* Yesterday I posted a clip from Power & Politics where EthicalOil.org’s spokesperson Kathryn Marshall happily sprayed paranoid, inflammatory rhetoric around the room about how “environmentalists” who are speaking out against the Northern Gateway Pipeline are funded by “foreign” interests while clamming up about whether or not her group gets
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350 or bust: Canadians Ignore the Warning Lesson of Haiti’s Environmental Destruction At Our Peril
Today marks two years since the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti where more than 200,000 died and an estimated 1 million were left homeless. We are used to hearing that Haiti is a very poor country, yet rarely do we hear that at one point in its history, Haiti was the
Continue reading350 or bust: The Real Radicals Are Those Who Pollute Our Air and Water and Destabilize Our Climate, Mr. Oliver
Here are some excerpts from an open letter released yesterday by Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, just prior to the start of the Northern Gateway pipeline hearings in B.C. today: “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their
Continue reading350 or bust: As Fossil Fuel Interests Sway Politicians, The Political Will To Act On Climate Change Disappears As Fast As Arctic Ice
This excellent interview with Patrick Bond, Director of the Centre for Civil Society University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, discusses the huge influence that the fossil fuel industry, with its deep pockets and bought-and-paid for politicians, has on the climate change debate. This industry is at the root of
Continue reading350 or bust: Canada’s New Climate Buddy: Russia
Canada has been under fire internationally for the Harper government’s recent announcement of its intention to pull out of the only international treaty that attempts to address the climate crisis, the Kyoto Protocol. China, Japan, France, India, and Tuvalu, a small island state at risk from climate change, have all
Continue reading350 or bust: Reinventing Fire: Fuel Without Fear, Climate Change, & Oil Spills
If you haven’t read Reinventing Fire yet, put it on your Christmas list now! Like Amory Lovins says in the clip below, when you drop a sea crystal into a super-saturated solution, suddenly the solution takes on a whole new form. Reinventing Fire may be the crystal that is needed
Continue reading350 or bust: Citizens Climate Lobby: Progress in Durban On Climate, But We Mustn’t Wait To Act
Citizens Climate Lobby Canada released this response to the recent Durban climate negotiations and the announcement yesterday by Environment Minister Peter Kent that Canada is pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol: While it is encouraging that a path forward now exists for an international agreement on climate change, the deal
Continue reading350 or bust: Canada’s Pollution Peddlers Arrive At COP17 in Durban
It’s a busy time for a climate activist; the updates from COP17 are coming in fast and furious, particularly from Canadians as the Canadian Minister of the Environment Peter Kent and his delegation arrived yesterday. Here are some of the articles that were in my inbox this morning: Mardi Tindal,
Continue reading350 or bust: Durban: “Down With Canada”
Concerned citizens from around Africa and the globe have gathered in Durban South Africa to “Occupy Cop17″, as hopes for a global agreement to address the climate crisis fades. As part of Occupy COP17, participants chanted “down with Canada” outside the official U.N. negotiations. It makes me so ashamed of
Continue reading350 or bust: It’s Official: Canada Breaks International Law, Withdraws From Kyoto Protocol
From the Globe and Mail: Environment Minister Peter Kent says Canada is finished with the Kyoto Protocol. Speaking in a teleconference from an international climate-change summit in South Africa, Mr. Kent said Monday Canada will not make a second commitment to Kyoto, which would run from 2013 to 2017. The
Continue reading350 or bust: COP17: Politicians, Get Your Head Out Of The Sands And Lead!
Our eyes on the ground of the Durban climate conference, Ani, updates us from Day 6 of COP17. To read more, visit Ani’s blog at YouthDelegateManitoba.wordpress.com: I could spend my time writing this blog about a draft text for the Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, which has been circulated
Continue reading350 or bust: Tar Nation: Haunting Photos Reveal Rape of Canada’s Boreal Forest
Garth Lenz has spent the last 20 years photographing wilderness and indigenous peoples, focusing particularly on environmental issues, throughout Canada, the U.S., Chile, Ecuador, Borneo, and China. His photos have been published in numerous books, newspapers, and magazines including Time Magazine, B.B.C. Wildlife Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times
Continue reading350 or bust: COP 17 in Durban – Day 1
Today is the first day of the U.N. climate talks in Durban South Africa. As I wrote earlier, many people’s expectations (including mine) for a meaningful and binding international climate treaty coming out of these 10 days is low. It seems, sadly, that unbridled capitalism will triumph over humanity’s need
Continue reading350 or bust: Bracing For Disappointment As Durban Climate Talks Begin
The annual circus round of global climate talks starts on Monday in South Africa. I wish I was feeling more optimistic about the possibility of elected politicians to come to an agreement that would preserve an admittedly changed, but still relatively stable climate, for future generations. As the IEA reminded
Continue reading350 or bust: Robert Redford And I Occupy Vancouver
Never let it be said that as a climate activist I’m not occasionally smitten by the desire to do a little Hollywood star-gazing. In the past, I’ve been known to scour the streets of Winnipeg for Brad Pitt when he was in filming in Old Market Square, or (going back
Continue reading350 or bust: #NOKXL! Score One For Our Children’s Future (For A Change)
It’s official – break out the champagne!! The U.S. State Department just announced that it would delay making a decision on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline until after it had undergone extensive further review, including a search for an …
Continue reading350 or bust: International Energy Agency: Rising Fossil Energy Use Will Lead To Irreversible & Potentially Catastrophic Climate Change
The International Energy Agency released the 2011 World Energy Outlook yesterday. What is almost as interesting as the report itself is the coverage of it in the MSM. Here’s a summary of the report by the IEA itself in this video featuring Dr F…
Continue reading350 or bust: Mark Ruffalo On Opposing Keystone XL Pipeline: I Look At My Kids and I Say I Can’t Betray Them
I’m looking out the window of my home office today, rejoicing at the sprinkling of snow on the ground. Yesterday rain fell outside, while a confused fly that should have been hibernating buzzed around inside. Both are examples, along with the tem…
Continue reading350 or bust: U.S. Senator: Washington’s Failure To Act On Climate Change Is Blameworthy & The Consequences Profound
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave a powerful speech in the U.S. Senate last week, making a thorough and well-supported argument for immediate comprehensive action to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate destabilization and ocean acidification: …
Continue reading350 or bust: Climate News: Carbon Pricing in Australia And Oil Orgies In Britain
Yesterday Australia took a huge step toward a clean energy economy and tackling climate change. The Australian House of Representatives passed the Government’s package of 19 bills setting up a carbon pricing scheme from July 1, 2012 by a vote of 74 t…
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