MARTIN WALDMAN: In the face of domestic and international criticism over the development of oilsands, Alberta’s government has named a 12-member panel to develop an environmental monitoring, evaluation and reporting system. The panel includes board members from a federal advisory panel, and will be co-chaired by a former president and CEO of TransCanada Corporation.

The decision to include a former head of an energy company has already drawn criticism from environmental groups who doubt that the panel will have any influence. Other groups have criticised the government’s decision not to incluce an members of the aboriginal community on the panel.

Recent studies by the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, and other academic studies are have suggested that the oilsands industry is steadily pollutin the Athabasca River and several of its tributaries. For its part the Alberta government says their science does not support that conclusion. A report from the Royal Society of Canada released in December said more monitoring focused on human exposure is needed to address the concerns of First Nations and other communities in Alberta. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A diseased lobster from Canada was found off the coast of Southern England this week, and the discovery has prompted a warning. A British fisheries agency is concerned that the lobster could destroy their $50-million-annual lobster industry.

It is suspected that the lobster was dropped overboard from a yacht, or escaped alive while being shipped overseas.

The concern with the crustacean is gaffkemia, a bacterial infection often found among North American lobster, but that has yet to affect Britain’s population. The illness does not affect consumers, but can seriously reduce the productivity of fisheries.

Over the past year, there have been five other known cases of Canadian lobsters displaced in British waters, and each carries the risk of passing along the infection. These incidents have resulted in several agencies issuing warnings about the necessity of keeping European waters free from North American lobsters. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Environment minister Peter Kent has brushed off advice of a government advisory panel, urging him to moved ahead with domestic climate change policies, despite uncertainty about measures and regulations in the United States. A report from the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy says Canada’s plan to harmonize its climate change policies with the U.S. is “sensible and realistic.” It also recommended transitional measures, such as the introduction of a national cap-and-trade system, in which large polluters would be required to buy credits from greener companies.

Following a set of meetings with his counterparts in Washington, Kent said that his government is not interested in setting up a Canadian cap-and-trade system on its own. He went on to say that Canada has already worked with the U.S. on regulations to limit tailpipe emissions in vehicles, while it is ahead in terms of cracking down on coal emissions.

Coal electricity draft regulations are expected to be introduced in the spring.The round table report also recommended the creation of a technology fund to promote new investments in sectors such as clean energy. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, a National Wildlife Area north of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, will once again be hosting it’s annual “Canadian Wingbee.”

Approximately 20 scientists from Canadian Wildlife Service will meet with additional national waterfowl specialists and sift through over 11,000 goose tail feathers and duck wings. The specimins are sent in to the Wingbee from sports hunters all throughout the Canada; and they are to be analyzed in hopes of determining the sex and age of the fowl. The results of this initiative is key to managing the game bird hunt in additional to the yearly regulatory review of hunting regulations.

The most common species inventorized include the Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Canada Goose and Snow Goose.The results of this difficult task will be published in spring 2011. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: One of Canada’s top experts on polar bears believes ice conditions in the eastern Arctic this year could have a devastating impact. Andrew Derocher, of the University of Alberta, says thin and late-forming ice as a result of unusually high temperatures will keep polar bears from finding mates as well as seals. Derocher also expressed concern over potential ice conditions in early spring, when bears put on most of their body weight. Just one year of bad ice can have a big impact on bears, especially nursing mothers and bears without much hunting experience, he said.

Local Inuit communities have also noticed the change, and have had very few opportunities to hunt on sea ice. Hunters are a key aspect in monitoring how the ice is affecting wildlife, since they see the habitat first-hand.

Estimates say that only about one-third of the world’s polar bear population will survive by 2050 if the decline in Arctic sea ice continues. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Since 2002, the value of Alaskan salmon has tripled. This is due in large part to a San Francisco-based company, the Packard foundation.

This charity, has been implementing a Market Intervention strategy since 1999. A vital part of this program is the strategy known as “Seafood Choices”. Essentially, this involves three components, the most relevant of which is the Certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This council was created in 1997 by the World Wildlife Fund, and Unilever, a global processed food giant.

Between 2000 and 2010, Packard gave $17-million towards “reforming” the fishery industry by “demarketing” farmed fish. Their main demarketization target seems to have been salmon farmed in BC.

