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Bloodvein band joins UNESCO bid

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December 23, 2009

Bloodvein First Nation is joining four other east-side bands in a bid for a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The band, located 210 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, is adding about half its traditional territory to the protected area, which is already the size of Belgium.

The four bands -- Poplar River, Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids in Manitoba and Pikangikum in Ontario -- are preparing a bid due in 2012 to turn a huge swath of virgin boreal forest into a UNESCO site. The hope is that will protect their traditional areas from development and also attract tourists.

Like the other four bands, Bloodvein is in the process of creating a land-use plan for its territory, which will determine exactly which parts of Bloodvein's land will be included in the UNESCO bid.

city.desk@freepress.mb.ca

Bloodvein First Nation is joining four other east-side bands in a bid for a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The band, located 210 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, is adding about half its traditional territory to the protected area, which is already the size of Belgium.

Bloodvein River First Nation Supports World Heritage Site Bid

Categories:
December 23, 2009

WINNIPEG—December 22, 2009—Bloodvein River First Nation has become an active member of Pimachiowin Aki Corp. joining with four other First Nations to have a portion of the Manitoba-Ontario boreal forest designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bloodvein River’s decision means that additional lands will be added to the project planning area.  Bloodvein River spokesperson William Young says he anticipates that more than 50 percent of his community’s traditional territory will be added to the 40,000 square kilometres currently in the World Heritage Site project area.  Bloodvein River’s land use plan is being developed and when complete will determine exactly which part of the First Nation’s traditional area will be included within  the UNESCO bid.

Located 210 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Bloodvein River First Nation sits on three kilometres of shoreline on the east side of Lake Winnipeg directly north of the Bloodvein River and is home to about 1500 residents both on and off the reserve.

Bloodvein River First Nation was an original partner in the creation of The Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship Accord, which first set out in writing the First Nations’ vision to seek UNESCO World Heritage status; however Bloodvein River has not been active on the board of directors of Pimachiowin Aki Corp.(PIM AH CHEE OW WIN AHH KEY).

Through a recent Band Council resolution, Chief Frank Young and the Council of Bloodvein River First Nation renewed its support for the World Heritage Project and Bloodvein River’s ongoing membership in Pimachiowin Aki Corp.

“Our community knows that a World Heritage Site can help protect the boreal forest and our culture. We want to be closely involved in the development of the nomination to UNESCO and in the future management of a new World Heritage Site,” says Young who joins representatives from Pikangikum First Nation of Ontario and the Manitoba communities of Poplar River, Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids; and the Manitoba and Ontario governments on the board of directors of Pimachiowin Aki Corp.

Pimachiowin Aki spokesperson Sophia Rabliauskas says everyone is pleased that Bloodvein River is participating in the process.  “Having Bloodvein River fully involved allows us to do an even better job of building the nomination that will show this land deserves recognition by UNESCO,” says Rabliauskas (RAW-BLOUSE-KISS).

The UNESCO nomination document is due in 2012.

For more information or interviews contact:
Gord Jones, project manager, Pimachiowin Aki, 204-275-1564 (office); 204-232-8528 (cell); whp@shaw.ca, www.pimachiowinaki.org

WINNIPEG—December 22, 2009—Bloodvein River First Nation has become an active member of Pimachiowin Aki Corp. joining with four other First Nations to have a portion of the Manitoba-Ontario boreal forest designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Four for Mother Earth

Categories:
Best thing about these resolutions? THEY'RE KEEPABLE
Mary Agnes Welch
December 19, 2009

YOU’VE trained yourself to remember the cloth bags when you get groceries. You caulked all your windows. All your light bulbs are compact fluorescents. You at least feel a twinge of guilt about the carbon emissions from your flight to  Cancun.

But without a binding agreement in Copenhagen and Canada's green reputation in tatters, it's time to take the next few baby steps.

In the build-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, there was chatter that, for all our noble intentions, individual actions will never be enough to forestall catastrophic global warming. What's needed is a coordinated government crackdown on polluters.

But, according to Statistics Canada, direct and indirect household emissions account for 46 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas output, a fact noted by proponents of individual action.

"We need both streams complimenting each other," said Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic Home and a green columnist for Toronto's Now Magazine. "We need government clamping down on big emitters, but we also need to clamp down on ourselves."

If lobbying for a new wind farm or a continent-wide cap and trade system is beyond your ken, and you're not quite ready to spend $15,000 installing a geothermal heat system, here are four simple things you can do in 2010 that don't require endless trips to Rona, a weekend of work or a bajillion dollars.

