Peace and Environment News — Insider, March–April 2011

by Mike Buckthought

Cycling Lanes for Centretown

On February 23, Ottawa City Council approved a pilot project to construct separated bike lanes in Centretown. The cycling lanes will run along Laurier Avenue from Elgin to Bronson. Some residents and business owners had voiced their concerns about reduced access to parking. However, many people had expressed their support. (24 Hours, February 24, 2011)

Solar Panels for City Buildings

On January 26, Ottawa City Council approved the Large Rooftop Solar Energy Program, a plan to install solar panels on the roofs of up to twenty municipal buildings. Energy Ottawa will lease space on the rooftops of buildings. The city will collect up to $5 million from lease agreements over twenty years. Electricity generated by the solar panels will be fed into the power grid, supplying enough power for 300 homes. Earlier in January, the city unveiled solar panels on the rooftops of City Hall and the Transit Services building at 875 Belfast Road. (City of Ottawa, January 11 and 26, 2011)

Canadian Cities Go Solar

Halifax, Kingston and Vancouver are investing in solar energy. On January 18, Kingston City Council awarded a contract to install solar panels on ten municipal buildings. Meanwhile in Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Council voted to move forward with the Community Solar Project. This program will help 1000 homeowners finance the installation of solar panels to heat hot water. They will repay the costs through charges added to their tax bills. Vancouver has announced a similar retrofit program, allowing homeowners to pay for solar panels and energy-efficient appliances through their property taxes. (Halifax Regional Municipality, February 8, 2011; Vancouver Sun, December 8, 2010; Kingston Whig Standard, January 12, 2011; City of Kingston, January 18, 2011)

Shipping Nuclear Waste to Sweden

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has given Bruce Power permission to ship radioactive waste through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, past Canada’s most populous cities. Bruce Power plans to ship 16 radioactive steam generators to Sweden, where they will be recycled into consumer products. A total of 116 municipalities are opposed to the plan. During public consultations, people expressed concerns about the potential for an accident affecting the drinking water of millions of people. (Le Soleil, February 8, 2011; Ottawa Citizen, February 15, 2011; Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, February 4, 2011)

Canada Exports Repression

Canadian politicians and diplomats often highlight the importance of human rights. At the same time, Canadian corporations are exporting weapons, tear gas and armoured vehicles to repressive, undemocratic regimes. The Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) has tracked military exports to 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Governments of these countries are often responsible for human rights abuses, making use of “security” products to entrench their rule. The federal government allowed $1.8 billion of military exports to these countries between 1990 and 2006. COAT has compiled a list of resources detailing how military exports are used as tools of oppression. (Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT), February 17, 2011 http://coat.ncf.ca/mideast/mideast.htm)

People Power Saves UK Forests

Britain’s coalition government has backed down from plans to sell off 258,000 hectares of forests. Over half a million people signed petitions expressing their opposition. The British government was looking for ways to raise funds, and a forest sell-off was one such scheme. However, there was a public outcry. According to an opinion poll, 84% of people support protecting the forests as publicly owned lands. Britain’s environment secretary Caroline Spelman apologized for presenting the plan. “I am sorry, we got this one wrong, but we have listened to people’s concerns,” she said, acknowledging the widespread public opposition. (The Guardian, February 17, 2011)

Mike Buckthought writes about environmental and human rights issues.

Published in the Peace and Environment News — Insider, Volume 26, Number 2, March–April 2011, page 7.

Peace and Environment News — Insider, January–February 2011

by Mike Buckthought

Loss of Species Threatens Human Health

A new study reveals a link between the loss of species and disease. The loss of biodiversity in ecosystems results in increases in the numbers of disease-causing organisms. “We knew of specific cases in which declines in biodiversity increase the incidence of disease. But we’ve learned that the pattern is much more general: biodiversity loss tends to increase pathogen transmission across a wide range of infectious disease systems,” said Felicia Keesing, an ecologist and lead author of the study. The animals, plants and bacteria that disappear are the ones that buffer against disease transmission. Remaining species are often the ones that transmit diseases such as West Nile, Lyme disease and hantavirus. In the case of Lyme disease, mice can thrive when forests are fragmented, increasing the numbers of ticks that carry the disease. Loss of biodiversity has a detrimental impact on human health. (Bard College, December 1, 2010 http://www.bard.edu/news/releases/pr/fstory.php?id=2034)

