Global Warming Skeptics Make Me "Mad"

Skeptics do make me mad because they will not see scientific fact and reasons but rely on opinions taken from I don't know where to make up their minds.

Really the title is just a lame way to segue into the topic of me possibly being "manic", which really has nothing to do with the environment or global warming. I do take medications (two kinds) for depression and now that the level has been adjusted, I think that part is just right.

However, because of some recent "episodes" at work, I have to see someone about what is behind the behaviour. A co-worker asked me if I had ever considered the fact that I might be manic. Well, no, I hadn't thought anything about that. I knew nothing about it either.

Later I asked the co-worker if they knew someone who was manic, and then said yes, a relative was. So it was hard to discount the advice. I ended up looking it up on the internet. It doesn't look good. A lot of the symptoms seem to apply. I think the question is just which of the categories I belong in.

In one way, it is useful to have some kind of explanation should it turn out to be the diagnosis, as my behaviour in work on at least two, three occasions has been anything but rational. Apparently my boss apologized for me once and told me she and the rest of staff were embarassed for me. Later, I had to apologize to four different groups of people, including three different levels of manager. Then I was embarassed, really embarassed.

I think it is something I need a mood stabilizer drug for. Hard to talk yourself out of what I do when the mood goes from normal to outraged at the snap of your fingers. It also is an answer to one question I had no answer to, which is I knew my mother's behaviour ( inappropriate comments which embarrass herself or others) must have some name to it. Didn't seem to fit in depression. It also seems manic part of manic depressive is also very often inherited. And it is very likely she also inherited it from her mother.

In some way, since I am already comfortable about telling people I am depressed and take medication for it, that it won't be any harder to add the manic part. People should be able to talk about mental illness problems with friends and family as easily as they do about other medical problems or illnesses. But it is not like that. And when you are "just" depressed, people who have never gone through it themselves or have had relatives go through it, think you are just sad about something and it will go away. Sometimes it is a reason. Sometimes there is no reason. Besides "manic" or "bi-polar" sounds like a REAL mental illness, not just that sadness thing people think you have and should pull yourself out of.

I have one button that says, I'm not crazy, I'm chemically imbalanced. People never think there is any physical component to mental illness. I never knew there was any physical component. There is.

There are chemicals called neurotransmitters which assist in transmitting messages from between nerve ends in the cells. When certain neurotransmitters which regulate mood are not available in sufficient quantities, the result can be depression. People who have a genetic disposition to depression may be more prone to the imbalance of neurotransmitter activity that is part of depression.

This explanation about the neurotransmitters is excerpted from:

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/depression.html

But you can find similar explanations anywhere.

I could blame genetics. But it would be more fun to blame the global warming skeptics. It makes just about the same amount of sense as their opinions do.

Toxic Toothpaste

I know. I should have my head examined.

How did I ever think that if the government allowed corporations to pollute our water, soil and air and agri-businesses to spray pesticides over all the produce that we eat, that my toothpaste or shampoo or body lotion would be safe to use. I just did.

Why would my government allow corporations to sell us everyday products with ingredients that were anywhere from mildly to highly toxic. Carcinogenic, bio-accumulative, and hormone disrupting ingredients in things that I use everyday and thought were safe. Not only that, but the government would allow most children these days to be more contaminated with toxic substances than their parents.

Here's some websites where you can see this for yourself. The first one is Toxic Nation, and the headline is: Pollution. It's In You.

www.toxicnation.ca

Scroll down the page until you get to the Latest Reports, and click on Polluted Children, Toxic Nation: A Report On Pollution in Canadian Families or click on this:

http://environmentaldefence.ca/toxicnation/resources/publications.html#1

Isn't that cheery? I didn't think so. If that doesn't make you mad, try another website about what is in the personal care products that you and your family use every day. The website is called Skin Deep, though the web address is:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Try searching for the brand of your shampoo or toothpaste. Wouldn't you think a shampoo just for kids like the following would be safe?

L'Oreal Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo, Extra Gentle, Burst of Fruity Apricot

However, this shampoo is listed as a high hazard product (8 out of a 10), with 100% shampoos and 100% conditioners having lower concerns) with ingredients in the product linked to:

-- Cancer
-- Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
-- Allergies/immunotoxicity
-- Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concern, Biochemical or cellular level changes

How about a brand of body lotion? An Avon product should be safe, shouldn't it?

Avon Moisture Therapy Intensive Body Lotion

This body lotion is also high hazard (9 out of 10), with 99% other moisturizers with lower concerns. Ingredients in this product are linked to:

-- Cancer
-- Developmental/reproductive toxicity
-- Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
-- Allergies/immunotoxicity
-- Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive, exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

The website that has this information lists every individual ingredient in a product, how hazardous it is, and what kinds of concerns there are with using a product.

Have a look at this article on Alternet, by Vanja Petrovic. Posted August 15, 2007.

The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products.

