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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Breaking and Exiting
Another large section of Canadian ice shelf breaks loose |
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04 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:21 AM on 04 Sep 2008 In a predictable yet mildly troubling reminder of the Arctic's continued ice melt, researchers say yet another massive ice chunk has broken off from an ice shelf in Canada. The Serson Ice Shelf just saw its mass more than halved when two large sections broke off recently, leaving it about 47 square miles smaller. For those of you keeping track at home, this summer has seen 19 square mi ... |
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| Topics: Canada, climate, climate change impacts, news (all these topics) |
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Fishy investments
Gates and Buffet to invest in tar sands and spawn more two-headed fish? |
Joseph Romm |
25 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Two heads are apparently not better than one -- certainly not for fish and apparently not for the super-rich either. If you thought that the two richest Americans got that way by being green -- or had suddenly become green because they are now giving their money to charitable causes -- you were mistaken. The National Post reports that last week that the two gazillionaires 'quietly flew into northeastern Alberta on Monday, where they took in the oil sands, apparently ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, oil sands, toxics, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Gates, Buffet to invest in massive climate change?
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David Roberts |
21 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Apparently two of the richest men in the world, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, recently went up to visit the Alberta oil sands. Just based on their interest, oil sands stock jumped over 5 percent. Please, please tell me these guys, who are so active in good causes, are not seriously considering investing in oil sands. This just goes to show that greens have a long way to go to give oil sands the social stigma they deserve. These stocks ought to be radioactive. |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, oil sands (all these topics) |
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Opening the Gates
Two of world's richest men visit Canadian oil sands |
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20 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:08 PM on 20 Aug 2008 The richest and third-richest men in the world made a surprise visit to an oil-sands operation in the Canadian province of Alberta on Monday. Investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who are said to have a combined worth of $120 billion, "were exercising curiosity, basically saying, 'Wow, this is neat,'" says Greg Stringham of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Pr ... |
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| Topics: business, Canada, energy, investing, news, oil sands (all these topics) |
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NOAA's Arctic
U.S. scouts out territory in Arctic; ice-cover loss could be worst ever |
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12 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:09 PM on 12 Aug 2008 U.S. scientists will head to the Arctic this week on a quest to map the ocean floor, and will collaborate with Canada on a surveying trip in September. The two nations -- and their Arctic-bordering compatriots Russia, Denmark, and Norway -- are scrambling to measure their respective continental shelves, with an eye to claiming as much as they can of the estimated 90 billion bar ... |
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| Topics: Arctic, Canada, climate, climate change impacts, news, oil and gas drilling, scientific research, United States (all these topics) |
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The Powers of Darkwoods
Canada protects B.C. caribou habitat |
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24 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:49 PM on 24 Jul 2008 A giant tract of land in southeastern British Columbia will become protected habitat, the Canadian government and Nature Conservancy Canada announced Thursday. The so-called Darkwoods area, purchased from a private forester, adds up to 550 square kilometers of mountains, valleys, and wetlands (that's 212 square miles, for metric-system hatas). The area is home to endangered mountain caribou, grizzly be ... |
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| Topics: Canada, endangered species, habitat protection, Nature Conservancy, news, progress, wildlife (all these topics) |
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West Foot Forward
Western states unveil draft cap-and-trade scheme |
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24 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:53 PM on 24 Jul 2008 The Western Climate Initiative has unveiled a draft proposal for a regional cap-and-trade program that would kick off in 2012. The 11 states and provinces involved -- Arizona, British Columbia, California, Manitoba, Montana, New Mexico, Ontario, Oregon, Quebec, Utah, and Washington -- would impose an as-yet-determined greenhouse-gas emissions limit on industries and utilities, then allow laggards ... |
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| Topics: Arizona, business, California, Canada, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, Montana, New Mexico, news, Oregon, Utah, Washington (all these topics) |
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Howdy, Ontario
A big addition to the Western Climate Initiative |
Eric de Place |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Ontario officially joins the Western Climate Initiative as a full partner. Sweet. Some Americans may not fully realize the significance of this. So for my fellow Yankees (and with apologies to readers north of the border) ... Ontario is the California of Canada in the sense that it has more people and economic activity than any other province. On the other hand, Ontario is the Michigan of Canada in the sense that it has a huge auto manufacturing base. And yet Ontari ... |
