Alberta
Canada
International
Air Quality
Climate Change
Biodiversity and Conservation
Recycling and Waste Management
Sustainable Development
Water
Alberta
- Alberta Environment: Information on provincial environmental regulations, policies, and programs.
- Alberta Environmental Network Society: A network of non-profit, non-governmental organizations, with information on environmental activities in Alberta and worldwide.
Links and contact names provide networking for those who wish to get involved with the current issues in Alberta. There is also a weekly updated news section with media clippings of important environmental news.
- Environmental Law Centre: Based in Edmonton, the Environmental Law Centre was established in 1982 to provide Albertans with an objective source of information about environmental and natural resources law and policy.
Website includes frequently asked environmental law questions.
- Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development: An Alberta-based organization providing detailed analyses of a variety of environmental topics, including sustainable energy, climate change, and the environmental impacts of the energy industry.
Canada
- Green Lane (Environment Canada): Includes links to Canadian environmental legislation, an on-line environmental news magazine, and discussions of current environmental issues.
- Sierra Club of Canada: News releases and discussion of environmental issues and campaigns, including loss of animal and plant species, deterioration of oceans and atmosphere, toxic chemicals, destruction of wilderness, population growth
and over consumption. Includes links to regional chapters.
International
- Union of Concerned Scientists: A U.S.-based, nonprofit partnership of scientists and citizens which provides detailed scientific analyses of many environmental issues, including global warming, biodiversity, and renewable energy.
- World Conservation Union: Major international organization, founded in 1948, which “seeks to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.“
Website provides in depth coverage of a broad range of environmental and social issues.
- World Resources Institute: A U.S.-based think tank; “Earth Trends Environmental Information Portal” has data tables, country profiles and maps on a range of environmental topics, including ecosystems, water resources, climate, agriculture, energy, biodiversity, water resources.
- Worldwatch Institute: A non profit public policy research organization focusing on global problems and trends and the complex links between the world economy and its environmental support systems. News and discussion of key environmental issues.
Air Quality
- Air (Alberta Environment): Information on air quality protection and enforcement, monitoring, modeling and air emissions inventories.
- Air Pollutant Emissions (Environment Canada): Searchable database providing emissions summaries and maps of selected air pollutants, and links to to information on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).
- CASA (Clean Air Strategic Alliance) Data Warehouse: Sponsored by CASA, a non-profit Alberta association composed of representatives from government, industry, and non-government organizations, this searchable database contains archived air quality data from Alberta monitoring stations.
Biodiversity and Conservation
- Alberta Conservation Association: A Delegated Administrative Organization under the Alberta Wildlife Act, which carries out activities related to the sustainable management of Alberta's wildlife and fish populations and their habitat. Website includes information on current conservation projects throughout Alberta.
- Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre: Part of an international Natural Heritage Network, the Centre collects and disseminates biodiversity data; website contains maps and information on the natural regions and subregions of Alberta.
- Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum: Information on conservation of native prairie and parkland environments in Alberta; several publications available online, including the Alberta Prairie Conservation Action Plan.
- Calgary Field Naturalists Society: Local natural history club whose members’ interests include birding, botany, entomology, butterflies and other conservation, natural history, and environmental topics.
- Canadian Botanical Conservation Network: A Canadian organization working to preserve the biological diversity of Canada's of rare and endangered native plant species, wild habitats and ecosystems; links to Canadian and global data, online
- Ducks Unlimited Canada: An organization with a mandate to restore, enhance, and conserve critical wetland habitat for the benefit of North America's waterfowl; website includes information on conservation priorities and research activities.
- Federation of Alberta Naturalists: Website includes information on natural history projects and programs throughout Alberta, a biological database containing observations gathered by volunteers, and plant and bird identification guides.
- Forest Watch Alberta: An independent non-profit organization, initiated as part of the Global Forest Watch initiative in 1999, which provides information about forests and forestry in Alberta.
- Nature Conservancy Canada: Includes links to provincial Conservation Data Centres, providing data on character, distribution and conservation status of natural areas, indigenous species and ecological communities.
- Parks Canada: Parks Canada environmental conservation programs.
- World Conservation Union: Major international organization, founded in 1948, which “seeks to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.“
Website provides in depth coverage of a broad range of environmental and social issues.
Climate Change
- Climate Change Program (Pembina Institute): Alberta-based organization provides discussions of climate change, including Kyoto Protocol and other policy measures aimed at securing major reductions in Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
- Climate Change Central: Partnership between the Alberta government, businesses and stakeholders; news and discussions of initiatives for reduction of greenhouse gases.
- Climate Change Knowledge Network: Coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (Ottawa); provides political, economic, scientific and legal background information related to global climate change.
- David Suzuki Foundation: Information on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol, including analysis of economic costs and benefits of implementation, and suggestions for citizen action.
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) (Environment Canada): Information on Canadian legislation and international developments (Kyoto Protocol) with respect to greenhouse gases; includes online report of emissions and removals of greenhouse gases and recent trends in Canada.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, the IPCC assesses scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for understanding the risk of human-induced climate change;
website includes online Climate Change Assessment Reports.
- World Conservation Union Climate Change Initiative: A briefing about climate change, why it's important for biodiversity, what it means for conservation, and whether biodiversity can help solve the climate change problem through carbon sequestration.
There is also an explanation of the international efforts that have been taken to address climate change, and IUCN's response.
Recycling and Waste Management
- Clean Calgary Association: A local non-profit group; information and programs on composting, recycling, and other environmental issues.
- Recycling Council of Alberta: A non-profit organization which promotes and facilitates waste reduction, recycling, and resource conservation in Alberta.
Sustainable Development
- International Institute for Sustainable Development: A Canadian based institute which advances policy recommendations on international trade and investment, economic policy, climate change,
measurement and indicators, and natural resource management to make development sustainable.
- Sustainable Calgary: An organization promoting community level actions and initiatives that move Calgary towards a sustainable future.
Water
- Bow River Basin Council: Information on water quality and quantity, ecosystems, and the effects of human activity and land use in the Bow River Basin, plus links to related local and Canadian sites.
- National Water Research Institute: Canada’s largest freshwater research institute; discussion of water issues including aquatic ecosystems, groundwater, and drinking water.
- Water (Alberta Environment): Links to the Water Act and other legislation governing water use and water quality; information on drinking water, wastewater, Alberta’s river basins, flood risk maps.
© Calgary Public
Library. April 19, 2007