DARYN CAISTER: The Alberta Government committed $2 billion dollars to proceeding with unproven carbon capture technology this week. Carbon capture and storage, also known as CCS has been talked about for years as a potential method of reducing the green house gas emissions that are synonymous with oil and gas production like Alberta’s tar sands projects. Many papers over the past few years have discussed the pro’s as well as potential problems with CCS technology, but so far no full scale test facilities have accurately demonstrated that this technology actually works the way it’s supposed to, or at all. That didn’t stop the Alberta government announcing $2 billion dollars to fund the construction of several CCS projects for various companies in Alberta over the next few years. The funding was announced with a further $2 billion dollars for public transit funding for the province as the flagship initiatives of Alberta’s new climate change plan. The companies which successfully applied for funding from the fund were listed on the Alberta government website, for the purpose of disclosing what the public money would be used for; however almost all of the companies used less than three sentences to describe their intentions, with one even refusing to disclose its details publicly at all. Several of the projects are also using the funds primarily to use the captured CO2 to pump out additional oil from wells, or implementing them at hydrogen and enhanced recovery facilities rather than main tar sands facilities. The fund, and plans around CCS in Alberta were produced from an Alberta government Carbon Capture and Storage Development Council, which was chaired by former Syncrude president Jim Carter, who was later thanked by Energy Minister Mel Knight for his “efforts developing this comprehensive plan” and was told that the council’s recommendations would be “considered carefully as the report moves through the government processes”. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: Last week, the Alberta Carbon Capture and Storage Council released a report underlining the high cost of CCS technology. The Alberta and Canadian governments are pinning their hopes on the technology as a way of allowing oil sands operations to continue even as governments around the world commit to tighter emissions targets. In addition to last month’s $2billion investment by the province, the federal government has committed $650 million over the next five years to help develop the technology. Critics complain that CCS is unproven and expensive. Last week’s report estimates that development of CCS technology will require between $1 billion and $3 billion per year from both levels of government just to get off the ground. The report states that industry will also have to increase investment, a cost that will ultimately be passed on to energy consumers. The Council’s head, former Syncrude president Jim Carter, predicts that electricity prices will “at least double” in the coming decade. [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: The Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute teamed up to release a comprehensive guide to carbon offsets. The paper, called “Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A Guide for Canadian Consumers, Businesses and Organizations” is intended to help Canadians at all levels of organization choose carbon offset programs and funds that generate the most impact for the environment. The paper ranks 20 Canadian carbon offset vendors on quality while reporting some of their business practices. The purpose of purchasing carbon offsets for climate conscious people to compensate for the parts of their carbon footprints that can’t be reduced through footprint reduction strategies. The offsets themselves represent a voluntary fee paid to a vendor to reduce carbon emissions somewhere else by a variety of methods such as planting trees or purchasing solar energy equipment to reduce the use of coal power consumption and may not necessarily be carried out in Canada. Part of the purpose of the report is to familiarize Canadian’s who may not be familiar with the concept to learn about it, and also to reassure others that may have been scared off carbon offset companies by some over the past years that have represented scams or misreported their investments. Overall, the purchase of Carbon offsets has increased in Canada over the past few years, and the Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute both support the trend, as long as the offsets are high quality, and the purchases are not instead of carbon reduction strategies that can be implemented by consumers and businesses. The 70+ page report includes a crash course on carbon offsets, a list of questions to ask carbon offset vendors before investing with them, and a detailed side by side comparison of a wide range of offset funds. The report can be found on the Suzuki foundation website and through the Pembina institute. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: A marine ecologist from Dalhousie University has published evidence that management of fish stocks may actually be working. The story started in 2006, when Prof. Boris Worm released a paper predicting that most of the world’s commercial fishing stocks would collapse by 2048. That led to public criticism by many fisheries scientists, including Prof. Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington, who called the report “alarmist” and “bogus”. After a live debate on National Public Radio, the two scientists began to realize that their views weren’t so far apart after all. This led them, along with 19 other researchers, to collaborate on a new study, the results of which were published in today’s issue of Science. The study examined the remaining fish stocks and the exploitation rate (the percentage of fish caught annually) in 166 locations around the world. It also looked at detailed historical data for 10 of those locations. Although 63% of world fish stocks are below the level required to maintain the species, exploitation rates have also dropped in 5 of the 10 well-studied regions. This is largely due to strict management practices, such as limits on total catch and restrictions on the type of gear that can be used. What’s more, stocks in some of those areas show signs of rebuilding. The study gives hope that, with proper management, the world’s commercial fish stocks could still last beyond 