Archive for Scaremongering

According to a study jointly co-authored by researchers at Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), the United Nations University and CARE International, the stresses of climate change could create 700 million refugees by 2050.  That’s about 20 times the entire population of Canada desperately searching for a new home.  40 countries may cease to exist altogether.

While canvassing today, I met a nice man who recommended this site and this movie to me.  I just watched it.  It sort of languishes lovingly over primarily aerial images of tremendous beauty, both natural and man-made, while soaring music plays in the background and frightening assessments are made about our climate, our energy sources, and our ability to feed and water humanity.  It ends with a worried but uplifting message of hope.  It’s well worth the hour and a half.

We thought it was bad enough that Prime Minister Harper planned only to achieve 2% emission reductions by 2020 below 1990 levels while the rest of the Kyoto signatories among developed countries were negotiating in the 25-40% range.  It was worse that a number of environmental organizations, economists, and even the government’s own Environmental Commissioner doubted that Prime Minister Harper’s plans could even achieve his own woefully inadequate goal.  Now Environment Minister Jim Prentice suggests we’re going to scrap any action for a few years.  We’re waiting for Obama, it seems.  Until our neighbours say “Jump!”, it’s apparently too difficult to implement the “Made in Canada” solution that our Prime Minister insisted on.     Read more »

There was more grim news on the impacts of climate change yesterday.  A new study from the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF), a group headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, estimates that climate change now kills 315,000 people annually.  This is an increase from a previous World Health Organization estimate of 150,000 deaths per year.     Read more »

On this first smog day this spring in Toronto, there’s grim news on the climate.     Read more »