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- Minister Signs Canada Forest Accord
- World Food Security At Risk
- Sustainable Electricity for Ontario - Study
- Monsanto Abandons Round Up Ready Wheat
- Heart of the Boreal Campaign Heats Up
- Bloodvein First Nation Joins Protected Areas Accord
- Poplar River First Nation Web Site Launch
- Canada List of Potential World Heritage Sites
- Environment a Priority for Manitobans - Survey
- Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Change Forest Growth
- Water Experts Warn - Change Food Production
- Canada Supports Halt to Devils Lake
Minister Signs Canada Forest Accord |
21 May 04 |
The Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) signed the Canada Forest Accord on March 30, 2004, formally committing the Government of Canada to work together with other signatories toward the long-term health of Canada's forests. In signing the Accord, NRCan becomes an active member of the National Forest Strategy Coalition (NFSC). The NFSC was responsible for the development of the fifth National Forest Strategy (NFS), entitled A Sustainable Forest: The Canadian Commitment, which is the reference document for the Canada Forest Accord. The NFS was developed through extensive cross-country consultations and public dialogue within the broad forestry community. Working with the provinces and territories and more than 50 national and regional organizations, the NFSC will oversee the implementation of the NFS across Canada. Forest Ministers for provincial governments previously signed the Accord.The Canada Forest Accord includes several commitments: managing Canada's forests through an ecosystem-based approach; adopting policies and practices that support forest-based community sustainability; accommodating Aboriginal and treaty rights in the sustainable use of the forest; understanding, developing and increasing the value of forest products and services; and completing networks of protected areas in Canada's forest regions. National Forest Strategy and Accord Chronology
View the September 2003 manitobawildlands.org news story on the National Forest Strategy View the January 2003 manitobawildlands.org news story on the National Forest Strategy View the Government of Canada March 30, 2004 news release View the 2003 - 2008 National Forest Strategy View the Canada Forest Accord Source: Government of Canada, National Forest Strategy Coalition
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World Food Security At Risk |
19 May 04 |
For the past four years, there has been an ever-increasing shortfall in the world grain harvest. The grain shortfall of 105 million tons in 2003 is easily the largest on record, amounting to 5% of the annual world consumption of 1,930 million tons of grain. This means that carryover stocks of grain are at their lowest levels in 30 years - with only enough grain for 59 days of consumption (70-days is considered the minimum needed for food security). Wheat and corn prices are at 7-year highs. Rice prices are at 5-year highs.The wheat production gain needed for 2004 is huge. Forecasting estimates indicate the possibility to increase harvest by 60 million tons over last year's harvest. This is an improvement, but it would still be 60 million tons short of what we need to close the gap. In addition, falling water tables and rising temperatures are making it more difficult for farmers to expand grain production. If the estimated 2004 shortfall of 60 million tons materializes, it will take the world into uncharted territory. Either grain stocks will drop to an all-time low of 47 days, or food prices will rise and force a reduction in consumption - something that will be particularly difficult for the 3 billion people who live on less than $2 a day. In reality, the shortfall will be covered by some combination of declining wheat stocks and rising prices. A shortfall on the scale projected almost guarantees the emergence in 2005 of a politics of food scarcity of the sort that occurred in the early 1970s. View the full Earth Policy Institute Update Source: Earth Policy Institute
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Sustainable Electricity for Ontario - Study |
18 May 04 |
The
Pembina Institute and the Canadian Environmental Law Association have
released an interim report on a study for increased sustainability
for Ontario’s electricity system. The study focuses on the potential
to reduce future electricity demand through a variety of demand management
programs. It also examines the potential for future supply to be obtained
from low impact renewable energy sources, such as wind, the upgrading
of existing hydroelectric facilities, and the development of new small-scale
hydro plants, solar, and biomass. The interim report evaluates the potential for energy efficient technologies, fuel switching, cogeneration, and demand response measures to reduce electricity demand in Ontario. The results show that with policy assumptions built in to the model energy users would significantly change their purchasing habits. These changes could reduce business as usual electricity consumption by 40%. The savings in energy costs from reduction in energy consumption will pay for more than 96% of the capital costs of new renewable energy technologies over the long term. The study also finds that capital investments of $18.2 billion over the 2005–2020 period would be required to achieve the reduction in peak demand. However, 96% of these costs would be recovered through the savings in energy consumption that result from these investments. By comparison, providing the same amount of electricity through the construction of new nuclear generating facilities would entail a capital investment of over $32 billion. View the Pembina Institute website View the report: "Towards a Sustainable Electricity System for Ontario - Interim Report" Source: Pembina Institute
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Monsanto Abandons Round Up Ready Wheat |
18 May 04 |
Agricultural
giant Monsanto announced May 10, 2004 it would suspend further development
or open field trials of its genetically engineered (GE), Roundup Ready
