Canada's Government Rejects Commonwealth Climate Change Plan

**This will be my last blog**

CTV reported today that Stephan Harper in attendance at the commonwealth summit in Uganda has made Canada one of the only countries opposing the climate change resolution.

Many of the other countries are frustrated with Canada's objection and therefore, they have gone to the media to get through to Stephan Harper. Leaving the commonwealth summit many countries expected to leave with some firm targets of where to go and what to do to avoid climate change. Yet, there was not a lot figured out since Harper opposed the resolution.

Stephan Harper denied the summit's resolution for greenhouse gas reduction because he felt the targets were not flexible enough...Yet, all the other countries had no objections?!?! Instead of going into the summit thinking about our earth, Harper went into it thinking profit clearly even at the environment's expense. Harper wanted more flexible targets so, that Canada can improve on their technology and, therefore make money. I am not saying that making more money for Canada is bad, but at the expense of our world....
When is enough, enough?

Next month, the commonwealth resolution will meet again and they will chose a country to head this world treaty on climate change. Hopefully by this time Stephan Harper will of changed his mind. The Canadian people want to reduce greenhouse emissions before it's too late and we have a prime minister who doesn't care.

John Baird Sued Over Unreported Toxic Waste

So, I'm a little late on reporting this but on November 7th, two conservation groups filed a law suit against none other than John Baird. John Baird as you may know from my last blog is Canada's environment minister. Baird is being sued for keeping "hundreds of millions of kilos of toxic mining waste" a secret from the citzens of Canada.

The law suit has been filed on behalf of "Mining Watch Canada and Great Lakes United." These organizations stand as an "international coalition that works to preserve and restore the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River ecosystem on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border."

The law suit is based on Baird keeping Canada in the dark and the fact that he broke the law when he directed mining companies to ignore their legal responsibility to report the pollution from their operations under the National Pollutant Release Inventory. Many of these companies are breaking the law and Baird is allowing them by turning a blind eye at the massive amounts of toxic waste being dumped in our environment!!

What makes this media release most disturbing is that one of these mines is situated in none other than Saskatchewan! The uranium mine is in Key Lake, Saskatchewan and this is the first i ever heard of this. I am annoyed at Harper's government and the lack of action taken in preventing this toxic waste being dumped into our environment. Stephan Harper needs to get rid of Baird and hire an environment minister who knows what he is doing and someone who truly wants to help improve Canada's environment!


Cameco uranium mine on Key Lake, Saskatchewan.

Environment Minister, John Baird's Words On The Environment

John Baird is the current environment minister of Canada and he like the rest of the conservative government is "all talk and no action." Baird praised the United Nation’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning scientific panel on the global warming crisis. Yet, Baird has done absolutely nothing to help the environment in this global warming crisis...what is going on??

Baird wrote a climate change plan for Canada, but he did not even make reverence to the UN's handbook to stop global warming. This handbook states, "that unless the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, there will be abrupt or irreversible changes on Earth, including the widespread extinction of species and a dramatic rise in sea levels before the end of this century".

Canada must reduce their emissions to 25 to 40 per cent below the levels in 1990 by 2020 to prevent serious climate change effects. Also the UN stated that if the world was to warm more than 2 degrees there will be catastrophic consequences!!! Canada, the U.S. and Australia are the only countries that have not set targets to prevent global warming from reaching this.

Seven independent organizations:"The organizations include the National Energy Board, the National Round Table on Environment and the Economy, Ecojustice, the Pembina Institute, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the C.D. Howe Institute, and Deutschebank" have told Baird that is plan too weak and that global warming will continue to rise.

The conservative government clearly has no plan to do anything or change Baird's failing climate change plan. Our government needs to join the fight against global warming and listen to the UN. I feel cheated by Stephan Harper and the conservatives, like this is our future we are talking about. Baird also would not discuss how much the government of Canada is spending on climate change research. Also, to make it worse Harper has stopped funding the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences. What is going to be left of the earth if we leave up to slacking politicians like John Baird and Stephan Harper?

Stéphane Dion And The Liberal Party To Team With Alberta On Energy Sector

Stéphane Dion has a plan for a greener Canada and also a richer Canada! Dion wants to team with the province of Alberta to build Canada's economy and help out the environment at the same time.

Alberta already has both bio-diesel and bio-fuel industries and they have also mastered wind power energy. The Liberal party wants Alberta to be the leader in renewable energy industry in Canada and they hope to have 12,000 megawatts of low-impact renewable energy generated by 2015. Dion's main goal is to have enough evergy to power 3 million homes and make up to $25 million in investments.

The liberal party of Canada has a plan called the the Carbon Budget, "to decrease industrial emissions of greenhouse gases in Canada."

Why is it that Stéphane Dion and the Liberal party have a "green" plan for Canada and our current government does NOT?
Stéphane Dion's green plan is a great plan for Canada to help build the economy and to help Canada not fall behind in this global warming crisis.

Harper Fails On Canada's Environment

Stephan harper and the conservatives have failed the environment and the Canadian people. John Godfrey, who is the "Liberal Environmental Sustainability Caucus Chair" said that the conservative government has failed to provide an environment agenda for Canada. They have become a failure because of their lack of goals, commitment and effort towards environmental affairs. They never implemented a proper development strategy.

The conservative government has once again has fallen behind and they "provide no indicators to clarify the government's expectations on: clean air, clean water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions."
Godfrey also states that; "When it comes to climate change this government is all talk and no action."

I find this media release quite disturbing. We as Canadians put our trust in our government and they have betrayed us. We tell the government was is most important and what needs to be done, in terms of the environment, and they do nothing! It will not take long before this angers more Canadians as it did myself. Stephan Harper needs to get his priorities straight and aligned with those of the Canadian people.

Praire Wildfires, The Cause For Rising Carbon

*Note: This is not of high importance to Canadian politics, but I still found it appropriate for my blog.

The boreal forests in Northern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have now become a source of greenhouse gases. These forests that were once the largest storehouses of carbon on earth are now giving off greenhouse gases.
With the increase of wildfires in the boreal forests it has caused a rise in CO2 going into the atmosphere and therefore contributing to global warming.

Not only are the boreal forests no longer storing as much carbon as they once did but, niether is the ocean claimed by scientists.
With the hotter and drier summers and lower winter snowpack in Canada, these wildfires will continue to burn each summer and burn down millions of hectares of trees.

Fire activity in the boreal forests has more than doubled since the 1970's in Canada and climate change is now here!