UNPLUG EVERYTHING

Your cable set-top box can suck up more power than your fridge, even when you're not watching television. Startling, eh?

It's called phantom load -- the power drawn by household gadgets even when you think they're turned off. That's pretty much everything that can be turned on with a remote or that has an internal clock. And it's your pile of cell phone chargers, Ipod chargers, battery chargers and laptop cords that leach power constantly if they're plugged in. It's also video game consoles like the Wii and Xbox. Some of those consume 185 watts of power when they're just junked up under the TV.

Phantom load accounts for between five and 10 per cent of all the power used by the average household, says Tracy Moroz, Manitoba Hydro's residential programs marketing specialist.

Granted, Manitoba's power is pretty green since it's produced by water not coal or natural gas. But because the province's power rates are so cheap, Manitobans aren't great at conservation. The more power Manitobans save, the more green power is available for export, which offsets the need for coal or natural gas plants in the United States.

Moroz has a list of easy to-dos that will actually save you money.

Walk around the house and unplug every charger, appliance and electronic gadget that's not in frequent use.

Next time you buy a new appliance, don't just look for the Energy Star rating but also ask yourself whether you need all the bells and whistles like timers and remote controls. Most kitchens suffer from digital clock overkill -- there's one on the stove, the microwave and the coffee maker. Keeping appliances simple saves phantom power.

Get yourself some power bars. It's annoying to rustle around behind the television looking for the dusty plug every time you want to watch Entertainment Tonight, so the best thing to do is plug all your TV gadgets into a power bar that's easy to switch on and off. Same with computers and printers that don't get used all the time.

Set top boxes are a lingering puzzle. Unplugging them usually means losing all your channel preferences. Manitoba Hydro and other power companies are working with manufacturers and cable companies on set top boxes that could one day use just one watt of power instead of the 45 watts some of them suck right now.

 

BE A SEMI-VEGETARIAN

If the 100-mile diet is out because you just can't get through a Winnipeg winter without coffee, chocolate and wine, there are still tons of ways to eat more sustainably.

A vegetarian diet is ideal, but Vasil says even reducing the amount of meat you eat -- think Meatless Mondays and Tofu Tuesdays -- can make a difference.

Eating less beef is a start. Manitoba's hog farmers, often criticized for huge factory farms and stinky sewage lagoons, will be glad to hear that pork has about a quarter the carbon footprint of beef, largely because of the methane produced by cow farts and the fertilizer needed for grazing.

Even better is free-range chicken, and even better than that is supporting small, local organic producers, many of whom sell their products at local independent butchers.

"We just ordered a quarter of a bison and a large local turkey for our Christmas dinner," said Kreesta Doucette, executive director of Food Matters Manitoba. "If you have the time, connect with a local farmer."

Same with vegetables. Try to buy what's in season locally instead of vegetables trucked in from afar.

"See if it's made in Manitoba and if it doesn't say, ask," said Doucette.

But Vasil points out one exception to the "buy local" mantra. Greenhouses suck up incredible amounts of energy, so the organic tomato trucked up from Mexico might actually be a greener bet than one grown in a greenhouse.

 

TAKE THE BUS ONCE A WEEK

Winnipeggers love to complain about the transit system. The buses are old, the routes into far-flung suburbs are spotty, there's no rapid transit system and someone with H1N1 might cough on you.

But experts say taking public transit or biking to work is the single best thing you can do for the environment.

If you suck it up, put on your longjohns, pop on your Ipod and take the bus just one day a week, you could be saving at least 123 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

According to Statistics Canada, the average commute in Winnipeg is 6.1 kilometres. Even if you left your very fuel efficient 2009 Toyota Corolla at home once a week, you would still save about 2.45 kilograms of CO2 emissions a day, according to the U.S. Federal Transit Administration's carbon calculator.

That would also save you about $35 a year in gas, which would help offset the cost of bus fare.

PURGE THE PACKAGING

Everyone who has tried to break into a new batch of razors or batteries has cursed the layers and layers of hard plastic packaging.

Vasil suggests making a grand statement by leaving the bulky packaging at the grocery store till when you check out or mailing it to politicians. If you're too shy to do that, try this:

Steer-clear of prewashed veggies like the tubs of lettuce or the bags of salad. Veggies from the shelf are greener and cheaper, especially if you can get away without using one of those flimsy plastic bags.

