Finding Solution Spring 2003

SPRING 2003 NEWSLETTER
ROCKING FOR THE PLANET Rock legend Randy
Bachman takes centre stage in Toronto at the
sold-out opening of a six-city tour promoting
the Nature Challenge. See pages 8-9 for
more photos. BOB SALVERDA PHOTO
inside
Online community
Group meets for
Nature Challenge
Too close
Salmon farms
and government
3
PUTTING KYOTO TO WORK
5
Clearcutting continues
Landmark agreement
6-7
not honoured
by SARAH MARCHILDON
After years of international negotiations, battles
with industry groups and clashes with oil-rich
Alberta, the federal government has put pen to
paper and officially ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
Tour scrapbook
Nature Challenge
on tour
8-9
Sustainable seafood
Choosing better
10
options
Recommended
Wild comes
leaping up
11
Last word
Public action
sways politicians
12
SOLUTIONS ARE
IN OUR NATURE
By doing so, Canada made its first firm commitment to
start cutting emissions of greenhouse gases and ended years
of indecision on finalizing an agreement that Canada helped
draft in 1997.
“Ratifying Kyoto last December was a hugely important
step that shows Canada is getting serious about fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said
Gerry Scott, director of the David Suzuki Foundation’s climate change program. “Now, Canada needs to back its words
with action. This is when the real work begins.”
The agreement opens the door to a cleaner future of
innovative energy technologies. Solutions include phasing
out coal-fired power plants, expanding renewable energy
sources and public transit, and creating new energy efficiency standards for vehicles, appliances and buildings.
The Kyoto Protocol has other benefits too. Leading Canadian
businesses and municipalities are saving money and creating
jobs by working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
www.davidsuzuki.org
Prime Minister
says Foundation
played important role
FROM A PERSONAL LETTER TO DAVID
SUZUKI FROM PRIME MINISTER
CHRÉTIEN FOLLOWING KYOTO
RATIFICATION:
“Your personal efforts and
those of your Foundation
have been an important
part of the consultation
process and have also
contributed to informing
Canadians about the issues.
I encourage you to remain
engaged as we move
forward in meeting the
challenge of climate
change.”
EDITOR’S NOTE TO SUPPORTERS
This note is really for you too.
We couldn’t have done
anything without your efforts.
Thank you.
m e m b e r p ro f i l e
None of the David Suzuki Foundation’s work would be possible without the generous
contributions of our financial supporters. This section is dedicated to highlighting
members of all walks of life and backgrounds.
Desert project leads
donor to Foundation
Paul Razzell has been a member of the
David Suzuki Foundation since 2001.
Razzell is the father of two young sons
and works for a Vancouver multimedia
and exhibition design firm. Finding
Solutions caught up with him for a quick
e-mail interview.
Q: How did you first hear about the
Foundation?
I was involved in the planning and
development of the Desert Living Center in Las Vegas, a sustainability-oriented visitor facility designed to change
residents’ hearts and minds about the
way they use water and power. My
research led me again and again to the
Foundation’s publications.
What made you decide to become a
donor to the Foundation?
The Foundation’s worldview that the
choices we make have broader reper-
cussions in the environment matched
my own. That they had clear programs
for making individuals, corporations
and governments more accountable to
the environment was an incentive for
my wife and I to donate in whatever way
we could.
How has being a member changed you?
Knowing there are others who are
doing their part to make the world a
better place is a great encouragement.
It helps to know my own efforts, however small, are being supplemented by the
efforts of thousands of others.
What’s your best experience in nature?
Introducing our two young sons to the
pleasures of camping, exploring forests
in winter and discovering the treasures
and secrets of tidal pools.
How has becoming more environmentally
aware influenced your daily routine?
My wife and I take more time to introduce our children to the pleasures of
the natural world.
Suzanne Ahearne, Paul Razzell, Dylan
Razzell (on shoulders) and Liam Razzell.
What do you see as Canada’s biggest
environmental challenge?
The cars we drive must be powered by
renewable energy sources. They should
produce no harmful emissions. We
should use our cars only when walking,
bicycling, and public transit aren’t feasible. To meet this challenge requires an
enormous behavioural shift on the part
of all Canadian drivers.
memberswrite
CONVERSATION
STARTER
GENEROUS
ENTREPRENEUR
Enclosed is a picture of our new
puppy who we have named
“Zuki” after David Suzuki.