Investigative journalist Mark Schapiro discusses why companies that manufacture hazard-free products for the European Union often produce toxin-filled versions of the same items for America and developing countries.

American industry would have you believe that taking potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals out of everyday consumer products--removing phthalates from children's toys and cancer-causing coal tar from hair dye--would damage our economy and result in a loss of American jobs. In his latest book, Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everday Products, Mark Schapiro busts this myth and reveals the grim fact that some companies, whether American or international, often have two production lines: one that manufactures hazard-free products for the European Union and another that produces toxin-filled versions of the same items for America and developing countries.

For more on this article:

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/59714

So how do you feel about how your government protects you now?

Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise, in Toronto, September 1-3, 2007

I received a postcard today from Greenpeace. It shows a picture of the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise going among ice somewhere (Arctic I imagine). It is a ship that gets in the way of Japanese whaling fleet, has done research on the impacts of climate change off the coast of Greenland, and disrupted pirate fishing.

The ship is coming to Toronto September 1-3 and there are public tours from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at John Quay, Harbourfront.

I have mixed feelings about Greenpeace. Whenever there are comments needed from an international spokesperson about the environment, Greenpeace is usually there to speak out. However, I find the focus of saving whales, etc., a bit remote from my life and the climate change problems of industrialized countries that needs to be remedied.

Don't get me wrong. I don't get particular sentimental about dogs and cats, but I have seen whales to and from Alaska and in the St. Lawrence Seaway close to or at Tadousac. I was particularly lucky to see some pods of Beluga whales a couple summers ago. Tadousac is a great place for watching whales. The road stops and you go onto a ferry to get your car to Tadousac. You can see whales even from that small ferry crossing. If you walk along the beach you can also see the small whales like belugas or minke whales from the shore.

One of the most heart wrenching things I have seen for any wild animal, was a small whale who was being cared for at Mote Marine in Sarasota, Florida. The animal was sick and I'm not sure whether it had also tried to beach itself. Volunteers along with the staff quietly kept the whale wet and took care of him or her. Any visitors were told to keep very quiet in order not to disturb or upset the whale, as being injured was enough of a disturbance.

There is something about seeing a wild animal and, in particular, a wild animal in distress that really was very moving. Later I learned that the animal did not survive. But I will never forget standing there quietly and seeing all the staff and volunteers, who stayed with the whale around the clock, and who were caring for him so very quietly. It was distressing to know that the whale was very very sick and probably would not survive. I think because people do not have much contact with whales and because of their size, people are drawn to them and their plight in a way quite unlike say, a species of fish.

Sometimes I think Greenpeace is stuck a bit and does not realize that many of their boomer supporters who care about the environment are still not the kind of people who will chain themselves to buildings or logs or whatever. I see pictures of people who look very young all the time in the orange jumpsuits bringing attention to some stunt or other. Okay, it does keep Greenpeace in the news; but I cannot relate to that kind of activity. I also believe it stereotypes environmentalists into the chain-yourself-to-the-tree variety.

I believe that the influence of regular people, particularly if they are acting together, can be very strong with government or corporate officials. This is the way that Amnesty International works - many, many individuals who band together to bring attention to a person and issue, by the flood of letters that are sent on their behalf to governments or companies.

I only wish that Greenpeace had a bit more like this that people could do in the letter writing or signing petition online type of action. They usually have two or three things, but these do not change very frequently at all. I think this would broaden not only their support and legitimacy to other groups of people, but that it would provide another avenue for bringing environmental and climate change issues to governments and corporations.

I think

This Can't Be Good - Lake Superior Drops 1 Foot in 1 Year; also Glacier Melting article

There are a few skeptic bloggers (global warming) on blog.ca who say things like, let's stop all the fuss and panic over global warming.

I don't know about you, but this excerpt from an article from the Toronto Star just doesn't seem like a good thing, especially if it a sign of things to come.

I say, Go ahead and panic a bit, and then go shopping to buy a compact fluorescent bulb or a programmable thermostat or a green-friendly cleaning product.

Biggest Great Lake seen heading for record lows

Jonathan Spicer, Reuters
Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007

TORONTO (Reuters) - Warmer, drier weather coupled with alterations to the waterways of North America's Great Lakes will likely drive Lake Superior down to record low water levels sometime this year, experts say.

Lake Superior, the world's largest body of fresh water by surface area, has declined precipitously over the last decade but plunged down another 30 cm (1 foot) in the last year alone amid an "extreme drought," putting pressure on both commercial shipping and fish habitats.

"That's a dramatic fall," Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist at the U.S. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, told Reuters. "Lake Superior has been in and out of an extreme drought since 2003, and now the drought has got more extreme on the lake's western basin."