Do it Costco-style, if you can. Buy a huge tub of peanut butter or one mega-box of cereal instead of lots of smaller ones. But make sure the bulk versions really do have less packaging. There's nothing worse than realizing each of the soaps in your four-pack comes in its own box, wrapped together in paper and then plastic shrink-wrapped. And, when buying big plastic containers, make sure they have the recycling triangle stamped on the bottom so they can go in the Blue Box.

Next time you go to Rae and Jerry's, bring your own Tupperware for the leftover onion rings instead of taking the disposable containers. As an experiment, Vasil once sent an intern to all the big fast-food joints to test whether they'd use the interns plastic containers for take-out.

"None of them flinched," said Vasil. "They just said 'OK' and filled it up."

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 19, 2009 H16

YOU’VE trained yourself to remember the cloth bags when you get groceries. You caulked all your windows. All your light bulbs are compact fluorescents. You at least feel a twinge of guilt about the carbon emissions from your flight to  Cancun.

But without a binding agreement in Copenhagen and Canada's green reputation in tatters, it's time to take the next few baby steps.

Acronyms Hide a Forest of Concerns

Categories:
ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
December 18, 2009

COPENHAGEN — The Bella Center was overflowing with incomprehensible acronyms this week, which often seems to obscure the important decisions under consideration.

There has been lots of talk of M.R.V. — that is, “Measurable Reportable and Verifiable,” a mantra used to describe the type of cuts and allocations of funding that all parties are demanding of each other — and from the A.O.S.I.S., or the Alliance of Small Island States.

But the worst acronym may well be L.U.L.U.C.F. (Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry) — and it hides a crucial issue.

The term refers to an agreement that covers forestry for developed countries that have pledged to reduce their emissions under the Kyoto Protocol – including some of world’s major logging countries, from New Zealand, Finland, Canada to Australia and Austria.

During the first commitment period of the Kyoto protocol, those reductions were voluntary. But after 2012, they may well be binding. And, as the developed countries have unveiled their plans for forestry at the Copenhagen talks, advocates have spied what they call a lot of “creative accounting,” according to Peg Putt, of the Wilderness Society of Australia.

 

As with any plan to reduce emissions, one key question is to establish a baseline. Under the Kyoto protocol, the baseline for factory emissions from industrialized countries was set at 1990. Now, a number of logging countries have proposed that the baseline for reduction should be set relative to the amount of logging projected to occur in the future, if the logging industry were allowed to grow as it is now.

In a deft bit of doublespeak, the countries call this method “a forward looking baseline.”

Environmental groups concerned about emissions from forestry call it “the logging loophole.” The result of this accounting strategy is that countries like New Zealand, Sweden, Finland and Austria would not have to reduce logging – and its emissions – nearly so much as other industries.

Indeed, with the loophole, New Zealand would actually get to increase its emissions 17 percent by 188 percent, according to calculations by the Climate Action Network. Switzerland and Norway and possibly France, have agreed to use a past baseline.

Ironically, especially in Europe, a lot of the new forest cutting will be used to provide wood for bioenergy. But isn’t that a good way to move away from fossil fuels?

Well, that depends, said Chris Henschel of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and chair of the Climate Action Network’s working group on forestry.

“If you don’t do proper accounting – with the proper price for carbon – it’s hard to know,” he said. “With the loophole, the real emissions reductions are less than they say. You’re basically allowing them to have a second set of books.”

COPENHAGEN — The Bella Center was overflowing with incomprehensible acronyms this week, which often seems to obscure the important decisions under consideration.

There has been lots of talk of M.R.V. — that is, “Measurable Reportable and Verifiable,” a mantra used to describe the type of cuts and allocations of funding that all parties are demanding of each other — and from the A.O.S.I.S., or the Alliance of Small Island States.

But the worst acronym may well be L.U.L.U.C.F. (Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry) — and it hides a crucial issue.

Climate activists push PM for swift action

Categories:
Jen Skerritt
December 17, 2009

Local environmental activists protested in south Winnipeg on Wednesday afternoon to demand the federal government take swift action on climate change.

About 20 people picketed outside Winnipeg South MP Rod Bruinooge's office to push the Harper government to commit to serious emission reductions at the Copenhagen climate change summit. Some carried signs depicting the Canadian flag dripping in black oil, while other signs urged the government to set responsible emission targets at Copenhagen.

One man played the national anthem on a trombone next to a sign that read "Oil Canada."

