Hottest Year In History Ends With Freak Climate Disasters

Alternet - Dec 31 2010
As greenhouse pollution continues to build...

Fiji Water Targeted by Class Action Lawsuit for Lying About Their Green Cred

Alternet - De 31 2010
Looks like Fiji Water has stepped in it...

Here's to a Safe, Peaceful and Green 2011!

To my readers,

May you and yours enjoy all the best of the season and the new year.

May 2011 bring more:

•  Love
• Joy
• Peace
• cleaner, greener attitudes
• citizens, politicians and industry leaders genuinely dedicated to a better world.

and less

• War
• Famine
• Hunger
• Disease
• Pollution
• Climate change

Sincerely,
Larry & Rowena
 ======

Amen and Amen. 

Thank you for all the reports and postings...sometimes it feels like you are talking in the dark, I am sure, but people are listening...and you must keep bringing things to our attention.  

Maggie

The Gulf of Mexico is Dying

De'10 By Dr. Tom Termotto - by concernedcitizensofflorida

A Special Report on the BP Gulf Oil Spill

It is with deep regret that we publish this report.


Please also read Dr. Termotto's open letter to President Obama.

Innovation of the Week: Climate Smart Seaweed Farming

By Matt Styslinger - De '10 - Worldwatch Institute

At the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in...

We are Facing the Greatest Threat to Humanity: Only Fundamental Change Can Save Us

Maude Barlow / Alternet

Quite simply, human-centered governance systems are not working and we need new economic, development and environmental policies.

The Serengeti Highway

Shared by: Jen M. - the Green Pages - on December 28, 2010 

Most of us will only ever see a lion...

Buffalo photo by 

 etravelphotos

Editor's comment: The Dominion of man over the natural world is nearing completion. Notice, one reason for the highway is to get at material needed to make batteries for hybrid vehicles, widely considered by modern society as a "green" endeavour! Sadly, our assault on Mother Earth will only cease when human populations themselves, through one means or another, are brought within sustainable proportions. l.p.

Sacrificing the Rainforest on the Altar of Energy

By Milagros Salazar * Inter Press Service

LIMA, Dec 27, 2010 (IPS/IFEJ) - The construction of five hydroelectric...

Tambopata, Peru. 

(Photo: k lichstig)

Temperature Rising

A Scientist, His Work and a Climate Reckoning
By JUSTIN GILLIS - De '10

MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, Hawaii — Two gray machines...

Ottawa Kept in Dark on Abnormal Fish Found in Tar Sands Rivers

Josh Wingrove - THE GLOBE AND MAIL De 17'10

EDMONTON— Hundreds of deformed fish found in...

'Dirty Oil' Anger Shocked Tories, Wikileaks Reveals

Allan Woods - Ottawa Bureau - theStar.com - De 23'10

OTTAWA—Canada was “too slow” to respond...

Editor's comment - A day late and a dollar short, wouldn't you say, Jim? l.p.

City of Brandon, Manitoba, Pulls Plug on Biodiesel Processor

By: Allison Dowd - 26/12/2010 - Winnipeg Free Press

BRANDON -- The City of Brandon is saying goodbye to its biodiesel...
 =====

Editor's comment: Is this bad luck, or a lack of will? l.p.

EPA Presents Plan on Greenhouse Gases. Can Next Congress Stop It?

Christian Science Monitor - Dec. 24 - 2010

The EPA set out a timetable Thursday for curbing the emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants and refineries. But Republicans have signaled their steady opposition, and a battle looms.

Green Party of Manitoba Calls for "Climate Accountability"

WikiLeaks: US Ambassador Planned "Retaliation" Against France Over Ban on Monsanto Corn

21 De'10 - by: Mike Ludwig, t r u t h o u t

The former United States….

Editor's comment: What do you suppose the present ambassador is saying in secret cables? Anything much different? l.p.

Cold Burn

Posted December 20, 2010 - George Monbiot

Yes, the extreme cold in the UK right now really could be a result of global warming.

L.A. Times Slams Fox Over Climate Scandal - 'Shouldn't Call Itself a News Organization'

AlterNet / By Joshua Holland

After several revelations of Fox's blatant bias, the rest of the corporate media may finally be catching on.