For more of the article, here is the address: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=280c9963-8017-4439-9f84-79c88cd9418e&k=37510


Someone gave me a copy of June's National Geographic. The cover story is:

The Big Thaw: Ice on the Run, Seas on the Rise

On the first page of the story on page 56, it says:

The Big Thaw, It's no surprise that a warming climate is melting the world's glaciers and polar ice. But no one expected to happen this fast.

An explanation is also on the page to accompany the picture on the facing page. The caption says:

When melt water surging across Greenland's ice drains to the bedrock, the ice sheet slides faster to the sea -- one of the many feedback processes speeding global ice loss.

The part that says: "one of the many feedback processes speeding global ice loss" sounds a bit scary, doesn't it. It is only ONE of the MANY feedback processes. Yikes.

I don't mean to depress you by putting in articles that underline how serious the problem is. It is meant as a motivator to do something about it (besides blogging, I mean).

When I get a bit discouraged, I like to send emails to Harper or John Baird, the Environment Minister - questions, comments, anything I think of. I don't know why, but I find it very satisfying.

In the National Geographic article, there are before and after shots of glaciers - you know, one years ago when there was a sizable glacier, and more recently when it is visibly much, much smaller.

There is also on page 64-65, a diagram spreading out over two pages of the different stages in how ice sheets, like those over Greenland and West Antarctica, are shrinking:

1. Surface melting begs more melting.
2. Melt water fractures ice and lubricates the bottom, speeding flow.
3. Thinner ice has a weaker grip on the land and can't hold the accelerating glacier.
4. Warmer oceans erode floating ice at its base.

Climate Connections For more coverage of Earth's changing climate from National Geographic and NPR, visit ngm.com/climateconnections and npr.org/climateconnections. Then join a discussion in our forum at ngm.com/0706.

I don't know whether I should find another scary, panicky article for tomorrow (for the skeptics) or a good news story.

I have all kinds of newspaper clippings on my cubicle wall at work (and yes, people do think it is weird to have made global warming wallpaper, but putting up so many articles on a whole wall).

All I have to do is remember to bring one home.

Green Bits from The Economist

From from The Economist, on Economist.com, August 13, 2007:

Carbon connoisseur

The baffling menu of emissions-offsets option

When all you want is a drinkable wine at an affordable price, the sommelier's list in a posh restaurant can seem more of a hindrance than a help. So it is with carbon offsets. The list of options can seem long and confusing when set against the simple objective of getting somebody else to reduce greenhouse gases on your behalf. And, given the intangible nature of offsets, buying a dodgy short on a tonne of carbon is just as easy as getting a corked bottle.

Quality is the offset market's most pressing issue, according to a new study of the voluntary carbon market by Ecosystem Marketplace and New Carbon Finance. The report counted 14 third-party offset standards, and seven registries, few of which are more than a year old. Offset retailers that accredit and verify their own products according to proprietary standards at least double these totals. With the price of offsetting a tonne of CO2 ranging from 45 cents to $45, and growing fears of sharp practice by "carbon cowboys," the industry needs guidance on quality.

For more of this article, copy this to your search engine: http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9637956&fsrc=RSS



From The Economist, on Economist.com, July 16th, 2007:

Losing sleep over climate change

Poor countries may be worried than rich ones

The biggest problem in the fight against climate change is the issue of how to involve poor countries. Developing-country governments are reluctant to bear the costs of averting climate change. Two reasons are generally given: first, that rich countries are largely responsible for global warming, and second, that people in developing countries have more immediate problems to worry about.

The first point is indisputable. Industrialisation is the rich world started long before that in the poor world; carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for around 200 years, so developed countries have contributed far more of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than developing ones have.

For more of this article, copy this to your search engine:
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9637956&fsrc=RSS


From The Economist, on Economist.com, August 6th, 2007:

Another man's poisson

The argument for giving up fish

No meal could have been more perfect than a seafood feast I enjoyed on the beach last week in the San Juan Islands, off the coast in Washington state. A friend and I fired up a grill using twigs gathered from nearby driftwood (yes, it's legal). Our stockpile included a dozen oysters fresh from a nearby farm, plus a slab of tender Alaskan salmon that we marinated in Teriyaki sauce and grilled to a scrumptious pinky-brown. It was definitely the best moment of the summer.

Gather your oysters while ye may - because, come September, fish will be banned from my diet. I tried this once before, when I became a vegetarian at the age of ten. The precipitating event was a pig-roast picnic held by my grandparents. I can still remember my anguish as that huge animal turned slowly on a pit.

For more of this article, copy this to your search engine:
http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=348924&story_id=9610798

Buzz Hargrove, Canadian Auto Workers, Whining Again About the Poor North American Car Companies

I did not like it the first time Buzz Hargrove complained in the press about how doing something about car emissions or fuel economy would hurt the car companies and result in worker layoffs.
Now he is whining about how unfair it is to the poor North American car companies to have rebates on cars with good fuel economy and penalty fees for the cars that are gas guzzlers. (Are you dropping the Liberals, Mr. Hargrove, and supporting the Conservatives?)

