EPA's New Clean Air Rules

A new EPA rule puts 18 aging coal plants on a path to being cleaned up or retired and another EPA rule on haze could affect a total of 300 coal facilities.

The EPA is acting on its Clean Air Act mandate to collaborate with states to reduce haze.

This milestone agreement comes after the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Parks Conservation Association and WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit early in 2011 challenging the EPA's failure to act.

According to a June agreement filed in the US District Court in Colorado, the EPA will be required to oversee plans to curb thousands of tons of air pollution in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming beginning next year.

The goal is to restore visibility under natural conditions by 2064. The haze in question is about much more than the visibility of national landmarks, according to WildEarth Guardians, the 18 plants targeted under the agreement collectively release at least 200,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, 150,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 120 million tons of carbon dioxide..

Colorado, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, aren't the only states that will have to reduce emissions that cause haze. The new agreement will demand that close to three dozen more states prepare their own regional haze plans. This may prove to be the first salvo in a nationwide effort to rein in haze-causing pollutants at power plants, pulp mills, refineries and smelters.

Under the Obama administration's tenure, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has transformed CAIR into what is now called the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The EPA recently released requirements for that newest standard.

EPA figures put the cost of acting on a nationwide plan to reduce haze in the neighborhood of $1.5 billion annually. But according to the EPA, the health-care savings will total around $8.4 billion a year.

Once the 30-day comment period ends July 15, a federal judge in Colorado is tasked with issuing final approval. The deadline for that agreement is currently being negotiated but details should be announced later this year.

Although it has been a long and slow process, it looks at though efforts to have cleaner skies in America is finally coming to fruition.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Electric and Hybrid Vehicles: Changing Perceptions

A 2011 study suggests that consumers are changing the way they look at transportation. This is one of the key findings of an Accenture survey tiled Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Changing Perceptions, Hedging Bets.

The Accenture survey also found that:

• Purchase price is only one deciding factor in buying an electric vehicle. Recharging convenience, range anxiety and even the source of the energy for recharging are all of concern to potential buyers.
• Today's consumer favors plug-in hybrids over full electric vehicles
• Utilities will have to invest in infrastructure upgrades to meet consumer preference for where and when they recharge their electric cars.
• Utilities may face competition for charging services from new providers.

Consumer's views on hybrid and fully electric vehicles are maturing as is the market and infrastructure that supports them.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Indian Government is Supporting the Development of Electric and Hybrid Cars

The government of India is helping its automotive industry to develop greener vehicles by supporting hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). The government of India's National Electric Mobility Mission will enable companies to develop batteries with lower running cost and maintenance.

“There are several players in India making different kind of electric vehicles but lack of infrastructure to charge these vehicles and the high-price of hybrid cars has prevented growth,” said Ambuj Sharma, joint-secretary, ministry of Heavy Industries.

In India hybrid vehicles cost twice the price of those powered by a combustion engine alone. The cost of EVs is particularly relevant in India, where higher costs have slowed the widespread adoption of greener cars.

The higher cost of battery technology represents a major obstacle to the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles. By investing in greener cars the government of India is capitalizing on an under-utilized segment and building an infrastructure that will generate economic growth and reduce emissions.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Winners of the 2011 Green Chemistry Awards

For the past 16 years the US EPA has been giving out the awards that recognize the most innovative chemical technologies associated with pollution prevention in the US. The 2011 EPA Presidential Green Chemistry awards went to BioAmber, Genomatica, Kraton Performance Polymers and Sherwin Williams as well as Professor Bruce Lipshutz of University of California, Santa Barbara.

Green chemistry is a field of science that is of major importance in efforts to manage climate change. Scientific research and development in this field focuses on less-hazardous alternatives to existing technologies which reduce or eliminate waste particularly hazardous waste, in industrial production.

According to a recent Pike Research Green Chemistry study, the industry is expected to grow from $2.89bn in 2011 to $98.5bn by 2020.