When people ask her name it
gives us a chance to promote
the David Suzuki Foundation.
My name is Brandon Gold. I’m
11 years old and I started my
own business in December
2002. Since receiving your
letter, I have decided to donate
one per cent of my annual business income to the D.S.F. and
will challenge other businessmen to do so as well.
I appreciate all your hard
work and share your goals to
the fullest. May David slay
Goliath once again.
Joan Hadrill
EDITOR’S NOTE Thanks, Joan.
No, readers, this does not mean
we will regularly feature cute
critters on this page. I just
couldn’t resist this one. I mean,
come on – look at that face!
Zuki the dog!
2
Brandon Gold
A LIGHT GOES ON
Your article on page 10 of the
fall Finding Solutions struck a
light with me. I am now in the
process of replacing my incandescent light bulbs with
compact fluorescent ones, and
turning off my computer with a
power bar. I will pass along a
copy of your article to the chairman of our condominium
board. Congratulations!
Donald M. Munroe
Online community supports
the Nature Challenge
Virtual group searches
for real solutions to
environmental problems
With a population of about 1,000 people, this fast-growing community is not
yet a metropolis, but its citizens are
hoping to make a big difference in the
world.
It’s the Nature Challenge online
community, a group of people from all
over Canada who have signed on to the
Nature Challenge and are keen to share
ideas and information with others on
how to meet their goals and reduce our
impact on nature. Members of the
group post messages to each other, discuss setbacks and accomplishments and
look for solutions to our environmental
problems.
“Online communities aren’t that different than a local farmers’ co-op where
people gather to discuss local happenings, make suggestions and give advice
to each other,” says community moderator Kate Leighton. “Just because it
takes place online does not make it less
real. An online community is all about
people and how they
live in the real world.
It’s another way for
people to meet and
exchange ideas.”
A long-time manager of online communities, Ms. Leighton says
she’s been impressed with
the enthusiasm of the Nature
Challenge group, whose members come from all sorts of backgrounds and discuss a wide range
of topics.
“We have members like
Richard S. who look for alternatives to fossil fuels by discussing the possibility of
hydraulic power and we
have members who have
decided to challenge
our leaders for change,
suggesting things like
removing the GST from
environmentally friendLeighton
ly products,” she says.
“There are people discussing the state
of the world, hopes for the future, the
loss of traditional knowledge, the role
of technology and more.”
It’s easy to get involved with the
online community. Just follow the links
from the www.davidsuzuki.org homepage. The discussion forums mirror the
Nature Challenge 10 steps, so it’s easy
to navigate. To post a message, sign in
and become part of a community making a difference.
“The Internet enables people from
all over the country and even the world
to meet and discuss common interests.
These communities don’t replace the
ones where we live, they just augment
them,” says Ms. Leighton. “I think it is
the essence of human nature to reach
out and communicate with other
human beings.”
briefs
Working forests
legislation shortsighted
Proposed new BC legislation will
designate almost half the total area
of the province – about 45 million
hectares – as 'working forest' for
timber companies and other commercial interests. "I'm sending a
message to the investment community that British Columbia is open
for business and that we're bringing certainty to the land base,"
Stan Hagen, minister of sustainable
resource management, recently
announced.
The public can comment on the
draft legislation until mid-March.
The Foundation will submit a brief
calling the proposal short sighted
because it does not consider nontimber forest benefits such as water
filtration, carbon storage, wildlife
habitat and cultural values.
Court okays shooting
seals and sea lions
Shooting seals and sea lions to protect caged fish in salmon farms is a
valid use of a 'fishing licence,' the
Federal Court of Canada recently
ruled when a BC First Nation tried
to stop the practice in its traditional
territories.
The Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-kwamish Tribes launched legal action,
saying the killing of marine mammals does not constitute 'fishing'
within the meaning of the federal
Fisheries Act. Salmon farms can
obtain licences for $5 annually with
no limit to the number of seals or
sea lions they can kill if they believe
their fish, packed in floating net
cages in the ocean, are threatened.
The court said that Chief Percy
Williams and the Tribes did not
have sufficient interest in the killing
of seals in their territory to allow
them to challenge the seal-kill
license issued to Heritage Salmon
Ltd. The ruling astonished Tribe
members, who have hunted seals
for food and traditional ceremonies
for hundreds of years. The Tribes
and their legal counsel are currently
considering the options for appeal.
