RSS Feeds:
News |
- 'Friends of Science' Exposed - Anti-Kyoto Letter Debunked
- Controversial Water Project Comments Extended
- Canada Prairie Water Crisis Predicted
- Warming Oceans Fueling Hurricanes
- Kyoto Becomes Test for Parliament
- WWF Shows Climate Change Causing Extinctions
- Canada's Web-Based Budget Consultations
- Media Waking Up to Climate Change
- Efforts to Weaken Clean Air Act Illegal
- Green Green Water Screenings Successful
- Throne Speech Thin on Environment
- Manitoba Chambers Seek Energy Plan
| 'Friends of Science' Exposed - Anti-Kyoto Letter Debunked | 21 April 06 |
 Members of 'Friends of Science' (FoS), a climate change skeptics group, have been exposed as linked to organizations that receive funding from the petroleum industry. Some members of FoS have directly received funds from oil companies. FoS sent an open letter to Canada's Prime Minister Harper April 6, 2006 urging him to reexamine the the federal government's climate-change plans.Many individuals who signed the letter have well-documented connections to the petroleum and fossil fuel industry. Dr. S. Fred Singer is the President of The Science & Environmental Policy Project (SEPP). SEPP received multiple contributions from ExxonMobil and Singer's current CV states that he served as a consultant to several oil companies. Dr. Ross McKitrick is a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, a think tank that received $120,000 from ExxonMobil in 2003 & 2004. Dr. Patrick J. Michaels acknowledges that 20% of his funding comes from fossil fuel sources and Dr. Michaels received over $115,000 from coal and oil interests. Dr. Sallie Baliunas worked with the Global Climate Coalition, a special interest group of coal, oil and utility companies, set up to lobby against international action on climate change. The 60 signatories to the April 6, 2006 letter describe themselves as "accredited experts in climate and related scientific disciplines". A quick scan of credentials listed reveals approximately half are economists, professional engineers, agronomists or consultants who lack expertise in the 'related scientific disciplines'. Visit ExxonSecrets.org to learn more about Friends of Science, and the fossil fuel industry View the Friends of Science April 6, 2006 open letter to Prime Minister Harper View the April 9, 2006 Telegraph (UK) article Sources: ExxonSecrets.org, Friends of Science, the Telegraph UK, Canet Canada |
|
| Controversial Water Project Comments Extended | 21 April 06 |
 The Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) is a $500 million to $2.3 billion water diversion currently under review; a draft environmental impact statement was released January 2006. The public comment period was to close March 31, but was extended once to April 14 and now remains open. Various options for future water supply in the Red River Valley are listed in the RRVWSP draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). However several options involve diverting water from the Missouri River and reviving aspects of the ill-fated Garrison Diversion Project. The controversy stems from the potential transfer of foreign biota from the Missouri River Basin that could have devastating implications for the already precarious health of Lake Winnipeg and in particular for the Lake Winnipeg fishery. The International Joint Commission (IJC) studied the Garrison Diversion and in 1977 advised that it should not proceed. The governments of Manitoba and Canada have indicated that they prefer an in-basin option to address future water supply needs of the Red River Valley and have recently called for the IJC to ensure independent review. View April 14, 2006 Manitoba Wildlands submission on the Red River Valley Water Supply Project draft environmental impact statement (PDF) View March 1, 2006 Manitoba Wildlands news item on the Red River Valley Water Supply Project Visit the Red River Valley Water Supply Project and EIS web site Visit the Dakotas Areas Office, Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of the Interior web site Sources: US Bureau of Reclamation, Manitoba Wildlands |
|
| Canada Prairie Water Crisis Predicted | 18 April 06 |
 A new study says the Canadian Prairies will face an unprecedented water crisis in coming years due to declining river flows and growing water usage - especially from processing Alberta's vast oil sands. Alberta researchers David Schindler and W.F. Donahue published the study April 10, 2006 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.All major Prairie Rivers are fed by melting snow and ice from the Rocky Mountains, but the glaciers and snow pack have been receding due to climate warming. Weather records in the Prairies show a warming of one to four degrees C in the past 80 to 118 years, and half the weather stations receive substantially less precipitation than a century ago. Summer flows in Prairie Rivers are already 20 to 80 per cent lower than early in the 20th century. "If we return to historical variability, we stand the chance of getting hammered by a mega drought," said Donahue. Schindler warned that the drought in the 1930s was relatively mild when looked at in its historical context. Alberta's oilsands continue to expand and are consuming vast amounts of water. "The projected oil sands water use could be as high as 45 cubic meters a second, about half the low flow of the Athabaska River during the last 15 or 16 years," said Mr. Schindler. View the April 3, 2006 Canadian Press article in the Globe & Mail (DOC) View the April 4, 2006 CBC online article View the April 4, 2006 Edmonton Journal article View the April 23, 2006 Edmonton Journal article View the abstract: An impending water crisis in Canada's western prairie provinces View the April 29, 2006 Toronto Star article Sources: CBC Online, Globe and Mail, Edmonton Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
|
| Warming Oceans Fueling Hurricanes | 18 April 06 |
