On today’s show we visit the Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario to speak to a man who is working to replant the area’s once abundant wild rice, and pass on traditional harvesting techniques to a new generation. We also talk to FutureWatch, a group that’s trying to address barriers faced by new Canadians looking for jobs in the environmental sector.
Wild rice. Photo by LexnGer.
Everyday we hear stories about people polluting rivers, chopping down sacred forests or pushing species to the brink of extinction. Such stories make it easy to lose faith in humanity. Never fear though – correspondent Chris Chang-Yen Phillips brings you a story about James Whetung, a member of southern Ontario’s Curve Lake First Nation, who is trying to give something back to the environment for a change. Wild rice is considered a sacred part of Anishinaabe culture, but was virtually wiped out in waterways in Ontario in the 20th century. James Whetung is working hard to replant beds of wild rice in lakes in his area, and teach others how to harvest it again. Tune in to find out more on why he is trying to revive this plant’s place in the watershed, and in his community.
More on this story: Visit Our Table, Trent Arthur Interview with James Whetung, Northumberland Today (p. 25)
For new immigrants to Canada, and foreign-trained professionals working with environmental expertise, it can be a challenge to find employment. How can businesses, government departments, settlement organizations and community and environmental groups work together to better connect newcomers to green jobs? Kathryn Lennon speaks with Eduardo Garay, a program director of FutureWatch Environment and Development Education Partners, about an upcoming forum held to discuss these issues.
If you are in the Guelph or Toronto area and are interested in sharing ideas on how the settlement sector and the environmental sector can work together, then you can attend FutureWatch’s Second Annual Regional Forum titled “Bridging the Gap”. It will happen in Guelph on January 31st and in Toronto on February 22nd.
News:
Keystone Pipeline: The Obama administration last Wednesday rejected the Keystone KL crude oil pipeline proposal. Whitehouse spokesperson Jay Carney blamed the Republicans for imposing a February deadline on the administration’s review of TransCanada’s plan to build the 2700 kilometre pipeline.
More on this story: Vancouver Sun
Activism in Columbia: The Regional Movement for the Defense of the Territory launched a regional strike in Huila, Colombia on January 3 to protest the destructive impacts of the Quimbo Hydroelectric Project. The multi-stakeholder coalition is also protesting the entering of UK-based petroleum company Emerald Energy into the biodiverse mountaintop ecosystem of the Páramo of Miraflores.
More on this story: Upside Down World, Paro Regional, You Tube
Promising Future for Seaweed: Researchers at Bio Architecture Labs and the University of Washington in Seattle have taken the first step to exploit the natural advantages of seaweed. They have built a microbe capable of digesting it and converting it into ethanol or other fuels or chemicals.
More on this story: Bio Architecture Labs, E. Coli, Science Report, Scientific American (1), Scientific American (2), Scientific American (3), Scientific American (3), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
The Slow Death of Lake Urmia
Today Terra Informa leaves the comfort of home for a look at some environmental issues from overseas. We begin by talking to members of the Azerbaijani community about the decline of Lake Urmia in Iran. The lake is home to more than 200 species of birds, and of critical importance to local people, but its water is quickly retreating. And if it disappears, the worst is yet to come. We talk to organizations that are working to save the lake about what’s happening, and what can be done to reverse the trend. In the second half of the show, we take a trip to the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania where we talk to an American researcher who is studying the region’s bats. She tells us about the area’s incredible biodiversity and the role of bats in the ecosystem. And as always, we start things off with a run down of the week’s environmental news headlines.
Salt crystals growing on the shore of Lake Urmia in Iran. Photo by Ehsan Mahdiyan.
Iran’s Lake Urmia
Lake Urmia is one of the largest salt lakes in the world. Located in Iran, between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, it is a breeding ground for flamingos and one of the largest habitats of a salt-water shrimp. Lake Urmia is a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, and a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It plays a crucial role in the economic, ecological and social health of the region. Currently, the lake is in danger of drying up. More than just an environmental problem, the deterioration of the lake could impact the 13 million inhabitants of the region. Terra Informa correspondent Kathryn Lennon talks to some members of Azerbaijanji communities in Edmonton and Vancouver to hear their concerns.
