CARA CHELLEW: Aboriginal groups, environmentalists, and the media are considered to be adversaries to Canada’s oilsands industry. The news, revealed in a newly released Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade document was released to Canada’s Climate Action Network through access to information legislation.

The document outlines key goals for diplomats to promote the industry as well as lobbying against foreign climate change policies. Listed allies include energy companies, industry associations, and various government departments, like Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and the Privy Council Office. Also listed as an ally is the National Energy Board, which is supposed to be an independent federal regulator that monitors and regulates industry activity. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): A former employee of ForestEthics, a Canadian environmental group, is accusing the Prime Minister’s Office of threatening Tides Canada, the charitable organization that gives ForestEthics its funding. The claims come from Andrew Frank, who worked as the senior communications manager at ForestEthics until he was dismissed earlier this week over his plans to go public with his allegations. According to a sworn statement by Frank, the Prime Minister’s Office told Ross McMillan, CEO of Tides Canada, that it considered ForestEthics to be an “enemy of the state”.

ForestEthics is one of several groups campaigning against the Northern Gateway pipeline project. Frank claims that the PMO threatened to withdraw funding from all of Tides Canada’s projects if the organization did not stop funding ForestEthics. The Prime Minister’s Office denied making any of the statements referenced in Andrew Frank’s report. Tides Canada also responded to the claims, writing that Frank’s “account of our conversations with government is inaccurate.” [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Environment Minister Peter Kent has again refused to issue an emergency order to protect the woodland caribou. The species faces extirpation from large parts of their range especially in Alberta’s oilsands regions. Kent originally decided the woodland caribou did not face an imminent threat but Federal Court Justice Peter Crampton ordered him to revisit the decision because it seemed to counter scientific evidence.

This week, after six months of silence, environmental lawyers representing affected aboriginal bands filed a request with the court to force the minister to comply with the judge’s ruling. Unknown to the lawyers, Kent had made a decision on the matter two weeks ago on January 13 but did not publicize the information. Kent’s formal reasons for rejecting emergency protection will be posted soon but he believes the caribou are in sustainable population groups in vast areas of the country. Allowing herds to die out in some places damages the entire population warns caribou biologist Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): This week the federal government moved one step further with plans to bury nuclear waste at two sites in Ontario. The Department of Natural Resources is seeking an independent scientific review of Atomic Energy Canada’s proposal to bury low- and intermediate-level atomic waste in a repository two miles north of Ottawa. Meanwhile, Environment Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission have announced a joint review of a proposal to bury nuclear waste deep under the Bruce Nuclear Generation Station close to Lake Huron.

The buried waste would range from industrial garbage contaminated with low levels of radiation to the medium-level atomic byproducts of research and reactor operations. The burial of spent reactor fuel, which is extremely radioactive, would not be allowed. At the moment, most of the radioactive rubbish is stored aboveground at Ontario’s nuclear plants. If the plan passes the scientific assessment the waste will be buried 500 to 1,000 metres deep in tectonically stable bedrock. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Local developers are trying to stop the National Capital Commission’s plan to increase Ottawa’s Greenbelt. Over the next 50 years, the commission wants to expand the Greenbelt by 10% or 2400 hectares by protecting nearby natural areas. The plan would also discourage new developments along routes that cut through the Greenbelt.

John Herbert, executive director of the Ottawa Builders’ Association, criticized the decision, saying there is a shortage of development land but no shortage of green space. Critics also fear if the plan is approved, it will put more pressure to intensify Ottawa’s urban areas. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): Environment Minister Peter Kent announced today that Parks Canada will move forward with a plan to reintroduce wild bison into Banff National Park. The bison population has made a comeback since they were hunted to near extinction in the 19th century but they are still not widely distributed in the wild. There is a herd of bison at Banff, but they are contained in a “buffalo paddock” that is fenced off from the National Park.

