There is No Global Warming

[Gary T. Gallon]

                      THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
                            AUGUST 18, 1997

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GLOBAL WARMING DOES NOT EXIST: FRASER INSTITUTE, VANCOUVER

Global warming does not exist as an environmental problem, suggests The
Fraser Institute of Vancouver.  The Institute states that: "the public has
been barraged with apocalyptic predictions of global warming.  This campaign
has been so successful that global warming is now reported as fact...the
evidence, however, does not support the predictions."  This statement was
quoted from the Institute's brochure advertising its new conference to
debunk global warming.  Called "the Science and Politics of Global Warming"
conference, it will be held October 29, 1997 in Vancouver.

The Fraser Institute is part of the "wise-use" movement of anti-environment
associations in the United States which use environmentalists tactics to
fight against environmental issues.  Members of the wise-use movement in the
U.S. include: the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment
(FREE), Competitiveness Enterprise Institute, the Barry Goldwater Institute,
CATO Institute, Reason Foundation, The Fraser Institute (Canada), and the
Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow.  In 1990, they joined together to
form the Earth Day Alternatives (EDA) coalition.  Its motto: "Environment -
as if people mattered".  The wise-use institutes stated that "members of the
Earth Day Alternatives (including Canada's Fraser Institute) believe that
environmental policy took a turn for the worse when it was taken out of the
hands of individuals and turned over to Congressmen, EPA bureaucrats, and
nvironmental lobbyists." [Source: Earth Day Alternatives, Press Release, 233
Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Suite 200, Ph. (202) 547-1010]

The conservative institutes run a conservative email daily news service
called C-NEWS.  To subscribe to c-news send the message SUBSCRIBE C-NEWS to
the email address: majordomo at world.std.com.  Currently, it is running a
six-part series called "Global Warming or Globaloney?"  In the sixth article
of the series, Phil Brennan writes about global warming concerns that:
"driven into a state of near panic, the world's overnments are proposing  to
spend trillions of dollars and impose draconian regulations upon all of us
in an all-out, Tower-of -Babel effort to counteract the perceived  threat of
Global Warming."

Most of the speakers at the Fraser Institute Conference are from the United
States.  There is Patrick Michaels and Robert Davis from the University of
Virginia, Robert Balling Jr. from Arizona State U., Thomas Moore with
Stanford U., Sallie Baliunas Harvard University, and John Christie from the
University of Alabama.  The luncheon keynote speaker will be the Hon.
Stephen West Alberta's Minister of Energy.  Conference registration cost:
$195 before September 29, and $225 thereafter.  To register call Ph (604)
688-0221, fax (604) 688-8539. Visit the Fraser Institute's website:
http://www.fraserinstitute.ca.

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165 COUNTRIES FIND GLOBAL WARMING A PROBLEM: UNFCCC

In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, Canada and 164 other nations agreed to
sign onto the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).  It sets an "ultimate objective" of stabilising "greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic (human-induced)  nterference with the climate system."  Even
the Canadian Ministers of the Environment, after consutlting their experts,
came to the conclusion that global warming had to be taken seriously.

Worldwide, governments, and their scientists, both conservative and liberal
have come to the conclusion that "the problem is that human activity is
making the global warming gases blanket thicker. The U.N. Convention
authorities at the UNFCCC state that: for example, when we burn coal, oil,
and natural gas we spew huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. When we
destroy forests the carbon stored in the trees escapes to the atmosphere.
Other basic activities, such as raising cattle and planting rice, emit
methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases. If emissions continue to
grow at current rates, it is almost certain that atmospheric levels of
carbon dioxide will double from pre-industrial levels during the 21st
century. If no steps are taken to slow greenhouse gas emissions, it is quite
possible that levels will triple by the year 2100.   The most direct result,
says the scientific consensus, is likely to be a "global warming" of 1.5
to 4.5 C over the next 100 years."

