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Politics may be real climate hazard – experts
AlertNet, February 6, 2012: Climate change impacts – from worsening droughts to new pots of climate-related cash for fragile states – may turn out to be a catalyst for worsening conflict. If so, keeping an eye on local politics and the quality of governance could be as important in heading off climate crises as breeding drought-resistant crops or protecting forests, climate security experts said at a recent meeting in London.
Glaciers, BC Hydro's melting 'batteries'
The Tyee, February 6, 2012: It's only been two years since Dan Moore last visited Bridge Glacier, but things have changed. As our float plane makes a pass over Bridge Lake – a pool of meltwater that has formed just below the glacier – Moore points out the window at a dock where he had hoped to unload our gear. It's half-submerged, and nowhere near the rocky shore.
Bill Gates backs climate scientists lobbying for large-scale geoengineering
The Guardian, February 6, 2012: A small group of leading climate scientists, financially supported by billionaires including Bill Gates, are lobbying governments and international bodies to back experiments into manipulating the climate on a global scale to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Edmonton biologist on international team monitoring disappearance of Arctic tundra in Canada's Yukon
Edmonton Journal, February 5, 2012: University of Alberta biologist Isla Myers-Smith and her colleague were taking down their research camp in the Ruby Mountain Range when a snowstorm with winds of near hurricane force blew down their tent and sent their electric generator tumbling down a hillside. For nearly three days, Myers-Smith and Helen Wheeler hunkered down, eating what little food they had and watching nervously as the batteries of their satellite phone got weaker and weaker.
Science behind the big freeze: is climate change bringing the Arctic to Europe?
The Independent, February 4, 2012: The bitterly cold weather sweeping Britain and the rest of Europe has been linked by scientists with the ice-free seas of the Arctic, where global warming is exerting its greatest influence.
Environment agency becomes crunch issue in Rio talks
Agence France-Presse, February 4, 2012: The UN Environment Programme is emerging as a hot issue in preparations for June's Rio conference, styled as a once-in-a-generation chance to restore a sick planet to good health.
'Arctic oscilliation' behind season's mixed winter weather
National Public Radio, February 3, 2012: For snow fans in the contiguous US, this winter has left much to be desired. The warm and mild season in the lower 48 and the wild snow dumps and cold weather up north in Alaska can be blamed largely on a weather pattern called "arctic oscillation."
Groundhog Day prophecies mixed on spring's arrival
Canadian Press, February 2, 2012: Ontario's Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's prognosticating rodent Shubenacadie Sam failed to see their shadows on Thursday morning. However, the predictions by the Canadian groundhogs are at odds with Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, who is calling for six more weeks of winter.
Canada, Alberta to announce new oil sands monitoring
Reuters, February 2, 2012: The governments of Canada and Alberta will announce details of a new environmental-monitoring regime in the province's oil sands on Friday, as they look shore up an industry whose growth plans are under attack from environmental groups.
Canada plan to sell oil to China faces big hurdles
Reuters, February 2, 2012: Prime Minister Stephen Harper may still be smarting from Canada's failed bid to ramp up oil exports to the United States, but his plan B could prove to be even tougher.
Giant crack in Antarctica about to spawn New York-size iceberg
National Geographic, February 2, 2012: With a gargantuan crack slowly splitting it apart, Antarctica's fastest-melting glacier is about to lose a chunk of ice larger than all of New York City, scientists say.
NASA report: Greenhouse gases, not sun, driving warming
LiveScience, February 1, 2012: In spite of the recent, prolonged lull in the sun's activity, Earth absorbed more solar energy than escaped back into space, a NASA analysis of the Earth's recent energy budget indicates. This imbalance indicates Earth is warming – since more energy is coming in than leaving – and it occurred during a period when the sun was emitting low levels of energy.
Warm winter ahead for most of Canada
CBC News, February 1, 2012: Most Canadians across the country can look forward to a warmer-than-normal winter, right through until spring, according to Environment Canada's latest forecast.
China seeks Arctic Council observer status
Canadian Press, February 1, 2012: China may use the upcoming visit by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to try convincing him that it deserves a more prominent role in the Arctic.
Wall Street Journal rapped over climate change stance
The Guardian, February 1, 2012: The Wall Street Journal has received a dressing down from a large group of leading scientists for promoting retrograde and out-of-date views on climate change.
Record warmth in eastern US; temps tumble in Alaska
Climate Central, January 31, 2012: While Alaska continues to to suffer from record cold and snow, much of the rest of the country continues to experience a year without winter.
Climate change shrinks forests in 3 Prairie provinces
Canadian Press, January 31, 2012: Research shows northern forests in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are drying up and shrinking from drought caused by climate change, while the eastern boreal forest is holding its own.
Traditional Inuit knowledge essential to scientific research: NTI
Nunatsiaq News, January 31, 2012: Is a newly-released study on the behaviour and diet of killer whales in the Canadian Arctic proof that the science community is finally warming up to traditional Inuit knowledge? Paul Irngaut, a wildlife adviser with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. thinks so.
