News

International polling firm GlobeScan, surveyed 20,000 people from 19 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America. The poll found 88 percent considers climate change to be "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem.

Majorities in 14 of 19 countries surveyed believe investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency and public transportation are good for the economy. A similar number supported government action to address climate change despite negative economic impacts.

"The best science and the best economics have been telling governments for some time that fast and decisive action is needed on climate change. Now leaders know that if they seal a good and transformative deal in Copenhagen, they will also have the majority of public opinion on their side too." said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.

Both park reserves were nominated as protected lands for Manitoba's Network of Protected Areas in 1998. Skownan First Nation requested protection from development for an area 3 times the park reserve size, a lands scope endorsed by the Manitoba Mining sector. Poplar River First Nation's nomination was for their traditional territory of 800,000 ha. Manitoba's Mining sector also agreed to this designation.

The new regulation means interim protection for these park reserves will be in place from 1999 to September 2014. Poplar River First Nation's lands management plan was the first, and is the only community based traditional lands plan from a First Nation on Manitoba's east side.

Gaile Whelan Enns, Manitoba Wildlands director commented, "It is unfortunate these extensions were required. Manitoba needs to both establish new protected areas in our boreal forest regions, and finalize decisions and planning for all interim protection designations."

Nestle signed a contract in 2003 to build a 1 million-square-foot facility in McCloud, CA. Earlier this month, Nestle pulled out completely stating they had another site secured in Sacramento closer to customer markets.

McCloud Watershed Council, along with groups like Food and Water Watch and Corporate Accountability International, have fought the plant claiming the deal was made without proper environmental evaluation and little public notice.

There is an increasing trend against allowing private corporations to bottle public water. In Canada the Blue Communities Project at the Council of Canadians builds on the work of Water Watch to protect public water services and challenge the bottled water industry. At the same time many government agencies, cities, and large public service organizations have stopped serving bottled water in their events, reverting back to tap water instead.

Both environmentalists and industry lobby groups support the proposed regulation that calls for a 5 percent increase in fuel economy standards per year starting with a fleet wide average of 27.3 mpg in 2011, ending with 35.5 mpg by 2016.

The regulation prevents release of 950 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over four years. In addition, new cars would have to reach an average of 250 grams of carbon emitted per mile driven by 2016. The White House will publish final rules by March 30, 2010.

"These standards would help consumers save money at the gas pump; help the environment and decrease our dependence on oil -- all while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices." said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

The date for the next election in Manitoba, according to the Elections Act, will be in October 2011, four years after the previous province wide election. That means the NDP leader who replaces Mr. Doer as Premier of Manitoba will be in office until October 2011.

Manitoba Wildlands is sending a survey of environmental questions, mostly about lands, waters, and climate to each of the candidates for leader/premier. We will post their answers in ten days time.

In an effort to protect waterways from coal mining waste, the EPA will work with the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct detailed reviews of pending permits and ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act.

"Hopefully the Administration sees that the risks to health and environment from blowing up mountains are not worth the 7% coal we get from mountaintop removal mining" said Michael Brune, Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network (RAN).

Mountaintop mining provides four percent of the nation's coal and has already destroyed 500 mountains, more than 1 million acres of forest and more than 1,200 miles of streams.

The study by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) found natural systems are crucial in fighting climate change. Germany and the European Commission launched the study, part of a global project to be published in 2010.

"The disproportion of investments in technological fixes versus investing in nature's ready-made solutions, tried and tested over millions of years, is one of the great oversights of the 20th century," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Programme.

Tropical forests provide services worth an estimated $6,120 per hectare a year in food, building materials, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water purification and opportunities from tourism. Coral reefs are worth up to $170 billion a year by providing nurseries for fish and protecting coasts from storms.

Investing in natural areas needs to be a key priority for governments attending the U.N. climate convention in Copenhagen this December.

Researchers from Harvard and Tsinghua University in Beijing studied the practicality of switching to wind power, a move that would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent. By examining global meteorological data and local geographical restrictions researchers determined a network of wind turbines operating at only 20 percent capacity could produce seven times China's current energy consumption.

About 80 percent of China's electricity comes from coal, with only 0.4 percent wind. China plans to build seven large wind-power bases over the next 10 years and already ranks forth in the world in terms of installed wind capacity. The study suggests $900 billion is needed over 20 years to shift to wind and upgrade electric grids.

Indicators including decreased assistance for family planning services, fertility levels well above replacement levels, and improvements in life expectancy for people living with HIV point to a human population that is growing more rapidly than expected. One variable not taken into account in population projections is the impact of global climate change, which will likely affect people in developing countries the most.

The Cape Wind project in Massachusetts is slated to become the first wind farm in the area and would provide the majority of power to Cape Cod and surrounding islands. Covering 25 square miles, the Cape Wind project would consist of 130 wind turbines.

The Aquinnah and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes say the windmills would obstruct scenic views and threaten cultural, religious and archaeological sites. Earlier this year, the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), a coalition of 25 federally recognized Tribes in the United States passed a resolution calling for a halt to any further action on the Cap Wind project due to impacts on culturally important sites.

The area is also an important breeding ground for several endangered birds and part of the Atlantic Flyway, one of the largest migratory bird routes in the world.

Larger Image

In his speech to the August national NDP convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia Mr. Doer said: "It will take us another 10 years to get that site set up as a World Heritage Site. It will take longer but it will be more sustainable for the people living in that area and more sustainable for our planet."

Gaile Whelan Enns, director of Manitoba Wildlands, commented: "I don't think any of the communities, government staff, or other partners in the WHS are aware of this decision, this delay. We assume the Manitoba government's moratorium on any developments that would affect lands to be included in the WHS will also be extended. This must mean funding to assist the communities with technical work for the WHS will also continue for the new ten year period."

Requests from First Nations involved in the WHS for protection from development of traditional lands remain outstanding, some from ten years ago.

In March 2009 Quebec pledged to protect 50 percent of the land north of the 49th parallel from industrial, mining and energy development. Under Plan Nord, the other half would be "held to sustainable standards".

"The government of Quebec has shown us a vision for protecting this world-class resource," said Mat Jacobson of the Pew Environment Group. "As a next step, we recommend establishing a planning process that engages Aboriginal people and stakeholders, using science, traditional knowledge and local perspectives to conserve ecological and cultural integrity while fostering healthy regional economies."

The Boreal forest is one of the richest ecosystems left in the world and home to woodland caribou, wolverine and golden eagle, all species threatened with extinction.