Polar Bears that live in Canada's far north, with ranges that overlap Nunavut and Greenland, will be protected by a new agreement. Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice is in Greenland today for the signing ceremony with the governments of Greenland and Nunavut.
"Conservation groups have said they expect the agreement to be similar to other bilateral deals, such as one signed last year between Canada and the U.S., as well as a separate agreement between Alaska and Russia. ... Previous bilateral agreements have set a framework for collaboration on scientific research and monitoring of population levels, and could also include specific provisions to address or restrict hunting."
In 2008 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its decision to list the Polar Bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The Polar Bear is not yet listed under Canada's Species At Risk Act, despite the fact that more than half of the world's Polar Bears are found in Canada. You can join the campaign calling on the Environment Minister to add the Polar Bear to Canada's official Species At Risk list.
About the Polar Bear Common Name: Polar Bear Latin Name: Ursus Maritimus Status: Special Concern (according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) Size: Males are typically between two and three metres long and weigh up to 500 kg, though a few weigh as much as 800 kg. Females weigh between 150 to 250 kg. Population: 22,000 to 27,000 Life Span: 20 to 25 years Range: Most polar bears live in Canada, but other populations exist in Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Norway. Threats: Climate change, air pollution, oil spills and toxic chemicals.
A large number of globally significant IBAs have been identified along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec (IBAs are called ZICOs - Zones Importantes pour la Conservation des Oiseaux - in Quebec). Many are designated for concentrations of shorebirds which migrate south from James and Hudson Bay in the fall, or north in the spring from their wintering grounds often thousands of kilometres to the south. Extensive mudflats, sandbars and wetlands provide critical habitat rich in the invertebrate foods that fuel the next leg of their thousands of kilometres long journeys. The "battures" or tidal flats near the sprawling 80 kilometres square Sept Iles IBA, the Pointe au Pere IBA near Rimouski, or the sand bar at Portneuf, all support thousands of individuals from species such as White-rumped Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, and Ruddy Turnstone. This rich and dynamic littoral zone also supports massive numbers of migrating waterfowl, including Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Common Eider and Barrow's Goldeneye. As well as providing stop-over habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, the coastline is a veritable highway of birds from Pointe des Monts, about an hour's drive east of Baie Comeau, where the coast takes a shape turn to the north and the Saint Lawrence River becomes a gulf, to the beautiful village of Tadoussac and even further to the south-west. Tens and perhaps hundreds of millions of migrant landbirds move south from the huge area of boreal forest and tundra between Hudson Bay and the Labrador coast, arriving at the south-west angle of the Saint Lawrence coastline then follow the coast south-westward before crossing the Saint Lawrence at one of a few locations east of Quebec City. Observers with the Tadoussac Bird Observatory document part of this migration in the fall season from lookouts above the Saint Lawrence near Tadoussac and from observation points near Pointe des Monts.
In visiting three of these highly significant IBAs with very active groups and champions, I have been impressed with how enthusiastically the IBA concept is embraced and how eager the local people are to continue their work as "Gardiens" or Caretakers. Along the way I have also met several very talented and passionate young ornithologists such as Marylène and Jean Étienne (in the photo) who paint a very bright future for bird conservation in la belle province!
Climate Day at Parliament Hill in Ottawa was intense, moving and energizing. Mara Kerry, Nature Canada's Director of Conservation and I were very glad to be there.
There was a strong sense of urgency, but also of hope: the event was organized by young people that want to make sure world leaders in Copenhagen set us in a new course: a 350 future.
Dr. John Stone, one of the IPCCC's scientists that won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping the world understand Climate Change, had a simple message: "We are running out of time."
A young leader from the Northwest Territories also had a simple message: "We have a right to be cold."
The Executive Director of Oxfam Canada reminded us that climate change is not about the future, as people are today -yesterday- dying because of drought and extreme weather related to climate change.
Led by a young organizer, all of those who had a cellphone called our Prime Minister with a simple message: "I want to be part of the solution. Make us proud in Copenhagen." Calls will continue this week.
Representatives of the KYOTOplus Coalition - 100 diverse groups and organizations, including Nature Canada - presented the first 100,000 signatures to the KYOTOplus petition to the Prime Minister's Office this morning.
