PLANET IN PERIL

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, w

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.

Shawn Mccarthy — Globe and Mail - Aug. 07   Maxim Power Corp. is racing to beat proposed federal emission regulations that could derail its plan to build a 500-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the mountains of western Alberta. Details here. PLT: Please sign the petition here. 

WorldWatch Institute Aug 11 '11 Washington, D.C.–The Worldwatch Institute is mourning the loss of Institute Board member and visionary business leader Ray Anderson, who died this week after a 20-month battle with cancer. Details here.  Courtesy, the New York Times.

Rolling Stone Politics - by Al Gore The first time I remember hearing the question "is it real?" was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show. Details here.

Aug 8 The Dominion  Miles Howe FREDERICTON—Over 1,500 people from across New Brunswick & beyond take to the streets to oppose fracking... Details here. PLT: Gee I don't recall seeing any coverage of this in the mainstream media (MSM)! Surprise!

    Dear Larry , We are asking you to show solidarity with asbestos victims in the Third World and support the campaign to demand the Canadian government ban asbestos mining and exports. Asbestos kills over 100,000 people every year, and Canada is a major player in the death-dealing industry. In a change of tactics, we’re not targeting all Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) - but just one. A number of other like-minded organizations are also ‘adopting’ a MP and focusing their efforts on convincing him/her what their party is doing is wrong, unethical and immoral. In our case – we have chosen to focus our efforts on the Federal Environment Minister, the Hon. Peter Kent, MP for Thornhill, Ontario. Peter is an intelligent guy and knows what his government is doing is wrong. We need to encourage him to support an end to Canada’s mining and export of asbestos. Peter and his government can prevent thousands of cases of cancer

Food Safety First Aug 10'11 PLT photo  After decades of protecting consumers against dangerous products, federal food safety inspectors are being pulled out of meat plants that produce for local citizens in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Details here.

Manitoba Co-Operator The federal government has announced a grant of $10 million to Cargill Meat Solutions for its plant at High River, Alberta. Details here.           PLT photo   PLT: While one might welcome the fact that this money will go toward pollution control, it is one more indication that Canada has no plan whatsoever to embrace the "polluters pay" principle. Why should Canadian taxpayers be paying for what Cargill ought to be doing itself? What is even worse - Canada is poised to slash the number of food inspectors  in the name of Harper's holy crusade to hack and slash the deficit. I wonder if the situation described in my earlier blog post, "Cargill Meat Recall in the 'States," will now become even more common here?

Improved forest management needed. 9 August 2011, Rome - Extreme weather events and natural disasters will pose an increasing threat to the world's forests… Details here. PLT photo