The UNFCCC states that the Convention "recognises that there is a problem.
That's a significant step. It is not easy for the nations of the world to
agree on a common course of action, especially one that tackles a problem
whose consequences are uncertain and which will be more important for our
grandchildren than for the present generation. Still, the Convention was
negotiated and signed by 165 states in a little over two years, and over 100
have already ratified and so are legally bound by it. The treaty took effect
on 21 March 1994." For more information contact the UNFCCC website:
http://www.unfccc.de/fccc/conv/beginner.htm.

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CANADIAN GLOBAL CHANGE PROGRAM (CGCP) 

The CGCP coordinates state-of-the-art assessments of research  results in
areas of potentially high impact to Canadians, identifying information gaps
and opportunities for Canadian contributions to reducing global warming gas
emissions. These assessments take the form of expert panels, research/policy
forums and commissioned studies.  The CGCP secretariat are working on some
of the strategic options for reducing global warming gases that ministers
may wish to consider for the future evolution of climate change policy in
Canada. After several reviews by the CGCP and CCP boards of directors, it
was sent to the ministers, then to various media and other interested
parties just prior to the December meeting. The submission is available from
the CGCP .  Visit the website at: http://www.cgcp.rsc.ca/english/
html_documents/eindex.html

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR CANADIAN COMPANIES IN POLAND

Before Ontario Hydro slashed its conservation program, B.C. Hydro dropped
its "Power Smart" program, and Quebec Hydro walked away from energy
conservation, Canada built a competitive advantage in energy efficiency
technologies and services.  Before the advantage is eroded by the advance of
other countries' global warming gases reduction programs, Canadian companies
can provide strong environmental technologies and services to Poland.

Poland could save about $1.8 billion per year over the next 15 years through
energy efficiency, the International Institute for Energy Conservation
(IIEC) said in a report.   "Poland still uses energy very inefficiently -
2-3 times as much as energy per unit of GDP - compared to Western Europe,"
said Stewart Boyle, Executive Director of the IIEC-Europe.  Investment
opportunities include cogeneration and gas technologies, energy efficient
lighting and energy service companies (ESCOS), said the IIEC report.  From
January 1 1998 new environmental regulations will require investment to
upgrade or replace aged boilers and stop the use of lignite burning.  The
European Bank for Reconstruction and Developement (EBRD) is financing energy
efficiency schemes, the report said. The Polish government predicts that $53
billion is needed to upgrade the energy infrastructure by 2010.

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CEIA NATIONAL PRESIDENT MEET WITH CANADA'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

Paul Antle, Chairman of the Canadian Environment Industry's (CEIA) Board of
Directors, was invited to attend meetings with new Environment Minister
Christine Stewart on Thursday, July 31 in Ottawa; and with former
Environment Minister, now Minister of International Trade, Sergio Marchi on
Friday, August 8 in Toronto. The informal luncheon meeting with Minister
Stewart was attended by 13 other industry representatives. Minister Stewart
expressed her belief in the need for a firm regulatory floor to ensure
environmental standards, and emphasized her intention to build relationships
between her department and the traditional industry sectors.  For more
information contact: Ron Portelli, President, CEIA National,   Tel: 613-236-
6222, or
Fax: 613-236-6850 or E-mail: ceia at capitalnet.com.  Website:
http://www.ceia-acie.ca.

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FILL OUT SURVEY ON FUTURE OF GREAT LAKES

Emerging Issues Survey Great Lakes Science Advisory Board's survey on
changes in environmental and social dynamics that may impringe upon the
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.  Go to website:  http://www.ijc.org/whatsnew/
annoncem.html. Fill it out the form on the site.

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INTERNET WORKSHOP ON ECONOMIC ACCOUNTING RELATED TO FISHERIES HARVESTING AND
MANAGEMENT

A specialized workshop for economists and fisheries managers is being hosted
12 August to 11 October 1997 on the internet by the  Fisheries Department
and Statistics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO), the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United
Nations University (UNU/IAS), and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).