US Beekeepers Call for a Ban on a Pesticide Linked to Colony Collapse Disorder

Pesticide Action Network - North America - Thu, 2010-12-09

Larry"s comment. It simply never ends. Ever more & newer studies point to the undeniable role of pesticides in the deaths of honey bees. Yet nothing is done. Please sign the petition....
Here.http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5370 l.p.

How Ethical Are Ethical Funds? (Opinion)

"Conscientious" investments and the tar sands connection 

by Larry Powell

Beautiful Destruction photo.

I doubt that many investors with a social conscience would assume that the ethical funds they hold would be helping pay for such projects as the Alberta oil sands.

I certainly didn't - turns out, I was wrong!

All five of Canada's major banks lend money to tar sands operators. And all five are actually included in the portfolios of the many ethical investment funds in this country. As if that isn't enough, so too is at least one major corporation, Suncor Energy, which actually extracts the tar from the sands!

Ethical Funds lists Scotiabank, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Suncor Energy among its top ten holdings. The investment company adds, RBC, for one, "provides significant capital to the oil and gas and other smokestack industries."

Suncor describes itself as a "pioneer" and one of the biggest players in the development and upgrading of the Alberta oil sands. So far this year, the company has been producing, on average, more than a-quarter-of-a-million barrels of oil per day. 

Last spring, a US-based environmental group, Rainforest Action Network, (RAN), listed the five major Canadian banks; RBC, Toronto Dominion (TD), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Scotiabank and Bank of Montreal (BMO) as investors. At that time, RAN reported that investment totalled almost $50 billion (correct).

In a letter to RAN about a year ago, RBC confirmed it was "a financier of oil sands activity, although, at almost $17 billion, (correct) not currently the largest."

So just what is the concern here?

For years, critics have been pointing out the profound impact which development of the sands is having on the environment and the health of people, both regionally and globally. Some even describe it as the "dirtiest project on earth!" 

The Alberta-based Pembina Institute says, of all the provinces, Alberta was responsible for over half of the increase in all greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2008 - about 52%! (The tar sands, of course, were operating, full-bore, during that period.) Pembina predicts that, given the projected growth of the sands, their already substantial emissions will nearly triple by 2020! The 25 year-old Institute researches and advocates for "sustainable energy solutions that will protect the earth's living systems - air, land and water."


Meanwhile, millions of hectares of pristine boreal forest are being bulldozed to make way for more and more tar sands plants. According to Greenpeace, this could soon amount to an area twice the size of New Brunswick!

 The National Academy of Sciences in the US reports that oil sands development has been contaminating  the Athabasca River watershed, downstream of the sands, to a greater degree than earlier thought. It warned that oil sands development was elevating levels of poisons in the Athabasca River and its tributaries that were "likely toxic to fish embryos."

Fish with large lesion caught in the Athabasca watershed.

Meanwhile, people living downstream of the oil sands, in the community of Fort Chipewyan, have been reporting high rates of cancer and other illness. George Poitras, a member of Mikisew Cree indigenous First Nation says, "My people are dying," and blames oil sands development.

What does the ethical investment community have to say?

I contacted Robert Walker, Vice President of ESG Services of Vancouver, to comment on this story. His firm manages several "sustainable" or "social investment" companies, including Ethical Funds.

As he puts it, "Every major bank in Canada has exposure to oil sands."

Ethical Funds lists "respect for the environment" and a pledge that "disadvantaged communities should not bear the brunt of adverse environmental impacts" among its "core values."

So just how does it justify this state of affairs?

In Walker's words, "Note that we do not describe the companies in our Funds as ‘ethical’. This is not our claim."

Walker recognizes that the companies in question have a chequered reputation in managing their social and environmental responsibilities. But he says his industry is constantly "engaging" and "pressuring" them to do better. It even hands out and publishes report cards on their performances in this regard. All this, he believes, will gradually help convince them to change their ways.

Walker believes banks like RBC can play "a pivotal role in encouraging their clients to tackle climate change."

He concludes, "We are at least partially responsible for progress that banks like RBC are making in this space." 

Despite these reassurances, it's not clear just what "progress" Walker can point to; whether his industry is, in fact convincing the banks to become better corporate citizens; or why, as he suggests, it would not be logical for the average investor to conclude - if these companies are embraced within ethical funds' portfolios - that they are, in fact, ethical!

