Weekly News Roundup: March 21 - 27

Composting towards a greener space

You can stop throwing out so much garbage - because composting is one of the simplest ways to cut down waste in your kitchen. Compost makes for great fertilizer, and reduces your garbage output. All you need is a wooden composter, which can be bought at a hardware store. Instead of throwing away unwanted food, throw it in the composter and wait for the nutrients to break down (eventually, everything turns into mud - hence, the great fertilizer). Most compost systems can break down fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, teabags, eggshells, lint, sawdust, etc. This is definitely one small step towards a greener space.

Posted by Stephanie

Opposition Gives Conservative Environmental Plan Good Spring Cleaning


The House of Commons environment committee has revamped the Conservatives' Clean Air Act so much it is practically unrecognizable from its original form.

In an article from this morning's Globe and Mail, the new version of the act, produced by the majority based opposition committee, calls for a commitment to carbon trading as was the case under the Kyoto Protocol.

It has been well known for some time that Prime Minister Harper strictly opposes carbon trading and speculation has begun as to whether he will use the revised act to trigger an election call or have it passed in the House.

The final version of Bill C-30 should be finished by the end of the week.

Posted by Adam Klevinas

How much carbon do you produce?

With all the talk about carbon dioxide emission, I thought it would be fun to try and figure out how much each of us produce.

When I calculated my own carbon count, it amounted to 11.8 tonnes of CO2. It said that if everyone in the world lived like me, we would need 2.9 planets to support global consumption. Scary isn't it?? What's your carbon count??

By Debbie



The California of Canada?

A Throne Speech delivered yesterday at the British Colombia legislature, described by the Globe and mail as "electifying," pledged to reduce greenhouse emissions to %10 below 1990 levels by 2020. This, despite the fact that BC's energy industry and booming economy have resulted in emissions soaring by %35 since 1990. Critic Ian Bruce, of the David Suzuki foundation, has pointed out that in order to do this, BC will need to set market based targets for the oil and gas industry, something the Campbell government seems reluctant to do.

In comparison to BC's ambitious new targets, California aims to cap emissions in 2020 at the same levels that they were at in 1990.

posted by Graham French

The California of Canada? Pt. 2

Watching political parties and governments reinvent themselves as ecologically sound problem solvers with a keen international audience and a cantankerous electorate is worth a look.

Vancouver is proud of itself these days. It has the Olympics coming soon, and is being touted as a singular achievement in urban planning. The buzzword is ‘eco-density’ – people living and working downtown.

British Columbia’s Premier Gordon Campbell has made some bold statements about limiting emissions and becoming an environmental leader in Canada. (If you can find a leader with platform that promises the opposite please let us know.)

For those interested in what is happening out West, the Globe and Mail is doing a series on British Columbia and its environmental ambitions, including a discussion with reporter Mark Hume.

Back from a visit to my home city after a couple years away, I can attest to how shiny and new it will look for the 2010 Olympic opening ceremonies. Naturally, there are plenty of things about Vancouver’s achievements that do not show so well.

Ryan Bergen

Ad trucks getting fancier



It seems that the ad trucks Wendy mentions in her article are not planning on going a way any time soon. Instead, they're getting fancier and fancier. Check out Go Mobile Media whose clients are certainly more upscale than the typical ad truck client here in Montreal. Is it just a coincidence the trucks are green?

Posted by JOUR428 Teacher

Lights out: Sydney to express concern over climate change

Residents and businesses in Australia's largest city, Sydney, will demonstrate their concern over climate change by turning off their lights at the end of this month. The Hindu reports that on 31 March at 7:30p.m. (that's 4:30a.m EST), many Sydneysiders, as those who live in the city are known, and iconic landmarks like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge will turn out their lights for an hour to express fears about global warming. The city-wide lights-out (bar, for obvious reasons, the airport) is also meant to send a message to Australians that every individual can make their own effort to lighten their carbon footprint.

Wags who might suggest that by March 31 sunset could be later than 7:30p.m. should note that it's currently autumn in Australia, with the sun predicted to go down over Sydney before 6p.m. on 31 March.

Posted by Nick Say


General Motors Automobiles Qualify For Flaherty's Environmental Tax Credit

With a fuel consumption of just 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres, the Toyota Hybrid qualifies for the biggest tax rebate- $2,000- in the federal government's new, 'environmentally friendly' budget.

The Chevrolet Impala, with a fuel consumption of 12.3 litres per 100 kilometres doesn't do too badly either. Buyers will receive a $1000 credit. However, if you were to buy a Nissan Pathfinder that consumes 13.1 litres per 100 kiloemtres, you would have to pay a $1000 surcharge.

Upon first reading this, I was a bit surprised. It seems the Impala runs on 85% ethanol fuel, so the government could justify putting it on the list of 'green' cars.

However, an article in today's Globe and Mail has found another reason why General Motors automobiles made the cut. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty added the GM cars onto the list just one week before the budget was released. And it wasn't departments with policy expertise in the environment that suggested the addition- it was the Department of Finance.