Last year, an organization called the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation presented a proposal to reintroduce the bison into the wild. Now that Parks Canada is onboard, the plan will officially move forward. The first step will be a public consultation process to determine the logistics and implications of releasing the herd. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A recent report commissioned by Chris Huhne, the Secretary of Energy and Climate in the UK reveals that moving to a tougher target on greenhouse gasses across Europe would actually not be as difficult as people think. Business thinktanks and lobbyists have been naysaying the potential for a cross-European target; but the report shows that , if Europe were to set tougher goals, it would save money in the long run.

The hope is to raise the goal to a 25% cut; which could save 20 billion euros annually. It would cost approximately 0.5% of the GDP of countries across Europe to meet a 30% target by 2020, which is much less than what was previously forecast; and does not take into account potential benefits like the development of a green economy. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: On Tuesday, President Obama’s State of the Union speech confirmed the United States has plans to impose new regulations on frakking. Frakking, the shale gas drilling method, is as common as it is controversial. In his speech, Obama talked about expanding domestic natural gas production through safer development and tougher regulations on frakking operations taking place on public lands. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: This week, Germany’s solar subsidy program will be in development. Lawmakers have been debating the support for developers in the solar energy market. Germany’s Environment Minister, Norbert Roettgen, is seeking to increase the frequency of subsidy cuts; whereas their Economy Minister, Phillip Roesler, has proposed a cap on clean energy support to curb costs. If his cut goes through, it could bring solar and other renewable energy source development to a standstill. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Four Hamilton companies have landed huge contracts in a $1.5-billion wind-energy project. The project–offshore on the Wolfe Island Shoals near Kingston—is set to produce 300-megawatts, says Windstream Energy. It is expected that most of the 1,900 manufacturing jobs associated with it will end up in Hamilton.

The companies involved are Walters Group, McKeil Marine, the Hamilton Port authority, and Bermingham Foundation Solutions. They also form a manufacturing consortium known as the Lake Ontario Offshore Network, and lobby governments about the economic benefits of wind energy. A figure for the dollar value of the local contracts has yet to be released. As well, the project does not currently have a timeline given the Ontario government’s decision about a year ago to place a moratorium on new wind energy projects.

So far, feedback from the city seems largely positive, with councilors citing the project as revitalizing the manufacturing sector, and perhaps marking Hamilton as a future hub for offshore wind farms– the market for which is growing considerably in the United States. An economic impact study done by Windstream, which is a privately-owned Ontario-based company backed by American investors, says approximately $700 million of the total investment in the project would remain in Ontario. Windstream holds the only approved offshore wind energy generation feed-in tariff contract in Ontario, but the province has not yet given the okay to start construction. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: In a new, national ad campaign launched last week, Environmental Defence Canada aims to inform Canadians of the potentially harmful substances in personal care products, used every day by many Canadians.

The 60-second ad, entitled “How To Look Pretty Without Poisoning Yourself,” calls on the federal government to ban harmful ingredients, often undisclosed, that are found in cosmetics. Environmental Defense hopes the campaign will spur Canada into following Europe’s lead in improving labeling and restricting toxic substances. Whether or not the government will give its cosmetic industry a legislation-based makeover remains to be seen. For more information on the chemicals and cosmetics in question, you can visit the campaign’s site www.justbeautiful.ca. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, CAPP, is facing controversy after hiring Angie Leonard. Leonard is the sister of Energy Minister Craig Leonard and, until recently, a member of the New Brunswick government’s shale gas working group of civil servants focused on creating regulatory framework for the shale gas industry. Now, she is a senior natural as advisor for the CAPP, one of the oil-and-gas industry’s biggest lobby groups.

Of more concern than the familial connection is the fact that Leonard is now working on the behalf of an industry that she was regulating a week ago. However, there is no law that prevents this sort of association. Last year, the PC government tried to pass a lobbyist registry law that would have made lobbyists accountable to the public and identify their clients, had it passed.