In its defense, RBC does sponsor the "Blue Water Project," through which it promises millions of dollars to help protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water. It's doubtful, however, any of that money has gone toward protecting the Athabasca watershed, the deterioration of which the bank has surely played a part, albeit indirect. 

So is the Blue Water Project an example of the bank's good intentions? Or hypocrisy?

If tar sands investment can be considered "ethical," I find it rather hard to imagine what would not!

If you believe, as I do, that our investment money should be going to less harmful and less polluting ventures than this, I'd urge you to do something about it, also. 

As a result of all of this, I have chosen to shift my modest investments away from those involving the tar sands and, into less harmful ventures.

I'd invite you to consider something similar!

         ======
Please also read: "Is Fracking Appropriate for Ethical Investing?"

Manitoba Will Likely Fail to Reach Greenhouse Gas Targets

Wpg Free Press - Dec 7'10

Manitoba's auditor general cast doubt Monday...

Editor's note: Is Anyone Surprised? l.p.

U.S. to Regulate Big Polluters, Leaving no Excuses for Canada’s Inaction

P.J. Partington — The Pembina Institute - Dec. 2'10

It would be hard to count….. 

Reuters photo

WikiLeaks Cables: Shell's Grip on Nigerian State Revealed

David Smith - guardian.co.uk - 8 De 2010

US embassy cables reveal top executive's claims that company 'knows everything' about key decisions in government ministries.

May You Shop 'til You Drop This Christmas! (NOT!) Video

Buy Nothing This Holiday Season

Worldwatch Institute- 2010-12-02

Super News! In 2010, more Americans went shopping the weekend after...

Satellite images of parking lots, like this one, show more and more shoppers as Black Fri. nears. Courtesy of Gizmodo.

Impervious to Learning

By George Monbiot, published on the Guardian’s website, 8th December 2010.

David Rose appears to have learnt nothing from his catastrophic mistakes before the Iraq war.

Federal Court Rules Feds Failed to Protect BC Killer Whales

Shared by: F. Los on December 8, 2010 - GreenPages
Vancouver - Conservation groups, represented by Ecojustice...

Article in The Lancet Takes Canada to Task for Asbestos Exports

The Canadian Press - 8/12/2010

MONTREAL - Criticism of Quebec's controversial...

The Peasant View of Cancún Talks: 'They Want to Turn the Air Into a Commodity'

John Vidal, environment editor - guardian.co.uk - 7 De '10

As the world's politicians gather, protesters march against the Cancún climate change summit's 'false solutions'

Clouds by l.p.

Climate Deal Failure Could Devastate World's Poor, IPCC Chief Says

By Stacey Feldman - Solve Climate News  Dec 5, 2010

Science provides "compelling logic" for decisive progress at UN climate talks. 

Tar Sands' Long Shadow

Manitoba Wildlands - 4/12/10

Canada Exports Dirty Oil and Dirty Energy Policies 

 

Beautiful Destruction photo

Manitoba Bird Flu Quarantine Widens, Hatchery Destocked

Manitoba Co-Operator De3'10
Another farm in….

Photograph by:  Brian Snyder, REUTERS

High Water Advisory Issued For Assiniboine River Watershed

Manitoba News Release - De. 3, 2010

Manitoba Water Stewardship's Hydrologic Forecast Centre has  issued a high water advisory for the Assiniboine River and its tributaries, from the Shellmouth/Russell area to Headingley, as a result of ice jams. 

Shellmouth Dam (above) in more normal times. Also see photo (below) just below the dam. Pics by l.p.

·         The Assiniboine tributaries and the main river remain well within their banks at most locations. However, due to the recent heavy snow followed by a sudden drop in temperatures, ice jams and flooding are occurring at various locations downstream of the Shellmouth Reservoir, Miniota and in the Brandon area. 

·         This local ice-jam flooding is expected to continue at locations on the main river and some larger tributaries like the Souris and the Little Saskatchewan rivers until the freezing process stabilizes in the next two weeks.

·         Communities in the Assiniboine Valley, especially in low-lying areas such as Russell, St. Lazare, Miniota and Brandon, should be aware that ice-related flooding could occur.

·         The Shellmouth Reservoir has been declining since late September when the outflow was 3,360 cubic feet per second (cfs). Today the flow is 1,600 cfs and the level of the reservoir is 428 metres (1,404.22 feet). The inflow into the reservoir is 1,570 cfs.  The outflow will be kept constant at 1,600 cfs for the next few weeks to ensure the reservoir is at an acceptable level before next spring.