 Rising ocean surface temperatures are the primary factor behind a 35-year trend of stronger, more intense hurricanes, scientists report in a new study in the March 17, 2006 issue of Science.The finding supports the results of two controversial papers published in 2005 that linked increasing hurricane intensity to rising sea-surface temperatures. Judith Curry, an atmospheric scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and author of the new study, co-authored the 2005 study that found the yearly number of hurricanes that reach Category Four and Five - has doubled since 1970. The link between sea-surface temperature and increasing hurricane intensity was apparent in the previous study. The new study undertook detailed statistical and data analysis to verify that link. The finding coincides with a 1°F (0.5°C) rise in global sea-surface temperature over the same time period. View the March 16, 2006 National Geographic News article View the March 17, 2006 The Guardian artcile View the March 17, 2006 edition of Science magazine Source: National Geographic News |
|
| Kyoto Becomes Test for Parliament | 13 April 06 |
 Members of the Canadian Climate Action Network/Réseau Action Climat - Canada (CAN-RAC) have called on all parties in Canada's Parliament to stop the federal government from running away from its international commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions. CAN-RAC members were responding to statements by Prime Minister Harper, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose and revelations of massive cuts to funding to Natural Resources Canada and Environment Canada. The environmental groups released a list of measures they want to see reflected in the upcoming federal budget.CANet asserts that ensuring that Canada takes sufficient action to cut GHG emissions is one of the most important responsibilities of the Government of Canada. It is also a legal obligation, following the Kyoto Protocol's entry into force as international law in February 2005. "Parliament must intervene to maintain funding for climate change science, education and mitigation programs and ensure Canada's climate change efforts are expanded, not reduced," said Matthew Bramley, Director, Climate Change at the Pembina Institute. The impacts of climate change are mounting in Canada with prairie rivers drying up, the north rapidly melting, more heat waves in cities, and sea levels rising. Environmental organizations reject the new government's assertion that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto target. "We have reached the point where every month counts. It's time for this Parliament and this government to act now," said Dale Marshall, Climate Change Policy Analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation. View the full April 13, 2006 Climate Action Network Canada (CANet) press release View the CANet backgrounder: Top Ten Actions to Reduce Climate Change (PDF) View the Pembina Institute April 2006 Report, Climate Change, Kyoto and the New Federal Government: Concerns and Expectations View the April 12, 2006 Canadian Press article View the April 13, 2006 Globe and Mail article (DOC) View the April 13, 2006 CTV article Source: Climate Action Network Canada |
|
| WWF Shows Climate Change Causing Extinctions | 13 April 06 |
 Tens of thousands of animals and plants could become extinct within the coming decades as a direct result of global warming. This is the main conclusion of a new study into how climate change will affect the diversity of species in the most precious wildlife havens of the world.The scientists, led by Dr. Jay Malcolm of the University of Toronto, investigated how rising temperatures could affect the species richness of 25 "biodiversity hotspots" - areas of the world that are rich in species found nowhere else. The study, published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology, is the first study to document the extreme vulnerability of biological hotspots around the world to the effects of climate change. "Governments, industry and people everywhere have to start reducing fossil fuel pollution as if our lives depended on it. The very survival of tens of thousands of species does depend on action to avoid dangerous climate change," stated Julia Langer, Director, Global Threats for WWF-Canada. The David Suzuki Foundation and WWF are calling on Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to implement the Kyoto Protocol and start putting concrete solutions into action to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. View the April 11, 2006 release from the David Suzuki Foundation, WWF Canada & Conservation International View the April 11, 2006 Conservation International article View the April 11, 2006 Independent Online Edition article Sources: Conservation International, David Suzuki Foundation, World Wildlife Fund Canada, Independent Online Edition |
|
| Canada's Web-Based Budget Consultations | 13 April 06 |
 April 6, 2006, Minister of Finance James M. Flaherty today launched an online consultation process to give Canadians an opportunity to provide their views during the federal pre-budget consultation period."This approach opens the pre-budget consultations up to all Canadians, giving taxpayers in every corner of this vast country an opportunity to share their view... I hope to gather innovative ideas not just for this year's budget, but for future budgets," said Minister Flaherty. Key Consultations Issues:
View the full April 6, 2006 Department of Finance Canada press release Source: Department of Finance Canada |
|
| Media Waking Up to Climate Change | 10 April 06 |
 Science, environmentalists, even corporations have been struggling to reach out to the public regarding climate change risks, effects and solutions for some time. Now, mainstream media in the US has woken up to the fact that climate change is real, will touch the lives of all of earth's citizens, and substantive action must be taken to limit its effects as well as plan for adaptation.The April 3, 2006 issue of Time Magazine (Vol. 167 No. 14) is a Special Report on Global Warming; the cover's caption reads 'Be Worried, Be Very Worried'. CNN.com profiled the Time Magazine Global Warming issue on the day it was released (March 26, 2006). Time's Special Report on Global Warming features articles on why climate change seems to be progressing at an ever increasing speed, species impacts of climate change, the muzzling of a NASA climate scientist, climate activists' activities and companies that want to go carbon-neutral. View the April 3, 2006 issue of Time View the March 26, 2006 CNN.com summary of the April 3, 2006 Time cover story Source: Time Magazine |
