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Showing posts from January, 2007

DOWNPLAYED REPORT ??

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news item january 30-2007 In Washington, meanwhile, two private advocacy groups told a congressional hearing that climate scientists at seven government agencies say they have been subjected to political pressure aimed at playing down the threat of global warming. The groups presented a survey that shows two in five of the 279 climate scientists who responded to a questionnaire complained that some of their scientific papers had been edited in a way that changed their meaning. Nearly half of the 279 said in response to another question that at some point they had been told to delete reference to "global warming" or "climate change" from a report. The questionnaire was sent by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a private advocacy group. The report also was based on "firsthand experiences" described in interviews with the Government Accountability Project, which helps government whistleblowers, lawmakers were told.

JUST THE FACTS

Transportation is responsible for more than 27 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions. Unless we reverse some of the following trends in vehicle use, transportation emissions will continue to rise. Canadian vehicle ownership per capita is now double what it was in 1960. The number of kilometres driven per capita is now double 1960 levels in Canada. At the same time, freight has shifted from fuel-efficient rail to gas-guzzling trucks. Vehicle fuel efficiency standards have not improved since the mid-1980s. The single biggest source of the massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions in transportation are passenger vehicles - cars and light-duty trucks. The popularity of sports utility vehicles, trucks and minivans, which now account for 50 per cent of new vehicles sales, has had a highly negative impact on average fuel efficiency. The David Suzuki Foundation proposes the following measures to reduce transportation emissions: Improve mandatory fuel economy standards for

URBAN TRAFFIC JAMS

What stroller-pushing mothers negotiating urban traffic jams have long suspected, a new study shows, is true: children living near major motorways run a greater risk of growing up with damaged lungs. The link between air pollution and respiratory ailments is well established, but the eight-year study of more than 3,600 children in Los Angeles provides compelling evidence, for the first time, that small distances can make a huge difference when it comes to measuring the health hazards of vehicle exhaust. Ten-year olds growing to adulthood within 500 meters (yards) of a freeway were far more likely to have stunted lung development than their cohorts living an additional 1000 meters distant, a team of American researchers led by W. James Gauderman of the University of Southern California conclude in a paper published Thursday in the British journal The Lancet. "The study points to a several-fold increase (between groups) in the number of children showing substantial reduction in lung

LOCAL HEROES

. . . . . ON THIS COLD FRIGID DAY IN TORONTO(MINUS TWENTY DEGREES) TWO BRAVE LOCAL WOMEN CONFRONTED CITY TREE CUTTING CREWS IN THE SUBURB OF ETOBICOKE,BY CLIMBING UP A GIANT MANITOBA MAPLE TREE ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ THIS EVENT WAS REPORTED ON BY DAVE TRAPPER ON CFRB RADIO ^BOTH THE RADIO REPORTER AND ESPECIALLY THE BRAVE TREE CLIMBERS DESERVE RECOGNITION FOR THEIR ACTIONS IN PROTECTING OUR GIANT TREES FROM DESTRUCTION.

WHAT PRICE OIL ??

. . . . .Drilling blamed for Java mudflow - - THE FOLLOWING NEWS ITEM CONFIRMS MY SUSPICION ABOUT THE DAMAGES DONE BY MULTINATIONAL OIL COMPANIES IN THEIR SEARCH FOR OIL AND GAS.JANUARY 24-2007 - - - - - - - A new report says "it is very likely" that the mud flow was man made(GALLO-GETTY) A mud volcano that has inundated dozens of Indonesian villages and forced thousands to flee, was probably triggered by commercial gas drilling, scientists say, contradicting a minister who said it was a natural disaster. A report in the Geological Society of America's journal, GSA Today, said "it is very likely" that the mud flow was man made. Aburizal Bakrie, the Indonesian welfare minister whose family controls the PT Lapindo Brantas drilling company at the centre of the scandal, has said repeatedly that the geyser in Sidoarjo, eastern Java, was sparked by a May 27 earthquake and that his company bears no financial liability. But the team led by Richard Da