A representative of the Department of Natural resources, Steve Benteau, has clarified that Leonard will not have access to ministers or other senior officials who deal with the shale gas issue, due to the perceived conflict of interest. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A community well in Keno City, Yukon, is undergoing closer monitoring after it was recently found to contain high levels of zinc and cadmium. The results were found during mine reclamation work, and one of the five, newly-installed monitoring wells showed levels well above those acceptable for drinking water by national standards. The well in question is not currently being used by citizens, said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services. However, owners of four neighboring private wells are being asked not to use their water.

Government officials will increase monitoring to once a month for the next six months, and quarter-annually thereafter. The government is also offering to cover water testing coast for any private wells in close proximity. The test were done and high levels of the potentially kidney-damaging metals were confirmed back in October, but the data is only becoming public now. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: This Thursday, a study published in the journal Environmental reviews, draws attention to the growing problem of invasive species in Canada—a problem exacerbated by climate change. Andrea Smith, a York University biologist, studied the academically- neglected correlation between global warming and the spread and increase of invasive species. Her results illuminate a veritable threat posed by non-native species such as the mountain pine beetle, and deer ticks.

Smith could find only a few dozen studies specifically addressing how invasive species are taking advantage of Canada’s environmental change. One of these estimated that at least 1,500 non-native species are already in Canada; although their arrivals cannot all be attributed to climate change. This study also noted the cost to the Canadian economy of a mere 16 of the aforementioned species could be upwards of 13.3 billion, annually.

As it stands, there is little in terms of policy work being done on the subject. Regulation in this area is divvied up between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Natural Resources Canada; the latter of which opened a research centre on invasive species in 2009.

Smith’s study calls for the study of common characteristics in the species and climate predictions in order to create a list of high-risk invasive species, and then direct policy accordingly. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): A South Korean cargo ship carrying 120 tons of fuel has exploded earlier this week, leaving it half submerged off the country’s west coast. The ship, which usually carries refined petroleum products and chemicals, was carrying 80 tons of bunker-C oil and 40 tons of diesel fuel when it exploded.

The ship’s captain believes the explosion was caused by static electricity which ignited gasoline vapors from an onboard tank. There have been no reports of a fuel leak. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): Following large street protests by environmentalists, Bulgaria has become the second European country after France to ban exploratory shale gas drilling also known as fracking. On Wednesday MP’s voted overwhelmingly for a ban and revoked a shale gas permit to U.S. based oil giant Chevron.

Critics opposed to fracking says the process of pumping water, sand, and chemicals at a high pressure to release pockets of gas from rocks contaminates ground water and causes earth tremors. Industry professionals claims correct drilling is safe. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service warns of a possible extinction as 5.5 million bats are estimated to have died in North America from a fungus. The fungus called the white-nose syndrome was first documented in bats hibernating in a cave in Albany in 2006. Biologists are reporting a mortality rate of 90-100% and fear the fungus will continue to spread through several species, including some that are endangered.

Although the cause remains a mystery, one theory is that humans may have introduced the fungus while exploring caves. In 2009, thousands of caves and former mines in national forests were closed up for a year as an attempt to control the spread of the fungus. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Environment Canada is cutting 60 of its science jobs. The move is linked to last August’s decision to cut or reassign 776 people or 10 percent of its workforce. Gary Corbett, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada confirmed layoff notices were sent out this week although his department is under strict orders not reveal the exact jobs that are cut.

The positions broadly include engineers, scientists, biologists, climatologists, and chemical analysts who work in areas such as pollution, monitoring water quality, and climate research. The department has already eliminated 150 term positions as well 400 casual jobs by reducing funding to various programs. Most of these positions are filled with a new generation and Corbett argues the move is destroying the future of the public service by getting rid of the knowledge and base for future. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Vanessa Purdy): Tension is brewing at the Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings in BC this week. The province’s Kitimaat village residence was unanimous in their disapproval for the project, at the opening hearing on Tuesday, January 10.

Energy giant Enbridge revealed the $5.5 billion plan to pipe oil from the Edmonton area to the Area’s port. This is in hopes to increase jobs in Canada and business in the US and Asia.

Kitimaat is home to the first nation’s community of the Haisla people. Hereditary Chief, Ken Hall says, residences are fearful of a potential disaster that could threaten their homes, family and the environment.

The hearings then moved to Terrace, B.C. on Thursday, January 12. Some protesters have spent up to 37 days outside the Gitxsan treaty society office, to show their dedication to stop the plan.

Over 4,300 people have signed up to speak at the hearings, which are being conducted by a federal review panel. They are expected to last until 2013. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Local area residents and environmental groups held a demonstration Wednesday to protest plans to clear cut 120 hectares of trees in the Castle Wilderness Area in Alberta. Those opposed to Spray Lake Sawmill’s plan argue Castle is an important ecological and recreational area for Albertans. They also claim the area is a key wildlife corridor and critical grizzly bear habitat.

Spray Lake Sawmills spokesperson Gord Lehn, says the company follows strict environmental guidelines set by the province which includes full reforestation. Demonstrators are calling on the province to turn the area into a wilderness park. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Vanessa Purdy): Scientists are equally puzzled and concerned by the plummeting population of Boreal ducks. Since the 1970’s, these Canadian birds have been on a decline with most experts pointing to climate change as the culprit.

Research scientist, Stuart Slattery of Ducks Unlimited Canada says that the ducks are simply running out of food.

Slattery and scientists at the University of British Columbia have been studying two of the ducks species: the scaup and the scoter. Their numbers have dropped by 40 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively in just three decades.

From the data they collected over the years, they found that spring comes on average about 11 days earlier. Slattery says that low snow cover is directly connected with the drop in the ducks’ survival.

Now that the spring is arriving nearly two weeks sooner, the ducks fly in too late to feast on the insects. He adds that as long as society depends on fossil fuels, the less ducks and other animals will thrive. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver claims environmental radical groups are trying to block trade and undermine Canada’s economy. The comments were made on Monday, a day before federal regulatory hearings for Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline were set to begin.

The proposed pipeline would transport oil sands crude from Alberta to Kitimat, B.C where it would be then shipped overseas to Asia. Over 4300 people have signed up to speak at the regulatory hearings which will span over the next 18 months. Oliver goes on to say the groups “threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.”

Environmentalist David Suzuki says he is puzzled by Oliver’s language. In a statement to the CBC, Suzuki states environmentalists want to, “live within our means, save some for tomorrow, and think about the legacy we leave for our children, which he says is a pretty conservative approach. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI (read by Vanessa Purdy): The gloves are off for fish farming activist, as he prepares to face the BC Supreme Court. BC resident, Don Staniford is in a legal battle with salmon farming company, Mainstream Canada over allegations that he defamed the business. The English-born activist has a track record for awareness campaigns that reflect poorly on various fish farming companies.

In this case Staniford, allegedly published the titles, “The Salmon Farming Kills Campaign”, the “Silent Spring of the Sea,” and “Smoke on the Water, Cancer on the Coast,” to deter people from buying fish from farms.

Mainstream Canada’s amended notice of civil claim includes published graphics that look like cigarette packages and include warnings like “Salmon Farming Kills Like Smoking.”

The documents state that the company’s lawyers demanded Staniford to abandon his comments publicly. Staniford responded with another cigarette-like-package graphic that read “Norwegian Owned” and included an image of a raised middle finger and the words “Salmon Farming.”

Mainstream Canada’s headquarters are in Oslo, Norway and is a subsidiary of the Norwegian company Cermaq.

Staniford remains headstrong, standing behind his statements and his goal of shutting down the industry, but could cost him $125,000 if he loses. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): For the first time in history, the U.S. government will impose catch limits on all of the 500 plus fish species it manages. The new legislation makes the United States the first country in the world to limit fishing on all the species in its waters. Some species, including mahi-mahi and wahoo, have never had catch limits before.

Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group welcomed the move, calling it “probably the most important conservation statute ever enacted into America’s fisheries law”. Interestingly, this legislation transcends the political divisions normally at play in U.S environmental policy.

