Earthgauge radio podcast January 26, 2012: Fighting the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline

On Earthgauge radio this week, we’ll be talking about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. Hearings of the National Energy Board looking into the pipeline proposal got underway in B.C. this month with over 4000 people scheduled to speak as intervenors. The oil industry in Canada and the federal government are pushing hard to see that the pipeline is built, yet opposition to the project, particularly among First Nations communities along the proposed pipeline route, is fierce. We take a look at the potential environmental impacts of the pipeline, the strategic energy security implications of liquidating tar sands oil, the economics of the project and the political context. Right click here to download the entire show.

We have 3 interviews on our special show today:

• Emma Gilchrist, Communications Director for the Dogwood Initiative
• Energy analyst and geoscientist, David Hughes
• Author and journalist, Murray Dobbin

If constructed, the Northern Gateway pipeline would transport heavy bitumen oil from the tar sands of northern Alberta to the north coast of BC. Although the National Energy Board hearings have just begun, already the federal government has weighed in before the environmental panel has even had a chance to do its work and make a recommendation on whether or not to proceed with the project. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already said the pipeline is in the national interest and must proceed while federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver has labelled those opposed to the project, which includes environmentalists, fishermen, ranchers, ordinary citizens and First Nations, as foreign-funded radicals.

So what is this project all about? Well, basically the company Enbridge wants to build two 1200km pipelines – one would take  500,000 barrels a day of tar sands crude across the Rockies to Kitimat on the B.C. coast, where over 200 supertankers a year would take the oil for export to the U.S. and Asia. A second pipeline in the other direction would take a natural gas condensate back to the tar sands, which helps the oil flow through the pipe.

The pipelines would cross hundreds of rivers and streams and pass through a region renowned for its salmon, wolves, bears and other wildlife. It would also help to triple the production of tar sands crude, which is among the dirtiest and most destructive forms of energy, thereby greatly increasing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Not surprisingly, the proposed project has sparked an eruption of opposition among those who see the possibility of an oil spill as a critical threat to the environment and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people. Northern Gateway would have to cross the lands and waters of many BC First Nations, the vast majority of whom are opposed to the project, some maintaining that it must be stopped at almost any cost. In December, 130 aboriginal groups in B.C. said they were joining forces to use “whatever means necessary” to stop the project.

Meanwhile, industry and the Harper government say exploiting Canada’s abundant tar sands is vital for prosperity, particularly in light of a recent decision of US president Barack Obama to delay approval of the equally controversial Keystone XL pipeline which would transport tar sands crude to the Gulf of Mexico. Given this delay, Harper said recently that, “it is particularly essential for this country that we have the capacity to sell our energy products into the growing markets of Asia.”

One thing is for sure – a long and bitter fight lies ahead with some calling it the most significant environmental battle in Canadian history.

We’re taking a hard look at this project on Earthgauge today. First we hear from Emma Gilchrist of the organization Dogwood Initiative who talks about some of the possible environmental impacts of the project and updates us on the progress of the NEB hearings. Then we hear from the respected geologist David Hughes who discusses whether there is even a need for the project from the perspective of Canada’s strategic energy reserves. And finally for the political perspective I speak with the journalist Murray Dobbin who fills us in on how the federal government is manoeuvring to ensure that the project be approved despite all the opposition to it.

We also have our usual segment with Kathy of Ecology Ottawa who updates us on local environmental events and campaigns. I’ve listed a few of the upcoming events below and you can click here to see a complete list with full details.

Contact us at earthgaugeradio ‘at’ gmail.com. 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. You can also download our podcasts on iTunes. Just type “earthgauge” into the search bar and you’ll find us.