The workshop seeks multi-disciplinary advice on pertinent issues of
integrated environmental and economic accounting in fisheries including
definitional boundaries of production and capital formation; environmental
satellite accounting (e.g. physical accounting, materials/energy balances,
etc.); ocean accounts for areas outside of countries jurisdictions;
valuation of aquatic resources and assessment of imputed environmental
costs. The advice will be used in the drafting of written guidelines on this
topic.  To participate in this electronic workshop send an e-mail to
mailserv at mailserv.fao.org with the following one line message and leaving
blank the subject matter field: Subscribe FisheriesAcc-L

For more information visit the Home Page of the FAO Fisheries Department
http://www.fao.org/ waicent/faoinfo/fishery/fishaccl/fishaccl.htm) where a
prospectus and discussion paper can be viewed and downloaded. These
documents can also be obtained from the FTP site ftp.fao.org (193.43.36.7)
at the  \fao\fi\document\fishaccl path; or as Word Perfect 5.1 for MS-DOS
files via Mailserv:  address a message to mailserv at mailserv.fao.org leaving
the subject blank and put in the following two lines :- send
[fisheriesacc]prospect.wpf/mode=block send
[fisheriesacc]discuss.wpf/mode=block If your Email system is not
MIME-compliant with regards to attachments, then try adding
"/encoding=UUENCODE" at the end of each line.

In case of difficulties to subscribe to the workshop or download the
documents, please contact either Rolf Willmann, FAO Fisheries Department
<rolf.willmann at fao.org> or Pratap Narain, FAO Statistics Division <

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CHINA GETS SERIOUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
SHUTS DOWN 74,000 POLLUTING FACTORIES.

China's work force is getting sick from too much pollution.  The economic
impacts of ignoring pollution can no longer be ignored. China has shut down
74,000 small factories with serious pollution problems, the Xinhua news
agency said on Friday.  The figure accounted for 86 percent of polluters
targeted by an anti-pollution decree issued by the State Council, or
cabinet, last year, it said.   The plants, mainly in rural areas, included
paper mills, tanning factories, printing and dyeing mills and coking plants
using outdated equipment, Xinhua said.  So far, 18 provinces have shut down
all the polluters on their lists, it said.  China has carried out two
nationwide inspections of plants with serious pollution problems in the past
few years, it said without
giving further details.  

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NEWS FROM ONTARIO'S GREEN COMMUNITIES

Participants at the Ontario Green Communities pollution prevention meeting,
in Niagara-on- the-Lake last Friday, agreed on steps to complete a P2
partnership between Environment Canada and Green Communities. Tasks include
development of programs, a results measurement protocol, partnerships (e.g.,
to help pay for sample non-toxic cleaner kits), and a three-year plan. A
full launch is proposed by the first of next year.

The Green Communities Association (GCA) has received a request from
Honolulu, Hawaii, for its nearly finished introductory guide, "How to Grow a
Green Community".  GCA's Jill Proud is in Santiago, Chile, this week
representing the Ontario Green Communities Association in negotiations with
groups and government officials there. The Chileans are looking into this
Canadian model for the purpose of adopting it for their own use.  Canada is
seen as a leader in this field.

The Peterborough Green-Up Group placed a display ad in the Yellow Pages Home
Improvements section of its phone book promoting "Whole House Solutions" to
various "house problems." Their slogan: "We know how your house works."
Smaller ads were also placed under Heating Contractors, Windows, and
Environmental Organizations.   For more information about the Green
Communities business group contact: Clifford Maynes, Coordinator, Green
Communities Association, 4 Knox St., Peterborough, Ontario K9H 2A8; vox:
(705) 745-7479; fax: (705) 745-7294; email: cmaynes at web.net; website:
www.ptbo.igs.net/~gca/.