The catch limits were first suggested under President Bush and have been finalized under President Obama. The regulations were devised with the help and input of regional fisheries councils. For this reason, supporters predict the new limits are more likely to succeed. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): The three Australian anti-whaling activists detained after boarding a Japanese whaling ship early Saturday morning are set to be released without charges. The news comes after negotiations between Australia’s attorney general, Nicola Roxon, and Japanese authorities. Charges will not be laid because the activists did not cause injury to crew members or damage the whaling vessel.

The three activists boarded the ship to protest what the Japanese government calls “research whaling,” a practice that is widely believed to be a euphemism for “commercial whaling,” since the whale meat is sold for food in Japan. GPS evidence show that the Japanese ship was actually in Australian waters when the activists boarded it. In 2008 the Australian federal court banned Japanese whaling ships from entering Australian waters. This incident highlights the fact that the Australian government is unable or unwilling to enforce its ban on whaling. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): A new report published in the Journal of Biological Conservation warns that many plant species are being driven to the brink of extinction because their traditional methods of seed dispersal are under threat. The study’s authors write that while the global pollination crisis has been acknowledged as a major concern “there is also a growing crisis around the world when it comes to seed dispersal.”

Seeing that the seed dispersal crisis is not fully recognized or understood, the researchers set out to synthesize the known information in a way that is useful to scientists and land managers. They identified three main causes to the declining seed dispersal process: climate change, fragmentation of the landscape in human-modified environments, and diminishing populations of animals that would normally distribute seeds.

The researchers behind the study hope that it can improve understanding of biodiversity loss and help people develop better conservation practices. They argue that conservation targets for “key seed dispersers should be a population size that maintains their ecological function, rather than merely the minimum viable population.” [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): As public hearings approach for Enbridge’s controversial Northern Gateway Pipeline, at least five major oil sands companies have come forward to support the 5.5 billion dollar project which would link Alberta oil sands to the west coast. Until recently, only Sinopec, China’s second largest energy producer has been a public supporter but Enbridge has revealed support from 10 other companies who will contribute 10 million dollars each to ensure development.

Enbridge spokesperson Paul Stanley says they have not encountered resistance from First Nations people in Alberta and have about 40 percent of community support along the proposed path. This contrasts with statements made from environmental and aboriginal groups who vow to make a human wall to stop construction of the pipeline. The first round of community meetings will take place on January 24 in Edmonton. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: The largest of British Columbia’s three proposed plans for liquefied natural gas plants (LNGs) would most likely be powered with natural gas, emitting greenhouse gasses. The proposed plan, for Kitimat, B.C., would run in direct competition of sorts with the provincial government’s environmental goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by one third by 2020.

Premier Christy Clark promised three LNG plants by 2020 last year. A major part of her job strategy is developing the natural gas industry, which, according to her plan, could provide thousands of jobs and billions in revenue from the frozen natural gas exported to Asia. Critics fear the promise of jobs so dependent on a dirty resource could threaten the livelihood of future generations, and the planet.

Energy and Mines Minister, Rich Coleman, acknowledges the potential damaging effect of the plant, and says the government would attempt to minimize its potential harm. They are also considering storing the emissions underground. Coleman says the government’s LNG strategy will be released in February, or even later this month. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): Climate change and melting sea ice may have a major impact on harp seals as they are forced to adapt to changing habitats in the Gulf of St Lawrence and eastern Canada. Researchers at Duke University in the US have found the seals’ traditional breeding grounds on sea ice has been shrinking by 6% each decade for the last 30 years.

In 2007, the government of Canada released a report linking high sea pup mortality rates over the past decade to poor ice conditions. Recently, the seals have been adapting to environmental challenges by moving their breeding grounds north to the coast of Greenland where they face an increased risk of predators. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Researchers at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus have found a creative new use for cow stomachs. Using an anaerobic digester–a metallic, man-made unit devoid of oxygen–researchers are able to turn organic material into electricity. The digester mimics a cow’s stomach; using the same microorganisms the animal employs, to break down organic waste and convert it into biogas, which is in turn used to make electricity.