January 31, 2012
City Council Meeting – Environment Committee
When: January 31, 9:30 to 11:30 am
Where: City Hall, Andrew S. Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West

February 1, 2012
City Council Meeting – Transportation Committee
When: February 1, 9:30 to 11:30 am
Where: Champlain room, Ottawa City Hall
Phone: 613-580- 2424 ext. 21624

February 1, 2012
The World We Want – An evening with Francis Moore Lappé
USC Canada presents an inspiring evening with the visionary author of the groundbreaking Diet for a Small Planet (1971), Frances Moore Lappé. Based on her new book, EcoMind, Lappé confronts our current myths about markets, food, and environmental issues, challenging us to change the way we think so we can create the world we want.
When: February 1, 7:30 to 9:00 pm
Where: St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, 310 St. Patrick Street

Wednesday February 1 and 8, 2012
Weekly environmental choir rehearsals
Just Voices is Ottawa’s only environmental and social-justice theme choir. They have been singing at events around the capital since 2003. They welcome new members at any time, and prior musical experience is not necessary. For more information, visit www.justvoices.ca.
When: February 1, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: The Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave

February 6, 2012
City Council Meeting – Roads and Cycling Advisory Committee
When: February 6, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: City Hall, Honeywell Room

February 9, 2012
City Council Meeting – Environmental Advisory Committee
When: February 9, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Where: City Hall, Andrew S. Haydon Hall

February 9, 2012
Green Drinks Ottawa
Green Drinks is an open invitation to anyone interested/working/studying all things environmental.  Come and join us for interesting, and inspiring conversation.  We’re an informal, self-organizing network and meet every second Thursday of the month.  For more information, contact: greendrinksottawa@gmail.com.
When: February 9, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Where: Fox and Feather Pub & Grill, 283 Elgin street

What can North American cities learn from the fight over public transit in Toronto?

My latest article on the fight for better public transit options in Toronto was just published in the Common Sense Canadian. The ongoing squabble in Canada’s largest city over light rail vs. subways provides other North American cities with a textbook example of how NOT to address urban transportation challenges at the municipal level. It would appear we can all thank Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford for the kind lesson.

Bracing For a Transit Fight in Toronto

Written by Mark Brooks Thursday, 19 January 2012

This week’s humiliating budget defeat for Toronto mayor Rob Ford, which reversed $20 million in proposed spending cuts, has put new wind in the sails of those fighting to see improved transit services in Canada’s largest city.

On his first day in office, Mayor Ford fulfilled a campaign promise by announcing his intention to cancel the Transit City project, a plan proposed by former Mayor David Miller and the Toronto Transit Commission in 2007 that focused on improving service to the city’s woefully underserved suburbs. Among other initiatives, Transit City called for the construction of new rapid light rail lines connecting seven areas of the city, as well as new rapid bus transit lines. Upon cancelling the project in December 2010, Mayor Ford announced that the “war on the car” was over. Claiming that light rail transit (LRT) on roadways is a bad idea, he instead proposed an expansion of the existing Toronto subway system, a plan that would serve fewer residents at a much higher cost.

So just what is this transit dust-up all about and why should anyone outside of Toronto even care?

Earthgauge radio podcast January 12, 2012: International Year of Forests in review

On Earthgauge radio this week, we’ll be talking about forest conservation. 2011 was the United Nations International Year of Forests so now that the year has passed, we are taking stock to reflect on the state of forests both here in Canada and around the world. Right click here to download the entire program.

We have 3 interviews on our special show today:

• Will Turner, VP of Conservation Priorities and Outreach for Conservation International
• Tenille Bonogoure, publisher of Alternatives Journal
• Ken Wu, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance

The UN said the promotion of 2011 as a special Year of the Forest was meant to raise awareness of sustainable management, conservation and development of all types of forests. Why are forests so important? Will Turner explains the importance of forests in considerable detail in our interview but as a primer, according to the World Bank, more than 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. Over 40% of the world’s oxygen is produced by rainforests. 80% of terrestrial biodiversity is found in forests and as we lose them, it becomes increasingly difficult to solve problems such as reducing poverty and limiting climate change impacts. Forests also provide food, medicine, shelter, jobs to name just a few benefits. It is said that more than one quarter of modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants worth $108 billion annually. Yet the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every year 130,000 km2 of the world’s forests are lost due to deforestation.

So now that the 2011 Year of the Forest has passed, just how are we doing? Well, to help answer this question I spoke with Will Turner who is is VP of Conservation Priorities and Outreach for the environmental NGO Conservation International based in Arlington Virginia. CI is an environmental organization that has identified the 10 most threatened global forest hotspots. To kick off the program today, Will talks to us about these hotspots and discusses the state of the world’s forests more generally.