At a news conference including speakers from Greenpeace and Oxfam, banners with the names of over 40,000 signatories were unfurled and held high in front of the Parliament Buildings. I have to say, it's an impressive sight!
Members of the NDP, Bloc Québecois and Green Party also spoke and commended the Canadians who have already signed the petition, encouraging all MPs to pay attention to the demands of the public for positive action on climate change.
The KYOTOplus petition calls for science-based greenhouse gas emission targets in Canada and strong global action at the climate change talks in Copenhagen this December. The coalition will continue to collect signatures to the petition until the Copenhagen meetings, when the balance of the signatories will be presented to the Prime Minister.
The banners included a sample of over 40,000 names collected by coalition members.
NDP Environment Critic Linda Duncan addresses the crowd.
The banners were arrayed in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
As we told you earlier this week, Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, is currently passing through parliament. Yesterday was a crucial vote to move the Bill to Third Reading in the House of Commons. It has been stuck in the House Environment Committee since April.
In yesterday's vote, the Liberals and Conservatives decided to leave the Bill at the Committee for further study. This decision means that Canada will go to international climate talks in Copenhagen this December without a clear plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada is the only country in the world to renounce its climate change commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
Read more about Bill C-311 and yesterday's vote on NetNewsledger.com.
Representatives from the KYOTOplus Coalition, which includes more than 60 organizations, including Nature Canada, will deliver the names of 100,000 citizens who demand positive action on climate change when they visit the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.
Minutes before delivering the petition, two 100 foot banners with the names of nearly half the signatories will be unfurled on Parliament Hill, during a 10:00am news conference. This will be only a representative sample of the names collected by groups such as Nature Canada, Greenpeace, Sierra Club Canada, Oxfam and others.
Thousands of concerned Canadians have united under the KYOTOplus banner to call for an end to political foot-dragging and a beginning to real action on climate change. They agree that we need a credible plan as part of a global effort to combat the climate crisis.
The KYOTOplus campaign will continue to collect signatories to its petition (which you can read online) right up until the United Nations climate talks set to take place this December in Copenhagen, at which time the balance of the names will be delivered to Prime Minister Harper, as well as to COP15 president Connie Hedegaard (Danish Minister for Climate and Energy) in Copenhagen.
We greatly appreciate the many Nature Canada supporters who raised their voices by signing this petition. Climate change affects us all, and it's encouraging that so many Canadians are willing to join the effort to find solutions. Your voice can still be heard - sign the petition now!
People who live in the Ottawa area are encouraged to visit Parliament Hill on Thursday, October 22 at 10:00am to view the massive banners acknowledging the petition signatories.
Two days later, join a global day of action October 24 and take part in events across the country, including °C-Day: Fill The Hill in Ottawa, and urge Canada's government to take positive climate action! Events in your area are listed at 350.org.
Nature Canada is urging Members of Parliament to speed passage of Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, ahead of climate talks set to take place this December in Copenhagen.
While countries like Germany, Denmark and Sweden are decades ahead of Canada on climate change legislation and countries like Australia and the US are playing catch-up after years of less progressive government, Canada remains without a credible plan or adequate regulations.
Canada is the only country to renounce its Kyoto commitment and break its promise to the world. Instead, we continue to have one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emission rates in the world, with no true plan to fix the problem.
Bill C-311 will help end this situation. If passed, it will compel the government to implement a comprehensive plan and a set reporting schedule to achieve emissions reduction of 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The entire bill is available online.
Bill C-311 passed Second Reading in April and has been tied up in the House Environment Committee ever since. The Committee must now return it to the House by October 22 for Third Reading. If passed in the House it will still have to pass a Senate vote and then it will be returned to the House to receive Royal Assent.
If Parliament can be convinced to act swiftly, the Bill can still pass the House by Christmas break on December 11.
Nature Canada is calling on Canadians to contact the offices of Members of Parliament through phone calls and letters, to demand passage of climate legislation before the climate talks take place in Copenhagen in December.
We suggest starting with your own Member of Parliament. Tell them that Canada must pass Bill C-311 before the Copenhagen meetings to send a clear message to the world that we have joined the global effort to stop climate change. Not sure who your MP is? Find out here.
If you want to do more, contact the MPs who sit on the House Environment Committee; they are their parties' representatives discussing the Bill and will be influential in moving it forward.
