- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by F_neil

Under the icy north lurks a ‘carbon bomb’

Neil — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:32:18 +0000

A thick layer of the black spongy soil, the remnants of ancient forests, wraps the globe’s northern tier. Deeper than 15 feet in places, the peat layer extends over more than 6 million square miles across Russia, Scandinavia, China, Canada, and the United States.

Carbon that those forests absorbed from the air over thousands of years is stored in the peat and suspended in waterlogged bogs or permafrost. When it is disturbed or drained - as is happening in some areas - the peat can start to decompose and dry out, unleashing greenhouse gases. In North America alone, the peat and the trees growing in it hold as much carbon as would be emitted worldwide by 26 years of burning fossil fuels at current rates.

Nuclear waste: Canada asks its towns if they'll give it a home

Neil — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:21:22 +0000

If they were to take out a classified ad, it would read something like this: “Wanted: safe, willing home for 40,000 metric tons of nuclear waste. Must be Canadian. Phone for details.”

That’s what’s on offer from Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization, the entity charged with finding a site for the spent fuel produced by the country’s 22 nuclear reactors. While they don’t advertise in newspapers, NWMO officials were in this rural province last month holding a public presentation to make communities aware that they’re looking for appropriate candidates to be considered as hosts for the radioactive materials.

Canada, like the United States, is seeking a long-term solution for storing spent nuclear fuel, which will remain toxic for more than 10,000 years. But the Canadian approach to finding a central depository site has fundamental differences, most strikingly that potential host communities must volunteer. But, like the stalled US effort, its success or failure will bear on any decision to expand the country’s nuclear power sector.

Man to set himself on fire in a stunt on sunday

Neil — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:49:17 +0000

Some of us dream about scoring the Game 7 overtime goal of the Stanley Cup final. Some of us fantasize about winning the Canadian Idol finale. Some of us dream of capturing a Nobel Prize. Colin Decker’s ambition is to set himself on fire and...

Apple Sues School For Using The Same Fruit In a Logo

Neil — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:19:34 +0000

The Victoria School of Business and Technology in Canada could have probably taken a more original approach when designing their logo, but I doubt Apple is protecting themselves from much by suing the hell out of...