car controls, fossil fuel awards, free santa, nukes

[angela bischoff]

"When you warn people about the dangers of climate change, they call you a
saint. When you explain what needs to be done to stop it, they call you a
communist."

-George Monbiot
<http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/12/04/what-is-progress/>http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/12/04/what-is-progress/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Canadian wilderness is set to be invaded by BP in an oil exploration
project dubbed ... 'The biggest environmental crime in history' -- the tar
sands.
<http://environment.independent.co.uk/article3239364.ece>http://environment.independent.co.uk/article3239364.ece

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The privatization of public health care is in full swing in Ontario with
the opening of a new hospital in Brampton, a P3 -- public private
partnership. That is, we the public take the risk, the private investors
take the profit. Read this latest commentary by Ontario Health Coalition's
director Natalie Mehra.

http://www.web.net/ohc/Brampton%20editorial.pdf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quebec is the first Canadian province to adopt California's stringent
auto-emissions standards for cars and light trucks (including mini-vans). 
The new standards will come into effect between 2010 and 2016. 
Manufacturers will have to reduce emissions by 30 per cent. Will other
provinces follow suit? Can your premiere and ask him to follow the lead of
Quebec!

<http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=0a917fe1-c448-4e8d-8d26-3cb249e7108a&k=47112>http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=0a917fe1-c448-4e8d-8d26-3cb249e7108a&k=47112

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOSSIL WINNERS FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

US, Canada now tied for first place in running for "Fossil of the Year"

Third prize: CANADA

Canada takes third for walking out of a high-level negotiation meeting
long before the end of a crucial discussion. Yesterday, a "Friends of the
Chair" meeting brought together 40 key ministers to work through tough
issues that officials had not been able to resolve. In the midst of this,
Canadian Environment Minister John Baird abruptly got up and left. Where
was he going? He was spotted moments later holding a drink at a
negotiation-free cocktail reception.

Second prize: UNITED STATES of AMERICA

The United States seizes second place for taking 20 of its alotted 5
minutes at this morning's high-level roundtable on technology
transfer--and using the time to talk about, well, anything but technology
transfer. (Highlights included a discussion of the joys of nuclear energy
and "clean coal.") Throughout the COP, the USA has praised technology, but
prevented progress on funding its spread through the developing world. On
climate change, the USA is all tech, no transfer.

Dishonourable Mention for AUSTRALIA

Australia wins a rare "dishonourable mention" for claiming leadership on
climate change--yet staying silent as the US, Canada, Japan, and Russia
strip the Bali road map of the one piece of truly critical substance: the
emissions cut range of 25-40% by 2020. As the saying goes, all it takes
for Bush to flourish is for good prime ministers to do nothing. Australia:
leading through silence.

First prize: USA, CANADA, JAPAN, and RUSSIA The USA, Canada, Japan, and
Russia share top honours--er, bottom dishonours--for relentlessly blocking
any reference to the 25-40% cuts by 2020 in the Bali road map. The science
couldn't be clearer that cuts in this range are necessary to avert the
worst of the climate crisis. Russia initiated the removal of the targets
several days ago, and the USA, Canada, and Japan have fought to ensure
that they don't come back in. It's like they're piloting the Titanic,
refusing to change course; except instead of merely hitting icebergs,
they're melting them.

The Fossil-of-the-day Award is given nightly at 6pm at to countries that
block progress at the United Nations climate change negotiations. The
winners are chosen by a vote of the Climate Action Network, which
comprises more than 400 NGOs from every world region, each afternoon. The
awards are presented by the international youth delegation and MC'd by Ben
Wikler of Avaaz.org, an international online advocacy group.

find past winners listed at: http://www.avaaz.org/fossils

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FREE SANTA -- STOP  CLIMATE CHANGE

Just after 6:30 pm, Wednesday, December 12, Santa and several of his elves
were arrested for trying to deliver lumps of coal to Canadian Prime
Minister Steven Harper. ACT for the Earth is calling for their immediate
release and an end to Canada’s sabotage of the UN climate talks in Bali,
Indonesia.