The problem I have with both of these statements is that it is not the fault of Canadian citizens that the North American car companies sat on their duffs all these years while Toyota designed and built and started selling more and more hybrid cars. They knew or should have known that the environment was becoming very important to Canadians and been proactive and adapted their products accordingly.

GM used to huff and haw about when they would ever get a hybrid car up and running. Oh, well, maybe in four years, but only if.... Then GM drops from the number #1 car company in the world down to #2 behing Toyota. All of a sudden GM announces that it is going to have several new designs in no time flat.

Mr. Hargrove, greening a business does not equal losing money and laying off workers. At the 2007 Energy and Environment Conference June 18-20 in Toronto, I heard many company CEOs or managing directors talk about how they had greened their businesses, registered hundreds and hundreds of new patents or designed innovative new products and have made a pile of money in the process. (GM's electric prototype, the Volt, was at the conference, too, along with a Toyota Prius and a Mercedez-Bentz Smart Car.) So I believe North American car companies are fully capable of adapting themselves if they set their minds to it.

During World War II, some car companies in North America were asked to retool their plants to manufacture airplanes or other military items. It did not take them ten or twenty years to think about doing it first. One plant was retooled and in production within a year; another was ready in 18 months.

Should I sympathize with badly managed dinosaur companies who should have acted for the common good years ago and started building hybrids and cars with better fuel economy, instead of flogging the hugely polluting SUVs; the same car companies that were happy to continue polluting the air our children breathe and to continue contributing to global warming despite the fact they knew or should have known this is the most serious dilemma the world is facing.

At one time in the past, corporations were directed by their values and their morals. Now corporations are selfish and greedy and profiteering, like pirates, unconcerned what reprehensible things they must do to society and the environment in the process.

So I am not going to worry about North American car companies who have only been concerned about themselves and shareholders (if they have them).

I worry about my children and the other children in Canada, and what kind of earth will be left for them as adults with children of their own. I worry about how much time is left for us to stop global warming before it is too late.

We Can Make a Difference

I changed the phrase after the Stop Global Warming title so that it was more encouraging. I was reading a book yesterday and it posed the question, what if the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King had been replaced by a "I have a nightmare" speech instead. One would inspire people; the other would make them depressed or angry. Inspired is better.

I sincerely believe individuals can make changes in their own lives which impact those around them and their workplace.

One of my co-workers begged our manager to set up a Green Committee for our unit. The Committee (I'm on it, too) organized a showing of An Inconvenient Truth for about fifty people, who had never seen the movie before. The Committee has also reminded people that we should be using double-sided copies and that any draft letters or other documents could now be double-sided. There are now posters and articles up on bulletin boards in the unit (recycling, changing light bulbs, etc.). Those are some of the examples of what was done just because of one person, my co-worker.

Another thing the co-worker did was to change my mind about what should be my first priority. Before I was on the committee, human rights and child poverty were the issues that concerned me most. However, through reading books on global warming and related issues, I started to realize just how important it was for everyone to start doing something about global warming. I still write Amnesty International letters and sponsor four boys in Armenia through World Vision, but my main focus is definitely global warming now. If we do not fix that problem, we may make not only most animals extinct but also humans.

Because I was on the committee I started to make changes at home as well. My electricity is now from Bull Frog Power, which provides 100% green electricity into the power grid for the electricity my family uses. I have started to buy organic food where I can and also more gentle cleaning supplies. I have changed most of our lightbulbs; we're now just looking for a weird combination tri-light and some other unique bulbs.

Because I was on the committee and started to make changes at home, I also decided to write to all the federal politicians, to let them know I was concerned about global warming and to ask what they did in their personal lives to reduce their carbon impact. The results so far have been very encouraging. A number of the politicians have hybrid cars or walk or bicycle to work.

One politician (not even in my province) gave me a phone call at home, which lasted about half an hour. I was flabbergasted that I was able to provide my feedback to a live politician.
I have also started to do blogging and realize that newspapers allow bloggers to provide comments on various issues, which is another way to let a number of people know what you think about global warming.

I like to write individual, handwritten letters, but I have also sent emails where I want to ask a question or have something to comment on.

Because of what my co-worker started, and how he started me to get involved in the problem of global warming, I can say I definitely believe that I can make a difference.

Afterall, you would not normally think that Prime Minister Harper and his government would be at all interested in global warming. But because of polls showing it was the first concern that Canadians had, it had to be put on their agenda. The government does care what voters think, as they want to get voted in, or stay in, the government.

You can make a difference!

Do Not Pollute Water By Dumping Old Medications

Have a look at some of the environmental articles at Alternet.

The headline and summary of the first story listed is an eye-catcher by Greg Peterson, E Magazine, posted August 9, 2007, called:

Pharmaceuticals in Our Water Supply Are Causing Bizarre Mutations to Wildlife

From inter-sex fish in the Potomac River to frog mutations in Wisconsin, federal officials are studying the effects of pharmaceuticals such as pain killers and depression medicine in our water supply.


