Salmon Inquiry to Wade Into Contentious Issues of Fish Farms and Disease

The Canadian Press - Au 20-'11

VANCOUVER - After months of hearings in relative obscurity, the public inquiry into the decline of sockeye along British Columbia's fabled Fraser River is finally bound to grab some headlines. Details here.
Courtesy, National Geographic.

Dozens Arrested Outside White House in Keystone Pipeline Protests

The Canadian Press - Au 20'11                                                                     CBC photo

WASHINGTON - 65 protesters were arrested Saturday as they participated in a peaceful protest outside the White House aimed at pressuring President Obama to block TransCanada's controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Details here. 

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PLT: Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, left something out whilst peddling this filthy project in the 'States recently. He said it would be "good for the Canadian economy." What he failed to say is that it will also be rather good for the pocketbooks of Tory "bagmen" like Derek Burney, once Canada's Ambassador to the U.S., and Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin. Both have their snouts in the trough as officials of companies involved in the tar sands. These are facts the two would obviously rather not have the public know about.  Otherwise, the praises they sing in public in support of the pipeline while bad-mouthing the peaceful opponents of it, might sound rather self-serving, indeed! 

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Here is a complaint I sent to The National today: (While the story appeared on CBC Online, The National breathed not a word of it last night.) "What is WRONG with you people? A seminal struggle is underway in Washington, DC, where peaceful protesters are trying to protect our very planet from a massive, destructive CANADIAN project and all you can give us are BODY TATTOOS? Did Stephen tell you not to cover this?"

Not in our Backyard; Northern Saskatchewan Residents Protest Nuclear Waste Dump

By: Jennifer Graham, The Canadian Press - 08/16/2011

REGINA - Some northern Saskatchewan residents say they're drawing a line in the sand to protect the environment from nuclear waste. Details here.

North Sea Oil Spill: Shell Struggles To Shut Down Second Leak

By MEERA SELVA   08/16/11 Huff Post Green

LONDON -- Royal Dutch Shell has shut down the main leak at one of its North Sea oil rigs but said Tuesday it is struggling to stop a secondary spill....Details here.

PLT: Isn't it odd how oil companies have no problem in sucking oil from remote places....just problems repairing the leaks that happen!

The New Harper Government Sharpens its Claws on "The Enemy"

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PLT: I guess Prime Minister Harper's pledge to be a government "for all Canadians," should have contained a caveat…."except for asbestos widows." Harper's kinder, gentler regime has sent a threatening letter to a woman whose husband had died of an asbestos-related ailment for using the Conservative party logo on her website. The site consists of a personal essay telling of her husbands struggle with his disease and a reminder of Canada's shameless refusal to attach warnings to our asbestos exports. 
Please also read; "Harper Disgraces us all, Once Again," and "Help Convince Canada to do the Right Thing About Asbestos!"

Oil Consumption Hits All-Time High

Economic Recession a Blip on Oil Consumption's Upward Climb

World Consumed 87.4 Million Barrels Per Day in 2010

Washington, D.C.----Global oil consumption reached an all-time high of 87.4 million barrels per day in 2010, according to a new Vital Signs Online report from the Worldwatch Institute. The 3.1 percent increase more than makes up for the brief decline in consumption caused by the economic crisis.

"Between the recession, the BP oil spill, and instability in the Middle East and North Africa, oil markets have been on a roller coaster the last few years," said Worldwatch Sustainable Energy Fellow Saya Kitasei, who co-authored the report along with Worldwatch researcher Natalie Narotzky. "When the dust settles, however, it is clear that the momentum of future market growth has moved to the developing world, where oil consumption did not miss a beat during the recession and shows no sign of slowing."

Key findings from the report, which can be found at vitalsigns.worldwatch.org, include:

• After falling 1.5 percent between 2008 and 2009 due to the global financial crisis, global oil consumption recovered by 3.1 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 87.4 million barrels per day.

• Oil consumption in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was more than 7 percent lower in 2010 than in 2005, while consumption in non-OECD countries is up 20 percent since then.

• In 2010, oil remained the largest source of primary energy use worldwide, but its share of this use fell for the eleventh consecutive year, to 37 percent. Responding to this falling demand, global oil production fell 2.1 percent to 80.3 million barrels per day in 2009.

• One third of the increase in consumption came from China, which now uses over 10 percent of the world's oil.

• Political unrest in the Middle East-North Africa region and uncertainty about new regulations on deepwater offshore oil drilling have both further contributed to volatility in the global oil market.

• The Middle East remains the largest exporter of oil with 35.3 percent in 2010, followed by the former Soviet Union and the Asia Pacific region.

• Global proved oil reserves have been increasing since 1980 and reached an estimated 1,526 billion barrels in 2010.

• Canadian oil sands now contribute around half of that country's crude oil production and are expected to provide a growing share, but they are energy- and water-intensive to develop. In the case of pit mining, they can lead to extensive landscape alteration and large waste streams of toxic mining tailings.

For more information, including charts, trends, and graphs, please visit http://vitalsigns.worldwatch.org/vs-trend/global-oil-market-resumes-growth-after-stumble-2009

Note to media: For a complimentary PDF of the full report, please email nnarotzky@worldwatch.org.

About the Worldwatch Institute: Worldwatch Institute delivers the insights and ideas that empower decision makers to create an environmentally sustainable society that meets human needs. Worldwatch focuses on the 21st-century challenges of climate change, resource degradation, population growth, and poverty by developing and disseminating solid data and innovative strategies for achieving a sustainable society. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than 20 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org

Why You Should Care About the Oilsands

By Clare Demerse , Pembina Institute - Au 8 '11
Anyone who works on climate change policy in Canada, like I do, ends up talking about the oil sands on a daily basis. Details here.