Tories close energy-saving program early
Globe and Mail, January 31, 2012: A program brought in by the Conservatives to create jobs in the green-energy sector while making homes better prepared for harsh Canadian winters has been ended early in the name of deficit reduction.
Keep fighting for Kyoto, May urges
Windsor Star, January 30, 2012: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has a New Year's resolution that might make the prime minister cringe. "I made a New Year's resolution, much like the rest of you, to start to lose weight. And I want to start with Stephen Harper," she told a crowd of supporters Saturday while addressing climate issues and Canada's recent withdrawal from the Kyoto accord under the Harper government.
Killer whales finding prey further north as Arctic ice melts, Inuit tell scientists
Toronto Star, January 30, 2012: Warming Arctic waters and depleting sea ice are making it easier for killer whales to swim ever northward in search of sources of prey, including other species of whales, a new study has found.
UN panel aims for 'a future worth choosing'
BBC News, January 30, 2012: Growing inequality, environmental decline and "teetering" economies mean the world must change the way it does business, a UN report concludes.
Extreme heat hurts wheat yields as world warms: study
Reuters, January 30, 2012: Extreme heat can cause wheat crops to age faster and reduce yields, a US-led study shows, underscoring the challenge of feeding a rapidly growing population as the world warms.
Power paradox: Clean might not be green forever
New Scientist, January 30, 2012: "A better, richer and happier life for all our citizens." That's the American dream. In practice, it means living in a spacious, air-conditioned house, owning a car or three and maybe a boat or a holiday home, not to mention flying off to exotic destinations. The trouble with this lifestyle is that it consumes a lot of power.
Scientists "in shock" after Canada's premiere icebreaker docked for repairs
Nunatsiaq News, January 29, 2012: The icebreaker at the heart of Canada's premier Arctic science program has been pulled from service, leaving researchers scrambling to find other ships to take them to the North.
Snowy owls soar south from Arctic in rare mass migration
Reuters, January 28, 2012: Bird enthusiasts are reporting rising numbers of snowy owls from the Arctic winging into the lower 48 states this winter in a mass southern migration that a leading owl researcher called "unbelievable."
Overheating musk oxen
Living on Earth, January 27, 2012: If you're going to live in Norway you have to be a hardy creature, capable of enduring long, dark winters. But adaptation to the cold climate can sometimes be deadly if things warm up.
No chance for climate deal unless firms join push: UN
Agence France-Presse, January 26, 2012: The world has no chance of sealing an emissions cut deal unless companies lobby their governments for an accord, the UN climate chief told the global business elite in Davos on Thursday.
Map-makers admit Greenland gaffe
The Scotsman, January 26, 2012: It appeared to provide incontrovertible proof that global warming was accelerating faster than even the most doom-laden scientists had predicted. There was considerable alarm when the world's most authoritative atlas printed a map which showed that Greenland was rapidly turning green.
Eider duck population declining in Arctic as polar bears devour eggs
Toronto Star, January 25, 2012: An Arctic duck is at risk because polar bears have developed a newfound appetite for their eggs, scientists say. The eider populations in Nunavut and Nunavik, Que., are declining partly because the bears have been eating more of their eggs, which are laid on the southern coasts of Baffin Island and Southampton Island.
Canadian pipeline needs aboriginal consent: chief
Reuters, January 25, 2012: Enbridge Inc's controversial plan to build a pipeline to the Pacific Coast from oil-rich Alberta requires the consent of aboriginal bands, some of whom staunchly oppose the project, Canada's top native leader said on Wednesday.
US greenhouse gas emissions decline despite political gridlock
ClimateWire, January 25, 2012: President Obama mentioned climate change almost in passing during last night's State of the Union address, noting: "The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change." But what Obama didn't mention is that declining energy consumption in a sluggish economy and well-placed regulations targeting air pollution and oil use are creating a more climate-friendly United States.
US government issues new planting-zone map that reflects global warming
Associated Press, January 25, 2012: Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The colour-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the US government, illustrating a hotter 21st century.
UN conference returns to Rio with new emphasis
Associated Press, January 24, 2012: Representatives from around the world will be returning to Rio de Janeiro this June – 20 years after the UN Earth Summit – but this time the focus will be on sustainable development, not climate change, a Brazilian diplomat said Tuesday.
The scientist: Jim Hansen risks handcuffs to make his research clear
Daily Climate, January 24, 2012: James E. Hansen never thought his decision to study atmospheric models would lead to his arrest. But there he was in handcuffs last summer, protesting at the White House against a pipeline that would carry crude oil from Alberta's oil sands to the Gulf of Mexico.
Ottawa sees itself as protector of oil sands benefits
Reuters, January 24, 2012: Canada's government has a responsibility to make sure people can take advantage of the economic benefits Alberta's massive oil deposits can generate, the country's energy minister said on Monday as he once again decried "radicals" bent on stopping Enbridge Inc's Northern Gateway oil pipeline.
Writers want Ottawa to let scientists 'speak for themselves'
Globe and Mail, January 23, 2012: Last year, Kathryn O'Hara, then president of the Canadian Science Writers' Association, wrote an extraordinary letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the leaders of the other national parties. In that document – remarkable because it was written in a leading democracy not a paranoid dictatorship – she pleaded with government to unshackle its scientists by allowing them to speak freely with the media.
