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2008 05 23
CKF Film Friday No. 1
Today kicks off Corporate Knight Forum’s film Friday series. We’ll try to collect in one place the most interesting environmental films and videos from around the Web so you don’t have to.
Blue Man Group
Earth Activist
Fox News Attacks The Environment (You’ve got to love main stream media)
Padagonia goes green.
2008 05 20
Earth Systems Bake As Planet Heats Up
Unless you are a card carrying Republican working for an international oil company, there is no avoiding the reality of this news. “Humans are influencing climate through increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the warming world is causing impacts on physical and biological systems attributable at the global scale,” said lead author Cynthia Rosenzweig, scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies last week. In what has to close the final chapter in any U.S. policy-maker’s handbook of denial, NASA is now fully standing by decades of research showing the extent of how human activity impacts the earth. Symptoms of the earth’s warming range from glacial melting, to earlier bird migration, and hotter oceans. The news is especially troubling for North Americans: the patterns of change here are strongest.
Symptoms in North America
2008 05 17
Toronto’s Harbourfront Nets Surprising Fish Installation
 When I was a kid my grandfather took me fishing along the shores of Lake Erie. The shallowest of the Great Lakes, Erie then supported a sizable fishing industry out of harbours like Port Stanley and Port Burwell. No longer. Most Ontarians today wouldn't know the difference between a salmon and a pike, but two Toronto artists want to change that. They want your kids to enjoy the natural abundance the lakes once offered and could again. If you haven't taken the time to visit Toronto's Harbourfront this spring the holiday weekend provides a perfect reason to pack up the kids, jump on a streetcar, and come down to the York Quay Gallery to take in the FishNet experience. You won't regret it. The show's creators, Angela Iarocci and Claire Ironside describe it this way:  FishNet: The Great Lakes Craft and Release Project is a two-part project comprised of a craft phase and a release phase, transforms textile fish into real fish. Led by Toronto-based designers Claire Ironside and Angela Iarocci, the project is now on display at the York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront Centre from May 3 to June 22, 2008.
2008 05 13
Will The Great Lakes Be Another Aral Sea?
Given that Canada is the land of glacier-fed streams, and (relatively) clean water, it is hard to imagine the Great Lakes being great no more—but it is possible. Just take a look at the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for an example of what havoc exploitative policies can cause on a seemingly robust ecosystem. We tend to think such savage exploitation will never happen here, but we also thought the Cod Fishery would go on forever, and Passenger pigeons were so plentiful that we could kill them at our pleasure. The truth is, we are opportunistic creatures who can rationalize just about any travesty as long as there is a short-term dollar to be had, or an economic advantage to be gained. To compound a bad situation, when it comes to the environment time is our enemy, and not for the obvious reasons. No, time lets us forget what once was. Like the proverbial frog in a slowly warming pan of water, our condition is always relative to what we remember with accuracy. SInce most of us seem to suffer from advanced Alzheimer’s when it comes to remembering the natural environment, will that be frog’s legs anyone? That’s why when the Great Lakes Compact was made between provinces and states bordering the Great Lakes it seemed that rational thought and long-term preservation of natural resources might actually win the day. But wait:
The drought of 2006 swept across North America’s Great Plains sucking water from the soil and threatening to bring back the “dirty thirties” or worse to the world’s supposed bread basket (or is that now the world’s ethanol tank). Just take a look at the map above. Turns out the Wisconsin borders Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Guess what state was unable to ratify the Great Lakes Compact. You guessed it. With all that water just sitting there, why should neighbouring farmlands have to go without? You can hear the trumpeting now. “This is a national emergency.” “We must have the water for short-term relief.” “The have states must share with the have nots.” I have no doubt that’s what the bureaucrats managing the Aral Sea once said. But since they are all dead now, who is to know—or care? It is history, just like the Cod.
2008 05 09
Canada’s GreenDex Ranking
The National Geographic Society released a green index that ranks countries based on the sustainability. The bad news: Canada is among the worst (and will continue to decline as we ramp up our oil sands processing on the way to becoming an “energy super-power"). But the Greendex does not focus on governments and industry, it zooms in on what consumers in those countries are doing ranking them accordingly.