·         Manitoba Water Stewardship is closely monitoring river and lake level conditions.

Weather - The weather forecast calls for clear periods for southern Manitoba and temperatures remaining in the -10 to -20 C range for the next five days. This should help reduce ice jams and related flooding.

The latest information on this advisory and other water levels is available here. www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/floodinfo/index.html

- 30 -

Another Flood of the Century?

Winnipeg Free Press - By: Bruce Owen - 2/12/2010 

Heavy rainfall, snow lead premier to sound the alarm.

Flooding in the Red River Valley - 1997

Courtesy of the Gov't. of Manitoba

Cycle City, USA. How Portland Plans to Become the First World-Class bike City in America.

by Jay Walljasper - yes!  Nov 29, 2010

It’s become a cliché that Portland is America’s most livable...

EDITOR'S NOTE: As cities like Toronto and Winnipeg elect (& re-elect) loonies as their mayors, it's refreshing to note that there remain pockets of sanity somewhere on this continent!

I am reminded of a quote from H.G. Wells, who once said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." l.p.

US Federal Court Orders First-Ever Destruction of a GMO Crop

San Francisco, CA – November 30, 2010 – Centre for Food Safety.

Genetically Engineered Sugar Beet Seed Crop Must be Removed!
Finds Government and Monsanto rushed to illegally plant herbicide resistant crop.

Cdn. Biotechnology Action Network
Press Statement, December 1, 2010: Yesterday a US federal district judge ordered Monsanto's genetically engineered sugarbeet seedlings be uprooted. This is the first court-ordered destruction of a GE crop in the US. The decision (November 30, 2010) follows a challenge from farmer and environmental groups based on the risks of contamination. The judge noted that non-GE crops were at risk and that the US Department of Agriculture, by allowing September plantings, tried to circumvent his prior ruling that the sugarbeets were illegal, pending an environmental assessment.

Below is a letter from CBAN to Canadian sugar company Lantic, and a press release from US group Center for Food Safety which represented groups in the legal challenge.

********
LETTER FROM CBAN TO LANTIC:

Edward Makin
President and CEO, Lantic Inc.
4026, Notre-Dame Street East
Montréal, Québec, H1W 2K3
Fax: (514) 527 1318

RE: Request for Lantic to phase out GE sugar following US court-ordered destruction of Monsanto's genetically engineered sugarbeets

December 1, 2010

Dear Mr. Makin,

We are writing to bring your attention to the new court-ordered destruction of genetically engineered (GE) sugarbeet seedlings in the United States (November 30, 2010) and to ask that Lantic plant only non-GE sugarbeet seeds in 2011, reversing your 2009 decision to process GE sugar in Canada.

Lantic Inc. is currently the only Canadian sugar company that processes GE sugarbeet. This is an unacceptable situation for Canadian consumers.

In correspondence in 2009, CBAN warned Lantic that the the GE sugarbeets were highly controversial, were accompanied by many serious concerns, and would meet with widespread consumer opposition. We requested a meeting to discuss these issues and repeatedly provided information about the risks of GE sugarbeets to Lantic and to the Alberta farmers who grow sugarbeet for Lantic. Though this correspondence was met with silence from Lantic, we hope you will now pay sufficient attention to this critical issue in order to phase out your use of Monsanto's genetically engineered sugarbeet.

We request that you take urgent action to ensure that sugar in Canada is reverted to its previous non-GE status.  We trust that Lantic will want to avoid being isolated globally as the only producer of GE sugar. For your information, please find below a US press release describing the court decision in brief.

Sincerely, Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext.6
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
www.cban.ca

Study at Manitoba's Netley-Libau Marsh Pilot Project to Find Ways of Keeping Pollutants Out of Lake Winnipeg

Manitoba News Release - November 30, 2010

=======

Action Also Aimed at Reducing Greenhouse-gas Emissions: Selinger

A unique pilot project at Netley-Libau Marsh, supported by $150,000 in provincial funding, will explore ways of preventing pollutants from getting into Lake Winnipeg while at the same time reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, Lk. Wpg. Greenpeace Photo Premier Greg Selinger announced today.