"Green chemistry markets are currently nascent, with many technologies still at laboratory or pilot scale," says Pike Research president Clint Wheelock, "and many production-scale green chemical plants are not expected to be running at capacity for several more years. However, most green chemical companies are targeting large,existing chemical markets, so adoption of these products are limited less by market development issues than by the ability to feed extant markets at required levels of cost and performance."

Pike Research anticipates dramatic growth rates for green chemicals during the coming decade. The global chemical industry is currently valued at $4 trillion. By 2020, the firm expects that the total chemical industry will expand to $5.3 trillion in annual revenues.

BioAmber was given the Small Business Award for its "Integrated Production and Downstream Applications of Biobased Succinic Acid." BioAmber's technology produces succinic acid at a cost 40% below that of petroleum-based succinic acid and can even compete when oil prices are below $40 per barrel. The technology also sequesters carbon dioxide rather than emitting it.

Succinic acid, commonly referred to as amber acid, is a key building block for a wide range of secondary chemicals used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and agricultural industries. BioAmber's biosuccinic acid can also substitute for other chemicals like adipic acid in traditional polymers and serve as the starting material for the production of chemicals such as BDO and tetrahydrofuran (THF).

Genomatica, on the other hand, has been recognized for its production of high volume basic chemicals from renewable feedstocks at lower cost under the "Greener Synthetic Pathways Award." BDO, with a 2.8 billion pound, $3 billion worldwide market, is a high-volume chemical building block used to make many common polymers, such as spandex and in automotive plastics.

Genomatica expects its production expenses for bio-BDO should be 15-30% less than petroleum-based BDO and be competitive at oil prices of $45 per barrel or at natural gas prices of $3.50 per million Btu.

Kraton is already well known in the chemical industry and the company received this year's "Greener Reaction Conditions Award." for its NEXAR™ Polymer Membrane Technology. The technology is a family of halogen-free, high-flow, polymer membranes made using up to 50% less hydrocarbon solvent. The NEXAR™ membranes can purify hundreds of times more water than one using traditional membranes. The EPA noted that Kraton's technology also save 70% in membrane costs, and 50% in energy
costs.

The NEXAR polymers are reportedly made from block copolymers that provide strength toughness and flexibility, and water or ion transport.

The blog is actually very interested in Sherwin-William's water-based acrylic alkyd technology which was given the "Designing Greener Chemicals Award." Sherwin-Williams is said to have developed its water-based paints (sold under ProClassic Waterbased Acrylic Alkyd,ProMar 200 Waterbased Acrylic Alkyd, and ProIndustrial Waterborne Enamel) made from recycled soda plastic bottle (PET), acrylics and soybean oil.

Sherwin-Williams has used 320,000 pounds of soybean oil, 250,000 pounds of recycled PET, and eliminated 1,000 barrels of oil use as well as over 800,000 pounds of VOCs in 2010.

Professor Lipshutz received the Academic Award. He developed a novel, second-generation designer surfactant called TPGS-750-M made from inexpensive ingredients. The technology is said to offer opportunities for industrial processes to replace large amounts of organic solvents with very small amounts of a benign surfactant nanodispersed in water only. These reactions can even be run in seawater. Sigma-Aldrich is currently offering TPGS-750-M for sale, making it broadly available to research laboratories.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: Koch Brothers Climate Denial Machine

A short animation detailing the efforts of billionaire oil barons Charles and David Koch to undermine belief in climate change and prevent legislation that threatens their profits. By pouring money into pseudo-scientific studies and funding third parties such as think tanks and front groups (posing as everything from Senior's groups to Women's groups) the public is led to believe a genuine scientific debate is raging. In truth, as one climate denier candidly admits, those doubting the science are just a small, if brilliantly coordinated, minority.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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China Poised to Challenge Global Auto Giants in the Greener Vehicle Market

Under the government"s long-term science and technology plan China is exploring a variety of greener vehicle technologies. In 2006, the Chines government issued a policy directive to encourage the development of small cars with low fuel consumption and low emissions.

