First North Pole Ozone Hole Forming?

Get your sunscreen on this summer! Sadly, the first-ever ozone hole in the North Pole is forming! Apparently, as the lowest-layer of the atmosphere (the troposphere) warms (due to increased greenhouse gas content), higher atmospheric layers (the stratosphere, containing our protective ozone) cools, enhancing the effect of ozone-destructive chemicals like CFCs....thus leading to this mammoth hole that may stretch as far south as New York. 

Link from Cody O

How the G-20 can prevent a food crisis

A well written, extremely ambitious and concise outline of an impending food crisis. The only problem is, it doesn't address how we are going to co-operate more effectively internationally, when each country has its own geopolitical worries regarding this issue to bear in mind. 
What strategies do you think should be employed to facilitate international cooperation in tackling the global food crisis?

From Ralph Y.

Renault Launches Twizy: The Cheapest Electric Vehicle On The Market

Link contributed by Mark O.

Renault has created the cheapest electric vehicle on the market called Twizy. The Renault Twizy costs a mere $9,700 allowing users to drive in both an economical and environmentally friendly manner. Twizy looks quite similar to the Mercedes Smart car and is far cheaper than the Nissan Leaf which costs a whopping $32,780. 

 

From Trevor S.

Creating a Sustainable Economic Future

An insightful debate between Canadian experts—Richard Lipsey, Peter Victor, Tim Jackson and Paul Ekins—on how we can protect the environment and sustain economic growth at the same time, featured by the CBC and the University of Ottawa. The debate is down-loadable as a podcast here. 

 

From Elaine P.

Beverage Companies Finally Invest in Biodegradable Plastics

Coca-Cola has announced plans to build a new plastic bottle recycling plant in England. The investment was made in collaboration with Eco Plastics Ltd from the UK, which operates Europe’s largest and most technically advanced mixed plastic bottle facility. Eco Plastics has invested £10 million in the project while Coca-Cola has invested £5 million. The facility will be able to process 75,000 tonnes of polyethylene terepthalate, more than double what the UK was able to process last year.

The facility is part of a 10-year joint venture between the two companies. Eco Plastics will provide Coca-Cola with a guaranteed supply of recycled plastic and Coca-Cola will use this plastic to meet its target of having 25 percent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in all plastic packaging by 2012. While this partnership is solely for Coca-Cola operations in the UK, I am hopeful that it will inspire other Coca-Cola subsidiaries to use decomposable plastic as well.  

Coca-Cola is not the only beverage manufacturer looking to incorporate biodegradable bottles. SodaStream, another major beverage player, will be using decomposable packaging for its flavoured syrups. These syrups will come in plastic bottles that decompose in five short years. This is an impressive accomplishment given it takes about 450 years for regular plastic bottles to decompose.

Check out this video which shows how the Eco Plastics bottle sorting plant works.

What do you think of this proposed solution?

From Trevor S.

Should MD's accept death?

As described in heartwarming fashion in this short story, proper palliative care involves knowing when to fold: to recognize impending, un-preventable death and informing the family early enough for the patient to say their farewells in a dignified manner. Not only would proper conversations about death help reduce healthcare costs of treating the sick (over 80% of your total lifetime's healthcare costs occur during your last 6 months of life), they would also help improve the quality of palliative care for the patient and ease the fear/confusion/guilt on the part of the family. Perhaps Canada should be training and re-training its doctors to see death as acceptable outcome of treatment for many patients, instead of ordering unnecessary, costly, and humiliating tests that do nothing but prolong patient suffering.

From Yan Y

China wants to go green within five years

If China goes green, so will the world. And now, it seems like China plans to do just that! China’s 12^th five-year plan has already been approved by Communist Party leaders and appears to be quite ambitious.

However, the new plan does not include any mention of a carbon tax. Chinese officials have hinted that such a tax would only be launched around 2013.

It comes as no surprise that China is the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions globally. In fact, China experienced a 32.5 percent increase in emissions between 2006 and 2009. This five-year plan is needed now more than ever!

From Yan Y.

What will the earth look like in 2050?

How will the earth look like in 2050? Experts make some scary predictions!

With estimates that the global population will reach nine billion by 2050, many experts argue the earth will be unrecognizable. According to Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund, “we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000.” Read the article for more details and share your thoughts. Do you think this prediction is exaggerated?

From Emma T. 

Halifax MP calls on Government to ban use anitbiotics in healthy animals

Antibiotics are being used routinely in livestock, even when they're not sick. The UK and other countries have already imposed strict bands, but is the health of Canadians seemingly less important? One MP from Halifax and current NDP Health Critic is trying to change that in Ottawa.

From Matt P.