ENN Weekly: May 15th - 19th

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ENN rounds up the most important and compelling environmental news stories of the week. In the news May 15th - 19th: African glaciers, tropical coffee forests, plug-in hybrids, Alaskan reefs, and much more.

The Week's Top Ten Articles

In the news May 15th - 19th: African glaciers, tropical coffee forests, plug-in hybrids, Alaskan reefs, and much more.


1. What Price Nature? Bogs $6,000, Reefs $10,000
The figures read like a real estate agent's listings: 2.5 acres of marsh in Canada, $6,000 per year; a tropical forest in Cameroon, $3,500; a Caribbean coral reef, $10,000.


2. El Salvador Tropical Coffee Forests Threatened
Tropical forests that house El Salvador's famed coffee plantations and provide habitat for migrating birds are being depleted at an alarming rate, scientists warned Tuesday.


3. House Approves Bill to Speed Logging in Burned Forests
The House on Wednesday approved a bill to speed up the logging of burned forests and planting of new trees after storms and wildfires.


4. Biotech Firm Raises Furor With Rice Plan
A tiny biosciences company is developing a promising drug to fight diarrhea, a scourge among babies in the developing world, but it has made an astonishing number of powerful enemies because it grows the experimental drug in rice genetically engineered with a human gene.


5. Governments Have Failed to Stop Overfishing, Study Shows
Governments worldwide have failed to prevent overfishing in the oceans, where a proliferation of bottom-trawling threatens to wipe out deep sea species, conservation groups WWF and Traffic said on Friday.


6. Scientists Back Plug-In Hybrids
A group of scientists urged Congress on Wednesday to fund research for plug-in hybrid vehicles, touting the technology as another way to reduce the nation's dependence on oil through the help of a simple electrical socket.


7. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Still a Threat, Study Says
Oil spilled 17 years ago by the tanker Exxon Valdez still threatens wildlife around Alaska's Prince William Sound, scientists reported Tuesday, a finding that could add $100 million to cleanup costs for Exxon Mobil Corp.


8. Climate Expert to Lead Talks on Extending Kyoto Deal
A U.N. conference picked a veteran Maltese climate expert on Wednesday to lead talks about how to overcome deep policy splits on global warming and extend the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.


9. Alaska Gets Its First Artificial Reef
Fifty feet down in the cold waters of Smitty's Cove, a concrete paradise is being built for some of Alaska's most unusual creatures. It took less than 24 hours before some of them started checking out the new real estate -- Alaska's first artificial reef.


10. Glaciers in Africa Expected to Disappear
Mountain glaciers in equatorial Africa are on their way to disappearing within two decades, a team of British researchers reports.


Guest Commentary: Canada's International Reputation in Jeopardy
By Dr. David Suzuki


Pity poor George W. Bush - the much-maligned president is at an all-time low in the polls. And if Canada's new prime minister wants to stick around, he should learn from Mr. Bush's presidency and avoid making the same mistakes.


Little mistakes - like flouting important international agreements. Mr. Bush pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example, in spite of scientific consensus that the problem is urgent and a public that sees global warming as a serious problem.


Right now, Prime Minister Harper is one-upping the president by flouting, not only the original agreement, but also international law. Although the United States and Canada both signed Kyoto back in 1997, only Canada actually adopted the agreement in 2002. So Canada is legally obligated to reduce emissions, the United States is not.


Yet, our new federal government seems bothered not a whit by such details. Instead, it has said that the Kyoto targets are too hard for Canada, so it won't even try to meet them - essentially thumbing its nose at the international community and the other Kyoto signatories (the majority of whom have already reached their targets or are on track to meet them by the 2012 deadline).


As one of the world's largest, most northerly nations, Canada has much to lose from a changing climate. Warming at the poles is much more pronounced than it is closer to the equator. North of the Arctic Circle, temperatures have risen many times more than average for the Northern Hemisphere.


For these reasons, one could argue that in our own self interest Canada should be leading the world in both climate change research, as well as climate change solutions. And here's another reason: Canada's vast, frozen tundra is also currently a huge carbon sink - that is, the soil holds carbon that could otherwise end up in the atmosphere and speed up global warming.


In fact, many scientists are worried about what will happen when the ground melts and that soil heats up. This could speed up the decomposition of organic matter and release more carbon dioxide and methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. In other words, Canada's vast northern landscape could itself become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. This is why Canada has so much at stake, and has a duty to work towards solutions.


Recently, the federal government hinted that its approach to reducing emissions would involve regulation. That would be a good step, but only if the regulations involve strict targets and timetables. Voluntary targets, which have proven to be popular among governments because they aren't controversial with industry, simply don't work. Unless there are strong mandated targets and timelines, Canada's emissions will continue to rise.


Canada's previous government had earmarked $150 million to arctic research as part of its contribution to the 2007-2008 International Polar Year. But Prime Minister Harper's recent budget did not mention this funding. Further, the government has said that it will develop a new research policy based on "value for money." What this means is anyone's guess. Important science does not always pay off with direct financial gain. Will scientific research become politicized in Canada, as it has under President Bush, with politicians deciding the value of research?


One can only hope not. Canada has a strong international reputation as a trustworthy, just nation and also as an environmental leader. All of these positive attributes are currently at risk. Ignoring commitments, politicizing science and dumping on the environment are not exactly sources of pride. Canada's new prime minister would do well indeed to look south of the border for inspiration - and see what happens to the popularity of leaders who ignore the wishes of those they serve.


Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.


ENN welcomes a wide range of perspectives in its Commentary Series. To find out more or to submit a commentary for consideration please contact ENN's editor, Carrie Schluter: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..



Photo: A flowering thistle. Credit: Gary M. Stolz/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


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