Genetically Modified Canola oil
Although Canadians may want better information about what they are putting in their mouths, there simply has not been the consumer-led revolts that have produced so many changes in Europe towards GM foods.Canada is the third largest producer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the world. Canada, the largest producer of Canola oil in the world, grows genetically modified herbicide-tolerant rapeseed (Canola) varieties on a large scale. In 2005 GM rapeseed accounted for 75% of total rapeseed cultivation.
Canada is now the largest producer of GM canola oil.
http://development.asia/issue01/feature-03.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3498524.stm
http://www.nwri.ca/research/genetics-e.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
http://www.nwri.ca/research/
Canola, originally a syncopated form of the abbreviation "Can.O., L-A." (Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid) that was used by the Manitoba government to label the seed during its experimental stages, is now a tradename for 'double low' (low erucic acid and low glucosinolate rapeseed. Sometimes the "Canola-quality" sticky note is applied to other varieties as well
Alberta's tar sands project.
Hundreds of square kilometres of toxic waste ponds. The oil works in Alberta could extend to an area as large as England.
"This is the dirtiest source of oil anywhere in the world and there are barely any regulations,... the greater energy needed to produce a barrel of oil from the sands means three times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing a barrel of conventional oil. The greater energy is needed because the oil has to be dug out and then separated from the sand." says Simon Dyer, a researcher for the University of Alberta's Pembina Institute.
Hundreds of square kilometres of toxic waste ponds. The oil works in Alberta could extend to an area as large as England.
"This is the dirtiest source of oil anywhere in the world and there are barely any regulations,... the greater energy needed to produce a barrel of oil from the sands means three times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing a barrel of conventional oil. The greater energy is needed because the oil has to be dug out and then separated from the sand." says Simon Dyer, a researcher for the University of Alberta's Pembina Institute.
the dirty details:
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/oil-sands-canadas-dirty-secret
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/dirty-and-wasteful-last-drop-oil-sands-development-one-most-environmentally-wrong-headed-ideas-ever
Photos: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/tar-sands-most-destructive-project.php
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/
Photos: http://www.treehugger.com/
Earth Forum Posts
Beetles turning Canadian carbon sink into emitterPosted on March 12th, 2009 Posted in Climate change, Featured News Stories, Greenhouse gases, International enviro issues, Forestry, Global Warming, Environmental health -->
ClimateWire: An infestation of pine beetles and an increase in wildfires are turning Canada’s boreal forest, which normally sucks up 55 million or more tons of carbon dioxide annually, into a giant tailpipe, according to the Canadian Forest Service.
Trees that once absorbed carbon are falling or burning, releasing up to 245 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, the service said.
The reverse is one of the reasons Canada didn’t count its forest as a carbon sink as part of the Kyoto climate treaty process and raises questions about the world’s forests’ ability to mitigate climate change.
Scientists fear a positive-feedback cycle in which global warming increases beetle populations and forest fires, diminishing trees’ ability to absorb carbon and increasing greenhouse gas concentrations that drive global warming. Similar concerns have been raised about peat bogs, which currently soak up carbon but if heated could release their massive stores.
How to manage forests for massive carbon capture is a matter of ongoing debate. Some groups contend that infected trees and those at risk of fire should be cleared before they can release carbon, while others say fewer trees will only exacerbate the problem (Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor, March 10). – PR
Beetles turning Canadian carbon sink into emitterPosted on March 12th, 2009 Posted in Climate change, Featured News Stories, Greenhouse gases, International enviro issues, Forestry, Global Warming, Environmental health -->
ClimateWire: An infestation of pine beetles and an increase in wildfires are turning Canada’s boreal forest, which normally sucks up 55 million or more tons of carbon dioxide annually, into a giant tailpipe, according to the Canadian Forest Service.
Trees that once absorbed carbon are falling or burning, releasing up to 245 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, the service said.
The reverse is one of the reasons Canada didn’t count its forest as a carbon sink as part of the Kyoto climate treaty process and raises questions about the world’s forests’ ability to mitigate climate change.
Scientists fear a positive-feedback cycle in which global warming increases beetle populations and forest fires, diminishing trees’ ability to absorb carbon and increasing greenhouse gas concentrations that drive global warming. Similar concerns have been raised about peat bogs, which currently soak up carbon but if heated could release their massive stores.
How to manage forests for massive carbon capture is a matter of ongoing debate. Some groups contend that infected trees and those at risk of fire should be cleared before they can release carbon, while others say fewer trees will only exacerbate the problem (Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor, March 10). – PR
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