wheat until such time as other wheat. “As a result of our portfolio review and dialogue with wheat industry leaders, we recognize the business opportunities with Roundup Ready spring wheat are less attractive relative to Monsanto's other commercial priorities,” said Carl Casale, executive vice president of Monsanto. Monsanto began the technical development stage of Roundup Ready wheat in 1997. Six years of field testing by Monsanto scientists and academic researchers demonstrated that Roundup Ready wheat performs exceptionally well for spring-planted wheat and offers the potential to increase yields by 5 percent to 15 percent. Greenpeace declared the announcement by Monsanto a victory for the environment, farmers and consumers. The environmental organization also stated that the rejection of GE wheat from virtually every corner of the globe showed the level of resistance to GE foods. Since 2001, a diverse body of groups, including the Canadian Wheat Board, has opposed the release of Roundup Ready wheat. According to the Canadian Wheat Board, eighty-seven percent of Canadian wheat buyers now require non-GE certification of wheat. In a survey of countries willing to accept GE wheat by the US Department of Agriculture, only four- Peru, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Yemen- said they would buy it. View the Monsanto press release View the Greenpeace press release Source: Monsanto, Greenpeace
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Heart of the Boreal Campaign Heats Up |
13 May 04 |
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) BioGem Campaign targeting the 'Heart of the Boreal' in Manitoba and Ontario is heating up. Working in cooperation with indigenous communities and other environmental groups including Manitoba Wildlands and the CPAWS-Wildlands League, Boreal Forest Network, and NRDC, a U.S.-based environmental organization, is asking the Ontario and Manitoba provincial governments to protect and conserve Canada's globally significant boreal forest.The BioGem Campaign allows visitors to express their views in support of protecting the boreal forest in this region and send letters of support through the NRDC web site. As a BioGem, the Heart of the Boreal receives year-round attention in the form of new opportunities for action each month. The first request for support, which asked visitors to the site to send a letter to the CEO of Manitoba Hydro, generated 17,630 letters. The current action allows visitors to send a letter to Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers, calling for the extension of protected status for Poplar/Nanowin Rivers Park Reserve, a First Nation located in the Heart of the Boreal. So far, 20,940 letters of support have been sent! View the NRDC Heart of the Boreal BioGem campaign Send a letter to Manitoba's Conservation Minister from the BioGem Campaign View the NRDC website View previous news item on the Heart of the Boreal BioGem View the Manitoba Wildlands 'Take Action' on the Heart of the Boreal |
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Earlier this week, members of the Protected Areas and First Nations Resource Stewardship Accord met in Bloodvein First Nation for a signing ceremony to welcome Bloodvein First Nation as a full member of the Accord.Poplar River First Nation Web Site Launch |
05 May 04 |
Asatiwisipi Aki (Poplar River First Nation) launched a new web site to profile their community's initiatives for their lands. This is the first web site for the community, which is located on the eastern shores of Lake Winnipeg, north of Berens River First Nation in the heart of Manitoba's boreal forest.The site, at http://www.PoplarRiverFirstNation.ca profiles the lands management plan that Poplar River is completing. It features information about the vision of the people at Poplar River for protection and management of their traditional lands, and the research and technical studies that have been undertaken by the community. Also highlighted is the history of the Poplar/Nanowin Rivers park Reserve and the Accord signed by Poplar River First Nation with four other First Nations from Manitoba and Ontario. The Accord articulates a shared vision of protection for their traditional lands, including for a boreal forest World Heritage site. Poplar/Nanowin Rivers park reserve is also part of Canada's World Heritage Site list, which Environment Minister David Anderson released April 30, 2004. Visit the new Asatiwisipe Aki (Poplar River First Nation) web site View Environment Canada's press release on the World Heritage Sites View the World Heritage Site map |
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Canada List of Potential World Heritage Sites |
04 May 04 |
On April 30, 2004 Canada's Minister of the Environment, the Honourable David Anderson, unveiled Canada's updated Tentative List for World Heritage Sites (WHS), 11 sites of unimaginable beauty and exceptional wonder.An area spanning the Manitoba and Ontario border, referred to as the Atikaki/Woodland Caribou/Accord First Nations site, has been added to the list. Environmental organizations refer to the WHS nominated lands as part of 'The Heart of the Boreal'. The selected sites for Canada's Tentative List may be nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee beginning in 2005. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decides if nominated sites will ultimately be placed on the World Heritage List. The World Conservation Union - IUCN, undertakes assessment, technical reviews, and support to potential world heritage sites. The current priority, most relevant in Canada and Russia, is the urgency for boreal forest regions in both hemispheres to have World Heritage Sites. For this reason recommendations from the October 2003 IUCN workshop in St. Petersburg, include moving faster than one WHS per year per country, as has been policy in the past. The World Heritage List is a means of recognizing that some places, either natural or cultural, are of sufficient importance to be recognized by the international community. Membership on the List is the most significant global designation any site can achieve. Updating the Tentative List has provided an opportunity for the Government of Canada, in cooperation with other levels of government, First Nations, and relevant stakeholders, to identify sites of outstanding value for consideration by the World Heritage Committee. View the map of the WHS nominee View the full Environment Canada press release View the Environment Canada Backgrounder: Criteria for Determining Outstanding Universal Value View the Environment Canada Backgrounder: The UNESCO World Heritage Convention - Updating Canada's Tentative List Source: Environment Canada
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Environment a Priority for Manitobans - Survey |
07 May 04 |
