Squishy conservatives

It wasn't long before the wailing started. Our loyal opposition party is blaming big government for high gas prices even though taxes have not been raised one cent in years. Said Tory leader Stephen Harper, " Canadians have seen nothing other than 100 days of inaction from the government. Rather than continue to rake in record-high revenues from record-high oil prices, will the government simply cut gas taxes for consumers?" [Globe and Mail]

Perhaps instead of screaming for the state to fix gas prices, Stephen should educate consumers about the law of supply and demand. A former economics student should know better. Higher prices will lead to greater efficiency and send signals to consumers.

Urban Splendor

Autumn is the most spectacular season in Toronto, and we're enjoying a lovely sunny time here in the Big Smoke. I walked past this fabulous late summer garden at Artscape. (Queen West and Crawford) This is what I dream of turning my front lawn into

This is What Climate Change Looks Like

This is what climate change looks like. Without significant action on CO2 emissions, the fate of New Orleans will be repeated in many places over the coming century.

Climate change is expected to bring with it rising sea levels and more frequent weather patterns. The waves of destruction that immersed New Orleans could soon be washing over parts of Florida and cities all along the coast. Entire countries will soon face annihilation - low-lying coastal nations such as Bangladesh and Tuvalu

For too long we have allowed short term economic wants dictate decision making. A short term economic analysis shows that New Orleans is a great place to build a business. It has a fantastic port, access to the Mississippi river, and the Atlantic.

A long term analysis would conclude that building a city of 3 million in a soup bowl 3 meters below sea level in a hurricane-prone area is fundamentally unsound. Let's get it right on CO2 emissions before it's too late

Urban Ecosystem

Our world is changing with a speed that is difficult to grasp. Land and resources are gobbled up and discarded at a staggering pace. Toronto artist Kendall Anderson documents some of our urben detritus with his photography site, Invisible Threads

Death to the Oil Furnace

My neighbor replaced his circa 1973 oil furnace with a high-efficiency natural gas model. Older oil furnaces are a nasty, dirty business. The new model will save on CO2 emissions, and provide less oil money to Ralph Klein's government. And that can only be a good thing...

Carbon coefficients of each fuel source

• fuel oil: 161.44 pounds of CO2 per million BTU
• natural gas: 117 pounds of CO2 per million BTU

data from EPA's Global Warming Research Center

Best coffee cup in town

This is the best re-usable coffee cup in town. Lightweight, inexpensive, it holds 14 oz of java & is a great replacement for two daily paper cups of coffee. $2.75 from Mountain Equipment Co-op

Environment on radar screen

Today's Globe suggests that the environment rather than more tax cuts, is on the agenda for the federal government's upcoming fiscal update (mini-budget). Said Ajax-Pickering MP Mark Holland of Canadians' increasing concern over environmental issues,

"It's having major impacts - on quality of life in terms of smog. I think it's
an immediate and pressing problem. It's a pressing problem for our health, a
pressing problem for the environment and it's a pressing problem for
sustainability. And when you take a look at gas prices where they are - our
reliance on petroleum is no longer sustainable."

Good to see the green message is getting through to the Liberals - they need to act effectively to reduce smog and meet our CO2 reduction committments. It's fine for backbenchers to raise these issues but the environment has clearly not been at the top of the Liberal decision-makers' agenda in recent years.

Is It Safe?

..It's not safe to be outside today