CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ari Rabinovitch): Environment ministers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States held meetings in Montreal this week and laid out a set of projects aimed at protecting the North American environment. The initiatives will be run by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) with the central goal of empowering local communities to address environmental concerns. The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa P. Jackson, stressed that the need is particularly urgent among tribes, minorities, and other under-served communities. The CEC has issued a Call for Proposals to communities from all three North American countries and grants will be awarded to groups with innovative plans to tackle environmental problems affecting their regions. The meetings also focused on strengthening cross-border enforcement of environmental laws and improving the CEC’s capacity to achieve measurable results. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Vanessa Purdy): Environmental and First Nations groups went to court this week in an effort to force the federal government to protect northern Alberta’s endangered caribou herds. Caribou numbers have been in serious decline over the last few decades and a combination of forest fires and oil sands development is decimating their habitat. The environmental groups, led by Ecojustice, are invoking the Species at Risk Act, a law that requires the federal environment minister to take over if a province fails to protect an endangered species. Earlier this week, the Alberta government released a draft plan to protect caribou habitats in the region, but a new Global Forest Watch study suggests that the proposal would preserve less than four percent of the overall habitat. If the environmental groups win the case, oil sands companies could be forced to give up some of their holdings, but Ecojustice stresses that this is not a political move. “There’s a real sense of urgency here,” said Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute, “the caribou are really in trouble in Alberta. The populations are declining fast.” [ index ]

ARIEL RABINOVITCH: An open letter, by a group of high profile activists, including actor Danny Glover, and Canadian Environmental activist, David Suzuki, has been released outlining protest plans of the Keystone Oil Pipeline project. The protesters are planning daily demonstrations at the White House, aimed at persuading President Barack Obama to deny Calgary-based, TransCanada’s permit application, to construct the new thirty-six-inch crude oil pipeline that would begin at Hardisty, Alberta, and extend southeast through Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.

They are also urging protesters to get arrested, to help send a message to the public. However Suzuki and Glover stated they will avoid such acts of civil disobedience, so as not to be prevented from traveling to the US. The group plans to begin the protests and acts of civil disobedience in August. It is then that the U.S. State Department is likely to begin final deliberations over whether the Keystone Pipeline project is in America’s national interest – the department has promised a ruling by year’s end. The issue of the pipeline has the Obama administration divided, and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency has criticized the administration’s impact on the subject as weak. [ index ]

ARIEL RABINOVITCH: Used tires, half-empty paint cans, discarded, mercury-contaminated electronics, and more will pollute Ontario landfills. According to Ontario Environment Minister John Wilkinson, that’s what will happen if the Progressive Conservatives win the fall election. This statement comes in response to a series of attack ads on the Liberals by the Tories, accusing the administration of unnecessary eco-fees that the Tories promise to scrap. According to Wilkinson, these so- called ‘eco-fees’ have helped tremendously in cleaning up Ontario’s landfills, water, and air. For example, about twenty-five-million used tires have been kept out of landfill sites, and one-billion wine and booze bottles have been returned to The Beer Store outlets since being added to the recycling regimen in 2007. With 7 million litres of old paint kept out of rivers and lakes — and some seven “green” jobs created for every one-thousand-tonnes of material diverted — Wilkinson believes these initiatives make sense on every level.

Conservative MP Will Arnott responded to Wilkinson’s comments to the Toronto Star, stating: “The minister is obviously trying to make a pre-emptive strike in advance of July 1 — it was July 1 a year ago when they brought in the eco-fees as well as the HST….If we were to form the government we are firm in our commitment to scrap the eco-fees on everyday items. At the same time … we would work with municipalities to ensure that the kinds of products that the minister referenced would not be going into landfills.” [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLONI: A recent report suggests the world’s oceans are about to embrace a mass extinction of marine life in the near future. A group of scientists presented this information in a report to the United Nations on Tuesday, June 21. The report painted a grim picture of the ocean’s future if overfishing, pollution and global warming remains a trend.

More than 500 marine species are threatened by overfishing which accounts for more than 60% of the global extinction of fish. Many types of robust coral have been dying off from bleaching, which is caused by warmer than normal ocean temperatures. In 1998, bleaching eliminated one sixth of the coral population.

Also, Man-made disasters such as last years’ BP oil spill destroyed large amounts of ocean habitat, disrupting the fragile ecosystem. Even everyday chemicals, plastics and fossil fuels make their way to waterways causing acidification and a decline oxygen, which is vital for marine life.

Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Carl Lundin says that report gave a better awareness to the situation. Lundin adds that the report shows all the problems collectively, giving a more accurate status of the oceans’ welfare. Unfortunately, the outcome looks bleak if the current trends of destruction aren’t averted. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLONI: Poland is the lone country that won’t cut its carbon emissions, according to the European environment misters. At a meeting in Luxembourg, Poland declared it will block the process of the climate policy, Energy Roadmap 2050, on Tuesday June 21. UK energy secretary, Chris Huhne describes the result of the meeting as “…a dark day for Europe’s leading role in tackling climate change.”

Poland’s decision is under fire from other EU ministers and environmental groups like Greenpeace and WWF. The policy’s mandate is to reduce 40% of greenhouse gases by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 80% by 2050 in Europe.

Polish commissioner, Janusz Lewandowski is in charge of EU’s budget and says he is skeptical that climate change even exists. Lewandowski explains that Energy Roadmap 2050 is “too ambitious for the Polish economy” and there isn’t enough evidence to support that coal energy causes global warming. Poland still uses coal energy for 90% of it’s electricity.

Polish Environment Minister, Andrzej Kraszewski urged EU collegues that different economic conditions across Europe make the policy challenging to follow. Poland is also looking to gain more influence on decisions when they take over the EU presidency on July 1. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLONI: Ex-presidential candidate, Al Gore criticizes Obama and the American government on addressing climate change in a recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine. In a 7,000-word essay, Gore puts the weight of the blame on Obama’s lack of influence on climate change. He mentions the media for failing to question big businesses and right-wing lobbyists who are said to cloud the facts about global warming and mass consumerism for all the unnecessary waste.

Gore acknowledges Obama’s challenging time in presidency such as enduring the Great Recession, war and a Republican opposition that tried to disprove his qualifications.

However, White House press officer, Clark Stevens says Obama has taken aggressive steps to tackle the challenge.

On the positive end, Gore’s mentions that with the help of people, climate change can be fought through spreading the facts, making informed consumer choices and joining environmental groups. He also adds that the current situation is at least a step up from when ex-president George W. Bush was in power. [ index ]