See the rest of the article by clicking on the story headline on the Alternet site:

http://www.alternet.org/environment/

The moral of the story:

Do not flush your old or unwanted medications down toilets or drains. You have a number of options that may be available in your community:

• Talk to your local pharmacist to see whether they will accept the medications;
• Take them to a community recycling day or to a recycling depot where they take toxic substances;
• In some communities, there may be a Toxic Taxi that will come pick up your toxic substances.
• In other areas, there may be other groups collecting the old medications such as police or churches.

George W. Bush and His Greedy Corporate Friends

There is an amazing article in Alternet today about the kind of thing George W. Bush and his greedy corporate friends have been up to at home and are now trying to do in Iraq, that is, hand over control of Iraqui oil to greedy American oil companies by way of legislation.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/59318/

If you have read Linda McQuaig's book: It's the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet, you know that the whole Iraqi war was just a cover for Bush and oil companies to preserve Iraqi oil for oil companies.

If you have read Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s book: Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy, you know to what extent much the Bush administration is in collusion with the oil companies, who drop millions into his election coffers, have pretty much gutted the U.S. environmental protections and that we are in Iraq not to bring democracy and freedom but so that the oil corporations can take and protect what is theirs.

In order to figure out why corporations no longer seem to do anything moral and follow the path of greed at all costs, regardless of the cost to people or the environment, take a look at: Wade Rowland's Greed, Inc.: Why Corporations Rule Our World and How We Let It Happen.

So when I saw the article, I was appalled but not surprised to see Bush and the oil companies up to their tricks again - but in Iraq instead of the U.S. This will not help rebuild Iraq or reduce tensions in the country or prepare them to govern themselves. So much for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq. The legislation will keep 80% of the oil in Iraq under the control of U.S. corporations.

But this is the same old thing - greed and doing things at the behest of very powerful corporations instead of what is for the public good. When Iran had a democratically elected government and the U.S. overthrew it to put in a dictator (Shah of Iran), it was a blatant example of greed, deceit, and self-interest and nothing to do with either American or Iranian freedom and democracy.

It is little wonder, since Bush and the corporate elite are at it again, in trying to pass legislation solely for their own self-interest and greed, that the U.S. has made so many enemies in the world.

Harper Watch: Harper and the Environment

I am going to be keeping my eye on our Prime Minister and what he does about the environment or how he is being judged by his government's performance on the environment.

In today's Toronto Star there are two very different articles.

One is a web forum:

How has Stephen Harper's Conservative minority government performed so far?

Here are two excerpts which specifically mention his treatment of the environment:

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has performed as expected. He fits the description of an emperor with no clothes, who continues to hoodwink the public and the media with doubletalk while he pursues his own agenda. He continues to renege on Kyoto... An intellectual? No. A charlatan." Mary Serniak, Toronto

I see very little positive from this government's performance - scandals, flip flops, mismanagement of major issues (e.g. climate change, the Afghan mission). This government needs a cabinet shuffle that includes replacing the Prime Minister. Mark Sturman, Bowmanville

The other article, which is accompanied by a photo op, is called:

Harper announces expansion of park in remote North

PM begins Arctic tour by increasing protection of springs, canyons at Nahanni reserve

"Fort Simpson, N.W.T. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper kicked off a three-day Arctic sovereignty tour yesterday by announcing the expansion of one of the country's most rugged, beautiful and remote national parks."

Unfortunately, the photograph which accompanied the article in the paper is not on the internet version of the paper. But here is the caption:

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper joked about an anticipated cabinet shuffle yesterday while touring Nahanni National Park, N.W.T., with Herb Norweigan, chief of the De Cho tribe, shown on the left in the photo. He playfully grabbed Environment Minister John Baird, centre, and pretended to pull him toward the drop over the 90-metre Virginia Falls. "That's one way of shuffling a cabinet," Harper said.

All three men are smiling in the photograph, especially Mr. Baird. I do not think I remember seeing him with a smile before.

Unfortunately, although most Canadians will be very pleased for additional land to be set aside as a reserve, what they really want from Harper and Baird is more action on Kyoto. If he is the real leader, which his attack adds on Dion implied,then he should not be taking the easy route and sitting back while Canadian mayors and the provinces are leading the way.

I think almost anyone else would have been more palatable than Mr. Baird as the Environment Minister, as right from the start he was always grimacing on camera and complaining and grumbling about everything. Right from the start, no one took Mr. Harper seriously on the environment because of who he had put in the portfolio, a cranky pitbull.

Since people with children are scared for them because of global warming and what the planet will be like when their children grow up to have families, and I am one of them, it would have been better even just for optics to put someone in the portfolio who was not a hothead, but someone a bit older with a family to think of - someone who may have had some motivation then to try to convince the Prime Minister to keep the future of their children in mind when making decisions about global warming. Wishful thinking on my part.