More on this story: Campaign to Save Lake Urmia, Lake Urmia appeal by the Association for Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAPP)
The Biodiversity of Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains
Some of the most biodiverse places on the planet are the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. To get a sense of the value of these forests, Terra Informa made a visit to Tanzania, in East Africa. Here we found one scientist who spends her time studying the inner workings of the jungle. Carrie Seltzer is a PhD student from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Our correspondent followed Carrie on a night walk into the forest in search of bats and some wisdom on biodiversity. David Kaczan filed this report from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
News Headlines
On the west coast, public consultations on the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline have begun. In Kitimat, locals voiced strong opposition to the project. At the same time, the federal government was being accused of trying to push through approval of the project. The day before hearings began, Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver wrote in an open letter that, environmental and other radical groups “threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.” Both he and Prime Minister Harper raised concerns that foreign groups were funding opposition to the project.
More on this story: CBC News (1), CBC News (2), CTV News, Globe and Mail
On Saturday, over 100 people gathered in Halifax to protest against hydraulic fracking. The rally was part of a provincial day of action against the controversial oil and gas extraction technique. Speakers from Occupy Nova Scotia and a wide range of environmental groups were on hand, calling for tougher regulations on the petroleum industry. Some 250 km to the east, another group of people gathered at the Canso Causeway which links Cape Breton to the mainland. They were voicing their opposition to exploratory drilling that has been approved for Lake Ainslie. They worry that while fracking has not yet been authorized for the lake, it may only be a matter of time.
More on this story: Halifax Media Co-op, Chronicle Herald, Cape Breton Post, CBC News
A team of Canadian scientists say they’ve discovered the reason for sharp declines in two species of boreal ducks. Over the past 30 years, populations of scaups have dropped by 40% and scoters have fallen by 60%. The scientists found that global warming has resulted in spring arriving in the boreal forest 11 days earlier than it did in the 1970s. The ducks time their migrations precisely so that they reach their summer habitat as insects are emerging, but now they’re arriving too late. The loss of food means that the ducks are producing fewer young. Not all ducks are affected though. Some species, like the mallard, are able to adapt the timing of their migrations to the changing climate.
More on this story: CBC News, Scientific article in Global Change Biology, UPI.com
Fracking, Environmental Land Protection and Car Shares
This week, we bring you a review of the documentary Gasland, which delves into the world of hydraulic fracturing and its legacy across America. We talk to Eric Herbert-Daly, National Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, about increasing the amount of land under protection for environmental heritage. Finally, we bring you all you wanted to know about local car shares. Stay tuned!
Waterton National Park. Dana Harper.
Fracking is the process of injecting high pressure water mixed with chemicals into underground rock formations to crack them, allowing oil and gas to be extracted. Concerns over groundwater contamination fueled protests from British Columbia to the Maritimes and Quebec even went so far as to ban the process until further studies could be conducted. Alex Hindle brings you a Green Screen movie review of ‘Gasland’, a documentary which explores the controversial process of natural gas extraction and its legacy across America.
More on this story: Gasland website
Approximately 10% of the land in Canada is under some form of protection for the sake of environmental heritage. Much of this is due to the advocacy work of conservation organizations. One such organization is the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, who claim they won’t rest until 50% of the land in Canada is under some form of protection. David Kaczan speaks with Eric Herbert-Daly, National Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, to find out more.
For a lot of people, cars are an everyday part of life. But, despite their high cost, they tend to spend a lot of time just sitting. Sitting in the garage at home. Sitting in a parking stall at work. Just sitting. Well, what if you could have a car whenever you wanted one, but you only had to pay for it when it was in use? What if your car could become a pickup truck when you needed to make a run to the lumber yard? And then a minivan when your friends wanted a ride to the hockey game? Well…then you’re probably a member of your local car share. Correspondent Steve Anderson explains more on this growing trend.