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| Topics: regulation, greenhouse-gas emissions, climate change mitigation, climate, Canada (all these topics) |
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Right Ontario
Ontario joins up with Western carbon cutters |
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18 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:28 PM on 18 Jul 2008 Ontario has joined the Western Climate Initiative, a regional carbon-trading agreement with a goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The province joins seven U.S. states (Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and three Canadian counterparts (British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec). For those folks not up on their Canadian know-how ... |
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| Topics: Canada, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, news (all these topics) |
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The Boreal World
Ontario protects gigantic forest area |
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14 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:16 PM on 14 Jul 2008 The Canadian province of Ontario will permanently protect a gigantic swath of boreal forest in what green group ForestEthics says is the largest conservation deal in Canada's history and one of the top three forest protection initiatives anywhere, evah. Some 225,000 square kilometers of trees -- that's more than 86,800 square miles in American -- will be kept safe from resource exploration and development. T ... |
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| Topics: Canada, habitat protection, news, progress (all these topics) |
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It's Hard to Spray Goodbye
Ontario enacts province-wide pesticide ban; fine print upsets greens |
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19 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:07 AM on 19 Jun 2008 The Canadian province of Ontario has just passed a pesticide ban that by next spring would prohibit the use of more than 80 ingredients and 300 pesticide products across the province. However, many greens and public-health advocates have decried the just-passed legislation, saying it could ultimately end up damaging public health. The major problem with the ban, criti ... |
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| Topics: Canada, legislation, news, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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When Is a Lake Not a Lake?
Canadian lakes set to be reclassified as mining-waste dumps |
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17 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:07 AM on 17 Jun 2008 Sixteen lakes across Canada are set to be quietly reclassified as allowable areas for mines to dump toxic waste. While Canadian law technically disallows chucking harmful substances into fish habitat, lakes can be reclassified as "tailings impoundment areas" under a little-known subsection of mining effluent regulations. With a lake at their disposal (literally), min ... |
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| Topics: Canada, mining, news, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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Scrap Mettle
Canadian government offers $300, other incentives to scrap older cars |
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05 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:46 AM on 05 Jun 2008 If you live in Canada and high gasoline prices have you considering whether to ditch your car, consider this winning deal: Turn over your pre-1996 vehicle to be scrapped and you can choose from a variety of attractive offers courtesy of the Canadian government, including a new bike, bus passes, membership in a car-sharing program, a rebate toward buying a newer car, or $300 cash. ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Canada, cars, news (all these topics) |
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Me Tar Sands, You Insane
U.S. emphasis on Canada's tar sands a bad idea, says report |
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04 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:43 PM on 04 Jun 2008 As the United States expands its oil-refining capabilities, more than two-thirds of planned capacity will be devoted to processing crude oil from Canada's tar sands, says a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project and Environmental Defense Canada. Tar-sands capacity is predicted to see a total increase of 1.9 million barrels per day, says the report, while conventiona ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, insanity, news, oil, oil sands, United States (all these topics) |
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Some like it really hot
An Inconvenient Musical plays on |
Sarah van Schagen |
02 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Think the idea of An Inconvenient Opera is a bit off-key? You might be singing a different tune after reading this: Apparently, An Inconvenient Musical opened to sold-out crowds in Toronto last summer. Says Kurt Firla, co-director/writer of the production:It's a satirical look at the climate crisis, corporate greed, and the general public's reluctance to do anything about the problem. It features some of Toronto's top improvisers/comedians, and we're giving $1 from ... |
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| Topics: An Inconvenient Truth, Canada, climate, green living, music (all these topics) |
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'The Saudi Arabia of fertilizer'
One big corpration dominates the soon-to-be-prized potash market |
Tom Philpott |
15 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Industrial agriculture currently stands as humanity's big plan for "feeding the world" as global population moves toward 10 billion and the earth warms. Increasingly, as oil supplies tighten and prices rise, we're looking to industrial ag to fill our gas tanks, too.Unhappily, this relatively new form of farming relies utterly on three elements -- two mined (potassium and phosphorus) and one synthesized from natural gas (nitrogen) -- to maintain the product ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Canada, food (all these topics) |
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Where in the World?