The Looking West 2004 survey is an annual project of the Canada West Foundation. The survey, administered by Western Opinion Research, captures the responses of 3200 western Canadians, and is conducted for several topics. The Policy Priorities portion of the survey asks respondents to rate individual policy areas as high, medium, or low priority. Thirteen policy fields are explored, including lowering taxes; improving the province's health care system; improving education systems; investing in transportation infrastructure; attracting more immigrants; protecting the environment; retaining young people; reducing poverty; improving Canada-US and federal-provincial relations; and ensuring a high quality of life in the province's large cities.Eight of the thirteen policy areas were included in the Looking West 2003 survey. Stability between the 2003 and 2004 response figures is remarkable. The results of the survey demonstrate that two-thirds of western Canadians rank "protecting the environment" as a high priority (see Figure 2 below). Protecting the environment is a high priority for 62.9% of Manitobans, and ranks 3rd highest in terms of the number of people who feel this issue is a priority of the eight policy areas repeated from the 2003 survey (see Figure 3 below). When combined with those respondents who ranked environmental protection as a medium priority, 92.1% of Manitobans feel that protecting the environment is a high and medium priority. In Western Canada as a whole, 93.2% of people feel protecting the environment is a high and medium priority. The Canada West Foundation is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit public policy research institute dedicated to introducing western perspectives into current Canadian policy debates. View the 'Looking West 2004' Charts: Figure 2 & Figure 3 View the 'Looking West 2004' Policy Priorities web site Download the 'Looking West 2004' Policy Priorities Fact Sheet for Western Canada (PDF) Download the 'Looking West 2004' Policy Priorities Fact Sheet for Manitoba (PDF) Source: Canada West Foundation
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Change Forest Growth |
07 May 04 |
In a recent article published in Nature, US and Brazilian scientists document the striking changes in the way in which Amazon Rainforests grow and the species that they shelter, even in areas not directly affected by human activities such as logging or burning. Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the most likely explanation, the researchers say. Plant growth requires carbon dioxide, so increased levels caused by industrial emissions, automobiles and forest burning may have allowed fast-growing species to gain the upper hand over their rivals.These changes in the forest could exacerbate climate change, the researchers warn, because fast-growing trees are less densely wooded than slow-growing ones, and may therefore take up less carbon. Rainforests are thought to limit the greenhouse effect by storing carbon in their tissues, thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. More study is needed to determine whether similar changes are happening in other rainforests of the world. No similar studies have been undertaken in boreal forests yet. View the full Science and Development Network article Source: Science and Development Network
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Water Experts Warn - Change Food Production |
03 May 04 |
In a report released April 20, 2004 at the 12th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 12), experts warn that if more is not done to use less water while concurrently producing more food, the international community will face great difficulties meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of undernourished people in the world by 2015.The Report, entitled "Water - More Nutrition Per Drop" was initiated by the Swedish Government and produced through a unique collaboration composed of leading international water experts from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). One of the key findings of the report is that today, unlike during the "Green Revolution" of the 1960s, it is consumers - not producers, who are driving global food production. With massive urbanization and increasing wealth, food preferences are changing with significant increases in the demand for meat and dairy products. It takes 550 liters of water to produce enough flour for one loaf of bread. This is a fraction of the up to 7000 liters of water that is used in developed countries to produce 100 grams of beef. View the full SIWI and IWMI press release Download the "Water - More Nutrition Per Drop" Report (PDF) Visit the Stockholm International Water Institute web site Source: Stockholm International Water Institute and International Water Management Institute
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Canada Supports Halt to Devils Lake |
03 May 04 |
Canada is fighting to halt diversion of water from Devils Lake in North Dakota to the Red River in Manitoba. After years of pressure from Manitoba, this week Canada formally requested an International Joint Commission (IJC) review of the project. The IJC handles cross-border water problems. However, the IJC only begins its work from a joint request. The United States must also refer the matter to the panel established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has been central to a fight against building the outlet, citing concerns that the project may deteriorate water quality, impact the integrity of Manitoba's water and harm the commercial fishery on Lake Winnipeg. Manitoba is part of a joint appeal against the Devils Lake water diversion project, filed by the People to Save the Sheyenne, the Peterson Coulee Outlet Association and the Province of Manitoba. The issue has recently taken on a new sense of urgency, as heavy equipment has already started digging a ditch to drain water from the North Dakota Lake into the Sheyenne River, which flows into the Red River. Devils Lake is a closed sub-basin lake that has been isolated from the Hudson Bay drainage basin for over 1,200 years. Without a ruling by the IJC in Canada s favour, water from Devils Lake could be channeled north of the border by spring 2005. View the CBC Manitoba article Download the April 27, 2004 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) Download the April 26, 2004 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) View the April 6, 2004 Manitoba Government press release Sources: CBC Manitoba Online, Winnipeg Free Press, Government of Manitoba press release
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