And the details of what we do wrong?
For more information on how we are really bad stewards of our environment, download the complete PDF.
2008 05 07
Nature Protects Better
Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove forest Remember when Katrina decimated New Orleans? Some scientists argued that the destruction of nearby swamps in the Mississippi delta took away an effective storm surge barrier and, well, you saw the results. The problem with man-made barriers is that they are only as strong as their weakest link. A section of canal wall fails and it is so-long Ninth Ward. Yet we continue to remove natural barriers like swamps and mangrove forests.
This week’s typhoon in Myanmar provides another warning to developers everywhere: remove natural barriers to storms at your own risk. According to a BBC report deaths caused by the storm were directly related to the loss of Mangrove forests that grow in salty marshes all over the world.
When 300,000 people in Bangladesh died in flooding there, the country instituted a policy to let the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans forest grow into a natural storm barrier protecting the low-lying nation. Global warming makes mangrove barriers more important as sea levels continue to inch upward.
2008 05 01
Is Ontario A Have Not Province?
 Let's face it. We were all a little bit shocked when the Toronto Star announced yesterday that Ontario was now a bit player in the Canadian provincial hierarchy. "Ontario is not the mighty king of the economy any more," said TD's chief economist, Don Drummond, predicting the province could get $400 million in 2010 and $1.3 billion the following year.There is the argument neatly summed up by one of the Country's more respected economists. Unless we are either pumping oil or making cars for some other country's automobile sector, we are nothing. Well, I don't buy it. Rather than wail that the sky is falling, in a quarterly driven profit and loss blinkered vision of reality, why not use this obvious sign that industry is changing as a reason to revamp our economy and prepare to take on the real big "NEXT" markets? We all know what they are. I wasn't surprised to read a few short weeks ago that the German industrial sector has made a few good deals buying up Canadian environmental technology companies and relocating them to Europe. Some European countries are literally changing their landscape because of an economic shift to sustainable, knowledge-driven industries. What about this picture don't our policy makers understand? Big cars pollute, cause global warming, and use too much of a non-renewable commodity. Plus, no one in their right mind wants them now except as a symbol of conspicuous consumption that would make Thorstein Veblen blush. Still, here we are bemoaning the fact that people aren't buying enough obsolete car designs, and our smokestack industries are failing. Come on! We've predicted this failure for a generation and a half. That it seems to surprise government should be a warning sign to the electorate: Why can't our elected representatives think outside of the short term and plan for the future? Change is good. Change usually involves short to mid term pain. If we are going to experience that pain anyway—as a have-not province—let's make something out of it. Let's build an economy for tomorrow's markets using the best of today's ideas—you know, the ones that far-seeing countries are buying up from under us. Then when residents of other provinces can't breath because they've burned up so much fossil fuel to convert sand to oil, we'll have clean air, livable cities, and an economy with a future.
2008 04 28
Canada’s Fragile Fresh Water System
Water seems abundant in Canada, but is it really?
In the land of glacial waters and spring thaws the last thing most Canadians think about is where their next drink of clean water is coming from. Big mistake. Canada does not have a limitless supply of fresh water. Only a small fraction of the water we see when visiting the Great lakes, for example, is "new" and if we consume it or pollute it or otherwise make it unusable it will not be readily replaced. In today's Globe and Mail John Austin makes his case to Canadians that we have to protect and conserve this finite resource:
2008 04 23
Boeing And Airbus Meet To Reduce Carbon Footprint Of Air Travel
Aviation industry competitors AIrbus And Boeing signed an agreement Tuesday that will let them work together to reduce air travel’s carbon footprint. According to AFP:
Unlike Virgin Airline’s recent use of biofuels to reduce CO2 emissions, this agreement is premised on improving aircraft routing efficiencies which will reduce the amount of time an aircraft is airborne consuming fuel. Fuel savings generated from this tactic could top 10% in Europe and more in the United States where air traffic is heavier.
2008 04 22
Silver Donald Cameron On Paul Watson
SIlver Donald Cameron introduces his view of the great Sea Shepherd debate:
If you thought all Easterners supported Minister Hearn’s reckless seizure of a foreign vessel in International waters, well, you haven’t read Cameron’s blog, Silver Donald on Sunday. Is Paul Watson really gutless?