News:
Saskatoon First Nations and the transit system: In Saskatoon, First Nations students now have unlimited access to the transit system. the Universal Bus Pass in Saskatoon has been extended to students at the First Nations University of Canada and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies. The Universal Bus Pass or U-Pass gives students unlimited access to bus services, in exchange for a mandatory fee of $96.62 per semester (or $289.86 for a full year).
More on this story: CBC, Saskatoon CTV, Saskatoon Homepage
Chevron defeated in court…twice: The American oil giant was defeated in court in both Ecuador and the United States last week. In Ecuador, an appeals court upheld a ruling that Chevron should pay $18 billion in damages to 30,000 plaintiffs. Plaintiffs who accused Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, of polluting the Amazon rainforest and damaging the health of farmers and indigenous communities. Days later, a Manhattan federal court judge denied a bid from Chevron to prevent Ecuadorean plaintiffs from collecting the $18 billion damages award.
More on this story: Huffington Post, Financial Times, Reuters
New discoveries of Antarctic species around hydrothermal vents: British scientists find unexpected species mix underwater with piles of newly-discovered yeti crabs, starfish, and barnacles.
More on this story: CBC, BBC, Scientific American
Ottawa backtracking on coal emissions strategy: After complaints from provinces, “the federal government is willing to cede regulation of power-sector emissions to the provinces – as long as they have rules in place that would achieve equivalent reductions. The new approach would allow provinces to set overall emissions targets, rather than adhere to strict targets for each individual power facility as set out by the government’s original approach” (Globe and Mail).
More on this story: The Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, Global Toronto
Rachelle van Zanten on the Northern Gateway Pipeline
Today acclaimed slide guitarist Rachelle van Zanten speaks to us about her music, how it has been influenced by the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline, and local opposition to the pipeline in her home town of Burns Lake, BC. We also talk to ecologist Jason Aloisio about his work on green rooftops. Plus, we look into the movement to hold Canadian mining firms accountable for their actions overseas, and why such work is so badly needed.
Enbridge workers remove a section of pipeline in 2010 after a repture spilled 800 000 gallons of oil into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. The posibility of a spill is a major concern for residents living along the route of Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. Photo by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Rachelle van Zanten is a Canadian singer-songwriter and acclaimed slide guitarist. She’s released two solo albums, is a regular at North American music festivals, and tours internationally. However, she still manages to find the time to get involved with a variety of environmental happenings around her home town of Burns Lake, BC. One of the big issues facing the town is the possible construction of the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which if approved, would pump half a million barrels of diluted bitumen every day from Alberta to the pacific coast. Like many people in this part of the world, van Zanten is no fan of pipelines and their potential for spills. Our reporter Myles Curry met up with van Zanten on the shore of Francois Lake late last summer to talk about the pipeline proposal, her music, and how she’s combining the two.
Jason Aloisio is an urban ecologist, working at New York City’s Fordham University. In August he was recognized by the Ecological Society of America at their annual conference in Austin, Texas. Terra Informa correspondent Rebecca Rooney caught up with him in Austin to ask about his work on green roofs.
More on this story: Jason Aloisio’s green roofs presentation, article in Nature News on Jason’s research, Jason’s blog
Canada is the mining capital of the world. But our miners don’t just dig up minerals here, they head overseas in the search of bigger finds and bigger profits. However, the environmental, human rights and labour laws in many countries are deficient by Canadian standards, and at the moment, Canadian companies can get away with acting in ways that would not be acceptable back home. Environmental and human rights groups aren’t impressed, and they’re pushing for change. Our correspondent David Kaczan travelled to Toronto to investigate the movement for mining accountability overseas.
Mining in the Old Growth Forests of Ontario’s Temagami
Years ago, the Ontario government promised to turn the old growth red pine forests of Ontario’s Temagami region into a provincial park. The catch was that they first had to wait for old mining claims in the area to lapse. But last year a small Calgary-based company renewed one of its mining claims in the Temagami, putting hopes of a park in jeopardy. Today we talk to long time resident Bruce Hodgins about what the move will mean for the area. We also take a look at the environmental problems that arise from palm oil plantations, and we’ll hear about the benefits of back yard composting and how you can get started. All that, plus a visit by the Raging Grannies, in this week’s edition of Terra Informa.
