This article is not new but I felt it was important to mention it given the shocking length to which our federal government is willing to go to lobby on behalf of the tar sands. As you likely know, the European Union has proposed classifying crude produced from Alberta’s tar sands as much dirtier than other fuels. The Canadian government is well known to be fighting this move but now an examination of hundreds of pages of documents obtained under access to information legislation in both Brussels and Ottawa show just how extensive the government’s lobbying efforts have been.
Remember, lobbying efforts by corporations are nothing new. What’s important to keep in mind here is that this is a sovereign state fighting on behalf of some of the largest corporations in the world. Here is an excerpt from the article:
The governments of Canada and Alberta, along with Canadian companies, have wooed dozens of European parliamentarians, offered trips to Alberta and sponsored conferences in an effort that Chris Davies, a British Liberal Member of the European Parliament and a backer of the EU proposal, said “has been stunning in its intensity.”
Satu Hassi, a Finnish MEP for the Greens and another backer of the EU proposal, said the thing that sets Canada’s campaign apart is not its size but its official backing. “There have been massive lobbying campaigns by the car industry, by the chemicals industry, banks, food giants, etc. But so far I have not seen such a lobbying campaign by any state.”
Emails from Canadian diplomats and other documents show Canada feared negative publicity could hit tens of billions of dollars of investment in its industry by such European majors as Royal Dutch Shell, BP, France’s Total and Norway’s Statoil.
“The oil sands are posing a growing reputational problem, with the oil sands defining the Canadian brand,” London-based Canadian diplomat Sushma Gera wrote in a confidential e-mail on August 20, 2010, which like many of the documents acquired through Freedom of Information legislation has been redacted. “With (a) recent increase in the NGO campaigns targeting (the European) public, we anticipate increased risk to Canadian interests much beyond the oil sands.”
Last year, Natural Resources Minister Joe Olive sent a letter to European officials implying that if Europe pressed ahead with tagging tar sands dirtier, Canada would take its case to the World Trade Organisation.
In case you were wondering how the Canadian government is preparing itself for the upcoming Rio +20 Earth Summit, a small excerpt from an otherwise unrelated article in Grist provides some indication. The article is about Earth Summit bureaucracy but in illustrating her point about the mind-numbing multilateral meetings going on behind the scenes at the United Nations, the author provides this paragraph as an actual example of what is currently being negotiated:
We reaffirm support for the implementation of [national – Canada delete; Russian Federation retain] [and sub-national – US, Russian Federation] [energy – Norway] policies and strategies, [based on individual national circumstances and development aspirations – US delete, Belarus retain] [to combine as / using an – US, Belarus, Norway, Russian Federation] appropriate [the – US Norway delete] energy mix to meet development needs …
Need I point out the very first phrase? The sentence provided is incomplete but what we can ascertain is that Canadian officials, no doubt on the orders of their government masters, seem already to be objecting to the implementation of national energy policies and strategies. To be fair, we can only speculate what follows but I think it is safe to assume that, at Rio +20, Canada will once again be assuming its now renowned role of obstructing international efforts to confront global environmental problems.
For listeners of Earthgauge Radio (those kind Ottawa folks who set their alarms extra early Thursday mornings to listen to the show at 7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM), there will sadly be no show this week.
I’m away on the lovely French River near Georgian Bay where I’m seeing and experiencing exactly why a show like Earthgauge is needed. We have a fabulously beautiful country, one that we too often take for granted and that some are inclined to despoil in the name of economic “progress” and “development”. Sometimes it’s important to get out there to see for ourselves just what it is we are fighting for and what others (such as our current federal government for example) seem to be so determined to destroy.
We’ll be back next week. Hope you can tune in. For those out of town, remember that Earthgauge Radio is now available for on-demand listening, whenever and wherever you want to hear it. Just go to the Thursday Special Blend page, click on the show you want to hear, then click the big blue CKCU on-demand play button. Earthgauge Radio is also podcast on iTunes if you type Earthgauge into the search bar, you’ll find us.
The international day of action to Connect the Dots between extreme weather and climate change took place on May 5 in locations all around the world, including many events here in Canada. Check out this great video from 350.org, which captures the highlights of some of these events.
As Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, said in this article in the Guardian last week, “new data (pdf) released last month by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities show that a lot of Americans are growing far more concerned about climate change, precisely because they are drawing the links between freaky weather, a climate kicked off-kilter by a fossil-fuel guzzling civilization, and their own lives. After a year with a record number of multibillion dollar weather disasters, seven in ten Americans now believe that “global warming is affecting the weather.”
Have we reached a tipping point at which people are finally starting to “connect the dots”? Perhaps but there is still much work ahead.
On Earthgauge Radio this week, we’re talking bikes. After all, May is Bike to Work month so I have three cycling-related interviews for you on today’s program:
Seb Oran, co-found of the Ottawa chapter of Bicycles for Humanity. B4H as they’re known is an amazing movement that enables people to raise funds andcollect unwanted bicycles to send to partners in developing countries.
Biking is a political act… and it’s darn fun
Earthgauge Radio is broadcast every other Thursday morning at 7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. Click the audio player above to hear the full show. Right click here to download today’s full show. Scroll down to listen to individual interviews only.
Remember that Earthgauge Radio is podcast on iTunes if you type earthgauge into the search bar, you’ll find us. Contact us at earthgaugeradio@gmail.com. Facebook address is www.facebook.com/EarthgaugeRadio and Twitter handle @earthgaugeCA. Please do get in touch if you have story ideas, a comment on something you’ve heard or want to get involved or contribute to the show.
On today’s show, we also have our usual segment with Ecology Ottawa who update us on local environmental events. And we hear the week’s round-up of intl eco-news from Deutsche Welle Living Planet.
Did you know?
— A cyclist can travel 1,037km (644 miles) on the energy equivalent of one litre of gasoline.
— A cyclist consumes 1/50th of the oxygen of a car making the same journey.
— A twice daily half-hour commute will, over a year, consume the energy equivalent of 24lbs of fat.
— In 1949, 34 per cent of all mechanized journeys were made by bicycle. Fifty years later that figure had fallen to 2 per cent.
In 2006, Transport Canada reported that, while cycling is a fairly popular form of recreation in Canada, its use for non-recreational purposes in most cities – i.e. as a mode of urban transportation – can at best be described as marginal. The bicycle occupies a distant fourth place after the automobile, public transit, and walking in terms of modes of transportation.
As May is Bike to Work month, it got me thinking about how Ottawa is doing in terms of promoting cycling and how we can get more people using their bicycles. As mentioned above, only 2% of Canadians use their bike to commute, this despite the obvious benefits of cycling, including…
Environmental benefits, through reduced emissions of toxic pollutant and greenhouse gases;
Health benefits related to higher levels of physical activity, including improved cardiovascular health and lower risk of obesity;
Health benefits related to the reduction of airborne pollutants, including lower incidence of respiratory diseases;
Economic benefits, such as reduced household expenditures on transportation, reduced work hours lost in traffic jams, and reduced healthcare costs thanks to the effects of regular exercise and reduced pollution.
So what is stopping us? Is it the cold weather in Ottawa? The long distances? Safety concerns? Or maybe the thought of arriving all sweaty in our work clothes. Whatever it is, we can and surely need to do better. After all, the bike is such a simple and inexpensive way to address a number of urban problems. Is Ottawa a bike friendly city? To find out, I spoke with Jess Wells, the Program Coordinator of the Ottawa EnviroCentre and the organizers of Bike to Work month in Ottawa. EnviroCentre is a non-profit organization that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by delivering energy-efficiency goods and services, such as energy audits and weatherization services,primarily in Eastern Ontario.
Jess Wells interview, right click here to download:
Next on today’s biking special program, we hear from Caron Cheng of Mountain Equipment Coop. The annual MEC BikeFest is happening this Sunday, May 13 at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa so Caron kindly came into the CKCU studios recently to let us know some more about this year’s event.
Caron Cheng interview, right click here to download:
Finally on today’s show I speak with Seb Oran of Bicycles for Humanity. I love to showcase and publicize ideas and initiatives on Earthgauge that are simple yet powerful and can really make a lasting impact for positive change. This is what B4H is all about. This is a movement of concerned groups started in 2005 with the simple goal of raising funds and collecting unwanted bicycles here in Canada and other countries to send to partners in developing countries where the bikes can be put to good use. Seb Oran is the founder of the Ottawa chapter of B4H.
Upcoming local environmental events (courtesy of Ecology Ottawa):
This Saturday, May 12, 2012, Fair Trade Ottawa presents its first annual wine-and-cheese fundraiser
to celebrate the bounty of Fair Trade in Canada’s Capital. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door
and Includes one free Fair Trade cocktail! You can buy your tickets at http://fairtradeottawa.ca/take-a-
sip-for-fair-trade/
There will be a Work Bee as part of the the Feast of St. Isidore on Tuesday May 15 th at the Galilee
Centre in Arnprior. Contact Ken Mansefield at kmansfield@galileecentre.com for more information.
Also on May 15 Ecology Ottawa will be hosting a Volunteer Orientation at 6:30 pm at the Ecology
Ottawa office on Nicholas Street. Come find learn more learn more about what the organization does
and how to get involved. Please RSVP to volunteer@ecologyottawa.ca .
On Tuesday May 22, from 5 to 6:30 Just Food will be hosting their first Annual General Meeting.
While Just Food has had a strategic board for eight years, and many open community meetings, the
organization has recently become incorporated as an independent, not-for-profit. This meeting will
allow you to hear in more detail the work that is happening on several projects Just Food is involved
with and take part in discussions of our future plans. Light refreshments will be served and RSVP is
required.
Upcoming local environmental events (courtesy of Ecology Ottawa):
In case you’re looking for additional reasons to jettison your car and haul out the bike, the video below from EnviroCentre Ottawa makes a convincing case. Save money, improve your health, help reduce pollution, the list goes on (and on). May is Bike to Work month so let’s get to it.
Continuing on this theme, on Earthgauge Radio this week, we have a special program dedicated to cycling. May is Bike to Work month so we’re celebrating the beautiful bicycle on our May 10 show. Interviews with Jess Wells of EnviroCentre about Bike to Work month; Caron Cheng of Mountain Equipment Co-op about MEC Bike Fest this Sunday; and Seb Oran of Bicycles for Humanity. Tune in, turn on and tune up your bike!
Earthgauge Radio is broadcast every other Thursday morning at 7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. You can also stream online or listen on demand (whenever you want!) at www.ckcufm.com.
“A new study from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research suggests that a transformation of the world’s economies or a limit to economic growth may be needed to curb the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.”
This comes from a recent article about the fundamental incompatibility of an economic system based on endless growth and the problem of climate change. And therein lies the fundamental paradox of our times. Our modern, industrial, capitalist economy depends upon endless growth to function. We celebrate every uptick in the growth rate and fret when growth is “sluggish”. Yet as this study demonstrates, more growth leads to more greenhouse gas emissions and consequently an accelerated rate of climate change. So we can have one or the other, it seems, but not both. What will it be? More growth or less climate change?
“The researchers found that for each trillion in U.S. dollars that global GDP deviates from the trend, there is an accompanying deviation in CO2 levels of about half a part per million (ppm), reported LiveScience.
Noting that the study “more or less” echoes 1972′s “The Limits to Growth,” author and environmental activist Bill McKibben told HuffPost in an email, “We should change the meaning of ‘business-as-usual’ to focus on building more resilient, localized, community-focused economies, instead of the sprawling ones that for the last few decades have been awarding their bounty to the 1%.”
The Budget Implementation Bill C-38 was introduced this past week and it provides the details of the initiatives announced in the March 29 federal Budget. Bill C-38 includes so many changes to environmental laws and regulations in Canada that it would be impossible to discuss them all in one post but I do want to just give you some idea of the extent to which the Harper government is attacking environmental regulations with this Bill. A Toronto Star article this week said that “The Harper government has launched the biggest overhaul ever of federal environmental protections as part of a massive (421-page) bill to implement its March 29 budget.”
Even the right-leaning National Post columnist Andrew Coyne was appalled, saying that Bill C-38 “amends some 60 different acts, repeals half a dozen, and adds three more, including a completely rewritten Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. It ranges far beyond the traditional budget concerns of taxing and spending, making changes in policy across a number of fields from immigration to telecommunications, to land codes on native reservations.” Coyne goes on to say that “ this is not remotely a budget bill, despite its name”.
Here’s a sample of what the budget bill says when it comes to the changes the government intends to make on the environment file.
It repeals the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, putting an official end to Canada’s commitment to the international agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The bill sets timelines for environmental assessment hearings and will block participation in the hearings by those not directly affected by the project. It also allows Ottawa to shirk responsibility by handing off assessments to the provinces and consolidates the process in three government agencies: the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environment Assessment Agency.
It empowers the federal cabinet to give the go-ahead to pipelines and other major energy projects regardless of the conclusions of regulatory hearings on the feasibility of the projects. The changes mean if the National Energy Board disapproves of a project, such as the Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to the coast of BC, cabinet can overrule it.
Finally, it makes changes to how permits under the Species at Risk Act are authorized allowing the National Energy Board to permit activities that kill or harm endangered species. And it shortens the list of protected species under the Act.
Now I’ve railed before against this government’s various assaults on the environment and environmental groups but this Bill really takes their war on nature to a new level. And the fact that all these legislative changes have been tagged on to the Budget Bill is nothing short of cowardly and underhanded. This way, the government hopes that the extreme changes they are proposing will somehow not be noticed by the media and public amongst all the financial details of the Bill. One thing we know is that these unprecedented measures will not be given a fair hearing in Parliament. If the Harper government truly believes these changes need to be made, why won’t they introduce them as separate legislation so that they can be properly debated in the House of Commons and reviewed by the appropriate committees? Of course, the answer is that they don’t want them to be debated or discussed for fear of the backlash that might ensue from the Canadian public.
As Andrew Coyne wrote: this Bill “utterly eviscerates the committee process, until now regarded as one of the last useful roles left to MPs. How can one committee, in this case Finance, properly examine all of these diverse measures, with all of the many areas of expertise they require, especially in the time allotted to them?”
So there you have it. Another glorious day for Canadian democracy.
I rarely print an article in full on my blog but I’m making an exception here. This article by the respected economist Mark Jaccard appeared in today’s Georgia Straight (Vancouver). It should be read by all who are concerned about climate change and the failure of our governments to adequately address this worsening problem despite repeated, and increasingly urgent, warnings from the world’s most respected climate scientists.
As Jaccard writes, “I now ask myself how our children, when they look back decades from now, will have expected us to have acted today. When I think about that, I conclude that every sensible and sincere person, who cares about this planet and can see through lies and delusion motivated by money, should be doing what I and others are now prepared to do.”
If things are as bad as the scientists are telling us, I have to ask myself what I am prepared to do about it? What are you willing to do?
Here is the article in full:
This Saturday, May 5, at dawn I’m joining other British Columbians in White Rock at the pier to stop Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal trains from reaching our ports. Like others, I’m willing to engage in civil disobedience and risk arrest on Saturday to emphasize how important it is that we take urgent action to stop the actions that cause climate change.
The window of opportunity for avoiding a high risk of runaway, irreversible climate change is closing quickly. Within this decade we will either have steered away from disaster, or have locked ourselves onto a dangerous course. Our governments continue to ignore the warnings of scientists and push forward with policies that will accelerate the burning of fossil fuels. Private interests — coal, rail, oil, pipeline companies and the rest — continue to push their profit driven agenda, heedless of the impact on the rest of us.
This has to stop. We can’t comfort ourselves by thinking “if it were really that bad, government would do something about it.” It is that bad, and what government is doing in response is entirely inadequate.
On Earthgauge Radio this week, we’re talking fish, politics and sustainability – not necessarily in that order. We have two interviews for you on today’s show:
Chris Henderson, co-convenor of the 3i Sustainability Summit, which is taking place in Ottawa May 4-5
John Smol, Biology professor at Queen’s University, who will be talking about the Canadian government’s proposed changes to the Fisheries Act
Earthgauge Radio is broadcast every other Thursday morning at 7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. Right click here to download today’s full show.
First on today’s program, we talk to Chris Henderson about the 3i Sustainability Summit. This is a unique project that hopes to bring people from many sectors together to learn and collaborate on a shared mission to advance sustainability initiatives in Ottawa. Chris bring us up to speed on what they have planned for the May 4-5 Summit in Ottawa and how to get involved.
