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Media Archives

Hominid fossil Ardi came a million years before Lucy

CBC News, October 1 , 2009

The fossilized partial skeleton of a female ground ape that lived 4.4 million years ago is the best view yet of the early evolution of human beings, researchers say. The partial skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus, nicknamed Ardi, as seen on the cover of this week's special issue of Science. (T. White/Science) Scientists in Washington, D.C., and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have revealed the fossilized partial skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus, nicknamed Ardi, as an early member of the human branch of the primate family tree. The nearly intact skeleton is the result of 17 years of excavation and research on the fossilized remains, found in 1992 in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Scientists say the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, humanity's closest living relative, lived at least six million years ago. Ardi isn't that last common ancestor but it's the closest to it that they've seen, say paleontologists. Read more

India's religious festivals make attempts to go 'green'

by Rina Chandran and Sujoy Dhar, Reuters

National Post , August 31, 2009

MUMBAI - Few events can rival the ancient rituals and riotous color of India's religious festivals. This year, the months-long celebration season is also becoming eco-friendly.

Alarmed by the high levels of pollution caused by firecrackers, toxic paints and idols made of non-recyclable material, schools, environmentalists and some states are encouraging "greener" celebrations.

In Mumbai, where the 10-day festival for the elephant-headed Ganesha is underway with giant, colored idols and noisy street parties, radio and TV stations are airing environmental messages and school children are learning to make eco-friendly idols.  Read more

Crisis in the Congo

By Keith Martin

The Windsor Star, August 29, 2009

Recently, we marked World Humanitarian Day, and it is not good enough for us to congratulate ourselves on our humanitarian successes of the past.

We should use this day to mobilize resources to stop the gross humanitarian disasters that continue to destroy the lives of the poorest people on the planet. None of these crises are more appalling and neglected than the brutality that continues to fester in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In the eastern part of this vast country, a staggering 1,000 people die every day from largely preventable causes. More than six million have perished in the last eight years alone. In some communities, a shocking 70 per cent of the women have been subjected to extreme sexual violence; gang-raped or violated with bayonets and other sharp objects, causing death or lifelong disabilities. Read more

Ottawa bolsters aid to Pakistan

By Campbell Clark

Globe and Mail , August 13, 2009

Canada will expand aid to Pakistan, notably to bolster the weak public school system that has left a void to be filled by fundamentalist madrassas, as Ottawa increasingly views the country's stability as key to success in Afghanistan. In Pakistan Wednesday, International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda pledged $25-million for food, water and emergency shelter for refugees who fled a Pakistani military offensive against Taliban insurgents four months ago. Read more

Government study warns of climate change effects

By John M. Broder

New York Times , June 16, 2009

WASHINGTON — The impact of a changing climate is already being felt across the United States, like shifting migration patterns of butterflies in the West and heavier downpours in the Midwest and East, according to a government study to be released on Tuesday.

Even if the nation takes significant steps to slow emissions of heat-trapping gases, the impact of global warming is expected to become more severe in coming years, the report says, affecting farms and forests, coastlines and floodplains, water and energy supplies, transportation and human health. Read more

Climate change: Racing beyond Kyoto

By William Marsden

Montreal Gazette , June 16, 2009

Global PC makers vying for "Green" crown

By Gabriel Madway

Vancouver Sun , June 15, 2009

Climate change blamed for Caribbean coral deaths

By Pete Harrison

Vancouver Sun , June 10, 2009

LONDON – Climate change has contributed to a flattening of the complex, multi-layered architecture of Caribbean coral reefs, compromising their role as a nursery for fish stocks and a buffer against tropical storms, a study shows. The analysis of 500 surveys of 200 reefs, conducted between 1969 and 2008, showed the most complex types of reef had been virtually wiped out across the entire Caribbean. Such reefs -- typified by Table Corals of over 1 meter across and huge antler-shaped Staghorn Corals -- act as a sanctuary for local fish stocks and a hunting ground for larger, commercially fished species.    Read more

