Economy

Green Energy - Green Illusion

Submitted by delores on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 16:59

Here's a critical piece that is well worth a few minutes to read - a discussion of the current trend in environmentalism to boosting green energy and green tech as THE solution, instead of looking at the longer term implications and searching for real solutions to the human ecological problem.

This interview by Steve Horn, Power Shift Away from Green Illusions, in truthout explores the paradigm.

"Things aren’t as simple as they seem, and "there's actually no such thing as a free lunch" when it comes to energy

Norway -- Making Good With Oil

Submitted by delores on Thu, 07/26/2012 - 10:54

Norway is the envy of much of the world, for its social supports -- the best place in the world to be a mother -- its free university tuition, its fine democratic traditions, its outstanding economic status, and superb environmental record. Mitch Anderson reports on The Tyee:

Oil, Gas & Banks Head South

Mar-Apr-2012-Vol22-No2

A host of oil and gas companies based in Calgary and Toronto have been increasing their holdings throughout Latin America, taking advantage of the same lax legal standards Canadian mining companies enjoy.

Inflation and the Decreasing Value of Money

Nov-Dec-2011-Vol21-No5

by Norm Gibbons

Last July, US Congressman Ron Paul asked US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, “Is gold money?” On YouTube you can watch Bernanke squirm in his chair.

The US Federal Reserve is a money- spewing monster. Like any central bank, its main function is to print money. However, the more they print, the weaker the currency becomes.

A private banking cartel created the US Fed in 1913. The bankers got rich, but the US dollar has retained only 2% of its 1913 real value, so the average citizen – and this applies to Canada as well – has

Share the World's Resources

Jan-Feb-2011-Vol21-No1

Excerpted with permission from Share the World’s Resources

As the 21st Century unfolds, humanity is faced with a stark reality. Following the world stock market crash in 2008, people everywhere are questioning the unbridled greed, selfishness and competition that has driven the dominant economic model for decades. But the economic meltdown is just one of a long series of interrelated crises that have combined to leave billions of people in the Global South without access to the basic necessities of life.

As the devastating costs of climate change and financial turmoil continue to unfold, it is no longer possible to ignore the urgent need for transforming our social, political and economic structures along more just and sustainable lines.

Toxic Mining in the Baja

Jan-Feb-2012-Vol22-No1

Proposed toxic gold mining in Baja California Sur threatens massive water shortage in an already dry climate.

by Dawn Paley

Canadians on vacation are generally welcomed in Baja, but another set of Canadians are distinctly unwelcome: those who come in search of gold and who want to use the water to get it...

Every October, an estimated 20,000 grey whales begin their long migration from the waters off Alaska’s shores down the west coast to sub-tropical lagoons off the Coast of Baja California, Mexico.

Beyond the Tourist Veil in Mayan Mexico

Summer-2012-Vol22-No3

by Dawn Paley

From my perch in front of a small coffee shop in the town of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, I watched a steady flow of visitors walk from the bus station to the hotel district, in search of a place to lay down their heads – and their packs.

Sample Response to Environmental Assessment of Canada-China FIPA

Submitted by delores on Sun, 11/04/2012 - 09:59

To: EAconsultationsEE@international.gc.ca

Dear Sir/Madam,

This Trade Treaty is a disaster and must be stopped! It must be stopped because of all of the negative impacts on OUR environment and every other aspect of OUR Canadian way of life.

In your "Initial Assessment" of this Treaty you say three things which are highly distressing. Myself and many others are wondering if you had your glasses on when reading this Treaty? They are:

Ecotourism--Panacea Or Eco-Opportunism?

by Maggie Paquet 1999

Ecotourism has been touted as being the panacea for preserving wilderness, biodiversity, local economies, and indigenous cultures. It is considered by many to be the "non-consumptive" alternative to industrial uses for land whereby communities can develop "sustainable" economies.

Pumping Poison - Gasoline and Pollution

Too often, filling up means adding a Toxic Tiger to the gasoline in your tank.

by Delores Broten

The war at the gas pump rages un••• abated, with the oil and gas companies and consumers lined up in unequal battle over gasoline price hikes. Meanwhile, the toxic assaults from benzene, Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons and other natural components of this fuel so central to current industrialized society continue to wreak havoc.

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"This is it. It's done!" was the message in Alaska in 2008, 19 years after the Exxon Valdes oil spill. Dave Janka, who runs Auklet Charters in Prince William Sound, ran his boat over to Smith Island to snap this photo. Dave says, "It's far from done!"

W.L.M. (Bill) Wilson writes: 'Attached is my rewrite of Anne Feeney’s “Have You Been To Jail for Justice”. Anne granted permission to do non-profit performances of this Enbridge version.' Video by Ester Strijbos.