to people with dementia, this means, that no one shall be treated differently from other people on the grounds of disability or age. They have a right to human dignity and those who cannot obtain the necessary means for a dignified life have the right to receive indispensable subsistence and care. Everyone is guaranteed by an Act the right to basic subsistence in the event of illness and disability.
In the Social Welfare Decree (607/1983), §9, the way that home-help services are organised is defined: 1) assistance, personal attendance and support provided at home by a trained home helper for house aid for an individual or a family and 2) auxiliary services (meals on wheels, maintenance of clothes, bathing, cleaning, transportation and services promoting social interaction).
In Finland, all inhabitants are legally obliged to have social insurance. This obligatory social insurance is intended to cover everyone for the financial impact resulting from old age, work disability, sickness, unemployment and death of dependents.
However, there is inequality in access to services. Concerning people with dementia, this inequality means that getting first-hand information and adaptation training, for example, depends heavily on which municipality the patient with dementia lives in. The role of service providers from the private sector has therefore become more important and expectations for the future of this sector are high. However, this places people with dementia on an unequal footing due to higher expenses. Private services don’t exist in all municipalities. The use of service vouchers is an option for people who need home services. Municipalities can offer these vouchers to their inhabitants in order to buy services from the private sector.
The Six State Provincial Office creates the conditions for the implementation of social and health care services in the province. It also steers and monitors the delivery of these services.


CAMPAIGN TO INFORM ELDERLY PEOPLE

The aim of this campaign is to get more elderly people and people with chronic diseases to get a vaccination against the flu. The target group is elderly people (+ 65 years of age) and people with chronic diseases like diabetes. The campaign is communicated through TV, posters, prints and articles in local and national papers and magazines. A central part of the campaign is to give the local municipalities information of the free vaccinate and ensure that Danish citizens are offered free vaccination against the flu. It is the second time the National
Board of Health has carried out a flu campaign. The first campaign was in October and November 2007. The price for the campaign is 160.000 Euros.


OLD AGE BENEFITS

(1) Amendments to the Act on Social Pension – The Jobplan.

In order to remedy the lack of manpower the Government concluded an agreement on a Jobplan. The aim of which is to increase the supply of manpower and create better financial conditions for seniors who wish to stay on the labour market beyond the age of 65.
The amendment introduced by the Minister for Social Welfare on 28 March 2008 is aimed at seniors who have already retired, those who receive social pension and who wish to increase the income from pensions by an additional earned income, and at seniors who wish to defer the pension.

(2) Income adjustment

Entitlement to pension allowance and personal allowances is calculated on the basis of all taxable income, inclusive of pension. Under the new provision the first 30,000 of earned income by old age pensioners shall not be taken into consideration in the calculation of personal allowances (as e.g. the means-tested personal allowance, pension allowance, supplementary pension allowance and health allowance).

(3) Deferred pension

For persons who meet the requirements for deferred social pension, the number of compulsory annual working hours shall be reduced from 1,500 hours to 1,000 per year in order to favour a more flexible transition from working life to retirement. The provisions entered into force on 1 July 2008.

(4) Supplementary pension allowance.

On 1 July 2008 the Danish Folketing adopted an amendment to the Social Pension Act to the effect that the supplementary pension allowance was increased to a maximum of DKK 10,000 with effect as at 1 January 2009. The allowance is means-tested.

Social pension (old age) per month in DKK, January 2008
Non-single persons:
Basic amount 5,096
Pension supplement 2,396
Total 7,492
Single persons:
Basic amount 5,096
Pension supplement 5,130
Total 10,226
Citizens are entitled to home-help services irrespective of whether they live in their own house/flat or in, for example, assisted living accommodation. The local authority decides whether the elderly person is entitled to receive home-help services. The local authority’s decision as to the assistance required by each person must be based on a specific and individual assessment of the need for assistance.

Ireland

Forests in Ireland today cover 470,000 hectares or 7% of Ireland's landmass. At the turn of the century, Ireland was just like Scotland, even worse; it was covering only 1% of the landmass. Today, 80% of Ireland’s forests are owned publicly, just like most countries in Europe. The Irish Forestry Board has been responsible for the management of these forests since 1989 and 20% of forests are currently in private hands. Reforestation is a major current issue in Ireland and includes many problems out of which mainly are government concerns which are that due to Ireland’s extensive use of land, forestry is likely to take in archaeological importance. Today, Ireland produces only 55% of its wood needs.