According to the university, the digester is “farm scale”; holding 1.5 million litres, and being “fed” 10-15 tonnes of material every day. The result of this is the generation of enough electricity to power almost 300 homes. It cost 2.5 million, but if it is connected to the power grid sometime in the spring as hoped, it would generate $280,000 in electricity sales annually, and have paid for itself in eight years. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): New fears over water contamination and resurfaced government memos have put the issue of hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ back in the news. It has been discovered that the largest fracking project ever undertaken occurred in northern British Columbia in 2010. The project, four times the size of any other in North America used 259 million gallons of water and 50 thousand tons of sand to frack 16 gas wells.

Last March, an internal memo was sent from the deputy minister of the environment to Environment Minister Peter Kent advising the need for assessments of risks. Top concerns include water use and contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of unknown toxic chemicals. There has also been outstanding complaints from the surrounding community of Rosebud Alberta regarding well water contamination.

Property owner Jessica Ernst has sued Encana, Alberta Environment and Water, and the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board. Ernst alleges Encana’s drilling operations were negligent and governmental agencies failed to enforce regulations. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Things are looking good for frequently flooded Manitoba this spring. Forecasters are optimistic that the unusually warm winter and minimal precipitation this year mean the chance of floods such as those experienced last winter, is significantly decreased. Last spring, Manitobian’s experienced one of their worst floods, and some evacuees have yet to be allowed to return home.

The warmer temperatures across the Prairies as a whole this winter don’t seem to be subsiding. Just this week, it was 16 degrees C in Maple Creek, Sask.; and 13 in Calgary. In fact, Lethbridge county, Alberta, has banned open fires and canceled all active fire permits due to warm temperatures and high winds.

However, this greener winter is affecting aboriginal communities in Manitoba in negative ways. Ice roads–that trucks use to transport an estimated 2,500 shipments of necessary items every year–are nowhere close to being built. Another concern, of course, is lake safety, as all bodies of water seemingly frozen are considered unsafe. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Scientists have made a remarkable discovery of evolution in the making. A group of 10 researchers announced they’ve found the first ever hybrid shark, which was found off the coast of Australia, on Tuesday, January 3. An unprecedented 57 hybrids were found after tracking 2,000 km of Australian coastline.

Lead researcher, Jess Morgan, from the University of Queensland says that the discovery came up as a shock to the scientific community. The hybrid shark has been tested to contain the DNA of 2 similar species: The Australian black tip and the common black tip shark.

The Aussie black tip is a tropical water dweller that averages just over five feet long and prevalent around the coast of Brisbane. While the Common black-tip shark grows to about six and a half feet and inhabits cooler water around the Sydney area.

Morgan explains that the new species may occupy larger areas of the ocean, strengthening its ability to survive through the changing climate. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Italy’s Fiat claims a larger cut of Chrysler and will release its first green vehicle to North America. The US carmaker was given approval for a fuel-efficient car to be made in the United States. The Dodge Dart received a green makeover and made the former conventional car into a more sustainable form of transportation.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says the five percent gain of Chrysler has allowed the two companies to marry their strengths. The Dart includes Fiat technology with “a fuel efficiency rating of at least 40 combined miles per gallon.” Chrysler says that a pre-production version of the new Dodge Dart compact received the rating in the Environmental Protection Agency testing in late December.

Marchionne adds that he wants to commit to more sustainable types of vehicles that will appeal to those who put performance on top of their priority list. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: According to some US researchers, climate change models may be vastly underestimating the extinction of animal and plant varieties. The scientists have blamed the models for dismissing the species’ movement and competition to survive.

Animals and plants that can adjust to climate change have an upper hand to organisms with specific geographic ranges and habitat requirements. Assistant professor at the University of Connecticut Mark Urban leads the research saying that species that can’t adapt to environmental changes are likely to go extinct.

Urban explains that there is conclusive evidence that organisms are already moving in response to climate change. For an example, some animals and plants are migrating to higher altitudes. Urban with University of Washington’s Josh Tewksbury and Kimberly Sheldon, created a mathematical model, including varying rates of species migration and different rates of inter-species competition.

