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The article looks at the development of the environmental laws and policies in Canada. Topics discussed include role of changing political philosophies and public service on federal policy development in the country, influence of investments in the government's selection for less sustainable options, and need of legislative framework in order to stimulate climate change adaptation and mitigation innovation in the country.

The article offers information on the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) that was launched by the European Union (EU) in January 2005. It is reported that EU ETS is part of EU's effort to meet its Kyoto protocol of eight percent below 1990 levels by the reporting period. The EU ETS represents 80 percent of volumes by value traded in 2007 and dominates trading in the $62-billion global carbon market. The European Commission (EC) set compulsory caps on aggregate carbon dioxide emissions for the EU's 15 member countries in 2003. The cap-and-trade system is the combination of an absolute cap on emissions with the ability to trade allowances.

The article focuses on the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. The author stressed that Katrina shattered the lid off the disheveled mutual dealings between environment and politics. The disaster discloses extreme urgency on poverty, the perils of environmental manipulation and the demand for collective action from the federal government and its people. The catastrophe also provides deterrent example that wangling the nature has an aftermaths. He also lamented that Katrina has desolated the region unprepared that gives the government to take a look on climatic changes and environmental policy.

The article offers information on David Donnelly, who is Earth Day Canada's (EDC's) 2008 hometown hero. Since 2004, EDC has been giving Hometown Heroes Awards to individuals or organization who exhibit outstanding environmental leadership, commitment and achievements in their communities in Canada. EDC president Jed Goldberg says that Donnelly has been at the forefront for 15 years. Donnelly felt that he required a law degree to realize his objective of reforming environmental law to serve the public interest. He does much of his work pro bono on land use issues.

The article presents information about the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA), which was passed in April 2007 in Nova Scotia and deals with the sustainable management of the environment and the economy.

The article presents an interview with Ginger Stones, Director General Environment of the Department of National Defense of Canada. When asked about the introduction of the Environment Division by the Department of National Defense, he refers to the year 1983 when it was set up as a directorate before changing into a division. He reports that environmental issues were emerging within the consciousness of the Canadian public in 1983 and the department also became aware of it. Thus it turned out to be the motivational factor behind the establishment of the division.

The article focuses on Linda Duncan, New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament in Canada. Duncan, who is the founder of the Alberta Environmental Law Centre, is widely known for implementing strategies which focus on protecting the environment as well as ensuring that environmental laws are being carried out in the country. She stresses that her victory in the 2008 election was brought by the relationship she built with communities and addressing their environmental concerns. It states that Duncan is working for the approval of the Climate Change Accountability Act proposed by the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development.

The article discusses Germany's role in stimulating the renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), enacted in 2000, is said to be most effective in greenhouse gas mitigation. EEG was responsible for reducing 44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2006 alone. The need to import energy has also been reduced by EEG. Incentives to repower or replace older technology with more advanced versions of offshore wind were added by amendments to the EEG in 2008. Priority grid access for renewable energy generators and tiered pricing are the key elements that contributed significantly to Germany's success.

The article compares the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund of Canada with that of Norway's Government Pension Fund. The Alberta Heritage Fund was created in 1976 by then Canadian premier Peter Lougheed. It was decided 30 percent of all non-renewable-resource revenue in Canada will go into this fund. However, later governments stopped contributing to the fund and its present value stands at $17-billion. Also, Alberta has no targets for its fund nor does it have law with clearly laid out goals. On the contrary, Norway's Pension Fund has amassed $400-billion today.

The article presents the comments of the author on the arguments given by Jack Mintz, considered as the 27th most influential tax expert in the world, against carbon taxes. The author asserts that both regulations and environmental taxes must be designed not to force premature retirement of capital stock, not to destabilize government and industry revenues, not to shock consumer prices, and to protect the trade competitiveness. He argues that carbon taxes are the most efficient and effective means of achieving the environmental objective.

The article focuses on some shortcomings in Canada's environmental laws. The article says that existing Canadian laws and regulations are undermined by excessive discretion. Environmental laws and policies fail to reflect contemporary scientific knowledge and principles, particularly when it comes to conserving habitat and biodiversity and to following the precautionary principle. These laws are said to suffer from inadequate resources for implementation and enforcement. This is exacerbated by budget cuts, the downloading of environmental responsibilities and excessive reliance on voluntary initiatives. The article advises for increased official development and sustainability efforts.

The article presents the author's final statement on the discussion about the carbon tax policy. The author agrees with Jack Mintz, considered as the 27th most influential tax expert in the world, that under some conditions an emission cap with tradable permits can be superior to an emissions tax. He asserts that the real issue is whether those conditions hold for carbon dioxide emissions. He then compares studies pointed out by Mintz with several studies he had seen. Furthermore, he contends that other countries already impose environmental charges on pollutants ranging from pesticides to batteries to acid emissions with varying degrees of success.

The article presents the response of the author to the comments given by economist Mark Jaccard on his argument about the carbon tax policy. The author asserts that Jaccard does not understand his main point in differentiating between environmental and tax policy objectives, where the latter takes into account revenue-raising, efficiency and fairness objectives and not just environmental concerns. He also discusses two reasons why a carbon tax will not be an effective environmental policy compared to regulations accompanied by flexible tradable permit trading.

The article offers news brief related to research developments in Canada. The Canadian Institutes for Environmental Law and Policy has shown traces of pharmaceuticals, hormones, industrial chemicals, pesticides and cleaning products are present in water sources. The number of children labor has reduced to 11 percent between 2000 and 2004, according to International Labour Organization. Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that glacial coverage in China is melting.