Scotland

Scotland used to cover 80% of the land 2000 years ago, but several causes lead the country towards deforestation. After World War I, the forest covering rate fell down to 5% and in 1918 the British government faced with national security suggestion of a tree less country to re-establish tree plantations. By the end of 1980, the government published specific and clear environmental guidelines, but they showed no effect. The original plant bio-diversity of Scotland was a lot more than what it is today. Below woods and above the rivers there used to be Elm, Ash, Oak, Guelder Rose, Spindle, Gean, Raspberry, Bramble, Elder, tree Willows and Osier. On the high-level ground there were many native woods of Holly, Hazel, Sessile Oak, Hawthorn, Bird Cherry, Aspen, Pendulous Birch, Goat Willow, Ash, and Common Alder. In the direction of liven up this listing of species, a Scottish Natural Heritage Ranger gave the following statement in 1997: "Much of the forest would have been tangled and irregular due to the natural wastage, disease and physical forces of wind, fire, and floodwaters. From what we know of northern Canada, Russia, and Poland, at any time up to 60% of the forest trees and bushes would be dead or dying, providing a habitat for thousands of different kinds of fungi, ferns and flowering plants, insects and other invertebrates, mammals and birds."

Finland

Finland is facing deforestation just like other countries and causes are pretty much same as other countries. One different cause which is causing damage to forests, buildings, soil, fish and other wildlife is Acid Rain, and just like Russia, sulphur and air pollutants are damaging the environment. The government is playing a relevant role to control the timber industries to maintain the country’s valuable forest resources and the good thing about Finland now is that it has a very low deforestation rate which is just 0.10%. If we have a rate of this in every country, we could prevent deforestation. Finland is facing other environmental issues, such as air pollution, loss of biodiversity, climate change, whaling and many more.

Russia

During the Soviet period, land and water resources went through a lot of degradation. Areas, like the Kuznetsk Basin, and the lower Volga River, were poorly degraded, and nuclear weapons caused permanent damage in Southern Siberia, and Ural Mountains. Another cause is airborne-pollutants which have affected vegetation in many areas of Russia, and once again Sulphur is one of the deadly pollutants causing damages around the country. Winds spread these pollutants all over the country and countries bordering it and damage the environment. Besides just air- pollutants, forests in some areas are facing deforestation due to logging and since the rate has increased foreign logging operation activities have been formed. Besides just the damaging of trees, air pollutants have accumulated in lakes, rivers, and oceans damaging the water and killing the animals.

Austria

Austria tend to cover forests all over the country including the mountainous side 13, 00 years ago, but time changed and deforestation began to occur. The Neolithic farmers began the clearance of in low land areas, and in the middle ages, the upland areas started to get clear, which decrease tree lines. In prehistoric period, forests were used by its communities, but since the middle ages, they have been taken over by the government and other private owners. Most of the forests were taken advantage of by industries and salt works. The revolution of 1848 changed that by giving ownership to aristocrats, farmers, partly to the state, and villages and towns. Currently 1% of 214,000 forest owners hold area more than 200 hectors, and 65% holds are lot less than 5 hectors, but still 80% of the forests are in private hands and the rest 20% is in state owned.

Today, only 47% of the country is covered with trees, out of which 3% is old forest, 22% semi natural and 8% artificial plantations. Forest clearance is not a major problem for Austria because of the strict laws, but forest degradation is a major conflict. Industrial pollution including Sulphur and nitrogen oxides is widely spread and is causing a gargantuan amount of damage to plant life, ecosystem, and mainly forests. It is estimated that today 93% of Sulphur pollutants come from Austrian borders and that is causing danger to all the countries surrounding Austria. Since hunting is a very famous sport in Austria, it is leading to deforestation including damage to forests, loss of biodiversity, and a decrease in soil quality.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is less deforested than most countries in Europe. According to history, woodland would have predominated much of the country, but trees such as oak, ash and lime have dominated most forests. On the other hand, 90% of this cover has been lost from past 5,000 years due to the need of firewood, clearance for agriculture, and due to terrible management by humans. Total woodland makes up 2.5% of the land area of Great Britain, since 45% of the ancient and semi natural woodland that existed in 1945, has been lost since that time.