"This is a crucial time in our history when we can take action to get the Conservative government to commit to significant actions on climate change," said Sean Goertzen, coordinator for University of Manitoba's Campus Greens.

Goertzen said Winnipeggers want to see the Harper government commit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 to 30 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. He and other activists said they feel Canada's international reputation has been tarnished by its weak support of large emission reductions, and for defending the intersets of the oil industry.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is heading to Copenhagen where hopes for a deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol are fading. Canada has been criticized for not doing enough to help reach a deal.

"They have a one-man party and its name is Oilberta," said Alon Weinberg, one of the event organizers. While the group of local activists shouted chants amid frigid temperatures, about 20 activists protested in Harper's Calgary constituency office. The group said Harper should resign as prime minister if he won't change his position on emissions that affect global warming.

The sit-in at Harper's office is the eighth to target Tory cabinet ministers in an attempt to raise awareness about climate change.

No one was inside Bruinooge's office at the time of the Winnipeg picket, but three members of the U of M's Campus Conservatives stood by the door in support of the Harper government.

The three university students were heckled by environmental activists, as they voiced their support for the government's slow approach to tackling climate change.

Kyle Mirecki said he believes the federal government is taking precautions to protect the environment while being cautious that doing so doesn't hurt the economic recovery plan.

 

-- With files from Canadian Press

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 17, 2009 A10

Local environmental activists protested in south Winnipeg on Wednesday afternoon to demand the federal government take swift action on climate change.

About 20 people picketed outside Winnipeg South MP Rod Bruinooge's office to push the Harper government to commit to serious emission reductions at the Copenhagen climate change summit. Some carried signs depicting the Canadian flag dripping in black oil, while other signs urged the government to set responsible emission targets at Copenhagen.

Manitoba First Nations Support International Resolution to Protect More than Half of the Boreal

Categories:
An Essential Step in Addressing and Adapting to Climate Change
December 17, 2009

Sophia Rabliauskas of Poplar River First Nation - “Our vision is to protect the land and water for future generations and that’s why we support this resolution.”

Two Manitoba First Nations are stating their support for a resolution to protect more than 50% of Canada’s Boreal Region in a network of protected areas that allow for species to migrate and adapt to climate change. Last month, over 1500 scientists, conservationists, and concerned citizens from 51 countries around the globe passed the resolution in Merida, Mexico at the World Wilderness Congress. The resolution, proposed by the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), calls for achieving this goal through First Nations community-based land-use planning including eco-system based resource management across the remaining landscape.

Two Manitoba First Nations are stating their support for a resolution to protect more than 50% of Canada’s Boreal Region in a network of protected areas that allow for species to migrate and adapt to climate change. Last month, over 1500 scientists, conservationists, and concerned citizens from 51 countries around the globe passed the resolution in Merida, Mexico at the World Wilderness Congress.

Still hope for climate treaty

Categories:
African countries stage protest over rich countries' lack of action
MICHEL HEBERT, QMI AGENCY
December 15, 2009

COPENHAGEN -- Despite the disagreements and protests that have at times taken over the UN climate change conference in Denmark, Canada's environment minister Jim Prentice said he is still hopeful world leaders can reach an agreement in principle by Friday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other leaders arrive in Copenhagen this week to join UN climate talks that have been staggering under the pressure of creating a formal agreement to fight global warming.

Prentice, who just recently arrived at the talks as the Canadian spokesman, said the best he could see at this point would be an agreement that would lead to future treaty to combat climate change.

"We hope to arrive at an agreement in principle to which we can refer to," said Prentice. "That will make up the base and schedule from which will move forward in 2010 to arrive at a international treaty. That is our objective and we hope that our leaders will reach it on Thursday and Friday."

The current UN treaty -- the Kyoto Protocol -- expires at the end of 2012.

A protest by African nations accusing rich countries of doing too little to cut greenhouse gas emissions slowed talks yesterday.

After a five-hour standoff, the African nations let talks restart after assurances their objections would be heard. They accused wealthy nations of trying to kill off the Kyoto Protocol.

"We're talking again," said Kemal Djemouai, an Algerian official who leads the group of African nations.

Canada was also feeling the heat from within.

Provinces such as Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario are demanding the federal government make a more significant effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than its proposed cuts of 3% below 1990 levels.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest arrived in Copenhagen on the weekend to speak on behalf of his province.