In 2006, Wal-Mart announced it’s loyalty to only MSC certified fisheries, 95% of these sources are Alaskan. Despite their sustainability certification, endangered whales are still killed as by-catch from these fisheries, according to the Alaska Fisheries Office.

Unfortunately, the discerning consumer is left relatively helpless as they cannot ascertain whether an uncertified product is actually unsustainable, or remains uncertified because it is not eligible under the biased certification program. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: When you think about urban landscapes in China, your first thoughts might be of traffic jams and hazy skies. But, what about award-winning public transportation? That might be your first thought after visiting Guangzhou in Southern China. That’s because the Institute for Transportation and Development policy has named Guangzhou the winner of its 2011 Sustainable Transport Award.

The institute praised Guangzhou’s extensive new bus system, which it says links up “seamlessly” with the city’s rail network. As well, the city boasts tree-lined bicycle paths where cyclists don’t need to fear being run over. Officials hope that Guangzhou can serve as a model for other cities such as Beijing, which made headlines last year for a 100km-long traffic jam that lasted over a week. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The Brazilian government approved the construction of a controversial new hydroelectric dam which, when completed, would be the third largest in the world. The Belo Monte dam, on the Xingu river in Northern Brazil, will be 6km long and produce 11GW of electricity. The project was initially proposed in the 1990s, but was scrapped because of widespread opposition.

The government’s final go-ahead comes amid protests from indigenous groups who say the project will endanger the livelihoods of local tribes and force up to 50,000 people to move from land that will be flooded.

Brazil estimates that the dam will be able to power 23 million homes and that it will be a valuable source of renewable energy. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Certain species of Japanese corals might be slowly migrating North to escape warming oceans according to a new study from the Japanese Institute for Environmental Studies.

Corals, the tiny animals which create reefs, are sensitive to temperature and die if the water around them gets too hot. Climate change and warmer oceans are believed to be the cause of dying reefs around the world.

The researchers compiled maps of 9 key coral species around Japan from 1930 to the present, and found that 4 of them had spread northward into more temperate waters. Their findings suggest that corals are moving North to find colder water in order to survive. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Recently, the permission granted by the federal government allowing the shipping of 16 radioactive steam generators has been postponed indefinitely.

The project, which would have involved transporting the generators across the Great Lakes and to the Atlantic Ocean to be sent to Sweden to be recycled, was proposed by Bruce Power, a privately owned nuclear company. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) did not explicitly explain it’s reasoning for the delay, stating only that they needed more time to deliberate. The shipment in question exceeds the limit of radioactivity permitted on a single vessel as regulated by the federal government.

Many groups, including First Nations and environmental watchdogs were concerned about the potentially dangerous shipment, especially in regards to water contamination. The Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility has put forth a request that the generators remain permanently stored at the Bruce Power location. Along with the aforementioned concerns, CCNR is concerned about setting dangerous precedents in nuclear waste transfer. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Reports from residents living along the north coast of Labrador say scores of dead seals have been washing ashore in the past several weeks. A conservation officer with the area’s Inuit government estimates that hundreds of adult and young seals have died in the area between Hopedale and Makkovik this winter. Officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are testing the carcasses to determine their cause of death, and where they originated, but many locals and conservation officers believe the department hasn’t acted quickly enough.

This time of year usually sees seals living on sea ice south along the coastline south of Hopedale, but there is very little ice left this year. Garry Stenson, a researcher at the federal department of fisheries said that the deaths could be a sign that the seal populations have grown to high, and are beginning to self-regulate. Stenson believes many births occurred in December rather than in February or March as is more common. Early births tend to have a much lower survival rate. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A complainet made in 2006 against Canada, to NAFTA’s Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC), has resulted in the withdrawal of a coalition of international environmental groups, represented by Ecojustice. The complaint claims that the Canadian government failed in the enforcing of laws aimed at protecting approximately 197 at-risk Canadian species.

A mass withdrawal of this sort is a first for the NAFTA process. A decision reached last week called for an investigation of the allegation, but the ministers on the panel limited the scope to a mere 11 species. It has taken them more than three years to come to this less than satisfactory decision, for those involved in the withdrawal.