Chris Henderson interview (right click here to download)
Next we take a look at the environmental rollbacks in the federal government’s Budget Implementation Bill, which was introduced this week, and we hear from John Smol who is a biology professor at Queen’s University in Kingston and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. He, and many other scientists, are extremely concerned about changes to the Fisheries Act, which are being covertly rammed through Parliament as part of the Omnibus Budget Implementation Bill. John will tell us how the changes being enacted by the Harper government will substantially weaken laws that are meant to protect fish and fish habitat in Canada.
John Smol interview (right click here to download)
We also have our usual segment with Ecology Ottawa who will be updating us on local environmental events and campaigns. And we’ll hear the week’s round-up of international eco-news from Deutsche Welle Living Planet.
Remember that Earthgauge Radio is podcast on iTunes if you type earthgauge into the search bar, you’ll find us. Contact us at earthgaugeradio@gmail.com. Facebook address is www.facebook.com/EarthgaugeRadio and Twitter handle @earthgaugeCA. Please do get in touch if you have story ideas, a comment on something you’ve heard or want to get involved or contribute to the show.
Upcoming local environmental events (courtesy of Ecology Ottawa):
The month of May is Bike to Work month in the capital. You can sign up for the pledge at www.biketoworkottawa.com. In addition to saving on fuel and greenhouse gas emissions you’ll be entered in a draw to win some great prizes.
On May 5, this Sunday, 350.org is holding their Connect the Dots event. All around the planet, including Ottawa, people will be gathering to take a photo of a gigantic dot on a sign or banner — each dot representing a local climate impact — and they’ll connect up all the dots to draw the connection between extreme weather and climate change. There are two Ottawa events planned for the Connect the Dots campaign:
What Happened to the World’s Longest Skating Rink?
Saturday, May 5, 11:00 AM
Rideau Canal, Laurier Bridge (by City Hall) Ottawa, Ontario
We will hold up a banner asking where the world’s longest skating rink went this year…with a measly total of 28 skating days, this was less than the number of days in February! What’s going to happen to our beloved Rideau Canal as climate change takes hold in Canada?? Useful articles showing the warming trend for the Rideau Canal: http://climateottawa.ca/236/rideau-canal-skateway/
International Stop The Tar Sands Day
Saturday, May 5, 1:30 PM Parliament Hill, Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario
Tar Covered Zombie Walk: Covered and dripping in ‘oil’ we will moan and groan our way around the front lawn of parliament in protest of governmental and corporate irresponsibility. THINGS TO BRING -FAKE tar/oil that can you feel comfortable covering yourself with. Ways to make fake tar/ oil – Chocolate Syrup – Black Dye – Water Soluble Black Poster Paint – SIGNS that get the message across, preferably comical
Continuing this week after its Earth Day opening is the environmental art show “Where theWild Things…Aren’t” at the Wall Space Gallery in Westboro. The exhibit, which runs until May 6th, brings together several artists from Ottawa, Toronto and beyond, each of whom responds to the theme of “the human relationship to nature”. For more information, consult the gallery’s website at www.wallspacegallery.ca.
The 3i Summit on Sustainability will take place this Friday, May 4th to Saturday May 5th at Lago Bar & Grill at the Dow’s lake pavilion. This event is a unique project that brings change agents, leaders and connectors from many sectors together to learn from each other and collaborate on a shared mission to advance new initiatives for a better community through a focus on practical, tangible ideas to put into action.
On May 9th , there will a Solar Power Workshop in Barrhaven at Mother Teresa High School from 6:45 to 8. Come learn about how you can generate power on your home using solar panels and be paid a premium price for 20 years. Roof shaded? You will also learn about how you can invest in the Ottawa Renewable Energy Cooperative and help solar projects take off in Ottawa. Check the Ecology Ottawa website for RSVP details.
Next Saturday May 12, 2012, Fair Trade Ottawa presents its f first annual wine-and-cheese fundraiser to celebrate the bounty of Fair Trade in Canada’s Capital. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door and Includes one free Fair Trade cocktail! You can buy your tickets at http://fairtradeottawa.ca/take-a-sip-for-fair-trade/.
Earthgauge is produced by Mark Brooks - an environmental journalist and broadcaster based in Ottawa, Canada. This is also the companion site for Earthgauge Radio, which is broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa with podcasts here and on iTunes. On Earthgauge you'll find environmental news, commentary and interviews on stories from across Canada and around the world.
Posted by Mark Brooks 
