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Home | Research | DED |CVD |ECD | EMD | HPD | LCD | LSD | TUD | Disclaimer | Copyright April 2011 - REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - Environment Domain [EMD] - Ideas for Positive Change Alexis MORGAN Associate, The Pembina Institute Bd ENVIRONMENT DOMAIN [EMD] - 14 WELLBEING INDICATORS a Ground-Level Ozone b Criteria Air Contaminant Emissions Index c GHG Emissions d Primary Energy Production e Final Demand Energy Use f Water Quality Index g Water Yield in Southern Canada h Residential Water Use i Non-Renewable Energy Reserve Index j Non-Renewable Metal Reserve Index k Waste Disposal & Diversion Rate l Canadian Living Planet Index m Marine Trophic Level Index n Timber Sustainability Index E Ideas for Positive Change (11) - Environment Domain [EMD] 1 Actions for Government Leaders a Rethink stewardship in the context of our natural resources b Improve enforcement of environmental policy c Uptake the principles of Environmental Economics d Support environmental data gathering and reporting 2 Actions for Citizens and Businesses who want to show leadership e Re-localize f Reduce and reuse g Buy quality (it’s cheaper than quantity) h Spend your money to vote for positive change i Eat lower on the food chain j Share resources k Continue to learn and pay it forward 1 ACTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERS a Rethink stewardship in the context of our natural resources 1 Most individuals who work in the natural resources sector not only understand and appreciate the bounty that nature provides, they care about preserving the environment. 2 After all, the environment is the foundation of their livelihoods. 3 However, they are faced with a perverse incentive where a tree is worth more dead than alive, where they are only rewarded if they produce large volumes of crops, or large catches of fish. 4 What if we were to reward those individuals and companies for stewarding the land and waters? 5 Since we recognize that the ecosystem services that stem from our natural capital have value, what if we were to pay to have those services maintained? 6 Does it not make sense to reward the farmer who practices no-till, organic farming in order to ensure the lake downstream is clean and blue for swimming and drinking? 7 Canada has implemented such programs previously (e.g., the successful National Soil and Water Conservation Program) and increasingly, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are emerging around the world as a mechanism to do just that: compensate stewards for maintaining natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. 8 In doing so, we shift the culture of extraction, to one of stewardship that rewards both economics and wellbeing. b Improve enforcement of environmental policy 1 Laws are only as good as the will and capacity to enforce them. 2 In many cases, Canada has excellent legislation that unfortunately does not get enforced adequately due to resource constraints. 3 For example, the Ocean’s Act has an excellent section that describes how the Federal government will “develop a national strategy for the management of estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems” in Canada based around the principles of sustainable development, integrated management, and the precautionary approach. 4 Despite such good language, implementation of this strategy has been slow and arguably Canada has not ended up as “a world leader in oceans and marine resource management” as called for in the Act. 5 Likewise, the laws associated with illegal wildlife trade or bilge oil dumping in our waters are strong, but the capacity to enforce such laws is insufficient resulting in minimal deterrents to those who would seek to violate such laws. 6 Accordingly, Canada’s political leaders would be well served to provide funds to support enforcement capacity to ensure that the excellent policy that does exist has its intended effect. c Uptake the principles of Environmental Economics 1 Since economics is all about dealing with the allocation of scarce resources, as our environment becomes increasingly scarce it only makes sense to spend more time thinking about how environmental policy links to economics. 2 Whether we are discussing full cost accounting (in which the environmental “negative externality” or damage is built into the price or a remediation bond) or Ecological Fiscal Reform (EFR), money is a powerful way to convey information to the public. 3 EFR involves shifting subsidies and taxes to create financial incentives (and disincentives) to encourage individuals and companies to take actions that benefit the environment. 4 So for example, income taxes (a general tax, which creates disincentives to earn more) are lowered, while carbon taxes (a tax that punishes polluting behaviour) are increased. 5 These revenue-neutral mechanisms represent a powerful means of changing the system and have worked in places such as British Columbia (where the carbon tax has helped to lower income taxes to the lowest in the country). 6 It is all about rewarding the good, and punishing the bad in an effort to move us towards an improved overall wellbeing. d Support environmental data gathering and reporting 1 One of the primary conclusions from this report was that there is a need for additional support for data that explore the trends of Canada’s natural resources (or natural capital). 2 Accordingly, a first step for positive change would be for federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide resources and capacity for environmental data monitoring. 3 Furthermore, companies can engage in data gathering and reporting as well, through such efforts as the Global Reporting Initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project, and other public reporting mechanisms. 4 Not only do such efforts help companies understand their corporate risks, but they can also help inform public debate. 5 Along these same lines, it would be beneficial to create legislation to mandate the public release of information about civil or corporate behaviour related to illegal use of resources that could link performance evaluation and continual improvement into resource use permitting processes. 6 As the CIW says, we must “measure what matters” and since the environment provides many (if not most) of the basics of life, it behooves us to understand the state and trends of our ecosystem services. 2 ACTIONS FOR CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES WHO WANT TO SHOW LEADERSHIP e Re-localize 1 As Canada has become an urban nation (over 80% of us live in cities) we have forgotten about the sources of our goods. 2 ocal products, be it food, furniture, clothes, or artwork not only reduce carbon (fewer fossil fuels are burned to move goods), but also help improve the local economy as money spent has a knock on effect. 