At the UN Climate Talks in Bali, Canada has become an international
pariah. For it's actions at the crucial negotiations to determine a
successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the Canadian government has been harshly
criticized by diplomats, environmentalists, the European Union and many
others, including Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the Nobel-winning
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change .

“Not only were there no milk and cookies, but I wasn’t even able to
deliver little Stephen’s gift,” said Santa in a statement relayed from an
Ottawa jail by Donner and Blitzen, after he and his elves were arrested
for engaging in non-violent civil disobedience. “If anyone has broken the
law it is Stephen,” the statement continued, noting the Canadian Prime
Minister’s disregard for Canada’s legal obligations internationally to the
Kyoto Protocol and domestically to the Kyoto Implementation Act.

 Santa who has drawn a line in the Tarsands is calling on all good
Canadians to tell Stephen Harper to stop being naughty in Bali. “It is
time for Canada to stop blocking the climate consensus in Bali that could
save the North Pole and the rest of the world,” Santa concluded.

TAKE ACTION NOW

CALL ON STEPHEN HARPER’S GOVERNMENT TO STOP THE CLIMATE SABOTAGE

Stephen Harper at the House of Commons (613) 992-4211

Stephen Harper's Constituency Office (403) 253-7990

John Baird: 613-990-7720

Prime Minister’s Privy Council Office: 613-957-5153

To send messages of support to Santa and his elves contact:
<mailto:campaigns at actfortheearth.org>campaigns at actfortheearth.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release   December 12, 2007
MPs SHOULD NOT OVERRIDE NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATOR

OTTAWA – In an open letter to the Prime Minister and opposition leaders,
Greenpeace, the Canadian Environmental Law Association and Ecojustice
(formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) today urged federal Members of
Parliament not to override the decision by the Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission (CNSC) to shut down the nuclear reactor at Chalk River.  The
groups are calling for a public investigation of mismanagement by Atomic
Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) in failing to commission replacement
reactors for the fifty-year-old NRU reactor, and its failure to adhere to
CNSC safety regulations.


“Canada’s Parliament has sent a clear signal to the nuclear industry:
Canada's nuclear safety regulator has no teeth or authority,” said
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Energy and Climate campaigner with Greenpeace.

Last night, all parties agreed to fast-track Bill C-38, which will allow
AECL to bypass the requirements of the CNSC and restart the National
Research Universal (NRU) Reactor at its Chalk River Laboratories, 100 km
north-west of Ottawa.  In November, CNSC staff discovered that AECL had
failed to install emergency power systems to the 50 year-old reactor as
promised, and required AECL to meet safety requirements before restarting
the reactor, causing the cessation of radioisotope production.

"The Harper government and the opposition parties have put the fox in
charge of the hen house,” said Stensil.  “The CNSC is typically a lap dog
to nuclear industry.  When it says a reactor should be shut down, there is
clearly a significant threat to public safety."

Canadians are rightfully outraged by the current shortage of radioisotopes
due to AECL's failure to properly maintain safety standards at the NRU
reactor, but an independent regulator is needed to ensure nuclear safety. 
Any solution to the current radioisotope shortage must include a public
investigation of the root cause - AECL’s failure to build two new reactors
on time and on budget.  This forced AECL to ask the regulator to extend
the life of NRU, which was set for shutdown in 2005 and shares design
flaws with the Chernobyl reactor design.

"The bargain Canadian society has made to operate highly risky nuclear
technology is that there is oversight by an independent regulator. While
far from perfect, it is the only assurance the public has that nuclear
plants are being held to a set of safety standards. Bypassing the CNSC on
serious safety issues completely undermines the basis for nuclear plant
operation in Canada," said Theresa McClenaghan, executive director of the
Canadian Environmental Law Association.

“The existence of an independent expert regulator to oversee nuclear
operations is essential,” said Ecojustice lawyer Hugh Wilkins. “An
immediate resolution of the radioisotope shortage is crucial, but it must
not come at the expense of the independence and credibility of the
regulator or the safety of Canadians.”
-30-

For more info, please contact:
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Greenpeace, cell (416) 884 7053 (English/French)
Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director and Counsel, CELA (416) 662 8341
Jode Roberts, Ecojustice (416) 368 7533 ext 25

____


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