For Canadian perspectives on forestry conservation, we hear from Tenille Bonogoure who is the publisher of Alternatives Journal. She wrote an article in this month’s edition of the magazine on the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which was a 3-year deal negotiated in 2010 between forest companies and environmental organizations. Tenille gives us an update on the agreement now that we’re halfway through the deal. Finally, I talk with Ken Wu who is the co-founder of a new B.C. organization called Ancient Forest Alliance. He has some very interesting things to say about forest conservation campaigns both in BC and in Canada.

Also on today’s show, we’ll be starting a new, regular segment in which we’ll hear from the local environmental organization Ecology Ottawa about some of the work they’re doing on local environmental initiatives and some upcoming environmental events around town. I’ve listed a few of the upcoming events below and you can click here to see a complete list with full details.

Contact us at earthgaugeradio ‘at’ gmail.com. 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. You can also download our podcasts on iTunes. Just type “earthgauge” into the search bar and you’ll find us.

Upcoming environmental events in Ottawa (see full list here)

Meeting – City of Ottawa Environmental Advisory Committee
Meeting Date: Thursday 12 January 2012
Meeting Location: Andrew S. Haydon Hall
Meeting Time: 18:30
Contact: Joël Monfils 613-580-2424 ext 26837, Joel.Monfils@ottawa.ca

Green Drinks Ottawa
Thursday January 12th, 2012 @ 5:30 pm
Location: Fox @ Feather Pub & Grill, 283 Elgin Street
Green Drinks is an open invitation to anyone interested/working/studying all things environmental.  Come and join us for interesting, and inspiring conversation.  We’re an informal, self-organizing network and meet every second Thursday of the month.  For more information, contact: greendrinksottawa@gmail.com

Building Community Power Meeting in Orleans
Thursday January 12th, from 6:30 – 8:00pm
Orleans United Church, Lounge, 1111 Orleans Blvd. (entrance at rear)
We will discuss actions we can take to improve the environment in Orleans: renewable including solar energy, energy efficiency, and transportation. Please RSVP to: rocio.ortega.rolando@gmail.com and feel free to spread the word and invite other people interested in making Ottawa the green capital of Canada. For more information please contact: Janice Ashworth, Community Organizer: janice.ashworth@ecologyottawa.ca

Surviving Progress at the Bytowne
Sunday January 15th – Wednesday January 18th, 2012 (see Bytowne website for show times)
325 Rideau St
This film explores the concepts of progress in our modern world and the idea of progress traps. It explores technology, economics, consumption, and the environment. For more information visit: http://www.survivingprogress.com

City Council Meeting – Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee
Meeting Date: Monday 23 January 2012
Meeting Location: Colonel By Room
Meeting Time: 18:30
Contact: Jodi Collins 613-580-2424 ext. 15899, Jodi.Collins@ottawa.ca

Transition Ottawa Peak Oil Discussion Group
Tuesday January 24th, 2012
Montgomery Legion, 330 Kent street (downstairs)
Meet nearby advocates for peak oil awareness. Come to our informational monthly discussion group meeting to discuss ideas and actions on how to survive the consequences of the inevitable decline in oil production and economic collapse. Please RSVP to ensure the meeting is not cancelled. To RSVP or for more information please visit (http://transitionottawa.ning.com/group/peakoildiscussiongroup) or contact the moderator, Ron at 613-852-5063, ron@firstgatedreamer.com

January 5 Earthgauge radio podcast: Students on Ice Antarctic expedition and Sandra Steingraber

Click the audio player to listen to the latest edition of Earthgauge radio, which is a bi-weekly broadcast every other Thursday morning from 7-8 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. You can also right click here to download the show.

On Earthgauge this week, we’re talking about environmental education and environmental health:

• Tony Dekker of the Great Lake Swimmers
• Geoff Green, founder of the environmental education organization Students on Ice
  
• Author, activist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber

First up, it’s snow, ice and the ends of the Earth. The environmental education organization Students on Ice has just departed on an Antarctic expedition with 60 high school students and an international team of scientists, educators, journalists, artists, leaders and polar experts. Among the participants is Tony Dekker, singer/songwriter for the Juno-nominated band Great Lake Swimmers.

I talked to Tony about his role on the expedition and why he wanted to take part. I also speak with Geoff Green, the SOI founder, about the work of his organization and what he hopes to achieve. This program, now in its tenth year, has taken over 1,800 students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic. The goal is to give the world’s youth a heightened understanding and respect for the planet’s global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it. Could part of the solution to the environmental crisis rest ultimately in better environmental education programs for our youth?

