Toronto Bans Water Bottles

The City of Toronto and its mayor, David Miller, have proven that they are serious about taking steps to help reduce the city’s impact on the environment. Will the measures prove to be successful in the end? I believe the recent mandatory $.05 charge for plastic bags will reduce demand— citizens already have more cloth bags than the need. I am more sceptical about the success of the water bottle ban. It lacks the scale of the “grocery bag tax” as it only pertains to municipal grounds. How about a $1.00 “bottled water tax” instead (with a non-toxic water bottle advertising the policy sent to every household in Toronto?).

Saskatchewan not ruling out nuclear investment

A message to the government of Saskatchewan (that is pertinent for the Ontario government as well): STAY AWAY FROM NUCLEAR POWER. Financially, these are a disaster. Projects going over budget are not just common, its pretty much expected. The payback periods are also typically much longer in real life than feasibility studies estimate. Nuclear power is not the environmental steward its proponents make it out to be. Nuclear power plants require enriched uranium, the mining and processing of which is extremely harmful to the environment. Come on people, let your voices be heard….join the No Nuclear Powerplant in Saskatchewan!!! Facebook group and sign the online petiton. Note: it is pronounced “new-clear” not “new-cue-lar”. Right, Sarah Palin?

Moving on to the “animal” side of things….
Alberta’s Tar Sand Development threatens millions of birds
and
Canada allows killing of over 500 Narwhals

Both articles bring to light an important question. What are the lives of animals valued at by Canadians? Given the nature of our country’s current infrastructure and energy/ transportation systems, it is not reasonable to expect no animals to be harmed. Every action has a cost—and when the costs outweigh the benefit, an action is not pursued. Is the expected harm to millions of birds enough to halt the tar sands development? Are the 500 trapped Narwhals worth the government’s attention given the associated costs? We know that the current government would answer “no” to both questions. I’m curious to know what level of harm would be considered unacceptable, forcing the government to take action. As it stands, it looks like to me that enough animals are suffering to warrant the government’s attention.

Related posts:

1. One Small Step for Water. One Giant Leap for the Environment In the coming days, weeks and months you should start...
2. Chalk River Nuclear Leaks A radioactive spill has materialized at the weathered Chalk River...

Tags: Environment, Link Roll, nuclear energy, tar sands

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 at 12:05 am and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.