Arctic Ocean freshwater bulge detected
BBC News, January 23, 2012: UK scientists have detected a huge dome of fresh water that is developing in the western Arctic Ocean. The bulge is some 8,000 cubic km in size and has risen by about 15 cm since 2002.
USGS uses airborne tool to map Alaska permafrost
Associated Press, January 23, 2012: A tool used by mining companies to find mineral ores has been adapted to map frozen soils below the ground in Alaska and could be used to track the effects of global warming, according to the US Geological Survey.
Weaker sun will not delay global warming: study
Reuters, January 23, 2012: A weaker sun over the next 90 years is not likely to significantly delay a rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases, a report said Monday.
Complications of hacking the planet
New York Times, January 23, 2012: As scientists, with some reluctance, begin to study the idea of "geoengineering" the planet to slow or halt global warming, they are finding that any such program would quite likely have a complex array of effects, not all of them to humanity's benefit.
Low-carbon cement paves a development path (or sidewalk)
Daily Climate, January 23, 2012: The source of 5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions is hiding in plain sight, in the sidewalk beneath our feet. It is cement, a key ingredient of concrete, the most widely used building material on the planet.
US health experts dismiss "wind turbine syndrome"
Business Green, January 23, 2012: A new study by American health and engineering experts has found no evidence that wind turbines can directly cause a set of physical and psychological symptoms dubbed "wind turbine syndrome" by some wind farm critics.
Bjorn Lomborg's climate skeptic thinktank to close
The Ecologist, January 23, 2012: The much-criticised author and climate policy skeptic Bjorn Lomborg has told The Ecologist he is the victim of a vendetta after his funding was cut by the Danish government.
2011 was ninth-warmest year since 1880 – NASA
Reuters, January 23, 2012: The global average temperature last year was the ninth-warmest in the modern meteorological record, continuing a trend linked to greenhouse gases that saw nine of the 10 hottest years occurring since the year 2000, NASA scientists said on Thursday.
Winters in northern hemisphere set to get colder
The Guardian, January 22, 2012: As global temperatures rise, a new study indicates that winters in the northern hemisphere are set to get colder and snowier. Data from the last two decades suggests that this colder trend is already under way.
Animals can't keep up with climate change
The Independent, January 22, 2012: Animal and insect species in Europe are losing the fight to keep up with rapid changes in climate in a new phenomenon dubbed "climatic debt", according to an international study.
MPs urged to read up on climate change
Victoria Times Colonist, January 22, 2012: An easy-to-read book explaining the basics of climate change has been sent to every Canadian MP by a Victoria book publisher. Andrew Wooldridge, of Orca Book Publishers, became so incensed listening to politicians bickering over climate change, after Canada pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, that he decided to send all 307 MPs copies of Generation Us – The Challenge of Global Warming.
Global warming: Welcome to the age of mankind
Montreal Gazette, January 22, 2012: For the last 11,700 years, mankind has lived in what geologists refer to as the Holocene epoch. This interglacial period has been defined by its stable warm climatic conditions that have allowed Homo sapiens to populate the Earth and become its dominant species. Many scientists now believe that over the last 200 years, mankind's impact on the Earth has become so powerful that we have ushered in a whole new geological age, which they call the Anthropocene, or Age of Man.
The man who crushed the Keystone XL pipeline
Boston Globe, January 22, 2012: On November 6, 2011, Bill McKibben arrived at Washington, DC's, Lafayette Park to protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, designed to carry oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. McKibben, a Vermont writer and environmentalist, had been one of 1,252 people arrested in front of the White House in August and September, protesting the same pipeline. He'd spent two nights in the district's Central Cell Block, and now was back with thousands more people and a bold new plan.
Climate skeptics gathering influence in Tory Senate seats
Postmedia News, January 21, 2012: Some of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's newly-appointed senators are emerging as global-warming skeptics in the wake of aggressive government positions to abandon the Kyoto Protocol, slam environmentalists and downplay potential damage caused by Canadian oil and gas exploration.
How to cut carbon emissions
The Economist, January 21, 2012: Carbon emissions vary hugely between countries. That is well known, as is the finding that rich people emit more than poor ones. But a newly revised paper by Emilio Zagheni of the Max Planck Institute in Rostock, Germany also shows how carbon footprints vary by age – and the worrying implications of this.
China in the Arctic?
Living On Earth, January 20, 2012: The Arctic Council consists of eight Arctic countries and six indigenous groups. But since oil and gas riches have been discovered in the far north, non-Arctic countries like China and India now want a seat at the table.
Size, seed dispersal key to survival of Arctic plants facing climate change: study
Nunatsiaq News, January 20, 2012: New research shows that a warming climate will have different impacts on plants in the Arctic.
How to tag a 3,700-pound walrus
LiveScience, January 20, 2012: A new joint effort by American and Russian scientists will offer new insights into the behavior and movements of walruses around the northern Chukchi Sea. But before the walruses can be tracked, they have to be tagged – with a mix of new and old technology.
