GreenWatch

B.. McPherson How many nuclear power stations are near Japan's volcanoes? Japan currently has 48 nuclear reactors that were designed to produce electricity. Since the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi complex more than three years ago due to earthquake and tsunami damage, all the other plants have been shut pending thorough safety checks. On September 27 a volcanic peak, Mount Ontake, unexpectedly erupted killing at least 31 people who were hiking on the slopes. More people may have been killed and buried in the ash. You may well ask what these people were doing on an active volcano. They were assured that Mt. Ontake was safe because the seismic sensors placed on the mountain showed no activity. There are 110 active volcanoes in Japan. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority(NRA) has recently given a nuclear facility at Sendai a safety pass – July 16, 2014. Objections raised by those opposed to the reopening of the nuclear stations based partly on its proximity to an...

B. McPherson The Arctic and Antarctic are Earth's air conditioners. The European Parliament passed a resolution on March 12 to promote better protection of the north Polar region. Part of the resolution recommends a sanctuary in the Arctic Ocean around the N. Pole. It recommends limits on commercial fishing and also means to keep oil pollution from the pristine waters. There is no enforcement of this resolution, but it points out the concern that more people each day have over the fate of the polar region. Keeping the oil rigs out of the Arctic will be difficult. There is likelihood that huge oil reserves lie under the Arctic Ocean. Oil exploration has been taking place in Greenland’s territorial waters as well as offshore Alaska and Russia. Last year Greenpeace activists attempted to board an oil platform in Russian controlled waters and were arrested and held in a Siberian jail before being moved to St. Petersburg jails. Eventually they were released when the world b...

Comparison of natural apple vs Arctic apple(GMO) over 24 hours B. McPherson Granny Smith has been tinkered with. The fine folks at Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc . have developed a genetically altered apple that cannot turn brown when exposed to air. The BC company, located in Summerland has managed to turn off a gene that allows the apple’s normally white flesh to turn brown when it is damaged. They have dubbed their altered version of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples Arctic Apples.  While the trees have been grown, the GM apples have not yet received approval from either Canada’s   food protection agency or the US, but they are definitely in the pipeline. If they receive approval for commercial plantings, the “silenced gene” trait may spread to other apple varieties as apples are pollinated by flying insects. One of the ways that a shopper can judge the quality and freshness of fruit is visually. If apples have brown spots and ugly bruising, they...

B. McPherson Peaceful fracking protest turns ugly in Canada as RCMP close in. Violence broke out in the hamlet of Rexton, New Brunswick when police officers, armed and with dogs attempted to clear what had been a peaceful road blockade. The police were enforcing a court order to clear the road to a fracking company compound which held fracking equipment. Access to equipment owned by SWN Resources was barred by local the local Elsipogtog First Nation when progress on negotiations broke down. The road was blocked on September 30 th . A court order was issued on October 3 rd to clear the access. October 18 RCMP moved in. In the chaos that ensued Chief Arren Sock and Elsipogtog Council members were arrested. This sparked outrage among the protesters. Rocks were thrown, tear gas fired, non-lethal ‘sock bullets’ were fired and five police cars were torched. The violence sparked protests across the country. Ken Coates, an historian specializing in affairs of indigenous ...

B. McPherson GM Corn linked to cancers in independent study GM corn has been banned in Mexico. Both Pioneer and Monsanto have been given notice that they are no longer welcome to plant their transgenic corn in that country. A federal judge has ruled that the GM corn poses an imminent threat to Mexico’s agriculture and food. This ruling suspends the planting of transgenic corn seeds. Herbicide resistant corn varieties have been found to pollute the genetic makeup of native varieties of corn, the birthplace of that important crop. There is well founded fear that the genetically altered varieties will damage the biodiversity of the many varieties of maize(corn) developed over thousands of years, each adapted to differing soil and climate conditions. This comes as good news to those who have engaged on a class action suit to keep the artificial corn varieties from damaging Mexico’s corn. As more years of GM field crops have been grown, evidence is mounting that transgenes have b...