Urban says that with using this information, scientists may predict which species is at risk from dying out before it’s too late. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Earlier this week, the Canadian Boreal Initiative, CBI, released a report with some postivie news for Canada’s signature forests for a change. CBI is an scientists, industry, First Nations and governments to increase sustainable development and promote protecting ecosystems. Their most recent report highlights the Top 10 major gains of 2011 for the boreal forests, largely thanks to landmark conservations agreements made this year.

The United Nations declared 2011 to be the International Year of the Forest, and, to some extent, Canada listened. First among the top ten was the Quebec government’s decision to enact the largest land conservation plan in history, Plan Nord. CBI feels Plan Nord represents a new model for sustainable development that could inspire other countries to implement similar plans internationally.

Other multi-stakeholder commitments to conserve and protect Canada’s boreal habitats such as those in B.C. and Manitoba made CBI’s list as well. Also of note is the planned “trial park” between BC and Alberta, the Environment Canada-sponsored report on Sustainable Prosperity, and the Royal Canadian Mint’s special edition boreal forest-themed tooney. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: P.E.I. musical talents geared up to raise money for ecological causes in a musical marathon. The Jammin’ for the Planet was a 12-hour concert, curated by the Eco-Change Co-operative. This is a group that works with green organizations on a mission to conserve the environment.

Their movement connects partnerships with both private and not-for-profit companies to increase the financial resources for the PEI Environment Fund.

One of the event’s organizers, David MacKay says that 50 percent of the funding goes to the environmental coalition’s Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. The other half is reserved to other environmental groups that have projects that reflect their causes.

The lengthy concert was held in Charlottetown from 2 pm to 2 am featuring eight artists and bands, including Al Tuck, Teresa Doyle and Bonnie LeClair on Monday, December 26.

The admission was by donation only. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Parks Canada is commissioning a new “revenue generation study” aimed at discovering more sources of revenue from Canada’s national parks, specifically in areas like retail, royalties, rentals, public programs and internet access. Parks Canada–responsible for our 42 national parks, three marine conservation zones, and 167 national historic sites–will also be exploring the potential of increased revenue from corporate donations, fundraising and annual giving.

This move comes after Peter Kent’s November report that showed the parks to already be bringing in billions to Canada, with 80% of profits coming from the visitors themselves.

Since his announcement that most public user fees for these locations will remain stable until April 2013, Parks Canada itself is looking for new ways to increase revenue and tourists; since numbers have dropped about seven percent in the past five years. Currently, Parks Canada must cover about 30% of the overall costs of the parks.

The study is expected to cost $50, 000 and will be delivered to the federal government in late March 2012. In the meantime, Parks Canada will continue to address several commercial developments proposed on some of it’s property; while also preparing to launch it’s own clothing and accessory line prominently featuring Canada’s symbolic creature, the beaver, in 2013. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Researchers from the University of British Columbia are trying to improve an already successful green idea. Green roofs which are roof tops made from vegetation, are abundant in Europe have been catching on, in this side of the pond. However, Engineering Professor Kasun Hewage and master’s student Fabricio Bianchini, are examining the carbon footprint of green roofs and if they can be improved.

They are known to absorb greenhouse gases, lowering temperatures directly above the gardens and reducing run-off. The green roofs also help filter dust and potentially harmful chemicals, and reduce the heating and cooling loads on buildings.

Yet, the researchers found the benefits of the roofs are lowered by the pollution created during the manufacture process of the plastics and rubber mats that provide drainage for the plants.

Hewage and Bianchini are testing green roofs made from Sedums, a flowering plant that can exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with little sunlight, allowing the conservation of water under drought conditions.

The downfall is that it may not work in very arid climates but the researchers are finding alternatives for these types of climates. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Last Friday, St. John’s Newfoundland urged Ottawa to push back against the supposed new seal-belt ban in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The potential loss of the Russian market is of particular concern, since they are said to purchase the majority of the pelts produced by the polarizing east coast harvest every year.