GOOD INTENTIONS

. . . WHILE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS AND TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING ^ ^ ^THEY FAIL^ ^SIMPLY DUE TO LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF BASIC ELECTRICITY ^ ^ ^ ^FOR EXAMPLE SHUTTING OFF ONE LIGHT BULB^ ^ ^YES ITS A GOOD IDEA ^^ ^BUT ITS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO SHUT DOWN LARGER APPLIANCES LIKE AIR CONDITIONERS,STOVES AND ELECTRIC DRYERS ^ ^ ^EACH OF THE LARGE UNITS IS THE EQUIVILANT OF TURNING ON TWENTY-FIVE OF THE OLD FASHIONED FILAMENT LIGHT BULBS(STILL IN POPULAR USE)OR IN OTHER WORDS TWENTY-FIVE TIMES MORE ELECTRICITY IS USED THAN A SINGLE BULB,

ASLEEP-AT-THE-WHEEL

. . . . . I MUST CONFESS THAT I WAS ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL YESTERDAY AND FORGOT TO MAKE MY DAILY POST,FOR WHICH I APOLOGIZE^ ^ ^ ^HEAVEN KNOWS THERES ENOUGH TOPICS TO WRITE ABOUT ^ ^ ^THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT A POTENTIAL ELECTION THIS YEAR(AGAIN-AD NAUSEUM)ON THE FEDERAL SCENE,AND MAYBE THE PROVINCIAL?^ ^ ^ ^ ^BY ALL ACCOUNTS THE ENVIRONMENT IS AND SHOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR ALL POLITICAL PARTIES,BUT BY THE TIME ELECTION IS CALLED SOME OTHER EVENT EITHER LOCAL OR INTERNATIONAL WILL GRAB THE HEADLINES(CONTROLLED BY THE COMMERCIALY SUBSERVIENT MEDIA)AND IT WILL BE BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH ALL THE EARTH DESTROYING PRACTICES CONTINUING AS USUAL.MY PREDICTION ANYWAYS FOR WHATS ITS WORTH.

SAD-BUT-TRUE

Fri Jan 19, 8:45 AM ET HOUSTON (Reuters) - As President Bush readies a new plan on global warming, environmentalists say an 18-lane highway going up in Houston speaks volumes about how people in his home state of Texas view the planet. Between 2003 and 2009, $2.7 billion of state and federal money will have been plowed into expanding 23 miles of Interstate-10 in west Houston to as wide as 18 lanes in some stretches of the city's main east-west road. "It is a concrete monstrosity," said Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer in the Texas city who fought the expansion of "I-10" and lost. "It probably shows as much as anything the philosophy of development here." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ SADLY I BELIEVE THIS SAME PHILOSOPY APPLIES TO THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIRAR-I-O- CANADA.^ ^ ^GOD HELP THE ENVIRONMENT.

biking tip # 3

. . . . . . A though the bicycle remains the most efficient transport ever invented still there are some precautions one must take.After many years experience of bike travel through city streets,I recommend that you dont overdo it.Limit your bike use to times suitable to your individual physical capacity.Especially in city use when one comes to an intersection,there is a necessity to look in both directions for any oncoming traffic.To get from point A to point B,there may be quite a few ocassions to turn your head in opposite directions.As you can imagine this constant head turning will have a wear down effect on the associated neck vertabreai(bone-structure) ^ ^ ^ ^ ^Still all in all,continue biking as it is wonderful for the environment and there are more positives than negatives.

SPIN-DOCTORS

. . . . . . . ARE ALREADY AT WORK TRYING TO SPIN THE FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE . . . .AN ALLEGED SCIENTIST FROM RUSSIA IS THE LATEST TO JOIN THE DEBATE ABOUT POSSIBLE CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. HE CONTENDS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE ON EARTH ORIGINATES WITH THE SUN,AND NOT FROM HUMAN ACTIVITY.^ ^I VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE ^ ^ ^AS DO MOST OF THE REPUTABLE SCIENTISTS OF THE WORLD ^ ^ ^ ^THIS IS A CONVIENIENT COP OUT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE OUR GAS GUZZLING WAYS WITHOUT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS .

MORE EVIDENCE

. . . . . . .Of global warming . . . . . . read on. . . . . . Russia 15/01/2007 15:01 Moscow enjoys warmest January in 130 years "This is a unique phenomenon for the coldest month of the year," Alexei Lyakhov, the head of the hydro-meteorological bureau for Moscow and the Moscow Region said. "We have never registered such temperatures."

WEATHER -OR-NOT

January 10,2007 VIENNA, Austria -- Europe's unseasonably mild winter is nothing to sneeze at. Or maybe it is. Experts warned Austrian allergy-sufferers on Wednesday that some species of trees are already flowering and about to release pollen -- an annual phenomenon that's usually not a problem until well into spring. ^ ^ ^ WANT MORE EVIDENCE OF GLOBAL WARMING ??STAY TUNED.