China's Chang’an Auto is already mass producing a hybrid vehicle for about $20,000, which is $10,000 less than the Toyota Prius hybrid. Chang’an produced 50,000 Jiexun-HEV hybrid cars in 2010.

China's efficient low emission vehicles are part of its global strategy aimed at the greener global vehicle market. In addition to the growing domestic market, China is increasing exports to developing nations, as well as to the US and Europe.

Inexpensive compact cars like the Chery QQ, and the Geely Panda are selling well domestically. There is also a resurgence of demand for larger sedans in China. These larger models are important to its export strategy. In 2009, 30,000 of the 190,000 Chinese cars were exported.

Geely plans to increase its overseas sales to 1.3 million vehicles annually by 2015, with assembly plants already operating in Russia, Ukraine and Indonesia, and another one planned in Mexico.

Chery, exported 120,000 vehicles in 2009 and has over 20 overseas plants designed to boost sales in Russia, the Middle East, South America and South Africa. The company also signed an agreement to produce compact cars under the Chrysler brand for US and European markets.

The Chinese are positioning themselves to take on the global giants in global sales of greener vehicles.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Greening of China's Cities, Counties, Towns and Industry

According to China's deputy director of the National Energy Administration, Qian Zhimin, Chinese cities, counties and towns will be increasingly green in the next few years. As reported in China Daily, Qian estimated that by 2015, the country could see as many as 100 cities, 200 counties and 10,000 towns relying on alternative sources of energy like renewables.

“Against the backdrop of combating climate change and pursuing development in a way that saves energy and avoids harming the environment, the notion of a low-carbon town is becoming prevalent, and promising exploration have been conducted by a multitude of…cities,” Qian said. “Priorities should be placed on the development of public and rail transit and the construction of smart grids. We should also make cities more energy efficient”

China's first model town, Tianjin Yujiapu financial district was nominated as the first low-carbon model town project in the Asia-Pacific region at a forum that discussed low carbon model towns. The initial planning for the city was conducted by international design teams from Manhattan, Chicago, London, and Japan.

“In recent years, test projects have begun for regions that will emit relatively little carbon and have been preliminarily tried out in five provinces and eight cities, including Tianjin,” Qian said.

Li Bo, the president of the Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment Ltd., noted that the buildings in the city are being constructed in accordance to green standards. “Last year, we signed cooperative agreements with more than 60 low-carbon enterprises from home and abroad,” Li said. At present, 260 enterprises have invested in the Yujiapu financial district, with a total capital registered for the project at around 60 billion yuan, or $9.27 billion.

Xinhua reports that China’s minister of industry and information technology, Miao Xu, said that the government has plans to green the country’s industrialization strategy. The minister indicated that China will promote energy efficiency and emissions reductions. These measures are significant given the fact that as of 2011, Chinese energy consumption in industrial production accounts for 70 percent of the nation’s total energy consumption.

These efforts are consistent with China’s five-year plan which mandates movement away from fossil fuels, and lowering energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 16 percent.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Environmental Compliance and Enforcement at INECE’s 9th International Conference

In June, the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Netherland’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, and other member countries, held its 9th International Conference entitled "Enforcement Cooperation: Strengthening Environmental Governance,” in Whistler Canada

The conference hosted more than150 environmental compliance and enforcement experts from over 50 countries to identify new actions to promote enforcement cooperation to combat environmental crime and support the shift to sustainable development and a green economy.

Lisa Jackson, the Administrator of the US EPA opened the conference with the following remarks: “We all know that environmental challenges don’t stop at our borders – and for that reason, neither can our efforts to ensure environmental and health safeguards. INECE’s collaborations with organizations across the globe are instrumental in strengthening our individual enforcement and compliance efforts and expanding effective environmental governance around the world.”