3
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“We’ve always said that Kyoto is a good first step,” said
Mr. Scott. “But to really address climate change, we need
to make much deeper emission cuts than those set out
under Kyoto. Expert analysis and Canada’s experience so
far shows we can cut emissions by 50 per cent in the next
30 years, and still create jobs and cut energy costs at the
same time.”
A study released by the David Suzuki Foundation, Kyoto
and Beyond, shows Canadians will pocket $200 billion in
energy savings by 2030 if Canada meets and exceeds the
Kyoto Protocol’s greenhouse gas emission-reduction targets.
However, the Kyoto Protocol won’t come into effect until
Russia ratifies the agreement. In order to come into force,
the Protocol depends on ratification by 55 countries representing 55 per cent of the industrialized nations’ carbon
dioxide emissions.
Even so, added Mr. Scott, there’s no reason Ottawa, the
provinces and large economic sectors have to wait for Russia
to ratify before they start cutting emissions.
All Canadians can help play a role
in meeting our Kyoto target. There are many
things you can do to help reduce emissions,
from not idling the car to changing to higher
efficiency light bulbs and more.
By using energy more efficiently, we can save money and help
cut greenhouse gases. Better insulation, better lighting, using
more energy efficient appliances, cutting back on driving your
car – it all adds up. One way to help is to take the Nature
Challenge. Visit www.davidsuzuki.org/wol/challenge for ideas
on how you can help make a difference. Take action yourself
and encourage governments and businesses to support policy
changes.
Your
personal
Kyoto
DOUBLE YOUR DONATION – FREE!
Right now you can
effectively double
your donation
to the David Suzuki
Foundation and take an
even bigger bite out of
global warming. A generous
donor has agree to match
dollar-for-dollar every donation
made to the David Suzuki
Foundation’s climate change program.
To take part, call 1.800.453.1533 and make a donation by Visa or
Mastercard. You can also send the donation form on the back of this newsletter
to our office with your credit card information or cheque. Simply write “climate
change” on the form to ensure it receives a matching grant.
Please note that your tax receipt will be for your donation only.
4
BC GOING BACKWARDS
WITH NEW COAL
R E G U L AT I O N S
Although the federal government has
now adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which
requires Canada to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, some provinces are still
going in the opposite direction.
Just one month after Canada adopted Kyoto, British Columbia quietly
released new regulations for coal-fired
power plants. The regulations are expected to lead to an expansion of coal
plants – the dirtiest form of electricity
generation. There was no announcement or consultation process.
A small coal-fired power plant produces 1.25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year the same amount
of emissions produced by 300,000 cars,
as well as large quantities of sulphur
dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Government
gets cozy with
salmon farming
industry
Foundation helps
media shed light on
conflict of interest
by JEAN KAVANAGH
Even before the David Suzuki Foundation was formed in 1990, Executive
Director Jim Fulton – then a member of
Parliament – was calling attention to
the cozy relationship between the federal Department of Fisheries and
Oceans (DFO) and the then-burgeoning salmon farming industry in Cana- tive program Disclosure broadcast details
of internal government documents that
da.
And as the floating net-cage industry clearly show conflicts between civil sergrew on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, vants who want to enforce the law and
so did the conflict of responsibility with- politicians who want salmon farming to
in the Department (DFO) whose prime have special treatment so they can help
responsibility is to enforce the federal the economies of rural, coastal regions.
“Justice must not just be done, but it
Fisheries Act, which on paper is one of
Canada’s most-effective pieces of legis- must be seen to be done and the law
lation for monitoring and enforcing must be applied evenly to all sectors.
environmental standards.
In the mid-1980s, the federal “Net-cage salmon farming, basically
government decided to promote floating feedlots, are not an economic
salmon farming and appointed panacea for coastal communities,”
DFO to be the head cheerleader
– creating an obvious conflict. How can Clearly, this is not the case with the
one government agency enforce the salmon farming industry,” said Jim FulFisheries Act, which is designed to con- ton, who was featured on the program.
For years, the Foundation has
serve and protect wild fish, and at the
same time champion an industry that obtained government documents
greatly impacts the marine environ- through Access to Information legislation, and by supplying some of this
ment?
