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#1344 5 Dec 2007
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The ReportWhile things appear to have settled down recently in the Republic of Georgia since the announcement of elections in early January, the people are somewhat demoralized given that their hopes for democratization were shattered by the violent repression of the riots and the imposition of a state of emergency. Reasoned Accommodation The dilemma is that while maintaining our compassion and understanding of cultures that are foreign to our society, we must not permit the spread of violence by radical elements of those cultures, and while accepting of ‘different’ customs, we cannot accept the imposition of a single minority’s beliefs on our multicultural majority. Climate Change The debate continues over climate change, its cause and its effect. There can be no denial about the cyclical nature of our climate, from the biblical Egyptian seven years of plenty followed by the seven years of famine, to the ice age, to the current melting of glaciers and year-round opening of the Northwest Passage. Undeniable, too, is the third law of thermodynamics that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it is, however transformed, and when transformed to heat can have a domino effect on life on this planet. Climate change is undeniably a function of both the number of human beings on the planet and their rate of production and consumption of goods requiring the transformation of energy into greenhouse gases as well as consumer product. As the increasing population and energy demands of China and India (neither of which is bound to targets under the Kyoto Protocol) are major contributors to global warming, other countries, notably the U.S. and Canada are in effect saying, “Let’s you do it.” However, one should also consider the following; – As flexible as the energy market is, at one point the price of energy will act as a deterrent to its excessive use. – In terms of absolute amounts of emissions, the United States and China are tied as the largest contributors to global warming, while on a per capita basis, the United States is far ahead of any of the developing countries and inasmuch as manufacturing has been exported from the U.S. to China while consumption remains in the U.S., which country has effectively contributed more to emissions remains open to debate. While there is world-wide anger against the U.S. for not ratifying Kyoto, it is important to look at U.S. companies (also cities and states) which have essentially accepted the Kyoto targets. For example, Dupont has reduced its emissions by 70%, an astounding figure in comparison to countries that have signed on. There are other indications that Business is doing far more than the UN or individual countries, motivated both by recognition that consumer demand for environmentally friendly products is on the rise and energy costs are bound to increase.
– In an unfortunate but sincere attempt to achieve cleaner energy, China’s Three Gorges Dam project has backfired. – Industry is doing better than governments in cutting greenhouse gases, more because it is economically advantageous in the long term to do so than out of a spirit of benevolence. – Alcan’s commitment to sustainable development and pro-active ‘green’ marketing is giving them a competitive advantage and business opportunity. – While well-intended, the Kyoto Protocol has proven to be economically inefficient. Climate change has always been with us, caused by such events as shifts in tectonic plates, release of CO2 and methane, however the rate of change over the last 200 years has accelerated drastically. Although there are still those who maintain that climate change is not anthropogenic, the body of scientific evidence strongly indicates that recent climate change is directly linked to the amount of fossil fuels burned. And no matter the continuing debate, the economic reality is that public opinion recognizes the problem and demands non-polluting products, legislation will happen, carbon caps will be a fact of life. A new economy will emerge and will spur development of new technologies and new products. The countries that recognize this early, imposing environmental controls will become the leaders. This, in the opinion of some Wednesday Nighters is where the Harper government is being short-sighted and working against the best long-term interests of a healthy Canadian economy. Whatever the consequences, whether conventional energy sources become unavailable in ten, fifty or one hundred years, human survival on this planet requires thoughtful action in the near future. Thursday 25 Apr 2007 To day NYT Podcast | Menu Radio
Canadian dollar is expected to decline against its U.S. counterpart. The economy
Notes by Herb Bercovitz OWN Editor: Diana Thébaud Nicholson OWN Radio, the long-lasting treasure
2007 Notes for #1344Videos
Thursday 06 December 2007 Young chimps ace memory tests Rex Murphy's Friday 07 December 2007 Islam’s Silent Moderates Friday Dec 7, 2007 L. IAN MACDONALD,', LEFT);" onmouseout="return nd();" traget="_new">MP is savaged for having pictures of his girlfriend Friday 07 December 2007
Meddling in the markets President Bush and the Justice League of America
Globe blog #crunch
Stk Value Calculator
Interinvest
Resize Window
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Stephen S. Poloz
Wed1317 report 
Wed1341
Bloomberg
