JESSE ROGERSON: The Union of B.C. Municipalities voted at their annual conference to officially oppose the construction of a trans-provincial oil pipeline; a move they hope will put pressure on the provincial and federal governments to block the project. Proposed by Enbridge, the pipeline would transport crude oil from the northern Alberta tar sands directly across B.C. to the port in Kitimat, totaling 1170 km. The pipeline is part of a larger Northern Gateway project, focused on attracting consumers from the Asian markets. B.C. Energy Minister Bill Bennet and Enbridge spokesperson Alan Roth both say that the process of constructing the pipeline and pumping the oil can be done safely and as the public learns more, their fears will be alleviated. The B.C. municipalities also voted to oppose the presence of any oil tankers along the B.C. coast, something believed to be detrimental to tourism and fisheries. Ultimately the Federal government will choose whether or not the pipeline will go ahead. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: This week, Canada became the first country in the world to add Bisphenol-A (also known as BPA) to its list of toxic substances. The new designation means that BPA can now be regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

BPA is used as a softening agent in plastics, including everything from resusable water bottles to the linings on metal-based food and beverage cans. In recent years, increasing numbers of experiments have shown that BPA is biologically active, mimicking human hormones such as estrogen. This means it can affect the normal development of infants and children. BPA was banned in products for children in March. In August, a study released by Statistics Canada showed that 91% of Canadians have low levels of BPA in their blood and urine.

While environmental groups are pleased with the ruling, consensus on BPA is far from apparent. The European Food Safety Authority recently ruled that BPA is safe, at least at the levels in which it is used in plastics. The United States is still considering its position; it is expected to make a ruling next year. [ index ]

JESSE ROGERSON: A report commissioned by the University of Toronto says that Canada’s regulations and policy for the mining of shale gas are not adequate for large scale projects expected in the future. A process called ‘fraking’ is used to remove the natural gas from the sheets of shale, but this requires the use of water laced with chemicals, which is then left behind once the gas is mined. According to the report by Ben Parfitt, the long term environmental impact of mining this unconventional energy source is unclear. He warns there is no public reports on the amount and concentration of the chemicals used in the drilling process, nor is there a systematic mapping of the country’s aquifers. With Canada headed for a boom in shale gas production, a proper regulatory and policy system is pivotal in hedging the impact on the underground water supply and surrounding environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently conducting a study on the contamination of public water supplies by the fracking process. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: Bowing to intense public pressure, the Ontario government has cancelled the construction of a new natural gas plant in Oakville. In an announcement made October 7, Energy Minister Brad Duguid stated that the plant was no longer necessary to meet the local electricity demand.

The plant was originally approved in September 2009 and was intended to help the province meet peak electricity demand after the shutdown of Ontario’s remaining coal-fired plants. However, the project generated massive protest by citizens of Oakville, who said the proposed site was too close to homes and schools. They complained of air pollution and the danger of explosions, such as the one at a natural gas plant in Connecticut that killed 5 workers last February.

While the official government line is that the latest energy projections show there is no need for the plant, some speculate the decision was political. Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn, who was present at the announcement, will contest his Oakville seat in one year’s time. Meanwhile, another gas plant proposed near the sensitive Holland Marsh area in Conservative-held York Simcoe is going ahead. [ index ]

JESSE ROGERSON: Researchers from the University of British Columbia in collaboration, with scientists from New Zealand, the U.S., and France, are planning to deploy a new underwater robot in the Antarctic ocean. Scientists expect the ice-covered region to decrease in size by 30% over the next 100 years, dumping large amounts of freshwater into the saltwater oceans. The robot will study the mixing of seawater with the broken ice shelves using temperature sensors, salinity sensors, sonar, current mapping, and cameras. The goal is to find the places where mixing is happening most, and how it is occurring. The submarine robot will be deployed Oct 17th and will operate through Nov 12th. [ index ]

TYLER IRVING: Regular listeners may remember the furor this summer around Ontario’s so-called “eco fees.” These surcharges were placed on products containing hazardous materials such as mercury, and were intended to fund programs designed to collect and safely dispose of the waste. However, widespread confusion over the fee schedule and a huge public backlash led to a 90-day suspension of the program, pending further review.

That suspension ended this week with the decision to permanently bury the program. Instead, municipalities will receive $8 million in extra funding to help pay for the disposal of hazardous waste such as fire extinguishers and batteries. Older fees, such as those on car tires and televisions, will remain in place.

