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In the remote Arctic village of Puvirnituq, in Northern Quebec, just south of Baffin Island, they know a good deal more than most about global warming, reported The Sydney Morning Herald (27/5/2006, p.23).

Spring has come ever earlier for 6 years; igloos collapse: In April they experienced temperatures normal for June, and visiting Canadian officials there to discuss climate change were forced to decamp to a tent when their igloo collapsed in the heat. Spring has been arriving in the area earlier and earlier for the past six years.

Inuit way of life built on icy climate: Mario Aubin, of the Nunavik Arctic Survival Centre in Puvirnituq, has spent most of his life with the Inuit and knows the cost of the shorter winters. “Pack ice to the white man seems like a barrier, something to fear. But to the Inuit it is their highway. It’s their communication system, their freedom, their livelihood, their independence.”

5 months of igloo weather down to 6 weeks: When the survival school started six years ago, Mr Aubin could guarantee clients five months of winter cold enough to build igloos. Now there are only six weeks – from mid-January. "I had to cancel a course actually inside the Arctic Circle this March because there wasn’t enough ice.”

Changing landscape forces difficult adaptation: In Inukjuak when the caribou arrive, or in lvujivik when the beluga whales appear in the bay, they hunt, lessons or no lessons. But now the landscape is changing so rapidly it is difficult to see how they can adapt.

Arctic ice 40pc thinner; 1m square km melted in 30 yrs: In the past three decades, more than 1 million square kilometres of sea ice has melted. It is also now 40 per cent thinner. Arctic air temperatures are warmer than they have been for 400 years.

Greenland melting at more than twice 1996 rate: Last year the melting Greenland ice sheet deposited 224 cubic kilometres of ice into the ocean. In 1996 it was 90 cubic kilometres.

Unpredictable climate carries risk of death: But the people of Nunavik are not just describing climate change, but climate disruption. “It isn’t just that it is warmer,” Mr Aubin said. “It’s the unpredictable nature of the weather now. We can go out hunting or fishing inland in March and find it’s too warm to build an igloo, so we put up a tent and then the temperature suddenly drops again and we could freeze to death.”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 27/5/2006, p. 23

Source: Erisk Net  

The people of Nunavik are not just concerned about climate change but climate disruption. “It isn’t just that it is warmer,” Mr Aubin said. “It’s the unpredictable nature of the weather now. We can go out hunting or fishing inland in March and find it’s too warm to build an igloo, so we put up a tent and then the temperature suddenly drops again and we could freeze to death.”

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OPEC, which controls about half of world oil exports, was due to meet in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on 31 May, against the backdrop of world prices reaching new record levels above $US70 per barrel, reported The Australian Financial Review, (31/5/2006, p.15).

OPEC to keep 28m barrel/day llimit: Asked on Monday local time if OPEC would alter its 28 million barrel-per-day ceiling, OPEC president Dr Edmund Daukoru replied: "I don’t see it. We will just free ride. We will all do the best we can within our capacities, without formally announcing unrestricted production. Asking people to do more when they are already doing all they can doesn’t make sense. I don’t think anyone is holding back spare capacity," said Dr Daukoro, who is also Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum.

Member nations support Daukoro’s claim: His comments were in line with recent statements by fellow members Iran, Kuwait and Algeria, in which they advocated no change for the 10 members subject to quotas. Eleventh member Iraq, which pumped 1.95 million barrels a day in April, is exempt from the quota system.

Oil exporters wary of competition from alternatives: Dr Daukoro said oil exporters did not want prices at levels that would divert investment into competing energy sources. "We don’t want prices to trigger investment in alternatives, where these alternatives are still immature technologies and divert investment away from oil."

Productions cuts could see prices rise to $US100/barrel: Host Venezuela, which has become the cartel’s fiercest price hawk under left-wing president Hugo Chavez, said OPEC should cut production because there was already too much oil in stock. Some analysts have forecast that prices could spike above $US100 a barrel if any major supply interruption occurs as global demand rises towards the end of the year.

OPEC unable to enforce price: Dr Daukoro, who previously spoke of $US50 to $US60 as an acceptable level, said he had given up talk of a price target because OPEC did not have enough spare capacity to enforce it.

2/6/2006

Source: Erisk Net  

Most people are completely unaware that the overwhelming majority of paints used to paint their homes, workplaces hospitals and schools are extremely toxic, painter Steve Williams told The Courier Mail (27 May 2006, p.84).

Non-toxic paints are available: “The vast majority of well-known paint brands contain high levels of solvents that contain volatile organic compounds and can give off toxic fumes for up to five years,” he said. This is why in February Mr Williams and business partner Georgia Farrell set up The Natural Painting People, a tailored painting and decorating service dedicated to using non-toxic paints to get quality finishes inside and outside of the home.

They’re better for your home, too: “Our paints are free from dangerous additives and we believe also perform better than conventional petrochemical paints,” he says. “One of the major advantages of natural paints is that they let surfaces breathe; this is a very handy thing living in the sub-tropics as it means the structures that have been painted can regulate moisture content.”

Sustainable trades network envisaged: The Natural Painting People have also begun a Sustainable Trade Network, and are looking to encourage waterwise plumbers, environmentally friendly floor polishers, electricians specialising in solar power and the like on board.

The Courier Mail, 27/5/2006, p. 84

Source: Erisk Net  

Governments and aid agencies should encourage people to stay put rather than promoting migration, according to Optimum Population Trust, a British group that campaigns for a sustainable population.

Deserts expand as people leave … The Daily Telegraph (31 May 2006, p.25) reported the think tank had told a British parliamentary inquiry on population that parts of the planet damaged by climate change, soil erosion and water shortages merely deteriorated further once their inhabitants fled.

… while net global consumption rises: Migrants also typically increased their ecological footprint – the damage each person inflicts on the environment – by moving from low-consuming to high-consuming countries.

A moving planet: The number of migrants worldwide surged from 175 million to 185-192 million between 2000 and 2005, with 30 million forced from their homes by a variety environmental factors including floods, famine and over-population.

Priority shift needed: "The priority must surely be to prevent or cure environmental damage, and help people to remain in their homes and communities, not abandon damaged areas of the planet," the group said in a report. "Currently, however, excess immigration into countries which are already densely populated can cause substantial environmental damage and economic costs, the effects of which may not be seen until the pressures on land and natural resources become intense."

Britain keeps squeezing them in: Britain, for example, was more densely populated than China. England is the world’s fourth most crowded country behind Bangladesh, South Korea and The Netherlands with migration accounting for more than 80 per cent of population growth.

The Daily Telegraph, 31/5/2006, p. 25

Source: Erisk Net