US drafts climate change road map
United Press International, January 20, 2012: The US government has published its first draft of a national strategy that provides a road map for authorities responding to climate change.
2011 was at least 11th warmest year on record
Climate Central, January 19, 2012: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2011 was the 11th-warmest year on record globally, and an unusually extreme year in the United States. Separately, NASA scientists found 2011 was the ninth-warmest year on record, owing to slight differences in data analysis methods between the two agencies.
Keystone pipeline decision aimed at President Obama's political base
Yale Environment 360, January 19, 2012: Top aides to President Obama say that his desire to satisfy two key political constituencies – environmental advocates and affluent Democratic donors – played a major role in his decision to reject an application to build a pipeline to carry tar sands oil from Alberta to Texas.
In Montana, a rough road for oil sands equipment
Reuters, January 19, 2012: Along a remote stretch of mountain highway near the Idaho/ Montana border, on the very same route that nearly killed the legendary 19th century explorers Lewis & Clark, two men are huddled in the snow, guarding a gargantuan blue box owned by Canada's Imperial Oil Ltd.
Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies 'could provide half of global carbon target'
The Guardian, January 19, 2012: Eliminating subsidies for coal, gas and oil could save as much as Germany's annual greenhouse gas emissions each year by 2015, according to one of the world's leading energy experts.
Pushed to brink, swans rebound with help from global warming
Daily Climate, January 18, 2012: Outside Alaska's largest city, where wildlife is more common than pigeons, locals bearing field glasses turn out every year to watch blazingly white trumpeter swans stop to feed on their way south for the winter.
White House kills Keystone pipeline, but open to new route
Vancouver Sun, January 18, 2012: The Obama administration on Wednesday denied a presidential permit for construction of the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline, saying a proper environmental review could not be conducted in time to meet a 60-day deadline set by Congress to rule on the controversial oilsands project.
Rejecting pipeline proposal, Obama blames Congress
New York Times, January 18, 2012: President Obama on Wednesday rejected, for now, the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying the $7 billion project could not be adequately reviewed within the 60-day deadline set by Congress. While the president’s action does not preclude later approval of the project, it sets up a baldly partisan fight over energy, jobs and regulation that will most likely persist through the November election.
Amazon Basin shifting to carbon emitter: study
Agence France-Presse, January 18, 2012: The Amazon Basin, traditionally considered a bulwark against global warming, may be becoming a net contributor of carbon dioxide as a result of deforestation, researchers said on Wednesday.
NASA 'climate change' test chamber to simulate Venus' toxic conditions
The Telegraph, January 18, 2012: In the first of its kind, the American space agency has built the 12-tonne "Extreme Environment Test Chamber" to simulate the burning temperatures and intense pressure experience on the planet's surface.
Warm winter threatens northern US ice wine industry
Reuters, January 18, 2012: An unusually warm winter is dampening prospects for the eastern American ice wine industry, with fewer frozen grapes being harvested and less of the dessert wine being made, raising prospects for higher prices for consumers.
Warming climate attracts non-Arctic countries to Arctic Council
Environment News Service, January 17, 2012: Drawn by rapid climate changes in the resource-rich Arctic, China, India and Brazil, which have no Arctic territories, are knocking on the door of the increasingly influential Arctic Council looking for admission as permanent observers.
China set to launch first caps on CO2 emissions
New Scientist, January 17, 2012: Seven provinces and cities in China are to set caps on their greenhouse gas emissions, following a directive from central government. It's the first time the Chinese government has called for any absolute caps on emissions, having so far preferred softer "carbon intensity" targets.
Harper says Canada won't be the United States' northern 'giant national park'
Canadian Press, January 16, 2012: Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he doesn't want the future of Northern Gateway pipeline to be decided by "certain" people in the United States who would like to see Canada be one giant national park.
Canada faces legal challenge over Kyoto withdrawal
Reuters, January 16, 2012: The Canadian government's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol is illegal, alleges a suit to be filed in federal court by a law professor and former Canadian MP on Friday.
Revealed: Europe's plan to penalise Canada's tar sands goes Dutch
The Guardian, January 16, 2012: Following in the UK's footsteps, the Netherlands is now working to derail a European Commission proposal to officially designate fuels from Canada's vast tar sands fields as highly polluting and discourage their use.
Evolution advocate turns to climate
Nature, January 16, 2012: Students walking out of classrooms when global warming is mentioned; teachers pressured to change lesson plans to avoid the subject or portray it as speculative rather than a matter of scientific consensus. For Eugenie Scott, the stories and anecdotes fit a familiar pattern.
Michael Mann: The climate scientist who the deniers have in their sights
The Independent, January 16, 2012: He is one of the most vilified men in the highly vilified field of climate science, yet Professor Michael Mann is surprisingly jolly. Despite being the focus of a brutal campaign orchestrated by the fossil-fuel industry and senior politicians within the US Republican Party, Mann's cheery stoicism is positively infectious.
Canada urged to prepare now to lead agenda at Arctic Council next year
Canadian Press, January 15, 2012: Canada gets its chance to lead the Arctic world next year – and analysts say the country needs to start laying the groundwork for it now.