Ontario’s Environment Commissioner, Gord Miller, agreed that the program as it was originally proposed was a mess, but also said he was disappointed that Ontario has abandoned the idea of making producers pay the full environmental cost of their wares. The opposition NDP echo this sentiment, stating that even with the fees gone, the cost of recycling hazardous waste will be funded by the public through property taxes. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: A new study by researchers at Yale University shows that the majority of Americans are either confused or ill-informed about global warming.

The study shows that while 63% of Americans believe global warming is real, only 57% know what the greenhouse effect is and even fewer, 45%, know that carbon emissions play a role in climate change.
The study suggests that reports on climate change from the newsmedia and from scientists are often conflicting or unclear.

While a large number of respondents were confused on climate change, 75% said they would like to be better informed on the issue. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Since 2006, beekeepers in North America have noticed unusually large numbers of their bee colonies dying off. An estimated 20 to 40 percent of bee colonies in the United States have succumbed to “Colony Collapse Disorder” since 2006, with similar problems in Canada and Europe.

The exact cause of the bees’ deaths, however, has remained a mystery. A new study, formed by collaboration between academic and US Army scientists, thinks it has found the culprit. According to the researchers, a combination of a fungus and a virus, which infect bees at the same time, is the reason behind the deaths.

While infections with either the fungus or the virus have been observed in bees, the presence of both infections at once is the only factor that was found in 100% of bees affected by Colony Collapse Disorder. The scientists are now hoping that treating bee colonies with anti-fungal drugs will be successful in fighting the disorder. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: A volcanic eruption off the coast of Alaska has provided scientists a chance to test a proposed method of geoengineering to fight climate change. Geoengineering is the intentional and large scale engineering of the Earth in order to counteract climate change.

One idea that has been bounced around is seeding the oceans with large amounts of iron in order to induce a plankton bloom. The idea is that the bloom would absorb large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and then sink it to the bottom of the ocean. The Alaskan volcano, which erupted in 2008, spread iron-rich ash over a large area of ocean, triggering just such a plankton bloom. Scientists analyzing the bloom, however, have dashed hopes that iron-seeding could be useful. Their results estimate that the bloom absorbed less than 1/5th of a percent of the annual carbon emissions from human activity.

In other words, in order for plankton blooms to absorb any significant quantity of carbon, geoengineers would have to use astronomical amounts of iron every year. Iron-seeding is therefore likely to be a no-go for geoengineering.
 [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: British Columbia seems to be green with envy of the billions in renewable energy investments flowing into Ontario due to its Green Energy Act announcing this week it was considering changes to its own provincial investment incentives.

While not as strong as Ontario’s controversial feed-in tariff program the province is looking to raise investment in BC particularly among the research and development with a proposed hike to emerging renewable technology incentives. While the province is looking at its own FIT style program this fall, the higher pay rates for feed in pricing will only apply to new technologies, leaving solar and wind power, a major component of Ontario’s program out to dry.

BC Energy Minister Bill Bennett however denied that the province was being timid about the incentive program, stating rather that his government was “going to be more selective, not just throw as much as we can at the wall and see what sticks”. This new program if it proceeds’ will compliment BC’s existing standard offer program which BC Hydro offers to purchase energy produced from small energy projects at fixed rates under long term contracts. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: The National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Geographic Society has released a study summarizing the expected impacts of climate change in Canada in the coming century. Citing various research programs, the study highlights both the good and bad effects of a climate increasing its temperature by 2 degrees or more. In B.C. the warmer temperatures will increase forest fires, but allow more northern spruce to fill the niche of the burnt timber, ultimately driving timber prices down. In the prairies the risk of desertification increases 50%, but a warmer climate will increase growing seasons and therefore crop production. Toronto and Montreal will face increases in the urban heat island effect due to absorption of the heat in the asphalt, but a warmer winter will require less heating costs overall. Finally, the maritime provinces are at risk of increasing sea level in a warmer climate, possibly flooding parts of Nova Scotia, but a warmer climate may create an Atlantic cod boom, jump starting the fishing industry. The study warns that we should not abandon the mitigation of climate change because there are possible benefits, but we should be aware of opportunities as the climate continues to warm. [ index ]

DARYN CAISTER: In more green energy news, Enbridge announced the opening of an expansion to its solar energy farm in Sarnia, Ontario making it the largest photovoltaic solar farm in the world.

