Dr. David Suzuki on Education for a Changing Biosphere

Uploaded on May 14, 2009

Education for a Changing Biosphere: Ecology and Economics.

Dr. David Suzuki's keynote address at Simon Fraser University's "First Year in Focus: Engaging Students in their First Year and Beyond" conference on Wednesday May 13, 2009.


Human beings have exploded in numbers, technological prowess and consumptive demand with a consequent ecological footprint that is undermining the very life support systems of the planet.

As we have moved to an urban environment, the economy has become our highest priority predicated on the notion that a healthy economy is constantly growing in order to afford to do everything that matters.

We have come to see the twin crises of economic meltdown and ecological degradation as mutually exclusive so we tackle one or the other. Yet ecology, the study of survival and well being of species, informs us that without clean air, water, soil and energy and biodiversity, like any other species, we suffer and die.

Environmentalism recognizes that we also have social and spiritual needs that are just as essential for the full development of our potential.

The economy, like the market and currency, are not forces of nature like gravity or the laws of thermodynamics. It is a human invention and since it is deeply flawed, it is a mistake to do all we can to perpetuate it, we have to fix it.

Two fundamentals flaws are the dismissal of natures "services" (pollination, cleansing water, exchange of CO2 for O2, etc) as externalities and the belief that the economy can and must grow indefinitely.

Dr. Suzuki explores some of our misconceptions, fundamental truths and reconciliation of ecology and economics.

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Vandium Redox Flow Battery - From Imergy Power Systems

From Yahoo Tech

This magic box is called a vanadium redox flow battery. The heart of a flow battery are two electrolyte solutions — one positive, one negative — contained in separate tanks. When the solutions are pumped through a power cell containing a membrane, a chemical reaction takes place that generates electricity. When the process is reversed, the electrolyte stores energy.

The key component is vanadium, a naturally occurring element that can exist in positive and negative states, eliminating the contamination and degradation that occurs when two different elements are used to create a chemical reaction. Flow batteries are not as efficient as solid-state lithium-ion batteries. But unlike lithium-ion batteries that lose their capacity over time as they charge and discharge, the nontoxic electrolyte in a vanadium flow battery is endlessly reusable and never loses its efficiency.

Vanadium flow batteries are not new — an Australian scientist named Maria Skyllas-Kazacos invented the technology in 1985. But there was a catch. Two, actually. The battery needed pure and pricey vanadium to work. And the fact that the electrolyte became unstable at 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) limited the usefulness of the batteries.

“The electrolyte was always the one cost you couldn’t squeeze because you needed pure vanadium,” says Tim Hennessy, Imergy’s president, who previously ran a Vanadium battery company in China. “So the batteries ended up being about 50 percent more expensive.”

But Imergy claims it has made a big breakthrough. First, chief technology officer Majid Keshavarz developed a novel electrolyte chemistry that allows Imergy to use a lower grade of vanadium that can be extracted from iron ore waste, oil sludge, or fly ash generated by coal-powered power plants.

Their 30 KW battery will be housed in a 40' shipping container and cost >$15,000, should be in production by 2017.

Killer Whale Trainer Holly Byrd Discusses Blackfish | The Truth is in Ou...

Sea Worlds Global Impact

Years of Living Dangerously Premiere Full Episode

Published on Apr 6, 2014

Hollywood celebrities and respected journalists span the globe to explore the issues of climate change and cover intimate stories of human triumph and tragedy. Watch new episodes Sundays at 10PM ET/PT, only on SHOWTIME.

Subscribe to the Years of Living Dangerously channel for more:http://s.sho.com/YearsYouTube

Official site: http://www.sho.com/yearsoflivingdange...
The Years Project: http://yearsoflivingdangerously.com/
Follow: https://twitter.com/YEARSofLIVING
Like: https://www.facebook.com/YearsOfLiving
Watch on Showtime Anytime: http://s.sho.com/1hoirn4
Don't Have Showtime? Order Now: http://s.sho.com/P0DCVU

It's the biggest story of our time. Hollywood's brightest stars and today's most respected journalists explore the issues of climate change and bring you intimate accounts of triumph and tragedy. YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY takes you directly to the heart of the matter in this awe-inspiring and cinematic documentary series event from Executive Producers James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Hidden Costs of Carbon Fuels

The problem with MCHM (4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol), a coal-washing chemical created by humans, is that you can not filter it out of the water. Thanks to "Freedom Industries".

From Here and Now:

It’s been called one of the most serious episodes of drinking water contamination in U.S. history. Four months after thousands of gallons of the coal-washing chemical MCHM spilled from an unregulated above-ground storage tank into the Elk River, many people in and around Charleston, West Virginia, are still using bottled water.

