A documentary film, Bear Witness, chronicles the efforts of Canadian Coastal First Nations to protect grizzly bears from sport hunters on the British Columbian coast.
Environmental Issues
WilderUtopia sees environmental issues as publicizing harmful effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, and seeking methods to solve problems, transcend boundaries and build a better and more sustainable future. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that spans race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.
Climate Warming Catastrophe, Mass Extinctions Underway
Dahr Jamail’s essay illustrates how scientists are starting to acknowledge that the startling environmental changes happening worldwide, including massive ice melts, extreme weather such as super typhoons, wildfire, heat waves, and droughts, as well as the growing acidification of ocean waters, could result in massive species extinctions, including us.
Fracking in New Brunswick: Elsipogtog First Nation Takes a Stand
Since June of 2013 the Elsipogtog First Nation community, in New Brunswick, Canada, has gathered on Highway 11 to protest the seismic testing being conducted by a subsidiary of Houston-based Southwestern Energy Co. Since that time, several violent clashes between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and First Nation people have erupted. AlJazeera’s “Fault Lines” went to Mi’kmaq territory, to find out what happens when a First Nation says no to fracking.
Climate Disruption: Arctic Death Spiral Underway
Ice is melting in the Arctic at one of the fastest rates in human history. Researchers and climate scientists monitoring ice melt in the Arctic have started using the ominous term “death spiral” to describe what’s happening at the top of the world.
Valero Moves to Ship Tar Sands By Rail into LA Harbor
Valero Energy seeks permits for large-scale shipments of low-quality tar sands oil via rail into their Port of Los Angeles refinery, without any public comment or environmental review. As part of a larger move to transport climate-disrupting unconventional crude to ports for refining and export to the world, it presents dangers given recent rail accidents, the corrosive nature of tar sands bitumen, and the significant pollution that surrounding communities already live with.
Sustainable Cellulosic Ethanol: Expensive Process, Political Challenges
Imagine a future in which airliners run on cornstalks and Navy ships ply the oceans on tanks of switchgrass. That day may be in sight but challenges remain to scale up production, reduce costs and political opposition, and ensure a sustainably produced feedstock.
Big Oil Looks to Transport Tar Sands and Oil Shale By Rail
The boom in North Dakota shale oil and the growth in Alberta tar sands, as well as the political costs of building pipelines has encouraged a move to ship more oil by rail. The move comes after high-profile disasters and the threat of massive climate disruption has caused heightened scrutiny of unconventional oil shipped by train to the global market.