A few years ago most experts would have considered electrically powered aircraft to be an impossible dream. Airbus, the major European manufacturer of many of the large commercial aircraft flown by the world’s airlines, has announced an electrically powered concept aircraft that is not just on the drawing board but actually flying today.

The electrically-powered aircraft is reported to be able to operate over a distance of 400 km. at cruise speeds of up to 235 km. per hour.  With a wingspan of 16.86 metres, the aircraft accommodates two people seated side-by-side.  The aircraft is propelled by a tail-mounted rotor driven by a 60kW power plant, equivalent to 60 typical North American toasters.

Gallon Letter is impressed not just by the reported performance of this aeroplane but also to the commitment to innovation being demonstrated by Airbus. If more companies would challenge the ‘impossible’, instead of using imagined impossibility as an excuse for inaction, we would be making much faster progress towards addressing some of the world’s major environmental challenges.

The Airbus announcement of this unique aeroplane, along with a photograph, can be viewed at http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/the-egenius-concept-aircraft-takes-to-the-skies-for-the-first-time/all-news/

The following are key environment-related aspects of the June 2011 Canada Federal Government Budget that may be of interest to readers. The bullet points below are sentences drawn from budget documents but may be abbreviated to conserve space. Additional details may be provided in a future monthly issue of Gallon Environment Letter:

• Supporting the manufacturing and processing sector by extending the accelerated capital cost allowance treatment for investments in manufacturing and processing machinery and equipment for two years.
• Extending the temporary 15-per-cent Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (for flow-through share investors) for an additional year (until March 31, 2012) to continue to help companies raise capital for mineral exploration.
• Renewed funding of almost $100 million over two years for research, development and demonstrations of clean energy and energy efficiency.
• Expanding eligibility for the accelerated capital cost allowance for clean energy generation equipment.
• Expand eligibility for accelerated CCA under Class 43.2 to include equipment that generates electricity using waste heat from sources such as industrial processes. Systems will not be eligible if they use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), due to their negative environmental impacts.
• $8 million over two years to promote the deployment of clean energy technologies in Aboriginal and Northern communities.
• $870 million over two years to address climate change and air quality: $252 million to support regulatory activities to address climate change and air quality; $86 million to support clean energy regulatory actions, focusing on energy efficiency; $48 million to develop transportation sector regulations and next-generation clean transportation initiatives; $58 million for projects to improve our understanding of climate change impacts; $25 million to advance Canada’s engagement in international negotiations and support the Canada-United States Clean Energy Dialogue; and $400 million in 2011–12 for the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program to help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient and reduce the burden of high energy costs. Further details regarding this program will be announced in the near future.
• $68 million over the next two years to renew support for the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan. Departments will undertake remediation work that is expected to reduce the federal liability by close to $550 million, focusing on the highest priority sites such as the Giant and Faro Mines in Northern Canada.
• Renewing the Chemicals Management Plan with almost $200 million over two years to assess and manage the risk of harmful chemicals.
• $80 million in new funding over three years through the Industrial Research Assistance Program to help small and medium-sized businesses accelerate their adoption of key information and communications technologies through collaborative projects with colleges.
• Improving commercialization and supporting demonstration of new technologies in the marketplace by supporting research links between colleges, universities and businesses.
• Identifying savings that reach over $500 million annually from the 2010 round of strategic reviews. Together with measures to restrain the growth of National Defence spending, the first cycle of strategic reviews has resulted in $11 billion in savings over seven years and more than $2.8 billion in ongoing savings.
• A two-year, $50-million Agricultural Innovation Initiative to support knowledge creation and transfer and increased commercialization of agricultural innovations.
• Supporting the transformation of the forestry sector by providing $60 million in 2011–12 to help forestry companies innovate and tap into new opportunities abroad.
• Improving the regulatory framework of the charitable sector to give confidence to Canadians who make donations.
• Investing $22 million over two years to help First Nations ensure that the fuel tanks that power their essential community services meet environmental safety standards.
• $35 million over five years to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to support excellence in climate and atmospheric research at Canadian post-secondary institutions.
• 30 new Industrial Research Chairs at colleges with $3 million in 2011–12 and $5 million a year on a permanent basis starting in 2012–13.
• $12 million over five years, starting in 2011–12, through the Idea to Innovation program to support joint college-university commercialization projects.
• $40 million over two years for grants to Sustainable Development Technology Canada to continue to support the development and demonstration of new clean technology projects under the clean air and climate change component of the SD Tech Fund.
• An additional $5 million over two years to improve nearshore water and ecosystem health, and better address the presence of phosphorous in the Great Lakes.

Full budget documents are available at http://www.budget.gc.ca/2011/home-accueil-eng.html

At it annual meeting this weekend, the International Air Transport Association launched a blistering attack on the European Union’s plan to require all airlines which land in Europe to surrender greenhouse gas offsets (“carbon credits”) to cover the emissions from their flights. The EU directive was adopted in 2008 and initially welcomed by the European airline industry but now international airlines have taken a strong position against the plan, calling it an illegal barrier to trade and extraterritorial application of European law.

