1. Alberta Oil Sands Survey Needs Your Input by December 7, 2007

Cambridge Strategies Inc. is conducting an independent survey to explore the attitudes, opinions, perceptions and preferences of Albertans, concerning oil sands development. CSI wants to know how Albertans think the oil sands should be developed. For the Pembina Institute, oil sands development raises concerns about things like pace of growth, environmental and global warming impacts, strain on municipal infrastructure strains, population increases and quality of life.

We think the challenging questions in this survey are timely and that your answers will be important to inform debate about how oil sands development should be managed in Alberta.

» Visit www.oilsandswatch.org to learn more about oil sands and to participate in the survey before December 7.

2. Premier Stelmach's Rejection of the Royalty Review Panel's Recommendations Has Cost Albertans Millions of Dollars

Since Premier Stelmach's rejection of the Royalty Review Panel's oil sands recommendations in October, Albertans have already lost millions of dollars in revenues. The Institute's modelling shows that at oil prices of $60 per barrel, the Premier's proposal only increases Albertans' share of oil sands revenues by two per cent. By contrast, the Royalty Review Panel's expert recommendations would increase Albertans' share by 22 per cent. The difference between these options amounts to $4.8 billion in revenues over the life of a typical in situ project and $11.6 billion over the life of a typical mining project.

» Read Pembina's response to Premier Stelmach's announcement.

3. Climate Negotiations in Bali Aim to Reach A Global Climate Agreement

The UN's annual climate negotiations get underway on December 3rd in Bali, Indonesia. Matthew Bramley and Clare Demerse will be in Bali on behalf of the Pembina Institute.

With concern about climate change higher than ever, the Bali conference's main task is to launch negotiations for a global climate agreement that expands and strengthens the Kyoto Protocol after 2012.

» Read the backgrounder

4. Mind the Gap Report Shows British Columbia Emissions Target Achievable, But Stronger Government Action Needed

A report released by the Pembina Institute finds that, without additional government action, British Columbia will miss its stated greenhouse gas reduction target by more than 30 million tonnes. The report makes specific recommendations to eliminate the "gap".

» Read the media release

» Download Mind the Gap

5. Pembina Institute Releases Report, Hosts Forum on "Unlikely Allies"

The Pembina Institute released a case study compendium and hosted a forum on innovative partnerships between unlikely allies who help make resource development sustainable. A coalbed methane company's efforts to use its need for Christmas baskets as an opportunity to train high school students in entrepreneurialism and to support local artisans is just one example of several Canadian case studies found in the compendium.

» Read the media release

» Download Unlikely Allies

6. GreenLearning Launches Two New Resources: EnerAction and eCards

EnerAction brings innovative energy conservation and efficiency lessons to Grade 4 to 7 classrooms. Students use a web-based Carbon Calculator to calculate the costs in energy and in greenhouse gases to light their classrooms. They create Carbon Critters and look for ways to reduce their ecological footprints. They explore the ethics of energy use and consider the role of energy in their own lives.

eCards gives students in Grades 6 to 8 an authentic experience in research and advocacy. On the eCards website, students research a renewable or non-renewable source of energy, create an eCard with their own message and graphics, and then email it to the principal, a family member, or even the Premier. Soon classes will also be able to create eCards based on Arctic explorations: GreenLearning has teamed up with the British Council to make available the research, webcasts and art projects of the 12 students who sailed to the Arctic aboard the Nooderlicht in September.

» For more information, visit www.GreenLearning.ca

Hot Off the Press

Unlikely Allies: Cross-Sector Partnerships for Sustainable Development

First presented at the Pembina Institute's Unlikely Allies conference last month, this compendium is a collection of six case studies showing how cross-sector partnerships can be used as vehicles for sustainable development in Canada.

» Read the report

Mind The Gap

To combat climate change, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell has declared that the province will cut its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 33% or more below current levels by 2020. To date, the details announced in Premier Campbell's proposals will only reduce British Columbia's emissions by about five million tonnes — 31 million tonnes less than needed to meet the goal. Mind The Gap examines what it will take for British Columbia to meet or beat its emission reduction target.

» Read the report

Carbon Pricing: Efficiently Stimulating Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions

The Green Budget Coalition released a series of recommendations for the federal 2008 budget. Pembina's recommendations on how to use carbon pricing as a mechanism to efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions are presented.

» Download the Carbon Pricing section of the GBC report.

Pembina Op-Eds

2020 Emissions Reduction Target: How Do We Get From Here to There?

By: Matt Horne, Senior Technical and Policy Advisory

The British Columbia government has announced a number of first steps towards its greenhouse gas reduction target for 2020. But are they enough?

» Read this op-ed

Council's Challenge: Sprawl or Sustainability?

By: Jesse Row, Director, Sustainable Communities Group

The future of Calgary hangs in the balance as City Council gears up to decide how our neighbourhoods, roads and transit will be built.

» Read this op-ed

2030: Stelmach's Royalties Foresight in Hindsight

By: Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director

If Premier Stelmach chose to implement the Royalty Review Panel's full set of recommendations and deliver Albertans' their fair share, this is what I think my first son might have said 23 years from now.

» Read this op-ed