Business & Politics

By Frederick Carle on April 28th, 2008

Not to long ago we thought that biofuels would be a good way to reduce global warming by cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In reality, biofuels could actually increase GHG emissions if we consider their effects over their entire life cycle. In a study by the University of Edinburgh, their impact has even been quantified: biofuels could increase GHGs by 50 to 70%. So before going any further with biofuels, we must carefully evaluate all of their environmental effects.

Not only it’s causing more GHGs but it’s also causing food shortages in many parts of the world. Global food stocks are officially at their lowest in nearly 25 years.

There have already been riots in over 30 countries, including Haiti. And this food crisis could worsen in the short term.

Via: Greenpeace

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By Frederick Carle on April 24th, 2008

On April 24, 2008, Greenpeace activists delivered a clear message to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, dropping from the ceiling above the annual Edmonton Premier’s Dinner as he was delivering his fundraising speech, unveiling a banner as they descended that read: “$telmach: The Best Premier Oil Money Can Buy.”

Two climbers dangled from the catwalk, distracting the over 1000 supporters of the Alberta Conservative party, who each paid $450 to listen to Premier Stelmach speak at the dinner, held at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. The Greenpeace protest disrupted the activity as the audience turned their attention to the activists and the hanging banner while Tory staff hurried to deal with the unexpected message.

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By Frederick Carle on April 24th, 2008

On April 24, 2008, Greenpeace activists delivered a clear message to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, dropping from the ceiling above the annual Edmonton Premier’s Dinner as he was delivering his fundraising speech, unveiling a banner as they descended that read: “$telmach: The Best Premier Oil Money Can Buy.”

Two climbers dangled from the catwalk, distracting the over 1000 supporters of the Alberta Conservative party, who each paid $450 to listen to Premier Stelmach speak at the dinner, held at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. The Greenpeace protest disrupted the activity as the audience turned their attention to the activists and the hanging banner while Tory staff hurried to deal with the unexpected message.

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By Frederick Carle on April 24th, 2008

Leading environmental and sustainability experts from around the world have descended on San Francisco for the Ecocity World Summit. The four day long conference is bringing together architects, urban planners, academics, scientists, public officials and others to talk about strategies and solutions for rethinking the role of cites in the fight against climate change.

The conference is open to the public and tickets are still available for presentations and lectures on a wide array of eco-related topics.

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By Frederick Carle on April 24th, 2008

Leading environmental and sustainability experts from around the world have descended on San Francisco for the Ecocity World Summit. The four day long conference is bringing together architects, urban planners, academics, scientists, public officials and others to talk about strategies and solutions for rethinking the role of cites in the fight against climate change.

The conference is open to the public and tickets are still available for presentations and lectures on a wide array of eco-related topics.

Make Current

By Frederick Carle on April 23rd, 2008

As the president of the Environmental Defense Fund, Fred Krupp is confident about the future of our planet. He addressed what might become possible solutions to Global Warming in his new book “Earth: The Sequel.” Lesley Nagy form “Your TV 20″ sat down with Krupp to find out more.

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By Frederick Carle on April 19th, 2008

The government of Canada has looked at scientific studies and data on the safety of bisphenol A (BPA) and proposes to designate this chemical as “toxic” under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). This means that bisphenol A will be placed on the List of Toxic Substances (Schedule 1) of CEPA. By putting bisphenol A on the List of Toxic Substances, the government can then take various types of actions, such as regulations, guidelines or code of practice, for any part of the chemical’s life-cycle from the research and development stage through to manufacture, use, storage, transport and ultimate disposal or recycling.

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By Frederick Carle on April 19th, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (Reuters) – A coalition of western U.S. states and Canadian provinces eyeing a regional carbon credit trading market picked up an eastern member on Friday when Quebec said it would join.

Premier Jean Charest said Quebec had joined the Western Climate Initiative while he was meeting at Yale University with U.S. governors who have bypassed the Bush administration to set tough emissions limits on greenhouse gases.

Early last year, the WCI set a group-wide greenhouse gas emissions target of 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

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