Search

In Canada, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to remain high despite the federal government's commitment to reduce GHG emissions. Environmental policy across Canadian provinces has largely lacked consistency with some provinces implementing targeted policy such as carbon taxes while others have strongly resisted the federal government's attempts to encourage such policy. This study examines the impact of environmental policy on GHG gas emissions across Canadian provinces with policy uniquely measured by public and business sector spending on environmental protection as well as notable province-specific policies. An extended STIRPAT model is specified with the inclusion of proxies for environmental policy using panel data from Canada's ten provinces from 1995 to 2019. The cointegration and the error correction modelling approaches are employed to estimate the non-stationary panel data. A pooled mean group estimation is applied to provide short run and long run coefficients. The findings indicate that although per capita GDP is the main driver of GHG emissions in Canada, environmental policy has a significant mitigating effect, as shown by the negative association between emissions and private and public sector spending on environmental protection in the long run. Furthermore, provinces with targeted policies, such as Ontario's coal phase-out and British Columbia's carbon tax, experienced significant emissions reductions. The theoretical implication is the successful addition of policy variables to the STIRPAT model, providing the model a new application for future research. [Display omitted] • Assess the impact of environmental protection policies on per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. • Utilize public and private expenditures on environmental protection, along with provincial policies. • Extend the STIRPAT model to incorporate environmental protection policies in an empirical model. • Demonstrate a significant negative relationship between environmental protection policies and GHG emissions. • Offer insights with implications for global environmental sustainability efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues that Harper's dramatic changes to federal environmental assessment give rise to a two-dimensional legacy in environmental law: first, a legacy of impoverished environmental decision-making that reflects a narrow, resource-oriented vision of the environment, and second, a legacy of undermining democratic and rule-of-law values in environmental law. The crux of this latter legacy is the argumentthat environmental assessment law provides an essential framework for publicly-justified decision-making in the Canadian environmental context. Indeed, as I suggest in this article, environmental assessment presently performs a quasi-constitutional role in Canadian environmental decision-making in the sense that it is constitutive of legality; that is, it provides the means by which the federal government fulfills its obligation to govern the environment in accordance with the rule of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies have proven effective at raising consumer awareness, expanding waste collection infrastructure, and shifting costs of end-of-life (EOL) management from municipalities to stewardship organizations. Yet, such policies have been less successful in advancing waste management programs that ensure a net environmental benefit. This article analyzes how EPR policies for single-use batteries in the European Union (EU), Canada, and the United States address the environmental costs and benefits of EOL management. Considering these EPR policies is instructive, because single-use batteries have high collection costs and are of relatively low economic value for waste processors. Without deliberate planning, the environmental burdens of collecting and recycling such batteries may exceed the benefits. This article considers how EPR policies for single-use batteries integrate performance requirements such as collection rates, recycling efficiencies, and best available techniques. It argues that for such policies to be effective, they need to be extended to address waste collection practices, the life cycle consequences of EOL management, and the quality of recovered materials. Such strategies are relevant to EPR policies for other products with marginal secondary value, including some textiles, plastics, and other types of electronic waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers science news briefs as of February 16, 2018. Topics include the development of immature human egg cells in the laboratory reported online in the "Molecular Human Reproduction" journal, the dismissal of astrophysicist Christian Ott before his position start at the University of Turku's Tuorla Observatory in Finland amid protest, and a revised process for environmental impact assessment fo development projects released by the Canadian government.

This paper examines two fundamental and inter-related tensions relating to environmental assessment between the desire to be proactive, promoting sustainable development and the more traditional practice of preventing harm, as well as the need to balance a predictable, expeditious and efficient process with transparency and inclusive deliberation. Proposed reforms to the environmental assessment process in Ontario, Canada, are examined as a case in point, showing how the recommendations in Ontario are consistent with international trends. In particular, over-arching principles need to be embedded in more precise sector-specific policies to enable environmental assessment processes to meet these competing goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions from agriculture to the atmosphere, along with emissions of other pollutants from a variety of sources, are of concern to agriculture worldwide. National emissions from agricultural sources in Canada are linked to domestic consumption and export demand for agricultural products. The onus to limit emissions is often directed to the producers, but the marketplace and consumer are also responsible for the environmental impact of their choices. This objective of this study was to quantitatively link agricultural NH 3 emissions to per person consumption of food and protein and to agricultural exports from Canada. There are substantial differences in the NH 3 emissions per unit consumed protein among the various food types. As a result, shifts in the Canadian diet have had a large impact on relative per person NH 3 emissions. From 1981 to 2006, the total per person protein intake in the Canadian diet increased about 5%, but NH 3 emission related to that diet decreased 20%. This is largely related to consumption of less beef, which has a high emission per unit of meat or protein, and more poultry and cereals which have much lower emissions. Although these changes in diet were not because of environmental concerns by the consumers, they had substantial effects on national-level emissions. These consumer driven effects may well exceed the possible effects of best management practices intended to address NH 3 emissions at the producer level. Note that the Canadian population has increased 50% from 1981 to 2006 and meat and egg exports increased 570%, so that total emissions from food production in Canada have increased. Our results imply there will be further effects on national NH 3 emissions because of dietary and export drivers that are generally outside the scope of agro-environmental policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) framework for electricity sector planning is developed and applied to evaluate electricity supply scenarios for Saskatchewan, Canada. The overall goal of the SEA application was to identify a preferred future electricity production path, demonstrate the application of a quantitative SEA process that operationalizes sustainability principles through the use of assessment criteria, and examine the methodological implications resulting from the application of a structured SEA framework. Results of the application identified a renewables-focused electricity supply preference, but with several implications for electricity sector investment and sustainability, including increased infrastructure requirements and increased cost of electricity. Results also demonstrate a practical approach to the operationalization of sustainability through the application of assessment criteria that are linked to higher level principles. The use of structure in the SEA process provided for replicability, transparency and the ability to quantify issues of uncertainty in Plan, program and policy (PPP) decision-making, while at the same time maintaining flexibility to tailor the SEA framework to the electricity sector context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Stakeholder participation is a vital component of successful Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). SEA, an evaluation of environmental and sustainability consequences of strategic initiatives prior to their implementation, seeks to ensure that various stakeholder perspectives are considered early in the strategic decision-making process. However, once the implementation decisions are taken, are the stakeholders consulted with, or involved in, strategy implementation and SEA follow-up? If so, how can participatory processes benefit delivery of strategies and follow-up? These questions remain largely unexplored due to the conventional focus on ex ante SEA and limited knowledge about SEA follow-up. This paper explores the role and potential of stakeholder participation processes in facilitating SEA follow-up in the case of a 20-year Pasquia-Porcupine Forest Management Plan (FMP), in Saskatchewan (Canada). It explores different forms of stakeholder participation in the FMP and SEA follow-up implementation and identifies the associated benefits for SEA follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the evolution of a community research partnership defining the Government of Canada International Polar Year (IPY) investigation on the study entitled "Environmental Change and Traditional Use of the Old Crow Flats in Northern Canada." It looks into the history of environmental change, the distribution and abundance of wildlife and vegetation, the impact of the environmental changes on traditional food sources. It examines the environmental monitoring development program.