Anima Nipissing Lake in the Temagami region of Ontario. Photo by Robert Body.
The Toronto Star recently revealed that Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources wants to open up 340 acres of red pine forest in northern Ontario’s Temagami region for mining. The Wolf Lake Forest Reserve is part of what’s believed to be North America’s largest old-growth red pine forest. It’s one of many relatively undisturbed areas the provincial government promised years ago to turn into provincial parks once old mining claims there lapsed. That’s how the Chiniguchi Waterway Park beside the Wolf Lake reserve was created. But the small Calgary-based company Flag Resources renewed one of its mining claims in Wolf Lake last year, and it appears the Ministry of Natural Resources would like to support its activity there. They’ve said that if the reserve is reclassified for “general use,” they’ll be adding other land to Chiniguchi Waterway Park to replace it. We spoke to Bruce Hodgins, the President of Temagami’s Camp Wanapitei, to find out more. Hodgins was arrested when he was part of a peaceful protest in 1989 against expansion of logging near Camp Wanapitei, and is very concerned about the plans to allow more mining in the Wolf Lake area.
More on this story: CBC News , Sudbury Star, CBC Archives (1990), OtterTooth
Tropical deforestation poses threats to global biodiversity and the livelihoods of forest peoples. It is also a driver of climate change, as the tropical forests store much more carbon than the land covers that typically replace them. In the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, logging is frequently followed by conversion to palm oil plantations. An industry moratorium on buying soybeans from deforested areas in Brazil that began in 2006 greatly diminished soy’s role as an agent of deforestation, and proved that reducing the demand for commodities that drive deforestation is effective at limiting further deforestation. The Union of Concerned Scientists hopes that a similar strategy will work with palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia. Rebecca Rooney brings us the full story.
More on this story: Huffington Post, Madison and Rhiannon vs the Girl Scouts, Project ORANGS, Girls Scout Cookies FAQ – Palm Oil
North Americans households are notorious for the amount of garbage they produce, but did you know that there’s a simple, painless way to put a huge dent in the amount of material you send to the landfill? For the average home, somewhere around 40% of solid waste is organic material. That means that an earthworm composter under the kitchen sink or a compost heap in the backyard can cut by almost half the number of garbage bags you put out on the curb each week. To find out a little more about composting and how it works, we caught up with Anna Vesala. She completed the City of Edmonton’s three week Master Composter & Recycler program several years ago, and now provides information about waste reduction at community events around the city
Canada Abandons the Kyoto Protocol
Environment Minister Peter Kent officially withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Protocol last week, only hours after returning from the UN’s climate changes negotiations. The NDP’s Laurin Liu weighs in on the issue and explains what it was like to be in Durban for the COP17 climate talks. We also take a look at passive solar heating solutions you can add to an existing home and talk to community gardeners about why they just can’t stay out of the dirt.
The Cumberland Power Plant in Tennessee. Photo by Roger Smith.
Environment Minister Peter Kent dropped a diplomatic bombshell last week with the announcement that Canada was pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions globally. In making the announcement Minister Kent argued that Kyoto was ineffective, given that large developing countries including China and India faced no firm limits on emissions. Furthermore, Canada was so far off its target that failure was all but inevitable. Canada is now the only country to have pulled out, sparking criticism from China, India, Germany, small island states and others. Critics in Canada worry that such a move weakens out ability to influence further climate negotiations. The minister, however, claims that Canada will play a constructive role in further international negotiations, but only on a new treaty. Deputy Environment critic Laurin Liu from the federal NDP shares her thoughts on the issue.
Here in icy Canada, trying to reduce your home’s energy use in wintertime can leave you and your family in the cold. Keeping your house warm without fossil fuels or extra electricity is possible. Today, Brett Tegart takes a look at passive solar heating solutions you can add to an existing home, and at a new technology that could generate electricity using the windows in your house.