2048. [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: The federal government cancels its clean car rebate program after only one year and claims it as a success. The $160 million rebate program was a surprise addition last year’s budget amidst much fanfare, providing up to $2,000 for consumers despite much criticism from North-American car manufacturers. Industry representatives decried the program because it was implemented without a phase in period for manufacturers to adjust and subsequently favouring imported vehicles which tend to be more fuel efficient on average. But the program has now been cancelled and the federal government is claiming that it has served its purpose. The was originally accused by being a token green policy for the government by environmental groups, but many including Environmental Defence agree that the solution was to ramp up the program, not cancel it. While the government claims that the program was concluded because it succeeded in raising consumer awareness of fuel-efficient vehicles, the program’s success is difficult to analyze due to Transport Canada claiming that it never set rebate targets or benchmarks at the programs conception, even though it did hand out over $32 million dollars in rebates to almost 28,000 consumers. It was also announced that he program would be superseded by a $250 million budget pledge to the auto industry to promote cleaner car technology, which was what the industry demanded in lieu of the rebate back at its inception. Both industry and environmental groups agree that the program was poorly set up in the beginning, and independent policy think-tanks identify the lack of a phase-in period for industry to adjust as one of its fatal flaws. In addition, while the program was started in March of 2007, the applications were not available on Transportation Canada’s website until October. Intentionally or by lack of proper planning it seems as if the federal clean car rebate program was doomed to fail, and the major car manufacturers are glad to see it go. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: Last Saturday, visitors to Vancouver were shocked to see the Sapphire Princess Cruise ship arrive in the harbour with a dead whale pinned across its bow. Tugboats, divers, and cranes from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans removed the carcass, sending it to the federal Institute for Ocean Sciences for a necropsy. The whale was struck somewhere along the ship’s journey from Ketchican, Alaska to Vancouver. It’s not known whether the animal was alive when it was hit. Princess Cruise Lines has said in a statement that it is unknown how the collision could have occurred, as it has strict whale avoidance procedures in place. So far, scientists working on the carcass have confirmed that it was a fin whale, a threatened species, and, after the blue whale, the second-largest animal on the planet. The specimen was a middle-aged female, likely past the end of her reproductive years, and weighed 70 tonnes, compared to 116,000 tonnes for the cruise ship. The whale had a slightly thinner layer of blubber than would be typical for the species, and no food was found in its stomach, leading some to speculate that it may have been ill when it was struck. The full report will not be issued for at least a week. In the meantime, the carcass has been towed a considerable distance off the west coast of Vancouver island and left to sink, where it will provide food for an entire ecosystem of marine organisms for weeks to come. [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: Over 100 people were evacuated in Toronto after a potential hazardous waste accident. The incident was caused by a truck carrying 35,000 litres of methanol lost control near the Lawrence and Warden area in Toronto. Methanol is a fire hazard which is also dangerous if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin. Police representatives announced that the area should be able to remain open soon, but that it was off limits until then. Initially there was a degree of public panic around the incident, but initial concerns that the trailer had been leaking were incorrect and that the danger to the public was not as bad as had been feared. [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: Canada’s Environmental and Plastics Industry Council concluded that its products are safer than re-usable alternatives. The Industry group produced a 15-page report outlining its findings to a study showing that re-usable grocery bags are breeding grounds for bacteria and pose a public health risk due to yeast, molds and bacteria. The report threatens that potential hazards include food poisoning, allergic reactions, asthma attacks and ear infections. However a professor of microbiology Harley Rotbart from the University of Colorado, School of Medicine says that the report could create undue paranoia. Professor Rotbart called the study a “classic middle school science fair experiment where swabs are taken to random surfaces and, shockingly, germs are found on those surfaces”. As long as bags are washed carefully like any other surface that regularly comes in contact with food, the danger should be minimal. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: In another blow to Canada’s struggling nuclear industry, Bruce Power announced last week that it has cancelled plans to build two new reactors in the province. The company stated that a more cost-effective option will be to focus on refurbishing units 1 and 2 of its Bruce A generating station. Since 2001, Bruce Power has been the private operator of 8 CANDU reactors in Bruce County, Ontario all of which are leased to the company by the province. Only six reactors are currently online, and together they have a capacity of roughly 4,600 MW, about a fifth of Ontario’s electricity demand. When all units are in operation, this amount will expand to 6,800 MW, allowing the station to re-claim its place as the second-largest nuclear complex in the world. The decision to cancel expansion comes less than a month after Ontario delayed its own plans to construct new reactors at Darlington. Both the province and Bruce Power are counting on the fact that the drop in energy consumption caused by the current recession will allow some breathing room while they decide their next move. The decision is not expected to affect Bruce Power’s plans to move into Alberta and Saskatchewan within the next decade. [ index ]