Truth, Inconvenient or Otherwise.

For good reason, global environmental reform seems to be on everyone's tongues these days. From magazine covers to government funding to the near rock star status of Al Gore, talk about the environment is heating up just as quickly as our atmosphere. Or likely, more quickly. Even the term 'green' has taken on a whole new meaning during our lifetime. More important than talk, of course, are education and action.

Hosted by The University of Western Ontario today, the Scientific Journey brought together researchers from a variety of disciplines to deliver lectures to high school students and members of the broader community about issues related to climate change and the environment. Five researchers made 20-minute presentations at the seventh annual event, the theme for which was: "Our Changing Planet". I jotted down a few points from the various presentations I found interesting. Or at least particularly staggering.

• Only six per cent of raw materials used in the production process actually end up in the final end product.
• Canadians are often up in arms about the United States' refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol, yet Canada's carbon emissions rates are more than double those of our neighbours to the south (30 per cent to 13).
• Scientists are predicting an increase in temperature of between 1-6 degrees by the end of this century, which is consistent with the shifts in temperature that have historically occurred every 10,000 years or so and led to ice ages.
• Scientists trying to 'fertilize' the ocean by 'sinking' carbons created a blume that traveled 1,500 kilometres in three days. This inability to control the blume (and the effects of the blume itself) helped make the experiment an utter failure.
• A study has been done showing the economic benefit of insects to be approximately $57 billion USD through 'free' things they generate for us humans. Think about that the next time your shoe sets its sights on a little critter.
  
• The Wal-Mart empire uses enough energy each year to power all of Namibia (which is slightly more than half the size of Alaska). But at least you and I get Everyday Low Prices.
  
• The world's most profitable company? Exxon-Mobil at $39.5 billion. And yet we read in the papers how oil companies make very little profit and how high gas prices are really the result of exorbitant taxes.