The farm has an optimum output of 80 megawatts which is roughly enough to power 12,000 homes. The farm was originally a project owned and operated by First Solar Inc., but was bought out when the farm was just 20 megawatt facility. The new facility is meant to be a flagship for what Enbridge says is its new push to get serious about developing alternative energy. At the opening, Vice President of Enbridge Al Monaco said that green energy investments were becoming an increasingly important part of Enbridge’s business model.

The former First Solar project in Sarnia is one of four solar projects that were announced last year that are either in development or are already in production. Enbridge is Canada’s largest natural gas distributor and a major North American oil pipeline operator. Enbridge reports that its current renewable energy portfolio includes geothermal, solar wind and garbage heat recovery totalling more than 850 megawatts in total. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Energy Minister Brad Duguid has announced that four more Ontario coal-fire generators will be shut down as part of a plan to phase out all coal-fired plants by the year 2014. The shut down of the four units, two at the Nanticoke plant and two more at Lambton plant, is equivalent to removing two million cars from the road. Duguid heralds the order as ‘a huge step’ and will set Ontario apart in North America. The pollution generated by the coal plants may have been partially responsible for lung cancers being found in children in the area. By shutting these generators down, the health care system will save $3 billion a year in Ontario. Shutting down the generators will result in the loss of 200 jobs. By 2014, 19 coal burning generators will be shut down and will be considered the largest greenhouse reduction project in North America. [ index ]

PAIGE LANCASTER: Canadian and US scientists will receive funding to assess the threat of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes. 4 hundred and 15 thousand dollars has been announced by the Fisheries Minister, GAIL SHEA, for an 18 month bi-national study to determine the risk of the carp.

The Asian Carp pose a serious threat as they damage the ecosystem by decreasing other fish populations and destroy fisheries, which are worth an estimated 7 billion dollars a year.

The scientists’ research will include possible points of entry for the carp into the Great Lakes and how to shut down those pathways. The scientists will also try to predict when the invasion could occur and future population size. The Asian Carp was introduced in US fish farms in the 70’s to stop the spread of algae but escaped in the 90’s during flooding. A single carp was found in June, beyond the electric barriers ERRECTED to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: A waste reservoir at an alumina plant in Hungary burst open Monday, causing a wall of toxic sludge to inundate a nearby town. The reservoir contained toxic by-products from alumina production. When it burst, it sent over 1 million cubic metres of waste into the town of Kolontar causing a flood up to 2 meters deep in some places. Four people drowned in the toxic mud, and around 100 others were injured. Injuries included chemical burns from the heavily alkaline waste. The waste washed into the Marcal river, killing all life in the waterway. Officials confirmed on Thursday that the toxic waste has now flown down the Marcal into the Danube, one of Europe’s largest and most important rivers. This has raised fears in the communities downstream of the spill that they too will suffer the pollution from the disaster. Though crews are working desperately to clean up, Hungary’s environment minister said Wednesday that it could take up to a year to fully clean the spill. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The U.S. military intends to lower its dependence on fossil fuels for its operations, hoping to shift to renewable energy sources where possible. The consequences of the army’s reliance on fossil fuels have been highlighted in the last few weeks after a series of attacks by Pakistani militants on NATO fuel convoys. In the latest attack, militants set fire to 26 NATO oil tankers attempting to ship fuel to allied troops in neighbouring Afghanistan. This has the U.S. military seeing fossil fuel dependence as a liability. It is now currently expanding the use of renewable energy sources. A Marine Company currently deployed in Afghanistan has been testing the use of portable solar generators to power their encampments. While federal and state governments in the U.S. have largely shelved investment in renewables due to the economic recession, the military’s new focus on green energy technologies could help foster new innovation. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is introducing new rules on how products can be marketed as environmentally-friendly. With public awareness about environmental issues growing, companies have learned to cash in by marketing to consumers willing to pay for green or eco-friendly products. This has also led to a growth in frivolous and unsubstantiated claims on product labels. The new rules will force companies to justify their products green-credentials and not make over-generalized claims. Under the new guidelines, products will have to explain their environmental benefits on the packaging. These are the first changes to the rules governing eco-marketing in the U.S. since 1998, and should help eco-conscious consumers make informed decisions. [ index ]