Carbon dioxide encourages risky behaviour in clownfish
New Scientist, January 15, 2012: Carbon dioxide in the ocean acts like alcohol on fish, leaving them less able to judge risks and prone to losing their senses. The intoxication adds to the threats that global warming and ocean acidification pose to marine ecosystems.
Glacier time-lapse images reveal 'epochal change'
CBC News, January 13, 2012: Nothing is quite as damning or convincing as photo evidence. And when James Balog looked over his time-lapse photography of an Icelandic glacier, everything he thought he knew about climate change ... changed.
Warmer summers cause colder winters, scientists say
Reuters, January 13, 2012: Warmer summers in the far Northern Hemisphere are disrupting weather patterns and triggering more severe winter weather in the United States and Europe, a team of scientists say, in a finding that could improve long-range weather forecasts.
Study: slow global warming by cutting soot, methane
Voice of America, January 13, 2012: An international team of scientists says global warming can be slowed in the short term by focusing less on carbon dioxide and more on the emission of methane and soot.
Gas-hydrate tests to begin in Alaska
Nature, January 13, 2012: This month, scientists will test a new way to extract methane from beneath the frozen soil of Alaska: they will use waste carbon dioxide from conventional wells to force out the desired natural gas.
Climate change coverage by the media diminishing as Earth continues to heat up
Toronto Star, January 13, 2012: Even as dust storms rolled over Phoenix, fires ravaged Texas, tornadoes flattened towns like Goderich, Ont., and rivers flooded many regions, mentions of climate change in newspapers and on broadcast media in North America decreased substantially.
US climate scientist's wife suffers email 'frenzy of hate'
Mother Jones, January 13, 2012: Prominent MIT researcher Kerry Emanuel has been receiving an unprecedented "frenzy of hate" after a video featuring an interview with him was published last week by Climate Desk.
US Republicans stir transatlantic tensions over climate change
EurActiv, January 13, 2012: Concerns are growing in Brussels that persistent denial of human-caused global warming among Republican presidential hopefuls could damage EU-US relations and even spark a trade conflict.
Republicans hope for "yes" on Keystone, prepare for "no"
Reuters, January 12, 2012: Congressional Republicans who are urging President Barack Obama to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline have signaled they will not give up on the issue if the White House says no.
Kitimat resident speaks in favour of Northern Gateway
CBC News, January 11, 2012: Public hearings into the proposed $5.5-billion Northern Gateway oil pipeline project continued Wednesday in the northern BC aboriginal community of Kitamaat Village, with at least one person speaking in favour of the project.
Decisions must be made at Rio Earth summit, urges UN official
The Guardian, January 11, 2012: The Earth summit in June must be the place where decisions on the future of the planet are made, and not just another talking shop for world leaders, the head of what will be 2012's largest political conference has urged.
Elections no threat to global climate deal: UN
Reuters, January 11, 2012: Leadership changes this year among some of the world's heaviest polluting countries should not undermine progress towards setting up a new global legally binding climate deal by 2015, the United Nations' climate chief said on Wednesday.
Oil lobby's financial pressure on Obama over Keystone XL pipeline revealed
The Guardian, January 11, 2012: New analysis of oil industry contributions to members of Congress has revealed the level of the oil lobby's financial firepower that Barack Obama can expect to face in the November elections if he refuses to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Doomsday Clock moves one minute closer to midnight
BBC News, January 10, 2012: The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic gauge of nuclear danger, has moved one minute closer to midnight because of "inadequate progress" on nuclear and climate issues.
Climate change leaves some Hudson Bay polar bears starving
Canadian Press, January 10, 2012: Experts say the slow formation of winter ice on Hudson Bay this year has pushed some of Canada's polar bears to the brink of starvation and forced them to scrounge for food near old garbage dumps.
Canadian climate scientist finds fame, hate mail in US
Globe and Mail, January 10, 2012: She once was a science-minded undergrad who spent her nights minding the telescopes on the top floors of the University of Toronto's McLennan building. Katharine Hayhoe is now a figure of some fame and controversy in the United States, for her sin is that she is an evangelical Christian who is also a climate scientist trying to convince skeptics that climate change is for real.
Canadian natives warn against pipeline to Pacific
Reuters, January 10, 2012: Aboriginal leaders opposed to a $5.5 billion oil sands pipeline backed by Canada's government warned on Tuesday that the project could devastate fishing and traditional life on the rugged Pacific Coast and called for it to be stopped.
For the Harper government, the Gateway must be open
Globe and Mail, January 10, 2012: The Harper government has launched an all-out campaign against opponents of the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline as it seeks to blunt a global campaign by environmentalists to halt booming oil sands development.
The Northern Gateway pipeline, politics and the law
Globe and Mail, January 10, 2012: After years of preparation, a project that would reshape the geography of Canada's energy landscape is entering public hearings. But with the tremendous rancour already stoked by Enbridge Inc.'s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, it's likely some of the most important decisions that will clear – or block – the path for its construction won't be made by the three-person federal joint review panel that expects to render a verdict by the end of 2013.
