Media Clipping — Thursday, January 22, 2004, The Halifax Herald

Polluting our own backyard

By Alison Auld / The Canadian Press

BREATHING SPACE

• Nova Scotia's per capita sulphur oxide emissions are twice the Canadian level, 2.6 times the U.S. level and much higher than any other reporting country.
• Despite its relatively small population, the province accounts for 25 per cent of Canadian sulphur oxide emissions caused by electrical power generation.
• Nova Scotia's per capita emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, sulphur oxides and volatile organic compounds are also higher than those of all industrialized countries.
  Source: GPIAtlantic

Nova Scotia produces sulphur oxide emissions that are two times higher than the Canadian and American averages, adding to a potent mix of chemicals that contribute to acid rain and health problems, says a new report.

The study, compiled by GPI Atlantic, found that the province's heavy use of coal-fired energy generation plants has made it the country's biggest producer of sulphur oxide, which is among a family of pollutants linked to respiratory and heart problems.

"We are the victim of a huge amount of transboundary pollution from the United States and Central Canada, but the part that's not usually talked about is what we're responsible for ourselves," Ron Colman, one of the report's authors, said Wednesday.

"The fact that Nova Scotia is responsible for 25 per cent of all Canada's sulphur oxide emissions is quite dramatic."

The report estimated that sulphur oxide emissions in 2002 caused $212 million worth of damages in Nova Scotia. That includes costs associated with health care and resource depletion.

Canadians routinely blame U.S. power plants as the major source of pollutants that drift north, but Colman says high energy production in Eastern Canada creates substantial pollution.

The report, which took three years to produce, found that Halifax had Canada's highest annual average of sulphur dioxide, a member of the sulphur oxide family.

Sulphur dioxide is a colourless, pungent gas that is a byproduct of industrial processes and the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal.

GPI Atlantic, a non-profit research group based in Halifax, also concluded that lakes in Nova Scotia are slower to recover from acid rain than those in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that Kings County in the Annapolis Valley recorded the highest level of ground ozone in the country in the summer of 2001.

High ozone levels can increase respiratory problems, damage aquatic ecosystems, harm forests and limit biodiversity, all of which are creating substantial costs in damages.

Anne Monette, a scientist who researched the report, said the major concern for the region is the ground-level ozone. The high levels of the pollutant have shown no sign of improvement in 15 years and are still above the acceptable Canadian level.

"Air quality really has improved significantly since the 1970s, but the problem areas are ground-level ozone levels and the acid deposition," she said.

Environmentalists are hoping the new information will encourage power producers, consumers and governments to come up with alternative fuel sources, reduce usage and diversify energy production.

Nova Scotia Power, which produces the bulk of energy in the province, has said it is moving away from its reliance on coal-fired plants and is looking more to natural gas, lower-sulphur coal and wind turbines for power sources.

"These are very valid concerns for our industry and our province," said Margaret Murphy, spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power. "We're very aware of the need for industry to lower air emissions and the province has set specific targets that we intend to meet."

Under a provincial plan, sulphur dioxide emissions must be reduced 25 per cent by 2005 and 50 per cent by 2010, nitrogen oxide 20 per cent by 2009 and mercury 20 to 50 per cent by 2005.

Copyright © 2004, The Halifax Herald