The Vancouver Sun is reporting today that, according to an independent analysis by three professional engineers, the Enbridge Northern Gateway proposal to ship oil sands bitumen from Kitimat along the B.C. coast carries an unacceptable risk of a significant spill. The engineers concluded that there is a 73-per-cent chance that
Continue readingAuthor: Mark Brooks
earthgauge: Sea Ice in Arctic Measured at Record Low – NYTimes.com
The amount of sea ice in the Arctic has fallen to the lowest level on record, a confirmation of the drastic warming in the region and a likely harbinger of larger changes to come. “It’s hard even for people like me to believe, to see that climate change is actually
Continue readingearthgauge: Harper government scraps 3,000 environmental reviews on pipelines and other projects
Mike De Souza continues his great work for Postmedia exposing the environmental assaults of the Harper government. Harper government scraps 3,000 environmental reviews on pipelines and other projects | canada.com. The Harper government’s budget legislation has forced the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to cancel nearly 3,000 screenings into potential environmental
Continue readingearthgauge: Arctic ice could vanish within 10 years: Scientists
Arctic sea ice could vanish within 10 years as it is melting much faster than previously believed, thanks to global warming, warn scientists, claiming that the process is 50 percent faster than the current estimates. New satellites being operated by the European Space Agency paint a grim picture of 900
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio August 9, 2012: Burning down the house!
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-aug9-2012.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we continue with our summer programming schedule with a special guest episode from our friend Alex Taylor and Radio Ecoshock in Vancouver. Today’s episode is called Burning Down The House and it was produced during the recent devastating Colorado forest fires of late
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio August 2, 2012: The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline (encore edition)
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-aug2-2012-northerngateway.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we continue with our ‘best of’ summer series with a program originally broadcast back in January on an issue that only continues to grow in importance: the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. I have 3 interviews on today’s ‘encore’ show: Emma Gilchrist, Communications
Continue readingearthgauge: On Earthgauge Radio tomorrow morning: the Northern Gateway pipeline (reprise!)
On Earthgauge Radio this week, we continue our ‘best of’ summer programming with a reprise of a show originally aired back in January on a topic that just keeps growing in importance: the Northern Gateway pipeline. Now even premiers are arguing about Gateway. Could this be the defining environmental struggle
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio July 26, 2012: Bill Rees and our ecological footprint
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-july26-2012-billrees.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, I re-broadcast a full feature length interview I did with the renowned UBC ecologist Bill Rees, who was recently honoured with the prestigious Blue Planet Prize. Rees and Mathis Wackernagel are responsible for coming up with the concept of the ecological footprint, which
Continue readingearthgauge: A World Without Coral Reefs – NYTimes.com
Just to brighten your day a little more, check out this astonishing article from the NY Times on the state of the world’s coral reefs. It ain’t pretty. The article is written by an ecologist in Australia where the world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier, is experiencing unprecedented declines in
Continue readingearthgauge: Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented Level
Yikes. More bad news.. Unprecedented melting of Greenland’s ice sheet this month has stunned NASA scientists and has highlighted broader concerns that the region is losing a remarkable amount of ice overall. Check out this Huff Po article for more info: Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented
Continue readingearthgauge: We’re all climate change idiots!
In a timely follow up to my post below, Beth Gardiner wrote an article in today’s New York Times in which she considers why in the face of so much scientific evidence, we are doing so little to address the crisis of climate change. Entitled ‘We’re all climate change idiots”,
Continue readingearthgauge: Global CO2 emissions rise 3 percent in 2011: report
Climate change is upon us folks and it’s only going to get worse. Yes, events like the current U.S. drought, which is being called one of the worst in recent memory, cannot be conclusively linked to climate change but it is entirely consistent with what climate scientists have been predicting
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio June 28, 2012: Rio +20 Earth Summit in review and the Emerald Ash Borer beetle
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-june28-2012.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we take a look at the recently concluded Rio +20 Earth Summit and we discuss Ottawa’s Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation, which is becoming a growing problem in regions across North America. I have two interviews on today’s program: David Suzuki (courtesy of
Continue readingearthgauge: The Rio +20 Earth Summit and the Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation on Earthgauge Radio tomorrow
On tomorrow’s show, we’re taking a look at the recently concluded Rio +20 Earth Summit and discussing the increasing problem of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle in Ottawa. The Rio Summit was of course a huge international United Nations meeting that came on the 20th anniversary of the original Rio
Continue readingearthgauge: New Josh Fox Film “The Sky Is Pink” Reveals Fracking Contamination
Check out the latest ant-fracking film from Josh Fox (the maker of Gasland) called The Sky is Pink, which is being called “the best 18 minute movie ever made.” But “The Sky Is Pink” cites damning evidence that safe fracking is a contradiction in terms. The gas industry’s own documents and
Continue readingearthgauge: Will UN Summit on Sustainable Development make anyone happy?
What on Earth is going on at the Rio +20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro? Well, this article might provide some indication. If you had low expectations for the so-called Sustainable Development Summit, you’re not alone. Here’s an excerpt from the article that tells you just about everything you need
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio June 21, 2012: Solar power to the people!
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-june21-2012-solarpower.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, I have a special program on the coming solar power revolution. Have you ever thought about installing solar panels on your roof or, if you don’t have a roof, what about investing in solar energy? Well if the answer is yes to either
Continue readingearthgauge: Special program dedicated to solar energy on tomorrow’s edition of Earthgauge Radio
On Earthgauge Radio this week (7:00-8:00 AM on CKCU radio 93.1 FM in Ottawa or online at www.ckcufm.com), I’m presenting a special program on the coming solar power revolution. Ever thought about installing solar panels on your roof or, if you don’t have a roof, what about investing in solar
Continue readingearthgauge: And now a few comments on The Tyee’s new sustainable energy project…
In my post below, I recommended following a new investigative reporting series being produced by The Tyee. I commend this initiative as it is important, timely and deserves our attention. Now for some thoughts on what The Tyee is hoping to achieve with this project. First, a few words of caution
Continue readingearthgauge: Can we “green” the tar sands? The Energy Conversation Canada Needs
For anyone interested in the tar sands “debate” – and this should include all of us as it is really a debate about our collective energy future – you will want to keep an eye on a new investigative reporting series being produced by The Tyee. Under the general heading
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