In his speech to the IATA annual meeting, Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of IATA, demanded that Europe abandon its plans to include international aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2012. He said “Uncoordinated and punitive regional measures distort markets and undermine global efforts to reduce emissions. The EU ETS is a $1.5 billion cash grab that will do nothing to reduce emissions. BASTA! (Enough!) to Europe’s short-sighted actions. It’s time to be serious about climate change and honest in developing global solutions.” IATA believes that it is already a global leader in reducing carbon emissions, having led industry consensus to address climate change by improving fuel efficiency an average of 1.5% annually to 2020, capping net emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth, and halving net emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

So far EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard has indicated that the EU has no intention of backing down on the plan to require airlines to submit allowances to cover the carbon emissions of their flights into and around Europe, though there are media reports that she has offered to exempt Chinese airlines from the program as long as they take “equivalent measures” to reduce and offset their carbon emissions. Various airlines are fighting the EU initiative in the courts and through EU lobbying. Air Canada and Air Transat, the two Canadian carriers with regular flights to Europe, have not yet had much to say to the public on this issue.

With the airline battle becoming even more intense, it is difficult to see how European negotiators would allow a Canada – EU Free Trade Agreement to move forward without some mention of how the carbon emissions playing field will be leveled between European industry that must comply with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Canadian exporters to Europe who are faced with no similar regulations. Europe has already been studying the matter of increased carbon emissions from the Canadian oil sands even though  very little oil is exported from Canada to the EU.

Details of the EU program for airlines can be found on the IATA website at http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/environment/pages/emissions-europe.aspx

A summary of Giovanni Bisignani’s speech to the IATA AGM can be found at http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2011-06-06-02.aspx

Gallon Letter can only comment that today’s Speech from the Throne promised very little for the environment, nothing for a national energy policy, no mention of the oil ands, and no mention whatsoever of climate change.

Relevant references included:

• In this, the 100^th anniversary year of our national parks system, our Government will create significant new protected areas.
• Looking to the future, our Government will engage a broad range of stakeholders on the development of a National Conservation Plan, to move our conservation objectives forward and better connect all Canadians with nature.
• Our Government is committed to developing Canada’s extraordinary resource wealth in a way that protects the environment. It will support major new clean energy projects of national or regional significance, such as the planned Lower Churchill hydroelectricity project in Atlantic Canada.
• It will engage the provinces, territories and industry on ways to improve the regulatory and environmental assessment process for resource projects.
• It will help open the door to greater economic development by providing new investments in First Nations Land Management. It will promote access to clean water and the deployment of clean energy technology in Aboriginal and northern communities.

Another element relevant to Canada’s Sustainable Development may be:

• Our Government will aim to complete negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union by 2012. It will also seek to complete negotiations on a free trade agreement with India in 2013.

That’s it!  We hope you want to be “connected to nature”. If that is not enough, this Throne Speech leaves environmentally concerned Canadians pretty much out of luck!

For the full text of the Speech from the Throne visit http://www.sft.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1390

Canada seems locked into the idea that very little happens to improve energy efficiency unless the government provides funding. In Gallon Letter’s view, an activity that requires perpetual government funding is inherently an unsustainable activity.

One example is in the area of home energy retrofits. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has already announced that next week’s Federal budget, the first from the majority government, will resurrect the home energy retrofit program, presumably providing yet more grants to home owners who upgrade the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Bank of America in the US has embarked on what Gallon Letter sees as a better way. Last week the Bank  announced a $55 million program to encourage energy efficiency improvements to older buildings. The new competitive program will provide low-cost loans and grants to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) specializing in financing energy efficiency improvements. Once CDFIs have made loans to property owners, Bank of America will work with them to collect pre- and post-retrofit data in order to measure program outcomes, including impacts on energy and water usage and associated financial savings. EnergyScoreCards, a subsidiary of Bright Power, Inc., will be the third party consultant for data collection and analysis.

Critics might well point out that $55 million is not much for the estimated 115 million homes in the United States. That’s true but one has to start somewhere and Bank of America is only one of many banks in the US, albeit reportedly the largest. The good news, from Gallon Letter’s perspective, is that Bank of America is taking a lead in weaning home energy retrofits from the public trough, taking initial steps to turn them from an unsustainable government funded activity to a sustainable commercial banking activity.

Bank of America has also been one of America’s leaders in climate change initiatives in the financial services sector. For more information http://mediaroom.bankofamerica.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=234503&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1567738

Recycling programs grew from almost nothing to a major environmental achievement in not much more than a decade due in major part to the engagement of young people. Kids learned about recycling, the benefits and the tools, in school and took their learning home to their parents. In many Canadian communities more than 80% of homes with street level garbage collection are now involved in separating recyclables and putting them out for separate collection.

Now the US Department of Energy is hoping to achieve the same kind of success with home energy efficiency. In launching America’s Home Energy Education Challenge last week, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu said “Energy efficiency is all about helping families save money by saving energy. America’s Home Energy Education Challenge leverages the passion and curiosity of students to encourage families across the country to reduce energy waste in their homes while inspiring the next generation of America’s energy leaders.”

