The Secrets of Canada’s Environmental Policies
For years, Canada has been a global leader in its cultural policies, where it has acknowledged the importance of cultural diversity and develops new ideas to promote it. (Canada Culture in a Global World, 2015, para.2) However, when it comes to its environmental policy, Canada has fallen behind. This reflects from its rising effects of fossil fuels and its terrible decision making when it comes to protecting the environment. Canada is not a global leader in terms of environmental policies due to its high fossil fuel production, its agreement with the Keystone Pipeline, and its withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol Treaty.
First of all, Canada is one of the world’s largest per capita greenhouse
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In the first place, it had threatened beautiful landscapes due to its distance from Alberta, Canada to Gulf Coast of Texas. Not to mention that it would also cut through the heart of prime wildlife habitat which consists of over 20 imperilled species. (Care2, 2012, para.3) This 1,660 miles long pipeline would have expanded the destruction of Canada’s boreal forest. Since tar sands oils is the dirtiest oil on Earth, producing it would meaning the consequences would visible in the environment. Thousands of acres of boreal forest would be destroyed; hundreds of millions of gallons of water would be polluted. (Care2, 2012, para.3) Simply put, the Keystone Pipeline XL worsens climate change and jeopardizes rivers, streams, and wildlife. Since Canada had an agreement with this proposed plan, it shows why it is not a global leader in it environmental …show more content…
According to studies, it showed that this treaty would enable high-tech and construction industries, create more jobs, and reduce the production of air pollution. (Suzuki, 2014, para.4) Harper’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol had a large impact on Canada’s environmental policies. When environment minister Rona Ambrose lost her job, Harper took thoughts in his own personal level. The Conservatives stated that they were willing to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions, but not the level of emissions that would have impact on the oil sand expansion plan. (Ibbitson, 2012, para.8) Soon after, it was clear that Canada would never meet the Kyoto Protocol commitments. In 2011, the new Environment Minister Peter Kent, announced Canada’s withdrawal from the Treaty. Canada’s decision to withdraw makes sense why it is not suitable for the title as a global leader in environmental policies.
In conclusion, Canada has not deserved the title as a global leader in its environmental policies because of its large amount of fossil fuels production, its approval of the Keystone Pipeline, and its resignation from the Kyoto Protocol Treaty. In this mind set, Canada should strive for better ways to improve their methods and decision making skills for the betterment of the country’s environmental policies. As well as informing Canadian citizens about this issue to get the whole nation
The Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline are two pipeline projects that were suspended in the past. These pipelines were stopped because they could have a big impact of people and the environment. The making of these pipelines would cause a great amount of carbon pollution. Recently, President Trump signed the orders to approve the pipeline project. The projects have pros and cons, the people in favor of the pipelines think we would be able to rely less on foreign oil. The people against the pipeline believe that the pipelines would cause the release of gases into the air that could be harmful for other people.
In this essay we will be looking at why the Keystone XL Pipeline should not be built. This is a hot controversial issue that has been in the news for awhile. We will discuss the pros and cons of what will happen if the United States passes legislature to allow the Keystone XL Pipeline to be built. You have to ask yourself if destroying the environment is for our children is worth it to make a few billions richer or maybe little bit cheaper gas. If you agree with building the Keystone XL Pipeline you need to look your children in the eyes and tell them you’re sorry for destroying the environment for them and their children.
The Alberta Oil Sands are large deposits of bitumen in north-eastern Alberta. Discovered in 1848, the first commercial operation was in 1967 with the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant opening, and today many companies have developments there. The Alberta Oil Sand development is very controversial, as there are severe environmental impacts and effects on the local Aboriginal peoples. This essay will discuss the need for changes that can be made for the maximum economic benefit for Canada, while reducing the impact on the environment and limiting expansion, as well as securing Alberta’s future. Changes need to be made to retain the maximum economic benefits of the Alberta Oil Sands while mitigating the environmental and geopolitical impact. This will be achieved by building pipelines that will increase the economic benefits, having stricter environmental regulation and expansion limitations, and improving the Alberta Heritage Fund or starting a new fund throu...