Currently government of UK has a policy aiming to increase woodland cover, plantations of exotic species, and native woodland for production and environmental purposes. Each year they have different forest creation projects that tend to plant 5,000 hectors of new native woodland. Some of the forest creation projects are the National Forest, Central Scotland Forest, and the Millennium Forest.

Forests in the UK are divided between private and public. Government owned forests service manages about 35% of the country’s woodland, 10% is owned by public voluntary bodies, 20% is owned by farmers, and the rest 35% is owned by other private industries.

Currently the UK produces around 15% of its timber needs from domestic forests, and efforts have brought and increase in the timber industry. It is expected that the volume of wood will be increase from a 9 million cubic meters per year today to 15 million cubic meters per year by the year 2020.

Since, more animals and plants depend on woodland, which includes about 300 vascular plants and 5,000 animal species, the nation’s biodiversity is deeply affected. An important portion of woodland that remains today is under poor management and biodiversity has decrease many times. In 1990, a government survey was taken and it showed a drop of almost 20% in species diversity.

Road building in the UK has brought a major threat to its woodland. There are many causes behind this, which include lack of protection and essential value given to nature, road building policy, priority of economic interests, and political structures and relations.

Romania

Romania is another largely deforested country in Europe . Just like Hungary, it once had forests covering three quarters of Romania, but currently it has been reduced down to 27%. Out of that, 2% are plantations and 25% are natural forests and managed woodland. Romania has lost basically 5 million hectares of its forests in the last three centuries. Half were lost due to end of World War I. Currently the country is trying its best to save the forests, but half of them are owned by private owners. Even today these forests are facing many problems, and the causes are same as they were which are extended droughts, industrial pollution, and over grazing and damage brought by mechanization. Pine tree species have been planting beech and oak for over 60 years and today they constitute 30% tree cover. The government recently had planned to have 27% forests under conifers. Most people are trying to simplify forests for production, but they don’t know that it is leading the forests in danger to be damaged by cockroaches, rats, wind, and snow.

Hungary

There are 8 deforested countries in Europe and they all have different causes and effects leading them. Hungary once had forests covering over 85% of national territory, and it was reduced due to clearance of agriculture in the 1930s. Wars have always been a major cause for deforestation and since World War II forest covering are reducing and forests are ruining and this is causing natural forest degradation. Native tree species have difficulty growing and the cause for this is the agricultural growth in the lowlands which is serviced by the intensive water management system. Another underlying cause of deforestation is air pollution resulting from industries and transportation boundaries which is causing a lot of damage to natural species including trees. Oriented forest management systems have given very little priority to biodiversity or ecological values and that is leading into more ruination of forests. Harvesting and mechanization has reduced biological diversity and this has caused forests to be scrappy.

Today 40% of Hungary ’s forests have been passed in private hands. Since, they are now owned mostly by people who don’t know what they are going to do with it or how they are going to use it and manage it will result in more deforestation which will lead to that about 20% of country’s forest are unmanaged. By having an openness situation, the weakness of these forests has been increased a lot in illegal harvesting and mechanization. Current forests owners have little knowledge of how to handle and manage the forests and this is increasing the risk of forest quality that it will be soon damaged.

Nowadays, marketing and financing are the underlying causes of forest loss in Hungary and new markets and new values are increasing this pressure. Non-timber forest products use is now heading for supplying foreign markets and is becoming unsustainable. People in Hungary today don’t really care much about their forests and how much damage and problems they are bringing to their environment, “people want a wealthy society and not a healthy society.”

Deforestation in Europe

Introduction

Europe has a vast amount of deforested area. Hungary , Romania , The U.K, Austria , Ireland , Scotland , Russia , Finland , and Poland are all deforested countries in Europe . The UK is one of the least forested countries of Europe . The average European country has 24% of its land area covered by forests. Deforestation in these areas is leading to destruction all over the country, and if the government, and the society doesn’t do anything about it, chances are that all trees would be damaged and people will die and the world will come to an end.

