Tag: world wildlife fund

Turn Off the Lights on Saturday Night

  • Photograph of illuminated incandescent-replacement fluorescent bulb. (Source: Jdorwin at Wikimedia Commons)

On Saturday night from 8 to 9 the World Wildlife
Fund is asking you to turn off your lights for Earth Hour.
Lester Graham reports sitting in the dark is supposed to
make you think about how you contribute to global warming:

Transcript

On Saturday night from 8 to 9 the World Wildlife
Fund is asking you to turn off your lights for Earth Hour.
Lester Graham reports sitting in the dark is supposed to
make you think about how you contribute to global warming:

The World Wildlife Fund is organizing the Earth Hour. Some have questioned whether
what some might consider a “publicity stunt” will really make a difference. Joe Pouliot is
with the group.

“Well I wouldn’t characterize this as a stunt. Climate change, unfortunately, hasn’t been getting a huge amount of attention. But because of the activities of Earth Hour, people are really beginning to focus on the challenges of climate change.”

Earth Hour wants you to shut off your lights for an hour because lot of electricity comes
from coal-burning power plants. They put out a lot of carbon dioxide, a main
greenhouse gas. Pouliot says people, organizations and cities on six continents are
participating in Earth Hour, including the cities of Toronto, Altlanta, Chicago, Phoenix
and San Francisco.

For The Environment Report, this is Lester Graham.

Related Links

Report Analyzes Economic Benefits of Wetlands

70 billion dollars – that’s how much the world’s wetlands are worth in annual goods and services, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Rebecca Williams has more:

Transcript

Seventy-billion dollars – that’s how much the world’s wetlands are worth in
annual goods and services, according to a report from the World Wildlife
Fund. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Rebecca Williams has more:


The report says wetlands provide goods and services such as water filtration,
habitat, flood control and food production. The authors analyzed all the
studies that have been done on the economic value of wetlands.


They say billions of dollars are spent each year to drain wetlands for
immediate economic benefits.


Chris Williams is a conservation manager with the World Wildlife Fund. He
says decision-makers don’t always understand the long-term benefits of
wetlands.


“And if you’re, say, an official in a local jurisdiction, you’re thinking,
what is the immediate return of developing this area? There might be tax
revenues, there might be employment benefits, there might be increased
housing. Now those are important, and those should be thrown into the mix.
What we are mainly saying is, fine, but when you’re balancing those short-term returns, balance
them with the long-term value of the resource that
you’re developing.”


Williams says governments might try to restore wetlands when an area has
been paved over. But he says it’s much more expensive to build a wetland
from scratch than to take steps to preserve it.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Rebecca Williams.

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Report Highlights Environmental Threats

A two-year study from the World Wildlife Fund has found Canada is facing a myriad of serious environmental problems. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly has more:

Transcript

A two year study from the World Wildlife Fund has found Canada is
facing a myriad of serious environmental problems. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly has more:


The report says much of Canada’s vast forestland has yet to be
protected.


Animals are threatened by the loss of tallgrass prairies.


And invasive species are wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes.


Kevin Cavanaugh is the director of biodiversity conservation for
World Wildlife Fund Canada.


He says the wide diversity of problems presents a significant
obstacle.


“One of the big challenges is that what is needed in one part
of the country is often quite different than another so this was
our attempt to try and help prioritize the kind of activities that
would need to take place in order to conserve nature.”


The provinces are the primary protectors of the environment in
Canada.


The reports says they must cooperate with the federal government
and industries to address Canada’s environmental problems.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.

Canadians to Pass an Endangered Species Act?

Canadian environmentalists are optimistic federal legislation to
protect endangered species will pass this year. If it does, it will be
the
first time Canada passes such a federal law. However… a proposal
presented by the environment minister is being criticized. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports: