2007

December 2008

These are news articles that we have featured on our home page from the month of December 2008:

New cement eats CO2 - Fights global warming

Dec 31, 2008 - Guardian

LONDON - Current cement manufacture may be responsible for more global greenhouse emissions than the entire aviation industry. Cement with a new formulation requires less energy to make and absorbs CO2 as it sets.

Beijing's New Year resolution: scrap polluting cars

Dec 31, 2008 - Reuters

BEIJING - Beijing, beset by choking traffic and heavy air pollution, will take more than 350,000 high-polluting vehicles off inner city streets from Thursday, local media reported.

2009 to be one of warmest years on record: researchers

Dec 30, 2008 - Reuters

LONDON - Next year is set to be one of the top-five warmest on record, British climate scientists said on Tuesday.

Dell's goal of 'carbon neutrality' has limits

Dec 30, 2008 - Wall Street Journal

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Computer giant Dell Inc. said this summer that it has become "carbon neutral". What that means, and what it doesn't, may surprise consumers who have been bombarded with bold environmental promises from major corporations.

German scientist warns climate change accelerating

Dec 29, 2008 - Deutsche Welle

POTSDAM, Germany – Climate change is happening more rapidly than anyone though possible, the German government's expert, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, warned in an interview.

Electric car that can break speed limit signals new road order

Dec 26, 2008 - The Independent

LONDON - The i-MiEV – pronounced eye-meev – from Mitsubishi, is a saloon car which will carry four adults and reach a top speed of 87mph. It will be available in the UK, initially for leasing, from the middle of 2009 and can travel up to 100 miles without charging.

Aspen, Park City warned of warming slopes

Dec 23, 2008 - Associated Press

DENVER - This wicked winter notwithstanding, a study of two Rocky Mountain ski resorts says climate change will mean shorter seasons and less snow on lower slopes.

Tough climate goals may be easier than feared

Dec 22, 2008 - Reuters

OSLO - Tough targets for avoiding dangerous global warming may be easier to achieve than widely believed, according to a study that could ease fears of a prohibitive long-term surge in costs.

Gloomy economy fails to curb Green enthusiasm

Dec 21, 2008 - Globe and Mail

HALIFAX – As rain slides down the showroom's plate glass and the conversation turns to the storm clouds on Canada's economic horizon, Richard Vinson smiles and confidently predicts plenty of sunny days ahead for his business.

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Obama science choices show break from Bush

Dec 20, 2008 - Associated Press

WASHINGTON - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named Harvard physicist John Holdren and marine biologist Jane Lubchenco to top science posts, signaling a change from Bush administration policies on global warming that were criticized for putting politics over science.

Winnipeg city council refuses to budge on funds for bicycle paths

Dec 17, 2008 - Winnipeg Free Press

WINNIPEG – Cycling activists left city hall disappointed Tuesday, having come up short in their attempts to increase capital budget spending on bike paths and pedestrian trails.

Arctic melt passes the point of no return

Dec 16, 2008 - The Independent

SAN FRANCISCO – Scientists have found the first unequivocal evidence that the Arctic region is warming at a faster rate than the rest of the world at least a decade before it was predicted to happen.

Canada labelled a ‘Colossal Fossil’

Dec 15, 2008 - Metro News

POZNAN, Poland – Canada wrapped up negotiations at a United Nations climate conference Friday with a promise to keep climate change at the top of its agenda, even as it was dubbed the most obstructionist country at the summit.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Carbon Markets - What's In It for the Poor?

Dec 15, 2008 - IPS News

UXBRIDGE - Climate experts meeting in Poznan, Poland, promised to create a new pot of carbon-credit gold for the rural poor as guardians of rural lands and forests.
But there are many who warn that the gold will flow only to corporate interests.

Scientist dropped from climate delegation to save money?

Dec 13, 2008 - CBC News

POZNAN, Poland – Environment Minister Jim Prentice said the government's decision to not send one of Canada's leading scientists to the international climate talks wrapping up in Poland Friday was financial, not political.

Canada criticized for lax approach to environment

Dec 11, 2008 - Globe and Mail

POZNAN, Poland – For years, the Bush administration was lambasted for its role at UN climate-change talks, but environmentalists say Canada is at risk of becoming the developed country most criticized for its lack of interest in tackling global warming.

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Canada won’t buy carbon credits to meet Kyoto Treaty targets

Dec 10, 2008 - Bloomberg.com

POZNAN, Poland – Canada, the world’s eighth-largest economy, won’t buy United Nations credits to meet its carbon dioxide emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol, the country’s chief climate negotiator said.

Vancouver’s last glacier disappearing drip by drip

Dec 9, 2008 - Vancouver Straight

VANCOUVER - Two centuries ago, when the West Coast had a cooler climate during the Little Ice Age, there were about 10 glaciers in the mountains north of Metro Vancouver. Now, only the Coquitlam Glacier remains.

Emissions by individuals on the rise: StatsCan

Dec 9, 2008 - Canwest News Service

OTTAWA - Households accounted for nearly half of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada in 2004, according to a Statistics Canada report released Tuesday.

Bye, bye Arctic ice - a case of too little too late

Dec 9, 2008 - newKerala.com

POZNAN, Poland – The world is struggling to keep global warming to two degrees celsius as governments cannot agree on the steps. Even if they agree, it will be too little too late to save the Arctic ice cap and the sea will rise 6-7 metres, says a senior expert of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Ontario to set standards for low-speed electric vehicles

Dec 8, 2008 - CBC News

TORONTO - The Ontario government says it is prepared to develop safety standards that could pave the way for the arrival of low-speed electric cars in the province.

City in Quebec may replace outdoor ice rinks with plastic

Dec 8, 2008 - CBC News

MONTREAL - One Quebec city is considering giving up on one of the icons of Canadian winter, the outdoor ice rink, and replacing it with plastic.

Native hunters say climate affecting herds

Dec 7, 2008 - Associated Press

POZNAN, Poland – Chief Bill Erasmus of the Dene nation in northern Canada brought a stark warning about the climate crisis: The once abundant herds of caribou are dwindling, rivers are running lower and the ice is too thin to hunt on.

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Study shows Canada can tackle climate change and prosper

Dec 4, 2008 - CNW

POZNAN, Poland - Canada can be a leader in tackling climate change and still experience strong economic and employment growth according to a groundbreaking study released today.

DEBATE: To bury or not to bury CO2

Dec 4, 2008 - Discovery

DEBATE - Two experts argue that the best solution is to bury CO2 underground. A third counters with a completely different opinion.

$4.7 million targeted for active transportation in Winnipeg

Dec 3, 2008 - Winnipeg Free Press

WINNIPEG - People who walk or cycle around Winnipeg won more funding for bike paths, bike commuting lanes on roads, better sidewalks, and even a new pedestrian bridge across the Red River.

Poll: Canadians want action on global warming despite economic downturn

Dec 2, 2008 - CNW

POZNAN, Poland - Nearly two-thirds of Canadians want to see Canada take action to tackle global warming despite the economic crisis, according to new polling released today by four Canadian observer organizations at UN climate talks.

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