Blame Canada’s Carbon Complacency for the Philippine Typhoon

CommonSenseCanadian

Anyone who thinks that this typhoon is not due to the atmospheric disruption and rising sea levels resulting from our changing climate has their head firmly planted in the comfortable soil of ignorance, ideology or both. Details here.

US Backs Away From Years of Commitment to Producing Ethanol Fuel Additive

Huffington Post

The Obama administration wants to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply, acknowledging the biofuel law championed by both parties in 2007 is not working as well as expected. Full story here.

Related: Bursting the ethanol bubble.

Harper and Enbridge Join Forces on Lawsuit

Dear Larry, Big Oil and the Harper government have officially tied the knot.  It’s now ForestEthics Advocacy and Co-Plaintiff Donna Sinclair vs.  the Federal Government, the National Energy Board (NEB) and  Enbridge Pipelines Inc. A Federal Appeals Court Judge recently ordered that Enbridge  could join our lawsuit as a Co-Respondent. In its Motion to  intervene, Enbridge argued that any delay in its plans to transport  tar sands crude through its Line 9b pipeline—running from Sarnia  to Montreal and through Toronto—would hurt its bottom line. In fact,  they said their economic rights were at stake in describing their  legal interest in the outcome of this lawsuit. Enbridge's position couldn't be clearer: Profits trump YOUR  DEMOCRATIC RIGHT to speak freely about tar sands pipeline  projects at hearings conducted by the NEB. Well, we have a message for Enbridge that they can't bury under the  weight of their hefty financial coffers. And we need your help to  deliver it.  Spread the word by sharing this photo of an Enbridge Energy bill  on Facebook, Twitter, and with your address book contacts. Better yet,  if Enbridge is your energy service provider, please get out your monthly  bill and write your own message! You can add it to our Facebook album  or email it to us and we'll add it for you. We will then send all the pictures  we receive to Enbridge’s headquarters in Calgary. The fact that Enbridge has gone to the trouble of joining our lawsuit  means they're worried. And justifiably so. If we win in the Federal Court  of Appeal, two things happen: The new rules that make it so difficult for Canadians to apply to  participate in NEB public hearings on pipeline projects—not just  Enbridge Line 9b but all pipeline projects across Canada—get axed. The NEB hearings process on Line 9b will be re-opened and the  agency will be required to give everyone the chance to voice his or  her concerns about this project. We may be the underdog in this fight but that makes us no less likely to  succeed, as the legendary story of David and Goliath proves. Canada’s  best-known constitutional lawyer Clayton Ruby is representing us and  thanks to your generosity, we’ve now raised $150,000 to offset a number  of costs related to this suit. Please take action today! Either share our photo or post your own now  and let Enbridge know that you will not be silenced!   Thank you, Tzeporah Berman Board Member, ForestEthics Advocacy

Hydro's Nelson River Sturgeon Plan Problematic: Expert

Winnipeg Free Press 

A Canadian expert on lake sturgeon poured cold water Wednesday on Manitoba Hydro’s plans to re-stock the Nelson River with the prehistoric fish after the Keeyask generating station is built. Full story here.

Resurrecting a River

OnEarth

Parched for more than half a century, California’s San Joaquin -- and its salmon -- are coming back. Details here.

It's Business That Really Rules Us Now

The Guardian

Lobbying is the least of it: corporate interests have captured the entire democratic process. No wonder so many have given up on politics. Full story here.

Writers Come To My Defence For My Letter About Fossil Fuels & Climate Change

PLT: It all began back in October when the Roblin Review (a weekly paper printed in Roblin, Manitoba, CA), published  my letter/article which I've dubbed, "Have Our Servants Become Our Masters?" In it, I suggested such fuels had now become a human "addiction" and were no longer our friends because of the role they are playing in climate change, severe weather events and even rail disasters.
Another writer, John Titanich responded, accusing me of being out to kill Canadian jobs with a bunch of "disgusting drivel."
That, in turn, sparked the two letters, below, (also in The Review) plus my own response, here. http://www.pathslesstravelled.com/2013/10/my-to-editor-have-our-servants-become.html
Larry

Dear Editor,

If John Titanich has a little spare time on his hands, I will suggest that he might learn a lot more from some serious reading, as to what is actually happening and taking place on our planet….earth! 

We are 100 years ahead of schedule right now and if a great many of us do not take heed to the warnings that have been predicted,(and now being realized) there will not be inhabitants on this place, we call home. We have surpassed 350 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and closing in on 400 ppm. We're too high!

If we don't smarten up and very soon, forget the grandkids future. This will be the crises and folly of our doing. 

Reading "eaarth" Making a life on a tough new planet, by author

Bill McKibben, would be a good beginning.

John Fefchak,

Virden, Manitoba