Canada Does Poorly in EPI Grading

Posted on February 5, 2010 by craigbaird

The 2010 Environmental Performance Index, which takes a look at 163 countries and ranks them based on 25 environmental performance factors, has not been kind to Canada, or many western nations for that matter. The EPI, which is a gauge of how a country is doing to help the environment, also gives and indication of how the world is doing in terms of being eco-friendly.

In the top four, the only countries to score 85 to 100, were Iceland with 93.5, Switzerland with 89.1, Costa Rica with 86.4 and Sweden with 86.0. These four countries are often applauded for their excellent environmental track record.

For scores 70 to 85, there are 20 countries listed including Norway (fifth), France (seventh), Cuba (ninth), Colombia (10th), United Kingdom (14th), New Zealand (15th), Japan (20th) and Spain (25th).

It isn’t until we actually get into scores of 55 to 70 that we finally find Canada, which comes in ranking at number 46th, with a score of 66.4. If Canada was a student, we would be getting D grades. To put this in perspective, the countries between 55 and 70 in score that ranked above Canada included Belize, Nepal, Croatia, Peru, Ecuador, Serbia, Algeria, Romania and yes, even Mexico.

One bright spot is the fact that Canada does rank ahead of the United States, which comes in at 61st with a score of 63.5. Coming in last is Sierra Leone, with a score of 32.1.

Hail Canada! The Environmental D Student of the World!

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Radiation Leaking From Power Plants

Posted on February 5, 2010 by craigbaird

Nuclear Power Plants May Be Leaking

Nuclear power plants have been getting a bad rap for a long time. Nuclear energy is better than coal and oil because it provides much more energy and the energy is clean, if you ignore the radioactive waste. Many people do not want to live near nuclear power plants either because of the risk of explosion and the radiation that may be leaking from the plant.

Well, as it turns out, in a recent report it was found that 27 of the 104 nuclear reactors located in the United States are leaking radiation. Yep, that is right, leaking radiation. This radiation, which comes in the form of tritium, is leaking into the groundwater near the plants. Tests done on the water near one plant found tritium levels were three-and-a-half times above federal standard levels.
As anyone knows, radiation from power plants in high doses can lead to hormonal problems, birth problems, sterility and increased cancer risks. Naturally though, the Nuclear Energy Institute said that the radiation levels are of little concern to the public because they feel that the public would have to drink a lot of water in order to have any high dose of tritium.
Regardless, any amount of radiation going into the water is dangerous and this is not even taking into consideration the aquatic species that live in those waters. People drink the water, they eat the fish and they get a nice dose of radiation.
So how is nuclear energy better than solar? Solar energy = free and clean. Nuclear energy = three-eyed fish and radioactive waste.

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ExxonMobil Investing In Algae Energy

Posted on February 5, 2010 by craigbaird

Algae

ExxonMobil is known for being a big oil company and that often gives them a bad rap. ExxonMobil is also known for the worst oil spill in history, which happened 21 years ago and the effects are still being felt today. Well, it looks like ExxonMobil is trying to fix their battered environmental image by investing heavily, to the tune of $600 million, in algae-based bio-fuels. Working with Synthetic Genomics, ExxonMobil now joins Dow Chemical who is also investing heavily in algae technology.

Many companies are going towards bio-fuels that come from algae because ethanol-based fuels are now being seen as not economically-viable because of the high price it puts on food costs and how much corn has to be diverted in order supply fuel rather than food. In addition, algae is seen as better than ethanol for supplying fuel because it is cheap, it can be grown in controlled conditions and it does not take much space to make the fuel.
Right now, ExxonMobil is working to find answers to the three big roadblocks to this technology, which are finding the best strain of algae for fuel, how to grow the algae for fuel and how to produce it economically using the existing infrastructure of the world. ExxonMobil hopes to have answers to these questions within the next five years.
While bio-fuel crops like corn yield 150 gallons of fuel per planted acre, algae fuel is expected to supply 2,000 gallons of fuel per acre of algae. That is a huge increase and it means much less space to make the fuel. All of the algae are made in a sealed-growth chamber that lets sunlight in so the algae can grow. Once the algae have been grown, it is harvested and the oil is extracted from it and made into refined diesel. All that is needed for all this to happen is a bit of carbon dioxide (thereby helping to remove some CO2 from the atmosphere) and sunlight.