James Bezan (Selkirk—Interlake) BezanJ@parl.gc.ca, (613) 992-2032, (204)785-6151
Bernard Bigras (Rosemont—La Petite—Patrie) BigraB@parl.gc.ca, (613)992-0423, (514) 729-5342
Francis Scarpaleggia (Lac-Saint-Louis) ScarpF@parl.gc.ca, (613) 995-8281,(514) 695-6661
Peter Braid (Kitchener—Waterloo) Braid.P@parl.gc.ca, (613) 996-5928,(519) 746-1573
I've been reading a lot about climate change over the past two days. For me, being involved in Blog Action Day was about more than just posting thoughts and messages from Nature Canada (see our entries on climate change and forests, birds and nature) - it's about seeing what others had to say, too.
I read political blogs from the offices of world leaders. I read posts from fellow environmental NGOs, both in Canada and around the world. I read entries on some of the world's top 100 blogs.
Mostly, I tried to read blogs from regular, everyday people. Some of them were nature or environment related; many were outside those fields, yet took the time to step away from their usual subject matter or find the connection to climate change.
What impresses me most about yesterday's action is that over 13,000 people care enough about climate change to write about it. Over 17 million readers got the message.
I've worked for environmental non-profits for 3 years, and it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details of tackling issues like climate change. Days like yesterday provide a wonderful and necessary opportunity to take a step back and look at the larger landscape. My biggest take-away from Blog Action Day 2009 will be a renewed sense of global will, global aspiration and global community to affect positive change for our common future.
The effort doesn't stop here. Nature Canada is working with partners in the KYOTOplus campaign and the Make Forests Count campaign to demand action from our political leaders leading up to and through the climate talks in Copenhagen this December. And we will continue to work beyond those talks for climate change solutions that account for nature, habitats and wildlife.
On Blog Action Day, it's important to remember nature's role in climate change - both how it is affected and how it can help.
Urgent action is needed for climate and biodiversity. Climate change and the alarming rate of biodiversity decline worldwide are the most important human-induced environmental challenges that society faces today. Policy must strive to address both of these closely inter-related challenges at the same time.
Nature Canada supports the target of keeping the average rise in the Earth’s surface temperature to less than 2ºC above pre-industrial levels (before the late 18th Century). The highest priority for action needs to be the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (through less consumption of fossil fuels and higher efficiency in energy use in all sectors, sustainable development of renewable energy and the protection of carbon sinks like forests and wetlands).
Adapt with nature, not against it. A certain degree of rapid and significant climate change is already unavoidable. It is essential that we act to increase the ability of ecosystems to adapt and accommodate the need of species and habitats to move into areas with more suitable climatic conditions. The switch from fossil fuels to renewable energies needs to avoid harm to ecosystems and biodiversity. All climate change adaptation measures, such as flood defence, land-use changes, etc. must support, rather than weaken, the resilience and diversity of ecosystems - otherwise the problems only get worse, postponed or displaced.
Biodiversity conservation has the potential to contribute significantly to mitigating climate change, and to help human societies adapt to its impacts. Habitat conservation and appropriate management, including habitat restoration, can play a crucial role in sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Effective management and restoration of natural systems will help provide resilience and secure livelihoods, improving the capacity of the poorest in particular to deal with the impacts of climate change. Developing countries need extra resources to allow them to safeguard and manage their assets sustainably. New policies are needed to integrate options for meeting biodiversity, climate and sustainable development objectives.
Recognize common but differentiated responsibility to mitigate and adapt to climate change. All countries have a role to play. Developed countries should take a lead in reducing emissions, by at least 30% by 2020 (from 1990 levels) and by at least 80% (from 1990 levels) by 2050. There is a need for global post-2012 agreement on these targets. Rapidly industrializing countries need to follow this lead, and must immediately start to slow down the rate of increase in their emissions. Countries with little industry must attend to the conservation of their natural habitat.
Climate change and poverty are linked and neither can be addressed individually. The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed – the poorest countries and people will suffer earliest and most. Actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change can either enhance or erode natural resources and ecosystems. People living in degraded ecosystems are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including through loss of livelihood opportunities and disasters.