The Challenge is not the only way DOE encourages schools to educate students about energy efficiency but it certainly seems to be a very worthwhile addition to other programs through which DOE supports schools in energy and energy efficiency education.

For more information: http://www.energy.gov/news/10343.htm

Last week the US Department of Agriculture released 2009 results from its program of testing for pesticide residues on food. The results show that the vast majority of food samples tested were well below acceptable pesticide residue levels and a tiny number had excessive levels or levels of unapproved pesticides. Residues exceeding the tolerance were found in 0.3% of samples and residues for which a tolerance has not been established were found in 2.7% of samples.

The biggest exceedances were found in cilantro, a crop with low Canadian consumption. Tests found more than 30 unapproved pesticides on cilantro and the Environmental Working Group, an environmental ngo, reported that 44% of all cilantro samples carried residue of at least one unapproved pesticide. EPA has explained that a relatively small number of pesticides are approved for use on cilantro and that many of the pesticides not approved for use on cilantro are acceptable for use on other herbs and vegetables.

Given the quantity of US produced food marketed in Canada, the results are likely to be of interest to Canadian consumers. A more detailed analysis of the exceedances reported by the USDA Pesticide Data Program will be presented in a future issue of Gallon Environment Letter monthly edition.

The USDA results are available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateC&navID=PesticideDataProgram&rightNav1=PesticideDataProgram&topNav=&leftNav=ScienceandLaboratories&page=PesticideDataProgram&resultType=

2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – the Earth Summit – held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The 10th anniversary was marked by the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg. The 20th anniversary will be marked by a three day conference back in Rio from 4th to 6th of June, 2012.

The Secretary-General of the 20th anniversay event, Mr. Sha Zukang, recently shared his hopes for Rio:. He said:

I hope that Rio will produce a blueprint for a coherent pursuit of sustainable development, including:

• Renewed political commitment for sustainable development.
• Mobilization of the entire UN system in support of sustainable development. This requires strengthening of the three pillars – including social and economic, not just environmental.
• A strengthened Commission on Sustainable Development
• A strengthened UNEP.
• Guidelines on the Green Economy.
• Actionable commitments in financing and technology cooperation.

Mr. Zukang’s statement also included:

For many years the Ontario government has been among the environmental leaders in Canada.  With a provincial election coming in October Gallon Letter will be monitoring the election promises of all four main parties (OK – we recognize that the Green Party may not be a ‘main’ party in Ontario but we will be interested in their platform as well). First out of the gate was the Progressive Conservative Party, currently the official opposition, which released its election platform yesterday. The platform contains little detail on how a PC government would fulfill its environmental commitments.

The PC platform for the environment opens with some generalities, including a commitment to make enhancing and protecting the environment one of the top four priorities, but barely moves to any specifics:

– closure of coal fired power plants by 2014 and use of the sites for biomass and natural gas power generation.

– protect all programs that protect water quality.

– improve provincial parks with a new investment of $10 million.

– offer fair and reasonable incentives to encourage protection of environmentally sensitive land.

– take steps to make government buildings more energy efficient.

– work with others to ensure Ontario is doing its part to combat climate change.

– eliminate eco taxes on everyday items like lightbulbs and batteries, ipods and laptops.

The PC platform is available at http://www.ontariopc.com/news-releases/changebook/

The G8 meeting of the Heads of State of Major Industrial Democracies wrapped up in Deauville, France, just a few hours ago. A very long, 93 paragraph, final communiqué included the following texts which may be of particular interest to Gallon Daily readers:

31. We firmly believe that green growth is an essential element to ensuring sustainable global growth, notably to promote resource efficiency and sound water management, fight climate change and conserve biodiversity, and that it contributes to sustainable development. Green growth represents a promising source of job creation for our societies and offers significant prospects for innovators and exporters of all economies. Green growth dynamic needs to be shared: sustainable development is a reachable objective if efforts are made by all economies. We are committed to continuing to play a major role in this field. We will work within all relevant fora and agencies to promote green growth.

50. We reaffirm our willingness to share with all countries the goal of achieving at least a 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050, recognising that this implies that global emissions need to peak as soon as possible and decline thereafter. We are cooperating to that end. As part of this effort, we also support a goal of developed countries reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in aggregate by 80% or more by 2050, compared to 1990 or more recent years. Consistent with this ambitious long-term objective, we will undertake robust aggregate and individual mid-term reductions, taking into account that baselines may vary and that efforts need to be comparable. [continues]

53. [extract] We need to operationalise the Cancun Agreements and deal with unresolved issues. We are determined to deliver on our commitments as listed in Copenhagen, and confirmed in Cancun, and call on all countries, including all major economies, to deliver on their listed commitments as well.

The full text of the communiqué is available at http://www.g20-g8.com/g8-g20/g8/english/live/news/renewed-commitment-for-freedom-and-democracy.1314.html