Media Release
Saskatoon, June 29, 2010 -- The Saskatchewan Environmental Society today praised the federal government for their announcement of $400 million to be directed to help poorer countries tackle climate change impacts.
"We are pleased to see Minister Jim Prentice and the federal government following through on one of the important commitments that was made at last December's Copenhagen climate conference," Ann Coxworth, SES Board Member said today.
At the Copenhagen conference, developed nations promised $10 billion per year to assist many developing countries who are suffering severe negative impacts from rising greenhouse gas emissions. These impacts include rising sea levels, increased flooding, and serious crop loss from severe weather events attributed to climate change. Climate scientists forecast that much of Africa, parts of Asia and island nations in many parts of the world will be particularly hard hit. In Bangladesh, thousands of residents on islands just off the mainland are already being forced to abandon their homes because of rising sea levels. In the Maldives, the government is being forced to plan for the day when the entire country may have to be abandoned because of sea level rise.
"Canada's $400 million commitment this year will constitute about 4% of the global annual commitment that was promised at Copenhagen. We think the federal government is promising an appropriate amount and trust that they will continue to meet their obligations on an annual basis, while ensuring that these funds are over and above regular monies allocated to international aid programs," Ms. Coxworth concluded.
SES OPPOSES PLANNED SALES OF URANIUM TO INDIA
Media Release
Saskatoon, June 29, 2010 -- Prime Minister Harper has made a serious error by entering into a formal agreement by which Canada will reopen uranium exports to India.
"The agreement will pave the way for uranium mining companies in Saskatchewan to export uranium to India, but it will do so at a very high cost -- the further unraveling of the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," Saskatchewan Environmental Society Board Member Ann Coxworth said today.
"India refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet Canada and Saskatchewan will now sell uranium to them anyway. It's a disturbing situation that highlights the inadequacy of international controls over trade in nuclear materials," Coxworth said.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty has been the foundation for civilian trade in uranium over the past forty years. Canada has long claimed that it is only selling uranium to countries that fulfilled the obligations of the treaty, thus reducing the risk that Canadian uranium would be used for atomic weapons purposes.
"Now Canada is not only prepared to sell to a non-signatory, but to a country that has already used Canadian uranium to explode an atomic weapon," Coxworth observed.
"There is a good reason for India's unwillingness to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They do not want to subject themselves to full United Nations inspection and they want to continue to expand their nuclear weapons arsenal. By opening the door to uranium sales in India, Canada and Saskatchewan risk becoming part of the fueling of an atomic weapons race between India and Pakistan."
Saskatoon, June 29, 2010 -- Prime Minister Harper has made a serious error by entering into a formal agreement by which Canada will reopen uranium exports to India.
"The agreement will pave the way for uranium mining companies in Saskatchewan to export uranium to India, but it will do so at a very high cost -- the further unraveling of the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," Saskatchewan Environmental Society Board Member Ann Coxworth said today.
"India refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet Canada and Saskatchewan will now sell uranium to them anyway. It's a disturbing situation that highlights the inadequacy of international controls over trade in nuclear materials," Coxworth said.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty has been the foundation for civilian trade in uranium over the past forty years. Canada has long claimed that it is only selling uranium to countries that fulfilled the obligations of the treaty, thus reducing the risk that Canadian uranium would be used for atomic weapons purposes.
"Now Canada is not only prepared to sell to a non-signatory, but to a country that has already used Canadian uranium to explode an atomic weapon," Coxworth observed.
"There is a good reason for India's unwillingness to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They do not want to subject themselves to full United Nations inspection and they want to continue to expand their nuclear weapons arsenal. By opening the door to uranium sales in India, Canada and Saskatchewan risk becoming part of the fueling of an atomic weapons race between India and Pakistan."
Living by Water
We had quite a lot of public interest recently in Alina Siegfried's CFQC's News at Noon talk on "Living by Water." Alina, our Water Issues Coordinator, gave tips for cabin owners who are interested in protecting water quality in our lakes. Tips include:
- Try to retain a natural shoreline. Ripping out all the vegetation and clearing it right to the shore removes that buffer zone between the land and water. This buffer is important for keeping pollutants out of the lake and also for stabilizing the lake shore and protecting from erosion.
- Pruning trees that obscure your view rather than removing them entirely will help keep banks stable.
- Avoid too much lawn area particularly close to shore -- overuse of fertilizers and pesticides on lawns is one of the causes of algae blooms on lakes.
- Don't remove all the dead fallen trees from the shoreline -- as well as providing habitat, they absorb wave action, decreasing erosion.
- Maintain septic systems
For more tips on living by water, Nature Saskatchewan has a wonderful publication called "On the Living Edge: Your Handbook for Waterfront Living" which is available by visiting their website http://www.naturesask.ca/ or phoning (306) 780-9273
The Retire Your Ride Summer Road Trip
All summer Anton and Chris of SES are travelling around the province on the Retire Your Ride Saskatchewan Summer Road Trip. Using either "Curby," the orange Smart Car, bikes or the STC bus, the guys are attending events and parades or setting up information sessions to promote the national vehicle recycling program that's delivered in Saskatchewan by SES. The Road Trip blog is chronicling this adventure, so check out the videos, pictures and stories, follow on Facebook and keep up on the ever-increasing number of ways to win a Rocky Mountain Metropolis commuter bike. News from the Road Trip will also be popping up here on the SES site.
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