Regardless of the goal chosen by Canada, Quebec will impose its own measures to reach the provincial goal -- a 20% greenhouse gas emission reduction compared to the numbers from 1990.

"It's in Quebec's best interest to be amongst the best," said Charest.

Prentice pushed back yesterday, saying it will ultimately be the federal government's call when it comes time to sign an international treaty.

"Essentially we are trying to arrive at an international treaty with restrictive elements and, legally, it's only the Canadian government that can do it," she said.

COPENHAGEN -- Despite the disagreements and protests that have at times taken over the UN climate change conference in Denmark, Canada's environment minister Jim Prentice said he is still hopeful world leaders can reach an agreement in principle by Friday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other leaders arrive in Copenhagen this week to join UN climate talks that have been staggering under the pressure of creating a formal agreement to fight global warming.

PREMIER COMMITS MANITOBA TO MOVE TOWARD CAP-AND-TRADE LEGISLATION

Categories:
Public to be Consulted on System to Reduce Greenhouse-gas Emissions in Manitoba
December 15, 2009

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Premier Greg Selinger today committed the
provincial government to moving forward with legislation enabling
the creation of a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions in Manitoba.  He said the system will be subject to
public consultations in 2010.

"Manitoba is playing a constructive role in focusing on
commitments, goals and targets that we and other leading
sub-national governments can take," Selinger said.  "Market
mechanisms like cap-and-trade will play a large role in the
global effort to address climate change in a cost-effective
manner.  Cap-and-trade legislation will complement Manitoba's
participation in regional climate-change strategies like the
Western Climate Initiative and Midwestern Greenhouse Gas
Reduction Accord."

Selinger made the announcement at the Climate Leaders Summit
2009, sponsored by The Climate Group, being held in Copenhagen
today as a side-event to the UN Conference on Climate
Change. Selinger was invited to participate along with 60 other
climate-change leaders from sub-national and local governments,
and innovative climate-solution businesses from around the world.

"The Climate Leaders Summit provides an opportunity to share
practical strategies related to clean-energy development,
low-carbon technology and regional co-operation on climate
change," said Selinger.  "These are areas where Manitoba has
taken an early leadership role and they are vitally important for
creating new green economic opportunities for the future."

As part of the Climate Leaders Summit, Selinger is also hosting a
round-table discussion titled Power to the People:  Our Clean
Energy Future.  The session involves close to 20 government and
business participants, speaking on the policies that promote
renewable energy development and expand clean-energy technology
solutions.

"This panel discussion between business and government leaders
will demonstrate how government and industry can work together to
build a low-carbon economy of the future," said Selinger. "These
discussions will help to create momentum at the UN Conference and
motivation for committed long-term actions to reduce emissions."

- 30 -

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Premier Greg Selinger today committed the
provincial government to moving forward with legislation enabling
the creation of a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions in Manitoba.  He said the system will be subject to
public consultations in 2010.

"Manitoba is playing a constructive role in focusing on
commitments, goals and targets that we and other leading
sub-national governments can take," Selinger said.  "Market
mechanisms like cap-and-trade will play a large role in the

MB. signs MOU with Australian state

Categories:
Paul Turenne
December 15, 2009

Manitoba and an Australian state have signed a memorandum of understanding at the Copenhagen climate change conference.

Premier Greg Selinger, in the Danish capital along with Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie for the UN climate conference, signed the MOU this morning with Premier Mike Rann of South Australia.

The letter commits the two jurisdictions to sharing expertise on flood mitigation, long-term drought strategies and "community capacity building and ecological goods and services programming to provide resilience to future climate change challenges."

Manitoba and South Australia signed a similar MOU in 2006 pledging to collaborate on biotechnology, renewable energy, sustainable development and Aboriginal economic opportunities.

Manitoba and an Australian state have signed a memorandum of understanding at the Copenhagen climate change conference.

Premier Greg Selinger, in the Danish capital along with Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie for the UN climate conference, signed the MOU this morning with Premier Mike Rann of South Australia.

The letter commits the two jurisdictions to sharing expertise on flood mitigation, long-term drought strategies and "community capacity building and ecological goods and services programming to provide resilience to future climate change challenges."

Summer polar ice may vanish in 7 years: Al Gore

Categories:
December 15, 2009

New modelling suggests that the Arctic Ocean could be almost ice-free in the summertime as early as 2014, Al Gore warned delegates Monday at the climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The projection, based on computer models showing several years of dramatic losses of polar sea ice, suggest the ice cap could vanish well before 2030, as forecast by the U.S. government eight months ago.