Since its inception, the Foundation information to Disclosure producers,
has raised this issue in virtually all of Foundation staff have helped ensure
our aquaculture research reports, start- Canadians know what is happening
ing with Net Loss in October 1996. The behind closed government doors,
issue received major public attention in explained aquaculture specialist Lynn
February when the CBC TV investiga- Hunter.
ADRIAN RAESIDE ILLUSTRATION
“Our governments must be reminded that in order to govern justly, they
must consider all points of view when
planning for economic development.
Net-cage salmon farming, basically
floating feedlots, are not an economic
panacea for coastal communities,” said
Ms. Hunter. “In fact, salmon farming,
the way it is currently practiced, is causing huge problems for commercial wild
fisheries and tourism businesses, which
annually draw millions of people to our
coasts because of their natural beauty.”
Biologist Alexandra Morton, who
lives on a remote part of the BC coast
surrounded by salmon farms, has been
sounding the alarm for almost 20 years
about environmental damage she
believes is linked to the proliferation of
net cages in the area.
“I report things I see and research
results to DFO, but they won’t come
here. They don’t want to hear it,” she
said on Disclosure.
5
C L E A R C U T T I N G
C A N A D A’ S
Despite forestry agreement,
BC’s coastal rainforests are
still being clearcut
by JEAN KAVANAGH
C
6
learcut logging continues in Canada’s
rainforests almost two years after an
agreement to bring environmentally
responsible forestry to this unique region on the
British Columbia coast, the David Suzuki Foundation and two other groups revealed in January.
When the government of BC and First
Nations of the Turning Point initiative
announced in April 2001
Only four per cent of fish-bearing they had reached the hisstreams in logging sites had toric land-use agreement,
David Suzuki and Foundaprotective stream-side buffers. tion staff were there to
applaud the achievement.
Last year, Foundation researchers decided
they should go into Canada’s rainforests to evaluate actual logging sites in this ecologically
important region. Unfortunately, the team
found that clearcut logging continues in what is
known as the Great Bear Rainforest and in the
forests of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte
Islands).
“What we found was very disappointing,” said
Cheri Burda, director of the Foundation’s forests
and lands program. “The vast majority of logging
sites had more than 80 per cent of the trees
removed, and species that depend on old-growth
forests cannot survive in those conditions.”
R A
The Foundation, Forest Watch of British
Columbia and Raincoast Conservation Society,
produced the web-based status report Clearcutting Canada’s Rainforests, which can be found
at www.canadianrainforests.org.
Researchers, who included ecologists, a registered professional forester and technicians, analyzed 227 plans for individual logging sites on
British Columbia’s central and north coast and
Haida Gwaii, and also conducted aerial surveys
and ground visits to logging sites. They highlighted three major findings:
• In the vast majority of logging sites, over 80
per cent of the trees were removed;
• Only four per cent of fish-bearing streams in
logging sites had protective stream-side
buffers;
• In the majority of sites, not enough trees
were left behind to sustain species that
depend on old-growth forests.
“Unfortunately, today we must announce that
it is largely business as usual in these forests in
terms of how and how much of them are cut
down,” David Suzuki told the media when
releasing the report in Vancouver.
“The eyes of the world were on British
Columbia on April 4, 2001 and people believed
this historic land-use agreement meant that
these unique and important rainforests would
be conserved for future generations,” said Dr.
Suzuki who was one of the key speakers at the
signing ceremony.
In addition to the April 2001 First Nations
agreement, the province, environmental groups
and timber companies agreed that 20 valleys of
high ecological and cultural value would be pro-
LEFT Good forest retention
maintains the integrity of
the forest. DEREK MARTIN PHOTO
I N F O R E S T S
RIGHT Poor forest retention
leads to mudslides and soil
erosion. A recent report by
the David Suzuki Foundation
and two other groups has
found that poor logging
practices continue in Canada’s
rainforest. DEREK MARTIN PHOTO
tected and that many other watersheds would
not be logged until completion of a land-use
plan for BC’s central coast. This process is
ongoing and the protected status must stand
until it is concluded, the groups say.
The status report calls for ecosystem-based
management to be practiced in Canada’s rainforests, which means ending clearcut logging
and ensuring wider buffer zones are left on
each stream bank. Forestry regulations in
British Columbia do not require any protection
of small fish streams. On US federal lands in
Washington state, a minimum 91-metre nologging buffer zone is required on each side of
a fish-bearing stream.