Water bans after the Jan. 9 spill lasted as long as nine days in some Charleston communities. But residents continue to report that the water smells like licorice and it has sent people to the emergency room. A recent article in The New Yorker that profiled the power of the coal industry in West Virginia called the spill an accident with no clear ending, with the most basic question — “Is the water safe?” — unanswered.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, who runs the Kanawha-Charleston and Putnam County health departments in Charleston, West Virginia, speaks with Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti about the ongoing water crisis.

(Ever see what happens when you have a Solar Power Spill?)

Blue Energy Animation - Wetsus

From SustainableBusiness.com 02/25/2014 03:29 PM

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Nowhere To Hide From Global Forest Watch

SustainableBusiness.com News

There's nowhere to hide now that Global Forest Watch has launched - citizens around the world now have all the information they need to monitor the state of the world's forests.

Global Forest Watch combines the latest satellite technology, open data and social media crowdsourcing to produce "near-real time, reliable, and actionable data" about what's happening to forests worldwide.

High resolution data from half a billion NASA Landsat satellite images measures whether tree cover is growing or lessening. You can even sign up for alerts that let you know when there's tree cover loss, pinpointing where it's occurring.

"Businesses, governments and communities desperately want better information about forests. Now, they have it," says Andrew Steer, CEO of World Resources Institute, which facilitated the project. Global Forest Watch "will fundamentally change the way people and businesses manage forests. From now on, the bad guys cannot hide and the good guys will be recognized for their stewardship."

Companies that buy commodities such as palm oil, soy and timber will be able to see for themselves whether suppliers are complying with laws and sustainability standards. When they do it right, suppliers will be able to conclusively show their products come from well-managed forests. No more wondering about who is telling the truth!

And forest protection groups can use the information to pressure companies and governments to stop deforestation.

Until now, the usefulness of satellite images has been limited because of the long time lag in getting them online. By the time people see them, the forests are cut, cattles are grazing (or palm trees are growing) and criminals are long gone. It typically takes 3-5 years to produce a national forest cover map.

"With the exception of Brazil, none of the tropical forest countries have been able to report the state of their forests," says Rebecca Moore, engineering manager with Google Earth Outreach and Earth Engine. "Now it will be possible to have near real-time updates of the state of the world's forests, open to anyone to use."

It's also a great tool for corporations that have committed to purchase only from sustainably managed forests. Nestle, for example, says the tool will give it better oversight of suppliers that produce raw materials such as meat, soy and palm oil - which forests are often cleared to grow.

"It is going to help us dramatically to refine our work on the ground, in places where we think there might be issues with our supply chain," says Duncan Pollard, associate vice president for sustainability at Nestle. 

Global Forest Watch makes this possible by embedding key information in the images. You can see which palm oil company operates in a specific area of Indonesia where images have shown recent forest destruction. That could lead to a buyer canceling purchases from a supplier.

So if a palm oil company says it will no longer clear primary forests, now they will be watched to make sure they keep that promise.

The REDD market should also get a boost. When organizations buy credits for maintaining or restoring forests, and can actively view their progress, they will be more likely to invest.

It will also give people a birds-eye view of the extent of deforestation across the world.

The initial $25 million to build the tool came mostly from the governments of the US, UK and Norway. It's been developed by a partnership convened by the World Resources Institute, which includes Google and some 40 partners - the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and businesses and NGOs from around the world.

Sarawak Geoportal Launches

Another tool, Sarawak Geoportal, focuses specifically on the Malaysian state, Sarawak, which has been torn apart by  deforestation.

The government can no longer misrepresent what's happening on the ground as they have done for political reasons, say The Bruno Manser Fund, which developed and launched the tool.

The online map makes it clear where concessions have been granted for logging and palm oil plantations and shows deforestation. It also pinpoints the exact location of villages, roads and rivers. 

It's necessary, says the Bruno Fund, because the government rarely informs indigenous people about projects that involve their native lands. Believe it or not, communities weren't aware that they would have to move because of construction of the very controversial Murum dam until right before they were forced to leave. 

"All this information should have been made public by the Sarawak government long ago", says Lukas Straumann, director of the Fund. "The data have deliberately been shut away to facilitate the land grab by the political elite under outgoing Chief Minister Taib Mahmud."

Sarawak Geoportal shows that as of 2009, a maximum of
11% of land area remains covered by primeval forest.

Sarawak Geoportal 

Here is Global Forest Watch:

Website: www.globalforestwatch.org/