New Brunswick Climate Change Hub
News Monitoring | February 7 - 13, 2009
*From last week (Feb. 6):
PlanetArk.com | Clarence Fernandez | February 6, 2009
FACTBOX: Main Renewables Being Developed In Australia
Country: AUSTRALIA
Australia is blessed with abundant sunshine, strong winds and unceasing waves in the south from stormy weather whipped up near Antarctica. The government is looking to tap these resources and others to generate 20 percent of the nation's electricity by 2020 and has drafted legislation to enshrine this target.
Following are the main types of renewable energy technology under development by companies in Australia. … [more]
PlanetArk.com | David Fogarty, Climate Change Correspondent, Asia | February 6, 2009
Aussie Firm Sees Buoyant Future In Wave Power
Country: SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE - For millennia, Australia's rugged southern coast has been carved by the relentless action of waves crashing ashore. The same wave energy could soon be harnessed to power towns and cities and trim Australia's carbon emissions. "Waves are already concentrated solar energy," says Michael Ottaviano, who leads a Western Australian firm developing a method to turn wave power into electricity. [more]
Telegraph-Journal | Benjamin Shingler | February 6, 2009
Forest strategy defended as Tory slams plan
FREDERICTON - The forestry industry may be the largest employer in the province, but Conservative MLA Jeannot Volpé has accused the Liberal government's new forestry strategy of catering to big business and hurting New Brunswick residents and the environment. The MLA for Madawaska-les-Lacs says the government's new hundred-year plan for Crown lands, to be implemented in 2012, is an example of the Liberals' industry-driven agenda. Forestry is New Brunswick's largest tertiary employer, supplying some 30 per cent of the province's jobs in both rural and urban areas. [more]
February 7
The Canadian Press | Lisa Arrowsmith | February 7, 2009
Report: Cancer rate higher near oilsands
First Nations | Alberta health official says environmental link can't be proven
EDMONTON - Researchers who examined cancer rates in a small aboriginal community near the oilsands in northern Alberta have found more cases than expected. But Dr. Tony Fields, a senior official with Alberta Health Services, said Friday the higher numbers shouldn't have people jumping to conclusions about a possible link to the environment. Some communities downstream from oilsands plants have expressed concerns that industrial pollution is responsible for cancers and other health problems. Aboriginal leaders and health officials said the latest study has done little to determine why people in their communities are dying of cancer. [more]
The Canadian Press | February 7, 2009
Tips for using less energy
Faith and justice social group KAIROS-Grand River has tips for carbon fasters. Each section below, one for each week of Lent, deals with a different aspect of daily life. Organizers suggest trying two steps each week. It's a partial list.
Week 1 - Transportation
Don't fly for one year. Drive less. Walk, bike or use public transportation. Combine errands into one outing. Pick one day a week to not use your car. [more]
February 9
PlanetArk.com | February 9, 2009
Australia's Deadliest Bushfire Kills 108
Country: AUSTRALIA
WANDONG - Australia's deadliest bushfire has killed at least 108 people, some as they fled in cars or as they huddled in houses when the inferno engulfed rural towns in the country's southeast. The fire storm tore through several small towns north of Melbourne Saturday night destroying everything in its path. One family was forced to dive into a farm reservoir to survive while others took refuge in a community shed with firefighters standing between them and a wall of flames. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Andrew Torchia | February 9, 2009
China Drought Deprives Millions of Drinking Water
Country: CHINA
SHANGHAI - Millions of people and cattle in north China face shortages of drinking water because of a severe drought, the government said on Saturday, promising to speed up disbursement of billions of dollars of subsidies to farmers. State television quoted disaster relief officials as saying 4.4 million people and 2.1 million cattle lacked adequate drinking water. Official media have described the drought as north China's worst in half a century. [more]
PlanetArk.com | David Clarke | February 9, 2009
Drought Starts to Bite in Northern Kenya
Country: KENYA
WAREGADUD - Clouds of dust rising above the harsh scrub herald the arrival of more livestock at a borehole in northeastern Kenya, the end for some of a 45-km (28-mile) trek for water that must be repeated every few days. Drought is starting to bite in east Africa's biggest economy and the government has declared a state of emergency, saying 10 million people may face hunger and starvation after a poor harvest, crop failure, a lack of rain and rising food prices. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent | February 9, 2009
Art Under Threat from Climate Change: UN Experts
Country: SWEDEN
OSLO - Art treasures in tropical nations are under threat from climate change which is likely to speed decay, UN experts said Sunday. "The art world is made of materials that bugs like," said Jose-Luis Ramirez, head of the UN University's program for biotechnology for Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Climate change is a threat because it is going to increase the amount of fungus and bugs in many regions," he told Reuters of a meeting of experts in Caracas from February 9-12 on new ways to protect art collections. [more]
PlanetArk.com | February 9, 2009
Taiwan Coral Reefs "Turn Black" with Disease
Country: TAIWAN
TAIPEI - Coral reefs off the southeast coast of Taiwan have turned black with disease possibly due to sewage discharge, threatening fragile undersea ecosystems and tourism, a study released Friday said.