Ms. Burda says that one of the easiest and
quickest changes logging companies could have
made to demonstrate their commitment to
improved forestry practices would have been to
leave standing trees to create buffer zones on
small streams. However, according to the status
report, only four per cent of the logging plans
analyzed called for mandatory no-logging
buffers on small fish streams inside the logging
sites.
“We are concerned when we see that logging
practices have not really
changed since we reached the “We are concerned when we see
April 2001 agreement,” said that logging practices have not
Art Sterritt, co-chair of the
really changed since the April
Turning Point initiative, who
explained that these forests 2001 agreement.”
have sustained First Nations
people and their cultures for millennia.
“Clearcut logging is not acceptable in these
forests and we are working with government,
the timber companies and environmental
groups to ensure that environmentally responsible practices are implemented,” he added.
Researchers will soon start work on a followup report.
A spirit or Kermode bear snacks on a
salmon in a river along BC’s northern
coast. These rare white bears are only
found in Canada’s threatened
rainforest ecosystem.
IAN MCALLISTER PHOTO
7
TOUR SCRAPBOOK
What a show!
Well, we wanted launch the Nature Challenge with a
bang and we certainly did! I have to admit though,
sharing the stage with amazing Canadian artists like
Randy Bachman, Nelly Furtado and Bruce Cockburn
was certainly daunting. I'm just glad they didn't ask
me to sing.
Thanks to everyone who made the six-city Human
Element Tour possible,
especially our 300 volunteers. And thanks to those
who attended for sharing
your evening with us. I
hope you had fun and learned something too. If you
haven't signed up for the Nature Challenge yet,
please visit www.davidsuzuki.org and join a growing
group of concerned Canadians who are committed to
making a difference.
It was standing
room only for
the kick-off
Nelly Furtado takes
centre stage in
Vancouver to
support the Nature
Challenge.
ENRICO DAGOSTINI PHOTOS
Sam Roberts
sings his hit
"Brother Down"
at the Vancouver
event.
ENRICO DAGOSTINI PHOTO
Marg Delahunty of
This Hour has 22
Minutes made a
surprise visit to the
Nature Challenge
launch.
DOMINIC ALI PHOTO
8
Volunteer help
essential to
tour success
Dr. Suzuki visits
Carlos and Sugar,
hosts of YTV's The
Zone.
Over 300 dedicated volunteers
devoted their time to making the
Human Element Tour such a great
success.
Everything from research to
pre-event publicity and promotion,
taking tickets, selling t-shirts,
producing booklets on local
environment groups in each city,
taking part in focus groups and
even the fantastic slide show seen
during the performances was
accomplished with the help of
volunteers.
The tour would not have been
possible without them.
Here is a lful
K-OS's sou
cutline saying
hip-hop
who is in the
impressed the
picture, where
crowd at the
they played
Toronto show.
and maybePHOTO
BOB SALVERDA
something
else.
YTV PHOTO
Organic cotton shirts and
tote-bags were big sellers
at each event. Some are
still available. Tote bags
are $25, t-shirts are $32
including shipping and
GST. Call 1-800-453-1533
during office hours (Pacific
Time) to order, or email
[email protected]
BOB SALVERDA PHOTO
Local volunteers
were critical to the
success of the tour.
BOB SALVERDA PHOTO
Dr. Suzuki gets ready for another media interview. In each city, Dr. Suzuki and
Foundation president Dr. Tara Cullis spoke to the media to help promote the
Nature Challenge. DOMINIC ALI PHOTO
9
reallife
Speak up! The
fish can’t hear you
by DAVID TAYLOR
We’re eating up the food chain too. Sharks used to be
a minor player in global fisheries, but with the loss of
other stocks and the surge in popularity of shark fin
soup, they are being hit hard. Sharks grow slowly and
reproduce only a few at a time – making it hard for
stocks to replenish. In fact, a recent study found that
populations of many species have plummeted by 75
per cent in just 15 years.
So what do we do? On the surface, farming fish
may seem like a sensible alternative to catching their
wild cousins. But any regular reader of this newsletter knows that farming carnivores like salmon in
floating net cages creates huge problems in the
marine areas where they are situated – from pollution and the spread of disease, to the excessive
use of chemicals and drugs. That’s no answer.
At lunch with a new acquaintance the other day and the
guy orders Chilean sea bass.
I almost coughed my water all over him. He looked
at me. The waiter looked at me. I folded.