INECE is a global leader and partner in international cooperation efforts to keep our communities safe from environmental crimes. INECE Conferences, which are held once every three years, provide a unique forum for building capacity for compliance promotion and strengthening enforcement cooperation among government environmental protection agencies and other key stakeholders from international institutions

John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and Ignacia Moreno Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice, also addressed the conference. They stressed the importance of strong national institutions to assure compliance with and enforcement of international agreements on the environment. Moreno cited one example of a joint investigation between the US, Canada, and Interpol of the Overseas Shipbuilding Group for violations of MARPOL, which led to a $37 million criminal penalty.

“The reason we can drink our water and breathe our air is because we have dedicated compliance and enforcement professionals working tirelessly around the world to protect the environment,” said Durwood Zaelke, Director of the INECE Secretariat.

Catherine McCabe, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the US EPA and Co-Chair of INECE emphasized that, “Every environmental law, policy and regulation – both at the national and international level - is only as strong as its actual implementation. If compliance and enforcement of environmental requirements are lacking, the environment and health of our people is put at risk. Collaboration between law enforcement disciplines at all levels is essential to ensure that laws provide effective protection of public health and the environment.”

Ken Markowitz, Managing Director of INECE stressed, “Compliance with domestic laws and policies forms the critical foundation for achieving the objectives of our international environmental agreements to protect our climate, lands, oceans and biodiversity.”

Chief Gibby Jacob, hereditary Chief of the Squamish Nation and Justice Antonio Benjamin of the High Court of Brazil, a leader in the field of environmental compliance and enforcement, welcomed the participants and, both spoke of the importance of partnership and working together around our shared and common values.

The conference provided recommendations to advance the role of environmental compliance and enforcement in achieving sustainable development objectives as part of the preparatory work for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20.

For more details click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Obama's Call for an End to Oil Subsidies and Big Oil's Suggestion

To make cuts in American government spending the President has once again proposed ending oil subsidies. On Wednesday June 29, President Barack Obama, indicated that it reasonable to expect oil and gas companies that “have done so well” in the current economy to give up some breaks to help close federal deficits. “I don’t think that’s real radical,” he said.

In response to calls to end oil subsidies, Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, told Washington Wire, rather than cutting subsidies or raising taxes on the oil and gas industry, America should increase their exploitation of domestic petroleum resources.

The industry has been pushing for more production in places such as the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Big Oil is seemingly oblivious to the environmental costs. These risks are particularly great as they apply to offshore oil.

Last summer we witnessed a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska has seen its share of devastating oil spills. The 1989, Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska impacted over 1100 miles of non-continuous coastline in Alaska. Despite miles of booms, scores of skimming ships and armies of beach washers, only 14 percent of the oil was ever cleaned up.

In the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, more than 700 million liters of crude oil leaked into the water. Some have suggested that efforts to address the spill have exacerbated the problem. Dispersants used to reduce the size of the oil slick also impacting upon marine ecosystems. A break in a BP-owned pipeline on the North Coast of Alaska spewed 200,000 gallons of oil in March 2006.

The fact that fossil fuels are the leading cause of climate change make taking advice from Big Oil sort of like asking a thief about security. Its would be a great idea if they did not want to steal from you.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Independence Day 2011: Declaration of Freedom from Fossil Fuels

Two hundred and thirty five years ago, the colonies freed themselves from the injustice of British rule, now America needs to free itself from the injustice of fossil fuels.

The United States' Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. On that day, thirteen American colonies proclaimed their freedom from Great Britain. On the fourth of July 2011, America needs a declaration of freedom from fossil fuels.

A few years after the American revolution, the industrial revolution dawned, beginning America's meteoric rise to global dominance. However, the engine that drove this growth is also the leading cause of climate change.

This Independence day, as the Congress is working on budget cuts, Americans have some important choices to make.