Land use changes, deforestation and degradation are part of the problem. Land use change is a major driver of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. The forests of the world are disappearing at the rate of one football pitch per year. In climate terms, tropical deforestation accounts for about 20% of all human-induced emissions every year, roughly the same volume of greenhouse gas emissions as produced by the USA or China. The loss of natural tropical forests is a catastrophe for the world’s biodiversity. Avoided deforestation and degradation, afforestation and reforestation should have a role in any post-Kyoto regime.
This year's Blog Action Day on climate change falls right at the end of an amazing ecological spectacle in North America: the annual southward migration of millions of birds headed for warmer climes for the winter. Our yards are quieter, our skies are emptier. And today's a good day to think about the impacts facing these departing bird populations as a result of climate change.
In many instances, we read about the projected impacts of a changing climate on a country, or an ecological community, or a species, and the effects seem hard to imagine because they are so distant. Well, for many bird species, including many Canadian birds, the effects of climate change are being felt now. Not generations from now. Not 50 or 20 years from now. Now.
Birds are laying their eggs earlier to correspond to warmer spring temperatures. They are migrating earlier - or, if not, like some long-distance migrants, they risk arriving on their breeding grounds after their insect food sources have already peaked. They are shifting their distributions more northward. They are suffering from changes in ecological communities resulting in increased parasites and decreased food supply.
What does this mean? Birds can fly, after all, you might think, so can't they just fly to habitat with a more suitable climate? Well, yes, in some cases. But this is not a strategy that will work forever, and it won't work for all species. In some cases, there just won't be any more suitable habitat.
We are already seeing this in Arctic breeding birds. For example, the Ivory Gull is one of the most northerly nesting Canadian birds. Ivory Gulls forage along sea ice. As sea ice is disappearing, so too are Canadian Ivory Gulls: they have declined 90% in the past two decades. Consider that 15% of the world's birds breed in Arctic areas and you quickly understand that these impacts will extend well beyond our beautiful Ivory Gulls.
It's time for Canada to take significant action on climate change, to save all our bird species that are canaries in the coalmine.
Photos: Shorebirds in flight (Shutterstock); Ivory Gull (Simon Stirrup)
Canadians are talking a lot about climate change these days in the lead up to the UNFCCC meetings in Copenhagen in December. These are of international importance and will set the global stage for future targets and actions to address a changing climate. Leading up to Copenhagen we must be sure to include one of our most important allies in the global warming battle: trees.
Nature Canada and other conservation organizations believe that forests play a bigger role in our strategy to stop climate change. Their role in the regulation of climate is both important and unique – trees are victims of global warming, contributors to global warming, and a crucial part of the solution to global warming.
Most of the increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations come from the use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy, but few realize that about 25% of all global emissions come from deforestation and changes in land use like the clearing of forests and the cultivation of soils for food production. The carbon stored in trees and soils is released to the atmosphere when forests are cleared and cultivated. When forests regrow, they take back carbon from the atmosphere and store it again in trees and soils.
Canada can use Kyoto and other mechanisms to encourage the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it in forests, forest products, and soils. Even further, by protecting existing forests and making better land management decisions we can conserve and enhance existing carbon stores and prevent future GHG emissions.
This path to reducing GHG emissions has other significant benefits. Forests, grasslands, wetlands and other natural ecosystems provide billions of dollars in ecological goods and services - clean air and water, productive soils, forests and oceans, genetic resources for food and pharmaceuticals, pest and disease control, to name just a few. Forested ecosystems around the world are home to 70 percent of the world's plants and animals -- more than 13 million distinct species. According to the Canadian Boreal Initiative, Canada’s boreal forest alone provides ecosystem services estimated at $703 billion annually. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan determined that our national parks have sequestered over 4.4 gigatonnes of carbon worth $72-78 billion.
Most of the world’s biodiversity is found in tropical forests. Roughly 7.3 million hectares of forest are being lost annually to deforestation according to the 2007 State of the World's Forests report, exacerbating global warming and speeding the extinction rates of countless species.
At present, neither the Climate Change Convention nor the Kyoto Protocol require countries to account for green house gas emissions caused by forest clear cutting or wetland destruction. Under the current global climate change agreement, countries may elect to continue these practices without any penalty and with no incentive for change. In some cases countries can even use loopholes to get credit for doing harm to forests and wetlands.
