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The Science of Climate Change
WORLD'S SCIENTISTS APPEAL FOR ACTION AT HISTORIC CONGRESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
More than 2500 delegates from over 80 countries came together last week for a historic conference on climate science. A statement at the end of the meeting announced that "the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realized."
The conference released six key messages. More>
The New York Times reported from the conference that "by the end of the century, sea levels may rise twice as much as was predicted two years ago... This means that the lives of some 600 million people living on low-lying islands, as well as those living in Southeast Asia's populous delta areas, will be put at serious risk if climate change is not quickly and radically mitigated." More>
Time Magazine asks: Could Rising Sea Levels Swallow California's Coast? More>
The Independent reports that the "impact of climate change on the Amazon rainforest could be much worse than previously predicted, new research suggests." More> |
| National News
MINISTER PRENTICE TELLS THE OIL PATCH THAT CANADA IS NOT DOING ITS FAIR SHARE TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE (SORT OF)
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In a recent speech to corporate directors in Calgary, Environment Minister Jim Prentice acknowledged that average global temperature increases of more than 2 to 2.5 degrees will have "catastrophic consequences" for "some of the world's citizens". He also pointed out that, on a per capita basis, Canada produces more greenhouse gas pollution than almost any other country in the world.
The Minister deserves credit for going into the oil patch and acknowledging that Canada is among the world's worst polluters, but he didn't announce any new policies. The government still has weak targets and it still doesn't have a plan that will put Canada on a path to meet its own weak targets. The government is still focused on false solutions like nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage, it is still trashing the Kyoto Protocol, and it is still trapped in a mindset that pits the environment against the economy. In the end, the speech reads more like a thinly veiled warning to the oil patch that Canada is going to have to try and keep up with the United States. Given that the U.S. is trying to overcome eight years of the Bush administration, this isn't a vision for Canadian leadership.
Read the speech> |
| Ontario Green Energy Act
GREENPEACE BLOCKS ONTARIO NUKE PLANT |
Greenpeace activists blocked access to the Ontario Pickering nuclear station last week. "Greenpeace is blocking the Pickering reactor station because Nuclear Energy Minister George Smitherman is blocking green energy in Ontario," said Shawn-Patrick Stensil, a Greenpeace energy campaigner. "The spin around Smitherman's proposed Green Energy Act is cynical greenwashing to hide the fact that his nuclear plans will rob green energy of the funding needed for development." More>
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| US Emissions Regulations
US EPA UNVEILS GREENHOUSE GAS RULES |
Over 13,000 U.S. facilities will have to report their 2010 greenhouse gas pollution levels if a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule goes forward as proposed.
Financial Times: Move to force US industry to report emissions. More> New York Times: EPA proposes tracking industry emissions. More> |
| Green Economy
GLOBAL STIMULUS: A GREEN NEW DEAL? |
Government stimulus packages are adding up to more than US$2800 billion, but is this money positioning humanity to solve its environmental and economic problems at the same time, or locking us into a dangerous trajectory? The United Nations has been working to finalize a proposal for a global green new deal, to be presented at the meeting of the G20 countries next month. Fiona Harvey of the Financial Times argues that there are signs of a global green new deal. More> The Pembina Institute points out that the Obama Administration is proposing to invest over six times more per capita in renewable energy and energy efficiency than Canada. More>
SWEDEN LEADS IN EMISSIONS REDUCTION POLICY
The Swedish government said it aims to reduces its greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. Additionally, 50% of all energy produced will be renewable, the Swedish car fleet will be independent of fossil fuels by 2030, and Sweden will be carbon neutral by 2050. More> |
| Justice Matters
GENDER, INTERNATIONAL FINANCE AND EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
This Gender Action Link introduces the gender impacts of International Financial Institution (IFI) investments in the extractive sector, including coal, oil, gas and logging. More> |
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S COLLOQUIUM IN LIBERIA
Hundreds of women from around the world met in Monrovia, Liberia on March 7-8 to participate in the International Colloquium on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security. There the participants released the Monrovia Declaration, which calls for greater urgency in addressing the mitigation and adaptation aspects of climate change. More> | |
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| Get Involved |
Stop the Tar Sands! Email Premier Ed Stelmach and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and tell them to stop fuelling the rapid expansion of tar sands projects.
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| Looking Ahead |
The 2009 Annual Conference of Green Communities Canada -
Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, ON
Information
March 28
Earth Hour: Turn off your lights for one hour - Around the world.
Information
March 29-April 8
UNFCCC: Seventh session of the AWG-KP and fifth session of the AWG-LCA - Bonn, Germany.
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| About CAN Canada |
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Climate Action Network Canada (CAN Canada) - R?seau action climat
Canada (RAC Canada) is composed of member organizations committed to
preventing dangerous levels of human interference with the global climate
system, protecting environmental sustainability and public health, while
upholding principles of just transition, equity and social justice.
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