Wow, that's embarrassing

[ciroccoj]

Wed Oct 12,11:53 AM ET

OTTAWA (CP) - Environmentalists say the United States has done a better job limiting air pollution than Canada.

That despite a decade of Canadian government hype about taking the issue seriously. The group Pollution Watch says the United States reduced its air pollution emissions by 45 per cent between 1995 and 2003 while Canada reduced its air pollution by 1.8 per cent.

It says Canadian government rhetoric on how industry and government are making the problem go away masks what it calls hollow promises.

Pollution Watch says increased air pollution has added to breathing and other health problems.

It also says the data shows just how inefficient Canadian industry has remained while U.S. competitors have adapted.

Link to the article itself: http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051012/ca_pr_on_na/pollution_watch

I'd love to see the actual report.

Edit: Oh, and here it is: Shattering the Myth of Pollution Progress in Canada: A National Report

Comments

[snarkhunter.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that *burns*.

And yet, makes me feel better about my own country. Sorry. :/

(Though I wonder...how much MORE pollution do we put out, versus you?)

[shiningmoon.livejournal.com]

Wow. That really surprises me.

the politician misses most of the point

[animaltalker.livejournal.com]

While it's true if Canada and the US turned to service economies and let less industrialized countries do the heavy oil and gas producing and refining and manufacturing processes (he should remember that natural gas, oil and coal aren't found uniuformally throughout the world, but we will put that aside), that there might be an increase in pollution because those countires MIGHT be less prepared to cut pollution (although, when you start out as a non-industrialized country and you have to become industrialized, what would be the point in putting in antiquated systems when you are starting from scratch any way?), but as a Chemist I'm aware of something called Green Chemistry which has been wholeheartedly embraced in America by the Chemical Industry, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the economical thing to do. Green Chemistry is also supported by the government, with the company or individual who comes up with the most innovative way to do an old process in a new less polluting, less energy consuming, more sustainable way being given national recoginition and award.

Here is an article about what Green Chemistry is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_chemistry

[heathers.livejournal.com]

Kind of related, but not exactly...

I've been SO disappointed in Canada's stance on recycling. Not so much the country as the general apathy of the citizens in this part of Canada. I realize I'm a west coaster and the chances are that BC is equally granola as western US but the fact remains that Toronto would rather truck their garbage out than attempt educating it's dwellers and creating a livable and sustainable recycling program. It's just as bad in London... the only blip on the blood pressure of this city was when Toronto announced it was looking into filling OUR landfills with their garbage. Only then did people become outraged. Still, there was an article in the paper a week or so ago about picking random garbage from the landfill and 60% of it could have been recycled. That makes me sad. I had to impliment a recycling program at the kitchen I work at because it made me sick to my stomach. And if businesses aren't doing it, the impact is just... disgusting. To this day I STILL pick things out of the trash at work because people just don't THINK about it. The recycling bins are right next to the can but it just doesn't occur to them. And in a country as big and beautiful as yours, that's just not right. I wonder what it's going to take before people wake up and start caring.

-H