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Carbon emissions are not the only assault by humankind on Mother Earth.
Much of the planet is coping with severe shortages of fresh water and many inhabitants are taking extraordinary measures to conserve what water they do have.
Out of all of the water that is on our planet less than three percent is fresh water. Canada has been blessed with about twenty percent of the Earth’s fresh water.
Under the stewardship of the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien the economics of mining companies trumped the environmental concerns of the public. They have allowed the conversions of fifteen fresh water lakes into tailings ponds.
The Chrétien government changed the Federal Fisheries Act in 2002, to allow Ottawa to classify natural water bodies as tailing containment ponds. Under the revised law mining companies that propose to dump waste into fish-bearing streams, rivers and lakes must devise a plan to compensate for lost habitat.
Stephane Dion was appointed Minister of the Environment on July 20, 2004. He chose not to protect the fifth of the Earth’s fresh water that lies within Canadian jurisdiction.
Instead he wants to clean up approximately two percent of the Earth’s atmosphere while large developing countries have no restrictions on their carbon emissions.
The mining firm, Vale Inco is seeking approval to use a trout pond near Long Harbour, in southeastern Newfoundland as a dump for mine tailings produced by its proposed nickel processing plant.
How much fresh water can the inhabitants of the Earth afford to lose and will the Environment Minister, John Baird put an end to this foolish policy?