The following is based on a talk at the Bring Your Boomers election forum on April 3 at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, the fourth in a series of intergenerational dialogues from Gen Why Media, and was co-sponsored by the CCPA, Get Your Vote On, LeadNow and Vancity credit union. I was asked to set the stage for a
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The Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: FAA imposed no-fly zone over Exxon’s Pegasus tar sands oil spill site
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday imposed a no-fly zone over the site of the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline disaster in Mayflower, Arkansas. ExxonMobil’s Pegasus tar sands oil pipeline ruptured last Friday and spilled more than 318,000 litres of tar sands oil into a local neighborhood, drainage system and lake.
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Climate change is simple
Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves of the basic science of climate change and why scientists are so certain that the planet is warming and humans are to blame. David Roberts is a climate change and environment columnist at Grist. I’m not so sure about the somewhat distracting musical soundtrack
Continue readingThings Are Good: Australia Can Make Easy Transition to Renewable Energy
Presently, 10% of Australia’s electricity is produced from a renewable resource, and that number can grow easily with minor adjustments to federal policy. By cutting back subsidies for the oil and gas sector (yes, most developed nations actually provide subsidies to that insanely profitable sector) and upping the cost of
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Bad Week For The Tar Sands: March 25 – 31, 2013 (Infographic)
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Infographic via: Facebook/Shit Harper Did I recommend: Exxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO) We recommend:State Department’s Keystone XL Project Review Upsets EnvironmentalistsExxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO)In Texas, An Activist Climbs
Continue readingThings Are Good: Burning in the Sun: The Small Solar Industry in Africa
A few years ago in Mali some filmmakers went to chronicle what’s going on in the country and ended up making a documentary about solar energy. Daniel Dembele is an entrepreneur who brought solar power to the people by starting a company and bringing photovoltaic panels to rural Mali. This
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Appointment of Federal Representative on Energy Infrastructure: Too Little Too Late?
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 As the Yinka Dene Alliance and their allies were gathering in Ottawa to renew their opposition to Tar Sands Pipelines on March 19th, Natural Resource Minister, Joe Oliver, was in Terrace, BC, to announce the appointment of Vancouver-based lawyer, Douglas Eyford, as a “Special Federal Representative
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Absolving our Carbon Sins: the Case of the Pacific Carbon Trust
Last week’s report from BC’s Auditor General dealt a huge blow to the credibility of carbon offsets and claims that BC had achieved a state of “carbon neutral government.” Coverage of the AG’s report was coloured by accusations from the Pacific Carbon Trust, the Crown corporation created to buy and sell BC offsets,
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Exxon pipeline breaks, spills 84,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil in Arkansas (VIDEO)
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Yet another warning of the disasters Canadians and Americans would be forced to endure regularly if President Obama approves TransCanada Corp’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline. On Friday, the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline, which ships Canadian tar sands oil to Texas, ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, and spilled more than 80,000
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: A Green Canada Includes The West!
Canada may be out of the Kyoto protocol, but even our own non scientific target of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 won`t be reached at this rate. Due to Harper`s indifference on climate change Canada is falling behind most nations not only when it comes …
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: A Green Canada Includes The West!
Canada may be out of the Kyoto protocol, but even our own non scientific target of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 won`t be reached at this rate. Due to Harper`s indifference on climate change Canada is falling behind most nations not only when it comes to environmental action, but also maintaining
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: A Green Canada Includes The West!
Canada may be out of the Kyoto protocol, but even our own non scientific target of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 won`t be reached at this rate. Due to Harper`s indifference on climate change Canada is falling behind most nations not only when it comes to environmental action, but also maintaining
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Despite risk to marine ecosystem White House reaffirms commitment to Arctic drilling
As US renews pledge to drill in Arctic waters, Greenland places moratorium on new leases By: Lauren McCauley | Common Dreams: A White House official reaffirmed Wednesday the Obama administration’s commitment to the Arctic offshore drilling program despite the “dangerous risk” of catastrophic consequences for the pristine marine ecosystem. Speaking via video
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: EG Radio March 28: Federal Budget 2013, urbanization in Kenya and the tar sands “staples” trap
Download: earthgauge-podcast-march28-2013.mp3 We love covering local stories on Earthgauge and this week, we get just about as local as we can, focusing on some compelling environmental research taking place at Carleton University in Ottawa. We also take a look at the environmental provisions of last week’s federal Budget 2013. We
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Closing the Loop: Zero Waste, GHG Emissions and Green Jobs in BC
Below is the summary for our latest Climate Justice Project report, Closing the Loop: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Creating Green Jobs through Zero Waste in BC (I recommend checking the much prettier full paper, stand-alone summary, and awesome infographic by Sam Bradd on the website). Closing the Loop was a complex and challenging project
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Tomorrow on EG Radio: Budget 2013, urbanization in Kenya and the tar sands “staples trap”
We love covering local stories on Earthgauge and this week, we’re getting just about as local as we possibly can, focusing on some compelling environmental research taking place at Carleton University in Ottawa. Earthgauge contributor Juanita Bawagan will be speaking with Glennys Egan who is a Masters student whose research
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: GroupThink ReSpun: The Death of Hugo Chavez
Hugo Chavez died of cancer on March 5, 2013. He represented an ideological pushback against neoliberal globalization. He pursued a progressive hemispheric trade agenda. He raised oil royalties dramatically to improve the social capacity of people in and around Venezuela. He revolutionized and democratized Venezuela’s constitution. He attracted the ire
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: EG Radio March 7 2013: Reconnecting with the natural world around us
Download: earthgauge-podcast-march7-2013.mp3 Ever wondered where your water comes from and where your wastewater goes? How much garbage do we produce in Ottawa and where does it go? What did the city look like a couple hundred years ago? Where does the gas come from that fills up our tanks? How much
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Dutch Disease is Dead … Long Live Dutch Disease!!!
In the hyper-polarized context of Canadian energy policy debates, even suggesting that there might be a downside to the untrammeled energy boom centred in northern Alberta is enough to get you labelled a traitor or an economic illiterate — or both. Conservative political leaders in both Ottawa and Edmonton, backed
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: EG Radio February 28 2013: ‘Forward on Climate’ special with Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Naomi Klein, Michael Brune and Jacquie Thomas
Download: earthgauge-podcast-feb28-2013-final.mp3 This week on Earthgauge, we hear speeches and interviews from the huge ‘Forward on Climate‘ rally in Washington D.C. on February 17. We have speeches by Van Jones of Rebuild the Dream, Bill McKibben of 350.org, Michael Brune, executive director of the U.S. Sierra Club, and Jacquie Thomas
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