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ONTARIO'S ENVIRONMENT AND THE "COMMON SENSE REVOLUTION": A Second Year
Report July 1997 

The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy released last its
report providing a chronology and overview of the Ontario government's
activities between June 1996 and June 1997. The report details the immediate
and long-term environmental consequences of the government's actions and
includes a discussion of its most likely next steps.

The 160-pages report entitled Ontario's Environment and the "Common Sense
Revolution": A Second Year Report is divided into chapters covering: public
participation in decision-making; regulatory reform and standard setting;
land-use; environmental assessment; environmental science and monitoring;
air; water; waste; energy; pesticides; forestry; wildlife, wilderness and
parks; non-renewable resources; mining; transportation; and underground
storage tanks, pressure vessels and boilers.

The report concludes that as of the end of the Legislative session in June,
virtually every statute in the province dealing with the environment or
natural resources management had been amended to: reduce environmental
protection requirements; increase the discretion of ministers and the
cabinet; eliminate opportunities for public participation in
decision-making; permit the delegation of provincial authority to the
private sector; and shield the Crown from lawsuits arising from damages
caused by its repeal of environmental protection requirements. At the same
time, the budgets of environmental agencies have undergone dramatic
reductions.  The report is available from CIELAP for $20.00 + 15% S&H.
Founded in 1970, the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy is
an independent, not-for-profit environmental law and policy research and
educational organization.  For more information or copies of the Ontario's
Environment and the "Common Sense Revolution": A Second Year Report contact:
Jan Rabantek , Project Officer, Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and
Policy Tel: (416) 923-3529, Fax: (416) 923-5949,  E-mail: cielap at web.net

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AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES FALL ILL FROM SEVERELY POLLUTED RIVER AFTER BRIDGE
COLLAPSE AT  ISRAEL'S MACCABIAH GAMES

According the Rueter's News Service Inc. journalist, Julian Linden, at least
10 Australian athletes fell ill in the wake of the Maccabiah Games bridge
collapse in Israel due to health problems caused by poisons in the Yakron
River under the bridge. The 10 athletes suffered respiratory problems after
either falling or diving into the river after the bridge near Tel Aviv
collapsed on July 14, 1997.  "Some of these people had been saved from
drowning after being resuscitated at the scene while others had dived into
the water to try and save others."  One of the three Australians that died
did not die from the injuries sustained from the fall but died 12 days later
in hospital due to lung damage caused by poisonous water.  "I've barely
eaten since the day of the bridge," Sumegi told an Australian newspaper on
Thursday. "My stomach got infected and caused my oesophagus to ulcerate. I
have been pretty ill.".

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US NORTHEAST STATES WANTS U.S. MIDWEST AIR POLLUTION STOPPED

Canada is finding allies in its bid to reduce transboundary air pollution
coming from the United States, writes Sonali Paul from the Rueters New
Service.  At least five northeastern states plan to ask the U.S. government
to force power plants and factories in the Midwest to cut their pollution to
help ease smog problems downwind, state officials said on Friday. The
petitions, which could be filed in August 1997, are the latest attempt by
the northeastern states to target sources of pollution outside their region
in their struggle to meet federal air quality standards.   The five states
-- Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York -- were part
of a group of 32 eastern states which agreed last June to take steps to help
each other fight smog in cities with the dirtiest air.  Pennsylvania also is
considering filing a petition, a state environmental spokeswoman said.  The
northeastern states decided to break ranks with the other eastern states
because they want air quality to improve faster than under the June
agreement.  "We feel we can't wait any longer, that we need immediate
action," said Jennifer Post, a spokeswoman for New York's Department of
Environmental Conservation.  "We're trying to take every legal avenue
available to address this problem," Post said.  But they still have not been
able to budge the big coal-fired utilities in the industrialized mid-west
and the states that provide them with the coal.

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Gary T. Gallon
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
506 Victoria Ave.
Montreal, Quebec  H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369-0230
Fax (514) 369-3282
email:  cibe at web.net