A U.S. government scientist said the new prediction was too severe, but many other researchers have predicted a quicker end to the summer Arctic ice cap as well.

"It is hard to capture the astonishment that the experts in the science of ice felt when they saw this," former U.S. Vice-President Gore said in his first appearance at the two-week conference.

His group presented two new reports on developments in Antarctica, Greenland, and the rest of the Arctic.

"The time for collective and immediate action on climate change is now," Denmark's foreign minister, Per Stig Moeller, said.

However, the negotiations were bogged down through much of Monday, even as developing countries agreed to resume talks.

European Union spokesperson Andreas Carlgren said a series of informal talks resolved the impasse, which erupted when developing countries halted the negotiations and demanded that rich countries offer much deeper cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Representatives from 135 developing countries had refused to participate in any working groups when the boycott was announced earlier Monday. The move disrupted delegates from working on technical issues they hope to resolve before the arrival of more than 110 world leaders later this week.

Poor countries, supported by China, suggested that conference president Connie Hedegaard had raised suspicion that the conference was likely to kill the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which limited carbon emissions by wealthy countries and imposed penalties for failing to meet those targets. These countries want to extend Kyoto, but the U.S. has withdrawn from the treaty, citing economic concerns and the fact that China, India and other major greenhouse gas emitters are not required to take action.

Gore's reports

Gore and Danish ice scientist Dorthe Dahl Jensen used slide shows to present two reports at a stand-room only crowd of hundreds.

One report was on the Greenland ice sheet and was issued by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, a group formed by eight Arctic governments, including Canada and U.S. The other report commissioned by both Gore and Norway, was compiled by the Norwegian Polar Institute on the status of ice melt worldwide.

Average global temperatures have increased 0.74 C in the past century, but twice as quickly in the Arctic. Scientists says the northern polar ice has dropped significantly in recent years.

In summer 2007, the Arctic ice cap was reduced to a record low of 4.3 million square kilometres. The melting in 2008 and 2009 was the second and third greatest decreases on record.

"Some of the models suggest that there is a 75 per cent chance that the entire north polar ice cap during some of the summer months will be (nearly) ice-free within the next five to seven years," Gore said.

No consensus

Prior to the end of the boycott, CTV's Tom Kennedy described Monday's events as being a "global squabble" with "no sign of an emerging global consensus."

"At the moment, it does really look like a complete and utter failure is possible," he told CTV News Channel by telephone.

Others saw more progress in the talks that have taken place so far.

"I don't think the talks are falling apart, but we're losing time," said Kim Carstensen, of the World Wildlife Fund.

Canada's environment minister, Jim Prentice, said Monday's boycott was "not particularly helpful" to the Copenhagen talks.

Earlier Monday, Prentice said the divide between the U.S. and some of the major emitters is posing a challenge to the ongoing climate negotiations.

"Essentially, here in Copenhagen, the United States has indicated they're not prepared to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, or something that looks like Kyoto," Prentice told CTV's Canada AM from Copenhagen on Monday.

"The Chinese, the Indians, Brazilians and others, want an international agreement that looks a lot like Kyoto, in terms of some of the obligations. And so that is the essential challenge we all face at the negotiating table."

Despite the challenges, Prentice said he remains optimistic that the 192 countries gathered in Copenhagen will be able to eventually make a deal they can all live with.

"We're hopeful that we can reach, essentially, an agreement in principle, which could then be translated into a full international treaty in the subsequent year 2010," he said.

From a Canadian perspective, Ottawa is hoping to also develop a continent-wide approach to fighting climate change in North America.

Also Monday, Canada's Conservative government was forced to refute a fake press release that suggested Ottawa would be changing its climate change policy.

It is not clear who is behind the fake press release.

"They don't know which group or who was targeting Canada for this kind of embarrassment, but it's just one more of these very peculiar elements coming out of what has been a very difficult conference so far," said Kennedy, when explaining the incident to CTV News Channel.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

New modelling suggests that the Arctic Ocean could be almost ice-free in the summertime as early as 2014, Al Gore warned delegates Monday at the climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The projection, based on computer models showing several years of dramatic losses of polar sea ice, suggest the ice cap could vanish well before 2030, as forecast by the U.S. government eight months ago.

A U.S. government scientist said the new prediction was too severe, but many other researchers have predicted a quicker end to the summer Arctic ice cap as well.