B. McPherson BigAgro Silences Naysayers A farmer in eastern Washington State has had his alfalfa crop rejected by a broker because of pollution by RoundUp Ready plants. The RoundUp Ready alfalfa was found when the crop was tested. Many countries refuse the importation of genetically modified seeds and food. The GM alfalfa is resistant to the herbicide glyphosate which kills most broadleaf plants. Costs are reduced because weeding becomes unnecessary when herbicide can be sprayed onto the fields. It is legal to grow GM alfalfa in the US. People who are opposed to the growing of GM plants have long pointed out that once in the field, the pollen(male gametes) is not under control and can be spread by wind and by animals. This has led to disputes about whether a farmer has made unauthorized use of the genetically altered seeds owned by the biotech company. If a farmer chooses to grow GM alfalfa, then a neighbouring farmer who grows organic alfalfa will soon have his fields...

Whale Porn B. McPherson The American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) has foiled an attempt to bring 18 captive beluga whales into the USA to be exhibits at amusement parks. According to Sea ShepherdSociety , the federal regulatory agency requested and received 9 000 comments on the proposed importation and 76 000 signatures opposing the proposal. If permitted, the whales would have been brought to the US by  the Georgia Aquarium located in Atlanta. From there they would have been distributed to SeaWorlds in Florida, Texas and California as well as the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The source of the white, Arctic based whales was off the Russian Arctic in the Sea of Okhotsk between 2006 and 2011. They have been moved to the Black Sea except for two that were transported to Japan and held at Taiji, better known as The Cove . If they remain there, it is likely that these intelligent animals will witness the gruesome slaughter of the dolphins. Last c...

B. McPherson The eight nation Arctic Council will reconvene on May 15 th to discuss security, sustainability, environmental protection and development. The nations which have coast lines on the Arctic Ocean formed the Council in 1998 in the face of the warming Arctic and threats and opportunities that an ice-free ocean would present. In addition to the eight nations with coastlines on the Arctic – Canada, USA, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark(Greenland) – there are six nonvoting members who represent indigenous people and their interests. Observer status has been granted to eight nations. 14 other nations have applied to sit as nonvoting observers at this conference. Some of the nations applying for status are puzzling at first glance, but the expected natural resources that lie under the ice have some already rumbling that they deserve a share of those riches – natural gas and oil. This year China, Japan, S.Korea, India, Italy, Singapore and the EU have all...

B. McPherson Let's make sure future generations have a chance to witness this. For many N. Americans the return of the monarch butterflies is a sure sign that summer is here. These special butterflies with their cheery black and orange coloring are unique in their migratory habits. Because the monarchs are vulnerable to cold, they fly south in the autumn to winter in Mexico and California. They gather in the thousands in trees and enter a state of reduced metabolic activity, living on their fat reserves. The epic journey of the monarchs is under siege.   In both the eastern and western populations, butterfly counts have plummeted in California and Mexico. The November 1997 count in California was 1,250,000 per site. In 2009 there was an average of 1250 at each site. In There are several factors that are thought to have affected the numbers. Lack of Food Monarch butterflies’ life cycle includes a caterpillar stage. The caterpillar must feed on milkweed plants or d...

B. McPherson Orangutans are losing their homes to forestry and palm oil plantations. Asia Pulp and Paper(APP) has announced that they will declare a moratorium on further forest clearing in the Indonesian rainforest. APP is a major world supplier of paper and packaging materials. Greenpeace has conducted a lengthy campaign to educate customers about the harm being done to tropical rainforests to supply fibre for packaging and toilet paper. As part of their campaign they have urged the boycott of products made by APP. The campaign has paid off with the announcement on February 5 th . “From February 1st 2013, suspension of natural forest clearance which applies to all suppliers while HCVF and HCS assessment are completed, ending all cutting of natural forest Protection of all forests, including those on peatland High Carbon Stock assessments to be implemented Adoption of international best practice for rights of indigenous peoples and local communities Independent mo...

B. McPherson Here's a group of "environmental terrorists" whose weapon is common sense. Hundreds of protesters showed up in Kelowna today to demonstrate against the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway proposal. The proposal would see a twinned pipeline carrying diluted bitumen or dilbit to the west coast of British Columbia and solvent east to the pipeline head. The proposed route would take the pipeline through the most unspoiled area left in N. America and terminate at Kitimat at the head of Douglas Channel. Opposition to the proposal has grown exponentially as the public has become informed of the scope and danger to the environment. In addition to the unease about driving pipelines, pumping stations and roads through pristine wilderness is the poor safety record of this company. First Nations bands in BC have outstanding land claims and they are united in their opposition to this project. Many people are starting to think that the fix is in and this publ...