Greenspiration News: Poznan Climate Talks, uranium, water...
Angela Bischoff
greenspi at web.ca
Sat Dec 13 11:57:36 EST 2008
Greenspiration News
Tommy Douglas on Fascism: “Once more let me remind you what fascism
is. It need not wear a brown shirt or a green shirt – it may even
wear a dress shirt. Fascism begins the moment a ruling class, fearing
the people may use their political democracy to gain economic
democracy, begins to destroy political democracy in order to retain
its power of exploitation and special privilege.”
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The Disappearing Male
Airing: Saturday December 13 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld
An investigation into the worldwide decline in the male birthrate and
the toxic threat to the male reproductive system. The cause?
Chemicals used in everyday plastics, from drinking bottles to soft
toys for infants.
Read more and watch this film online: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/
doczone/2008/disappearingmale/
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Canada 2nd to last of world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases
December 10, 2008, Poznan, Poland — A new international assessment of
countries’ performance in fighting climate change has placed Canada
second last (56th of 57) among the world’s biggest emitters of
greenhouse gases. In the 2007 edition, Canada placed 53rd of the 56
countries assessed. Only Saudi Arabia earned a lower score, and
Canada is now last among OECD (industrialized) countries.
“Canada’s climate performance could hardly be worse, and we’re still
moving in the wrong direction,” said Matthew Bramley, Director of the
Pembina Institute’s climate change program, who contributed a
Canadian policy assessment to the study. “The federal government
needs to dramatically and urgently strengthen its policies to fight
global warming.”
The report’s release comes as Canada faces mounting criticism for its
negotiating position at the UN meetings in Poznan, Poland, on a
post-2012 global agreement to cut greenhouse gas pollution.
The full report is available at http://www.germanwatch.org/ccpi
The Pembina Institute’s assessment of Canadian climate policies,
which was used to calculate Canada’s score in the report, is
available at http://pubs.pembina.org/reports/questionaire-ccpi-2009-
final.pdf
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UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan, Poland
More than 50 representatives of Canadian environmental, faith-based,
development, youth, labour and indigenous organizations are in
Poznan, Poland, for the United Nations climate change negotiations.
The Poznan meeting, which runs from December 1 to 12, brings the
world’s governments together to negotiate the outlines of an expanded
and strengthened Kyoto Protocol. Follow all the action at:
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/cop-14/index.html
Canada Leads Race to the Bottom at UN Climate Negotiations
Just as the world community was beginning to look again to North
America for
leadership, Canada is digging in its heels, obstructing progress at UN
climate talks this week.
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/news/2008/cop14-race-to-
bottom-2008-12-
10.html
U.N. Climate Talks: Canada Chosen as “Colossal Fossil”
December 12, 2008
Poznan, Poland: For the second year in a row, Canada has been chosen
as the most obstructive country at the U.N. climate negotiations in
Poland. The negotiations, scheduled to wrap up today, feature a
“Fossil of the Day” award for the country that does the most to block
progress during negotiations towards a new global climate deal.
During the two-week Poznan negotiation, Canada won a total of 10
daily Fossil awards, including prizes for blocking progress towards
science-based targets and insisting the removal of a reference to
indigenous peoples’ rights in a deforestation text. This was enough
to earn the prize as the conference’s overall Fossil champion, also
known as the “Colossal Fossil.”
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/cop-14/fossil-of-the-day/index.html
The Harper chill factor
Canada is being ridiculed at a climate change conference in Poland,
and delegates from all over the world are hoping our government will
fall
Montreal Gazette, December 10, 2008
The crisis over who will be in charge in Ottawa in the new year is
making waves at the United Nations climate change conference in
Poznan, Poland, with many delegates expressing hope that Prime
Minister Stephen Harper will be ousted, a Montreal observer said at
the conference.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Harper+chill+factor/1055143/
story.html
Canada accused of blocking progress on climate
Dec. 10, Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/552009
Ottawa's stand at climate talks hurting native rights, chiefs say
First nations blast Indian Affairs Minister
As part of the talks, negotiators were considering the extent of the
rights that indigenous people have over the forests they live in. But
Canada and a number of other countries argued successfully against
making mention of these rights in a new international climate-change
pact.
One delegate from a developing country who took part in the closed-
door negotiations said Canada opposed all references to indigenous
rights in the discussions.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.