To read more of Cameron’s critique of Canada’s sealing policy, go to today’s Chronicle Herald. Meanwhile, in Watson’s personal blog on the Sea Shepherd site, the altercation continues:
2008 04 14
Sea Shepherd Stormed—But Fighting Back In Press
 Canadian Fisheries has once again proven that it thinks bad politics beats good policy. Last weekend’s seizure of the Farley Mowat—a Sea Shepherd Foundation protest vessel—proves the point. After an abysmal week for the Canadian Government agency where four fisherman drowned as a result of a towing accident involving a Canadian icebreaker, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn decided to deflect the generation-old criticism of Canada’s sealing industry by arresting environmentalists. Leader of the Sea Shepherd organization Paul Watson made it easy for Hearn to take this step when he stated, “The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recognizes that the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy but Sea Shepherd also recognizes that the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups is an even greater tragedy.” According to the CBC, Watson also described sealers as “sadistic baby killers” and “vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity.” With eastern Canada enraged over Watson’s comments, Minister Hearn saw an opportunity to act and he did. He ordered the Mowat seized in international waters. Of course, this was Watson’s purpose all along: provoke a disproportionate government response to get headlines and reach an international audience. Read this quote from the Sea Shepherd’s web site:
Given the provocation, it is hard for Canadians to support Watson’s efforts to ban sealing. That’s why Green Party leader Elizabeth May decided that it was time to distance herself from the group. She resigned from her role as an advisor to the Sea Shepherd society.
Canada’s bad policy on sealing makes Watson’s job easier. The story is already in the world’s news cycle, and Canada’s image abroad is eroded first and foremost by the primitive spring blood ritual, and then by the making of laws meant to prevent observers from covering the slaughter. When a Canadian icebreaker rams an environmental protest vessel in international waters it is easy to guess how the story will be played by the world’s press. From the Australian News site:
From the Globe and Mail:
2008 04 11
Failing Economics: A Story From www.readingtoronto.com
By Peter Fruchter @ Reading Toronto
 Hey -- what’s with the partial nudity? That’s just how Robert Nadeau regards economists. Because, according to his recent article in Scientific American, economists are scientifically ignorant. That’s why, on his view, Unscientific assumptions in economic theory are undermining efforts to solve environmental problems.Essentially, Nadeau’s argument isn’t that economic theories are inconsistent. Only absurdly incomplete. As if mainstream economists were describing nothing but straight narrow portions of spectacularly long winding roads. Thus, particularly when it comes to ecological impacting, economists mislead us. Their theories can’t lead us anywhere we need to go. Economic theories are misleading rather than explanatory due to how absurdly incomplete they are. Nadeau is calling for economic upgrades: Because neoclassical economics does not even acknowledge the costs of environmental problems and the limits to economic growth, it constitutes one of the greatest barriers to combating climate change and other threats to the planet. It is imperative that economists devise new theories that will take all the realities of our global system into account.Some economists might not take Nadeau’s threat to tinker economics lying down, though. “Bender”, for instance, commented that, In an article purportedly discussing economic analysis and environmental policy neither externality nor externalities ever appeared! I don’t know which is more depressing, that someone could be stupid and ignorant enough to produce this tripe or that the Scientific American has sunk so low as to publish it.How pedantic. That's exactly what Nadeau's talking about -- how overwhelming economic externalities like ecology are getting. But Nadeau not utilising the specific terms “Bender” recognizes resulted in “Bender” utterly missing Nadeau’s point. Standard economic theories mislead us precisely because environmental crisis constitutes such overwhelming externality. Nadeau’s right, of course. We are rushing full steam and toxic waste to being overwhelmed. Not just economically. But should economists seek to internalize theoretically and factually overwhelming externalities like environmental crisis? No. By no means. Absolutely not. There is no economic solution to our problems. Rather, let’s better appreciate how limited and incomplete economic theories are -– and let’s start looking way past economics for what it means to be more natural. What it means to be at all natural. Can we do that? Toronto living is just about the most economically affluent anywhere –- ever. We expect some economic turbulence ahead. Will we be willing to look past it –- for what it means to be more natural? Or do we remain forever fixated on economic maximizing -- regardless how affluent we get? Regardless the cost to everything natural so precariously remaining? [Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.] Screenshot from here.