This ban could have significant impact on Canada and other sealing nations, and St John’s is pressuring the federal government to fight it, through the World Trade Organization if it comes to that.

In a statement also released on Friday, the Minister of International Trade, Ed Fast, said that Ottawa is committed to protect Canada’s sealing industry, and that officials have been instructed to engage with their counterparts in the three countries in question and express Canada’s concerns.

Animal rights groups are happy to take this ban as a sign of progression against Canada’s controversial and questionably human seal hunt practice. The actuality of the ban itself, however remains in question. According to executive director of the Fur Council of Canada, Rob Cahill, this year’s traders have been exchanging furs with Russia as usual and have not heard word of the ban from them. [ index ]

LIA MAZZOLINI: Quebec has had its fair share of weather catastrophes this year and it’s worrying experts about the future. Major floods, melting permafrost, shoreline depletion and high winds have been a concern for both scientists and residents alike.

Director of climate change impacts and adaptation, Alain Bourque says that it puzzles him that Quebec hasn’t had a colder than normal season in the last 10 to 15 years. Bourque who works at Quebec’s climate change research institute Ouranos, warns that Canadian coastlines and northern communities are at risk for not being able to adapt fast enough to the warming climate.

Quebec is shown to be quickly inching closer to the 2C mark that is said to be the tipping point of climate change and the point of no return. Models indicate mean temperatures in the southern half of Quebec will be 2C to 3C higher than normal by 2020. In northern Quebec, the warming will be even higher. And at the present rate of warming as tracked since 1948, we are on track to be well over 4C by 2050 and as high as 7C to 9C by 2080. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Vanessa Purdy): The United States continues to reject the European Union’s planned tax on carbon emissions produced by flights to and from EU countries. The legislation, which comes into force on January 1st, will subject airlines to the Emissions Trading System or ETS. The ETS is already being used for industries such as oil refining, power generation, and steel production as part of the EU’s effort to reduce emissions.

US, Canadian, and Chinese airlines oppose the tax and the extra costs it will bring. They argue that it contravenes an existing law called the Open Skies Agreement and that emissions taxes should be handled by an international aviation body. However, last Wednesday the European Court of Justice ruled that the new airline emissions tax is legal. The EU has made it clear that it will not bow to US pressure following last week’s decision. The Emissions Trading System will begin, as planned, on January 1st. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Vanessa Purdy): On Thursday, a group of New Hampshire scientists publically urged Republican presidential candidates to accept the overwhelming scientific evidence for climate change and its causes. The joint statement by scientists from seven New Hampshire institutions and universities comes just weeks before the New Hampshire primary. The primary will be a key test for Republican White House hopefuls.

All of the major Republican candidates have expressed doubts about climate change, ranging from skepticism to total denial. Mitt Romney said he believes that climate change is taking place and that human beings contribute to it. But he has said he doesn’t know how much global warming can be attributed to human activity. Other candidates put it more bluntly. Rick Perry, for example, called global warming “one contrived phony mess”.

The group of New Hampshire scientists wants all candidates for public office to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence, arguing that “Ignoring the issue of climate change places our health, our quality of life, our economic vitality, and our children’s future at risk.” [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, along with England-based company Oxitec, is developing a plan to release genetically-modified mosquitoes in Florida sometime in 2012. Officials in Florida wish to reduce the numbers of Aedes aegypti mosquitos–a common urban bug–as they are known carries of dengue fever. Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is so called because of the extreme joint pain it causes in some cases.

Dengue had previously dissappeared from the States, but cases have been popping up in Florida since 2009. Between five and ten thousand of the male, lab-bred, GM mosquitoes, would be released over two weeks, within an undisclosed 36- square acre block. Their offspring would die early, hypothetically reducing the population as a whole. Similar trials in the Cayman Islands succeeded in scratching out 80% of the mosquitoes in their test area; and Florida is hoping for similar results.

Of course, an environmental group, Friends of the Earth, has publicly questioned the potential long-term environmental impact of removing the admittedly non-native species; as well as the costs of up to $400,000 annually to implement the program. [ index ]