Elections

[agentaqua]

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/10/07/scientists-environment.html
Top scientists urge Canadians to vote for the environment
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 | 9:46 AM ET Comments164Recommend115
The Canadian Press

More than 120 of Canada's top climate scientists have signed an open letter urging Canadians to vote strategically for the environment in next week's federal election.

Andrew Weaver, a lead author with last year's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says global warming is the defining issue of our time.

But Weaver says the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not addressed the "innovative and urgent policies" needed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The group's John Stone says this is shaping up to be "the rare election in which the environment is the issue."


'The economic issue is important but it will take care of itself, global warming won't.'

--Simply put

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Stone says never has attention to the environment been more necessary, but he says the opportunity for an informed national debate on Canada's response to global warming is slipping away.
Group stresses seriousness of climate issue

The letter, signed by a who's who of Canada's top climate experts, says "it seems people have simply no idea how serious this issue is" even though it's clear the public accepts that global warming is a threat.

"Global warming is a problem that must be dealt with now, before it's too late," says the letter. "Any further delay will only increase the risks of damage and costs of action.

"The world needs to start down a path of greenhouse-gas reduction to avert the most serious consequences of global warming."

Even if atmospheric greenhouse gases are stabilized at current levels, it says, the Arctic would still go ice free in the summer, between 10 and 25 per cent of the world's species would still be committed to extinction, and weather will continue to become more extreme.

Many of the letter's signatories are research scientists who depend on federal granting agencies for the bulk of their funding.

But David Schindler, who won Canada's top science prize in 2001, says the scientists are confident that granting agencies will continue to support good science on its merits and on the basis of professional peer review rather than politics.

"Regardless, this is not a moment for any Canadian to be timid," Schindler said. "This is an urgent issue and I am proud to side with so many scientists who are willing to stand up for what they believe in."
© The Canadian Press, 2008
The Canadian Press

 

[agentaqua]

The Times Colonist, 8th October 2008

Fish farms should be election issue

Re: "Fishery needs better supervision," Oct. 5.

Not many years ago, the mantra of the Department and Fisheries and Oceans was the "precautionary principle."

It stated that if something was to be done that could affect wild salmon negatively, the proponent had to prove that no negative impact would result to the wild salmon. In 1988, fish farm responsibility was delegated to the province.

By allowing fish farms to fall under provincial jurisdiction, the federal government gave up its responsibility to take care of our coastal oceans.

Wild fish have always been a problem for developers, miners, roadbuilders, loggers and companies that interfaces with nature.

These are provincial matters. Environmental assessments and other required studies to ensure minimum damage to the environment are expensive and time-consuming and, in the view of many, should be eliminated if at all possible.

There is no better time to put questions to candidates. What is their position on fish farms? How do they see this federal-provincial vacuum being addressed?Why has there been no concern shown by the DFO for pollution issues, when human waste has been such an issue that holding tanks are becoming mandatory in provincial marine parks and yet tonnes of fish food, excrement and medication are not viewed as a potential problem?

It is time we take a serious look at putting all fish farms on the beach to control out-flow contaminants.

Bob Tritschler

Parksville

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimes....html?id=15cee327-68b0-48f8-b767-caa25dfc2de2

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Don't even get me started on "global warming"...or climate change as they call it now because they really actually have no idea which direction it will go...

www.serengetifishingcharters.com

 

[agentaqua]

Canadian researchers call for end to 'politicization' of science
Last Updated: Thursday, October 9, 2008 | 12:31 PM ET Comments89Recommend125
By Paul Jay, CBC News

A group of Canadian scientists signed another open letter on Thursday, calling on political parties to end to what they see as the "politicization" and "mistreatment" of science.

The letter, signed by 85 scientists in the health, environment and technology fields, focuses particularly on a number of incidents involving the federal Conservative party, including the closure of the office of the National Science Adviser, the firing of the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and what it calls "political appointments" to the board of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada.

"While science is not the only factor to be considered in political decision-making, ignoring and subverting science and scientific processes is unacceptable," the scientists write.

"In light of these concerns, we are calling on all political leaders to articulate how they will work to improve Canada's track record with respect to the treatment of science and related due processes."

It's the second open letter from scientists published in the last week that has been critical of the actions of the federal Conservative party.

On Tuesday, 120 of Canada's top climate scientists signed an open letter criticizing the government and urging Canadians to vote "strategically" for the environment in next week's federal election.

Nineteen of those scientists also signed Thursday's letter, including climate change scientists Gordon McBean, John Stone and Andrew Weaver, who all worked as part of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The remaining 66 scientists who signed Thursday's letter were mostly in the medical community.

Among the medical issues highlighted in the letter were what they saw as the "misrepresentation and suppression" of research related to Vancouver's supervised injection site and the halting of a pilot project that provided prisoners with a safe way to obtain tattoos.

"The policy of claiming uncertainty or doubt with scientific results was successfully used by the tobacco lobby of the past when arguing that no ill side-effects existed through second-hand smoke," said St. Michael's Hospital research scientist Dr. Stephen Hwang in a statement.

"I strongly oppose the distortion of scientific evidence as has been the policy of the current federal government, and we can no longer stand idle while ideology trumps scientific proof," he said.

Queen's University climate change scientist John Smol signed Tuesday's letter on the environment but did not sign Thursday's letter, saying he did not have time to research all of the issues properly before he was comfortable adding his name.

But he said he agrees in principle with the stance of the letter.

Other issues addressed in the letter include cuts to the Canadian Wildlife Service and a number of incidents involving the muzzling of Environment Canada scientists.

That scientists have now taken to protesting in a public forum is a measure of their lack of voice in public policy, said Smol.

"I think scientists tend to be conservative when it comes to voicing their opinions. But as far as the environment is concerned, the problem is so bad and the consequences are so terrible if we do not act," he told CBC News.

"Personally, I cannot sit still any longer."

Smol said the closure of the science adviser office and departure of Arthur Carty, the man who filled that role, took away a potential voice for the scientific community. The lack of a dedicated ministry or minister of science also limits their voice, he said.

 

[gallows]

Whatever your political persuasion, just make sure you get out and vote. Because if you don't bother, don't ever complain about what happens in the future. Now is your chance to maybe change things and perhaps make a difference and even possibly save our pacific salmon.