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Environmental Good Guys: Going Green With The iPad

Posted on January 28, 2010 by craigbaird

The new iPad

This week, Apple broke news of its highly-anticipated tablet computer called the iPad. While the iPad is expected to be a revolution in computing technology and touch screen interfaces, it is also a computer with a low carbon footprint.

First, there is the fact that the computer is small and lightweight. This means that not only is it easy to ship and more of the computers can fit on the trucks, thereby reducing the number of trips and the level of CO2 going into the air, it also takes less production and less materials to make the device. Old computers used to be a large tower and a screen that had many components in it. The Apple iPad is half an inch thick and only 10 inches wide. In the space where one desktop and monitor would fit, you can fit over a dozen iPads.
Second, the computer is also an e-book reader. E-books are environmentally-friendly because they take very little production, they can be reproduced millions of times with a low environmental-footprint and they save trees since no paper is used to make them, unlike traditional books. Each traditional book puts an estimated 60 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere. E-books put in a fraction of that.
Third, the iPad is BPR-Free (fire retardent chemicals) and PVC-free in its casing. Its glass contains no arsenic in it and the LCD display is completely mercury-free. This means that if someone, unfortunately, throws it away instead of recycling it, it will not pollute the ground as much as traditional laptops and computers in the landfill.
Fourth, the computer uses less electrical power thanks to the amazing battery in the iPad that can hold a charge for 10 hours. In addition, the iPad can retain power for an entire month when in standby mode. Less charging means less electricity and that means less CO2 in the atmosphere.
Lastly, the aluminum casing of the iPad is highly recyclable, which makes it easier to return to the e-waste facility in a few years when the next big Apple iPad comes out and consumers star.

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Beijing Waking Up To Pollution Problem

Posted on January 28, 2010 by craigbaird

Beijing During A Smoggy Day

Following the Olympics, the pollution of Beijing was put on the world stage and it seems that the mayor of the city is waking up to the problems facing the city’s air. Mayor Guo Jinlong recently said that the pollution in the capital of China is extremely serious. It is not rare for the city to be covered in a smog that smells very bad, and most of this is thanks to the boom in car purchases seen in China over the past few years as the middle class of the country grows in size.

Currently, Beijing has 17 million people in it and the city is now looking at putting high priority on public transit with new bus lanes and subway lines, while at the same time taking vehicles that have low fuel-efficiency off the roads. Very few days are currently smog free in Beijing these days but, the city hopes to hit the target of 266 ‘blue sky days’ within a few years. To do so, the country will have to cut down greatly on its smog producing tendencies and it will be no quick fix.
One thing that the city did to help clear the air when the world came to the city for the 2008 Olympics was to alternate when certain vehicles could drive on the roads based on their license plate, much like how water restrictions are done now in Canada. The country also shut down smog producing factories during the Olympics to ensure clean air.
While Beijing is currently a smoggy city, things may change in the future as China continues to change its image to more of a eco-friendly one.

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Mekong Tiger Nearly Extinct

Posted on January 28, 2010 by craigbaird

A disappearing species

The Mekong Tiger, which is a sub-species of tiger located in the MeKong region is expected to be extinct within only a few years according to the World Wildlife Fund. In a report from the Vietnam News Agency released by the WWF, the number of Mekong Tigers in existence has fallen to only 350, from 1,200 just 12 years ago. What makes this more ironic is that this year is the year of the tiger in the Chinese Zodiac.

The Mekong Tiger is found in Cambodia, Nyanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam but by 2012, the species will be gone from all these regions due to the destruction of their forest habitat and the illegal hunting of the species by locals.
To put this all in contrast, in 1910, there were 100,000 tigers in the world, in 1980 there were 20,000 tigers and today…including the Mekong Tiger, there are only 3,200.

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20 Years Later And Exxon Valdez Still Felt

Posted on January 20, 2010 by craigbaird

Cleanup of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

In March of 1989, the most devastating oil spill in human history hit the area of Prince William Sound in Alaska. When the Exxon Valdez spilled its oil, 1,300 miles of shoreline were completely covered in oil and the fishing industry of the area was damaged almost beyond repair. In the short amount of time that the ship spilled oil, roughly 21,000 gallons of oil flooded out.