In 2005, a group of developing countries called the Coalition for Rainforest Nations proposed that developing countries commit to limiting tropical deforestation. This proposal is referred to as REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation). Nature Canada welcomes their proposal as a way to address climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
Climate change is the most dramatic symptom of our unsustainable approach to development. As Canadians, we have a unique opportunity to address climate change by protecting forests. We should complete the national system of protected areas. We should support the establishment of protected areas in developing countries where most of the world’s biodiversity is found. We can also improve land and forest management, and develop land-use plans that recognize the huge contribution these forests make to global carbon cycles and the many other benefits they provide.
We need to ensure that we make forests count in Copenhagen. By taking this opportunity to increase incentives for protecting Earth’s remaining wilderness ecosystems, humans will help to reduce the speed of climate change. We’ll also improve prospects for the estimated 30% of wild species estimated to go extinct if human-induced global warming is not curbed.
Oil sands development is a controversial topic. A unique event to be held at Ottawa's Carleton University this week will use a combination of formats to draw the audience into the issue.
Starting with a live original theatre production of Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show, Emergency Architect Theatre will explore the diverse voices of Fort McMurray and uncover the stories behind the headlines.
Journalist and best-selling author Andrew Nikiforuk will offer his insights on the oil sands based on two decades of writing about energy and economics, and his latest book Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent.
Finally, the event will feature a panel discussion with the two co-sponsors: Dr. Jay Drydek from Carleton University's Centre on Values and Ethics and Janet Keeping, president, Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.
It's the time of year when billions of birds are on the move, making the annual Fall migration from Canada to warmer climes in the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
About 40% of the world's bird species are considered migratory. In North America about 75% of bird species migrate, but in Canada alone roughly 90% of bird species take off for the winter.
There are many things you can do to encourage birds to visit your yard during their migration, and to ensure that their journey is a safe one. Here are five:
Throw old bread in the bin. Old baked goods are prone to mould, and fill a bird’s belly without meeting its nutritional needs. Mould can kill waterfowl. Instead of feeding old bread to the birds, offer dry seed, grains or fruits instead.
Put waste in its place. Birds become entangled in plastic bags, fishing line and other garbage, resulting in injury, strangulation or easy predation.
Break up your windows with stickers, decals or strips of colour. Unbroken reflections baffle birds, causing them to fly into the glass.
Drive carefully, especially in rural areas. Roadside birds take flight at an angle—possibly straight into your vehicle’s path—so slow down.
Provide a water source. Bird baths need only be an inch or two deep and have a shallow slope. If you have cats that prowl the neighbourhood, it's best to mount the bath on a pedestal. Bird baths should be cleaned once a week with a stiff brush.
Blog Action Day, on October 15, is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. This year, the issue is climate change, and Nature Canada is joining in!
More than 4,600 blogs already have formally signed on to participate in what is being billed as the largest-ever social change event on the web. And what's cool is that it's not just environmental groups who will be posting on climate change that day: political, travel, technology and religious blogs have registered, along with plenty of personal bloggers whose interests include everything under the sun.
On October 15, we'll share a number of posts from different folks here at Nature Canada, so be sure to check in that day.
And if you have a blog, go to the Blog Action Day web site and participate.
If you have waterfront property, prepare for the changing seasons with helpful maintenance tips from this seasonal guide.
The information originally appeared in On the Living Edge: Your Handbook for Waterfront Living by Sarah Kipp and Clive Calloway as part of the Living by Water project.
Here are several tips, just in time for Fall:
Plan for Runoff
Check your runoff control systems in anticipation of spring runoff. Check how drainage systems are working by walking your property during a rainstorm.
Install any needed runoff control devices.
Clear drainage ditches, swales and culvert ends of sediment, rocks and other debris that could block the flow of water.
Clear eavestroughs and downspouts of debris.
Clean out silt deposits along driveway runoff logs.
Check that any water surge deflectors are in place.
Docks
Weigh the pros and cons of wintering your dock on shore. Talk to neighbours to learn about winter conditions. Beaching your dock can help prolong its life and protect it from being buffeted by winter storms or squeezed by ice. However, the process of dragging it ashore may create wear and tear each time you move it, and damage your shoreline.
Plan for Snow Removal
Designate areas for piling snow that will minimize interference with spring runoff, to avoid any possible flooding problems in the spring.
Stake and mark any trees, shrubs, large rocks, runoff logs or other objects that could be damaged by snow removal equipment, or could damage your plough or snowblower.