Denmark Fossil Fuel-Free by 2050

Canadian corporations pour billions of dollars into the fossil economy, mining the Alberta tar sands and clearing forests to construct pipelines to send oil and gas south of the border. Denmark has chosen a different path, with substantial investments in green energy and a national plan to make the transition to a carbon-free economy. According to the Danish climate commission, the country can go fossil fuel-free by 2050. With the rising cost of oil and gas, it will be much cheaper to use wind and biomass energy to meet the country’s power requirements. The commission recommends investing 0.5 per cent of Denmark’s gross domestic product (GDP) in renewable sources of power to make the transition. (The Guardian, September 29, 2010)

Canada Bombs on Leadership

The Canadian government has made deep reductions in its funding of programs to clear landmines. Canada slashed spending by 57 per cent, the biggest decrease of all donor countries. This contrasts with Canada’s past support for the 1997 Ottawa Convention to ban landmines. According to the Landmine Monitor 2010 report, the Ottawa Convention has prevented many injuries and deaths. In 2009, 3,956 new casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war were recorded, a 28 per cent reduction from the previous year. Eighty-six countries have destroyed their stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. (Landmine Monitor 2010, November 24, 2010 http://www.the-monitor.org/lm/2010; Mines Action Canada, November 24–29, 2010 www.minesactioncanada.org)

Naked Scanners Pose Cancer Risk

The “war on terror” will have an unintended consequence: it will lead to increased rates of cancer in North America. Scientists are warning of the health impacts from the use of full-body “naked” security scanners at airports. “They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays,” said Dr. Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at John Hopkins University. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has purchased hundreds of airport scanners which create revealing images of passengers. Canada is following the American lead. The “naked” scanners have been criticized for health risks and privacy issues. (Agence France Presse, November 12, 2010)

Chemical in Receipts Linked to Cancer

Receipts from cash registers contain high levels of the carcinogen bisphenol A, according to a new study. U.S. non-profit organizations Safer Chemicals, Safer Families and the Washington Toxics Coalition tested receipts from stores and coffee shops. Half of the receipts contained high levels of bisphenol A, a chemical known to increase risks of cancer and obesity, and to affect the development of babies and children. Touching a receipt for ten seconds transferred up to 2.5 micrograms of bisphenol A to a person’s fingers, according to the report. Bisphenol A is used in plastic bottles, cans and other consumer products. The European Union is following Canada’s lead, taking action to end the use of the chemical in baby bottles. (Agence France Presse, December 8, 2010)

Mike Buckthought writes about environmental and human rights issues.

Published in the Peace and Environment News Insider, Volume 26, Number 1, January–February 2011, page 7.

Peace and Environment News — Insider, July–August 2010

by Mike Buckthought

End of the Line for the Marlin Mine

Canadian gold mining company Goldcorp has been criticized for the health impacts of its Marlin mine in Guatemala. The Vancouver-based corporation has a new critic: the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a human rights body of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The IACHR is calling on the government of Guatemala to suspend operations at the mine, and protect the health of indigenous communities in the region. A recent study by Physicians for Human Rights and University of Michigan scientists has found that people living near the mine have high levels of mercury, copper, arsenic, zinc and lead in their urine and blood. Goldcorp CEO Charles Jeannes dismissed the criticism at the company’s annual meeting, insisting it was “physically impossible” for the mine to contaminate surrounding communities. (MiningWatch Canada, May 24, 2010 www.miningwatch.ca)

Climate Bill Moves to Senate

On May 5, opposition parties joined together to pass the Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311). The climate bill passed third reading in the House of Commons with a vote of 149 in favour to 136 against. Thanks to the united support of the New Democrats, Bloc Québécois and the Liberals, the bill continued on to the Senate. The private member’s bill was introduced by NDP MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North). If the bill is passed by the Senate and becomes law, it will ensure that Canada commits to science-based targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The climate bill includes a target of 80 per cent reductions from 1990 levels by the year 2050, following the advice of the world’s climate scientists. (Parliament of Canada, May 5, 2010 http://www.parl.gc.ca/)

Some Stern Advice on Climate

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticized Canada’s climate policies when he visited Ottawa on May 12. “I urge Canada to comply with the targets set out by the Kyoto Protocol,” said Ban. “You can strengthen your mitigation targets for the future. And you can join other industrialized countries in contributing new funding, in keeping with your long-standing tradition of global solidarity.”

Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol, but the current government is not upholding the country’s commitments. Meanwhile, British economist Nicholas Stern provided his own stern words of advice. The Harper government insists that climate change should not be a high priority for the Group of 20. In remarks published by the Globe and Mail, Stern says it is important to discuss financial aid to help developing countries adapt to climate change. “You can’t really discuss the finance on the scale that we are talking about unless the G20 is involved, and involved this year.” (Montreal Gazette, May 12, 2010; Globe and Mail, May 13, 2010)

Pedestrian Zones

A Montréal borough is closing off one of its streets to cars. It is the first of many streets to be closed to car traffic. In place of cars, a one-block stretch of St. Dominique Street will be the home of a farmers’ market featuring local and organic produce every Thursday. Plateau Mayor Luc Ferrandez says the borough will transform 10–15 streets into pedestrian zones in 2010, reversing decades of auto-centric urban planning. Meanwhile in Ottawa, visitors to the ByWard Market have been pleased to find that part of William Street has become a pedestrian zone. A section of the street between Clarence and York is closed off to traffic — only two decades after members of Auto Free Ottawa proposed that the Market should be a pedestrian zone. Toronto is also creating some new pedestrian zones, with the transformation of three streets at the University of Toronto and Ryerson campuses starting in September. (Montreal Gazette, May 4, 2010; Toronto Star, May 18, 2010)

Mike Buckthought writes about environmental and social justice issues.

Published in the Peace and Environment News — Insider, Volume 25, Number 4, July–August 2010, page 3.

Peace and Environment News, March–April 2010

by Mike Buckthought

Ban Asbestos

An open letter signed by 100 scientists from 28 countries calls on Québec Premier Jean Charest to ban the use and export of asbestos. Canada’s exports of asbestos are responsible for escalating rates of mesothelioma. The rare form of lung cancer is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. In Mexico, as many as 500 people die each year because of mesothelioma, according to the Mexican Institute of Social Security. The true toll from exposure to asbestos is believed to be much higher. Around 1,500 Mexicans die each year because of asbestos, according to occupational health expert Guadalupe Aguilar. Canada’s aggressive marketing of asbestos has devastating health impacts. About 95 per cent of asbestos mined in Québec is exported to developing countries, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Pakistan, Mexico, Thailand and Colombia. Meanwhile, the Canadian and Québec governments undermine international efforts to ban asbestos. (Globe and Mail, January 29–February 16, 2010)

Following Washington’s Plan

On January 30, Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced Canada’s new target for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The government sent a notice to the United Nations, declaring that Canada will reduce its emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020. The latest target will actually increase emissions by 2.5 per cent from 1990 levels. Canada’s new goal is intended to match the target of 17 per cent specified in American legislation that has not been passed yet. Prentice indicated that he would like to align the federal government’s policies with the approach of the Obama administration. In order to ensure that Canada follows decisions made in Washington, the Canadian government declared its target the day after the American target was announced. (Globe and Mail, February 3, 2010)

Canada in 46th Place

While organizers of the Vancouver Olympics urged Canadian athletes to “own the podium,” Canada’s environmental practices have not earned any medals. Yale University’s 2010 Environmental Performance Index places Canada in 46th place, down considerably from 12th place in 2008. The index ranks 163 countries in all, considering a wide range of performance indicators. Canada’s environmental performance was ranked behind scores for Algeria, Mexico, Ireland and Romania. In first place: Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Sweden. Canada received low scores for its emissions of air pollutants, including greenhouse gases, ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxides. (Le Soleil, January 27, 2010; Yale University Environmental Performance Index, http://www.epi.yale.edu/Countries/Canada)

Banning Cluster Bombs

On February 16, Burkina Faso and Moldova ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This brings the total number of ratifications up to 30. With 30 ratifying states, the Convention becomes binding international law effective August 1, 2010. The Convention will put an end to the devastating impacts of cluster bombs, with a comprehensive ban on the use, production and transfer of the munitions. Signatory countries include states that led the Oslo Process to create the convention, as well as many states that have used or stockpiled cluster munitions. A total of 104 countries have signed the Convention since December 2008. Countries are already taking action. Spain destroyed its stockpiles last year, and other countries are following. (Cluster Munition Coalition, February 16, 2010, http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=2040)

India Halts GM Eggplants

Indian environment minister Jairam Ramesh announced a six-month moratorium on the introduction of a genetically modified variety of eggplant. He said more research was needed before cultivation could be started. The moratorium was announced after strong pressure from the public and state governments. People expressed concerns about the potential health hazards from the genetically modified Bt Brinjal variety of eggplant, developed by a company that is partly owned by Monsanto. There are also concerns that cultivation of the genetically modified plant would harm the over 2,000 traditional varieties of eggplant currently grown in India. (Associated Press/The Guardian, February 9, 2010)

Mike Buckthought writes about environmental and social justice issues.