Devon Page, the Ecojustice executive director, calls the move a sham, and that it reveals the citizen submissions process promoted by NAFTA as the method to ensure environmental protection against the steamroller of free trade, to not be consistent with the reality of the process.

The groups participating in the withdrawal have requested that the CEC suspend future action on the complaint, since political interference and further delays in the investigation will nullify it’s meaning. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: The government of Canada is being urged to demonstrate its commitment to protecting Alberta’s lower Athabasca River over the long term. A new report co-authored by WWF Canada, following a meeting with representatives from government, local first nations groups, metis groups, and industry puts forth recommendations for a new water management plan for the lower Athabasca.

In the end, the various participants were unable to reach a consensus on which recommendation were the most pressing. At issue was the implementation of an Ecosystem Base Flow or EBF. An EBF represents the bottom threshold of water levels, and that no more water withdrawals can happen when it is reached. The science behind the use of an EBF has been supported by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but the federal and provincial governments are still reluctant to support the project, and establish a general water management plan. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Bob McMinn , 86-year-old eco-champion is leading a campaign to save a lake in Victoria, BC that is now being threatened by development. The Save Mary Lake campaign aims to protect the 107-acre land, a crucial habitat for many indigenous animal and plant species, some of which are threatened or endangered. These species include the red legged frog and the great blue heron.

Conserving Mary Lake would also keep several regional and provincial parks connected, allowing for the continuation of a 25 km natural hiking trail network that’s taken the past 60 years to establish.

The campaign invites donors to own virtual portions of the area. Donations are being received from around the world. The goal of the Mary Lake Conservancy is to raise $1 million by February 1st, a looming deadline. The group has planned a web-a-thon for January 27th. You can find out more by visiting www.savemarylake.com. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: A scientific review released this week says there is no evidence to support claims that carbon dioxide is leaking from a high-profile carbon capture project in Saskatchewan. A team of researchers from the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, reviewed claims made by the firm Petro-Find Geochem Ltd. The initial report said soil samples showed conclusive proof that gases are escaping from a carbon sequestration reservoir below farmland owned by a local couple. But the new research survey rejected the idea that CO2 concentrations in the soil were abnormal, instead stating that levels were similar to those in nearby prairie soils. It also suggests that fizzing and popping sounds heared coming from the soil on the property can be explained by “near surface process”.

The researchers from the Petroleum Technology Research Centre also pulled no punches in attacking the authors of the initial report, claiming that PetroFind made technical errors, invoked undocumented data, and did not provide enough information on their scientific methods. The owner of Petro-Find, Paul Lafleur, said he “definitely” stands by his findings. Carbon Capture technology remains a major plank of Canada’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The Indian State of Gujarat has announced a deal to construct what could be Asia’s first tidal power plant. Much like conventional hydroelectricity which uses rivers and lakes, tidal plants harness the power of the ocean’s tides to generate electricity. The plan should see a 50 megawatt plant begin construction early next year, with the option of expanding capacity to 200 megawatt.

The Gujarat project has to hurry if it indeed hopes to be Asia’s first, as planning is underway for a similar facility in South Korea. The world’s largest tidal power plant is the La Rance station in Northern France, which generates 240 megawatts. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The wave of Republicans elected in the U.S. midterm elections have taken office and, true to their words, have begun repealing or blocking environmental legislation. Most recently, the new Governor of New Mexico has cancelled two proposed bills that would toughen environmental laws in the state.

One bill would have required New Mexico to make annual 3% cuts to carbon emissions. The second bill would have regulated pollution produced by dairy farms. The governor stated that the laws would have hurt the state’s economy, which is still recovering from recession. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Mount Tindaya, in the Spanish Canary Islands, is to have a huge 50 by 50 metre cube, along with tunnels and light shafts, dug into its side. The excavation is to create a sculpture by the late Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida. The sculpture will consist of a massive, solitary chamber with sunlight streaming down from shafts leading up the mountain.

Chillida envisioned the sculpture as a “monument to tolerance”. The island hopes that once finished, the sculpture will help generate income from tourism. But the project is drawing fire from environmentalists, who object to the destruction and defacing of a pristine mountain, whose beauty is admired by the islanders. They also worry the project will damage prehistoric rock drawings located nearby.

The project has been given the go-ahead by island authorities, who are now taking bids from private companies to begin the project. [ index ]