Powering our way out of poverty

Going bananas for energy in Africa

By Matt McGrath

BBC News, May 12, 2009

You've heard of "green" fuel. Now get ready for yellow as scientists have found a way to turn banana waste into a sustainable fuel source that could be relevant to many countries across Africa. The simple, low-tech idea, was developed by researchers at Nottingham University. They used banana skins to create briquettes that can be burned for cooking, lighting and heating. It could alleviate the burden of gathering firewood, the dominant energy source in many parts of the continent. This would help reduce deforestation, which makes a significant contribution to global climate change. Read more

Jane Goodall adds voice to call for bear trophy hunting ban on B.C. coast

By Larry Pynn

Vancouver Sun, May 11, 2009

World-renowned chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall has added her voice to a growing international chorus calling on the provincial government to ban trophy hunting of bears on the B.C. coast. “I’m very distressed and shocked that the bear hunt — grizzly bear and black bear — is continuing in a country like Canada,” Goodall said in a video being posted today to the YouTube website by the B.C. conservation group Pacific Wild. “I’ve always found sports hunting, trophy hunting, to be, actually, I find it hard to understand, having worked for so long with chimpanzees and showing there is no sharp line separating us from the rest of the animal kingdom,” Goodall said. “These bears, they’re such amazing, magnificent creatures and there are so many secrets still to discover about their lives.” Read more

Sense & sustainability: Flora and fauna-friendly finances

U.N. report predicts worsening freshwater supplies

By Lauren Morello

New York Times, March 11, 2009

Population growth, climate change and demand for greater food and energy supplies are squeezing global water supplies, according to a new U.N. report.

Water problems are often worst in developing countries, where water availability and prosperity are closely linked, says the report produced by 24 U.N. agencies and scheduled for official release tomorrow.

The report warns that mismanagement of water supplies has created problems that are "enormous ... but not insurmountable" -- if major policy shifts are made. Read more.

Primatologist Goodall: China plundering Africa resources

Google News, March 10, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) – China's thirst for natural resources including wood and minerals is leading to massive deforestation in Africa and the destruction of crucial wildlife habitat, world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has said.

The British scientist who revolutionized research with her studies of chimpanzees beginning in 1960 warned that Beijing is pressing governments in central Africa's Congo basin to sign over forest concessions in return for infrastructure and healthcare aid. Read more.

Municipalities' group to vote on restricting bottled-water sales

By Martin Mittelstaed

Globe and Mail, March 4, 2009

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is considering a new policy to urge all cities and towns across the country to ban bottled water within their facilities, arguing that the product is bad for the environment.

A vote on the proposal is expected on Saturday at a board meeting in Victoria, and is another sign of the growing antipathy among municipal officials to bottled water because of the increased burden on garbage dumps, recycling systems and anti-litter efforts.

Twenty-seven municipalities in six provinces have passed restrictions on sales of bottled water on their properties, according to a tabulation by the Ottawa-based Polaris Institute, a public-interest group that is lobbying local governments to implement such bans. Read more.

Putting a price on water

By Sophia Dore & Andrew Laursen

Metro News, February 9, 2009 Last week, Metro reported the City of Calgary is considering a third-party provider for regional water delivery. A private company would invest in infrastructure such as pipes and water treatment plants and the public would pay the city or the private company to have clean water delivered to its houses. As the water infrastructure decays and municipalities are increasingly strapped for cash for repair, privatization is being, or has been, considered in many cities across the country.

We Canadians love our water. And we use a lot. Between 1972 and 1996, Canada’s rate of water consumption increased by almost 90 per cent, to 45 billion cubic metres per year from 24 billion cubic metres per year. But our population increased by only 33.6 per cent over the same period. Read More.

The key effects of climate change

BBC News, December 7, 2009

As climate change progresses it is likely to have dramatic affects on the supply of water. In some areas it may increase, for example at higher latitudes, but water-stressed areas in the mid-latitudes are expected to face a reduction in available water.

The projections of per-capita water availability in the maps above were made by Martina Floerke and colleagues at the University of Kassel in Germany, by combining different types of forecast.