MOTOR-VEHICLE-EMMISIONS

Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 34% precursor to ground-level ozone (smog), which damages the respiratory system and injures plants Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) 34% precursor to ground-level ozone (smog), which damages the respiratory system and injures plants Carbon Monoxide (CO) 51% contributes to smog production; poisonous in high concentrations Particulate Matter (PM10) 10% does not include dust from paved and unpaved roads, which are the major source of particulate matter pollution (50% of the total) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 33% thought to be primary contributor to global warming source: Federal Highway Administration Transportation Air Quality: Selected Facts and Figures 2002 WATER POLLUTION There are a number of ways automobile use results in water pollution: Runoff of oil, dirt, brake dust, deposited vehicle exhaust, road particles, automotive fluids, and deicing chemicals from roadways and parking lots. The effect of this is difficult to quantify, but a 1996 survey of 693,905 river m

PAST- WINTERS

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THIS PICTURE SHOWS WHAT PREVIOUS WINTERS LOOKED LIKE IN TORONTO CANADA .SO FAR THIS SEASON THERE HAS BEEN NO SNOW .ON AND OFF RAIN,CLOUDY AND SOME SUNSHINE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER TO THE PRESENT TIME .JANUARY 3 WAS THE DATE ON THE PIC EITHER 2005 OR 2006.

RAIN-FOREST

. . . . . . I JUST FINISHED READING AN ARTICLE IN THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE,JANUARY 2007,ISSUE. ^ ^ ^ ^IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SUMMARY OF THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST SITUATION THAT I HAVE SEEN.IT EXPLAINS IN DETAIL WITH PANORAMIC PICTURES THE EVENTS THAT ARE LEADING TO THE DISAppearance OF THE RAIN FOREST WHICH IS SO VITAL TO THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT'S SURVIVAL.TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN PLANET EARTHS ECOLOGY THIS IS A MUST READ.

EVERYBODY-TALKS-ABOUT-IT

. . . . . . . THE WEATHER,WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ...OK,I HAVE AN IDEA THAT WILL HELP ^ ^ ^ ^ WE KNOW THAT GREEN HOUSE GAS aka(CO2) EMITTED BY THE WORLD'S MOTOR VEHICLES IS A MAJOR BUT NOT THE ONLY CAUSE OF AIR POLLUTION .ALSO WE NOW KNOW THAT THE EXTRACTION OF OIL FROM TAR SANDS ALSO CAUSES UP TO 12 % OF CANADA'S CO2 EMISSIONS,NOT WITHSTANDING THE BENEFITS OF FULL EMPLOYMENT IN THOSE REGIONS. ^ ^ ^ ^ BUT AT WHAT PRICE DO WE TRY TO MAINTAIN FULL EMPLOYMENT ? SACRIFISE THE ENVIROMENT ? ^ ^ ^WITHOUT A GOOD ENVIROMENT NOTHING ELSE MATTERS ^ ^ ^ ^ ^MY SOLUTION IS CALLED THE 20% SOLUTION.^ ^ ^WORLD AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION SHOULD BE CUT 20%,AND ALSO TAR SANDS OIL EXTRACTION SHOULD BE CUT 20%. ^ ^ ^ ^BASICALLY THIS WOULD BE A MADE IN CANADA APPROACH BUT SHOULD APPLY TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AS WELL.

DIGRESSION

. . . . . I DIGRESS IN SOME OF MY POSTS,SO I WILL TRY TO CORRECT.THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED BY MAN'S ACTIVITIES ON EARTH ^ ^ ^ ^IT IS NOW QUITE FASHIONABLE TO HAVE THIS VIEW,SINCE EVERY DAY THE EVIDENCE OF ABNORMAL TEMPERATURES IS ALL AROUND US,NO MATTER WHERE ON THIS PLANET YOU LIVE.^ ^ ^ ^ IN MY OPINION AND IN THE OPINION OF MOST REPUTABLE SCIENTISTS MOTOR VEHICLES ARE A MAJOR CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ^ ^ ^ ^IN AN ON GOING LAWSUIT IN THE US SUPREME COURT, IT IS STATED THAT TWENTY FOUR PERCENT OF CARBON DIOXIDE EMITTED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE IS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES.(CO2 IS A GREENHOUSE GAS) KNOWN TO CAUSE SMOG,AND TO AFFECT NEGATIVELY ON CLIMATE.