The discovery on a problem long suspected but seldom documented shows that coral is suffering widely in waters up to five meters (16.4 feet) deep and 300 meters offshore from two outlying islands, said researcher Chen Chao-lun of Taiwan's state-funded Academia Sinica. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Gerard Wynn | February 9, 2009
“Green Growth" Puts Climate Spending in Focus
Country: UK
LONDON - The United States, Europe and other nations will spend about $100 billion on projects to fight climate change under economic stimulus plans, raising questions about how much support the industry needs. Spending money through a recession to boost jobs is well established, but the long term value-for-money of current support for clean energy is questioned. Political and business leaders have called for "green growth" spending over the next two to three years to boost fossil fuel alternatives and cut carbon emissions, and create jobs and help a sector wilting in the downturn. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Timothy Gardner | February 9, 2009
Hope Builds on China-US Clean-Energy Partnering
Country: US
NEW YORK - A key to partnering China and the United States on cleaner energy initiatives like renewable power and "smart" power grids is finding the right decision makers in China's centralised government, an expert said. "In something like energy it's easier to have an authoritative structure than it is to be completely fragmented where you have a gazillion competitors," Peggy Liu, the chair of the non-profit group the Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUCCCE) told Reuters. [more]
PlanetArk.com | February 9, 2009
Auto "Clunker" Proposal Withdrawn from US Stimulus
Country: US
WASHINGTON - One proposal to help jump start US auto sales was withdrawn late on Thursday and the fate of another was unclear, despite a vigorous endorsement from President Barack Obama, as Senate consideration of economic stimulus legislation accelerated. Sen. Thomas Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, pulled an amendment that would have provided $16 billion in rebates to buyers of new fuel efficient vehicles who traded in their old, poor performing models. Harkin said he would defer the so-called "cash for clunkers" proposal, which had strong support from US automakers. [more]
PlanetArk.com | James Vicini | February 9, 2009
EPA Drops Appeal over Utility Mercury Ruling
Country: US
WASHINGTON - In a shift from its position during the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to drop its appeal of a decision that struck down its mercury rules for utilities, the Justice Department said on Friday. Moving to dismiss the case, Acting Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler said the EPA has decided to take a position consistent with the appeals court's decision and develop appropriate standards to regulate power-plant emissions under the law. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Tom Doggett | February 9, 2009
EPA Reconsidering California's Car Emissions Waiver
Country: US
WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday it would reconsider California's request for the authority to cut greenhouse gas emissions by new cars and trucks to combat global warming. The Bush administration had denied the state's request, but President Barack Obama asked EPA to take another look at the issue. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed a notice on Friday officially reopening the comment period on California's waiver request. The notice will be published in the Federal Register of government regulations. [more]
Telegraph-Journal | Erin Dwyer | February 9, 2009
Bendable buses coming soon to Hampton, Quispamsis
HAMPTON - The province's first articulated buses could be ferrying passengers from Quispamsis and Hampton as early as May. The articulated buses that will join the Comex fleet will seat 59 passengers, compared to 44 that regular buses can handle. The Saint John Transit Commission hopes to take possession of two 18-metre accordion-style buses in March and add them to the Comex service in both communities come spring to help attract more passengers to the service. On the Hampton Express, for example, some of the four buses carrying residents into the uptown are full most weekday mornings. [more]
Daily Gleaner | February 9, 2009
We don't want a return to the good old days
In our view: This is no time to stop recycling
Times are tough in the recycling business.