Finally, as this is the final show of 2011, I replay one of the most important  interviews I did this year. It was with environmental health activist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber. Her message is one that all of us should hear.

Steingraber is an inspirational author, activist, poet, scientist and cancer survivor. She is an internationally recognized authority on the environmental links to cancer and human health who has been compared to the pioneering environmental health activist Rachel Carson. Steingraber’s most recent book is called Raising Elijah: Protecting Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis, which Naomi Wolf said “could be the most important and inspiring parenting book ever written.”

Steingraber writes weekly environmental essays for the Huffington Post and now a new documentary film has been produced based on her groundbreaking book, Living Downstream. She also contributed an article to a recent edition of Alternatives Journal called Coal, Oil and Cancer, in which she explains how fossil fuels are not only causing climate change, they are also causing cancer.

Please get in touch if you have any comments, suggestions or if you want to get involved or contribute to the show. Contact me at earthgaugeradio ‘at’ gmail.com.

Interview with Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers on his tour of Antarctica

The environmental education organization Students on Ice recently departed on an Antarctic expedition with 60 high school students and an international team of scientists, educators, journalists, artists, leaders and polar experts. Among the participants is Tony Dekker, singer/songwriter for the Juno-nominated band Great Lake Swimmers.

Just before he left for Antarctica, I talked to Tony about his role on the expedition, why he wanted to take part and, as a musician, how environmental issues influence his songwriting. The Students on Ice program, now in its tenth year, has taken over 1,800 students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic. The goal is to give the world’s youth a heightened understanding and respect for the planet’s global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it.

Click the audio player above to hear the interview or right click here to download.

Just published in The Tyee: What climate campaigners can learn from hockey

Although you may have already seen this post that I wrote last month, it was just published today in the excellent online news publication The Tyee, based in B.C.

Click here to read the article on The Tyee web site. Here’s an excerpt:

How do we reconcile what science is telling us about the link between repeated head trauma and CTE with the fact that, almost to a man, the NHL’s fighters say their jobs are worth the risk? Understanding this proclivity to accept serious, perhaps fatal, risks could shed some light on another issue that was debated last month in Durban, South Africa under the auspices of the United Nations climate change summit (COP 17).

Climate science has evolved considerably over the last 20 years to the point that we are now virtually certain that humans, through the emissions of greenhouse gases, are causing climate change. We also know that the impacts of climate change are likely to be very serious if nothing is done to reign in global emissions dramatically. Even the International Energy Agency, hardly an environmental advocacy group, recently warned that the “door is closing” to avert catastrophic climate change.


Yet despite years of repeated, urgent warnings from the scientific community, global emissions are up 49 per cent since 1990 and no new deal emerged out of Durban to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol.


For the most part, the public and the media recognize and acknowledge the risks of continuing to pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, yet we have thus far been unwilling to accept or support any substantive economic measures that might impact us personally. As with fighting in hockey, we know climate change might cause serious problems, even death for some, but as the current system is our meal ticket, it’s worth the price.

Earthgauge 2011 stats in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for Earthgauge.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

December 15 Earthgauge radio podcast: less garbage, less stress and more enjoyment this holiday season

Click the audio player to listen to the latest edition of Earthgauge radio, which is a bi-weekly broadcast every other Thursday morning from 7-8 AM on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa. You can also right click here to download the show.

On Earthgauge this week, it’s our holiday season special show. Huge amounts of waste are produced during the holiday season, more than any other time of year. I talk with Paula Richardson of the Canadian Hunger Foundation about their Gifts That Matter campaign. We also hear from Trevor Hache of Ecology Ottawa about the City of Ottawa’s plans to deal with its growing waste problem by signing a long-term contract with Plasco Energy. Also an update from journalist Felix Von Geyer on the recently concluded climate summit in Durban, South Africa and the Canadian government’s announcement that it is officially bailing on the Kyoto Protocol. Way to go Canada!

Hockey fights and climate change

What climate change campaigners can learn from hockey

What does hockey have to do with climate change? This may seem an odd connection at first but bear with me for a moment.

News that hockey enforcer Derek Boogaard’s brain showed signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition related to Alzheimer’s, has been met mostly with a collective shrug from members of that sport’s fraternity.