We must rethink some of the basic notions of the old economy. We need to move towards more efficient and sustainable visions of the future. It is time for Americans to declare their independence and begin working towards a future free of fossil fuels.© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Global 100's Most Sustainability Corporations in North America for 2011

The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World is an annual project initiated by Corporate Knights, the magazine for clean capitalism. In 2010, Corporate Knights collaborated with three strategic partners to identify the Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.

The Corporate Knights Global 100 team included Inflection Point Capital Management—a sustainability-focused asset management venture founded by Dr. Matthew Kiernan, Legg Mason's Global Currents Investment Management, and Phoenix Global Advisors LLC (a consulting and technology platform focused on sustainability). As with past editions of the Global 100, the aim was to highlight the global corporations which have been most proactive in managing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Launched in 2005, the annual Global 100 is announced each year during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Here is the Global 100 list (in alphebetical order) of the leading sustainable corporations in North America for 2011:

• Agilent Technologies
• Baxter International Inc.
• BCE Inc.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises
• Enbirdge Inc.
• Encana Corp
• General Electric Co.
• Hewlett-Packard Co
• Intel Corp.
• Johnson & Johnson
• Johnson Controls Inc.
• Kraft Foods Inc.
• Nexen Inc.
• P.G. & E Corp.
• Procter & Gamble Co.
• Prologis
• Royal Bank of Canada
• Sun Life
• Financial Inc.
• Suncor Energy Inc.
• Toronto Dominion Bank
• Weyerhaeuser

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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List of Canadian Animals and Plants that are in Trouble

Here is a list of Canadian animal and plant species that are listed as Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened or Vulnerable.

DEFINITIONS

Extinct - a species formerly indigenous to Canada that no longer exists anywhere.

Extirpated - a species no longer existing in the wild in Canada but occurring elsewhere in the world.

Endangered - a species threatened with imminent extinction or extirpation throughout all or a significant portion of its Canadian range.

Threatened - a species likely to become endangered in Canada if the factors affecting its vulnerability are not reversed.

Vulnerable - a species particularly at risk because of low or declining numbers, small range or for some other reason, but not a threatened species.

------------------------------

Extinct - 9 species

Mammals, 2; Birds, 3; Fish, 4

Dawson's Caribou, Sea Mink, Great Auk, Labrador Duck, Passenger Pigeon, Deepwater Cisco, Longjaw Cisco, Banff Longnose Dace, Blue Walleye

-------------------------------

Extirpated - 11 species

Mammals, 5; Birds, 1; Reptiles, 1; Fish, 2; Plants, 2

Grizzly Bear (Prairie population), Black-footed Ferret, Swift Fox, Walrus (Northwest Atlantic population), Gray Whale (Atlantic population), Greater Prairie-Chicken, Pygmy Short-horned Lizard, Gravel Chub, Paddlefish, Blue-eyed Mary, Illinois Tick Trefoil

------------------------------

Endangered - 55 species

Mammals, 11; Birds, 14; Amphibians, 1; Reptiles, 3; Fish, 3; Plants, 23

Mammals: Peary Caribou (Banks Island and High Arctic population), Eastern Cougar, Vancouver Island Marmot, Sea Otter, Bowhead Whale, Right Whale, Beluga Whale (St. Lawrence River, Ungava Bay and Southeast Baffin Island-Cumberland Sound populations), Wolverine (Eastern population).

Birds: Whooping Crane, Eskimo Curlew, Northern Bobwhite, Harlequin Duck (Eastern population), Anatum Peregrine Falcon, Acadian Flycatcher, Spotted Owl, Mountain Plover, Piping Plover, King Rail, Loggerhead Shrike (Eastern population), Henslow's Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Kirtland's Warbler.

Amphibians: Blanchard's Cricket Frog.

Reptiles: Blue Racer Snake, Lake Erie Water Snake, Leatherback Turtle.

Fish: Salish Sucker, Aurora Trout, Acadian Whitefish.