Faces of so-called radicalism: Three opponents of the Northern Gateway
Globe and Mail, January 10, 2012: Viewed from the government's perch in Ottawa, the pipeline's opponents are agents of "environmental and other radical groups." But the faces of the opposition go well beyond the stereotype of anti-development tree-huggers.
Radicals working against oilsands, Ottawa says
CBC News, January 9, 2012: Environmental and other "radical groups" are trying to block trade and undermine Canada's economy, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Monday.
Oil sands pipeline battle turns ugly
The Guardian, January 9, 2012: Canada let loose an extraordinary rant against opponents of a controversial project to pump tar sands crude to Pacific Coast ports on Monday, accusing campaigners of colluding with foreign "radicals" and "jet-setting celebrities" to hijack the government.
Environmentalists hit back over pipeline hearings
Toronto Star, January 9, 2012: Environmentalists accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government of taking the side of big oil over ordinary citizens after the Conservatives said foreign-funded "radicals" were distorting a pipeline approval process.
Canada basks in balmy temperatures
CBC News, January 9, 2012: Much of the country is continuing to enjoy a six-week stretch of mild winter weather despite earlier predictions that Canada was headed for the deep-freeze.
Alaska towns dealing with winter's cruelty that has 1 buried in snow, 1 locked in ice
Associated Press, January 9, 2012: One town is buried in snow. Another is iced in. This year's winter is being meaner than usual for at least two Alaska communities. Now, residents are looking for outside help.
Carbon emissions 'will defer Ice Age'
BBC News, January 9, 2012: Human emissions of carbon dioxide will defer the next Ice Age, say scientists. The last Ice Age ended about 11,500 years ago, and when the next one should begin has not been entirely clear.
Climate rows intensify as US election year kicks off
Business Green, January 9, 2012: The extent to which the future of US environmental and climate change policy will be determined by the result of this November's presidential election was underlined again last week as the leading Republican candidates stepped up their attacks on measures designed to protect the environment.
Can a new structure based on the notion of 'equity' replace the Kyoto pact?
ClimateWire, January 9, 2012: US diplomats returned from last month's global climate summit in Durban, South Africa, crowing that they had cracked the armor shielding China, India and other emerging nations from accepting binding emission cuts. But now a serious challenge awaits them: preparing for an entirely new climate change regime.
Boreal ducks threatened by climate change
CBC News, January 8, 2012: Scientists long puzzled by the rapid decline in millions of Canadian boreal ducks since the 1970s think they may finally have the cause: global warming.
Ocean acid threatens food chain
Australian Associated Press, January 7, 2012: They call themselves Team Acid and are trawling the Southern Ocean with fine nets to see if the shells of tiny marine snails are thinning because of ocean acidification. Scientists label this acid trend "the evil twin of climate change".
Baby harp seals being drowned, crushed amid melting ice
National Geographic, January 6, 2012: Harp seal pups are taking a hit due to global warming, according to the first study of its kind. Ice-busting storms and warmer waters fueled by rising temperatures are diminishing the ice cover that harp seals need to survive during their first vulnerable weeks of life.
December's Arctic sea ice third lowest on record
Nunatsiaq News, January 5, 2012: The Arctic sea ice extent in December 2011 was the third lowest on record, says the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre.
Residents of eroding village vote yes on school relocation
Associated Press, January 5, 2012: Voters in Kivalina, which has been increasingly eroded by storms on Alaska's northwest coast, have overwhelmingly said yes to building a new school 7 miles away, a step some hope will eventually lead to the seemingly impossible task of relocating the entire community.
Climate coverage down again in 2011
Daily Climate, January 3, 2012: Media coverage of climate change continued to tumble in 2011, declining roughly 20 percent from 2010's levels and nearly 42 percent from 2009's peak, according to analysis of DailyClimate.org's archive of global media.
Court upholds cap-and-trade program for airlines, but ruling may be up in the air
Climate Central, December 21, 2011: The European Court of Justice on Wednesday upheld a cap-and-trade program designed to curb climate-changing emissions on international flights, a ruling that many nations outside of Europe have fought to block.
Philippines disaster may have been worsened by climate change, deforestation
Mongabay, December 20, 2011: As the Philippines begins to bury more than 1,000 disaster victims in mass graves, Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered an investigation into last weekend's flash flood and landslide, including looking at the role of illegal logging. Officials have pointed to both climate change and vast deforestation as likely exacerbating the disaster.
Indigenous peoples call Canadian Kyoto withdrawal business as usual
Indian Country Today, December 19, 2011: On the heels of the COP 17 climate talks in Durban, South Africa, the only thing surprising about Canada's announcement on December 13 that it would no longer be a party to the Kyoto Protocol was the swiftness of its decision.
Facing rising seas, islanders call on their music
Daily Climate, December 19, 2011: The applause was raucous, growing louder and faster as the beat accelerated. A dozen dancers, arms stretched, torsos bare, pounded the stage in an increasing frenzy. They turned, swooped, slapped their thighs, swooped and turned again – birds hovering in the air, looking for something below – and shouting, "koburake!" or "rise up!" The audience exploded after each verse, thinking the performance over. But the dance started up again, faster still.
