Climate Change
Climate Change
Climate change has arrived. Through erratic weather patterns, forest fires and glacier melt we are already experiencing the effects of climate change. Worse, the process of climate change, based on the levels of greenhouse gases we have already put in the atmosphere, is likely to increase the severity and frequency of severe weather events. If we allow levels of greenhouse gases to continue to rise, the disasters of today will be dwarfed by future catastrophic impacts.
Clearly, one of humanity’s principal challenges in this century will be to stop climate change. To do this, we must drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) – gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that trap heat in the atmosphere, raising global temperature and thereby spurring climate change.
... Read more »
We need regulators, not cheerleaders
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent and his Alberta counterpart Diana McQueen are expected to unveil a new Tar Sands monitoring program Friday afternoon.
“It's time politicians put down their oil industry cheering pompoms and start enforcing the rules and regulations that are already in place,” says John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada.
While Sierra Club Canada is not against an improved monitoring program, Mr. Bennett says: “It's imperative the $50-million a year program be totally financed by big oil and completely independent and free of government and industry interference.”... Read more »
Long-awaited Tar Sands monitoring plan to be unveiled
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent and his Alberta counterpart Diana McQueen will take the wraps off a new oilsands monitoring program Friday afternoon.
Environmental groups are anxiously awaiting the details of the plan which has been in the works for more than a year.
The Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada says it's imperative the plan be totally independent of government and industry interference.
John Bennett says Canadians also want assurances that industry is covering the cost of the ramped up air, land and water pollution monitoring, pegged at roughly $50-million a year.
Bennett says it's time politicians put down their energy industry cheering pompoms and start enforcing the rules and regulations that are already in place.
Fired environmentalist sees conspiracy
A B.C. environmentalist claims in a sworn affidavit the Harper government labelled him and his organization, ForestEthics, an "enemy of the government of Canada" and an "enemy of the people of Canada" and threatened to pull the charitable status of its funder, the Tides Canada Foundation, because of ForestEthics' opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker project exporting tarsands oil to China.
Tides Canada is a major social-policy and environmental organization tackling poverty, climate change and social justice issues. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is a former board member.
After his affidavit went public, Andrew Frank was fired as senior communications officer for ForestEthics, one of the nearly 40 environmental organizations Tides Canada supports.
Three days after Frank's affidavit and letter went online, his colleague, ForestEthics co-founder Valerie Langer, issued this statement:... Read more »