The concept of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has received considerable attention in recent years; however, the focus has been on the pre-decision stages of policies, plans and programs with much less attention to post-decision follow-up and monitoring. In those instances where SEA followup has been addressed, it has been done so much more from a conceptual than a practical perspective. As a result, the principles and concept of SEA follow-up are moving forward but we know little of the practice itself. This paper explores the practice and utility of SEA follow-up for twenty-year forest management planning and assessment in Saskatchewan, Canada. To do this, we develop and implement an analytical framework consisting of the necessary strategic, design and procedural, and institutional principles to enable 'good' SEA follow-up. The overall objective is to identify opportunities to learn from experience and to help advance SEA follow-up from concept to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the management of agro-ecosystems in Ontario Canada have been precipitated by the increasing intensity of agriculture operations and concerns about its impact on the environment and human health. The management of agro-ecosystems for sustainability is particularly challenging due to their inherent features and the complex web of institutional arrangements in which they arc set. This paper focuses on the concepts of regulation and stewardship. The contribution of the environmental farm plan (EFP) program to environmental management in Ontario farms is specifically examined. The EFP program was initiated by farmers to minimize environmental impacts from farming practices; it is voluntary and founded upon the principles of stewardship. Results of a survey conducted with participants in the EFP program demonstrate that appreciable measures are being taken to manage environmental impacts from farming. The contributions of stewardship to managing agro-ecosystems are explored in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters is administered by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), a trilateral institution established by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States as part of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). The CEC received 55 submissions from June 1995 to May 2006, although these remain to be substantially discussed in the literature. This study fills in some of the gaps through an analysis of the submission process from an actor- and results-based perspective. Two guiding questions form the basis for this article: What are some key demographic or geographical differences among ‘whistle-blowers’ and has the submission process achieved its goals? The conclusion is that key differences among submitters are due to such interlinked factors as gender, place, and issue, which should be more carefully considered by the CEC and other related institutions to enhance effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1996, the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization released its ISO 14001 guidelines for environmental management systems (EMSs). By implementing an EMS, an organization is better situated to manage the environmental effects of its operations which, in turn, should lead to better environmental performance. However, research on EMS performance has only recently begun to emerge, and the relation between EMSs and genuine improvement in environmental performance has not been clearly established, particularly for organizations such as Parks Canada, whose principal mandate is to protect the natural environment. While EMSs are gaining recognition amongst parks as a systematic approach for dealing with the environmental aspects of park operations, there has been very little investigation as to the effectiveness of EMSs in improving the environmental performance of park operations. This paper presents the results of a case study of the effectiveness of Riding Mountain National Park's (RMNP's) EMS and its contribution to environmental improvement. The results confirm EMS experience elsewhere in that RMNP's EMS has been only moderately successful at best and that there exists no clear link between the EMS and the environmental improvement of park operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oil Sands region of northeastern Alberta contains the world’s largest reserves of oil, in the form of tar-sand. In the Oil Sands region, a large number of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) have been completed for approximately 20 oil sands projects in the past two decades. The EIA process here is unique, in that stakeholders in the region (First Nations, industry representatives, scientists, and residents) have selected indicators of ecological health of the area, including biodiversity. This paper discusses the process of biodiversity assessment using the indicators selected by stakeholders in relation to the overall goals to maintain biodiversity in the region [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proposes that Canada and the United States require international environmental impact assessment to prevent environmental damage between the two nations. Progression of the `sic utere' principle of customary international law; Trend in proactive measures; Assessment of potential environmental damage between Canada and the United States.