Published in the Peace and Environment News, Volume 25, Number 2, March–April 2010, page 8.

Peace and Environment News — Insider, January–February 2010

by Mike Buckthought

Portland’s 40-Year Climate Action Plan

The city of Portland, Oregon is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. On October 28, Portland’s City Council passed a 40-year Climate Action Plan, a joint effort by the city and Multnomah County. Portland Mayor Sam Adams says the plan will create green jobs and encourage the introduction of new services and products that can be marketed globally. The plan includes a list of 93 actions to take over the next three years. By 2030, all homes and buildings will have “zero net greenhouse gas emissions.” Energy efficiency will be used to reduce the energy use in existing buildings by 25 per cent. The plan will also ensure that 90 per cent of city residents can meet all of their non-work needs through walking or bicycling. (Portland Herald Tribune, October 28, 2009; City of Portland and Multnomah County Climate Action Plan, October 2009)

Doctors’ Diagnosis: Uranium Bad for Health

Twenty-four doctors from Sept-Îles, Québec have pledged to resign and leave the city if exploration for uranium continues near a lake that provides drinking water for their community. In an open letter addressed to Québec’s Minister of Health and Social Services, the doctors express concerns about the health impacts of a uranium mine proposed by Terra Ventures. They are asking for a moratorium on uranium mining across the province. A thousand citizens of Sept-Îles joined a protest to support calls for a moratorium. Nova Scotia and British Columbia have banned uranium mines, but the Québec government has so far refused to follow these examples. The Sept-Îles Hospital supports the doctors’ actions, while warning that the loss of so many doctors would be “catastrophic” for the community. (La Presse, December 4, 2009; Radio-Canada, December 7–14, 2009)

Spanish Wind Power

During a recent windy day, Spain’s wind turbines set another record, supplying 53 per cent of the country’s electricity needs. On November 8, Spain’s wind turbines were generating 11.5 gigawatts of power, equivalent to almost twice the combined output of Ontario’s Pickering and Darlington nuclear stations. In 2009, Spain generated about one quarter of its energy needs from renewable sources of power such as wind turbines and solar panels. The country’s wind power capacity is growing rapidly, thanks to government support. According to the Spanish Wind Energy Association, by 2020 Spain will generate 40 gigawatts from wind turbines — about six times the capacity of Ontario’s Pickering and Darlington nuclear plants. Spain’s wind turbines currently generate 80 per cent more electricity than the country’s nuclear plants. (The Guardian, November 9, 2009; Ontario Power Generation www.opg.com)

Sea Level Rise of Nine Metres

According to a new study published in Nature, global sea levels could rise by as much as 9 metres over the next few hundred years, even if global mean temperature increases are halted at two degrees above pre-industrial levels. A sea level rise of nine metres would result in the loss of most of the Netherlands, and many coastal cities such as New Orleans. Island states such as the Maldives would be completely submerged, and much of Bangladesh and Florida would also be lost. The prediction of a nine-metre rise is higher than previous estimates. The study takes into account the impacts of the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. According to Princeton University researcher Robert Kopp, “the IPCC’s last numbers were underestimates because they didn’t include all the factors that can accelerate ice sheet melting.” (The Guardian, December 16, 2009)

European Union Goes Green

The European Union is introducing new regulations to ensure that nearly all buildings constructed after 2020 will generate most of their energy from renewable sources, or incorporate energy efficiency to reduce power needs. Existing buildings will incorporate green retrofits whenever possible, when they are renovated. The regulations will help the EU reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent below 1990 levels. Another regulation will ensure that home appliances are clearly labelled with efficiency ratings, to encourage people to use energy-efficient washing machines, televisions and refrigerators. Advertisements for home appliances will have to include the energy-efficiency rating, ranging from “A” for the greenest appliances, to “G” for the least efficient. (Greenwire, November 18, 2009)

Mike Buckthought writes about environmental and social justice issues.

Published in the Peace and Environment News Insider, Volume 25, Number 1, January–February 2010, page 6.