• A computer model of climate change developed by the UK Met Office Hadley Centre generates projections of future temperature and rainfall. The Kassel team applied Hadley projections on a finer geographical scale. These projections were fed into a programme that models water flow in river basins.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produces "scenarios" suggesting how society may develop economically and socially over time. The Kassel researchers used these scenarios to project water use by various sectors of the economy. (This particular analysis used a scenario where economic growth and technological change are "uneven", and population growth "high".) Read more.

Palm oil frenzy threatens to wipe out orangutans

By Robin McDowell

Associated Press, January 13, 2009

TANJUNG PUTING NATIONAL PARK, Indonesia ---- Hoping to unravel the mysteries of human origin, anthropologist Louis Leakey sent three young women to Africa and Asia to study our closest relatives: It was chimpanzees for Jane Goodall, mountain gorillas for Dian Fossey and the elusive, solitary orangutans for Birute Mary Galdikas.

Nearly four decades later, Galdikas, 62, the least famous of his "angels," is the only one still at it. And the red apes she studies in Indonesia are on the verge of extinction because forests are being clear-cut and burned to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations.

Galdikas worries many questions may never be answered. How long do orangutans live in the wild? How far do the males roam? And how many mates do they have in their lifetime?

"I try not to get depressed, I try not to get burned out," says the Canadian scientist, pulling a wide-rimmed jungle hat over her shoulder-length gray hair in Tanjung Puting National Park. She gently leans over to pick up a tiny orangutan, orphaned when his mother was caught raiding crops. Read more.

Fishery killing gamut of marine life, scientists say

By Mark Hume

Globe and Mail, December 15, 2008

VANCOUVER — Where commercial fishermen fish and the type of gear they fish with largely determines the amount of collateral damage done to the environment, according to a new national study being released today.

And that damage - from the destruction of rare coral reefs to the incidental killing of species that are accidentally taken as bycatch - has to be reduced, warn three marine conservation groups from Canada and the United States.

The groups undertook a study that examined the impact of 13 different gear types used by commercial fishermen across Canada, ranking the fishing methods according to the severity of their impact on the environment.

The report, How We Fish Matters, says changes in fishing methods are needed to end destructive practices and urges the government to speed up a marine-planning process so that sensitive areas can be protected before it's too late. Read more.

Young Canadian works to save the chimpanzees

By Caitlin Ohama-Darcus

The Ubyssey, October 28th, 2008

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed this is the only thing that ever has.”

The words of anthropologist Margaret Mead are easy to agree with, but to act upon this message takes a special type of person—especially if you’re barely a teenager.

Fourteen-year old Elliot Lupini from Victoria, BC is one of them—a Canadian youth genuinely committed to working with others to make a difference in our world.

Over the past five years, Elliot has raised and donated over $2000 in support of orphaned chimpanzees. His fundraising has contributed to the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization founded by Jane Goodall—an internationally renowned primatologist, environmentalist and UN Messenger of Peace—in 1977. Today, the Institute continues to support wildlife research, conservation and education around the globe. Read more.

Great apes deserve better treatment

By Jane Goodall

Vancouver Sun, October 21, 2008

In the couple of months since the historic Spanish parliament resolution granting certain rights to great apes, the ensuing debate has taken a wrong turn.

As commentators have become mired in the nuances of what rights are appropriate for apes or any other non-human animal, we have lost sight of the central concern -- that we continue to use great apes in invasive research, as well as entertainment and advertising, in ways that are unnecessarily harmful and often downright cruel to these amazing creatures.

Like Spain, other countries have recognized this fact. Australia, Austria, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have already banned or severely restricted invasive research on great apes. Read more.

Future looks bleak for many species

By Martin Mittelstaedt

Globe and Mail, October 6, 2008

TORONTO — The most exhaustive study ever undertaken on the future of mammals, the broad family of animals to which humans also belong, has found that more than a third of all marine species and a quarter of those living on land are at risk of extinction. The study, appearing in the current issue of the journal Science and conducted by more than 1,700 experts from 130 countries, concluded that humans are the biggest threat to other mammals. Wild habitat loss and hunting “are by far the main threats,” it said, although many marine species are also being affected by pollution and accidental mortality through ship collisions and entanglement in nets. Read more.