While that 21,000 gallons was only .1 percent of the entire 11,000,000 gallons on board, the effects of the oil spill are still being felt almost 21 years later.  In fact, if you go to the the beaches where the oil spilled, you will find two layers of beach. There is the top layer, which appears clear and clean. However, if you dig with your hand down, you will find the bottom layer, which because of compacted tidal movement and little oxygen content, has a lot of oil in it and that oil.

It is amazing to think that 21 years since a captain spilled 21,000 gallons of oil onto a remote beach, the effects are still being felt. This just shows that out of sight and out of mind does not mean out of the environment.

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Global Warming To Push Apes and Monkeys Into Extinction

Posted on January 13, 2010 by craigbaird

The Mountain Gorilla

Global Warming is already beginning to take plenty of species, including several frogs, the Koala, seals, penguins and the Polar Bear, but we can now add gorillas and monkeys to the mix according to a new study.

In a study done by Bournemouth University, it was found that if temperatures rise as predicted, two degrees by 2050, plenty of species will be pushed into extinction because it will be too hot for them to do anything. Yes, that is right, species will become extinct because the heat leads them to be lazy. It may seem funny, but it is far from it when we think of losing the noble gorilla or our close relatives; the monkeys.  These species will be spending more time in the shade to cool down, which means they will eat less and not live as long. The study found that mountain gorillas and Colobus monkeys will eat less nutritious food in this scenario and that will lead them down a dangerous road.

A lot of people feel that this will only happen if the world warms to two degrees, which they think is unlikely. However, it is important to remember that the world is warming by one degree no matter what we do now, and two degrees is very likley to happen.

This is bad news for apes and monkeys, which are already critically-endangered.

How ironic, our own inaction on climate change will cause gorillas and monkeys to become more inactive and therefore, go extinct.

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No Recess In Utah As Pollution Drives People Indoors

Posted on January 13, 2010 by craigbaird

Utah, which often looks like a beautiful place to live, is apparently not a great place to breathe, especially if you live in Salt Lake City.

Throughout parts of Utah, health warnings have been issued because the pollution has become so bad, it can cause problems for people with respiratory problems. In fact, students are being kept inside for recess and outdoor sports and people are being asked to limit their driving and outdoor activities.

AIRNow, which is the index that reports on daily air quality, ranked Utah as the state with the most polluted air in the country this past week. The big reason is that dust kep cold air down on the floor of Salt Lake Valley, which keeps all the pollution down as well. This past Tuesday, pollution levels were so bad that they greatly exceeded the standards that had been set by the EPA. Currently, pollution (identified as tiny bits of particles) was 2.5 parts per million, which is three times what federal standards allow. When you think about 2.5 parts per million, you may not think it is much but it is enough to damage lung tissue that is already sensitive, cause tightness in the chest and cause problems breathing for people who suffer from asthma. Studies have even found that those who are exposed to 2.5 parts per million on a regular basis have a much higher risk for heart and lung disease.

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Australia Bakes In Hottest Decade Ever

Posted on January 5, 2010 by craigbaird

Wild fires like this one in 2003 will be more common in the coming decade for Australia

The Land Down Under was always hot, but now it is getting as hot as, well, another land way down under, as in Hell. In new data released this week, it was found that Australia just experienced its hottest decade ever recorded and with that decade came more dust storms, wild fires, heat waves and severe droughts.

Records were first recorded in 1910 and since those records started, the average temperature in Australia has risen by one degree Celsius. In fact, 2009 was the second warmest year ever recorded in Australia, when the country experienced three incredible heat-waves, something that has never happened before.  As well, fires in the bush of Australia killed 173 people and destroyed 2,000 homes.

Australia has seen every decade in the last 60 years being warmer than the previous decade, which shows clear signs and evidence of global warming.

Across the planet, 2009 was the fifth-warmest year ever recorded.

How long will this hottest decade record stand for Australia? Probably until about 2020, when this upcoming decade takes Australia heat to unbelievable levels. The Land Down Under is slowly baking under global warming.

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