Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta have confirmed, based on World Health Organization studies, that from 8,000 to 24,000 new cases of cancer occur in Canada yearly due to pollution. This finding is a shock to Canadians who recycle, bicycle or walk whenever possible. But rampant industrialized waste and a lack still, of stringent enough regulations, are causing misery among those exposed to these toxins.

If this is happening in pristine Canada, how is your national back yard? We all need to be aware of toxins in our own home, under the sink, in the basement or garage. If is has been simmering away for some time, take it away. Recycling depots are now common, but we learn all too common is that those toxic expensive bits are pulled out by hand in Asia, and then the plastic burnt off to salvage the copper wire, that smoke and ash drifting across the Pacific onto Americas forests and into Americas lungs.

By the billions, as you can imagine, and increasing daily. Like the world temperature, merrily skipping upward. Is any one able to measure those skipping upward numbers by the time and let us know when the sea will be up to our ankles? Our knees? When should we open a gondola franchise?

There is hope. And even while additional mineral and oil sands projects go into higher gear, we need to ensure that we become world leaders, not followers, in helping create a greener world. That U.N. World Clock is ticking, showing how the earth average temperature is now 14.1 something to the tenth power.

And it is those farthest numbers to the right that we should be paying more attention: they are merrily skipping upwards as you watch. No up or down movement at any time you watch. Especially, we in the west need to clean up our act, and then help the developers such as China and India with our technology: common reason must prevail.

And if babies are being stillborn in healthy Canada due to pollution, imagine how bad and worse it is getting in so many third world nations, where bribes to officials still allow ecological nightmares.

We all breath the same air and share the ocean wastes. We need to grow up and accept that there is not a potty section in the pool any more. Let us be aware that we need to personally do all we can to green up, but also to encourage our governments, at every level, to get off the pot. Or out of the pool. Or at least clean up after.