"In partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the University of Manitoba, we are announcing funding to support the further development of a green,

 bio-energy project which builds on actions we have already taken," said Selinger. "This is a made-in-Manitoba solution to help Lake Winnipeg by keeping pollutants out, while at the same time providing a green solution to offset coal use."

The project will see the harvest of about 200 hectares of marsh grasses.  Research has shown that pollutants, such as phosphorus, are stored in the marsh grass and, as part of the project, the
grass will be turned into a clean, bio-energy product.  This product can be used to burn green biomass and reduce the burning of coal. At the same time, the pollutants would not get into the water of the marsh or Lake Winnipeg.

"The results from this pilot project could become a critical part of efforts to reduce nutrients flowing into Lake Winnipeg," said Henry David Venema, International Institute for Sustainable Development's director of Sustainable Natural Resources Management and the Water Innovation Centre. "This Netley-Libau project is a practical example of the bio-economy concept and we are excited about the partnership and the opportunities it presents."

Once fully developed the project could:

· produce approximately 3,000 tonnes of biomass;

· offset approximately 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and

· capture and recover approximately eight tonnes of phosphorus and remove 30 to 40 tonnes of nitrogen, the equivalent produced from the waste water of a town of 20,000 people.
   
"Netley-Libau is the largest coastal marsh on the continent and restoring and managing vegetation in the marsh is critical to the health of the marsh and Lake Winnipeg," said Dr. Gordon
Goldsborough, professor of biological sciences at the University of Manitoba.                                                                            

Through the Sustainable Development Innovations Fund, the Manitoba government has provided approximately $100,000 to IISD over the past five years to support initial research of the Netley-Libau biomass harvest project.

Other support from or action by the Manitoba government to help reduce nutrients getting into Lake Winnipeg includes:

· passing the most comprehensive legislation in the country to protect surface and groundwater from the impacts of phosphorous;

· investing millions of dollars for waste-water treatment infrastructure upgrades to remove nutrients;

· introducing the first-in-Canada ban on phosphates in dish detergent;

· instituting a moratorium on hog expansion in areas near Lake Winnipeg;

· introducing the first-in-Canada ban on lawn fertilizers containing phosphorous;

· introducing new buffer zones protecting water from spreading nutrients like phosphorous and an outright ban in sensitive areas;

· instituting a major initiative to protect wetlands and riparian areas by providing incentives to farmers to protect these sensitive lands;

· starting a wetland restoration initiative to restore Manitoba's two largest marsh wetlands, Netley and Delta;

· banning new sewage ejectors provincewide and banning septic fields in provincial parks and sensitive areas within a new enforcement initiative; and

· funding for research, planning and work with inter-jurisdictional partners to help keep phosphorous out of Manitoba's watershed and help Lake Winnipeg.

Information on other research and studies to help restore the health of Lake Winnipeg is available at
www.manitoba.ca/waterstewarshipwww.manitoba.ca/waterstewarship.

                                                                                     - 30 -

300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Seconds (Video)

Brought to you by the Post Carbon Institute.

The UK Government has Abandoned its Sustainable Homes Policy - by Redefining Zero.

George Monbiot - the Guardian - Nov 26 '10

What does zero look like to you? Is it:

======

Still more large "conventional" homes go up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA with little thought given to their sustainability. 

l.p. photos 

Man Invents Machine to Convert Plastic Into Oil!

Please check out this interesting video here!

An ‘In Memoriam’ Ad For Murdered Mexican Anti-Mining Activist Refused by Calgary Herald

November 26, 2010 - The Council of Canadians

Please also read:  Blackfire mine shut down over environmental concerns 

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's stories like this which remind me of one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place. Disgusting, rotten things go on in this world which too many mass media, including those in my own country, are too cowardly to even shine a light on. But the cowardice isn't limited to the media. 

A bill in the House of Commons, designed to clamp down on Canadian-based mining companies who commit acts abroad similar to this one, was recently defeated. Some Honourable Members, representing mining constituencies, apparently afraid they would offend their voters if they supported it, stayed away when the vote was taken! Such courage! Such principle! l.p.

Put a CAPP on Tar Sands Greenwashing

Mike Hudema - Greenpeace - November 23, 2010

Faced with the grim realities of...

World Hunger and Obesity Both Trend Upwards. Aljazeera Tries to Make Sense of it All in This Video.

You Did It! Success on Alberta Parks

Earlier this week, we let you know about a proposed new Alberta's Parks Act that would have set a dangerous precedent for provincial parks.  You wrote in, and Cindy Ady, Alberta's Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation listened -- she is withdrawing the legislation.

Public opposition was key to the decision, said the Minister: “What I have heard throughout debate on Bill 29 is that people are passionate about parks, and I respect that passion”.
THANK YOU for writing! Your letters made the difference.
While we celebrate this victory, there's still work to do – Alberta intends to introduce new legislation in the spring, after public consultation. CPAWS will continue to push for legislation that puts the ecological integrity of parks first.

Here's what you can do now:

• Thank the Minister -- write a quick note
• Donate to CPAWS
  CPAWS has worked relentlessly against Bill 29 since it was introduced on November 4th.  We’ll continue to speak out for the protection of Alberta’s precious parks and wilderness areas.  Every dollar helps us make victories like this one possible.
• Get news coverage on the Bill at CBC and the Edmonton Journal

Human Appetite for Earth's Resources Continues Apace

Gary Gardner | Nov 18, 2010 / Worldwatch Institute

Global use of materials—

UN Issues Severe Climate Warning Ahead of Summit

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor - THE INDEPENDENT - Nov 24-'10

The world is now firmly on the path for dangerous...

New Study Claims FDA Review of GM Salmon Is Incomplete

24 No 10 - Truthout - Mike Ludwig Nov 24 '10

The process used by... 

Manitoba Turkey-Breeding Operation Tests Positive For Strain Of Bird Flu

Manitoba News Release - November 24, 2010

............................................................

Consumption of Properly Prepared Turkey Products Remains Safe

Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) is working with federal officials of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) at a quarantined turkey-breeding operation in Manitoba. Manitoba has a comprehensive federal-provincial-producer plan to respond to avian influenza and the plan is being implemented.

·     Some Manitoba turkeys have tested positive for an H5 strain of bird flu. There is no evidence this is the Asian strain of H5N1 influenza and it is considered highly unlikely it will be. There is no indication of any human illness.

·     The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will lead the response to this situation. Veterinarians and other specialized staff from MAFRI are working closely with CFIA and assisting with the response.

·     Workers at the breeding operation are being contacted and offered preventive antivirals.

·     Further testing by federal officials is continuing with the support of MAFRI.

·     The risk of impacts on humans is considered very low at this time.

·     Human consumption of turkey products continues to be safe if the meat is properly prepared and cooked.

- 30 -

Roundup-Resistant Ragweed Spread Tracked in Ontario

Manitoba Co-operator - Staff - Nov 1-2010

Rendering by Paul Hoppe.

Giant ragweed resistant to glyphosate...

University of Manitoba Becomes Home to "One of the Worst Corporate Citizens on the Planet:" U of M Student

Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN). Nov 23 - '10

Protestors were on hand this morning for the official opening of the Monsanto Canada’s new $12 million Canola Breeding Centre at at the University of Manitoba. One student,  Alon Weinberg, says there is little to celebrate with the opening. In his words, "Monsanto’s operations poison the environment with chemicals, steal from farmers their age-old right to save seeds and threaten biodiversity by proliferating genetically engineered crops."

Is GMO canola out of control in Canada?  

Check out the PDF here, produced by the CBAN.

National Conservation Group Slams Proposed Alberta Parks Act for "Setting the Clock Back 40 Years"

No. 22 '10 Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society

www.kananaskis.com

Calgary -- The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s national board of trustees is voicing outrage...

EDITOR'S NOTE: In response to CPAW's request, I wrote a letter to Alberta's elected officials which is reproduced, directly below. After that, you will see a response from an Opposition member in Alberta. l.p.

=====

Dear Mr. Chase,

Having lived in Calgary for 10 years, I had the opportunity to visit many of your beautiful parks.
I would plead with you to take pity on their vulnerability and err on the side of conservation, not 

 exploitation.
I plead with you, please withdraw this Parks Act Bill!
Sincerely,
Larry Powell

=======

Dear Larry,

Thank you very much for speaking out about Bill 29. With your permission, Mr. Chase would like to table your letter in the Legislature as being opposed to Bill 29 and your email will become part of the permanent record of the Legislature.