It is unfortunate Mrs. Harper cannot take that unfortunate beige jacket he has worn around the world, you know, the one with the two sleeves that are rolled up and get the sleeves shortened. Although I did notice him in another photograph in a navy suit and the sleeves were too long on that one, too. Surely, the Prime Minister can afford to get his sleeves shortened.

Although I wouldn't care about the sleeves, if he would just do Canada and everyone else a favour by taking a leap of faith and tackling more than he thinks may be possible where the environment is concerned. One more thing, but not about the environment, when I see Mr. Harper joking in the photograph with a tribal chief, I cannot help but think of what a miserable state Mr. Harper's government has left things for native people.

Human rights and the environment are my biggest concerns these days, and Mr. Harper has not done well with either issue. He should have done the difficult but right thing, years ago, and lobbyed the U.S. about releasing Omar Khadr home to Canada. Mr. Khadr was a child soldier when he was arrested. He is also now the only citizen of a western nation to still be imprisoned in Guantanamo. The actions Mr. Khadr took as a child soldier cannot in any respect be seen as a war crime, as the U.S. maintains. And regardless of whether Canadians feel sympathetic or not to his family, Omar Khadr is a Canadian citizen.

More Green Articles in Newspapers These Days?

I would have to say, yes, there are more green articles in newspapers these days, but also that it is about time.

Reporters were lazy in the past about learning enough on their own about global warming that they could distinguish between the hack scientists who were funded by oil companies or whose think tanks were funded by oil companies, and the research scientists who published peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals.

So was the media part of the problem in the past in getting the news about climate change to people over the last decade or so? Absolutely, yes.

The following articles are from today's Toronto Star newspaper:



UN Report predicted extreme weather

Tornado in New York, floods in South Asia fit climate change warning

Geneva - Floods in Asia, a cyclone in the Middle East, and extreme temperatures around the globe this year have borne out warnings in a key climate change report, a UN expert says.

"The start of the year 2007 was a very active year in terms of extreme climatic and meteorological events," Omar Baddour, a climatologist with with the UN's World Meteorological Organization, said in an interview earlier this week.

In May, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report warning that global warming would increase the number of extreme weather events and more natural disasters that will hit the poor hardest.

"When we observe such extremes in individual years, it means this fits well with current knowledge from the IPCC report on global trends," Baddour said.

Few in New York City would have disagreed yesterday when a series of storms packed high winds, torrential rains and a tornado that touched down several times in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The tornado, with winds raging up to 217 km/h, ripped off roofs and damaged dozens of buildings as it hopscotched through neighbourhoods at around 6:30 a.m.

The storm, which flooded subway tunnels and underpasses, caused commuter chaos and was blamed for the death of a woman whose car got stuck in an underpass and was hit by another car.

Across the world this year, more serious weather catastrophes have killed many people.

Record storms, floods and heat waves have occurred in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

Hundreds have died and thousands have lost their livelihoods in floods since the start of the year in South Asia, China, Mozambique, Sudan and Uruguay. May to July was the wettest such period in England and Wales since records began in 1766, the UN meteorological organization said. It said two heat waves in southeast Europe in June and July broke records, with temperatures in Bulgaria hitting 45C.

Global surface temperatures in January were the highest since records began. According to UN data, temperatures were 1.89C above the 127-year average. /Associated Press



'Green' cars to get green licences

Eco-friendly car drivers will be eligible to win free parking, other perks

Climate-conscious motorists who pilot a Prius or scoot around in a Smart car would find themselves parking for free or passing in the carpool lane under an aggressive new incentive program unveiled yesterday in Ontario.

By this time next year, Ontarians who buy environmentally friendly, low-emission cars and trucks would get a green-hued licence plate that entitles them to such possible perks as free parking and access to high-capacity commuter lanes.

The so-called "eco-licence" plate is one of three green transportation policies the province is hoping will encourage commuters and businesses to factor the environment into their spending decisions.

"Now we're saying we're going to also put some more factors on that table to help you make a decision that's good for your family and good for the environment," Environment Minister Laurel Broten told a news conference.

Broten said the government will consult with vehicle manufacturers and environmental groups to design a rating system that identifies the cleanest cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles.

Drivers of those vehicles would get the special licence plate, which would entitle them to added rewards. Those incentives will be chosen during the consultation process, said Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield.

The licence plates are expected to be launched by spring 2008.

The transportation plan also includes a $15 million pilot project to help businesses convert to more environmentally friendly technology, like hybrid power.

The province also plans to install two new ethanol-fuelling stations in London and Peterborough.

The new facilities could also be made available to municipal fleets once they're operational.

New Democrat critic Peter Tabuns said he was unimpressed by the announcement, which he called "small potatoes given the scope of the problem before us."

"My guess is it would be a very minor impact in terms of people's decision-making in these matters."