3 As an added bonus, local items are often unique, support a diversity of cultures, and help to make your local community a special place to live. 4 Farmers markets, from Halifax’s Seaport Farmers Market and Toronto’s Lawrence Market, to St. Norbert Farmer’s Market in Winnipeg and the weekly Farmer’s market at Nat Bailey in Vancouver are a testament to how we are already making this happen. 5 Remember, if you can’t tell the story of where your product came from, you don’t know how sustainable it truly is. f Reduce and reuse 1 It might be an older saying, but it is still an important saying. 2 Reducing the consumption of goods is not only good for the planet, but evidence increasingly suggests it is good for your soul (or at least happiness). 3 Where consumption is necessary, thinking creatively about how you can get a second and third use out of a product cuts that products ecological footprint by half or a third. 4 So, rather than throwing things out, look to “downcycle” them – give that book to a friend, those baby clothes to the neighbour, or the old television to the secondhand store. 5 Think about giving it away using online tools like freecycle.org or the give-away section on craigslist.org. 6 We need to think about growing our economy through services rather than goods. 7 Service jobs are local, sustainable, and allow us to reduce our consumption. 8 So whether it is getting a new sole on those great boots, or going to the theatre (rather than buying a DVD), support the service economy. g Buy quality (it’s cheaper than quantity) 1 We live in a world that often associates bigger and more with better. 2 “Sales”, “discounts” and “deals” often draw us into a frenzy of consumption (just think of Boxing Week sales!). 3 Instead of the upfront cost, think about cost from a lifetime perspective. 4 Cheap shoes often only last half the amount of time that a more expensive pair might last. 5 So, by buying better quality, not only do you save money in the long term, but you reduce consumption (one pair’s worth of resources, rather than two), get good design, and you support local work for those who can repair the product when it needs fixing. h Spend your money to vote for positive change 1 Every dollar you spend is a vote for the type of world you would like to see. 2 By spending your money in ways that use carbon, create air pollution, pollute and consume water, extract non-renewable resources, or degrade habitat you are indirectly indicating your support for these practices. 3 Which companies and brands we support and how we invest our money matters. 4 From companies like Ethical Funds (a socially-responsible investment company) to LEED-certified green buildings like Dockside Green in Victoria, there are lots of examples in Canada of companies that you can support who are world leaders in sustainability. 5 So spend your money in a way that will change the world. 6 It is a great way to do as Gandhi said and “be the change you want to see”. i Eat lower on the food chain 1 As we go from eating vegetables to herbivores to carnivores, it takes an increasing amount of energy, water, carbon (and often space/habitat) to produce the same amount of nutritional value. 2 10 kg of feed produces 1 kg of beef (+ 9 kg of waste), 3 kg of pork (7 kg of waste), 5 kg of chicken (5 kg of waste), (or 9 kg of high-protein grasshoppers – and only 1 kg of waste!)1. 3 While insects might not be everyone’s next meal in Canada tomorrow, the more vegetables/less meat we consume, the more food there would be to feed the world. 4 If youdo consume meat, eating smaller animals (especially those animals that in turn eat vegetables) is a good general rule to lower your “footprint” on the environment. 5 Pulses (lentils, beans, peas, etc.) are a great source of protein, fibre and other significant health advantages, in addition to being lower footprint, so eat up! j Share resources 1 Canadian culture tends towards a model of individual ownership; we have our own car, our own dishwater, our own lawn mower, and our own can of varnish. 2 Since these items are often not needed at the same time, shared ownership models can be a source of cost savings, while simultaneously reducing consumption, and maintaining quality of life. 3 Bixi, the bike sharing program in Montreal, or various car co-ops are great examples of how this is starting to happen on a commercial level. 4 Furthermore, sharing resources builds our social networks and creates a sense of community, thus contributing to overall wellbeing while helping to preserve nature. 5 So go have a chat with your neighbours and cost-share that road-hockey net for the neighbourhood kids! k Continue to learn and pay it forward 1 Perhaps most importantly, it is important for all of us to become “ecologically literate”. 2 One of humanity’s gifts is our ability to learn, and in turn, pass that learning on to future generations. 3 In a world of growing demand, diminishing natural resources, it is critical that we learn from our mistakes and take action. 4 Nowhere is this truer than for our children. 5 Outdoor schools throughout the country play a critical role in educating the next generation about the environment. 6 We must inspire our children by exposing them to the wonders of nature, explain to them the challenges of tomorrow, impart upon them the wisdom of yesterday’s failures and empower them to act for their future wellbeing. 1 Dicke, M (2010) TEDGlobal conference. Available online here: A Summary (9) - Environment Domain [EMD] B Trends (8) - Environment Domain [EMD] C Highlights (15) - Environment Domain [EMD] D Conclusions (10) - Environment Domain [EMD] E Ideas for Positive Change (11) - Environment Domain [EMD] - THIS WEB-PAGE R THE CANADIAN INDEX OF WELLBEING NETWORK a Based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Network is an independent, non-partisan group of national and international leaders, researchers, organizations, and grassroots Canadians. b Its mission is to report on wellbeing at the national level and promote a dialogue on how to improve it through evidence-based policies that are responsive to the needs and values of Canadians. c The Network’s signature product is the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). d The CIW measures Canada’s wellbeing and tracks progress in eight interconnected categories. e It allows us, as Canadians, to see if we are better off or worse off than we used to be - and why. f It helps identify what we need to change to achieve a better outcome and to leave the world a better place for the generations that follow. The Honourable Roy J. Romanow, Chair The Honourable Monique Bégin, Deputy Chair University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1 519-888-4567, ext. 31235 | ciwinfo@uwaterloo.ca | http://www.ciw.ca Home | Research | DED |CVD |ECD | EMD | HPD | LCD | LSD | TUD | Disclaimer | Copyright
THD F 2012/07/27 11:35 - 12:35 20 units
Structuring and Coding for web-content
THD S 2012/07/28 17:00 - 17:45 15 units
Preparing for Web-site with html codes
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Checking with PDF file and coding structure
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Checking and correcting web pages