Oilsands PR battle goes after Chiquita bananas
Toronto Star, December 19, 2011: The public relations battle over Canada's oilsands has reached new heights with the Harper government setting its sights on an unlikely foe: Chiquita bananas.
Green groups outraged at accelerated pipeline plan
Reuters, December 19, 2011: Environmental opponents of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline aimed to deluge the White House and Congress with phone calls on Friday, slamming a Republican plan to speed approval of the project in exchange for extending a payroll tax cut.
Russia blasting into fragile Arctic in search of oil
Toronto Star, December 17, 2011: For as long as humans have spread out to conquer the planet, despoiling as they progress, the Arctic's punishing environment has been its best defence. Like fortress ramparts, heavy snow, metres-thick ice and battering winds made it very hard for miners, oil drillers and industrialists to take much ground, let alone make a grab for the riches of a frozen sea. Those walls are crumbling fast.
Russia supports Canada's withdrawal from Kyoto protocol
The Guardian, December 16, 2011: Russia supports Canada's decision to pull out of the Kyoto protocol, says its foreign ministry, reaffirming Friday that Moscow will not take on new commitments.
As permafrost thaws, scientists study the risks
New York Times, December 16, 2011: A bubble rose through a hole in the surface of a frozen lake. It popped, followed by another, and another, as if a pot were somehow boiling in the icy depths. Every bursting bubble sent up a puff of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas generated beneath the lake from the decay of plant debris. These plants last saw the light of day 30,000 years ago and have been locked in a deep freeze – until now.
As temperatures rise, so do fears of extreme weather
Globe and Mail, December 16, 2011: It's mid-December, Christmas just a little more than a week away, but you wouldn't have been able to guess that Thursday by looking at the weather in Toronto, where the temperature soared to a balmy, but wet 14 degrees.
Oilsands' carbon emissions rising
CBC News, December 16, 2011: The intensity of oilsands carbon emissions – the amount of greenhouse gases created per every barrel of oil produced – increased by two per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to an industry report.
Harper says oilsands critics spreading 'misinformation'
Canadian Press, December 16, 2011: The need for Canadian oilsands is "overwhelming" and the government will work hard to combat misinformation about its environmental impact, the prime minister said Friday.
Alberta slams EU "dirty fuel" label, says hurts reputation
Reuters, December 16, 2011: The European Union must not single out Canada's unconventional oil in a proposed ranking of fuels, said a government representative of Alberta, home to the bulk of Canada's oil wealth, calling for an equal treatment with other fuels.
Quebec goes it alone with cap-and-trade climate plan
Canadian Press, December 15, 2011: With global climate-change talks in limbo, Quebec is the first province to push ahead with its own cap-and-trade program. The province says it's emulating California as it becomes the first Canadian province to start enforcing cap-and-trade regulations for carbon emissions.
How Big Oil and Canada thwarted US carbon standards
The Tyee, December 15, 2011: When President Barack Obama decided in early November to delay a decision on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline until after the next election, America's environmental movement celebrated one of its biggest victories in recent memory. And no doubt the news came as a blow to Alberta's tar sands industry, and to Canada's oft-stated dream of becoming the next global energy superpower.
Ontario polar bears doomed, expert says
Toronto Star, December 14, 2011: Say goodbye to Ontario's polar bears. Warmer weather will likely make it impossible for the iconic bears to survive on the shores of Hudson's Bay in Ontario and Manitoba in 20 to 30 years, says the world's best-known polar bear expert.
UN climate chief is 'surprised' at Canada's Kyoto withdrawal
Bloomberg, December 14, 2011: United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres said she regrets Canada's decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol and is "surprised" at the timing of the move.
Criticism mounts over Ottawa's decision to abandon Kyoto
Toronto Star, December 13, 2011: The Conservative government is facing a barrage of criticism at home and abroad for its decision to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol, including assertions the move could be breaking federal law.
Canada condemned at home and abroad for pulling out of Kyoto treaty
The Guardian, December 13, 2011: Canada has been condemned at home and abroad as "irresponsible" and "reckless" for pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty, just a day after committing to a future legally binding deal at a major UN climate summit.
Canada under fire over Kyoto protocol exit
BBC News, December 13, 2011: Several countries have criticised Canada for formally withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
What does Canada's withdrawal from Kyoto protocol mean?
The Guardian, December 13, 2011: It's been four years in the offing, but Canada on Monday finally and formally withdrew from the world's only existing legal treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto protocol.
Canada, out of Kyoto, must still cut emissions: UN
Reuters, December 13, 2011: Canada still has a legal obligation under UN rules to cut its emissions despite the country's pullout from the Kyoto Protocol, the UN climate chief said Tuesday.
Is Canada becoming a climate change renegade?
Reuters, December 13, 2011: Canada on Monday became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty.
Analysis: Canada's Kyoto withdrawal began when Bush bolted
Reuters, December 13, 2011: Canada's widely criticized withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol ends a decade-long saga that began in earnest when former President George W. Bush walked away from the global climate change treaty in 2001.
US wants to delay decision on whether seals threatened
Associated Press, December 13, 2011: The US government will delay a decision on listing two northern seals as threatened species because of climate change but will take another look at the status of a third seal it previously rejected.