All across the country people are getting their hands dirty. Vacant lots, old rail right-of-ways, and unused corners of city land are getting a make over as community gardens reclaim the lost space. These days just about every major city in the country has a garden, and they’re so popular that many are struggling just to find room for all their new members. What’s all the fuss about? Steve Andersen fills us in.
News:
Canada pulls out of Kyoto: Hours after returning from the UN climate talks in South Africa last week, Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent announced the federal government will withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. Chinese and UN officials immediately urged Canada to reconsider – as did Japan, which also refused to take on a second round of Kyoto commitments.
More on this story: The Star, Calgary CTV, Guardian, CBC, Winnipeg CTV, Telegraph
Quebec announces cap-and-trade system: The provincial government has decided to introduce a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, making them the first Canadian province to do so. This system, which creates a market for pollution control by providing incentives for emissions reductions, is designed to improve flexibility, fairness and efficiency in regulating the production of carbon.
More on this story: CBC, Montreal CTV, Montreal Gazette, The Globe and Mail
Ontario’s polar bears are in dire straits: The impacts of climate change are far reaching, and one impact is hitting closer to home. The warmer weather is changing the ice patterns which in turn is making it harder for the polar bears to find adequate food to survive. Ian Stirling, the well known scientist who has studied polar bears for the last several decades, warns that 40 years from now their likely won’t be many bears left in the Hudson Bay area.
More on this story: The Star, CTV
Bruce Power withdraws plans for nuclear power plant in northern Alberta: The Ontario-based company had proposed sites near the town of Peace River for a 4000 megawatt plant. CEO Duncan Hawthorne said the company instead wanted to focus on its Ontario operations for now. Peace River’s mayor Lorne Mann said he was disappointed at the news.
More on this story: CBC, Daily Herald Tribune, Edmonton Journal
Olivia Chow on Public Transit and Ecojustice on AbitibiBowater
This week on Terra Informa we speak to Olivia Chow, the federal New Democrat’s Transit Critic, about her efforts to implement a national public transit strategy. We also talk to environmental NGO Ecojustice about a case before the supreme court that could have major implications for whether insolvent companies are able to use creditor protection to avoid their environmental responsibilities. Tune in to find out more!
A SkyTrain pulls in to Rupert Station in Vancouver. Photo by PoYang (博仰).
Canada is the only G8 country without a national public transit strategy. Canada’s big city mayors have been calling for such a strategy since 2007. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Urban Transit Association, Canadian Construction Association and Canadian Chamber of Commerce support a National Public Transit Strategy. Federal New Democrats are proposing legislation that would coordinate between all levels of government to maintain and expand public transit across Canada. If passed, Bill C-305, the National Public Transit Strategy Act, would bring together the Minister of Transportation, with provincial transportation ministers, representatives of municipalities, transit authorities, and Aboriginal communities to design and establish a national public transit strategy. Terra Informa correspondent Kathryn Lennon speaks with Olivia Chow, Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina and New Democrat Transit Critic, about the proposed National Public Transit Strategy Act.
More on this story: Torontoist
In central Newfoundland, residents of Grand Falls-Windsor have been waiting years for the clean up of the town’s defunct pulp and paper mill. It’s owner, the Quebec-based multinational AbitibiBowater, filed for creditor protection in 2009. The Newfoundland government has since ordered the forest products giant to clean up the mill site, and several other locations in the province. But AbitibiBowater says that the government’s environmental remediation order amounts to a financial claim, meaning that they need to get in line with other creditors who are owed money. The case is now before the Supreme Court of Canada, and lawyers from the environmental NGO Ecojustice are hoping it will set a precedent, preventing corporations from using creditor protection to avoid their environmental responsibilities. For more on the story, Steve Andersen spoke with Will Amos, Director of the Ecojustice Clinic at the University of Ottawa.