|
| Efforts to Weaken Clean Air Act Illegal | 10 April 06 |
 A US federal appeals court has overturned a clean-air regulation issued by the Bush administration that would have let many power plants, refineries and factories avoid installing costly new pollution controls to help offset any increased emissions caused by repairs and replacements of equipment.As part of the New Source Review policy, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed exemptions for companies whenever upgrades to their equipment amounted to less than 20 percent of the replacement cost of the equipment. In effect, that would have made perennial repairs of old equipment a more attractive alternative outright replacement. The court ruled the changes illegal and noted that they could increase the amount of health-threatening pollution in the atmosphere. Some studies have linked pollution from coal-fired power plants to as many as 20,000 premature deaths in the United States every year. Environmentalists and the 14 states that brought the challenge forward celebrated the decision. It is not yet clear whether the US government will appeal. View the March 18, 2006 New York Times article View the March 18, 2006 Washington Post article Sources: New York Times, Washington Post |
|
| Green Green Water Screenings Successful | 06 April 06 |
 Green Green Water, a documentary about Hydro development and Manitoba northern communities, started its Manitoba Tour April 4th, with two crowded screenings in Winnipeg.The Manitoba tour follows on a successful screening of the documentary film at the Washington D.C. Environment Film Festival. Green Green Water screenings are being attended by many of the Manitobans featured in the film, such as: Dawn Mikkelson, film producer; Carol Kobliski, spokesperson for The Justice Seekers at Nelson House First Nation; and John Miswagon, Chief of The Pimicikamak at Cross Lake Manitoba. "As an American, I have been told that the ongoing struggles between the northern aboriginal communities and Manitoba Hydro are none of my business. Yet I depend on the power generated by Manitoba Hydro to keep my electricity bills low. The U.S. market is integral to Manitoba Hydro's plans for future dam development. This is not just a Canadian story, an aboriginal story, or an environmental story. Green Green Water is about what connects us all, our humanity and the world that we share," said Dawn Mikkelson. See links below for tour schedule, Wuskwatim Project Info and other resources. View the March 16, 2006 ManitobaWildlands.org news story View the Green Green Water website and tour schedule Visit Energy Manitoba.org Visit Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation website Source: Aquaries Media |
|
| Throne Speech Thin on Environment | 06 April 06 |
 Canada's Throne speech did not mention climate change, global warming, and the words 'conservation' and 'protected areas' were not uttered as Governor General Michaelle Jean read the throne speech on behalf of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper April 4, 2006.References to the environment came in vague terms, as promises to "take measures to achieve tangible improvements in our environment, including reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions." The only concrete environmental commitment was for members of Parliament "to conduct comprehensive reviews of key federal legislation, including the Canadian Environmental Protection Act". Liberal Leader Bill Graham said that his reply to the speech, delivered April 5th, will express concerns about the lack of detail around environmental issues, and child-care funding deals signed by the previous Liberal government. It remains unclear, for example, if the new federal government will work toward targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol. This is not good enough for environmental groups such as the Sierra Youth Coalition (SYC), who issued a media advisory indicating that "[y]oung Canadians who attended the Montreal UN Climate Change Conference last December are fed up with waiting for action from the federal government." SYC expressed frustration at leaked information that neither climate change nor Kyoto would be in the Speech from the Throne. "[U]ntil a plan is revealed - a plan that includes both time lines and significant greenhouse gas reduction targets - young Canadians will not be satisfied." View the April 3, 2006 Sierra Youth Coalition media advisory View the April 4, 2006 Canadian Press article on Canada.com View the April 4, 2006 federal Speech from the Throne View the April 5, 2006 National Post article Sources: Government of Canada, National Post, Canadian Press, Sierra Youth Coalition |
|
| Manitoba Chambers Seek Energy Plan | 03 April 06 |
 The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC) are calling for a public dialogue and planning process in 2006 & 2007 to arrive at an energy plan for Manitoba.As part of the Energy Plan resolution passed at the MCC's 75th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held March 2006, one of the proposed energy plan's primary objectives would be to "define environmental protection and conservation of our natural ecosystems as primary considerations in terms of energy use in Manitoba." The MCC is the umbrella organization for Manitoba's Chamber movement. As Manitoba's largest business lobby, the MCC represents 74 communities and over 10,000 businesses across Manitoba through direct corporate membership and local chambers. The focus of the MCC's lobbying mandate is set each year at the AGM and is based on the resolutions that are passed. 20 resolutions, including An Energy Plan for Manitoba were passed at the 2006 AGM. View the March 2006 Manitoba Chambers of Commerce resolution An Energy Plan for Manitoba (PDF) Visit the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce web site Source: Manitoba Chambers of Commerce |
|