2008 04 09
Gore: Crisis of Citizenship Impedes Addressing Environmental Crises
By Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (at http://www.dailykos.com — borrowed without permission but with good intentions)
Last month Al Gore discussed how our democracy crisis is impeding our efforts to address the climate crisis. As Gandhi said, "We must become the change we want to see" in the world. Gore stated that we can not solve the climate crisis until we solve the crisis of citizenship and democracy. The outcome we desire for global warming or any environmental issue is not going to be achieved by our beliefs unless it is accompanied by new behavior of citizen involvement at both the personal and political levels. Behavioral changes are good, like conservation, but Gore stated that it is more important to change the laws. Changing laws requires acknowledging an urgency of the environmental crises we face. We have not yet acknowledged that urgency with global warming. 68% of Americans agree that global warming is caused by human activity and 69% believe the earth is heating up in a significant way. However, we are missing that sense of urgency, which is reflected in the fact that global warming and environmental issues are ranked at the bottom of issues of importance. What we can do to move toward establishing that sense of urgency needed to trigger active citizenship which then triggers solving environmental issues is to understand the facts and analyze the issues. Once we agree upon the facts and analysis, then we must take action to change our political culture. This happened in Australia, which faced such a devastating drought that the people unified in a campaign to "lift the sense of urgency for the people about global warming and drought." The campaign included participation by newspaper, TV, radio and the internet, and it created the sense of urgency that led to a changed government with a new prime minister whose first action was to change position on global warming by ratifying Kyoto. Gore warned that we can not wait until we face water shortages like the drought in Australia.
The extreme event apparently must be either an event with national impact or a regional crisis for which people nationwide can identify. I say this because Katrina did not trigger any campaign or movement to change laws to remedy the natural or man-made disasters in NOLA. Years of massive environmental disasters in Appalachia have similarly been met with silence. Gore is right that we can not wait for a drought like Australia. However, something is preventing public recognition of a sense of urgency with environmental issues. One obstacle is that many environmental issues are usually implicitly (if not also expressly) mocked as simply a liberal "tree hugger" issue that really is not important, but simply a case of tree hugger activists who have too much spare time on their hands. We can see this to some extent with the global warming deniers who have been effective in delaying action by decreasing political (...read more...)
2008 03 30
Earth Hour: Hit or Miss?
The ratings are in—Toronto’s energy use dropped about 9% over Saturday evening’s normal electrical consumption. Not bad, but when you think about it, not that great either. You have to wonder where most of that energy drop came from. My bet is that it was from the big commercial users—office towers, etc. Consumers? Well, the drop was probably 2 to 3%. After all, there was a hockey game on, right?
Maybe we were inspired by our leader, Stephen Harper. Turns out that Mr. Harper kept his lights on both at home and in the office. The Toronto Star writes:
Actions, as it is said, speak far louder than words. To his credit, Environment Minister John Baird turned off his lights, as did Stephane Dion, leader of the Liberal Party.
2008 03 26
The Anti-Green Policies Of Toronto Hydro
Toronto Hydro’s archaic pricing policies are bent on destroying the city’s position as a leader in sustainability. Why? A colleague of mine, Cameron Miller, discovered that Toronto Hydro customers are not treated the same when it comes to paying for electricity. Mr. Miller and his wife live in a condo in downtown Toronto. Retired now, they remain—more than ever—committed to reducing their environmental footprint. Like many Torontonians, they believe that conservation is essential to our city’s viability, and should be rewarded by our community-owned utility companies. It turns out that in Toronto being green makes one a bit of a fool—at least in the eyes of Toronto Hydro. Mr. Miller found out that he was paying more for his electricity than others who consumed far greater amounts. In fact, the more he reduced his use of electricity, the more he and others like him underwrite the excess consumption of others. Armed with proof, he went to the Ontario Energy Board. Here is his case:
This is about residential rates only.
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