LIA MAZZOLINI: Alberta approves carbon-capture plan that says it will clean up the air. The deal says there will be production of electricity by combining the cheap price of coal-fired generators with the benefits of natural gas.

The Alberta government announces that Swan Hills Synfuels, has been given $285-million to drill, on Wednesday, July 27. The plan is to drill into a coal seam about a kilometer and a half underground.

The company will then change the coal into gas and pipe the gas to the surface. The next step would be to strip the gas of carbon dioxide. This type of gas is what’s called synthetic gas or “syngas.”  The expectation is for syngas to produce 300 megawatts of energy.

CEO of Synfuels, Martin Lambert says, the electricity from the company’s plants will be less expensive than natural gas-fired plants. He adds the syngas-produced electricity will make less carbon dioxide than natural gas and about 66% of what a coal-fired plant makes.

Skeptics claim the technology is very expensive. They argue that fossil fuels are still an attractive commodity, so it may be a hard energy source to sway from. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: This Sunday, a team of Canadian and international scientists released a study stating that climate change in Northern Canada is causing the release of toxic chemicals from melting ice. The chemicals in question are called persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, and they have been linked to cancer and other serious illnesses in humans. The new report explains that the man-made toxins, which are banned under the Stockholm convention, travelled to the Arctic via wind and ocean currents, where they became trapped in the region’s ice, soil, and water. With ice melting at an increasing rate over the past two decades, the previously trapped POPs are being re-released into the environment. According to the study, POPs have now entered the food chain in Northern Canada and traces can be found in wildlife. The study comes just a few weeks before Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to make his annual visit to Canada’s North. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Clean energy advocates are pushing the Prime Minister to get some eco-upgrades on his house. Stephen Harper’s residency on 24 Sussex drive, is a 143-year-old home that is supposedly lacking many energy-saving features.

Green energy advocates are keeping their fingers crossed that Harper will use the government’s newly revived ecoEnergy program. The ecoEnergy program is s $5,000 incentive to Canadians who make their home more energy-efficient.

The National Capital Commission proposes the 19th century home should go through a $10 million renovation. Yet, Prime Minister Harper is refusing to move his family so the renovations take place.

Auditor General, Sheila Fraser says, that the building’s cost would be greatly reduced if it went through a renovation. However, she says Prime Minister Harper doesn’t want to change the home. Heritage architect Carlos Ventin also worries that the home may soon be at, “a point of no return.”

Other architects such as heritage design firm, + VG Architects, find it shame that Harper won’t send a good example to Canadians. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: Alykhan Velshi, the former communications director for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, has just launched a new project. He is taking over a website called EthicalOil.org that aims to clean up the image of Canada’s oil sands. Velshi, who was a key member of the team behind the Conservatives’ recent electoral victory, is now focusing his PR skills on casting Canada’s oil as the ethical alternative to oil from countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The online ad campaign makes the argument that Canadian oil funds democracy, peacekeeping, and even gay pride, while oil from corrupt regimes pays for terrorism and dictatorship. The campaign is partially a response to the damaging effect the oil sands have had on Canada’s environmental reputation. The European Union has threatened to label the oil sands as a dirty fuel source and the Canadian government is trying to combat this with extensive lobbying efforts. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Calgary folk festival is now playing on a greener tune. Plastic is a thing of the past and eco-friendly substitutes are the standard. Plastic water bottles are now banned and compostable cups are only being served. Patrons and volunteers are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle.

The 31-year-old festival was already using recyclable plates and was known for being a green festival.

Team member, Doug Boyd, has been collecting the cans and bottles at the Calgary Folk Festival for more than 10 years. Boyd and his team is looking to notify the ticket holders that bottled water is no longer acceptable on the grounds.

Volunteers post at 12 waste stations to guarantee that festivalgoers recycle, compost and throw waste into the bins.

But the team doesn’t want to be more assertive then that. Boyd says they won’t search the festivalgoers for water bottles because it would be too intrusive. Punishing people would be over-enforcing the rule. He adds that the music is still the priority.

Calgary Folk Festival decision-maker, Leor Rotchild says more green ideas will likely be revealed at next year’s festival. Rotchild hopes that the fest will inspire other festivals, across the country, to do the same. [ index ]

MELISSA SHAW: Over 800 scientists from around the world met in Halifax this week for a conference on mercury pollution. The goal of the conference is to publicize the latest scientific information on mercury’s release into the environment and its effect on people. The conference’s Canadian organizers also hope the research discussed will equip policy-makers with the information they need to make responsible decisions. Mercury is particularly dangerous because it can spread as an airborne pollutant and can cause serious health problems in humans and animals. The control of mercury pollution is contentious, however, because coal power plants are one of its chief sources. Nova Scotia, the conference’s host province has delayed imposing environmental restrictions on coal plants because of the rise in electricity costs that this move would cause. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): The federal government is behind schedule in delivering water pollution regulations originally set for release in spring 2011. The regulations are intended to crack down on pollution caused by municipal sewage systems, one of the largest sources of pollution in Canada’s waterways. According to briefing notes prepared for Environment Minister Peter Kent and released to the public this week, the regulations will not be introduced until late 2011. A spokesperson for Peter Kent stated that the delays are because the ministry is taking care to craft sewage regulations that will protect both the environmental and economic interests of communities. The new standards will cost cities an estimated 10 to 13 billion dollars to put in place over the next 30 years. There is still debate about how the cost will be shared. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has warned that the new regulations must be accompanied by new funding from Federal and Provincial Governments. The new rules will help Canada catch up with the U.S. and the E.U., where similar standards have been in place since the 1970s. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: The federal government is planning to cut the budget to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The agency is facing a 43 percent cut in spending, layoffs for a third of its full time staff, and the discontinuation of two of its programs. One program consults with aboriginal groups and the other works to improve regulation of major projects.

