Sharing, Not Buying at Chrtistmas (Podcast)

CBC Radio - Sunday Edition

Over the past century, Christmas has become an annual excuse for frenzied, even pathological consumerism. Sure, it helps businesses big and small, but do we really need all that stuff?  Listen here.

The Gift of Death

George Monbiot

Pathological consumption has become so normalised that we scarcely notice it. Full story here.

PLT: Get a talking fish toy for your loved one this Christmas! What a catch!

Dragging Secretive Trade Talks Into the Light: Activists Expose Slow-Motion Corporate Coup

Alternet
A highly secretive trade agreement aims to penalize countries that protect workers, consumers, and the environment. Details here.

PLT:  Luckily, there's growing opposition to this slimy deal which our very own King Stephen is in the middle of. What's that green stuff on your hands, Prime Minister?

Arab Youth Arrested at COP; Canadians Confront Kent

Cdn. Youth Delegation - Climate Conference, Qatar
An hour ago, two members of the Arab Youth Climate Movement were  arrested. They held up a banner in the COP18 conference centre that read, “Qatar, why host, not lead?”. Onlookers erupted in cheers as...Details here.

Canada "Bottoms Out" at International Climate Negotiations

Alternatives Journal - Alana Westwood

Canadians are apologetic people. Yet, navigating the halls of the COP18 climate negotiations as a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD), the “sorry”s I gave weren’t stereotypical Canuck politeness. Instead, they were apologies of shame for... Details here.                

  

East-Central SK, 2011. PLT photo

Canadian Youth Delegation Releases Report on Canada’s Failure to Meet International Commitment

CYD-DJC

The CYD-DJC is releasing the report Commitment Issues: Tar sands extraction invalidates Canada’s obligations to the UNFCCC and undermines global climate change negotiations. This  technical report details the role of Canada’s tar sands in ensuring the nation’s failure to meet international climate commitments. It calls for a moratorium on new tar sands to developments, as this is the most effective way for Canada to have any hope of adhering to the commitments it has made to the UNFCCC.
The full report is available here, and the executive summary is available here.
Le resumé analytique est disponible en françai

Canada Ranked as Worst Performer in the Developed World on Climate Change

Climate Action Network Canada
Canada trailed only by Kazakhstan, Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2013 climate change performance index. Details here.

Western SK. 2011 PLT photo

Is B.C About to Side With "Big Oil" And Against Its Own People? Let's Make Sure it Doesn't Happen!

ACTION ALERT!!! SIGN PETITION: 3 billion contaminated litres

 PLEASE . . . SIGN PETITION AND PASS TO YOUR CONTACTS . . . .

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"Trillions of litres of water given away for shale gas... How can the B.C. Government do this without regard for those who depend on the river for life?" - FNFN Chief Sharleen Wildeman This month Premier Clark could give Encana license to take 3 billion litres every year from the Fort Nelson river – a river my community depends on. Sign our Petition Robert - The Fort Nelson River is the lifeblood of my community - the Fort Nelson First Nation. It's where we hunt and fish. It connects our villages. Our burial grounds are on its banks. The river has given us a cultural and spiritual connection to our land for untold centuries, but now it's at risk of being drained by billions of litres. The executives at Encana Corporation are pressuring Premier Clark to give them the right to take 3-billion litres of fresh water every year from the river to be used for shale gas fracking -- without consulting my community who depend on the river, or without any environmental assessment.  As chief of the Fort Nelson First Nation I'm appealing to you to sign our petition asking the Premier to stop issuing long-term water licenses, until she has consulted with First Nations, and created a clear, responsible water management plan. Encana's license is only the beginning. 8 more major oil and gas companies are now requesting similar licenses amounting to trillions of litres -- the consequences of this could be devastating for the river.

New Jersey Train Derailment Tips Tankers, Sickens Dozens

Associated Press

PAULSBORO, N.J. (AP) —A freight train derailed Friday on a railroad bridge that has had problems before, toppling tanker cars partially into a creek and causing a leak of hazardous gas (vinyl chloride) that was blamed for sickening dozens of people, authorities said. Details here.

Ottawa Blocks Cenovus Gas Project in Alberta: ‘The Environmental Impacts are Simply Too Great’

Financial Post.

CALGARY — The Canadian government on Friday blocked a seven-year-old plan to drill more than a thousand natural gas wells in an Alberta wildlife reserve...Details here.
  PLT. Please also read our earlier post, "So, What Will it Be, Prairie Grasslands or Pipelines?" And thanks to Nature Canada for organizing the petition. (I signed! Did you?)





Sprague's pipit, one of the many 
"species at risk" found in the reserve.

Corporate Control & the Profitability of “Consent”

CYD-DJC 

What do Pinehouse, Saskatchewan and COP18 in Doha, Qatar have in common? Details here.