The reason for this report is to increase the reader’s knowledge on the Alberta Tar Sands, which will allow them to create their own opinions on the situation. It is a very pertinent issue in politics and will have a very large effect on the carbon emissions of Canada. Also, I wanted to further my understanding of the Alberta tar sands and learn the side effects of the tar sands. How the tar sands are different from other oil and energy procurement methods and which method is more energy efficient? Would the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States be an intelligent way for the US to involve itself in the tar sands? I wanted to answer these questions by knowing the real facts about the tar sands versus what the oil companies are telling the consumers. The ability to assess the entire situation will allow both the reader and I to formulate our own opinions about the tar sands and whether the extraction of oil at the tar sands should continue.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Imagine the world not as how it is now, but as how people wish it could be. There is no pollution, everyone has a job, the world is at peace and a safe place to live, and most importantly, everyone is happy. This is but a mere dream. Now open your eyes and look at it. See the reality of what the world truly is: we are intentionally hurting the environment, many people in the world are unemployed, many different countries are at war and people are dying because of it.
The Keystone XL pipeline continues dividing the opinion of the people and being a controversial issue. The precious “black gold”, represents one of the main factors that moves the economy, nationally and globally. This extra-long pipeline will transport oil all the way from Canada to Texas. Some experts and the private oil corporation, who is the one in charge of this project, point to the benefits of this project, for example, will make the USA more independent from foreign oil, will create thousands of jobs and improve the economy. Nevertheless, are experts revealing how the pipeline is an unnecessary risk and will be negative for the environment, dangerous for the population living close to the big pipes, and long-term negative for the
The Keystone Pipeline started construction in 2008 for the main purpose of connecting Canadian and American oil refineries to transport crude oil from the oil sands of Canada faster and more efficient. So far the first three phases of the pipeline have been completed but the proposed and most controversial is Phase IV. It connects Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Oklahoma which requires a presidential permit and it also connects the 485-mile southern leg known as the Gulf Coast Project between Steele City and Port Arthur, Texas, which is now operating (Eilperin). The benefits of the pipeline include an increase in jobs, contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S economy and also save time and money from transporting the oil by pipeline instead of tanks and rails. At the same time it would be a great harm to the environment, making the climate unstable, and could cause possible future oil spills. The articles covering the Keystone Pipeline generally list out the same points, covering the same benefits and consequences of building the pipeline. Sources like Fox News and CNS have more of an opposition towards the pipeline and narrow in on the risks and of the effects it would have on the people. Whereas news stations such as CNN and The Washington Post address both sides of the controversy but are subtle about being in favor of the pipeline. The international sources such as Al Jazeera and Reuters oppose the pipeline and are more open with supporting the environmentalists.
The Kyoto Protocol is a binding international agreement, which began in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. As of June 2013, there were a total of 192 parties participating in the Kyoto Protocol, Canada was no longer one of them. Canada was one of the first to sign the agreement, in 1998; more than 4 years later, Canada formally approved the Kyoto Accord, in 2002 ("CBC.ca - Timeline: Canada and Kyoto"). This meant Canada would have to decrease its emissions, by 6% in comparison to 1990 levels (461 Mt), by the year 2012. Despite some efforts, Canada failed to meet these requirements and in fact increased total emissions by roughly 24% by the year 2008. Canada formally withdrew from the Kyoto Accord in 2011, avoiding penalties and future detriments ("CBC News in Depth: Kyoto"). The withdrawal of Canada from the Kyoto Protocol was a good decision, the decrease in emissions was an unattainable goal, considering the cost, time, unfairness, dependency and technological advancement.
Putting in the pipeline in the underground would be,” … designed to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day (with a growth potential up to 570,000 barrels per day) “ (Energy Transfer) Companies makes more money by that but that leaves out the issues where they are going to put these pipelines. Of course these companies decided a place where a Native American’s reservation lies, destroying homes and historical places. “ The Dakota pipeline will create over 8,000 immediate jobs in the construction sector,’ (Blakeman) shows that going on with this plan will get people out of a job can go into this work field. Although creating jobs for thousands of people, but think about what the people who are living in the land feels. They’re going to be out of a job, house, and sense of security. The companies are picking up hundreds of families and making them move because they are destroying their drinking water.