Plants: Gattinger's Agalinis, Skinner's Agalinis, Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, Slender Bush Clover, Pink Coreopsis, Southern Maidenhair Fern, White Prairie Gentian, Small White Lady's slipper, Furbish's Lousewort, Pink Milwort, Eastern Mountain Avens, Hoary Mountain-mint, Slender Mouse-ear-cress, Western Fringed Prairie Orchid, Heart-leaved Plantain, Large Whorled Pogonia, Small Whorled Pogonia, Wood Poppy, Engelmann's Quillwort, Threat-leaved Sundew, Cucumber Tree, Water-pennywort, Spotted Wintergreen.

----------------------------

Threatened - 62 species

Mammals, 8; Birds, 9; Reptiles, 3; Fish, 12; Plants, 30;

Mammals: Wood Bison, Peary Caribou (Low Arctic pop.), Woodland Caribou (Quebec pop.), Newfoundland Pine Marten, Harbour Porpoise (Western Atlantic pop.), Pacific Water Shrew, Humpback Whale (North Pacific pop.), Beluga Whale (Eastern Hudson Bay pop.)

Birds: Yellow-breasted Chat (Okanagan pop.), Ferruginous Hawk, Marbled Murrelet, Burrowing Owl, Loggerhead Shrike (Prairie pop.), Baird's Sparrow, Roseate Tern, Hooded Warbler, White-headed Woodpecker

Reptiles: Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Blanding's Turtle (Nova Scotia pop.), Spiny Softshell Turtle

Fish: Blackfin Cisco, Shortjaw Cisco, Shortnose Cisco, Channel Darter, Eastern Sand Darter, Margined Madtom, Black Redhorse, Copper Redhorse, Great Lakes Deepwater Sculpin, Shorthead Sculpin, Enos Lake Stickleback, Lake Simcoe Whitefish

Plants: Blue Ash, Anticosti Aster, Bluehearts, American Chestnut, Colicroot, Deerberry, Mosquito Fern, Western Blue Flag, Plymouth Gentian, Ginseng, Golden Crest, Golden Seal, Round-leaved Greenbrier, Giant Helleborine, van Brunt's jacob's Ladder, Small-flowered Lipocarpha, Red Mulberry, Sweet Pepperbush, Nodding Pogonia, Redroot, Western Spiderwort, Pitcher's Thistle, Athabasca Thrift, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Purple Twayblade, Sand Verbena, Bird's-foot Violet, American Water-willow, Tyrrell's Willow, Blunt-lobed Woodsia

----------------------------

Vulnerable - 119 species

Mammals, 22; Birds, 23; Amphibians, 3; Reptiles, 4; Fish, 38, Plants, 29;

including Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear, Woodland Caribou (Western population), Grey Fox, Blue Whale (Atlantic and Pacific populations), Wolverine, Eastern Bluebird, Peales Peregrine Falcon, Tundra Peregrine Falcon, Cooper's Hawk, Ancient Murrelet, Great Gray Owl, Trumpeter Swan, Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer Snake, Spotted Gar, Pacific Sardine, Green Sturgeon, Redbreasted Sunfish, Victorin's Water Hemlock, Wild Hyacinth, Phantom Orchid, Prairie Rose, Hop Tree.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: The Alberta Tar Sands Dirty Oil

Dirty Oil - A Documentary on The Alberta Tar Sands, is a film written and directed by Leslie Iwerks. This 2009 documentary explores Canada's role as the largest supplier of American oil. It also exposes the dishonesty and greed of the Canadian and Alberta governments as well as the oil companies.

Governments and oil companies make astronomical profits at the expense of the environment, the wildlife, and the native communities who live near the tar sands of northern Alberta.

The film indicates that renewable sources of energy offer a way out of our dependence on destructive fossil fuels. It cites America's mobilization at the beginning of World War ll despite being a recessionary economy. At the start of World War ll, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "Let no man say it cannot be done, it must be done, and we are undertaking to do it."