More on this story: CBC News, Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater)
News:
Kyoto Protocol: Last Saturday hundreds of protestors gathered in Montreal to call on the Conservative Canadian government to respect the Kyoto Protocol. This following Canada’s national statement delivered by Environment Minister Peter Kent at the UN Climate Talks in Durban, South Africa on December 7th. Kent, said “Kyoto, for Canada, is in the past” and urged instead that countries focus on inking a new agreement that would apply to all the world’s big polluters.
More on this story: Peter Kent’s Speech, Winnipeg Free Press, Politico
Hydropower: Emera Inc, a privately owned Nova Scotia energy company, has filed a request with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation to review their proposed subsea link that would carry hydropower from Newfoundland and Labrador to Nova Scotia, 180 km across the Cabot Strait. The subsea link is tied into the Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric project, which has stirred controversy because of its potential to boost electricity rates as a consequence of the high construction cost estimates associated with the project.
More on this story: CTV, CBC, The Chronicle Herald
Joslyn North Oil Sands Mine: Last week Ottawa approved the Joslyn North oil sands mine, making it the 11th oil sands mine with approval to operate in Alberta. According to the NGO Environmental Defence, the mine will release 1 and a half million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution each year, equivalent to adding 270,000 cars to Canadian roads. The mine is scheduled to open in 2017 and should yield 100,000 barrels of bitumen per day.
More on this story: Vancouver Sun, CBC
EPA links fracking to tainted water: For the first time, an EPA study has tied contamination in drinking water to an advanced drilling technique commonly known as “fracking.” Chemicals used to hydraulically fracture rocks in drilling for natural gas in a remote valley in central Wyoming are the likely cause of contaminated local water supplies according to federal regulators. EPA scientists found high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, and synthetic glycol and alcohol, commonly found in hydraulic fracturing fluid. The suite of chemicals found in two test wells drilled at the site, the report said, could not be explained entirely by natural processes.
More on this story: New York Times, Houston Chronicle, NPR
Pine-beetle salvage leave a legacy of environmental damage: The B.C. government estimates that of the 2.3-billion cubic metres of merchantable lodgepole pine in the province, the mountain pine beetle have claimed 726-million cubic metres. Salvage logging of those beetle-killed forests, which not only clears out the pine beetle deadwood but also living pines, has resulted in vast clear-cuts in the province’s interior with dire consequences. A recent investigation by the Vancouver Sun shows that large-scale salvage logging in BC’s pine beetle-ravaged forests has had wide-ranging negative environmental impacts that extend well beyond the death of pine trees due to the beetle’s attack. Salvage logging has hammered biodiversity on the landscape according to the report, affecting everything from smaller predators to plants and fungi, which play a critical role in transferring nutrients to trees.
More on this story: Postmedia News, Vancouver Sun
Enviro claims for farmed fish don’t stand up: A study released this week by the University of Victoria’s Seafood Ecology Research Group found that most eco-labels on farmed seafood do not reflect better fish farming practices than other products on the market. Now that half of the seafood consumed around the world comes from aquaculture, a number of environmental concerns are emerging from these farms – from overuse of antibiotics, to pollution, to sources of fish feed. Lead author and marine ecologist John Volpe chose 20 different sets of standards, or labels, for 11 farmed marine fish and graded them using the Global Aquaculture Performance Index. The majority of labels scored less than 10 percent higher than their conventional counterparts.
More on this story: NPR, Earth Times, Mainstreet. Full report here.
The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance campaigns to reduce human health problems associated with heavy industry in the South African city of Durban. We bring you an interview with Desmond D’Sa, the organization’s coordinator, who tells us more about environmental justice issues in Durban. Back in Canada, the Harper Government is hoping to pass Bill C-18 by the end of this year, which will break the Canadian Wheat Board‘s monopoly on wheat marketing. We speak to Art Macklin, a concerned wheat and barley producer and member of the Canadian Wheat Board, about the environmental and social implications of this legislative change.
Photographer2008 via Wikipedia.