20081212.wclimate12/BNStory/National/home
Gender and Climate Justice in Poland
The issue of gender justice in the UN climate talks is gaining
support at
the Poznan Conference.
http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/12/05/gender-and-climate-
change-at-
poznans-world-summit-
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A Green Deal for Transportation
As the U.S. "Big Three" automakers appeal to the federal government
for financial assistance, this is a prime opportunity to rethink
national transportation priorities and restore funding to rail and
bus systems,
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5941?emc=el&m=175597&l=9&v=8ce765a66e
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Efficiency Is Our Best Untapped Energy Source
http://www.alternet.org:80/environment/109550/
You have called energy efficiency "the largest, cheapest, safest,
cleanest, fastest way to provide energy services." How do you
quantify that claim? For example, how large, how cheap, how fast?
Amory Lovins: Oh, for example, in the United States we could save at
least half the oil and gas and three-quarters of the electricity we
use, and that efficiency investment would cost only about an eighth
[of] what we’re now paying for those forms of energy. …
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Poll: Canadians Want Action on Global Warming Despite Economic Downturn
Nearly two-thirds of Canadians want to see Canada take action to
tackle global warming despite the economic crisis, according to new
polling released this by Climate Action Network Canada and three of
its member organizations at the UN climate talks in Poznan, Poland.
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/news/2008/cc-poll-2008-12-02.html
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Groundbreaking Study Shows Canada can Tackle Climate Change and
Prosper Economically
Canada can be a leader in tackling climate change and still
experience strong economic and employment growth according to a
groundbreaking study released today by the David Suzuki Foundation
and the Pembina Institute. http://www.pembina.org/media-release/1742
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Extracting a disaster
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/05/nuclear-
greenpolitics
The effects of uranium mining are disastrous.
Dec. 5, 2008
The increased sourcing of raw uranium that will arise from nuclear
new build is an ethical and environmental nightmare currently being
ignored by the government.
To produce the 25 tonnes or so of uranium fuel needed to keep your
average reactor going for a year entails the extraction of half a
million tonnes of waste rock and over 100,000 tonnes of mill
tailings. These are toxic for hundreds of thousands of years. The
conversion plant will generate another 144 tonnes of solid waste and
1343 cubic metres of liquid waste.
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Canadians for a Progressive Coalition is a grassroots, non-partisan
Citizen group working to build momentum and demonstrate support for a
Progressive Coalition in Canada.
In 2008 the majority of Canadians voted for a prosperous, fair, and
green Canada. Over 60% of voters cast their ballots for parties with
progressive platforms. With 37% of the vote the Conservatives
effectively hold 100% of the power.
http://progressivecoalition.ca
Other campaigns, such as www.makeparliamentwork.ca and www.
62percentmajority.ca, have also emerged and effectively promoted the
coalition.
Write your MP to tell them that you support a progressive coalition.
The Conservatives are flooding their inboxes - they need to hear from
you. You can find their contact information quickly at this link:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/
MemberByPostalCode.aspx
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Billions of litres of tainted oilsands water leaking: Report
December 09, 2008
Oilsands production is releasing four billion litres of contaminated
water into Alberta's groundwater and natural ecosystems every year,
according to a new national report: 11 Million Litres a Day: the Tar
Sands' Leaking Legacy, released by Environmental Defence.
The annual volume of water pollution could be stopped if the federal
government started enforcing its Fisheries Act, the report says.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1049842
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"Coca-Cola's claim to be water neutral is not credible, and the UN's
Global Compact is little more than 'blue-washing,' the UN's new water
adviser, Maude Barlow, told the Press on Tuesday...Barlow denounced
not only Coke but also Pepsi, as well as Nestle and other 'water
hunters,' as she called them, which take water from aquifers and 'put
it in plastic and sell it all over the world.' Barlow said she
opposes bottle water."
A 15-minute video can also be viewed from this website.
http://www.innercitypress.com/un1barlow120908.html
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The Toronto Bottled Water Ban and 5 cent charge for Plastic Shopping
Bags
Last Wednesday, Toronto City Council voted to ban the sale of bottled
water in city-owned facilities. In doing so, Toronto becomes the
largest municipality in the world to impose such a ban and joins 17
municipalities across the country that have already banned bottled
water.
Also, Toronto shoppers will start paying five cents for throw-away
plastic shopping bags starting June 1, Toronto council has decided.
For more information on the Toronto vote please see Toronto Star Op-
Ed written by Tony Clarke, Director of the Polaris Institute:
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/551909
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Leaders meet in Paris to call for the elimination of nuclear arms
Over 100 prominent leaders will launch the Global Zero campaign this
week at a historic gathering in Paris, followed by briefings in
Moscow and Washington, D.C.
http://www.globalzero.org/
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bike clocks
ONE-OF-A-KIND TIME PIECES HAND-MADE IN VANCOUVER CANADA FROM RECYCLED
BICYCLE PARTS WITH NEW QUARTZ MECHANISMS BY COLLABORATIVE ARTISAN
TEAM ROBERT AND REDSARA
http://bikeclocks.ca/
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