Surveys done by the NHL Players’ Association show the majority of NHL players want to keep fighting in hockey. As New Jersey Devils tough-guy David Clarkson said: “I wouldn’t be in the league if I didn’t play that type of style.”

Yet the risks are becoming increasingly clear. Boogaard’s was the fourth NHLer whose brain was examined by the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. All four showed signs of CTE. Autopsies on former fighters’ brains, including Bob Probert who died in 2010 from a heart attack and old-timer Reggie Fleming, showed severe brain damage.

How then do we reconcile what science is telling us about the link between repeated head trauma and CTE with the fact that, almost to a man, the NHL’s fighters say their jobs are worth the risk? Understanding this proclivity to accept serious, perhaps fatal, risks could shed some light on another issue currently being debated in Durban, South Africa under the auspices of the United Nations climate change summit (COP 17).

Climate science has evolved considerably over the last 20 years to the point that we are now virtually certain that humans, through the emissions of greenhouse gases, are causing climate change. We also know that the impacts of climate change are likely to be very serious if nothing is done to reign in global emissions dramatically. Even the International Energy Agency, hardly an environmental advocacy group, recently warned that the “door is closing” to avert catastrophic climate change.

Yet despite years of repeated, urgent warnings from the scientific community, global emissions are up 49% since 1990 and it seems increasingly likely that there will be no new deal coming out of Durban to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol. In Canada, our total emissions are now more than 34 per cent above our Kyoto targets.

For the most part, the public and the media recognize and acknowledge the risks of continuing to pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, yet we have thus far been unwilling to accept or support any substantive economic measures that might impact us personally. As with fighting in hockey, we know climate change might cause serious problems, even death for some, but as the current system is our meal ticket, it’s worth the price.

Clearly, an appeal to leaders to “do the right thing” has not been successful. In both cases, we have individuals such as Gary Bettman and Stephen Harper, who either question the validity of the science or refuse to take commensurate action in the face of mounting evidence.

So what can climate change campaigners learn from hockey? Emphasizing extreme future risks may not be nearly as effective as appealing for solutions that do not appear to pose a personal economic threat. In the case of hockey, this could be a continuing role for tough guys absent injurious blows to the head. For climate change, it may mean building an urgent case for a thriving, clean energy economy with better jobs, healthier communities and less pollution.

Like Derek Boogaard, who reportedly loved what fighting brought him but did not like fighting itself, we don’t love fossil fuels. We love what they do for us and we won’t be persuaded to give them up easily no matter the risk – unless of course there is a compelling alternative.

What do you think?

‘Stephen Harper’s climate death-wish’: Read my most recent article in the Common Sense Canadian

I am pleased to be acting as an Ottawa correspondent for the excellent online publication The Common Sense Canadian, British Columbia’s premier environmental news journal. CSC combines cutting-edge video, audio, and reporting and editorials from former BC Environment Minister and Hall of Fame broadcaster Rafe Mair, documentary filmmaker Damien Gillis, and a host of formidable contributors and guest editorialists who bring you the stories and opinions our establishment media won’t publish.

My latest article, reprinted below, examines the negotiating position the Canadian government has adopted at the ongoing Durban climate change summit and in international climate negotiations more generally. You can read it here in full on the CSC website.

Harper’s Climate Death-Wish:
Withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol only the latest effort to derail climate change action

Amidst the ongoing circus that constitutes the United Nations climate change summit (COP 17) currently underway in Durban, South Africa, Canada has once again distinguished itself as the country most hostile to virtually any serious international effort to curb rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada has long been considered a climate change pariah by the international community. We were the only signatory to the Kyoto Protocol to simply ignore its responsibilities following ratification and our country’s total emissions are now more than 34 per cent above our Kyoto targets. Not only did the previous Liberal government fail to do anything to meet its Kyoto obligations, in recent years the government of Stephen Harper has gone a step further, becoming increasingly obdurate in its efforts to deliberately obstruct the progress of international climate talks.

Why the antipathy of the Harper government toward limits to carbon emissions? Well, as you might expect, the tar sands are one factor. Tar sands reserves are now valued at a stunning $14 trillion and oil companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in exploiting the resource, money that could boost federal tax revenues considerably.

This is only part of the story however.