Deforestation Figures for Europe

Forest Cover Statistics for 2000


Total Forest Area (‘000 ha)
1,039,251

Forest Cover (% of land)
46.0

Plantations (‘000 ha)
32,015

Tropical Forest Cover (% of land)
0%

Tropical Forest Cover ('000 ha)
-

Subtropical Forest Cover (% of land)
5%

Subtropical Forest Cover ('000 ha)
51,963

Temperate Forest Cover (% of land)
22%

Temperate Forest Cover ('000 ha)
228,635

Boreal/polar (% of land)
73%

Boreal/polar ('000 ha)
758,653

Europe: Production, trade and consumption of forest products, 2002

Europe Encouraging Clean Energy Industry

A commitment by European governments to helping out “clean energy” entrepreneurs is creating a more welcoming environment than America, where erratic support, a lackluster market for taking companies public, along with more onerous financial rules, have given pause to some start-ups and investors.

Europe is experiencing a new wave of interest in ventures that develop energy from less polluting or renewable sources, like sun and wind, as well as from tides, agriculture and geothermal heat. It is not clear, though, if the interest will turn into a passing fad or a bubble, like the rush into Internet stocks during the late 1990s.

The United States has not signed on to the Kyoto Protocol, an international accord aimed at stabilizing emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Even so, North American industry has set the investment pace, pouring $3.5 billion of private equity and venture capital money into start-up clean-energy developers in 2006, according to New Energy Finance, a research firm based in London.

Europe has signed the Kyoto Protocol, but private equity and venture capital investment into clean energy has been smaller there than in the United States over the last two years. Together, Europe, the Middle East and Africa have raised only about one-third as much as the United States for new clean energy ventures, according to New Energy Finance.

But Ken Bruder, the executive director of New Energy Finance, warned that those numbers were an unreliable guide to the overall development over the sector. He said that ready access to green-minded consumers and long-term government support would do more to create fertile territory for generating profits.

Another incentive in Europe for clean energy companies is lighter regulation over publicly listed companies. More than half of the world’s 22 most valuable publicly traded wind and solar companies are based in Europe, according to the Jefferies Group, an investment bank based in New York.

Among the most prominent firms to have emerged in Europe is Vestas, a Danish company supplying turbines that generate 35 percent of the electricity worldwide that comes from wind power.

Vestas has forecast improved profit margins for 2007, and its shares rose about 130 percent in 2006 — a sign that the drive for clean energy and alternatives to oil is pushing up valuations.

Apax Partners, a buyout firm based in London, multiplied its initial investment of 11.5 million euros by 27 times when it sold most of its stake in the German solar company Q-Cells between October 2005 and January 2006. Such success is helping to motivate small incubator funds in Europe, like Mr. Hertzberg’s, to compete with the cash-rich venture capital firms and giant utilities to find and finance renewable energy ventures and start-ups.

Years ago, raising large amounts of money for scalable renewable energy sources was more a concept than a practice, even as governments publicly sought to curb global warming, secure new supplies of energy and still meet rising demand.

But last year, clean-energy companies raised about $4.4 billion on European stock markets, about four times the amount raised in stock markets in North America, according to New Energy Finance.

High government taxes have forced Europeans for a long while to pay more than Americans for their energy, and the search for cheaper energy sources has helped spur research and development in competing wind and solar technologies, particularly after an oil embargo by Arab countries prompted oil shortages starting in late 1973.

In response, research and development in European countries like Denmark ramped up substantially beginning in the mid-1970s. Investors also have welcomed moves by large utilities to expand into renewable energy.

The European Union has imposed mandatory caps on pollution generated by carbon dioxide emitting industries, such as coal-fired electricity generators, helping to create openings for new kinds of energy companies. Many European governments also back the use of new technologies with generous subsidies. In Germany, for example, consumers who sell renewable energy, like solar power to the central electricity grid, are offered highly attractive tariffs. That helps consumers pay back the cost of buying expensive new equipment like solar cells.

Countries like Britain, France and Norway also encourage renewable energies, with incentives to switch to low-carbon-emitting alternatives.

Because of the recognition shown by the European government to the use of renewable energy through the providence of subsidies, Kyoto is often said to be the real thing in Europe.