Canadian landform regions include the Interior Plains, Canadian Shield and the Western Cordillera, Innuitian Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Lowlands, Arctic and Hudson's Bay Lowlands. When studying the Interior Plains, we learned it’s a dry, flat land called the ‘breadbasket’ of Canada. The Interior Plains are made up of sedimentary rock. The topics covered in unit 3 were the levels of industry, resources, sustainability, trade and oil resources. The oil sand industry brings great impacts to Canada. This industry creates jobs and lowers taxes. It is also Canada’s largest and most important export. On the other hand, oil sands damage the environment and contaminate the water and air, which make people sick. These two ideas are connected because oil sands are found in the fossil fuels in sedimentary rock. Oil sands are extracted from sedimentary rock. We also learned that sedimentary rock is the only rock that contains fossil fuels. Oil is trapped within the layers of sediments and can be extracted by a well or open-pit mining. Without the Interior Plains, Canada wouldn’t have as much oil resources and have negative trade
Canada; known for peacekeeping, multiculturalism and having one the largest ecological footprints in the world. What is an ecological footprint? The ecological footprint is a measurement of the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the activities in a person's daily life. One main source of greenhouse gas is burning fossil fuels. That includes the gas in a person's car and the coal burned at the power plant. Scientists have concluded that humans are producing more greenhouse gases than ever before. These gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing our planet to warm up and changing our climate. The ecological footprint, therefore, measures the amount of potential impact a person's daily life has on the environment. By reducing the amount of greenhouse gases produced by people's lifestyle, they can reduce the footprint and help slow climate change on Earth. Canadian's are starting to get accustomed to using a surplus amount of energy when it is never needed and throwing garbage on the ground because the trash can is too far away for them reach. Canadian's are also using up the little natural resources left on this planet for sustainability. Crops, oil, trees are being used so much, that there might not be enough for the future generations. Canada must realize that this is a situation that must be taken seriously and that must be executed properly by meeting the social, environmental and economical standpoints. To reduce the ecological footprint and to regain sustainability, there are many things Canadian's can do to change the current situation. Ecological footprints can be reduced by using alternative energy sources, reducing energy consumption and by using cleaner transport to reach destinations.
Pipelines help build nations. It is evident that they are a great benefit to the country of Canada. By investigating the safety of pipelines, along with the countless jobs and improved living standards they offer, it becomes crystal clear that pipelines are advantageous for Canada to construct and maintain. As oil is one the top resources in the entirety of the world, and Canada one of the places with a bountiful supply, pipelines must be built for Canada to reap the benefits of this black gold.
A groundbreaking study shows that Canada's economy can still grow by almost 20 per cent over the next decade while the country dramatically reduces its greenhouse gas pollution by about half. The study shows that Canada could take decisive action and still continue to enjoy strong net job growth and other economic benefits. By 2020 Canadians would save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes.
Putting a strong emphasis on initiatives such as the Canada Clean Energy Dialogue can help do this, as well as switching to using low-impact renewable energy. This policy is one that I do recommend to the Prime Minister, as it works well with the Paris Agreement and is evidently the most effective one due to the advantages that it will have in the arctic. The Paris Agreement does aim to lower greenhouse gasses. All parties are required to provide information focusing on progress of their greenhouse gas emissions targets and efforts of adaptation. In addition to this, Canada has the technology to develop new knowledge about permafrost, which is an advantage for studying greenhouse gas emissions. Canada and the United States have established the Clean Energy Dialogue, which is to develop efficient technologies to reduce greenhouse gasses and the development clean energy in order to fight climate change. This is an adequate initiative because the United States and Canada share the closest energy relationship in the world, as both countries are very resourceful when concerning natural resources and possess talented human resources to incorporate in the protection of the environment. In working on switching to cleaner energies such as natural gas, it enables reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at a
Canadian citizens are seeing the long term effects of global warming as greenhouse gases are relatively increasing in Canada. Most of how Canadian’s produce greenhouse gas emissions is through Home energy, food/shopping, and cars/transport as this strategy of living can cause polar ice caps to melt in the northern and southern hemisphere causing habitat loss, sea levels rising/decreasing, temperature change, and El Niño. This global warming issue has taken a huge effect in Canada as finding alternative ways to reduce consumption of transportation, clothing, food, and shopping is required.