What am I supposed to say? “Chilean sea bass is
totally overfished, you dolt,” or “Sure, and I’ll have
the grilled right whale with whooping crane sauce
and a bowl of mountain gorilla soup to start.”
Maybe I should have, but I just met the guy
and it felt awkward, so I gritted my teeth and
stared at the menu. How could he not know?
As stocks collapse, we turn to the fish
Come to think of it, how could this popular
that our fish of choice used to eat for
restaurant not know? Chilean sea bass, a.k.a.
Patagonian tooth fish, is one of the most overits dinner. At this rate, we’ll be eating
fished species on the planet. In just one decade
jellyfish before too long.
it has gone from being a complete unknown to
Then what is the answer? Clearly, we need to
being a staple item on restaurant menus across
manage fish stocks better. And we need to creNorth America. To feed that demand, stocks
ate marine protected areas where fishing is not
are being hammered and scientists are worried
allowed, to give fish a safe haven where they can
that we might just eat this species to extinction.
reproduce and grow. That’s great. But most peoSo how could he not know? Fact is, most
ple don’t manage fish stocks and the only bodpeople don’t know where their food comes
ies of water they can protect are their bathtubs,
from or whether or not it’s being harvested in a
so what can the average person do?
sustainable manner. We just don’t think about
Obviously, avoiding eating threatened
it. While fish stock collapses
or endangered fish is a start, but what
do make the news, the stories
else?
are usually focussed on the
!
R BUY THESE FISH
O
ER
RD
O
’T
N
O
D
Simple. Tell other people. After that
loss of jobs that will result or
Wild sturgeon
ss
ba
a
lunch
I emailed the guy who ordered
se
what it will mean to the econan
ile
Ch
Atlantic swordfish
Chilean
sea bass and told him the fish’s
omy. Rarely is the concept of
Farmed salmon
Bluefin tuna
ish
kf
on
M
story.
He
was aghast. “Why didn’t you
sustainability ever mentioned.
Orange roughy
k
ar
Sh
tell me?” he asked. Good question.
Many people just assume that if
Beluga caviar
Imported/
Then I emailed the restaurant and told
od
stocks are being depleted in
gc
Lin
trawled shrimp
them I was disappointed to see it on
one part of the world, well,
types of
ormation on which
inf
e
or
m
r
Fo
their menu.
then we’ll just start fishing for
visit:
choose or avoid,
to
h
fis
A little information goes a long
something else. There’s plenty
org/oceans
www.davidsuzuki.
rd.
Ca
ch
at
way.
If people know a fish is threatW
more fish in the sea, right?
d
oo
af
e Se
and download th
ened, most will avoid it. If restauraRight?
teurs receive enough complaints from customers,
Well, no actually. Scientists
they will look for more sustainable options. When they
like Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia
do that, demand goes down and the fish get a much
point out that we are actually fishing down the marine food
needed break.
web – that is, as stocks collapse, we turn to the fish that our
So speak up. From now on, I will.
fish of choice used to eat for its dinner. Then, when they’re
gone, we move another step down the food chain. At this
rate, Dr. Pauly says, we’ll be eating jellyfish before too long.
10
re c o m m e n d e d
findingsolutions
A publication of the David Suzuki
Foundation, a registered Canadian
charity working through science and
education to protect the balance of
nature and our quality of life, now
and for future generations.
2211 West 4th Ave.,
Suite 219, Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada, V6K 4S2
Tel.: (604)732-4228
Fax: (604)732-0752
1-800-453-1533
www.davidsuzuki.org
Editor
David Taylor
Writers
Jean Kavanagh
Dominic Ali
Sarah Marchildon
Design and Production
Working Design
Board of Directors
Stephen Bronfman
Dr. Tara Cullis (President)
Dr. Wade Davis
Jim Fulton
Stephanie Green
James Hoggan
Michael Robinson
Peter Steele
Dr. David Suzuki (Chair)
Executive Director
Jim Fulton
Communications
Director
David Hocking
Program Directors
Cheri Burda
Otto Langer
Gerry Scott
When the Wild Comes
Leaping Up: Personal
Encounters with Nature
Edited by David Suzuki
(David Suzuki Foundation,
Greystone, 2002)
What does nature mean to
you? How has it affected
your life? These are the
sorts of questions
considered by a
celebrated list of
authors, including Margaret
Atwood, Wade
Davis, Timothy
Findley and others in this collection of personal
essays. From fond
childhood memories to harrowing adventures, these
beautifully written stories
offer insight into the transformative power of nature
and the often unexpressed
depth of our connection
with the natural world.