 I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Debbie Puppato,
Constituency Assistant

HARRY CHASE, MLA
Shadow Minister for Children & Youth Services; Education; Advanced Education & Technology; Tourism, Parks & Recreation
Calgary Varsity Constituency

Air Pollution in Chinese Capital Called "Crazy Bad!" Diplomatic Blunder or Some Frank Honesty?

guardian.co.uk No 22 - '10

An unexpected phrase in US embassy's hourly pollution tweet for Beijing, gives its followers cause for amusement and concern.

Climate Change and Disease Will Spark New Food Crisis, says UN

By Sean O'Grady, THE INDEPENDENT 18 Nov '10

A food crisis could overtake the world in 2011...An ethanol plant in Manitoba, converting food into fuel, with the help of government subsidies. 

l.p.photo

Poll Suggests Harper Government Out of Step With Canadians

Council of Canadians - Nov. 22 - '10

Unavoidable Climate Change: We've Passed the Point of No Return

 AlterNet / By Peter Gleick - Nov 20 '10

How bad it gets depends on how much longer we fail to act.

                            

Are Hypocrites and Opportunists Taking Over Our Lives?

Dear Editor,

 When a hollow man like Jim Prentice can don a phony cloak of "green," take on a sacred trust as this nation's "Minister of the Environment," then hightail it off to a cushy job with "CIBC" (which is helping to bankroll the Alberta tar sands, the world's dirtiest energy project), be afraid. Be very afraid. 

Jim Prentice, Climate Criminal

  

Dead ducks in an Albrta tar pit. (Vancouver Sun photo)

As Prentice skulks off into the night with visions of money bags dancing in his head, he gets a pat on the back from Stephen Harper and a free pass from a polite media.

Fish caught near tarpits - Jason Franson CP

Preoccupied with political "process," "strategy" and "positioning," news outlets obviously no longer believe they have any duty to actually hold the ethical behaviour of our leaders up to any kind of public scrutiny. That would just be wrong! Instead, they pontificate on how the balance in the cabinet might now be affected or, if Prentice might now be positioning himself to become Prime Minister!

(Remember my reference to "hypocrites and opportunists? I rest my case.) 

One newspaper fit for fish-wrap actually referred to this traitor as the "epitome of public service" and a "capable" leader! Yet this is the same climate criminal who, while in office, did squat on the carbon file, the most important if the climate change genie is to be put back in the bottle. Squat. Nothing. 
What can be done?

Before the story of Prentice's departure broke, it hadn't really occurred to me that companies involved directly in tar sands extraction, along with big banks who lend money to them, would even qualify as "ethical" fund investments. (And who would?)


The Don of Canada's Climate Criminals
Upon checking my own, I discovered, with dismay, that they included both!

So I have now personally set the wheels in motion to divest myself of any financial holdings I may have in the development of that despicable project known euphemistically as "the oil sands."   

If you want to be remembered as a friend of Mother Earth, rather than one who stood by while the Harpers and Prentices of the world acted as accomplices in her demise, I hope you'll do likewise.

Larry Powell is a blogger and activist near Roblin, in western Manitoba. 

=======

 

A couple more climate crooks. Sen. Duffy (l.) & Sen. Wallin (r.).

Also conveniently neglected by Prentice/Harper et al in this scenario are the indigenouse people living downstream from this incredibly destructive project. Here is an excerpt from a submission by the Indigenous Environmental Network. l.p.


"Fort Chipewyan, which is located on the shore of Lake Athabasca and downstream from numerous tar sands mines, has been described as ‘ground zero’ for the devastation caused by Alberta’s oil boom. A local doctor has raised concerns over alarmingly high rates of what should be very rare bile duct cancers in the town, as well as reported abnormal rates of immune-system related conditions. A study commissioned by the Alberta Health Services confirmed in 2009 that there were indeed elevated cancer rates in the community.
"High levels of dangerous toxins in the Athabasca River have been found in areas downstream from tar sands developments. A study in 2007 commissioned by the local health authority of Fort Chipewyan revealed high levels
of arsenic, aluminium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, phosphorous, selenium, titanium, and phenols in the water. It found high levels of arsenic, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and resin acids in the sediment, as well as high levels of mercury in tested fish."
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COMMENTS:
Larry - I read your letter. This is a shameful act. And replacing the environment Minister, we have none other than Mr. Baird. Now that is a joke.


JOHN FEFCHAK
Virden, MB