Cardboard, which last September sold for $65 a tonne, dropped to $20, and today on the market, it is literally worthless. It's so worthless, you now have to actually pay someone to haul it away. Plastic and copper have likewise taken a tumble as we experience this global recession. While it might be tempting, the people at the Fredericton Solid Waste Commission have vowed not to be swayed by this downturn in prices. [more]
Daily Gleaner | Jennifer Dunville | February 9, 2009
Classroom creativity meets conservation
Program | Bringing new ideas into the classroom
Deanna Musgrave is using her talents as a visual artist to inspire children to be more energy conscious. And her methods are working. Grade 4 students Alynn Peabody and Drew Howe have been enrolled in the Learning Through the Arts program with Musgrave for several weeks. And every day, they discuss ways they can encourage parents, friends and classmates to conserve energy. "I'm learning that every little bit helps the environment," Peabody said. "Turning off the TV or the lights for even an hour can save lots and lots of pollution from going into the air." [more]
Miramichi Leader | February 9, 2009
Earth Day Canada searching for heroes
Earth Day Canada (EDC), in partnership with Cascades Inc., is searching for Canada's 2009 Hometown Heroes Award winner. The Hometown Heroes Award program recognizes and encourages environmental leadership and achievement in local communities. Canada's 2009 environmental hero will receive a cash-prize of $10,000 ($5,000 to keep and $5,000 to donate to the environmental cause of their choice).
Receiving the award has become a prestigious honour in the environmental sector. [more]
environmentalresearchweb.org | February 9, 2009
Predicting fisheries harm from climate change
Thirty-three nations in Africa, Asia and South America are highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change in fisheries, says a new study. Together the countries produce 20% of the word’s fish exports by value. [more]
February 10
PlanetArk.com | James Grubel | February 10, 2009
Fires, Floods Pressure Australia Government on Climate
Country: AUSTRALIA
CANBERRA - Australia's deadliest bushfires increased pressure on the national government to take firm action on climate change on Monday as scientists said global warming likely contributed to conditions that fueled the disaster. At least 130 people were killed in bushfires, set off by a record heatwave in southern Victoria state over the past week days, while large areas of Queensland state remain flooded by tropical downpours. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Scott Haggett | February 10, 2009
Syncrude Faces Charges Over Death of Ducks
Country: CANADA
CALGARY - The province of Alberta and the Canadian government laid charges against the Syncrude Canada Ltd joint venture on Monday after 500 ducks died in April after landing on a tailings pond at Syncrude's oil sands operation in northern Alberta. The province alleges Syncrude, the world's biggest oil sands producer, failed to have appropriate deterrents in place to keep the ducks from landing on the huge and toxic waste-water pond. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Christoph Steitz | February 10, 2009
Solars Without Financing Needs are Top Pick: Sarasin
Country: GERMANY
FRANKFURT - Corporate financing conditions remain grim in the solar sector and investors should only pick those companies that do not have to draw on additional financing, according to Swiss Bank Sarasin & Cie AG. "With regard to corporate financing, the situation looks absolutely dire," said Arthur Hoffmann, manager of the company's New Power Fund, with about 200 million euros (US$259.6 million) under management. "At the moment, only those companies are in demand that can successfully withstand the margin pressure without carrying out capital increases or other financing measures," he added. [more]
PlanetArk.com | February 10, 2009
ITC Proposes Project to Move Wind Power to Chicago
Country: US
NEW YORK - ITC Holdings Corp on Monday proposed to build a $10 billion to $12 billion power transmission network to move up to 12,000 megawatts of electricity from wind-abundant areas in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa to the heavily populated Chicago area. In a release, ITC said the proposed "Green Power Express" network would facilitate the development of wind power projects by moving that clean generation to areas in need of additional renewable energy. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent | February 10, 2009
Amazon Forest May Get Drier, But Survive Warming
Country: SWEDEN
OSLO - Amazonian forests may be less vulnerable to dying off from global warming than feared because many projections underestimate rainfall, a study showed. The report, by scientists in Britain, said Brazil and other nations in the region would also have to act to help avert any irreversible drying of the eastern Amazon, the region most at risk from climate change, deforestation and fires. [more]
PlanetArk.com | Will Dunham | February 10, 2009