United Nations climate talks are currently underway in South Africa, and all this excess attention has thrown the spotlight on the host city, Durban. The southern part of the city contains hundreds of heavy industrial sites such as oil refineries and paper mills. The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance aims to link these industrial sites to higher levels of health problems in the area, such as asthma and cancer, compared to other parts of Durban. Our correspondent Chris Chang-Yen Phillips spoke with the organization’s coordinator, Desmond D’Sa, in Durban.
More on this story: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The conservative government is intent on passing Bill C-18 before the end of the year. It has passed its third reading in the house of commons and is now before the Senate’s Agriculture and Forestry Committee who will give their report before December 13th. This bill will likely destroy the Canadian Wheat Board. Our correspondent Kathryn Lennon spoke to Art Macklin, a wheat and barley producer in Peace River, Alberta, on the implications this bill would have. Art Macklin served both as the elected representative to the Canadian Wheat Board Advisory Committee, as well as Director of the Canadian Wheat Board for 8 years. He has also been elected as both Vice President and President of the National Farmers Union, and acted as Chairman of the Canadian International Grains Institute.
More on this story: Canadian Wheat Board Alliance, Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board
News:
World’s first undersea mine: Environmental groups are raising concerns over a new mine being developed by Toronto-based Nautilus Minerals. Located off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the project will be the world’s first undersea mine. The company plans to use deepwater robots to collect mineral rich deposits surrounding hydrothermal vents. Mining will take place a kilometer and a half below the ocean surface.
More on this story: Asia Pacific News, Radio Australia, Pacific News Center, Nautilus Minerals, Mining Watch, Deep Sea Mining Report
Ontario gets failing grade at sustainability: This past week saw Ontario’s Environment Commissioner release his annual report on the province’s sustainability efforts. In his paper, Gord Miller is highly critical of the government’s programs, saying that Ontario talks a lot about protecting the environment, but is in fact doing very little.
More on this story: Ottawa Citizen, CBC, The Star, CTV, 2010/2011 Annual Report
Aboriginal group supports Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline: Chief Elmer Derrick of the Northern British Columbia Gitxsan First Nation gave his support to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. The announcement came just one day after British Columbia First Nations groups declared they would take a united stand against the Enbridge pipeline.
More on this story: Vancouver Sun, CBC, BC Local News, Globe and Mail, The Financial Post
Limiting fuel import into Europe: British and Canadian ministers have been secretly working together to fight a European Fuel Quality Directive proposal that would limit fuel import into Europe. The legislation would classify oil extracted from Alberta tar sands as producing 22 percent more greenhouse gases than other comparable fuels.
More on this story: The Guardian, BBC, CBC, The Star, Greenpeace
Crisis in Attawapiskat First Nation and Restoring China’s Yangtze River
The Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario declared a state of emergency last month over a chronic lack of basic needs such as clean water, housing and electricity. We take a closer look at the causes of this emergency and what is currently being done to help. And in China, the deteriorating state of the powerful Yangtze River has encouraged one University of Alberta professor, and others, to take steps toward environmental restoration and agricultural transformation. Tune in to find out more!
The Qutang Gorge along the Yangtze river. Chen Hualin via Wikipedia.
In northern Ontario, the Attawapiskat First Nation declared a state of emergency last month over a chronic lack of basic needs such as clean water, housing and electricity. This relatively isolated Cree community of about 2,000 has fly-in access only for most of the year. The federal government offered $2.5 million in housing assistance and the Canadian Red Cross has also offered immediate aid. Attawapiskat’s Housing Manager, Monique Sutherland, speaks to Terra Informa correspondent Chris Chang-Yen Phillips about this dire emergency.
More on this story: CBC News (1), CBC News (2), The Globe and Mail
In China, the Yangtze River boasts being one of the longest rivers, and one of the biggest in terms of discharge volume, in the world. Beginning from its base in the glaciers of Tibet, it flows through China to Shanghi. Despite its immense importance to the Chinese both culturally and economically, the many competing uses of this river has left it in a deteriorating state. Dr. Larry Wang, a professor at the University of Alberta and recent recipient of an honorary degree, and others set out to restore this precious ecosystem and to transform the lives of farmers in China’s Yunnan province. With his childhood friend, Sam Chao, he co-founded ECO, the University of Alberta Ecological Conservancy Outreach fund. Our correspondent, Kathryn Lennon, caught up with Dr. Wang about his work with the Yangtze River.