But Broten said each little action can have a significant, cumulative effect. "All of those steps add up, all of those steps count - they give all Ontarians the opportunity to make choices that contribute to a healthier environment." /Canadian Press



'Greening' of data centres tech firms' new challenge

Even after reductions in environmental footprints, super-cooled farms are the gas-guzzlers of IT world

Brian Bergstein/Associated Press

The extremely air-conditioned computer farms known as data centres are the gas-guzzling jalopies of the technology world. Some require 40 or 50 times more power than comparably sized office space.

Now, with energy costs so high and environmental friendliness making for good public relations, more tech companies are touting ways they are "greening" data centres, which serve up Web pages, swap Internet traffic, and process and store business information.

But it's not easy to build a data centre with a significantly smaller environmental footprint. Even with efficiency improvements, the industry's overall electricity consumption could double from 2006 to 2011 as demand grows.

"It's somewhat analogous to someone who decides to purchase an energy-efficient automobile and says, 'Gee, I'm using 30 per cent less gasoline with this, that means I can drive 30 per cent more miles . . . and still do something for the environment,' " said analyst Charles King of Pund-IT Research. "It's an interesting philosophical question."

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency estimates the easiest, least expensive changes to data centre operations - involving tweaks to software, layout and air conditioning - could boost efficiency by 20 per cent. Actually reducing information-technology's strain on the grid will require a more aggressive commitment.

Why are data centres so power hungry? Depending on the configuration and equipment involved, as little as 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the juice flowing in to a data centre actually runs computers. Most of the rest goes to keeping hardware cool, since heat saps performance. So, the A/C cranks year-round to overcome the 40C-plus temperatures computers throw off. This is why big data centres can devour several megawatts of power, enough for a small city.

Neil Rasmussen, chief technical officer of American Power Conversion Corp., calculates that even a one-megawatt data centre will ring up $17 million (U.S.) in electric bills over its 10-year lifetime.

But the A/C doesn't have to be so cold if the layout of server rooms is better designed to improve air flow. And in many places, the outside air is plenty cold enough much of the year, for free. Yet only recently have data centres adopted systems that can take filtered outside air for cooling the computer rooms.

And only recently have industry concerns crystallized. Chip manufacturers Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. have ratcheted up the electrical efficiency of their microprocessors. IBM and Hewlett-Packard Co. have invested in better-managed cooling systems.

Some small providers have gone solar, including California's Affordable Internet Services Online (AI-SO) Inc., which ran Web infrastructure for the Live Earth concerts and uses just four machines to mimic the function of 120 servers.

"We view green as destination, in which case we focus on what we have left to do," said Dave Douglas, vice-president for eco-responsibility at Sun Microsystems Inc., which is cutting energy usage. "We're greener - but not green."


Pollution Debate

Premiers feud over emissions

Other leaders pressure McGuinty to mandate cleaner vehicles with California-style standards

Robert Benzie and Sean Gordon/Staff Reporters

Moncton - N.B. - The Ontario government is willing to consider touch California tailpipe emission standards, but only if they are imposed nationwide, Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

As Canada's premiers gather here for three days of meetings on climate change, McGuinty, who has been worried about auto industry jobs, moved to defuse tensions over competing agendas on both vehicle emissions and a proposed carbon trading system.

"Ideally, what we're looking for is a strong continental standard. The next best would be a strong national standard," he said yesterday.

"What we can't live with are a variety of standards sprinkled across North America."

But B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said McGinty risks undermining Ontario's prosperity by not mandating the cleaner vehicles that vast markets like California demand. "I think what's going to convince him (McGinty) is the economy," said Campbell.

"If they want to have a strong and a vital automobile sector in Ontario, they're going to have to meet California tailpipe emission standards."

"Rather than turning our back on those and pretending they're not important - they're important. It's what the customers want, it's want we're going to demand," he said.

California, the continental leader to slashing vehicle carbon emissions, will require car manufacturers to cut emissions 30 per cent on new vehicles by 2016.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer bemoaned that "Ontario doesn't want to buy into" the California standard.

"We have a bus manufacturing plant in Manitoba and we can't sell buses into California unless we go to the low-emission standard that is in California," he said.

"This is not just environmental policy, this is market policy."

Sources close to Albert Premier Ed Stelmach say he is prepared to support the low-emission standard and use it as "a bargaining chip" to get McGuinty to back off Ontario's demand for a national cap for industrial carbon emitters and a credit -trading system.

"Let's be very clear, cap and trade hurts all of Canada. This isn't just Alberta boom, it's Canada's boom," said Stelmach.

"To me, to send a cheque to any province - especially Ontario - just to be able to pollute at the same level makes no sense."

Quebec delegation sources said the province is onside with the California emission standard, and will table its own regulations to that effect this fall.

