For reasons as yet unknown the favourite food of river trout is “functionally extinct” in Ontario. Environmentalists warn the Green Drake is a canary in a coal mine.

The Clean Air Act, studied by a special Commons committee, looks to have increase punishments for polluters. After the Easter break, the House of Commons will convene to vote on these amendments.

Britain and Germany are leading efforts to persuade US, China and India to join the carbon trading scheme – the global plan to bring together polluters to fight climate change.

There’s discussion that companies need to pay a higher price for their emissions if Canada intends on meeting their greenhouse gas goals.

“The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy said that in 2050 companies would have to pay up to C$270 (US$250) for each tonne of carbon dioxide to meet a goal of cutting greenhouse gases emissions by 65 percent of 2003 levels in 2050”.

The U.S. EPA recently submitted a proposal to the International Marine Organization to reduce various contaminates, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter) emitted from ocean-going ships.

World Bank documents show that about 750,000 people a year die from pollution-related causes in China. The Chinese government had the bank suppress that segment of a report on the country because it may have caused social unrest.

China also successfully pushed for the removal of a detailed map showing which parts of the country suffered the most deaths, the newspaper said.

“The World Bank was told that it could not publish this information. It was too sensitive and could cause social unrest,” the Financial Times quoted one adviser to the study as saying.

“Beijing officials will withdraw one million cars from the city’s streets next month in a trial run as plans are drawn up to reduce pollution levels for next year’s Olympics.”

A new report reveals that some contaminants in Toronto’s air are at dangerous levels, threatening our health. Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s medical health officer, stresses the need for businesses to disclose what they release.

Alongside the launch of a new Air Quality Health Index is a right-to-know bylaw that forces Toronto businesses to reveal their polluting emissions.

This will make Toronto the first North American city that allows the public to know what they are breathing in and where the pollutants are coming from.

Frank Gobas at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia has identified a new class of organic contaminants in fish that can pose threats to human. These represent a third or organic chemicals used commercially.