katakanadian’s Recent Comments

• Click here to view comment in original post

  I hope you will work to set standards which make Canada's tar sands more unattractive to US buyers. They are our greatest climate crime. They are the biggest reason we are so far away from our Kyouto targets.On Clean energy is an easy choice posted 3 weeks, 2 days ago 3 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  There is an excellent series on the dangers of compounding growth (in debt, in population, in GHG, etc) starting here: The Crash CourseOn A scary new climate study will have you saying 'Oh, shit!' posted 1 month ago 16 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Badrabbit, I can tell you that I saw virtually no difference in idling behaviour throughout the year in Japan (which has a horridly common habit of idling). Summer heat made aircon mandatory but winters weren't too bad. Spring and autumn usually had no need for heat or air con yet I saw just as many cars idling in the supermarket parking lot while the owners shopped inside. More effort should be put into getting more kids to walk and bike to school. Yes, I know it's not possible for absolutely everyone but most kids are within a reasonable distance. Often the greatest threat to walking kids' safety is the pollution and too many rushing parents on the road. A national health care program would be much more affordable if kids didn't grow up so unfit.On Ask Umbra on anti-idling campaigns posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago 15 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  That's Gordon Campbell who is the premier of BC not Gordon Brown who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The carbon tx is an important step but it's too low and some of the revenue neutrality involves giving money to oil and gas development. WTF?!

  On Obama 'optimistic' U.S. can lead on climate change posted 5 months, 1 week ago 3 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  "Japan argues that setting national targets should take into consideration the fact that Tokyo has already improved energy-efficiency so that it is more expensive for it to slash emission further."

  I lived in Japan 2000-2004 and I can tell you there are huge inefficiencies that can still be cut easily and cheaply. Home insulation is virtually non-existant. Most people habitually idle their car engines for extended periods (e.g. they leave the engine running while have a nap in the car or while they go grocery shopping). Air conditioned stores leave their front doors wide open in summer. School leave all the outside doors open in winter heating season. People upgrade their cell phones every 9 months on average. Massive use of concrete in wilderness areas for make-work projects. Foreign "aid" which typically consists of contracts to Japanese cement companies to build roads and dams in poor countries. Brightly lit vending machines. Disposable chopsticks used every day.

  Japan has a lot of great energy and resourse saving devices and techniques but there is still a long way to go.

  On Japan must set ambitious emissions target posted 6 months ago 1 Response