A discussion on the implications for Little Buffalo and how Toronto can support.

With special guest Melina Laboucon-Massimo from the community of Little Buffalo, Lubicon Cree Territory, Alberta.

On April 29th, 2011, the Plains All American pipeline burst and caused nearly 4.5 million liters of tar sands crude and diluent to spill uncontrollably out onto Lubicon traditional territory.   The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) in Alberta failed to give adequate notice to the community of the spill or information on clean up efforts. In fact, during the first five days of the crisis, the ERCB sent the community just one fax report and failed to attend a community meeting, though were explicitly invited. Most of the community and Peace River region was unaware of the spill for days outside of rumors. However, children experienced nausea, burning eyes and headaches, forcing the school at Little Buffalo to be closed until May 10th.

For the last decade, the oil and gas industry has been criticised, on an ongoing basis, for its participation in the international climate change negotiations and its role in undermining the ‘scientific consensus’ needed for progress at the UNFCCC.  During the same time, political economists have used a narrow range of data to speculate that big oil plays a critical role in financing climate science research, particularly research which denies anthropogenic climate change. Now, new data confirms that big oil indeed has played a disproportionate role in the financing of science in the service of climate scepticism. The study, conducted by Carbon Brief reveals that of the 900 peer-reviewed articles that deny climate change, 9 out of 10 of the most prolific papers were published by scientists funded by Exxon Mobile.  The data is available for downloading at  Carbon Brief. To read more please visit: http://www.good.is/post/nine-of-out-ten-climate-denying-scientists-have-ties-to-exxon-mobil-money/

This week the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo released a new report on how international trade skews the emissions levels reported by developed countries. Unsurprisingly, China is the largest exporter of emissions and accounts for 75 percent of the developed world’s outsourced emissions. The report also finds that while some developed countries report lower emissions levels, their overall carbon footprints are increasing when emission exports are accounted for. Read the study at: http://www.cicero.uio.no/webnews/index_e.aspx?id=11540

This blog was originally published on Professor Mark Winfield’s blog.

Mark Winfield’s take

Q: Who are the Greens targeting in their platform and why?

They are playing to their core constituencies, although there are things here as well that are broader.

The Greens’ base is relatively young, in terms of their demographic relative to the other parties. They share the same basic, post-materialist positioning as the Liberals, the Bloc and the NDP supporters
Conservatives supporters are what political scientists tend to refer to as materialists – a very bread and butter, crime, law and order — exactly the sort of stuff the Conservatives are pitching on.

Green voters are more post-materialist and the environment is part of that – so is a higher concern for social issues. You see some of that reflected here as well. It is a relatively broad platform that is more than just environment, although environmental issues are very central to it.

As my final days at York approach, I find myself thinking about the campus and the projects that I am proud to have seen flourish as well as those that have stagnated while I have been here. I hope projects like these continue, so that that upon a return visit in the next decade it does not look like a previous front page of the YU Free Press.

I used to have a difficult time justifying engaging in on-campus groups because I felt it would not have an impact on the issues I had with our society. What I have come to understand throughout my undergraduate degree is that universities all over the country are microcosms. The university is a space of change, where changes here can and do have an effect on our communities. To me, this means that our university should be a place where we can be proud of a few cornerstones.

The first is a free press.