Download: earthgauge-podcast-feb7-2013.mp3 This week on Earthgauge Radio, we’re talking about the Shell drilling rig that ran aground near Alaska’s Kodiak Island at the end of December and we discuss the City of Ottawa’s “Liveable Ottawa” plan. We also have a special guest editorial from Grist.org columnist David Roberts who will
Continue readingTag: oil
Earthgauge Radio: China is burning almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined
Time Magazine published a sobering article recently that provides some idea of the daunting challenge facing activists around the world who are trying to build a movement to confront the worsening problem of climate change. As the chart from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (above) indicates, coal consumption in China is now
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Earthgauge Radio January 24: Richard Heinberg on energy, climate change and the fragile world economy
Download: earthgauge-podcast-jan24-20132.mp3 This week on Earthgauge Radio, we launch a new series in which we will feature leading, influential thinkers who can provide some big picture context to the issues that we discuss on this program such as climate change, energy, economics, ethics, sustainability and development. We will kick off this
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Richard Heinberg on Earthgauge Radio this week
This Thursday on Earthgauge Radio, we’ll be featuring a speech by the influential author Richard Heinberg from the Bioneers Conference back in November. Heinberg is a senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute and is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which we reach maximum global oil production—and the
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Alberta oil selling at 50% discount to world price…
…which explains why the Canadian government is Hell-and-High-Water-bent on building a pipeline, any pipeline, anywhere. First, the stats Over the past few months, new stories have noted that Canada’s oil sector isn’t getting full price for its heavy oil — in large part because American pipelines are well-supplied with newly-flowing
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Earthgauge Radio January 17: Keith Stewart of Greenpeace and Alex Hebert of SwitchHop.com
Download: earthgauge-podcast-jan17-2013.mp3 Earthgauge Radio returns this week with Keith Stewart of Greenpeace who will tell us about the December 2011 letter he obtained through an Access to Information request from oil companies to the Harper government. As it turns out, what the oil industry wants, the Harper government gives –
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Interview with Keith Stewart of Greenpeace
Download: keith-stewart-edited-forair.mp3 Roughly one year ago, the federal Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, issued an open letter attacking “environmental and other radical groups” that “threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.” Canada’s regulatory system was “broken”, he declared, and changing it was “an urgent matter of Canada’s
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Tomorrow on Earthgauge Radio: what big oil wants, Harper gives, plus reducing your home energy bill with SwitchHop
Earthgauge Radio returns with our first show of 2013! Tomorrow on the program, we have an interview with Keith Stewart of Greenpeace who will tell us about the December 2011 letter he obtained through an Access to Information request from oil companies to the Harper government. As it turns out, what
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Opposing Enbridge & Environmental Value
There is one easy way for the opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline to get their way, put their money where their mouth is. It only makes sense that if the Northern Gateway project is built, Enbridge the company responsible, should cover all social costs from the environmental damage; but
Continue readingArt Threat: Oil makes for a slippery slope
Today marks the start of a five day hearing process about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. About 330 speakers will have 10 minutes each to address the panel responsible for reviewing the $6-billion Enbridge project. A couple years ago Canadian musician City and Colour wrote the song “At The
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Conservatives Bad At Selling Out
What’s worse than oil companies spending millions to buy off politicians? Oil companies getting them for free. The oil sector is vital to Canada’s economy, but so are a lot of industries and you don’t see them drafting government policy. From the CBC: A letter obtained by Greenpeace through access
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Tarred and Feathered
It’s one of those “I told you so” findings, as the toxic fingerprint of tarsand oil production is found in distant lakes supposedly unaffected by the decades of strip mining. Well, the oil companies and their shills would have had people believe there was no effect, that is. Environmentalists were
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Large majority of Canadians opposed to takeover of Nexen by China’s CNOOC
The takeover of Canadian energy firms by foreign state-owned companies got the Ottawa green light even though polling indicates a large majority of Canadians oppose the move. China’s CNOOC has been given the go-ahead on the purchase of Calgary-based petroleum producer Nexen Inc. – a $15 billion dollar deal; Malaysia’s
Continue readingEclectic Lip: The US once was, but will never again be, the Saudi Arabia of oil
The idea that the US might one day produce more oil than Saudi Arabia, popularized by an International Energy Agency (IEA) report, has gone viral in recent weeks. It’s like the “Call Me Maybe” phenomenon, but for Very Serious People! 🙂 Alas, the idea that the US will out-produce Saudi Arabia
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: When Is A Private Sale Public?
Conservatives tell us that state ownership of industry is bad… if it’s Canadian state ownership. Their actions tell a different story. “Canada is just barely holding the reins“. S.E. writes, “You probably don’t need me to tell you that selling a controlling stake in this country’s largest energy resource to
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Week of Hell #RoboCon
The Conservatives have had a (deservedly) rough week, and it’s about to get more rough next week. The Council of Canadians’ court challenge is Monday. The Prime Minister closed out the final news cycle hour this week by actually taking questions from the press, (which has hardly ever happened before).
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: SaskPower: At Least 13 Years Out of Touch
I’m sorry Canada, and the world. I’ve tried to convince my province’s public utility that there are huge benefits from dialing down the reliance on coal burned electricity, but they won’t listen. They haven’t even removed or updated a shockingly out-dated “Solar” page on their website that lists information that
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Financial Post = Zombie Host
The Financial Post is the stupid-wing of the National Post. The NatPo manages to publish some actual news, while the Financial Post publishes misinformation that is there simply to anger and confuse people. That’s why I’m angry about their latest hyping of a stunt by climate change deniers like Tim Ball. (http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/11/29/open-climate-letter-to-un-secretary-general-current-scientific-knowledge-does-not-substantiate-ban-ki-moon-assertions-on-weather-and-climate-say-125-scientists/) This came on […]
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Honesty In Politics: Punished, With Good Reason?
If politicians don’t start being a little more brutally honest about some well established facts, and how they endanger life, then expect them to support laws that endanger us all. For instance, if our POS Environment Minister Peter Kent hadn’t made a habit of lying about the danger of climate change, then I wouldn’t be […]
Eclectic Lip: Green byelection blues
Alas, the Green Party didn’t pick any seats up in the Nov 26 Canadian federal by-elections. While their strong showings probably count as a real moral victory, I imagine at this stage they’d prefer amoral, real victories. 😉 As it turns out, Parliament’s composition is unchanged, “while my green heart gently weeps”. Despite donating to […]