Critics worry the cuts will compromise the agency’s ability to evaluate potential impacts of proposed resource projects like shale gas extraction and offshore drilling. Environmental lawyer, Stephen Hazell warns right now is not the time to take risks as the country undertakes massive projects like British Columbia’s Taseko gold-copper mine and Enbridge’s oil pipeline. Hazell adds, independent  assessments are needed to prevent environmental disasters like last year’s BP oil spill that released 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The cuts come just a few weeks after June’s throne speech where the government said it was committed to improving environmental assessments. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee is considering a wide range of cuts to city services in an effort to manage a budget deficit of over 770 million dollars. Among the potential cuts, which were recommended this week by the consulting firm KPMG, is the Toronto Atmospheric Fund or TAF. The TAF is an environmental fund that has been awarding grants to clean air, energy efficiency, and climate change reduction projects since it was founded 20 years ago. TAF’s internationally renowned projects have saved millions of dollars in energy costs for the city and invested millions more in its infrastructure and businesses. At this stage, the budget cuts are only in the first stage of consideration, but they are likely to cause controversy. Notably, during his election campaign Mayor Ford promised to make no cuts to city services. He claimed he would balance the budget by increasing efficiency at city hall. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Canadian biodiversity is deteriorating at an unprecedented rate reveals newly released briefing notes accessed by the freedom of information act. The notes, classified as secret, were submitted to Environment Minister, Peter Kent in January. It warned that urban and industrial development is putting Canada’s economic and ecological health in jeopardy. Habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, over-exploitation of resources, and pollution are all factors in biodiversity loss.

The notes go on to reveal more than 13 per cent of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product depends on healthy ecosystems for forestry, agriculture, oceans, and tourism. In recent years, the government has made efforts to expand protected areas. Yet, more needs to be done to stop significant declines in migratory bird populations, fish stocks, amphibians, and other animals. The advice to the environment minister is consistent with recent climate research, conducted by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, which is a government advisory panel. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): David Suzuki is throwing his support behind Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, in the lead up to an election that will decide the fate of the province’s green energy program. Suzuki rarely delves into partisan politics, but he praised the McGuinty government’s feed-in-tariff program and said that it would be foolish to abandon it. The Ontario Conservatives, led by Tim Hudak, have vowed to scrap the feed-in-tariff program if they are elected, calling it too expensive. The conservatives currently enjoy a lead in public-opinion polls and the election is sure to be hotly contested. Suzuki pointed out that Ontario’s green energy program is creating jobs and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. He argued that job creation is something Conservatives should agree with. He also pointed out that energy costs are going to rise regardless and it’s reckless to abandon plans for the development of a green economy. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Vancouver in on the path to become the world’s greenest city by 2020. The ‘Greenest City Action Plan’, which took three years to devise, was unveiled last week by Vancouver’s mayor Gregor Robertson. The action plan aims to create green jobs, build green infrastructure and change the way the city is built and operated. Some projects in the report include the installation of dedicated bike lanes, building infrastructure for electric cars, improving public transit, and requiring that all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2020.

The plan also hopes to create 10 000 new green jobs in local food production, recycling, conservation, and clean energy. Although cost is not mentioned, new green projects will be submitted to city council where it will be put to a vote. Critics like mayoral candidate and City Councillor Suzanne Anton says the city would be better off expanding pre-existing industries like forestry and mining. [ index ]

MELLISSA SHAW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): The main office of Greenpeace in Sydney Australia was raided by police on Thursday July 21rst. Greenpeace activists had broken into the Canberra headquarters of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization to destroy a crop of genetically modified wheat. The activists were dressed in hazard suits and used garden trimmers to cut down the trial plot in the early morning hours. A police spokesperson stated that they had a warrant to search Greenpeace Australia based on allegations of trespassing and property damage at the CSIRO.

No arrests have been made but the actions of the activists has been criticized by scientists and farm groups. The wheat and barley plants were genetically modified to improve health and lower the risk of disease according to researchers involved in the study. Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator said the destruction of the trial plants does not pose a risk to humans or the environment but CSIRO has said that it has set back the research by several months. Steve Campbell is the Head of Campaigns for Greenpeace and says that they will cooperate with the police. He also said genetically modified foods posed a risk to health environment and the economy which the government has not acknowledged. [ index ]

MELLISSA SHAW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): China will introduce a pilot carbon emissions trading plan in 2012 which is the expiry deadline for the Kyoto Accord. The plan was announced by the vice-minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission speaking at the Eco Forum Global conference on July 17th. The plan will involve electricity tariffs on power intensive industries in five provinces. Tax breaks will also be offered for industries developing green technology.

The program will be expanded to include the entire country by 2015. China is facing issues of severe pollution and is rapidly urbanizing so the energy demands will also continue to rise. China has also pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 percent in the year 2020. [ index ]

MELLISSA SHAW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): The U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson announced a National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship which aims for responsible design, purchasing and management. The strategy will promote efficient and sustainable electronic products, direct government funds towards reusing and recycling, and promoting certification programs which would ensure the electronics were being recycled safely. The government hopes to set an example by holding companies accountable for their used products which is known as product stewardship.

The Obama administration had stressed the need for a program that would have a regulatory framework and involve cooperation between the public and private sectors last November. The CEOs of Dell, Sprint, and executives from Sony were present for the announcement. The interagency taskforce on electronics stewardship says a major goal of the strategy would be to “reduce harm from U.S. exports of e-waste and improve safe handling of used electronics in developing countries.” The government aims to promote a domestic recycling industry which would create jobs. The EPA says there was 2.37 million short tons of e-waste generated in 2009 and only a quarter of that amount was recycled. [ index ]