Here’s a look at the headlines of the week on the environmental front.  Have a great weekend, and let me know if there are any big news stories I seem to have missed.

 

Republican presidential nominee John McCain announced last Friday his decision to take Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running-mate.  As opposed to the Democratic National Convention last week, there has been very little mention of the environment at the Republican National Convention this week (in fact, not one utterance of “environment” in McCain’s acceptance speech), and Grist sheds a light on Palin’s relationship with the environment:  The eco-rundown on Alaska guv Sarah Palin, John McCain’s veep pick

The EPA on Thursday issued new rules on the allowable emissions from lawnmowers and speedboats.  By 2011, gas-powered lawnmowers must see a 35% reduction in smog-forming emissions, and there must be a 70% reduction in emissions from recreational watercraft:  EPA Tightens Engine Standards on Surf and Turf; Environmental Defense Fund Welcomes EPA Standards for Nonroad Gas Engines; EPA Issues New Engine Rules

The EPA has also criticized the fuel-economy standards set by the DOT for on-road vehicles.  Currently, the DOT is calling for a 31.6 mpg average for all vehicles by 2015; the EPA has announced concerns over the methodology that was used to read these figures, and essentially would like to see a further increase in vehicles’ fuel economy:  U.S. EPA criticizes DOT over fuel-economy standards; EPA: Transportation Dept off base on fuel estimate

In Ecuador, voters will have the chance to decide in a referendum to the constitution later this month whether or not to officially acknowledge the rights of nature among other reforms.  Should it pass, the reform would mark a revolutionary shift in how governments recognize the world around them:  Ecuador’s Correa has majority before key vote: poll; Putting nature in Ecuador’s constitution; Ecuador constitution would grant inalienable rights to nature

And last, lest we forget that global-warming is a real issue that greatly affects the world’s landscape and not simply a political ideology, two stories from the BBC report on ice-shelf loss in Canada and stronger tropical storms throughout the world:  Major ice-shelf loss for Canada; Warming boosts strongest storms