We feature a lecture by Rex Weyler, a journalist and ecologist most reputed for his work directing the original GreenPeace Foundation and for co-founding GreenPeace International in 1979. In a Toronto lecture, Mr. Weyler speaks about the principles and assumptions underlying - and undercutting - environmental life today.
Host Jordan Poppenk and pundit Kevin Farmer welcome the new year by pronouncing their new year’s eco-resolutions.
The headlines in brief:
A 14,000 square kilometer “Montreal Archipelago Ecological Park” that would protect Montreal-area forests and wetlands from developers has received support from across the political spectrum;
A controvercial quarry proposed in Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, has been officially blocked;
An Ontario government task force has concluded that the Ontario Power Authority is unnecessary and should be disbanded;
The U.S. has announced it is reducing its nuclear arsenal to one-quarter that of end-of-Cold War levels;
International researchers say global warming is outpacing the ability of humans, plants and animals to adapt.
On New Year’s Eve, free public transit will be offered in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Hamilton, Sudbury, Regina, Mississauga, York, London, and other cities.
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Theological correspondent Simon Watson speaks to Christian Ethicist Christopher Lind about “ecojustice” and the need for environmentalists to address social justice if their work is to be effective.
Environmental pundit Kevin Farmer and Jordan Poppenk release TGM’s2007 picks for theenvironmental charities most worthy of your holiday contribution. We interview Dr. Elaine MacDonald, a senior policy scientist for EcoJustice, and Simone Hicken, a campaign director for The David Suzuki Foundation.
The headlines in brief:
Several Canadian cities are considering bans or moratoriums on the construction of new drive-thru facilities;
The Globe & Mail reports that Alberta Premier Ed Stalmach endorsed a high-speed train linking Calgary and Edmonton;
Suncor Energy Inc, which runs Canada’s second-largest tar sands development, has been ordered by the Alberta government to cut emissions of hydrogen sulfide after several infractions this year;
The federal government is considering new restrictions on phosphates in household cleaning products;
The Federal Conservatives have become the second consecutive government to violate the Canada Water Act (no annual report, required by law, has been filed since 2002);
A study by the B.C. Cancer Agency indicates that pesticides and other banned chemicals persist in the environment and are elevating cancer rates;
Government forecasters say that a severe drought in the southern US will continue for at least the next three months.
Thousands of Pacific walruses have been killed in stampedes, dues to crowding of beaches that some scientists link to climate change.
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We bring you the story of Donna Dillman, an activist with The Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium, who went 68 days without food to protest against a proposed mine uranium mine site on Shalbot Lake in Ontario prior to terminating her hunger strike yesterday. She has called for a stop to the proposal and is demanding an explanation from Dalton McGuinty about why the mine is necessary when most of the country’s uranium is exported.
We also feature an arts special report from green life correspondent Peter Stock, who is struck by creative inspiration at The Tree Museum in Gravenhurst, Ontairo. The annual Tree Museum show runs from Mid-September until the end of October each year. For details on the works and artists discussed in this segment, visit the website for Persona Volare. Click on the images below or the following links to view/enlarge the images associated with this piece: [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
The headlines in brief:
Quebec became the first Canadian province to adopt California’s stringent auto-emissions standards;
Canadians across in major cities across the country rallied on Saturday to protest the Canadian government’s position in Bali;
Negotiations in Bali over the successor to the Kyoto protocol remain stalled due to Canada, the U.S. and Japan refusing to sign a document with specific targets;
Nova Scotia New Democrats introduced legislation to permanently ban uranium mining in that province;
The compound bisphenol A has been found in baby formula at levels that may be dangerous for babies;
Environment Minister John Baird has been implicated in allegations regarding an influence-peddling scandal involving the mayor of Ottawa;
New research indicates that current fish farming practices will cause wild salmon to become extinct within four years in parts of British Columbia;
The White House pressured the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to weaken requirements that companies annually disclose releases of toxic chemicals;
A WWF study shows that penguin populations are facing steep declines;
Arctic melting reached a record pace in 2007.
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Danny Leskiw speaks with Ontario Environment Commissioner Gord Miller about a report on his annual audit, released Tuesday. Discussed are:
the need to reduce road salt use through efficient machinery;
combating urban sprawl;
exaggerated energy-use projections in Ontario;
governing development in the North.
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The headlines in brief:
Canada’s position at UN talks in Bali over a successor to the Kyoto Protocol is being internationally condemned as targeted at derailing the negotiations;
Ontario’s environment commissioner Gord Miller called on Ontario Liberals to reduce use of road salt by municipalities, cut back on urban sprawl and provide better governance development in the North;
Dishwashing detergents with more than 0.5 per cent phosphates have been banned in Quebec starting in 2010;
Another tar sands fire ignited in a Syncrude corker near Fort McMurray, Albera, and burned for 11 hours before being extinguished;
According to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, some corals may survive rising ocean temperatures;
Indian police broke up a major tiger poaching ring;
After massive protests, the Chinese city of Xiamen is soliciting public comments on a completed environmental assessment via the web.
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Take 5 reporter and first-time correspondent for TGM Danny Leskiw speaks with Dr. Monica Campbell, Manager of the Environmental Protection Office of Toronto Public Health, about the health risks associated with smog.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was accused of scuttling Commonwealth negotiations over emissions targets, which resulted in no firm agreement;
Ontario Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield has postponed a decision on whether to protect more of Algonquin Park from logging;
A 53-year-old woman and grandmother is on the 54th day of a hunger strike at the Ontario Legislature to protest a uranium mine near Sharbot Lake;
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s climate change policies were criticized in a U.N. report and report from a UK-based organization;
A new assessment by conservation groups reveals that one in every four bird species in the United States is imperiled and needs conservation help to survive;
Iceland has opened its hydrogen filling station for use by private cars;
Australians elected a new prime minister, Kevin Rudd, who says he will ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
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This week:
This week:
