“British Columbia is globally recognized for implementing one of the most progressive carbon policies toward climate stability,” said MEC CEO David Labistour. “We all benefit — businesses, communities and ecosystems alike — from the province’s continued leadership on the carbon tax, and we encourage Premier Christy Clark and her cabinet colleagues to stay the course with effective pricing.”

The letter called British Columbia’s carbon tax “one of the best tools we have at our disposal to fight climate change.” That tax is set to rise to $30 per tonne this year, but the provincial government has not yet indicated what will happen after that point. The letter urged the province to commit to a schedule of further increases, in a way that is fair and enables all B.C. businesses and communities to be part of the solution.

“Meeting the climate challenge isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense,” said Richard Kouwenhoven, the senior vice-president of customer service and business development at Hemlock, one of the largest commercial printers in the province. “We’re proud of B.C.’s leadership on carbon pollution, and like many other businesses we want to see it strengthened.”

“B.C.’s clean-tech industry is already generating $2.5 billion a year, and employing approximately 8,400 people,” said David Demers, CEO of Westport Innovations. “B.C.’s strong roots in innovation and clean technology help deliver a positive signal to the investment community and provide an ideal environment for low-carbon investment.”

“The International Energy Agency says we have fewer than five years to act to avoid irreversible global warming,” said Bing Thom, one of Canada’s most celebrated architects. “This is not the time to waver; this is the time to strengthen and build upon our existing climate policies.”

The open letter was coordinated by Tides Canada, The Pembina Institute, and the David Suzuki Foundation.

The report states that the observed changes in sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, in the mass of the Greenland ice sheet and in Arctic icecaps over the past ten years are dramatic and represent an obvious departure from the long-term patterns.

The warming of the Arctic, due to climate change, has been twice as high as the world average since 1980. Surface air temperatures in the Arctic since 2005 have been higher than for any five year period since measurements began around 1880. Arctic summer temperatures have been higher in the past few decades than at any time in the past 2000 years.

To make matters worse, the report also confirms that snow and sea ice are interacting with the climate system to accelerate warming. Average snow cover duration is projected to decline by up to 20% by 2050. As the light colored snow and sea ice melts, darker ocean and land takes over. And darker land or ocean surfaces absorb more of the sun’s energy, which in turn leads to further warming of the Earth’s surface and the air above.

Temperatures in the permafrost have risen by up to 2 degrees Celsius, and thawing permafrost causes deformation of buildings and infrastructure, which will cause some communities to relocate. The southern limit of permafrost has moved northward in Russia and Canada. Further, nearly all glaciers and ice caps in most Arctic regions have been declining faster since 2000 than they did in the previous decade.

Average winter temperatures are projected to increase even more in the future, averaging between 3 and 7 degrees Celsius warmer by 2080, in what will be a shorter winter season. The Arctic mountain glaciers and ice caps are projected to lose between 10% and 30% of their total mass by 2100. And the Arctic Ocean is predicted to be nearly ice free in summer during this century, likely as soon as the next 30 to 40 years. This is bad news for animals such as the polar bear. Changes in the ice and snow cause fundamental changes to the characteristics of Arctic ecosystems and in some cases loss of entire habitats. This also has consequences for people who receive benefits from Arctic ecosystems.

Loss of ice and snow in the Arctic also increases emissions of carbon dioxide and methane and change large scale ocean currents.

As the Arctic sea ice diminishes during summer, accessibility to the Arctic minerals, energy resources, and sea routes will increase. This will bring economic benefits even as it changes the landscape.

Adaptation also requires leadership from governments and international bodies, and increased investment in infrastructure. The SWIPA Assessment will be formally presented to the 7th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Nuuk, Greenland on May 12, 2011.

It was announced on April 22 — Earth Day – that some of that information including environmental data like sea surface temperature, vegetation cover, rainfall, and snow cover will soon be used to help us better understand the impacts of climate change on plants and animals. NASA is partnering with four other federal agencies—the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Smithsonian Institution—to provide $18 million in funding for 15 new climate change research projects over the next four years.

According to the NASA press release, the studies will use long-term observations of earth from space to study the intersection of climate and biological studies. According to Woody Turner, manager of NASA’s Ecological Forecasting Program in Washington, very little is known about how the majority of species and ecosystems will respond to environmental changes related to changing climates.

Researchers around the US will examine things as diverse as bird populations and extreme climate events; coastal salt marshes; hummingbird diversity; native tree species; and polar bears, in an effort to first detect and then perhaps better manage biological responses to environmental changes.

One of the more ambitious projects, led by Walter Jetz of Yale University, will focus on land-based mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Using a global inventory of data from about 1,000 species, merged with satellite and ground-based observations of the environment, the study will assess climate’s impact on biodiversity during the past 40 years in two 20-year increments.

On the same day that NASA made their funding announcement, the US Fish & Wildlife Service launched a series of 50 stories in 50 days on their Open Spaces blog.  Each day they will share a new story from a different state about the impacts of climate change. The aim is to “show the broad scope of changes and emerging trends… as well as collaborative efforts to respond across the nation.” These stories help highlight the worthiness of the 15 NASA research projects.

A complete list of all 15 research projects can be found on NASA’s website.

For a lot of individuals, the car is a prime target. We feel the hit every time we fill up a tank and observe how $50 buys less and less gas as time passes. But does leaving your car at home reduce your dependency on oil? Think again. Dustin McGahan at PacificaPatch reminds us that many of the every day products we use are dependent upon oil during either manufacturing or distribution. Everything from plastics to the transport of fresh produce requires oil. It is a sobering thought, but also opens up some degree of optimism. If oil is used in so many areas, then surely each of us can find some aspect of our lives where we can take the opportunity to conserve fuel usage and reduce our oil dependency.

With the recent recession impacting our pocketbooks, McGahan offers some suggestions that he believes will help our oil dependency and our bottom line. He writes about common sense solutions that tread sustainability, conservation and environmentalism. For example, at home he suggests eating fewer processed foods and trying to grow your own foods. As you clear out your garden for Spring, compost as much as you can to keep organic materials from being transported to the landfill.

At work, he advocates reducing paper by utilizing electronic options for mail, bill paying and note taking. McGahan even tackles the ever present car issue with ideas ranging from carpooling to maximizing efficiency.

Check out the original article for a full summary of the helpful hints and suggestions. There is something there for everyone.

The US Fish and Wildlife service funds these amazing LCC’s, which are symbiotic scientific partnerships that allow protection projects to hit the ground running. The Alaskan study will investigate the effects of climate change on the diverse species of fish and wildlife in the region. We cannot wait to see the results!

Under the new grant, the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game will hire a program coordinator, ecologist and a GIS specialist. As far as their work goes, priority will be placed on projects that benefit endangered species and other species of concern. Overall, they’re hoping to increase understanding and address the biological responses of natural systems to climate change.

The biggest threats to turtles are habitat loss, overexploitation of wild turtles for human use, invasive species/diseases and climate change. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) are working hard to raise awareness on this difficult issue, and have launched a campaign proclaiming 2011 the ‘Year of the Turtle,’ according to Connecticutplus.com. Connecticut is home to seven endangered turtle species. The state will help PARC spread the word on the turtle plight from local to federal officials.

The key to turtle recovery is for us to take action on behalf of these helpless animals! We must ban together, protect habitats, and manage turtle species and crisis situations such as natural disasters (oil spills, etc). We must become tough as turtle shells and serve as a protective barrier.

Many forestry projects are stalled or stopped completely each year due to court battles and clashes between logging and protection groups. These roadblocks need to stop for the well-being of both the economy and ecosystems.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a new federal plan will place science over politics through compromise. Natural resources, water and habitats will continue to be protected without killing industry. The key to this strategy is that scientists will be consulted before mining, drilling or logging occurs in order to diminish environmental damage. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explains that political pressure will be alleviated by focusing on how to make forests more resilient from the get-go, as opposed to waiting until environmental damage is done to take action.

The new Forest service rules include comments from lengthy public roundtable discussions, and will undergo a 90 day comment period. The U.S. is a nation that is constantly distracted by political infighting. I hope (and am confident) that in this case, science will trump all.

Just last year, environmental groups such as Greenpeace gave Golden Agri-Resources a low score since the company allegedly cleared forests that were home to endangered species. With annual sales of $2.3 billion, Golden Agri-Resources is the largest palm oil producer in Singapore, which is the world’s largest producer of palm oil. Its operations are so large that they contribute to climate change.

Such a move by the company in favor of the forests comes only after groups such as Greenpeace alleged Golden Agri-Resources was conducting illegal forest clearing. The green campaigns resulted in the company losing some large clients such as Nestle, Unilever and Burger King.

Although this move towards sustainable palm oil is good news, you can imagine green groups having a “we’ll believe it when we see it” response. Greenpeace will be watching to help ensure the company lives up to this promising news announcement.

Ban Ki-moon will still be involved with international climate change negotiations, and recently called on the world’s major powers to stop playing politics and reach a climate change agreement. “Consumption without consequences” needs to end, and climate change shows that the old model is dangerous, Ban reportedly said at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

But after Copenhagen 2009 failed, Ban realized that the solution may be in addressing the issue at ground level. Before Cancun 2010, he suggested that financing efforts against climate change and on forestry may be better (read: easier) than reaching a global agreement.

This basic shift of his attention from the problem to solutions is a good one. We can’t afford to wait for the world’s leaders to agree on action if they stall any longer. Let’s help the people who are bringing solutions to the table, such as clean energy. Our world needs it.

The waters between Baffin and Devon Islands are feeding and breeding territory for mammals such as walruses, seals, polar bears, narwhals and belugas and bowhead whales to feed and breed. Large numbers of seabirds nest in the region. Protecting the richness of Lancaster Sound is essential to the health of Canada’s Arctic and also shows Canada’s commitment to combating climate change.

Earlier this summer Inuit leaders and environmentalists everywhere were shocked when the Canadian federal government gave permission to scientists to begin seismic testing of the area’s ocean floor. Two years ago the United States Geological Survey estimated that 90 billion barrels of oil at the bottom of the ocean floor. In August the Nunavut Court of Justice, however, granted an injunction that prevented the seismic exploration since the testing posed too many dangers to northern mammals.

The federal government has now decided to spend the time and money to protect the area from future exploration. The Environment Minister John Baird has even gone as far as stating that the government may even widen the drilling ban after consultation with the Inuit groups, the government of Nunavut and environmental groups, reports the Toronto Sun.

The federal government’s announcement comes just days before Mr. Baird’s departure to Mexico, where Canada is working with Japan and Russia to battle an extension of the Kyoto Accord. After Canada’s poor performance in Copenhagen, Mr. Baird recently stated that this announcement sends a clear signal to the world that Canada is committed to the environment.