If heavy snow build-up on roofs or overhangs is a concern, investigate ways to reinforce the roof, or make arrangements to have the snow removed during the winter.
Wildlife
Avoid negative encounters with wildlife by keeping them out of your home.
Block all means of entry for insects, rodents and bats via foundations, porches and steps; through doors and windows; holes in roofs or eaves; cracks in floors, ceilings or walls; and through access points for wires and pipes.
Discourage contact; trim tree limbs that touch the roof or walls of your home. Store firewood away from main buildings or in a special shelter. Use yellow light bulbs in all outside light fixtures – insects will be less attracted to your house at night.
Keep food away. Use animal-proof garbage cans, keep pet food inside, and keep barbecue equipment clean and in a secure area. Do not put meat, bones, dairy products, fats or cooked grains in your compost.
Fall Leaves
Compost leaves or use a mulching mower. Don’t dump over banks or bluff edges into ravines or the water.
Plumbing
Make sure that water pipes, pumps and outside faucets are either well insulated or drained so they can withstand the cold temperatures of your area.
Protect unheated crawl spaces. If necessary, insulate footings.
Margaret Atwood continued the Canadian leg of her worldwide book tour this week, arriving in Vancouver for an October 1 performance.
Her hybrid show -- part book reading, part dramatic interpretation, part hymnal singing -- has been drawing crowds across the country, and once again she used the spotlight to raise awareness about Nature Canada and our regional partners in bird conservation.
Volunteering at the table were Anne Murray from BC Nature and Rob Butler from Bird Studies Canada. Anne was kind enough to send pictures from the event!
Here's Anne next to her display. She and Rob were busy handing out brochures and bookmarks to anyone with an outstretched hand!
Another packed church -- this time over 1,100 people!
Margaret Atwood, signing copies of her latest novel, Year of the Flood.
Donations made at this event -- and at performances in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Sudbury -- go towards the Important Bird Areas program, a joint initiative with our national partner, Bird Studies Canada, and provincial groups throughout Canada, including BC Nature. If you want to support Nature Canada's bird conservation efforts, here's how.
The extent of greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands operations is much worse than reported due to the failure of oil companies and governments to account for emissions from forest destruction, according to new research by Global Forest Watch Canada. (See press release)
The research paper, "Bitumen and Biocarbon," shows for the first time that when the Boreal forest is disturbed and destroyed for tar sands development, significant amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted. Governments and industry do not measure or report these emissions.
Disclosure: Lead author and executive director of Global Forest Watch, Peter Lee, is a former Nature Canada board member. Check out the GFW web site for other reports on the status of forests around the world.
The research paper, which was partly funded by Greenpeace, shows that when emissions from the destruction of the Boreal forest are factored in, greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands operations are significantly higher than reported.
The research shows that under full development, the annual average release of carbon from the removal of natural ecosystems would be 8.7 megatonnes (mt) of carbon dioxide, with wide fluctuations over time. Current reported greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands operations, which do not account for these additional emissions, are about 36 mt a year. Planned expansion is expected to increase emission levels from operations alone to 120 to 140 mt a year.
The report, available for download on the Greenpeace Web site, estimates the amount of carbon dioxide released through land use changes from tar sands operations. Biological carbon, which is stored in living and decaying plants as soil organic carbon and as trees and other vegetation, is lost when natural ecosystems are disturbed or destroyed through mining of bitumen and the construction of roads, wellpads, mine pits, plant facilities and pipelines. Once disturbed, this biological carbon becomes carbon dioxide and adds to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
Global Forest Watch's research is yet more evidence that tar sands operations threaten to destroy or fragment not only the forests, but the vast lakes, rivers, and wetlands that provide nesting grounds for millions of birds in Canada's Boreal.
All the more reason to declare a moratorium on any new tar sands development and to implement stricter environmental controls over existing operations. The environmental and human health costs are simply too high. If you agree, sign our petition and add your voice.
Polar Bears that live in Canada's far north, with ranges that overlap Nunavut and Greenland, will be protected by a new agreement. Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice is in Greenland today for the signing ceremony with the governments of Greenland and Nunavut.
The banners included a sample of over 40,000 names collected by coalition members.
NDP Environment Critic Linda Duncan addresses the crowd.
The banners were arrayed in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
Another packed church -- this time over 1,100 people!
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