Jim Flaherty's riding is Whitby-Oshawa and not surprisingly, Oshawa is where GM cars are made. The Conservatives have just narrowly won this riding in the past two elections and it seems Mr. Flaherty didn't want to affect his constituents who depend on the local economy for jobs, either directly or spun off from the industry.

Flaherty's reasoning behind, as mentioned above, is that the Impala and Monte Carlo run on 85% ethanol. However, as the Globe reports, the federal government isn't aware of a gas station in Canada that carries that sort of fuel.

Interestingly enough, the federal government has come under fire from GM, Ford and Chrysler because they feel the penalties will hurt the already ailing American car industry.

Posted By Adam Klevinas

Tracking and Mapping North American Carbon Emissions

Reuters recently reported that the United States is in the process of creating a system that will track atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. According to a government researcher, the Carbon Tracker will measure carbon dioxide levels across North America and produce an internet-based map. Areas that emit a high level of carbons such as urban centres will be indicated in red and carbon sinks such as forests will be highlighted in blue.

One of the benefits that the tracker presents is that it could help researchers verify their climate models. In addition, the system could also make the process of trading carbon credits easier by keeping track of whether industries are actually cutting emissions.

In the near future, the tracker will draw on more data from diverse sources including monitors in airplanes and other countries, in order to make a more detailed map.

Canada's federal environment office, Environment Canada, provided a quarter of the data for the project. The carbon tracker team is also working with researchers from China and India.

Although the US does not currently regulate greenhouse gases, banks and carbon trading firms created when the European Union started trading carbon credits in 2005 are preparing for the US to get in on the trading game soon.


By Plan B


Australian green party bill wilts

Australia's green party, known as the Greens, has failed to introduce a bill to make the country's federal government drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Age reports that Greens senator Christine Milne tried to put through a private member's bill that, as well as decreasing emissions, would have forced the Australian government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

While Australia signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, it has not ratified it. In fact, Australia and the U.S. remain the only developed nations who have decided to ignore the UNFCCC's protocol. Like the U.S., the Australian government decided to eschew ratification for economic reasons. The Liberal government's position has not changed since it announced in 2002 that Australia would not be ratifying Kyoto. Indeed, The Age article quotes a Liberal senator, Alan Eggleston, who indicates that the Australian government opposed Milne's Kyoto-friendly bill due to its negative implications for the Australian economy.

Posted by Nick Say


Montreal buses to go green

72 000 rides are done on the city’s buses on an average day. (Photo: Michiel2005.)

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced the launch of an initiative today that will soon allow commuters to ride greener buses.
Eight hybrid buses fuelled by a mix of electricity and biodiesel will be tested on a few selected routes beginning next January. Also in January, the STM will begin fuelling its entire bus fleet with biodiesel.
According to the STM, the two initiatives could ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 500 tons annually, which represents 40% of all greenhouse gases emitted by the STM's 1 600 vehicles.
Both projects are the result of tests conducted on 150 buses that ran on biodiesel for a year in 2002-2003. Close to 50% of this biodiesel was made of used cooking oil - as they do in Kyoto.

Posted by Julie Geffard

IBM heeds climate change message

Contrary to the commonly-held assumption that large corporations have no interest in environmental issues, The Globe & Mail reports that IBM has today (March 22) promised to substantially decrease its greenhouse gas emissions. The technology corporation has pledged to reduce its 2005 emissions by seven per cent by 2012. Those of a cynical disposition may feel that the real emission IBM should focus on reducing is hot air. In fact, this is not IBM's first pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions: in 2002, the corporation promised to reduce its emissions by four per cent by 2005; IBM actually managed to achieve a 6.2 per cent reduction.

IBM and more than a 100 other companies are involved in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary “Climate Leaders” programme.

A cursory look at IBM's website reveals that the corporation is hardly being coy about its environmental efforts. One wonders whether the corporation has an altruistic interest in environmental protection or, more likely, its chief interest is in public relations. The Globe mentions that it could be more of a pragmatic move, as many industry leaders predict government regulations on carbon in the future.

Posted by Nick Say

Tyranny of the random sample

Polling company Angus Reid asked 3698 Canadians whether they think global warming is a real threat. More than three-quarter seem to think it is. Not so many were sure whether it was them who are threatened by global warming.

Ryan Bergen

Climate Change Legislation Stalls

Conservative MPs shut down talks on new climate change legislation after opposition parties insisted on including Kyoto Protocol targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In an article from today's Globe and Mail, it appears that the Conservative government may forgo any legislation to fight climate change if an agreement cannot be made. Instead, they would focus on programs and regulations that do not require Parliament's approval.

Amendments from the opposition include setting Canada's climate-change targets at Kyoto levels in 2012, then 25 per cent below 1990 levels in the years 2018 to 2022 and 80 per cent below 1990 levels in the years 2048 and 2052.

Posted by Adam Klevinas

Al Gore testifies before House

Al Gore has just addressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill, urging them to deal with the "planetary emergency" by passing legislation to cut emissions.

Read more: AP, Bloomberg.

Gore will be at it again, testifying during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on climate change. Watch it here live on C-Span at 2:30 p.m. ET today.

Posted by SH