Ottawa to Axe Soldiers' Cost-Of-Living Bonus

By Peter Harris
From Edmonton Journal
2007


The federal government is about to stop its practice of giving extra money to Canadian soldiers posted to some of the country's most expensive cities.

Since June 2000, almost half of Canada's soldiers have been receiving a bump in their monthly salary - dubbed the post living differential - for living and working in cities with a high cost of living.

However, Global National reported Thursday night that the Tory government will put a halt to the payments for soldiers in places like Toronto and Ottawa.

More than 28,000 Canadian soldiers living in major urban centres currently qualify for the cost-of-living allowance. In Toronto, soldiers would lose more than $1,200 a month, according to figures from 2004.

It would be $572 in Vancouver, $464 in Victoria, $190 in Ottawa, and more than $200 in Halifax. The amount is calculated based on average local mortgage or rent payments, grocery bills and utility costs. Opposition defence critics questioned the cuts.

"There does remain a huge cost differential, cost of living differential, depending on what part of the country you live in," said NDP_defence critic Dawn Black. "I think that has to be acknowledged."

"It might have an impact on their morale," added Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre.

"It has to be done in fairness and (to) make sure no one feels second-class."




Harper Alone on Climate Change at Commonwealth Summit

From CBC News
2007

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is facing heavy political pressure to agree to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions as Commonwealth summit delegates in Uganda attempt to form a strong, united front in the fight against climate change.

Other than Australia, whose leader is not at the summit, Canada is the only member of the 53-nation grouping that has not fallen in line with the wording in a climate change resolution calling for binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

The three-day conference is trying to reach a consensus before December's United Nations meeting in Bali, Indonesia, where more than 190 nations will discuss the future of the Kyoto protocol.

"One of the biggest challenges we all face [is] climate change," Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said Friday in a speech in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. "The challenge of climate change not only requires a united front, but an unprecedented level of co-operation and firm action."

But the small island nation's drive for environmental unity faces challenges from Canada's Conservative government, which does not support binding reductions.

Harper lone opponent of binding targets
In Kampala, Harper stands alone in opposition to the binding targets, as his Australian counterpart, John Howard, is not attending the meetings. Instead, Howard is at home preparing for his country's federal election.

Other than the small island nations such as Malta, which fear rising sea levels could bring mass flooding, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also stated his commitment to reducing greenhouse gases.

Diplomats have reportedly suggested Brown will attempt to persuade Harper to sign on to the agreement. Unless the other leaders are able to win over Canada with the idea of binding targets, the nations will likely emerge from meetings with a slightly watered-down statement.

Before the climate change talks topped the agenda on Friday, the Commonwealth's suspension of Pakistan overshadowed the summit.

On Thursday, a committee of foreign ministers, including Canada's Junior Foreign Minister Helena Guergis, agreed to suspend Pakistan over President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's failure to lift a state of emergency and restore civilian rule.

The Commonwealth leaders agreed on Friday to endorse the suspension decision, made by a nine-nation Ministerial Action Group.




Confirmed:
Deforestation Plays Critical Climate Change Role

From Science Daily

New research confirms that avoiding deforestation can play a key role in reducing future greenhouse gas concentrations. Scientists report in the journal Science that tropical deforestation releases 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon each year into the atmosphere.

Dr Pep Canadell, from the Global Carbon Project and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, says in the journal Science that tropical deforestation releases 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon each year into the atmosphere.

“Deforestation in the tropics accounts for nearly 20 per cent of carbon emissions due to human activities,” Dr Canadell says. “This will release an estimated 87 to 130 billion tonnes of carbon by 2100, which is greater than the amount of carbon that would be released by 13 years of global fossil fuel combustion. So maintaining forests as carbon sinks will make a significant contribution to stabilising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.”

“The new body of information shows considerable value in preserving tropical forests such as those in the Amazon and Indonesia as carbon sinks, that they do not release the carbon back into the atmosphere as has been suggested.”

Dr Canadell says. “However, it also demonstrates the need to avoid higher levels of global warming, which could slow the ability of forests to accumulate carbon.”

In the first study of its kind, Dr Canadell joined an international team of experts from the US, UK, Brazil and France to compare data from 11 climate-carbon computer models. The results show that tropical forests continue to accumulate carbon through to the end of the century, although they may become less efficient at higher temperatures.

“The new body of information shows considerable value in preserving tropical forests such as those in the Amazon and Indonesia as carbon sinks, that they do not release the carbon back into the atmosphere as has been suggested,” Dr Canadell says. “However, it also demonstrates the need to avoid higher levels of global warming, which could slow the ability of forests to accumulate carbon.”

He says that while tropical deforestation will continue, slowing the amount of clearing will make significant impacts. “If by 2050 we slow deforestation by 50 per cent from current levels, with the aim of stopping deforestation when we have 50 per cent of the world’s tropical forests remaining, this would save the emission of 50 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. This 50/50/50 option would avoid the release of the equivalent of six years of global fossil fuel emissions.”

Reducing deforestation is just one of a portfolio of mitigation options needed to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. “Globally, we need a range of actions to reduce the build up of carbon in the atmosphere,” Dr Canadell says. “This study ensures we have a sound scientific basis behind the consideration of deforestation reduction.”