High and Mighty:
SUVs, The World’s
Most Dangerous
Vehicles and How
They Got That Way
Bowling Alone, The
Collapse and Revival of
American Community
By Keith Bradsher
(Public Affairs, 2002)
No one said environmental
protection was easy. But
Bowling Alone shows us just
how hard it has become to
engage most people on
public policy issues. While
polls show people care
deeply about the environment, Dr. Putnam presents
startling data that Americans are retreating from virtually all forms of civic participation.
Whether it’s voting, participating in parent-teacher
associations or having
people over for dinner, the
trends are all the same –
down. Involvement in the
community and the common good are slipping
alarmingly, replaced by a
powerful swing towards
isolation and materialism.
This well-written, meticulously researched book is a
revelation for those trying
to understand society today.
Those massive SUVs you
see barreling up behind
you in your rearview don’t
just look dangerous, they
are dangerous, according
to Keith Bradsher, the former Detroit bureau chief
for the New York
Times. In this meticulously researched
book, Mr. Bradsher
traces the lineage
of SUVs and
explains how they
dodged dozens of
environmental and
safety regulations
required for automobiles – and earned
Detroit big profits in the
process. According to Mr.
Bradsher, these vehicles are
even worse than most people suspect, and their problems will only multiply as
the fleet ages.
By Robert Putnam
(Touchstone, 2000)
Director of Development
Corinne Rogers
Volunteer Program Coordinator
Victor Vesely
David Suzuki’s schedule
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Printed on 100% post-consumer
recycled paper, processed chlorine
free.
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Hamilton Volunteer Steering
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Working Toward
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Coast Plaza Hotel
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902-566-4170
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St. John's, NewfoundlandLabrador
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506-458-8747
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11
lastword
D
uring 2002’s rancorous campaign over
the Kyoto Protocol much of the debate
in Canada seemed to lose all sense of
urgency and the immense scale of the problem. We
got caught up debating according to the spin set by
oil companies and Alberta Premier Klein. We debated the cost of implementing Kyoto – how many jobs
might be lost, our global
competitiveness, and on
and on. When Parliament
formally voted for ratification, there was little sense
that the target imposed by
Kyoto is just a baby step in
the direction we have to go.
PUBLIC ACTION WILL So let’s recount some
SWAY OUR LEADERS history. In 1988, at an interKyoto is a good first step, national conference on the
atmosphere held in Toronbut we must do more
to, scientists concluded that
human activity was adding more greenhouse gas to
the atmosphere than the planet could reabsorb and
recommended reducing CO2 emissions by 20 per
cent below 1988 levels in 15 years. Studies in Canada,
Australia, the US and Sweden, all indicated that the
target was achievable and would result in huge net
economic savings. A Canadian all-party standing
committee on the environment in Parliament concluded that global warming posed a threat whose
destructive magnitude was second only to all out
nuclear war!
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
To counteract these concerns, a coalition of fossil
fuel, automobile and chemical industries began a
huge campaign of disinformation. They questioned
the scientific evidence of climate change and used
creative accounting to claim the economic costs of
taking action were too high and the benefits trivial.
All the while, emissions continued to climb, to 14 per
cent above 1990 by the year 2000.
Swayed by the industry lobby, Canadian delegates
at Kyoto in 1997 campaigned against real reduction
targets and pushed for loopholes to avoid reducing
emissions. The final target was a mere six per cent
below 1990 levels by 2010, but because emissions had
been climbing steadily since 1988 when the first alarm
was sounded, achieving the target would be much
more challenging. Yet little was done after Kyoto and
only when Prime Minister Chrétien announced last
year that Canada would ratify did the country engage
in serious discussion.
So here we are in 2003, celebrating Canada’s ratification while the largest emitter, the US, has rejected
the Protocol. We are left with a watered-down goal,
having wasted 15 years doing little to reduce or stabilize emissions. Kyoto is just the first step. We can’t wait
for our leaders to take the next, 15 or 20 years from
now. We must go further, sooner. That’s why I urge all
of you to get involved, sign on to our Nature Challenge (www.davidsuzuki.org) and take the time to
send a free fax to our leaders. When large numbers of
people indicate they are taking the initiative, business
and government will have to respond.
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