Seeds of Change: The ECO Story (2008), an award-winning documentary directed by Ava Karvonen, tells the story of the childhood friends, and the ECO project.
More on this story: University of Alberta (1), University of Alberta (2), You Tube
News:
Shale gas extraction: In Fredericton, hundreds of people gathered outside the legislature on Wednesday to protest shale gas extraction in the province. Inside, the Progressive Conservatives announced plans for new regulations on shale gas extraction, saying that they would protect human health and drinking water while retaining the economic benefits of oil and gas extraction.
More on this story: CBC News, Canada East, Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg waste water treatment: The city’s main waste water treatment plant is one of the worst polluters in the country. The province had already ordered upgrading of the facility, but plans have stalled due to a disagreement between the two levels of government.
More on this story: Winnipeg Free Press (1), Winnipeg Free Press (2)
Alberta study on crude oil: Prompted by the controversy surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline controversy, the Albertan study addressed warnings by environmental groups alleging that crude from the northern Alberta oil sands was more damaging to pipeline walls compared to conventional oil, which could increase the risk of spills. The study found that crude from the province’s oil sands is no more corrosive to pipelines than conventional oil, but it points out that there is no definitive peer-reviewed research on the issue.
More on this story: Reuters
Potential GHG solution found in super slime!: The hunt for super slime has officially begun in Nova Scotia. Scientists are eying this slime as a possible solution for GHG’s. Ironically, this ‘super-algae’ plucked from creeks and ponds can only be harvested from Canada’s industrial epicenters like Alberta’s oil patch and southern Ontario’s industrial corridor. The algae stemming from these places seems to suck up carbon dioxide faster than their cleaner counterparts.
More on this story: Vancouver Sun
Keystone XL Pipeline and an Interview with Elizabeth May
The last two weeks have seen major developments surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline route and its associated environmental impacts. This week our correspondents conducted a variety of interviews, including one with Elizabeth May, to delve deeper into the controversy surrounding this pipeline.
Alberta Oil Field. Qyd via Wikipedia.
The Keystone XL pipeline project is a proposed pipeline route which would pipe bitumen from the Canadian oil sands down to the gulf of Mexico. Our correspondent Myles Curry brings us a variety of interviews to help bring you up to speed on the battle over the Keystone XL pipeline.
Elizabeth May was elected to the house of representatives in the most recent election and promised to champion a number of environmental issues. High on her list was action on climate change. Correspondent David Kaczan spoke with her to find out whether she has managed to achieve any parts of her agenda in parliament thus far, as well as her take on the Keystone XL proposal.
News:
Canadian grades on drinking water: Ecojustice has released a report grading the ability of the Canadian provinces to manage their drinking water. Notable grades were granted to Ontario, which received an A and Alberta which came in last among Canadian provinces with a C-. Nunavut received the lowest grade with a D.
More on this story: Edmonton Journal, Calgary CTV
NDP versus PC over Keystone XL Pipeline: Members of the NDP have been the target of scolding at the hands of Alberta Premier Allison Redford and Prime Minister Stephen Harper this past week. Members of the NDP spoke against the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to Washington politicians.
More on this story: Calgary Herald
Aquaculture charges in the Bay of Fundy: New Brunswick’s largest aquaculture company may face serious charges from the death of hundreds of lobsters in the Bay of Fundy. On November 1st, the Federal Environment department laid charges against three executives of Cook Aquaculture and Kelly Cove Salmon with 11 counts for allegedly violating Section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act. This section of the Act prohibits the deposit of a substance that is harmful to fish into fish-bearing waters.
More on this story: The Coaster
A few extra interesting news stories for this week: Richer Canadians create more greenhouse emissions, Canada’s Kent to speed environment reviews of big projects