Indeed, Quebec officials said they were pleasantly surprised by the reaction of auto industry leaders concerning their plan.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he is firmly in the camp of the "cap and trade" provinces, and whiled he insisted that his province will not dictate terms to Alberta, he hopes this week's conference will create a critical mass of support that will force Alberta, the federal government and other detractors to get with the consensus.



Activism

Make money or save the world

Entrepreneurs help turn good intentions into constructive change.

Adrian Ma/Toronto Star

I care about climate change, poverty, and a host of other issues. I donate money to charity, sign petitions, and attend fundraisers. But I also like Addidas sneakers, IPods and the pay cheques that allow me to buy them.

And I sadly admit, if I were forced to choose between financial security and being a crusader living off idealism, I would choose the former because there are aspect of my lifestyle I'm hard-pressed to give up.

'Many (people) thought I was playing roulette with my future. Zahira Ebrahim'

But a new generation of Canadian entrepreneurs is combining activist passion with business acumen, and these young people have shown me they can push the social and environmental agenda without sacrificing the lifestyle they enjoy.

"You don't have to compromise between making money or saving the world," said Dev Aujla, 23, the man behind DreamNow, a project management company that oversees socially minded events and campaigns around the world. "I've done the activist thing and it's phenomenal. But if you need people working on the outside to bring down the system and you need people working in the system to change it from within."

Since launching the company in 003, Aujla and his team have been hired by individuals and organizations to spearhead projects ranging from the construction of orphanages in India to "Lights Out Canada," an annual environmental awareness event where schools spend one day without artificial lighting.

DreamNow began like any other business venture - by identifying a need and creating a service to fill it. In high school, Aujla was an avid children's rights activist and attended numerous conferences. He saw how people would be inspired to start new development and education projects, but had little idea how to get started. "They get pumped up and then they go home and nothing happens," said Aujla.

By providing project planning, marketing and networking resources, Aujla's business has launched hundreds of campaigns. He's also making the money he wants to make, more than many of his friends who are fresh out of school and working in the corporate world, he said.

Toronto resident Zahra Ebrahim, 23, is an entrepreneur who grew up as a passionate environmentalist. After finishing her studies in urban systems and architecture at McGill University, Ebrahim felt the pressure to pursue wealth over her activist work. She managed to gain the best of both worlds by founding ArchiText, a design company that provides green, alternative engineering solutions in an effort to make buildings more eco-friendly and energy efficient.

"Many (people) thought I was playing roulette with my future," she said.

The gamble paid off because Ebrahim has created the job of her dreams. She dictates her own salary, travels the world and participates in projects she truly cards about, like filming a documentary about green architecture. And as Toronto aims to slash building emissions, Ebrahim and her team of designers appear to be in high demand.

As social and environmental issues continue to gain more public attention, the potential for social entrepreneurs increases. Dev Aujla recognizes this, which is why DreamNow is initiating a campaign to provide resources for aspiring businesspeople to get set up and connected with like minded individuals. Even a guilt ridden consumer like me has the potential to make something happen, said Aujla.

"From the person who just reads the Vanity Fair green issue, to the person who's travelled abroad and worked . . . people are starting to ask the question 'how do we make money and change the world?' "he said. "We're starting to see the answers."

For more, see dreamnow.org

How to Get Motivated to Make Green Changes

If you find it hard to get motivated to make green changes, try one of these for inspiration:

• Watch Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth with friends and family members or watch it a second time.

The Green Committee at my office put on a showing of An Inconvenient Truth. Even the people who generally talk through every meeting they attend were listening raptly to this one. Who can forget that chart?

• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

This is one of the first classic books about ecology. Rachel Carson talks about pesticide use and how it was damaging the plants, animals, people, soil, water in the environment.

• Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy is an environmental lawyer. He sets out the disgusting and devastating truth about what Bush and his government have done to the environment, and how they have set back environmental legislation 30 years, and what part large corporations have taken in this.

• Diet for a Dead Planet: How the Food Industry is Killing Us by Christopher D. Cook.

Even though I have not finished this one yet, you could call this one a tale of corporate greed and everything you did not want to know about the growing, processing and selling foods in supermarkets and how this affects people (farmers, meat processing workers, inspectors and consumers).

Make One Green Change This Week

Make up your mind that this week you are going to make one change that will help stop global warming.

How about replacing a regular bulb with a compact fluorescent one?

How about using a reusable mug for coffee at work or when you purchase coffee at a coffee shop during coffee break?

If you haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth, how about inviting friends and family over to see it?

How about trying a recycled paper product this week, like paper towel, napkins or toilet paper?

Whatever you decide to do, tell someone about it, give yourself a deadline and then do it.
Once you make a change to help the environment, you will feel good about it. That will make it easier to change something else.

Because a co-worker asked our manager to set up a Green Committee at work, I am now part of the Green Committee. I also started reading about global warming and related topics, making changes at home, and writing letters to the editor (only two sent so far) and letters or emails to politicians.