Brazilians and Indians are the greenest, says survey |
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08 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:29 PM on 08 May 2008 Brazilians and Indians are the most eco-friendly folks in the world, and Canadians and Americans are the least, according to a new survey done by the National Geographic Society. Consumers in 14 countries, representing more than half of the world's population and about three-quarters of its energy use, were ranked on their sustainability in the areas of housing, transportation, food, and co ... |
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| Topics: Brazil, Canada, China, consumerism, green living, India, news, United States (all these topics) |
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Say goodbye to 'cides
Home Depot announces an end to traditional pesticide sales in Canada |
Fawn Pattison |
25 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| For consumers concerned about pervasive toxics in the environment, this has been a very good Earth Week. Especially if you live in Canada. Home Depot announced this week that it would stop selling "traditional" lawn and garden pesticides in all its Canadian stores.The reason? Consumers don't want them anymore. People in Canada seem to have discovered that you don't need to spread poisons around your yard in order to garden. Amazing! A huge part of that a ... |
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| Topics: business, Canada, food, gardening, toxics (all these topics) |
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The Beetles Revolution
Mountain pine beetles fueling climate change via tree deaths |
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24 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:38 AM on 24 Apr 2008 Ravenous populations of mountain pine beetles in Canada's forests are contributing significantly to climate change through killing off large numbers of trees, according to a study in the journal Nature. So far, the beetles have killed trees in over 50,000 square miles of forests in western Canada, and hundreds of thousands of square miles in the western United States. "When ... |
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| Topics: Canada, climate, deforestation, news, scientific research (all these topics) |
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
Ontario plans to ban garden pesticides |
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23 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:14 PM on 23 Apr 2008 Photo: Laura Gibb The province of Ontario plans to ban the sale and use of garden pesticides. The legislation would keep lawn-owners in Canada's most populous province from using more than 70 chemicals present in more than 300 products. Critics cry double standard, though, as Ontario's golf courses, farms, and forests would be exempt from the ban. If approved, Ontario's pesticide regulations will ... |
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| Topics: Canada, gardening, green living, news, regulation, toxics (all these topics) |
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Bisphenol, Eh?
Health Canada primed to declare bisphenol A toxic |
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15 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:43 PM on 15 Apr 2008 Canada's health department is expected to become the first regulatory body ever to declare chemical bisphenol A a toxic substance that humans should reduce their exposure to. BPA shows up in (and leaches from) hard plastic water bottles, aluminum cans, and other containers that consumers regularly eat and drink from. The chemical, which has been linked to reproductive anomalies, has come under some ... |
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| Topics: Canada, food, health, news, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Seal of Disapproval
Militant activists charged in seal protest |
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07 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:15 AM on 07 Apr 2008 Two members of the militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have been charged with sailing too close to a Canadian vessel while protesting the country's annual seal hunt. Capt. Alexander Cornelissen and First Officer Peter Hammarstedt face up to nearly $100,000 and a year in prison if convicted. Sea Shepherd sailors say the hunters were the antagonists; Canada's Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans say ... |
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| Topics: Canada, grassroots activism, news, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Other carbon tax shifts
A quick survey of carbon taxes outside of Cascadia |
Alan Durning |
12 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| British Columbia's bombshell announcement of a carbon tax shift last month made me want some context. Here's a rundown of other carbon taxes elsewhere in the world. As I noted, none of them is as consistent and comprehensive as B.C.'s, though some do have higher tax rates. In most cases, these levies came in tax shifts that reduced payroll taxes, business taxes, or other energy taxes. B.C.'s starts at $10.10 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent and rises in steps to $30.30 ... |
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| Topics: British Columbia, Canada, carbon tax, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Canadians Are So Cute When They're Mad
Canadians fear U.S. energy bill clause could disallow oil-sands exports |
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11 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:17 PM on 11 Mar 2008 A clause in the recently passed U.S. energy bill could be interpreted to prevent the U.S. from sourcing fuel from Canada's oil sands, putting Canadian officials all in a tizzy. Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act prohibits the U.S. government from purchasing alternative fuels with higher lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions than conven ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, news, oil, oil sands, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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That's Chilliwack
Biodiesel company convinces B.C. restaurants to switch oils |
Katharine Wroth |
10 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Came across this piece about a biodiesel company in British Columbia that's convincing restaurants to switch to a lighter, healthier cooking oil so it can buy the oil and turn it into biodiesel. And partly I'm just excited because the program, called Restaurant Green Zone, is finding the biggest success in Chilliwack! And that's fun to say on a Monday! But also it's an interesting approach: the company, Effective Resource Management BioSource (known to its pals as ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, biofuels, British Columbia, Canada, food (all these topics) |
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