Scrubbing carbon dioxide from air may prove too costly
ClimateWire, December 13, 2011: One of the seemingly ideal and direct solutions to climate change is to efficiently vacuum up greenhouse gases straight from the atmosphere. But a new study finds that such a proposal is very far-fetched and tremendously expensive.
Shock as retreat of Arctic sea ice releases deadly greenhouse gas
The Independent, December 13, 2011: Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region.
Canada formally abandons Kyoto Protocol on climate change
Globe and Mail, December 13, 2011: Canada is formally withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, abandoning the world's only legally binding plan to tackle global warming.
World risks climate catastrophe: IEA
Sydney Morning Herald, December 13, 2011: The absence of a global legally binding agreement on climate change, along with a rethink on nuclear energy, risks a failure to arrest catastrophic temperature rises, the International Energy Authority's chief economist says.
Call for Arctic geoengineering as soon as possible
New Scientist, December 12, 2011: It's the most urgent call for geoengineering yet: begin cooling the Arctic by 2013 or face runaway global warming. But the warning – from a voice on the scientific fringe – may be premature, according to experts contacted by New Scientist.
While global talks flounder, domestic initiatives advance
Globe and Mail, December 12, 2011: While global leaders were floundering in their climate negotiations at Durban last week, one man from British Columbia was quietly working the back rooms, explaining the virtues of his province's carbon tax.
Climate deal marks 'lowest common denominator'
Globe and Mail, December 12, 2011: In the early hours of Sunday morning, as an Indian negotiator made an emotional speech against a European climate proposal, Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent glanced around the vast room in the Durban convention centre and noticed the smug expressions of China's negotiators.
Durban deal clinched by two strong women, a united EU and a compromise
The Independent, December 12, 2011: An extraordinary face-to-face encounter between two powerful women, sitting in the midst of a giant huddle in a packed conference hall, finally sealed the Durban climate change agreement as dawn was breaking yesterday, when many had given it up for lost.
New climate mandate emerges after marathon negotiations
Vancouver Sun, December 11, 2011: International climate change talks emerged from a standoff Sunday, as a Europe-led alliance of countries used a weakened Kyoto Protocol as a bargaining chip to get the rest of the parties to accept a mandate for a comprehensive successor regime.
Environment minister expects new climate deal by 2015
CBC News, December 11, 2011: Environment Minister Peter Kent said he is cautiously optimistic a new global climate agreement can be reached by 2015, following the conclusion of a UN summit in Durban, South Africa.
Climate talks in Durban yield limited agreement
New York Times, December 11, 2011: After 72 hours of continuous wrangling, the 17th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wrapped up early Sunday with modest accomplishments: the promise to work toward a new global treaty in coming years and the establishment of a new climate fund.
Climate deal done, but difficult future remains
Montreal Gazette, December 11, 2011: A historic climate-change deal faces several hurdles, including criticism from Canada, which says it will drive a hard bargain on new international laws to slash all major global sources of heat-trapping pollution.
Durban deal will not avert catastrophic climate change, say scientists
The Guardian, December 11, 2011: Scientists and environmental groups warned that urgent action was still needed to rescue the world from climate change, despite the deal sealed on Sunday morning in Durban after two weeks of talks.
Montreal protest denounces Canada's Kyoto stance
CBC News, December 11, 2011: More than 200 people gathered in downtown Montreal Saturday to denounce Canada's position on the Kyoto Protocol. The Canadian government has refused to join the second phase of the current climate change treaty, which expires in 2012.
Acidic oceans threaten fish
Nature, December 11, 2011: Ocean acidification – caused by climate change – looks likely to damage crucial fish stocks. Two studies published today in Nature Climate Change reveal that high carbon dioxide concentrations can cause death and organ damage in very young fish.
Kent defends himself against India's scorn at marathon climate talks
Globe and Mail, December 10, 2011: With exhausted negotiators still unable to reach agreement at the Durban climate talks, Canadian environment minister Peter Kent is defending himself against a scathing attack from an Indian minister who was angered by Canada's criticism of the major developing nations.
Billion-dollar disasters 'harbinger' of future extreme weather: NOAA
LiveScience, December 10, 2011: The 12 $1-billion-plus disasters that hit the United States this year are most likely not simply a matter of the stars aligning against us, according to the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who implicated climate change as a contributor.
MLA under fire for climate change comments
CBC News, December 10, 2011: NWT MLAs are calling for an apology after a member called the territorial government's greenhouse gas emissions policy a crime against humanity in the assembly this week.
Another climate summit, another chance goes up in smoke
The Independent, December 9, 2011: The chance of a binding new climate deal involving the world's biggest greenhouse-gas emitters, China, the US and India, looks increasingly unlikely as the UN climate conference in Durban draws to a close today.
Despite softer tone on climate, Canada rejects extending UN talks
Globe and Mail, December 9, 2011: In a day of mixed messages, Environment Minister Peter Kent has called for speedy negotiations on a global climate treaty by 2015 – but also rejected a South African proposal to extend the negotiating sessions at this week's summit.