We are at a crossroads, we can either engage the struggle to reduce our footprints or ignore it at our own peril. The film also encourages personal responsibility as a way out of the environmental calamity we face.

The film concludes by quoting President Obama who said, "We must end the age of oil in our time, energy independence will require an all hands on deck effort from America , efforts from scientists, and entrepreneurs, from businesses and from every American citizen."

"Its going to take leadership and its going to take a vision and its goinng to take action by each of us, saving civilization is not a spectator sport. We all have to get involved, we all have a stake in it."

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Lack of Canadian Co-ordination in Efforts to Reduce GHGs

According to a new report, there is a woeful lack of co-ordination in efforts to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. This is the finding of a Conference Board of Canada report.

"Lack of co-ordination between governments in Canada has hindered both the effectiveness of efforts to reduce GHG emissions and their efficiency," the Conference Board of Canada says in its new report Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Canada. "Although it is unrealistic to expect that a single tool can be applied to all sources of emissions, the efficiency of GHG reduction policies, regulations, and programs could be significantly improved through better coordination and broader, more consistent application."

For more information or to see the complete report click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Canada Lags Behind in Protected Land

Canada lags behind the US and the global average when it comes to setting aside wilderness for protection. This is the finding of a Global Forest Watch Canada report entitled Canada's Terrestrial Protected Areas Status Report. The mission of the Edmonton-based non-profit group, is to provide information about development activities in Canada's forests and their environmental impact.

In 2010, just 8.5 per cent of Canada's land mass was in permanent protected areas. This is more than four percent lower than the global average of 12.9 percent and more than six percent lower than the United States at 14.8 percent.

"We thought it was strange that Canada is so far below the global average given that we have all these large northern spaces that are essentially undisturbed," said Ryan Cheng, a Global Forest Watch Canada researcher who co-authored the report. "Also, as Canadians, we value nature."

Much of the undisturbed space is owned by the Crown, making it relatively easy to designate as protected, Cheng said. "Protected areas are essentially the global cornerstone for conserving biodiversity," he added, noting that they are used to measure and compare different jurisdictions' conservation efforts.

The researchers also found that more than half of the permanently protected areas were subject to human disturbance. A quarter of the protected land was within 500 metres of roads, power lines, mining, logging, hydro-power and oil and gas developments, and other human activity.

Many provinces allow resource exploitation within protected areas. For example, oil and gas development is allowed in some Alberta protected areas, and forestry is allowed in some Manitoba protected areas.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Canadian Conservatives Disregard for Canada's Environment

As Canadians celebrate Canada Day their environment is under siege. Under the newly elected majority Conservative government, concern for the environment -- as a political issue -- is all but dead.

Under the Harper led Conservatives, Canada has officially withdrawn their support for the Kyoto Protocol. Like many nations who signed on, Canada, did little to nothing to actually curb their emission of greenhouse gases. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions actually increased 24% since signing the agreement in 1997.

When it comes to the environment, Canada has no leadership at the federal level. However, to Canada's great shame, the country is a leader in other ways. According to an analysis by Climate Action Network, Canada is among the world's leading sources of GHGs. Canada is a global leader in historical emissions, absolute emissions and per capita emissions.

Under Tory leadership, the state of Canada's environment is degrading every day. According to a WWF Canadian Living Planet Report, Canadians are some of the biggest consumers of resources in the world. Canada is also one of the world's biggest energy consumers, burning the equivalent of roughly 8,300 kilograms of oil equivalent per person per year.

The Conservative government is aggressively pushing the expansion of the tar sands. Extracting oil from tar sands pollute the environment, waste huge quantities of water and release much more greenhouse gas (GHG) then conventional oil. This has prompting the Canadian NGO Environmental Defense to call the Alberta tar sands, "the most destructive project on earth."

Sadly, those concerned about the environment have little to celebrate this Canada Day as the Conservatives can be expected to continue their wanton environmental destruction for at least another four years.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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